tom-beaty.com views on real estate

Many owners of condo units who want to make some money choose to either sell or rent out their unit. If you are in this kind of position, here are some tricks you can use to get the word out there (and get a good price), especially if you plan to do a lot of the work yourself, instead of letting an agent do all the work.

Firstly, catalogue the good points about your condo accurately and in detail. You might think you know your condo like the back of your hand, more so if you have lived in it for years. However, you might just miss some assets that could have netted a good customer. A good way to avoid this is to go through your condo systematically with a pen and paper. Start from the first room and proceed through each of them. You might even sub-divide the rooms into sections, so as to avoid missing things.

Do not forget assets that exist “outside” the apartment. In other words, these are advantages that have to do with the unit’s location. Is your unit near convenient places like a subway station, a business center, a shopping center, or an entertainment district? Is it very close to hospitals and police stations in case of emergencies? Does the window offer a spectacular view? The building or complex in which your apartment is located might offer some excellent services that make life easier for those living there. These are all great attractions to potential buyers.

In addition, when scouting for customers, do not write off useful demographic groups without good reason. For instance, people tend to associate condo units with relatively young residents. We tend to think of older people as living in houses, or even rest homes. This is most definitely an over-generalization. Many senior citizens would not mind living in an apartment, which may be easier to maintain than a house.

Condo unit auctions are an interesting option, too. One of the best things about the process is its speed. Bidding can start and finish in the course of a single day, or even in a few minutes’ time. This means that you do not have to go through the inconvenience of a long sales/marketing process, touring lots of people around the apartment and always being ready for visitors. Whether or not you set a minimum price at the auction is up to you. Setting up an auction without a strict minimum seems foolhardy, but it does tend to attract more bidders. If you really cannot decide, you might try getting a little professional advice on this question-if the advice is not too expensive. Interestingly enough, you might sell your condo unit as part of a set. Perhaps you have other properties. Or, you and some others might decide to pool your property as a set up for auction, and then divide the proceeds accordingly. Make sure that the agreement is set before the money comes in to prevent messy arguments.

Beverly Manago is a freelance writer focused on the real estate industry, and a consultant for My Single Property Website, a web 2.0 marketing tool that lets real estate agents create stunning virtual tours and single property sites easily. She also contributes to the Best Real Estate Email Newsletter there.

Though selling your home yourself is discouraged in today’s housing market, it is not altogether impossible. Here are some tips for listing your home as FSBO, or a For Sale By Owner.

Why Choose For Sale by Owner?

People decide to sell their homes themselves for a number of reasons. The first reason for this is usually that they don’t want to pay for a “middle man,” as they may have debts to pay or simply want to turn a profit. Experts agree, though, that most For Sale by Owner properties turn to an agent after the first year of going unsold. But why is this?

The reason is that FSBO properties rely on drive-by views or the odd online view of their listing. They don’t have the resources available that an agent would have, and are not able to schedule showings unless they are present at the house.

How to Price Your FSBO

Pricing is a tricky subject. Doing your homework is the biggest favor you can do for your home. Start by getting an appraisal. Search for low-cost appraisal companies. Mention that you are selling your home yourself and they may give you a discount.

Once you have a professional appraisal done, begin researching the market home value of homes sold in your neighborhood in the past year. Remember that homes sold through agents may have higher markups. Also, it may be difficult to locate pricing information for For Sale by Owner homes, but not altogether impossible. Ask the new owners politely what they paid for their home, and explain that you are looking to sell you home as well.

Be sure to correctly price your home. The first two weeks that you put your house on the market are the most crucial, as that will tell you whether people are interested in your house at its determined price. The longer a house sits without selling, the less likely it is to sell at all.

Marketing Your Home

In order to get the public interested in your home, you need to be a savvy marketer. Surprisingly, newspaper ads still generate a lot of interest in homes under For Sale by Owner. And now, the Internet offers resources for FSBO housing, also. Forums and sites sometimes offer free or cheap listings that allow you to upload photos, post information about your house, and attract potential buyers.

Staging an online photo tour is an easy, cheap way to get people to see your house. Take high-quality digital photos of several well-lit, neatly organized rooms. Post them in a photo tour, and include information about the house’s age, its special features, and positive aspects about the location.

