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• Planning To Buy 3 to 6 Months Or More In The Future?
  
  
• Don't Put Your Home on the Market Until You've Read This Report.
  
  
• How To Get Top Dollar In Any Market.
  
  
• When Selling a Home.
  
  
• Making the Move Easy on the Kids.
  
  
• Secrets Lenders Don't Want You to Know!
  
  
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Warning!

Don't Put Your Home on the Market Until You've Read This Report...

Avoid 11 Hidden Mistakes That Could Cost You Hundreds...
Even Thousands of Dollars!

Selling your home can be an exhausting experience. Last minute walk through, inconvenient calls, price adjustments and the possibility of being stuck with two mortgages are real concerns. If you are not completely prepared you could end up losing hundreds even thousands of dollars in profit.

The difference between a profitable smooth transaction and a break even... miserable experience is often a fine line. In the majority of cases, it comes down to the subtle know how of your professional. By utilizing the knowledge of a good, qualified real estate professional you'll ensure the quick, profitable sale of your home. This report is designed to arm you with the knowledge to avoid the 11 most common mistakes that cost sellers serious money.

1. Refusing to Make Profit Inducing Repairs- It always costs you more money to sell 'as is' than to make repairs that will increase the value of your home. Often even minor improvements will yield as much as three to five times the repair cost at the time of sale. Your agent will be able to point out what repairs will significantly increase the value of your home. Seemingly small fix up jobs can have quite an impact.

Accessibility is a major key to profitability. The more accessible your home...
the better your odds.

2. Not Considering Other Financing Terms- Cash is not always the most advantageous transaction. Income level, tax benefits and current legislation are all crucial factors when considering purchase terms. Professional real estate agents are experts in facilitating your home transaction. A good agent will lead you to the path that will give you the highest yield.

3. Provide Easy Access for Showings- Accessibility is a major key to profitability. "Appointment only" showings are the most restrictive while a lock box is the least. However there are certain considerations to take into account... your lifestyle, time frame for the desired sale and your relationship with your agent. The more accessible your home the better the odds of your finding a person willing to pay your asking price. You never know if the one that couldn't get a viewing was the one that got away. By developing a trusting relationship with your agent, he or she will show the home with your best interests in mind.

4. Priced Too Low / Priced Too High- One critical reason to find the right professional is to make sure the property is priced appropriately for a timely and profitable sale. If the property is priced too high, it will sit and develop the identity of a problem property. If it's priced too low, it could cost you considerable profits. The real estate market has subtle nuances and market changes that should be reevaluated by your agent every 30-45 days to help you maximize your return.

5. Relying Solely on Traditional Methods To Sell Your Home- The agent who is innovative and willing to offer new strategies for attracting home buyers will always outperform the agents who rely on traditional methods. Demand around the clock advertising exposure, innovative lead generation methods and lead accountability. These services exist and your agent should offer them to help sell your home.

6. Market Timing / Seasonal Selling- Just as a broker who continually follows the trends of a stock, your professional real estate agent continually follows trends of your home market. They will know if the market cycle is poised to net you the most money. Disregard believing property sales are seasonal... "sells better in spring than winter"... property is always selling.

7. Refusing to Make Cosmetic Changes- The prospective home buyer's first impression is the most important. An unbelievable amount of home sales have been lost to unkempt lawns, cluttered rooms, bad stains, unpleasant odors... all the seemingly little things. Imagine you were the home buyer and clean your place from top to bottom.. Military style.

Innovative agents who offer new strategies to attract home buyers
will always outperform agents who rely on traditional methods.

8. Wasting Time With An Unqualified Prospect- Your agent's responsibility is to screen a prospect's qualifications before valuable time is lost. Be sure to align yourself with the right professional and eliminate negotiating with unqualified prospects.

9. Don't Test The Market- Never put your property on line to sell unless you are serious. The right professional will find you buyers and if you are harboring indecision... you will blow the sale.

10. Believing You are Powerless to Make a Difference- Be part of the team! Take an active role with your agent to see what you can do to facilitate your sale. Networking with professional peers and personal friends often produces the sale of a home. It's surprising how many homes are sold this way.

11. Believing All Realtors are the Same- With all the intricate details and critical decisions to be made concerning your home sale, should you rely on anyone but a top producing professional? Many friends and family members have been estranged as a result of failing to meet expectations. Your home sale is a time consuming, effort related, difficult task. Maximize your profit by utilizing a seasoned professional.

