We Have A Wonderful Marketing Plan!

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• Unlimited marketing possibilities
• We'll get feedback, quick and accurate
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• View neighborhoods like never before
• Post listings to Craig's List
• List with US today, so We can hang the Sold sign up tomorrow!

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To View Our Marketing Plan in detail!  Below is a link to one of our listing websites:

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Setting the Stage for a Successful Sale

What's the best way to help your home make a glorious first impression on would-be buyers? Real estate experts agree that "staging" (also called "fluffing") your home to show it in the most favorable light is well worth your time and effort.

Beyond the pre-sale cleaning and organizing you would expect to do, successful staging includes strategically arranging objects and furniture, adding decorative touches and more. Here are a few tips from the pros to help buyers make an immediate emotional connection with your home:

• Add a pot of fresh blooming flowers to the entryway (yellow is a very welcoming color)
• Open blinds to show off nice views. A vase on the window sill plays down less attractive views
• Add throw pillows, a soft lap blanket, candles and a candy dish for a cozy living room
• Use a soft bedspread, quilt, pillows and a throw rug to turn a bedroom into a relaxing retreat
• Set your dining room table with dishes, placemats, wine glasses, etc.
• Banish television sets, computers, kitchen and bathroom appliances from sight

Whether you do the staging yourself or have your home fluffed by a professional, one Chicago-area expert confirms that homes that are staged often sell 75% faster and for 3%-6% higher than the asking price!

Tip # 1
Your real estate agent is a valuable resource for home staging ideas and referrals to professional stagers in your area.

Tip # 2
Don't forget the garage! Make sure surfaces are clean and neat. Store tools and gardening products to make room for cars.

 Moving out may bring faster home sale

By Robert J. Bruss
Distributed by Inman News
June 21, 2007

Editor's note: Robert Bruss is temporarily away. The following column from Bruss' "Best of" collection first appeared Sunday, July 2, 2006.

DEAR BOB: I plan to sell my home. Should I stay in my home while trying to sell it? We could move into our new home and leave the one we are trying to sell vacant. Which scenario will help sell our home faster? --Dana P.

DEAR DANA: Your listing real estate agent is in the best position to advise you whether to stay or move during the sales process.

The specific answer depends on whether your home shows well with you and your furniture still in the house. Or maybe it will show better if you move out, spruce it up with fresh paint and perhaps new carpets.

As a buyer, I like vacant houses because then I can easily spot most defects. As a seller, I prefer to sell vacant houses after painting and cleaning them, usually installing new wall-to-wall carpet. Vacant rooms look bigger than rooms occupied with furniture.

How to Avoid Paying the Capital Gains Tax  Pocket Those Profit$

When you sell your home, the profit you make can be subject to the capital gains tax. Understanding how the capital gains tax laws operate may help you pocket more of the profits. While it's important to talk to your tax advisor about your specific situation, here are a few guidelines to help you get started.

Capital gains tax rates are determined by a combination of:

• The profit from the sale of your home
• Your overall income (your tax bracket)
• The length of time you held your investment (in this case, your home)

When selling your primary residence, you may be permitted to exclude up to $250,000 profit from the sale on your tax return. If married and filing a joint return, you may be able to exclude up to $500,000. These exclusions are allowable only if you haven't excluded an earlier gain within the same two-year period ending on the sale date of your current home.

To qualify for these exclusions you need to have lived in your home for a minimum of two years, but they don't have to be consecutive years.

If you have lived in your home for less than two years, you may still be able to exclude a portion of the gain, which is based on the amount of time you actually lived in your home. If the profit from the sale of your home exceeds the allowable limit, the difference is treated as a long-term capital gain and is taxed at a maximum of 15% (and may be lower if your taxable income is low enough).

Now for a little math. Capital gains are calculated by the net selling price (sale price minus real estate commissions and closing costs) minus the adjusted basis (original cost plus capital improvements).

Capital improvements may help reduce your capital gains tax liability by increasing your adjusted basis. These include improvements you make to your home which add to its value, prolong its life, or adapt it to new uses for example room additions, decks, new flooring, etc. Don't forget to keep all receipts for purchases that may qualify for a capital improvement.

Your home is one of the largest investments you will ever make. Knowing how the capital gains tax laws operate can reward you with greater profits when it comes time to sell. Be sure to talk to your tax advisor for specific advice on how to maximize your investment.

What's Your Sales Strategy?

If you've decided to go ahead and sell your house, it's important to have a sales strategy planned out before you even put your house on the market. It's also important to have a strategy that both you and your agent agree on, right down to the last detail. With all the details of your plan firmly in place, you'll have a strategy that will help your sale go more quickly and more smoothly when you start receiving offers from buyers.

What Should a Good Strategy Include?

Your sales strategy should incorporate two mini-plans, one for marketing your property, and the other for financial considerations and interacting with buyers.

Marketing your house effectively is a crucial part of the sales process. Marketing is designed to get as many people as possible through your front door, because the more interest you create in your property, the better your ability to negotiate a good sale price. This section of the plan should include things such as:

• Advertising, photographs, and signage.
• Whether or not you decide to hold open homes.
• How you're going to "stage" your property to increase its appeal.
• Ways to emphasize the strengths and downplay the weaknesses of your property and neighborhood

The second part of the plan should include the following considerations:

• Your initial asking price. Do you want to consider a range pricing strategy?
• If the market is slow, how long will you wait before making a price reduction, and how much will the reduction be? Increase Your Home’s Value
  through Energy Efficient Upgrades

Range Pricing Strategies

Range pricing is a way of getting more buyers through your front door. Using a range pricing strategy means listing your house at a price range you find acceptable, rather than a firm price. For example, if your home is valued at $275,000, you might list your range as $250,000-$275,000. This way, you get more buyers coming through your home, and while they may offer bids that are lower than you want to accept, you have the option to negotiate a price that's more to your liking. Range pricing strategies are an excellent way of generating interest in your property in a slow market, but are less useful when the market is strong.