Make the Deal

If you do happen to get an offer on you home, be sure to draft a contract using the assistance of a lawyer. Don’t accept a first offer unless you also supply a counter offer. You also don’t want to scare any potential buyers away from dealing too aggressively.

Listing and selling your home as a For Sale by Owner can be tricky, but it is definitely possible. Be sure to do all of your research and get the facts before making this big decision.

Beverly Manago is a freelance writer focused on the real estate industry, and a consultant for My Single Property Websites, a web 2.0 marketing tool that lets real estate agents create stunning virtual tours and single property sites easily. She also contributes to the Real Estate Encyclopedia there.

If you are new to commercial real estate, you might feel a little out of depth. Here are some easy, largely non-technical things to remember as you make your way about your profession.

First, always be aware of the context in which you are selling property. In other words, do keep abreast of political and economic developments in the immediate area. If you can, make time for town meetings and other events so that you can get to know “important” people such as up-and-coming local politicians and major business leaders. For instance, if you get to know the owner of a company, he or she might decide to approach you first if he or she would like to buy more office space. If you get on the good side of local politicians, you might be the first to know about upcoming development projects, such as the construction of new schools, or the improvement of certain streets. You can then plan what listings to go for. This type of networking is particularly useful if you plan to practice the real estate agent profession in the same area over a period of several years or decades.

Second, remind yourself that buyers of commercial real estate are not just “all business.” Of course, they do care about “practical” things, like the actual size of the space, and any recent repairs made. However, prospective buyers also want a working experience that is as pleasant as possible. If the property is located near good, cheap restaurants, for instance, this can be a selling point, too. In this way, you can use a lot of the tactics shared by sellers of residential real estate.

Third, do build a team of people who can help you spruce up a property. Well, actually “network” is probably a better term for this. You will often need the same type of people over and over again: electricians, cleaners, and designers of advertisements. Try to form a long-term relationship with such people, so that you might get a better deal later on. It would be great if they could work with each other: the renovations and advertising have a better chance of producing a cohesive impression on prospective buyers.

Also, you would do well to harness the publicity avenues that are already on hand in your area. These would be the respected real estate magazines, blogs, etc. Sure, there is nothing wrong with advertising outside these channels, as well. However, such sources do have authority, as well as an existing readership. Do you not want a piece of this, as well? Through your work with these publications, you might also meet some more experienced real estate agents who can give you advice and help you build your stockpile of contacts.

Lastly, you should also make your marketing tactics flexible. Do not use the same ones for every property. For instance, the marketing standards for “great” or “elegant” office space will probably be higher than those for, say, a factory. The former is where you can expect to pull out the stops as far as advertising design is concerned.

Beverly Manago is a freelance writer focused on the real estate industry, and a consultant for My Single Property Websites, a web 2.0 marketing tool that lets real estate agents create stunning virtual tours and single property sites easily. She also contributes to the Single Property Websites Blog there.

When you prepare to publicize the sale of a house, you often include hard data such as size, number of rooms, layout, architectural style, etc. It may be easy to get lost in these technical factors, and no wonder-they are very important. However, there is much more to getting someone to buy the house than convincing them that they can get a good deal for a great set of “specs.” Selling a house also involves selling an idea, or rather, an ideal.

If you want to sell the property as the ideal place to raise a family, make sure that your staging and sales pitch reflect this. Foreground the cozy, child-friendly furniture-even if you do not plan to give these furnishings as part of the deal. Expand on its convenient location near schools, parks, and daycare centers. Then again, you may prefer to market the residence as a perfect hipster pad. In that case, use an edgier design scheme. Your advertising materials might also be tailored to reflect a similar aesthetic. Furthermore, you might want to give prospective buyers an idea of how close they will be to hot hangout spots and the like. Of course, there are many other “types” you can use. These are just two of them.

At first glance, this might seem like a dangerous tactic. Won’t you be boxing yourself in by marketing the property in a way that some people might not like? This is a reasonable concern. Do expect that a specific marketing scheme is unlikely to please everybody. However, a house that you attempt to sell as all things to all people is also likely to leave a very incoherent, indistinct impression. It will have very little personality in a prospective buyer’s mind, and is likely to be passed over.