My hope with this report has been to educate you and help you avoid the pitfalls many home sellers go through. I hope you found the ideas valuable and if there is ever any way I can be of service to you or anyone you care about please contact my office. Your initial consultation is always completely free of charge and you're under no obligation of any kind. We'll sit down for 15-20 minutes... no high-pressure, just plain, honest talk about what it's going to take to achieve your personal goals. Go ahead... pick up the phone and give me a call... We'd love to hear from you.

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How To Get Top Dollar In Any Market

The best chance for selling your property is within the first seven weeks. Studies show that the longer a property stays on the market, the less the seller will net. Below are 5 main factors to accomplishing this goal.

Pricing Factor
It is very important to price your property at a competitive market value right when you list it. The market is so competitive that even overpricing by a few thousand dollars could mean that your house will not sell. It's interesting, but your first offer is usually your best offer. Here are reasons for pricing your property at the market value right from the start in order to net you the most amount of money in the shortest amount of time. An overpriced home:

80% of the marketing is done when we decide on what price to list your home. If you are unwilling to list at current market value, you would be better off not putting it on the market at this time.

Clean Factor
Most people are turned off by even the smallest amount of uncleanness or odor when buying a home. Sellers lose thousands of dollars because they do not adequately clean. If your house is squeaky clean, you will be able to sell your home faster and net hundreds, if not thousands of dollars more. If you are planning on moving, why not get rid of that old junk now so that your house will appear larger? Make more space. Odors must be eliminated especially if you have dogs, cats, or young children in diapers or if you are a smoker. You may not notice the smell, but the buyers do! Most agents have a difficult time communicating to their sellers about odor. If you employ an agent to get the most amount of money for you, please don't take offense if he must confront you about odor problems.

Access Factor
Top selling agents will not show your home if both the key and access are not readily available. They do not have time to run around town all day picking up and dropping off keys. They want to sell homes! The greatest way to show a house is to have a key! When your home is being shown, please do the following:

Paint & Carpet Factor
Paint is your best improvement investment for getting a greater return on your money.

Paint makes the whole house smell clean and neat. If your house has chipped paint, exposed wood, or the paint looks faded, it is time to paint. If your carpet is worn, dirty, outdated, or an unusual color, you may need to seriously consider replacing it. Many houses do not sell because of this problem. Don't think that buyers have more money than you have to replace carpet. They don't. They simply buy elsewhere.

Front Yard Fact
Your front yard immediately reflects the inside condition of your house to the buyer. People enjoy their yards. Make certain that the trees are trimmed so the house can be seen from the street. Have the grass mowed, trimmed and edged. Walkways should be swept. Clean away debris. Remove parked cars. This all adds to curb appeal. If a buyer doesn't like the outside, they may not stop to see the inside.

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When Selling a Home

When selling your home there are no guarantees that a buyer will simply walk through the front door. In many cases you may have to bring your home to the buyer. Effective marketing will help ensure that your property receives maximum exposure to attract a ready, willing and able buyer.

The appearance of your home, a buyer's first impressions, and other considerations can also affect the sale of your home. Be sure to explore tips for increasing your home's value. Have you considered that home prices in your neighborhood and the value of your property is also factors used for pricing your home?

Increasing the Value of Your House
When you're preparing your house for sale, remember the importance of first impressions. The market isn't the only factor that influences whether you get your asking price. Appearance and overall condition play a major role. Here are some easy things you can do to make your home more appealing to buyers.

It is estimated that more than half the houses are sold before the buyers even get out of their cars. So stand across the street from your house and review its curb appeal.

Outside:

Inside:

Important Reminders

• Potential buyers usually feel more comfortable if the owners are not present.
• If people unaccompanied by an agent request to see your property, please refer them to your real estate professional for an appointment.
• Leave a number where you can be reached if you are leaving town, even for a weekend.

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Making the Move Easy on the Kids

Moving from one house to another is seldom easy and fun for adults and it can be especially troubling for the children. But if parents deal with their children's concerns and needs thoughtfully, much of that distress and discomfort can be avoided.

Children see moves differently than their parent's do, and they benefit much less from the change in their comfortable routines, or so it seems at the time. Most often, a change in houses or communities heralds an important step forward for the adult members of the family.

The family moves because Daddy or Mommy has a great new job or a promotion in reward for years of hard work. They move because financial success has allowed the purchase of a bigger and nicer house in a more costly neighborhood. They move because they can finally afford private bedrooms for each child and perhaps a pool in the back yard.

