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Ways to help you sell your Fort Worth Home

March 17th, 2008 11:34 PM

Even if you unfortunately decide not to use a Yellow Ribbon Realty realtor. We still want to give you a few things to help prepare to get your home for sale so that it will sell quicker for you. If you would like more than give us a call at 817-886-4319 or email us at office@yellowribbonrealty.com

9 Ways to Make Home Buyers Hate Your House

1. Odors

House odors are number one on the home selling uh-oh list. And narrowing it down, odors from cigarette smoke and pets take top billing, with mildew not far behind.

If you smoke indoors--the house smells like cigarettes. If you have pets, the house might smell bad--even if you don't notice it. Ask someone who doesn't live there to take a sniff, and don't get angry when they tell you the truth.

Eradicate the odors so that you can present potential buyers with a clean, fresh atmosphere--not a house that's full of perfumes to cover up the odors.

2. Dogs that Meet You at the Door or in the Driveway

Dogs frighten some people and irritate others. You'll have a much better response from showings if you control your pets--dogs, cats, whatever.

You say you plan to put them in a bedroom or garage and then ask people not to open the door to that area? Bad idea. Would you buy a house you can't inspect? Of course not.

Remove pets during showings if possible. If you can't, contain them in crates for their own safety and to show respect for the feelings of potential buyers.

3. Dirty Bathrooms

Grimy bathrooms are an instant turnoff. Scrub them, paint them, buy a new shower curtain, rugs and towels--do what it takes to make them shine. If you're serious about selling the home, the extra work is a must.

4. Dimly Lit Rooms

Dark homes are a turnoff to most home buyers, so try to brighten them up:

· Replace dim light fixtures

· Install additional light fixtures

· Install (quality) sun tunnels or skylights

· Remove heavy drapes to let the light stream through windows

· Repaint some rooms with colors that reflect light

· Trim tree limbs that shadow the house

Dirty and fogged windows are another buyer turnoff. Clean them inside and out to bring in more light. If possible, replace any double-pane windows with broken seals. You can find them by looking for a foggy residue that cannot be removed.

5. A House Full of Busy Wallpaper

Busy wallpaper in every room turns off most buyers, and even people who love wallpaper rarely like what you've chosen. It's a personal decorative touch that they want to select themselves.

It's the masses you must appeal to when you're selling a home, so take a hard look at your wallpaper and decide if it should be removed and replaced with paint. Don't paint over it, because it will be obvious that you did--and buyers know that makes removing it even more difficult.

6. Bugs

Roaches, spiders, any insect that shouldn't be in the house. Get rid of them.

7. Poor Curb Appeal

You must grab a buyer's interest from the curb if you want to sell the home for top dollar. Home buyers often refuse to go into a house with an unkempt yard, sagging doors or peeling paint. You say you can't afford to paint? Okay, but get that yard in tip-top shape and grab a screwdriver to fix those doors.

8. Gutters with Plants Growing in Them

I'm serious. Some people never clean their gutters, and it always makes buyers wonder what else hasn't been maintained.

9. Sellers Who Hang Around for Showings

Yes, you... leave the house during showings. Home buyers feel awkward about opening closet doors and lingering for a really good look at the house if the seller is home.

Posted by Yellow Ribbon Realty on March 17th, 2008 11:34 PMPost a Comment (0)

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Tired of hearing about "The market is bad"

March 26th, 2008 6:50 PM

I hear and read all the time now how the market is so bad and prices declining. I am not blind to the real estate market changing. I am just saying that it is not as bad as they are reporting, especially in the Fort Worth area. I had an offer on one of my listings in January. It was a $1,000 less than the original asking price and to my dismay my client turned it down. If it is that bad we would have not gotten that close to the offer price nor would my client have turned it down. It was only listed for 27 days. I just read that homeownership has fallen to 68.2%. If someone did not know that may seem low however it fell from only 69.2% and that was a historical high. The market has been doing so well for around 4-5 years that when it slows down from those highs, every is at a panic. There is no need to panic, investors should be in hog heaven and so should buyers. If you are selling/buying and worried that you may have to take a little less than you would have gotten last year to sell. Well so is the house that you are going to buy. It washes out. Don't let the news and the flashes at the bottom of World news scare you of our Fort Worth area market. We are still doing ok.

Posted by Yellow Ribbon Realty on March 26th, 2008 6:50 PMPost a Comment (0)

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New and exciting FHA loan amount limits have been extended

March 6th, 2008 2:34 PM

They have been talking about stimulating the real esate community or a while and they have came through with at least one way of doing it. They have raised the FHA loan limits to $271,000 in the DFW area. This means that people can now purchase a home up to $271,000 with scores in the low 600's. This does not mean everyone can in the low 600's. Usually a way to figure out if you can get a FHA loan is to see if you have made all your payments on time for the last 12 months. FHA is a loan to help those who went through a bad time but now are showing they are trying to get back on their feet and have been doing well. This does not mean that if you made 1 or 2 late payments that you cannot qualify. If you think that you may fall under this and have been wanting a larger home in the Dallas or Fort Worth , than give us a call so we can find out if you qualify. Call 817-886-4319. If you have any questions than give us a call and we will get you some answers. Go to http://www.yellowribbonrealty.com to the "Ask a questions" page and ask away.

Posted by Yellow Ribbon Realty on March 6th, 2008 2:34 PMPost a Comment (0)

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Investing in Fort Worth

March 4th, 2008 5:00 PM

Investing in Fort Worth is getting better. Not so much as equity but consistency. That consistency is what is keeping Fort Worth out of the real estate trouble the rest of the world is in now. Lending standards are getting even tougher and that means less people can buy houses. Rates are historically low and the number of renters are getting higher. Fort Worth grew over 15% in the last 6 years thats astronomical for the real estate world. Thats twice as much as Dallas. The job market is booming which is always helping the rental market. People relocating, people moving up in home it all helps the investing world. Tarrant County has always been pretty consistent in moving up 6% a year in equity. Not a lot but again consistent and if I am looking for long term investing or worried about losing my investment than I play safe in Fort Worth. i own a few properties in Fort Worth and have not had a empty house yet. I do have access to more renters than the average Joe but they are out there. I myself i like new properties. I get the first months rent in my pocket because I do not owe the mortgage company for at least 30 days. No out of pocket expenses, it's all under warranty. If something has gone wrong I contact the builder and its been fixed. That means more money for me. There are some good deals and situations for some pre-owned. It's just a preference for me to go new. One of the biggest things is It is easier to rent a new home than a pre-owned which should be important to everyone. Again, as I said there are advantages buying both pre-owned and new, I just prefer new. However, the big picture is investing is good. There was a real estate "guru" talking the other day and he stated that if your not buying investment property in today's market, than you will never buy nor should you buy investment properties. I agree. Location, Location Location.

Posted by Yellow Ribbon Realty on March 4th, 2008 5:00 PMPost a Comment (0)

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