Drab2 fab Staging in Action

Staging pics always look so flawless and great! But before the home becomes “picture perfect” it is a work in progress. I am always amazed at how the design skills of the team come together in a magical way.  Check out these staging in action pics and stay tuned for “show time” pics….coming soon!

26111 Matlin, Ramona.

Spring is in the air, time to redesign?

So many beautiful options. With spring just around the corner its time to get to work on my dining room redesign project. I hired Claudia Dufresne to help me with this home project as I love her simple beautiful style. She hand picks the fabrics and makes the drapes herself! Now That is an art and she is fabulous. So here are a few “before” pics as we start and I will keep you posted as this rolls out into our fabulous new dining room. If you need help with designing, fabrics, staging or even curb appeal ideas for home selling I highly recommend Claudia at # 760-789-0025. ______________ Task #1: Picking the fabric, fringe and Making the drapes: Its hard to believe its been 12 years that we have lived in this house. Claudia made these beautiful "Disney Gala" drapes over 10 years ago! I still love the grandiose style but I know it is time to change it up. Can't wait to see what she comes up with! Stay tuned for more pics...

April 2012 Newsletter

Good read on what is included in Buyer's Closing Costs.
CLICK HERE FOR APRIL NEWSLETTER.

Before & After Pictures: Fireplace Painting

A picture is worth 1000 words. This is the first of many projects I will be showcasing. Some small projects can make a big difference so I thought I would capture and share them with you. Whether you are preparing to sell your home, updating, redecorating or just want a change, paint is a simple, inexpensive way to transform the look and feel of a room. This Fireplace in my Family Room just simply needed a facelift to give the 80’s gray speckled tiles a more modern feel. I chose black because I like black against the brown walls. I also have been incorporating black furniture (ottoman) to pull the look together. I hired a painter who primed and painted for me. Total time: 2 hours. Cost $137.00 Copyright 2010-Regina Flores

3 Questions for Your REALTOR

3 Questions to Ask Your REALTOR©

“Do You Know About Every Home For Sale?”

If you're looking for a home, you may be calling real estate agencies and
attending open houses; you may even have some agents sending you information on
some homes. However, unless you have a thorough grasp of the current marketplace, your odds of finding that dream home will always remain even. Why not utilize an agent who is continually searching for homes for his or her clients?



“Are You On Top of the ‘Hot’ Listings?”

You and your REALTOR© should diversify your strategy when looking for your next home. If you're only calling on ads and visiting open houses, you probably will miss out on the so-called “hot” listings, those higher-quality, reasonably-priced homes that usually sell very quickly, oftentimes within a week or so.



“Do You Utilize Computers in Your Work?”

With state-of-the-art technology at our fingertips, we’ll help you search all listed homes for sale to meet your exact specifications. In addition, we can then email updates to you of all the new listings, often 4-to-7 days before other buyers know about these homes – and a week or more before these homes are even advertised to the general public! We can then make arrangements for a private showing, at your convenience, for any home, anywhere, listed by any real estate company. It’s just that simple.

Do-It-Yourself Seller's Marketing Kit

• Although most homeowners eventually decide to use a real estate agent to sell their home, many of them often try to sell the property themselves, usually with mixed results.
  
  However, if you’re the type of person who welcomes the challenges of any task as big as marketing your home as efficiently and effectively as possible, then here are just a few of the items you’ll need:
  
  
  
  * “For Sale” sign (preferably with directional arrow)
  
  * Sample / blank purchase agreements
  
  * Detailed flyers from a home lender illustrating the best home loans available on to prospective buyers
  
  * Copy of the plateau map for your street or subdivision
  
  * Home Warranty sign
  
  * Lead-based paint disclosure forms
  
  * “True Cost Forms" for prospective buyers. These forms are customized to highlight income tax savings information and future appreciation
  
  * A customized laser- printed feature sheet on your property
  
  * “Open House” signs
  
  * A list of all homes in the area currently for sale
  
  * A list of all homes in the area recently sold
  
  * A list of all homes in the area recently for sale but that expired unsold
  
  * Home inspection request forms
  
  * Well & septic forms
  
  * Property survey request forms
  
  * Terms sign
  
  * Home warranty information and application forms
  
  
  * Pest inspection request forms
  
  * List of assessed values of homes on your street
  

Open House checklist for Sellers

OUTSIDE:

¨ Trim all shrubs
¨ Pull weeds Maintain flowerbed
¨ Rake lawn clear of leaves
¨ Water lawn to keep green.
¨ Discard or store all materials & debris not part of the lawn decor
¨ Wash all window surfaces
¨ Sweep garage and clear clutter
¨ In wintertime, all walkways & driveways should be shoveled & salted


LIGHTING:


¨ Open all shades and draperies during daylight hours
¨ Replace all burnt-out light bulbs with the high-wattage bulbs
¨ Turn on all lights throughout the house and basement prior to showing


STORAGE:

¨ Store away all clothing & other items not contributing to décor
¨ All closets should be tidy and organized
¨ Basement storage areas should be neatly arranged
¨ Kitchen counters should be clean & free of any articles not contributing to the decor
¨ All magazines, books, ashtrays, food, bottles, containers, boxes, cans, toys, hobby accessories, tools, dishes, cookware, etc. should be stored in the proper cupboards or closets or storage areas.