Assuming you decide to take the tactic advised in this article, how do you decide which type of “ideal” fits your house? In many cases, the location of the residence will be a major factor. What kind of establishments are near the residence in question? For instance, if the residence is near a university, expect plenty of students and faculty to come knocking. If the property is near a business district, expect many white-collar professionals to show interest. You might also like to observe the habits and lifestyle of the people surrounding the property. People often prefer to live in neighborhoods with people who have similar lifestyles. (For example, a residential area full of nuclear families can be reasonably expected to attract more nuclear families instead of, say, a group of young housemates.)

Pinpointing a market niche for the property can also be a good way to decide on your wider marketing tactics. What kind of people will want your property? What kind of websites or publications do they patronize? Answering these questions will help you focus your marketing, especially if you have limited funds with which to pay for ad space. If you must be selective with your advertising, it makes sense to target your advertising venues carefully.

Beverly Manago is a freelance writer focused on the real estate industry, and a consultant for My Single Property Websites, a web 2.0 marketing tool that lets real estate agents create stunning virtual tours and single property sites easily. She also contributes to the What Sellers Want In A Realtor there.

As a prospective seller, you may have visited at least one other home up for sale. If you have, you may have noticed a certain uninhabited ambiance to the place, despite its being furnished and decorated. This is not the fault of the seller-or his or her agent. Rather, it is a deliberate and successfully executed effect, designed to facilitate the sale of the property. Interestingly, it actually helps to make your home appear as if nobody really lives there.

Why is this so? Well, the first reason is to avoid making a visitor (and prospective buyer) feel like an intruder when he or she shows up. If personal effects and signs of a long history with the house abound, he or she might feel bad about displacing you-even though you are willingly selling the house.

Secondly, you might want to safeguard your privacy, not just for your own sense of dignity, but to preserve a good bargaining position. If a buyer finds out that you are not in a comfortable financial situation, he or she will feel better about his or her chances of successfully driving down the price of the residence. You might also want to hide anything that clearly gives away any strong religious or political viewpoints. You would be surprised at how many people will actually refuse to buy a house from somebody with radically different views from their own. This might seem odd and impractical, but people do not always act 100% rationally when they make large purchases.

So, how do you pull off the “disappearing act” of removing personal traces and private information from your home, when you know that prospective buyers will be coming to view it while you are out?

Firstly, make sure mail is stowed away and not allowed to gather on the floor below the main slot. You should be especially careful to stow away things like bills or credit notices. Even if you tuck these away in a drawer, that might not be enough. A person testing the furniture might find the papers by accident, to say nothing of people who are being deliberately prying.

Secondly, get rid of things like family photographs, or documents like diplomas, awards, etc. These are too personal. In addition, information about your educational background might set off one of a buyer’s prejudices. You never know what somebody might think of your school, major, etc.

Thirdly, you yourself might want to stay out of sight, or make sure to be out of the house completely when your agent escorts buyers around the house. Quite understandably, you may be concerned about somebody (maybe even the agent) stealing or destroying your valuables. Keep these out of the way, then. Put them in a safe storage space. Money and jewelry might go into a bank safety deposit box. This should not be too hard: you may have already begun the process of safely stowing your valuables away, in preparation for the move.

If you are putting your house up for sale and will be having buyers to see it, you might want to pull off this “vanishing” act, to make room for the buyer’s imagination, and also to get a good price.

Beverly Manago is a freelance writer focused on the real estate industry, and a consultant for My Single Property Websites, a web 2.0 marketing tool that lets real estate agents create stunning virtual tours and single property sites easily. She also contributes to the Real Estate Email Marketing there.

There is likely not a single American family that has not been impacted in some way by current economic circumstances. We are told that economic indicators appear to be bottoming out, and that there is light at the end of the tunnel. If true, could it be too late for those hit hardest by a perfect storm of lost jobs, and lost homes? For those emerging from the rubble of foreclosure, is the light at the end of the tunnel really an oncoming load of shame, misery, and substandard housing ?

