Monday, November 16, 2015
Most Memorable Christmas . . .
Usually when we think about our most memorable Christmas it is the anticipation of a gift or an event that happened in our Christmas past. The anticipation of waiting for that perfect gift made it even sweeter than when Christmas morning arrived. Are we waiting in anticipation this Christmas . . .
The people of God waited through the ages for His promise to be fulfilled . . . thousands of years went by in anticipation for the birth of the Messiah - Annointed One. In order for people to recognize the Messiah, God in his infinite wisdom prepared them by providing hundreds of prophets to reveal what was to come. The Lord masterfully orchestrated history in order to fulfill His word to His people.
Christmas is gloriously undeniable evidence that, no matter how long the delay, God always keeps His promises.
God said to David "Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever." 2 Samuel 7;16 Did David understand what was to come from his lineage.
Gabriel said to Mary "You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. he will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end." Luke 1:31-33
Kind of gives you goosebumps. Christmas is unmistakable evidence that you can take heart even in the most impossible situation because God always fulfills His promises. The Lord has never failed any of those who trusted Him. We can rest in the truth that God is faithful and will accomplish all He has said He would do . . . if only we will wait on God.
"Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord" Psalm 27;14
As we wait for the Christmas season to approach and we start to prepare, let our hearts trust God completely and allow Him to fill our Christmas wish with a most memorable Christmas.
Monday, October 12, 2015
10 Simple Techniques For Staging Your Home on a Shoe String Budget
Making the decision to stage your home and going all out to make it looks its best can make an enormous impact on your sales price and number of days on the market. The good news is, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to make it work. Here, our best staging tips on a shoe string budget – many of which are DIY!
traditional multi-level home with pristine landscaping
1. Got Curb Appeal?
Your home could look gorgeous on the inside but if the outside doesn’t match, you can lose the interest of serious drive-by buyers scouting your area. Give your front yard landscaping some extra TLC- keep grass cut, bushes trimmed and clear away any lawn debris. For a spot of color, plant some flowers. Check your mailbox and house numbers to see if they need cleaning or replacing. If you aren’t planning on exterior painting, wash the stucco or siding to brighten things up.
2. Cut Through The Clutter
Home on the smaller side? Instantly make it appear more spacious by removing any clutter, including photos and any odds and ends that are simply taking up space or detracting. Your home will look larger and newer in no time.
a neat and tidy brightly-lit modern living room enhanced with colorful flower arrangements
3. Spring Cleaning Any Time of Year
It’s time for a deep cleaning session. If you’re not a fan- you may want to hire a professional for this one, but it’s not necessary. You won’t want to miss cleaning the furniture if it needs it. Windows and grout are other essentials that if left untouched can blemish an otherwise spotless presentation.
4. Dip Into Some Fresh Paint Color
Speaking of cleaning, nothing can make your home look brighter and smell fresher quite as quickly as some new paint. Choose a trendy yet neutral color. For added curb appeal, consider painting your front door while you’ve got those brushes handy. Don’t forget to catch the kids’ rooms with a great neutral as well.
open concept foyer with traditional architectural accents and centerpiece bouquet
5. Musical Chairs
Most of us can stand to cut back on the amount of furniture in our homes. Look for your home’s great focal points, such as views and fireplaces and remove or rearrange any furniture that gets in the way. If you’ve got any clunky, large pieces that aren’t in the best of shape, it may be time to donate or store them away. Instant light and bright!
6. Fine Tune the Details
Light fixtures and cabinet hardware are small details that can either add or detract from bathrooms and kitchens (both strong selling points for buyers). Replace them if they look old or outdated or simply give them a good cleaning if they are still current.
rendering of a modern living room with vaulted ceiling and bold accent colors
7. Replay with Purpose
Make sure each room presents a well-defined usage. If your spare bedroom looks like half bedroom, half office, choose one or the other functionality and go with it. Consider putting up tent cards that suggest the multiple uses of any one room.