CLOSETS:

¨ Interiors of all closets should present a tidy & uncluttered appearance
¨ All unneeded or unused items should be discarded
¨ Display your storage and utility space by removing all unnecessary accumulations in attic, stairways, basement, closets & garage.

WINDOWS:

¨ All windows should be spotless
¨ All window sills should be clean & free of any flaking paint
¨ All windows should be in good repair with no cracks
¨ Screens should be clean & in good condition, free of rust & holes
¨ Any paint on glass should be removed with a razor blade prior to cleaning

FIXTURES:

¨ All bathroom and kitchen fixtures & counters should be clean
¨ Polish chrome faucets and handles in the tub and sinks
¨ All sinks, tubs, toilets and counters should be clean
FLOORS:

¨ All flooring should be clean & waxed if necessary
¨ All carpeting should be clean, regardless of age
¨ Steam-clean carpet (if not done in more than 2 years)
¨ Basement floors should be swept and mopped
DOORS:

¨ All doors should be free of scotch tape, posters, decals or stickers
¨ All door handles should be clean and in good repair


CERAMIC TILE:

¨ All joints between tiles should be clean and white
¨ Use DAP bathroom tile sealer to reseal the joint between bathtub and wall and floor


WALLS:

¨ All walls should be clean and free of gouges, scratches, smudges, scotch tape, posters, thumbtacks, etc.
¨ Walls should only have decorative items
¨ Posters and pictures taped to walls should be removed along with evidence of all tape markings


ODOR:

¨ On warm days, open up windows and shades
¨ Make your home feel and smell bright, fresh & clean

The 7 Sins of Selling

1. Gluttony, or “Do we REALLY Have to Move?”

If you’re like most homeowners, you just can’t get enough of living in your house; so much so, in fact, that you probably don’t want to give it up even after you’ve decided to sell! Although loving your home is not exactly a vice, you shouldn’t let it prevent you from conducting your transaction objectively.

The first thing you need to do is evaluate your current situation. What is the primary motive for you to sell your house? Is this a financial or a logistical transaction? In other words, are you prepared to give up a good situation for what could potentially be an even better one? Once you’ve decided upon your selling objective, you will be better able to divorce yourself from the comfort of your home.


2. Pride, or “I’m not fixing that…Nobody will ever notice anyway!”

One day, it’s a dream house, and the next day it’s a nightmare: the paint gets dull and shabby, landscaping becomes overgrown, and roofs deteriorate. Oftentimes in a house, homeowners tend to overlook those minor blemishes that we intend to fix "someday". But because of today’s competitive marketplace, homeowners cannot afford to let their pride prevent them from making an honest assessment of their property, which can typically result in ignoring conditions that are glaringly obvious to a buyer and send the property’s overall market value plummeting.

When it comes to positioning your home on the market, don’t let your personal attachment to the home ruin your chances at getting top dollar in your transaction. The most efficient way to address these issues is by focusing on problem areas common to most aging homes: roof conditions, septic & plumbing systems, water damages, paint & landscaping issues. These are typically the conditions most buyers will evaluate when they’re considering purchasing your house. Don’t give them any reason to reconsider their interest.


3. Lust, or “Any Realtor © will do…let’s just finish this already!”

Considering the stress involved in any real estate transaction, it’s common for sellers to choose the first Realtor© to help them find their next home. As far as they’re concerned, they simply want to get the process over with as soon as possible; any real estate agent with a pulse will do. Unfortunately, giving in to this desire is one of the worst mistakes sellers can make.

The quality and efficiency of your home buying experience is dependent upon selecting the right real estate professional for your needs. In order to find the Realtor® who is best for you, you may need to interview several candidates before selecting your agent. Make sure to distance yourself from the urgency of your situation. Although it’s always nicer to find someone quickly, don’t let your needs cloud your judgment. Above all else, you should stay steadfast in your desire for an agent with strong negotiating skills as well as the all-important drive to succeed!