Foreclosure filings were reported on 315,716 homes in January 2010. This represents an increase of 15% over the same month in 2009, according to the latest government statistics. And, whats more, foreclosure is no longer a fate suffered only by those with reckless credit histories, and ballooning mortgage payments. Due to continuing job losses, increasing numbers of people with good credit history and fixed rate loans are losing their homes. To better grasp the harsh reality of these foreclosure numbers, perhaps it would be helpful to consider them from a more relevant perspective.

“We speak in terms of distressed houses, when the real issue is distressed families, says David Cain, Chief Operating officer of www.ownerfinanceahome.com. ” I couldn’t even get a safe apartment for my kids” says Deondre Nettles, who lost his home in Long Beach California. My credit score was way too low, and no desirable apartment in town would have me”

The most promising housing solution for families emerging from the rubble of foreclosure is likely an increasing number of owner financeable properties becoming available all across the country. Owner financing will usually require far less stringent credit qualifications than banks and traditional lenders. Investors and homeowners are finding an eager owner financing market with lots of motivated buyers grateful for the opportunity to reestablish their credit. “The number of owner financed, residential real estate transactions will be exploding in the next year or so,” says Cain.

How do you go about finding homes available for owner financing ? Talk to real estate agents who will likely have a list of investors who are finding that owner financing offers great returns on their real estate investments. Or, seek out real estate investor clubs. Search the internet aggressively. Search for local owner finance homes,and sites that offer searchable listings of owner finance homes. If you are persistent in your search, there may be a real second chance opportunity for you at the end of the tunnel.

David Cain is President of OwnerFinanceaHome.com, the countries largest, and most comprehensive, searchable database of owner financed homes. To pursue listing opportunities,or submit an offer, you may contact him at (803) 261-9267 or email david@ownerfinanceahome.com

Today’s real estate market is highly competitive for those who are trying to sell their homes. While just about everyone can agree that it’s a buyer’s market, it is an indisputable fact that there are real estate agents who are still doing well, even in this economy. The question is how to choose the right agent - the one who is going to be able to get you the best sale price in a reasonable timeframe. Here are some things to look for in an agent this year.

Online presence is, of course, a necessity. Firstly, your agent’s firm should have a professional, easy to use web site complete with a MLS listing search. Many agents feature useful information about the local market, as well as tips for buying and selling homes. Some savvy brokers also take advantage of social media, using it to build networks and notify potential buyers as well as other real estate agents about homes recently listed for sale. These are all good signs that your broker has put some solid work into their presence on the Web.

You’ll want to make sure that whoever you choose also will list your home on web site alternatives to the MLS for maximum exposure. While Craigslist.org remains a perennial favorite, having a good listing on several other real estate web sites is a major factor in making sure your listing is viewed by as many potential buyers as possible. Your agent should be aware of the most popular real estate sites of the moment, and be prepared to submit your listing to every site that is appropriate.

Another way to identify a good realtor is to find one that specializes in selling properties similar to yours. This is especially advantageous if your home falls into some specialty category, such as small ranches, historical homes, or luxury homes.

Looking at the quality of an agent’s listings is also important. Are they accurate and detailed, with full lists of amenities? Do they offer several good pictures, and maybe even interactive video tours or 360 degree photos? Your agent should have all the tools available to show your home to its best advantage. A great listing will give potential buyers a good idea of what your house is like, which will mean that it will attract more buyers looking for a home like yours. Some agents go so far as to hire professional photographers for home listings.

Before the photos are taken, however, a good agent should advise you on preparing your home for showing to potential buyers. They will be able to point out problems that will catch a potential buyer’s eye and possibly contribute to a lower sale price, so you can fix them before a buyer ever sees them.

A really top notch agent will make sure that all prospective buyers taken to your house are pre-qualified before you are disturbed. Most of us don’t appreciate strangers wandering about in our homes uninvited. Pre-qualified potential buyers will eliminate some of those people.

And finally, in this era, every dollar counts, so shop around for a real estate office that understands that you have just lost a lot of your equity to the economy. Perhaps you will find a broker that will work with you on commission as well, to help you keep as much of your remaining equity as possible. It can never hurt to ask.