8. Soft Touches
So far you’ve spent very little! Purchasing a few new home ware items, such as accent pillows and matching bathroom towels can set things on-trend at a small cost. Not to mention, pops of color can really set off your new neutral paint tones.
a de-cluttered kitchen table setting with a bouquet of tulips artistically displayed in a pitcher
9. Get Creative
Need towel storage? How about using the wine rack? Dining room table looking bare? A mirror with a few candles and decorative stones makes a quick and elegant centerpiece. Tablecloths can double as drapery panels too! Always look at your own inventory before spending more than you have to.
10. Indulge the Senses
You’re almost there! On Open House days or before an appointment heads your way, consider playing soft music, lighting some vanilla or cinnamon scented candles and setting the table. Fresh flowers are always a nice touch. Welcome prospective buyers home!
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Monday, August 24, 2015
5 Ways to Add Instant Value to Your Home
Getting ready to sell? Buyers will form a first impression about your home within seconds of touring it in-person or online. Make sure the impression your home makes is one of high value for the asking price with these 5 tips for boosting your home’s appeal. Bonus: You don’t have to go for broke to make a big impact!
Spring for a Fresh Coat of Paint
Indulging your interior walls with a neutral, classic color is one of the most inexpensive and simplest things you can do that will make an incredible impression. If you choose to DIY, focus on one room at a time to limit your day-to-day living disruptions. Evaluate window and door frames, skirting boards and doors to see if a good clean scrub will do the trick, saving you even more time and expense.
Walk This Way
Flooring tells the story of a home’s wear and tear very quickly. Having carpets and tile floors professionally cleaned can dramatically improve the freshness of your flooring and is well worth the cost on the return. However, if the shelf life of your home’s flooring has truly expired, replacing it may be your best bet. Somewhere in the middle? Professional floor cleaning coupled with re-sanded floorboards opens up possibilities to paint, stain or simply reseal floorboards for a clean and updated look.
Offer More Than a Garage
As you go about the task of de-cluttering your home, storing everything you’ve just removed in the garage might come second nature. Especially if you don’t spend a lot of time out there yourself. Don’t make the mistake of overlooking the garage as you imagine your home through someone else’s eyes. Keeping the garage open and bright shows its potential to accommodate a workshop, storage area, multiple cars, home gym or even a “man cave.”
Show Your Landscaping Some Love
After you’ve rolled up your sleeves and done a good once-over, determine where the weak spots are in your yard or patio. Purchasing established potted plants native to your area will give a pop of color to your outdoor spaces (and you may take them with you when you move!) Pathways and painted areas will both benefit from a good high-pressure hosing treatment. Cleaning outdoor furniture and then adding some inexpensive furniture pillows in coordinating colors completes the look and invites buyers to stay a little longer.
Inexpensive Kitchen Upgrades
The kitchen is still one of the most popular selling points of any home. Aside from upgrading appliances and expensive remodeling jobs, you can still add value in creative ways. Cupboard doors and new handles are a great place to start. Some cabinet doors you can simply pre-treat and paint for a whole new look. Pre-made doors in a laminated finish are another budget-friendly option. Adding fabric to the kitchen will give it a soft cozy feel. Hide content clutter with fabric panels behind glass-front cabinets. Or, conceal less attractive lower cabinets with cloth skirts attached to a tension rod. Lastly, if you’ve gone with neutral fresh paint throughout your home, the kitchen can be a great place to add an accent color for boldness and distinction.
Selling Your Home?
In any market, selling a home is an intricate and often times emotional process. However, with careful planning and the right lineup of experts on your side, you can progress methodically and confidently through the many stages of selling your home in a way that honors your time¬frame and financial goals. Read on for a basic road map of what you can expect when making this important transition. Enjoy the journey!
The Power of Now
There are many factors that come into play when deciding the best time to sell your home. A licensed real estate agent can show you the precise current market conditions in your area, from the listing count, to the number of traditional sales, distressed sales and new home sales in your area, as well as builder permits and inventory supply data. Examining how this information fits in with your unique timeline, financial goals and your property equity will help you answer the question, "Is now the right time for me to sell?"
