Tracy Lee Parker, Broker

Smart ideas to help you sell your home in North Texas Part 2

If you are putting your home on the market remember the first impression makes a huge difference!

A little effort can pay big returns. This is a list to help you get your home ready for sale.

• Clean carpet and remove any spots
• Clean windows inside and out
• Clean bathrooms thoroughly-floors, walls, fixtures and tiles
• Clean kitchen cabinets, appliances & fixtures, wax & polish floor
• Clean closets & hang clothes neatly. Arrange shoes neatly
• Mow & edge your lawn
• Rake leaves & pic up fallen limbs
• Clean out flower beds
• Repair & repaint fences

You might consider the following for decluttering your home to make it appear larger

• Sell or store extra furniture
• Arrange furniture to maximize walk space
• Paint rooms with lighter colors to make rooms appear larger

We are always available to do a walk through of your home. We will help you decide what you should do to get your home market ready !

Smart ideas to help you sell your home in North Texas Part 1

The first impression prospective buyers have when they come into your home can make a huge difference. If your home appears clean, tidy and well maintained, they can begin imagining themselves living in it. But if your home looks like it needs alot of work, a prospective buyer may cross it off their list.

• Buy a home warranty while you are on the market
• Replace heating and AC filters
• Clean areas around the indoor and outdoor heating/cooling equipment
• Clean all decks and patios
• Inspect all faucets for corrosion or hard water deposits
• Have slow running drains cleaned
• Make sure all sinks and bathtubs hold water
• Label all circuits in your electrical service panel
• Have the AC serviced and the condensation lines cleaned

Make your home stand out from the rest!

More home selling tips to come!

Finally, training for Short Sales !

A short sale is a situation in which the seller owes more money on the loan than the property will produce on the market. The lender allows for the woner to sell the property to partially satisfy the amount owed to the lender.

I attended a Short Sale training class presented by the National Association of Realtors yesterday. The class qualified for the SFR, Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource certification from NAR. Even though I have been doing short sales for a couple of years now, I was not sure if I was doing them totally correct because there was no guidelines for realtors to go by!

A National Association of REALTORS member survey shows that short sales and foreclosed properties accounted for a third of existing home sales in July 2009.

Short sales represent a number of challenges, including but not limited to long timelines, substantial documentation & multiple approvals.

Achieving SFR certification offers a number of benefits:

• Electronic toolkit with practical forms
• Free Webinars that you can download anytime
• Access to the SFR logo and marketing materials
• Differentiation as and SFR at www.Realtor.org and www.Realtor.com

Short Sales are preferable to Forclosure because short sales lessen the impact a foreclosure can have on the community and won't damage the distressed owner's credit as much as a foreclousure.

If you would like a market analysis of your home to see if you qualify for a short sale, please give me a call.

Nice Home on Almost an Acre For Sale in Sachse, Texas

Beautiful landscaping circles this 4 bedroom 3 bath home on .873 acre corner lot with detached 2 car garage! Private oasis backyard with iron fencing,wood fencing & electric gate! The master is down with dual vanities,garden tub,ceramic tile,huge walkin closet & seperate shower. Open kitchen with ceramic tile, brkfst bar & large pantry. Upstairs features gameroom & 3 nice size bedrooms. Large den downstairs, formal dining & living! Close to I-90.

http://1703blackburnroad.isnowoffered.com/

What to do if your tenant is late with the rent payment

Being a landlord does have challenges and one problem that seems to crop up for every landlord in their career is tenants who are late with rent repeatedly. It's important that you don't let the tenant "slide" by without consequences, charge them the late fees written in the lease! Always treat every tenant in the same manner when they're late with rent.

Courtesy Call

At noon on the 3rd give reminder calls, emails or text messages that rent is due by 5pm today.

Late Notice

The first step is letting them know immediately that the rent is late. Add in the late fees in a late notice.

Attach the late notice to the homes door and have a witness. Don't accept rent without the late fees added. Tenants will think twice about paying rent late if they have to pay more.

Phone Call

Follow up the late notice with a phone call if you haven't received some sort of response within a couple of days after the late fee notice. Some tenants prefer text message or email.

Eviction Notice

Every states laws are different on eviction notices. Be sure you know your states property code! Most tenants pay up when they are given a one day notice to vacate! Follow the rules on these notices, because you want the judge to rule in your favor should the case go to court.

Eviction Process

Eviction is the eventual outcome if your tenant is still delinquent with the rent then you have to move through the eviction process. No one likes this process, but if you are a landlord chances are you will run into this situation during your career.

Credit Bureau

Always report your delinquent tenants to the credit bureau. This helps prevent other landlords in their background checks from falling into this tenant's trap. Unfortunately there are some tenants who know how to work the system.