If you are selling a White Rock or South Surrey home, call on Red Dot Real Estate, a real estate broker with $1 billion in sales since 1981. Offers award-winning strategic marketing with professional digital photography, virtual 360 tours and floor plan renderings plus fast listings on several different web sites. Save up to 50% on MLS listing fees! Powered by SEO 2.0 Services

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House Painting is also considered to be a form of home renovation. In most cases it does you the biggest bang for the buck. A good paint job when done effectively can really improve the general looks of your home. To paint your house one or two colors a good paint house color would be in only a neutral variety such as light beiges or creams catches the bulk of the public.

Using such light colors like these all so gives the home generally a good fresh new feeling. When the house colors are dark and makes the room look smaller and tighter. And this is something you don’t want. The paint in the house should be as flat as possible not to reflect any drywall imperfections. Unless you’re planning to really smooth over all the walls. Of course when you are doing an interior paint job and want to make it look as good as it can without starting to remove and replace trim work and so on, it is best to paint everything in the “white” family. White is the most commonly accepted paint in house color.

A good paint job always consists of a good preparation job. When you’re preparing your walls and trim for interior painting start by inspecting for cracks and holes. Usually the way a professional painter inspects for wall and trim defects is with a strong trouble lamp which will reflect light on everything and cast shadows. These shadows are the way you will be able to tell defects in the wall that aren’t too visible to the naked eye during regular lighting conditions. This is an effective way for checking the interior painting defects because what you can’t see someone else might and that’s not good.
Walking around with a trouble lamp and then one hand use a soft pencil to mark the defects (the soft pencil won’t create a mark that will come through the paint like a pen would). Once you have all the marks on the wall indicated then it is time to take some Sandable plaster compound. If you have large cracks in your walls then you should use some drywall tape to cover the crack and keep it from reoccurring. You might have to put a second layer of plaster over some of these repairs because one layer might not do a clean job. This all depends on how big the repair is. Also when you’re doing a crack repair with tape you have to leave 6 inches approximately on both sides of the tape joint to taper into the wall. This taper is to relieve any lump that would occur from the paper repair.

When you believe you have all your walls repaired properly then it is wise to sand all the walls down after it dries making sure that you have no lumps or bumps or humps on the wall and you haven’t missed anything.

After sanding the walls dust everything down including your baseboards. Now with your trouble lamp check for any cracks and crevices between your baseboard and your walls also between your door trim and your walls. This is one important point that you can’t leave out this will make the house really look good. I usually use a paintable caulking and I follow around all the trim in the house to ensure that there are no gaps. Don’t put so much on though that it is sloppy. What you’re trying to do here is just get rid of cracks. Don’t put on so much that it will be hard to distinguish where the baseboard stops and the wall begins.

Painting Trim
It is a good practice to paint the trim first, and let it dry and if need be to put a second coat on it.

Interior Wall Painting
Before you start painting you should first prime all the drywall repairs with the drywall primer. Let it dry and you can commence interior wall painting. You should frame all the way around the room with a brush. Do your wall to ceiling brushwork and then all the way around your trim work and baseboards. By this time your primer should be dried. Now you can proceed on rolling your walls in one by one.

Over the years and thousands of houses we have picked up all kinds of experiences. Everything from interior painting to renovating kitchens and everything in between. Is there something you’d be interested in knowing on home repairs you can come and see us at: Toronto Painters. Our site tells you what you want to know on just about any home repair or improvement

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You may have already seen a particular beach for sale Cebu, but before you buy it, you might want to see some more and expand your options. Some of the best beach houses in Cebu can be found in the towns of Dalaguete, Catmon and Compostela.

Dalaguete Beach House

In Dalaguete, there is a four-storey beach house with a total of 400 square meter floor area. This fully-furnished building, with a selling price of 15 Million Pesos, has a lot area of 1,600 square meters. It has eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms. It also has landscaped gardens and a viewing deck. This beach house is located exactly in Cebu Countryside Villa and Resort, Sitio Dumlog, Manangal, Dalaguete, Cebu.

Compostela Beach House

Another one is located in Compostela which comprises two houses. The property which has an amazing view of the Camotes Sea, has a total land area of 4,400 square meters. It has a gate and surrounded by a fence. It’s amenities include a swimming pool, a parking lot, a native hut, a beautiful landscaped-garden and a viewing deck. Within the property is a one-storey bungalow house with a floor area of about 300 square meters. The house has an entertainment area with a pool table, a huge living room, and three bedrooms with each one having its own bath and toilet. Being fully-furnished means it already has furniture like tables, sofas, chairs, showers, cabinets and beds.