How to choose a Real Estate Agent and Brokerage
Once you have decided that you are ready to sell, carefully selecting a brokerage and an agent will save you time, money and hassle. This is the time to ask a lot of questions. Your friends, family and neighbors are a great source for referrals. Finding an agent that specializes in your area with experience listing and selling homes in your price range is important. A real estate professional that belongs to a reputable brokerage and local board, and can readily share with you their business plan, mission statement, client testimonials and marketing plan, along with a detailed comparative market analysis and complete property profile is one who has done their homework and is well-equipped with experience and knowledge.
The Price is Right
Pricing your home correctly is a decision that you and your agent will make together, after carefully considering all of the factors. After gathering information about your unique situation and financial goals, current market conditions, your home‚Äôs key features and assets including area amenities, schools and projected improvements¬¬ the right price point will become clear. Pricing your home correctly is the key to attracting potential buyers to view your home, while making sure your financial interests and timeframe are supported.
Put Your Best Foot Forward
Even in a low-inventory market, would-be buyers can end up viewing dozens of homes, many times all in the same day. How will your home stand out? Making the right first impression, whether in photos posted online or during an in-person viewing, is crucial. Your agent can make recommendations about maximizing your home’s living space, enhancing natural lighting and utilizing your homes’ décor to highlight the best aspects of your home.
Getting the Word Out
Once your home is ready to be shown at its best, it is important to give your home the most exposure possible. The key is to use multiple channels to advertise your home, utilizing the power of a strong network while your home is “coming soon” to the market, then engaging the full power of online listing data, along with word-of-mouth, online & print advertising and social media to give your home local, regional, national and global reach. The right real estate professional will provide you with a customized marketing plan that works to target qualified home buyers.
Bring in the Bids
Most offers on your home will be made in the form of a written contract complete with a timeframe for responding to the offer. All offers for your property will generally first be presented to your real estate professional, who will then present all offers to you for consideration. Your real estate agent will provide an objective, non-emotional point of view when it comes to evaluating, accepting, countering or rejecting any offer.
Negotiation Table
If you receive an offer that falls short of your wants and needs, you may choose to counter back and negotiate the offer. Your agent will help you evaluate the quality of the offer, negotiate the terms and ensure a smooth transaction if all parties come to an agreement. Requesting information about the buyer’s background, intentions and qualifications and ensure that the buyer is knowledgeable about available financing alternatives are some of the steps your agent can take. Thoroughly reviewing the contract and ensuring that you understand all of the details will help you determine if you want to respond with a counter offer.
The Home Stretch
You are in escrow... now what? Your real estate professional will help keep your transaction on track during the escrow process. Preparing a timeline, managing all files, paperwork, disclosures, and staying in constant communication with you, the buyer’s agent, title officers and mortgage professionals will keep your transaction on a smooth course. The home inspection process, pest inspection, appraisal and closing schedules will all be put into motion to eliminate any surprises along the way.
Oh Happy Day
Congratulations! You have made it from the negotiation table to the closing table. Your real estate professional will help guide you through the final phases of the transaction by staying on top of the finishing details such as closing documents, loan documents, funding information, final recordation, delivering the keys and orchestrating move details.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Then and Now: Living Arrangements in American Households
Then and Now: Living Arrangements in American Households
Posted on Jul 28 2015 - 9:30am by Suzanne De Vita
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familyRevisiting population data, the U.S. Census Bureau recently zeroed in on the living arrangements of adults over the last 40-plus years. Notably, the majority of adults in both 1970 and 2014 shared a household with a spouse. But if trends bear out, the gap between married adults and unmarried adults sharing households will close – fast.
As of last year, spouses sharing a household edged out unmarried adults in various living situations by a mere 3.3 percent. What’s more, arrangements in which spouses share households have seen the most significant change since 1970, declining nearly 20 percent. A comparison:
1970
Adults Who Live with a Spouse – 69.4 percent
Adults Who Live Alone – 8.6 percent
Adults Who Live with Other Relatives – 9.3 percent
Adults Who Live in the Parental Home – 10.8 percent
Adults Who Live with a Partner* – 0.5 percent
Adults Who Live with Non-Relatives – 1.4 percent
2014
Adults Who Live with a Spouse – 51.7 percent
Adults Who Live Alone – 14.3 percent
Adults Who Live with Other Relatives – 12.2 percent
Adults Who Live in the Parental Home – 11.0 percent
Adults Who Live with a Partner* – 7.3 percent
Adults Who Live with Non-Relatives – 3.6 percent
The combined growth in other types of living arrangements could equal more opportunities for real estate professionals among the next crop of marriage-averse homebuyers – in theory. But in fact, many are experiencing the contrary to a considerable degree.