In the 1990's, mobile and hard striving people typically live in a house for about four years and then move on as their careers or fortunes allow. That short time span is only a small percentage of the life-to-date for a 30 or 40 year old, but the same four years is half the lifetime of an 8 year old, and it includes almost all the years he or she can remember.

To a parent, this house may be only the place they have lived recently. They think of it as a way station on the road of life. To kids, however, it may be the only home they have ever really known. This is their house, the place they feel safe and comfortable and thoroughly at home.

A house is much more than a roof and walls to a child. It is the center of his or her world. A move threatens to take that sphere away and leave something totally strange in its place. The familiar friends, schools, shops and theaters, the streets, trees and parks - all will no longer exist for them.

Everything soon will be strange, and they will live in someone else's world. The impact of a move on a typical child starts about the time he or she first hears that Daddy has accepted a promotion, and often continues for about a year, until the new house becomes home, and memories of the previous place fade.

It's not usually necessary to announce this big change to children immediately, although they must hear about it from you before someone else breaks the news. Most teenagers see themselves as adult members of the family, and will probably feel they have been left out if they don't hear everything from the first day. But it is probably not a good idea to tell toddlers and preschoolers until they have to know. There is no point in making them worry far in advance.

Be sure to announce the move in a totally positive way. You might say how proud you are that Daddy's company has chosen him out of many other employees to manage a new office in Cleveland. Talk about what a beautiful city Cleveland is how good the schools are and how nice the people are.

Tell truthful but very positive stories about how nice the new house will be. Ask them what the favorite things are in their lives now, and then try to make them happen in the new home.

If the new home is too far away to allow a visit by the entire family after it has been selected, show the children pictures of it from every angle. Videotape it, if you can. Emphasize the positive views and be sure to include pictures of each child's new room. Try to name the house with some romantic description like "Oak Hill" for the big trees and the sloping lawn.

Sugar coating will help, but since children can quickly see the negative sides of most situations, every parent must plan to deal with their children's worries, fears and sorrows. The children will lose friends they may have known all their lives. They will leave behind their sports teams, their clubs and they're dancing teachers. They will have to start over in a new place, making friends, becoming accepted and fitting into different groups.

Younger children need protection from fear of the unknown. Listen carefully to their concerns, and respond quickly to allay their apprehensions. It would be normal, for instance, for a young child to worry that his or her toy box and shelf of stuffed animals might be left behind. Find those anxieties and correct them.

Probably the best tactic is to get the children actively involved in the whole process. Don't just promise to let them decorate their own rooms, for example. Take them to the paint store and let them bring home color swatches. Shop for bed spreads and towels and carpets.

They must leave old friends behind, so find ways to make that parting almost pleasant. Plan a going-away party and let them invite their own guests. Take pictures of everyone and make a photo album. If a child is old enough, send him or her out with a roll of film in the camera and the assignment to photograph the views they will want to remember.

Some relationships will be extremely difficult to break and these will demand careful, thoughtful, personalized planning by both parents. How, for instance, do you move a 17-year-old 1,000 miles from her steady boyfriend?

Expect that your children may be even more distressed after the move than they were before it. The new house will not be beautiful the night after the moving van leaves, or for months after. The furniture won't fit the rooms. The curtains won't be up, and every spot on the floor will be covered with half-unpacked cartons. The children won't know anyone at school and, if you move during the summer, they may have little opportunity to meet anyone their age.

You may be faced with many more problems in your new community that they will, but remember that you can handle them more easily than they can. They will need your help, and you should plan to give them the support they need.

After the move, give each of them a long distance telephone call allowance so they can keep in touch with the people back home who matter the most to them. Buy a stack of picture postcards that show positive views of your new community, and encourage them to write good news messages to the friends and relatives they left behind.

To make new friends, make sure the children don't vegetate in front of the television. Get them outside, where neighbors pass by. Have them pass out fliers to do baby-sitting or car washing. Encourage them to participate in as many school activities as they can handle. Get them on sports teams and into clubs.

If they - and you - aren't making new friends fast enough, throw a housewarming party for yourselves and invite all the adults and children on the block.

If serious emotional or attitudinal problems arise, however, help is usually available and probably should be sought. Ask a teacher for help. Consider professional counseling. Don't let a serious problem slide.

Remember that the newness will wear off. New friends will become old friends and best friends. This new house may become the family homestead your grandchildren will visit every holiday season. There will be discomforts, but in the long run, everything will work out fine.