4. Envy, or “Hey…our house isn’t as big as their house!”

Although you may be envious of those beautiful, super-sized homes you’ve seen advertised, it doesn’t make sense for you to waste precious hours searching for a home that does not fit in your price range! Before you spend one minute going to view properties, you should save time and money by pre-qualifying for a home loan. Not only will this step help you determine what kind of mortgage will best suit your needs, but it will also give you the knowledge of your buying power, which can save you time by restricting your searches.

The process is fairly straightforward: a lender will ask you basic questions concerning your financial history, run a credit report, and qualify you for a mortgage. You can even get pre-approved for a loan, the benefits of which can be invaluable to an already-stressful process. So while you may secretly wish for a house twice as big as your income, when you get pre-approved, you won’t have to wish for peace of mind.


5. Avarice, or “We could make even more money if….”

The seller’s process is rife with opportunity for greed to cloud even the soundest of judgments. Many sellers are so eager to turn a profit that they neglect to consider current market conditions and how those conditions influence their sales price. Being unaware of the marketplace can not only affect the marketability of the property, but also cost some uninformed sellers a significant amount of money. A less common mistake – but just as damaging – is when a seller lists a home at below-market value, effectively cheating him- or herself out of thousands of dollars.

Today’s homebuyers are much more educated than in the past. Therefore, it’s imperative that you establish a range of acceptable offers before listing to insure that you will maximize the value of the home. The house that sells today is the best one on the market in the price range. Remember, the saddest sign in real estate is "Price Reduced”, which indicates the house was not priced right in the first place; buyers, in turn, will start to ask, "If the price was wrong, what else is wrong?"

6. Sadness, or “If only we had gotten that inspection….”

Nothing is more depressing for a seller than having the sale fall through at the last minute because of a structural or mechanical condition in the home. Because it’s usually something beyond the seller’s control, this piece of news can be difficult to handle. While it may seemingly save you money to avoid conducting an inspection, keep in mind that you may end up losing the sale altogether if these issues aren’t addressed.

That’s why you should hire a professional home inspector to look over every facet of the property and write a report assessing its condition. A well-qualified inspector can spot problems that you might not be able to see, clearly explain problems, calculate repair expenses and deliver a written report within a day or two. Most-contracts are contingent upon the outcome of several inspections such as wood-boring insects, excessive amounts of radon gas, structural soundness, and the condition of the heating, electrical, and plumbing systems. Getting an inspection up front can save you both the expense – and sadness – of a botched sale.



7. Anger, or “Stupid real estate laws!”

Even the most even-tempered of sellers can be infuriated by the nuances of real estate law. Since the contract-of-sale is a legally binding document, an improperly-written contract can cause the transaction to fall through, or cost you thousands of dollars for inspections, and remedies for title defects and any other issues. If there are defects in the title, or if the property is in conflict with local restrictions, you must remedy them or risk losing the sale.

Some real estate companies require a "Seller's Disclosure" form to be filled out when the property is first listed. While an attorney is recommended for all real estate transactions, keep in mind that all attorneys are not real estate specialists. Your Realtor® should be able to recommend several good attorneys. You deserve to have an agent who is not only knowledgeable about the transaction, but is also willing to educate you throughout the process so you will feel more comfortable – and less angry.

5 Habits of Highly Effective Sellers

Don’t Just Show Your Home – Show It Off

Like it or not, your home is competing with many more homes in the area. Buyers buy on emotion, not rationale; therefore, even the savviest marketing program in the world can only bring lots of buyers into your home – it can't make them WANT the home. A motivated seller will do everything possible to promote the property’s strengths. For suggestions, see our "How to Show Your Home" flyer.

Commit to a Long-Term Listing Only with a Performance-Specific Guarantee

Don't rely on verbal promises. Make sure that when you enter into a listing agreement, you receive a written guarantee of performance, with the option to cancel without charge if those standards are not met. Otherwise, any vague language may result in a performance dispute that will only end up hobbling your sale in the long run.

Obtain a Lender Appraisal Before Listing the Property

How would you feel if your home sold for $150,000, only find out from the bank appraiser that it was worth $175,000? In today's real estate market, this happens more often than you’d think. Eventually, your home will have to be appraised by a state licensed bank appraiser anyway. Why risk losing several extra thousands of dollars in your pocket?

Insider Secret: Buyers are afraid of paying too much for a house. That's why they often make low offers. A certified bank appraisal helps you sell for full price because the buyer can see that the price was established by a professional third party.

Secure Financing Terms and Commitment for Potential Buyers

Before you can consider deeming any buyer as “serious”, you should obtain a pre-approval letter from the lender before taking the time and effort to start the process. After all, what could be more heartbreaking than believing you’ve sold your house, only to find out the buyer is not in the financial position he represented?

MAINTAINING & IMPROVING YOUR HOME

If you are selling your home check this out