The Art of Selling Category
Make Old Cabinets Shine for about $10
If you are purchasing a home or getting ready to sell a home and the kitchen or bathroom cabinets are looking shabby here is a great tip. Use Watco Danish Oil to give the cabinets new life. You can find it at your local home improvement center. For about $10 you can make the cabinets look practically new again.
I stumbled across this product while getting one of our rentals ready in between tenants. We had paid about $1,000 to have the kitchen cabinets refinished in one side of our duplex and we were getting ready to do the same thing on the other side during the next vacancy. It so happened that we had someone who needed to move in just two days after the previous renter had moved out and did not have the time to have cabinets professionally refinished. It’s important to us that our rentals are in superior condition and I really wanted the cabinets to look good so I picked up the Watco Danish Oil and gave it a try. Amazing! I’m serious, for about $10 and half a days work the cabinets looked like new. A couple of pointers if you want to give it a shot.
1) Get the cabinets very clean with TSP or similar.
2) Use a 3M Scotch-Brite to prepare all surfaces.
3) Rub in Watco Danish Oil
4) Buff with soft cloth
Your done! Try it and let me know how it works for you.
Sphere: Related ContentSaving Neighborhoods by Avoiding Foreclosure.
Short Sale Checklist
1. Authorization to Release Information to Agent. This will allow your Agent to talk with the lender on your behalf.
2. Handwritten hardship letter showing compelling need to sell.
3. Short Sale Listing Agreement.
4. BPO of comparable sales from Listing Agent.
5. Last 2 years W2 Forms all borrowers.
6. Last two years tax returns all borrowers.
7. Last two months bank statements all borrowers.
8. Last two pay stubs all borrowers.
9. Borrowers financial statement. Be sure to accurately list all expenses, as unaccounted discretionary income can be an issue with lender.
10.Detailed estimate for any repairs needed.
11.Fully ratified Purchase Agreement.
11.HUD 1 statement or NET Sheet showing the lender what their NET figure will be and any other expenses owed on the property.
Sphere: Related ContentCan $250 drag you away from the TV?
If you are out and about today make sure to stop by one (or all) of our Super Sunday Event open houses for the chance to win $250! I know we are going head to head with the first week of the NFL but do like I do, use the TiVo. I promise I won’t tell you the scores if you promise not to tell me!
Sandee and I are holding two open houses today. From 11 to 1 we will be at 980 Sierra Vista in Sunset Terrace. This house has ton’s of potential and is located in one of Redding’s most sought after established neighborhoods. Our other open house will be from 2 to 4 at 3329 Old Lantern in River Ridge. This “hardly lived in” house was built in 2006 by Ochoa & Shehan. An energy efficient Earth Advantage home it has numerous upgrades and mountain views from the landscaped back yard. Hope to see you there!
By the way, if you or anyone you know is thinking of selling their home they can take advantage of our marketing program to stand out from the crowd. Just let us know and we will be sure follow up.
Sphere: Related ContentReality Check - You won’t leave your home without it.
When discussing pricing with sellers we often hear the words “but my house is better” from sellers who are subjectively viewing their home as having a higher value to buyers than the homes of their neighbors. It does not really matter whether or not their home has any valuable upgrades or costly improvements for this to be the case either. Sellers often justify their beliefs more on how they feel about their home then any measurable data. Often we are confronted with this perception vs. reality discrepancy and how effective we are in working through this with the seller has a huge impact on how successfull we can be in helping them sell their home.
Of course every Realtor deals with this issue but until now no one had really measured just how pervasive this mind set is. Well, this just out. According to a survey of 1,361 U.S. Homeowners conducted by Zillow, an online home valuation site, 62% of homeowners believe their home’s value has increased or stayed the same in the past year despite the fact that statistics show that 77% of homes declined in value during that same period. The report is titled (you have got to love this title by the way) “The Home Value Misperception Index” and is worth a read by anyone getting ready to sell. What we already knew was that this optimism is likely fueled by homeowners feelings about their house more then their feelings about their neighbors house or the market in general. In fact 75% of homeowners surveyed thought that their home will increase or stay the same in value over the next six months but 42% of them also believe that home prices will fall during that same period. Go figure.
The truth is that homes that show to their best advantage throughout the listing, are priced correctly and marketed well will sell for the most money possible in any given market. The key is knowing your market, knowing the competition, working with the right real estate professional and accepting the fact that in a buyers market you will need to be prepared to negotiate.
This article from Consumer Reports is another good read. A little reality check before you get ready to sell will go a long way in determining your success. If you are thinking of selling your home please feel free to Contact Us to discuss preparing for a successful sale.
Sphere: Related Content
PREMIER SERVICE® is the focus of Real Estate Professionals/GMAC. We are located in Redding, CA (at the North end of the Sacramento River Valley) in the midst of river, lake, ranch and mountain terrain.
Our Customer Satisfaction Rating, based on an independent survey, exceeds 97%. This is reflected in our 2008 "QUIE" Award recognizing the TOP 10 REAL ESTATE COMPANIES in NORTH AMERICA! REP/GMAC in #2.