Meanwhile, the other house which has a total floor area of 300 square meters has three floors. It has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a bar, an office, a maid’s room, a kitchen and a living room. This house is also complete with furniture just like the other one. Another amazing thing about this property is that, it is located only 30 minutes away from Mandaue City and about ten minutes from Danao City. This house sells for a negotiable price of 25 Million Pesos.

Another Dalaguete Beach House

There is also another beach house located still in Dalaguete, exactly near the border of Argao and Dalaguete. It is a two-storey fully-furnished house with a total floor area of 540 square meters. This house which has a modern European-style to it has six bedrooms and two bathrooms with toilet. In addition to that, there is a swimming pool, a wide terrace and a landscaped-garden. The total land area is 1,265 square meters overlooking the sea. It sells for 10 Million Pesos.

Catmon Beach House

A huge fully-furnished house is also located in Catmon, Cebu. It has a floor area of 5,334 square feet. It has eight air-conditioned bedrooms with each one having its own terrace. Five of the upstairs bedrooms are cable-ready, while the Master’s Bedroom has a satellite television connection and a telephone. There’s also a guestroom, a maid’s quarters, a living room, a dining room with a wine bar, and an entertainment room. The place has a total land area of 12,918 square feet enclosed by a fence and metal gate. It’s paved roadway can accommodate eight cars and its fully-landscaped lawn has bermuda and fruit-bearing tress on it. Additionally, this house which has a selling price of 15 Million Pesos, is only an hour away from Cebu International Airport.

When one thinks about relaxation, Cebu would certainly come to mind. With all the beaches it has along with the convenience of a nearby city, who would think of any other place? If you want to know about a specific beach for sale Cebu, please visit PhilCebu Properties.

With the financial crisis that the whole world is currently undergoing, it is not easy to look for real estate buyers. But there will always still be some of them left behind and searching around for the right lot. So it’s just a matter of knowing where and how to advertise to get their attention.

Magazines

Magazine advertising can be quite expensive. Finding and placing an ad in magazines that cater to real estate can be very advantageous since potential buyers would most likely look for and go through them.

Major Newspapers

Although newspapers can also be expensive, the good thing about them is that, almost everyone reads them. A lot of potential buyers would initially think about them if they are planning to buy a lot.

Posters and Bulletin Boards

Posters can also be a very effective way to advertise a lot that is for sale. But you might want to place them in bulletin boards since most of them have a tendency to be ignored when placed somewhere else. In addition to that, replace them with new posters that are bright and colorful every now and then so they will get more attention.

Television Ads

A lot of sellers hesitate to advertise on TV because of the impression that they are very costly. They actually have a good reason to be because television ads are more expensive than most of the other advertising methods. However, with the increasing number of television networks and stations nowadays, there is a big possibility that it would attract a lot of potential buyers.

Web Pages

Two years ago, advertising on the web is practically unknown, but now, it is one of the most common methods of advertising. But advertising on the web would not only require a computer and an internet service provider. It would also need at least a little amount of expertise on designing your website, which you either have bought or rented. Although, there are many sites on the web that would offer to advertise your lot for you, thus removing you from the hassle and other unnecessary expenses just mentioned.

Yellow Pages

The Yellow Pages is also a very effective means of advertising your lot. Just make sure to make it stand out by having it placed well in the directory’s category of services and by using big bold letters. The telephone company will also give you free recommendation on advertising on the Yellow Pages.

Presentation Events

During presentation events, example, for seminars, trade shows, conventions, etc., give short presentations on the lot you are selling. Afterwards, hand out flyers with the lot information and your contact numbers to the crowd so they would know how to contact you.

Other than advertising your lot in different advertising agencies and methods, there are still other things you need to do to make it sell faster. These are cleaning and tidying-up the lot, offering easy financing terms, and being prepared for the buyers’ questions. If you want to know more about a lot for sale Cebu, please visit PhilCebu Properties.