Related Link: Unmarried Couples Take the Plunge…into Homeownership
“Over 90 percent of my local homebuying clients are married (with children),” says George Gardone of The Relocation Group, servicing Greenwich and Stamford, Conn. “The majority of my sellers are married, either empty nesters, families outgrowing their current homes, or they are on the other end of a corporate relocation program.”
Gardone says approximately 80 percent of his corporate clients are also married with families.
And yet, according to a recent Coldwell Banker Real Estate survey, 17 percent of now-married respondents purchased a home together before saying “I do” – a quarter of which were millennials.
“What we’re seeing is that young couples are switching up the order and purchasing their first home regardless of whether or not they have set a wedding date,” explained Dr. Robi Ludwig, Coldwell Banker Real Estate lifestyle correspondent and leading psychotherapist. “This is huge movement within the American culture.”
Based on these findings, we have to wonder: will unmarried homebuyers tip the scales?
To view Census tables on this information, click here.
*From 1967-1995, “living with a partner” was defined as two unrelated adults of the opposite sex sharing living quarters. From 1996-2006, “living with a partner” included couples in which one was the householder. Due to data collection changes beginning in 2007, all cohabitating partners are now counted, regardless of whether one is a householder.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Recovering Real Estate Market Highlights Need for Skilled Realtors Real Estate: A Home of One’s Own
Look up the legal meaning of the term “real estate,” and you will find a fairly cut-and-dried, literal definition. Real estate is defined as property and the buildings on it, along with the land’s resources, such as mineral rights or agricultural crops. Real estate is also called realty and real property.
For many people, however, the term “real estate” carries a deeper emotional resonance. Whether you are a first-time home buyer navigating your first FHA loan or a seasoned veteran with multiple home purchases and sales to your credit, real estate means a place to call home. Home Real Estate: USA Market Showing Signs of Recovery
There’s no doubt that the prolonged slump in the housing market has made the dream of home ownership more difficult for many. However, recent small yet significant gains indicate that the long-awaited realestate recovery is finally underway. During the month of May 2013, existing home sales rose .6 percent, to what experts believe is the highest point since November 2009. Mortgage rates increased in May as well, with the average rate on a 30-year fixed loan climbing from a low point of 3.35 at the beginning of the month to a 14-month high of almost 4 percent. Many realestate experts believe that a rise in borrowing rates actually helps spur home real estate sales, with buyers opting to purchase houses before rates go higher. Our Commitment
With the US real estate market showing recent strength, establishing a relationship with a skilled realtor is more important than ever. At Realty Executives International, we are committed to offering our clients unequaled service and support. With over 500 franchise offices, thousands of expert real estate agents and 50 years of integrity and quality to our credit, we are confident in our ability to bring you the best possible value.
Realty Executives International was founded by Dale Rector, a Scottdale realtor who decided in 1965 to challenge the status quo of realty companies. In a departure from the approach of conventional real estate businesses, which placed their agents on the bottom tier of the power structure, Rector’s design was to recruit a corps of top-performing realtors, then build a company to support and promote them. These elite professionals were envisioned as “executives” rather than “agents” or “brokers.”
Testament to the idea’s resounding success is the fact that within seven years Realty Executives International was the top-selling real estate business in Phoenix. Company leadership stayed in the family when Rector’s son, Richard A. Rector, took over for his father as President of the Board in 1984. A few years later, the first international real estate franchises were offered for sale.
Today, with real estate offices in 25 countries and annual sales of over $6 billion, Realty Executives International remains dedicated to the tradition of excellence on which the company was founded. We are ready and waiting to serve you. Check our online real estate listings to see what we have to offer. With our unbeatable inventory, we are sure we have the dream home for you and your family. Written by Rich Rector, Realty Executives International
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