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Secrets Lenders Don't Want You to Know!
Read This 11 Point Report Before You Sign Anything!

The right or wrong decision when signing your home mortgage can mean thousands of dollars difference in interest paid. There are very important considerations to evaluate before you commit to a 15 or 30 year note. For many of us our mortgage payment is the most important financial decision we'll ever make. Doesn't it make sense to know as much as possible about the financing of our home? Take the time to thoroughly investigate all of your options!

Unbelievably many of us sign the first mortgage placed in front of us. Typically the excitement of the new home purchase reduces the mortgage to not much more than an afterthought. What you read here could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Your real estate professional has established relationships with the top lenders in your area. By aligning yourself with a professional agent you ensure that all the financial steps are taken care of properly and economically.

Negotiate a flexible loan. Some lenders will let you go from a variable
to a fixed loan if rates start to go up.

1. Utilize a Lender With Established Ties to an Agent- Lenders are much more flexible with the real estate agents who have done business with them previously. Their relationship establishes them as a team member. The lender and agent work effectively together. That's why a good agent can make substantial difference in setting up the most economical financing. And the right financing can, literally, save you tens of thousands of dollars over the life of your loan!

2. Don't Attempt Paperwork Alone- All the paperwork required to complete the purchase of a home can be quite intimidating and frustrating for a home buyer. Make sure you have your lender help you with all the paperwork. Get help from your team, your lender and agent. Their expertise will help alleviate the stress and it will prove to be invaluable before you sign your mortgage.

3. Look at All Your Options- Make sure you see at least 3 loan programs for your mortgage. Lenders have at least 5-7 programs and should work with you and your agent on deciding what is best for your circumstances. Evaluate all your options. After all, it's your money you're spending - not theirs!

4. Demand Service- There is little difference between a bank, savings and loan, or a mortgage broker when it comes to the competitiveness of their loan rates. The difference is in the service they provide. It is their job to serve you! You want to get the loan approved and move into your new home as quickly as possible, but don't overlook the fact that you are the one spending the money and they are the ones who should cater to your needs. Don't let the process become so intimidating that you lose that understanding.

5. Stay in Complete Touch- You should receive a written report from your lender concerning every step. This will ensure that no details are overlooked and there will be no surprises.

6. Negotiate a Flexible Loan- Don't just accept the terms they lay down in front of you. Lenders are in the business of loaning money and they want your business. Make sure you examine every option available to you. If you negotiate a variable rate loan, many lenders have the ability to move you into a fixed loan if rates start going up. Make sure that you understand whether or not that is an option in the package you are looking at.

Be completely honest with your lender. Remember they get paid only if you get approved, and complete honesty helps them present the loan in the best light.

7. Don't Give Up on the First No- Initial decisions are not always final decisions. Going to a higher authority can sometimes get you the loan, but do so with the assistance and compliance of your lender and agent. Many times special circumstances when explained properly to the person in charge, will win you the loan.

8. Don't Wait for the Bottom of the Market- The odds of your hitting the bottom of your market are about like the odds of your hitting your state lotto! You will almost never hit the bottom of a market. And trying to time it exactly right is often costly. It usually causes a person or family to miss out on the opportunity to purchase a very nice property. You're better off simply negotiating the best rate and terms you can at the time you find a property. If interest rates go down, you can refinance. This is a much better approach because you won't miss out on the property you've spent so much time locating.

9. Be Honest With Your Lender- Your lender wants to help you with your loan. The only time they get paid is when you get approved. The more information (good or bad) you provide your lender, the easier it will be for them to get an approval. It helps them present the loan in the best light. This in turn helps the loan get the highest approval rating.

10. Become Completely Educated- Pick your lender's brain. Lenders will teach you all about your various options, even if you haven't found the right property yet. They will be very patient with you while you are looking, especially if you have aligned yourself with the right agent. They understand all the upfront work will pay off in future business. Your agent will then continue to refer people to the courteous and service minded lender on down the line.

11. Get Pre-qualified- Lenders will provide you with a certificate of pre-qualification. By getting pre-qualified you know exactly what financial parameters to stay within. Your agent and lender will consult with you and help you get qualified for the loan that best fits your needs. Many times they are able to get you a larger loan than you may have thought possible. Getting approved for a loan is often times much easier than you might think. I sincerely hope this brief report has been a help to you. If you would like a free, no obligation consultation call our office.

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