6 Worth the Price fix ups for your home.....

1.  Cleaning and Decluttering...Remove any personal items, unclutter countertops, organize closes and shelves and make the home sparkling clean..
2.  Brightening.. Clean all windows inside and out, replace old curtains, update lighting fixtures, and remove anything that blocks light from the windows.
3.  Smart staging...Rearrange furniture, bring in new accessories and furnishings to enhance rooms incorporate artwork, and play soft music in the background.
4.  Landscaping enhancements.  Punch up the home's curb appeal in the front and backyards by adding bark mulch, bushes, and flowers and ensuring current plants and grass are well-cared for and manicured. 
5.  Repairing electrical or plumbing.  Fix leaks under the sinks, remove any mildew stains, and ensure all plumbing is in good working condition.  Update the home's electrical with new wiring for modern appliances, fix any lights or outlets that don't work, and replace old plug points with new safety.
6.  Replacing or shampooing dirty carpets...Steam clean carpets, replace any worn carpets, and repair any floor creaks. 

*excerpted from Home Gain 2011 Home Sale Maximizer Survey, www.homesalemaximizer.com

Theme Song....

Pic of the day....Yes I believe this is how I feel today....this doesn't happen every day..but today I'm excited about my career, the real estate business and a young couple today closing on their first home.  I think that's the best part of my job....being a part of the next journey in someones life.  Sometimes it's the first home, sometimes its a retirement home, it doesn't matter the feeling is still great.  I strive in my business to have happy clients at the end of a transaction.  This can only happen when both sides of the transaction go smooth.  It can take alot of time and what I like to call "hurry up and wait" for the buyer and the seller.  If both sides are reasonable and cooperative this tends to happen with ease.

Ok, so getting back to what I was originally going to talk about today "theme song" .  I think everyone has a theme song.  This may seem a bit strange but if you think about it long enough, I think you will come up with yours...So that's my challenge today to anyone reading this blog, "is anyone reading this blog"?  Try to come up with your theme song....maybe it's something jazzy you hum in your kitchen while doing dishes, or maybe it's a hard rock song from your  youth...no matter what it is, I bet it describes the real you.."the one you sometimes hide from the world"...

Ok, got to go now....Jim (my broker) is waiting on my for our weekly meeting...

Short Sales

Short Sales...I get more questions on a weekly basis about short sales than probably anything else right now.  A Short Sale is not a  'bank owned" foreclosure..it's actually not a foreclosure at all.  A Short Sale is when a home owner usually has gotten in some sort of financial trouble is unable to make all of their payment or is not making the payment at all.  Most sellers don't qualify for a short sale unless they are behind on their payment ( please don't get any ideas to just stop making your payment to do a short sale...they will take your house at some point).  Short Sale term basically just means that the bank is agreeing to take a less amount of payoff on the home than what is owed.. No specific amount either.   In order to qualify for a short sale, the seller will need to usually provide proof that he or she can no longer make the payment such as a loss of job or a decrease in their pay.  Once the appropriate documents have been sent in to the mortgage holder and they agree to this,  the seller will be assigned a representative from the bank to handle the possible short sale.  They will require that the home is listed with a real estate co in the area and may require an appraisal and a market comparison from other sales in the area.  Once a seller gets an offer on their home the seller still makes the decision if they want to take the offer subject to the banks approval of that amount.  If they accept the offer, it is then submitted to the bank and the bank will go thru the appropriate channels to determine if they can take this amount.  This can be a very lengthy process I have seen it take up to 6 months to decide and as little as 2 days... So buyers be aware of this situation and please discuss this with your agent to decide how long you want to wait the purchase your possible "dream home"  Short Sales can be a plus for buyers but Sellers need to discuss all aspects of this decision with their attorney, real estate agent and accountant.  This still reflects poorly on a credit report and should be taken very seriously. 

A little about me

So this is my first day of blogging....I already feel like Carrie Bradshaw, for those of you who know who I'm talking about we will get along very well. I would like to start my blog by giving "my readers" whoever they may be a little background about me...I grew up in Owen County ( the real OC) and I will always feel like that's my home. I have been married for 21 years and have 3 fabulous Children..well they're not children now, Jackie is 20 and Vanessa is 18 and Michael is 11. I just dropped my middle daughter off at Georgetown College last week and my oldest is Junior at Thomas More.. I currently live in Dry Ridge and work at Jim Simpson Realtors. We are a very close family style Real Estate Co., we sell a large portion of the residential homes, land and commercial real estate in Grant Co. and Northern Ky. Well This is about enought about me...I will be back later with what I hope will be some useful information.