About Berkeley County, WV

I have been a member of Active Rain for a few months, and have enjoyed everything about it. I have been blogging on a basic membership but i have just decided to take it up a notch. I am starting a Outside Blog, and this is number one. So wish me luck and if there is anyone out there with advice, please please Help!

This weekend was the Home Show at the Martinsburg Mall in Martinsburg, West Virginia. This was also the first home show that I was working instead of just walking around increasing my pen collection. While working this weekend, I realized that there is a lot of opportunity, but in my case more missed opportunity.

I think we had a lot of good ideas at our booth. We had a 50" TV donated from a local rent to own store for the weekend that we used for a power point presentation of all our offices properties for sale. We had a great back board explaining the advantages of using our office. There were brochures, cards, handouts, flyers etc.. Readily available, for everyone. We had cards to fill out that entered you in drawings for several prizes. And my personal favorite idea, we handed out popcorn to all the kids, and adult kids that wanted some.

I believe there has to be a technique that I don't know about, to engage the potential clients passing by. Any Ideas? I want to be prepared for next year.

Thanks

Aaron Poling

Long & Foster

For anyone in the Berkeley County Area, or many of the surrounding areas, you have experienced severe winds the last twenty four hours. With extreme weather comes home repairs. It is common to panic, when you see missing shingles or siding hanging off your house, but you should always think safety first. It is never a good decision to climb a ladder or up a roof when there are high winds or if you aren't experienced with the right safety equipment. Here are a few tips that can help if your home needs repairs from weather damage.

Siding:

If your home has been built in the last few years it should have a layer of protection below the siding called house wrap. One of the main purposes of this wrap is during the original construction it protects the sheeting from weather before the siding is installed. This also means that if siding is missing and your house has wrap it will help protect your home from the elements until the siding can be replaced.

If your house doesn't have house wrap, you shouldn't worry. The worst case scenario is if siding is missing above a window, door or anything else that could leak. Siding diverts water around and away from those things that could leak, so if it's missing you have to be careful.

Asphalt Shingle Roofing:

People typically worry more when they see shingles missing at the top of their roof. This is the opposite of truth. If shingles are missing at the top of the roof the only place that could leak is exactly where they are missing. If shingles are missing at the bottom, water will run down the roof and will leak at the bottom.

Shingle Roofs also have a protective layer below the shingle called tar paper. The main purpose of tar paper on a roof is a moisture barrier between the shingles and plywood. It also protects plywood from the elements until the shingles are installed. This means that if you have shingles missing and you see black instead of plywood, there is still some protection until you can have a repair done.

Hint:

Sometimes it is hard to find contractors that want to do small repairs. It's easy to grab the yellow pages and start to make calls. This is sometimes going to be a more expensive alternative way to find a contractor. Try looking through local publications ( buyers' guide, valley trader, journal, etc..) smaller contractors advertise there. Don't forget to get several estimates to ensure your paying a competitive price.

Thanks Walter Aaron Poling

Long & Foster Foxcroft

Let's be honest. The point in working with any professional is to get the job done better than you can do it on your own. Sure, you could do it, but you probably don't have unlimited time, resources and the in-depth knowledge of the industry that a professional senior real estate specialist does. Ask yourself: what can this person do for me that I can't do on my own? Hiring a real estate agent will help you get more return on your investment. A senior real estate specialist can:

1. Help you decide what to fix. Talk with your agent about what should be fixed. In general, the rule is: if it's broken, fix it. In today's market you're going to have a lot of competition to sell your home. If you have broken items you've just lived with (we all do!), get them fixed. Even if the rest of your home is in reasonably good repair, little things like a leaky faucet, a window that doesn't open, and a broken garage door opener are all excuses for buyers to lower the amount they're willing to offer. You can actually save a lot of money by making these small repairs before you sell.
2. Help you decide what to replace. Before you replace that living room carpet or those kitchen appliances, talk with a real estate agent and get suggestions on what will make your home more marketable. If the potential buyer for your home is a first time home buyer or young family, the type of flooring you put in the kitchen may be different than if you live in a luxury condominium that might appeal to a young executive. Spending a lot of money on unnecessary high-end flooring for your home may be just as costly as putting in an inexpensive floor in a luxury home. Talk with a local real estate agent about what your competition has, and how you can minimize the cost of improvements without sacrificing the marketability of your home.
3. Prevent your spending money on things that break. Getting your home ready for the market is a lot of work, and in some cases, can cost you money. Talk with your agent about a home warranty. Many of the home warranties available today cover the home owner from the date the home is listed until it is under contact with the new buyer. That means if you have a mechanical failure, you won't be trying to figure out how to pay to get it fixed while your home is on the market. Instead you can put in a claim to the home warranty and get it fixed with minimal out-of-pocket cost. A home warranty is also a nice additional selling point for your home-especially when you need to stand out from all the other homes on the market!
4. Suggest loan alternatives to buyers that will save you money. With lending guidelines getting tighter for borrowers, home buyers are using first-time home buyer programs that charge fees to the seller. For example, there are two nonprofit programs for first-time home buyers, Nehemiah and Genesis. Both offer essentially the same benefit to the buyer, but one charges the seller a $295 fee, and the other does not. Your real estate agent will help you understand these loan programs and work with the buyer's loan officer to see if the fees can be reduced.

Depressed real estate markets may make it tough to sell your home, but at least do the math, and figure out your minimum selling price and how much you can save if you move into a smaller place. Smaller means less money. Consider unloading unneeded possessions. Start or expand a home garden.