Negotiating with Buyers

During the offer and counter-offer process, what do you want to stand firm on, and where are you willing to compromise? Consider such things as:

• The length of the closing period.
• Who pays closing costs?
• Who pays for repairs that might be needed. Will you pay for the repairs yourself or negotiate a reduced sale price to compensate the buyer for repair costs?
• Beware of so-called "open-ended contingencies" when negotiating with potential buyers. An example is a buyer who makes an offer subject to them selling their own property before buying yours. If you end up negotiating with such a buyer, counter with a clause that states you have the right to accept a better offer if it should be offered to you.

Other Things to Consider

• Will you hire a home inspector to do your own inspection before putting the house on the market? It's an extra expense, but it can give you a firmer negotiating position if you're aware of problems the house may have before it goes on the market.

Review your strategy regularly. If something isn't working for you, don't be afraid to change it if you and your agent can work out a better one.

Increase Your Home’s Value
through Energy Efficient Upgrades

Increasing energy efficiency in the home is becoming more important for several reasons. It is, of course, a great way to reduce your monthly utility bills, but it’s also important because the world’s sources of energy are not infinite, and more people are recognizing this and looking at ways to make their homes more energy-efficient. Lastly, remodeling your home with energy efficiency in mind increases its value due to the resulting lower monthly utility costs.

Insulation
Good insulation is perhaps the most effective way of improving the energy efficiency of your home. However, some insulators are better than others. Fiberglass, once the most commonly-used insulator, is no longer as popular as it once was. Most fiberglass insulators are made using formaldehyde, and can release gas which decreases your air quality. Cellulose is a more efficient option; however some cellulose insulators may be treated with formaldehyde, so it pays to check before you buy. Superior cellulose insulators are treated with ammonium sulfate or borates, both of which are non-toxic. Cotton insulation has been increasing in popularity, due to its efficacy and the fact that it is environmentally-friendly. Cotton insulation is treated with boron, and is fire-retardant, pest-repellant, and completely non-toxic.

Windows and Doors
The average home loses up to 30% of its heat (or air-conditioning) energy through windows. Well-sealed windows and exterior doors are just as important as insulation for preventing energy loss. However, many frame materials require maintenance and choosing framing material that provides greater energy efficiency is often a trade-off in which more frequent maintenance is required. Wood frames are the most efficient in terms of energy loss and cause less condensation than other materials, however they will require painting or staining to keep them looking attractive. Aluminum frames, on the other hand, need very little maintenance but they are at the bottom of the list in terms of energy efficiency. Aluminum-clad windows are much more efficient. These are wood frames with an aluminum exterior, and combine the efficiency of wood with the low maintenance requirements of traditional aluminum frames.

Cooling
Many of the measures you take to prevent heat loss in your home will also help keep it cooler during warm weather. In addition, consider installing ceiling fans in your home. These are a more energy-efficient way of cooling than air-conditioners.

Efficient Lighting
When it comes to installing energy-efficient lighting, there are two main options – light dimmers and motion sensors. Light dimmers are switches which allow you to control the intensity of lighting in a room. Motion sensors turn lights on and off automatically by sensing when people enter and leave a room. These are particularly effective in rooms which are used irregularly, and in outdoor areas.

Outdoors
In the outdoors, trees and large shrubs are a less obvious way of making your home more energy efficient. With the additional advantage of adding appeal to your yard, careful planting of trees can add windbreaks which shield your house from wind, helping to prevent heat loss. Trees can also provide shade during the summer months, and help keep your home cool.

Using an Energy-Efficient Mortgage to Finance Remodeling
Major remodeling jobs that are planned with energy efficiency in mind can be expensive. This kind of remodeling will save you money in the long term, but the start-up costs are high. One way of financing such remodeling is with an Energy-efficient Mortgage. To qualify for an EEM, the money you save on your monthly utility bills must be greater than the monthly repayment of the EEM, and your total savings must also be more than your total costs (including maintenance). When you are granted an EEM, you have 90-180 days to carry out the remodeling work. Additionally, you cannot be granted an EEM if you apply after remodeling has started, or if you apply after any other financing has been granted.

NO TAX DEDUCTION IF LOAN IS NOT SECURED BY YOUR HOME

DEAR BOB: To buy our first home, my wife's parents loaned us $50,000. We have been faithfully repaying them monthly, including interest. As they are retired, they need the income. However, when we were audited by the IRS, our interest deduction for this loan was denied. The IRS agent said the interest is not deductible because the $50,000 loan is not secured by a mortgage on our home. Is this correct? --Gerry T.

DEAR GERRY: Yes. For home mortgage interest to qualify as an itemized tax deduction, the loan must be secured by a mortgage on your property.

To qualify for an interest deduction, you should give your wife's parents a mortgage or deed of trust to secure their promissory note. Then you can deduct the interest you pay each year to them. For more details, please consult your tax adviser.

SHOULD HOME SELLER CREDIT BUYER FOR DEFECTIVE WINDOWS?

DEAR BOB: I just sold my house. The buyer had it professionally inspected. All went well, but the buyer asked me to replace a couple of windows that have condensation, probably due to a bad seal. My home is 12 years old and in beautiful "mint" condition. I just put more than $20,000 into it with a new roof, siding, appliances, and professional paint job throughout. I feel the buyer is being unreasonable, asking me to fix the one and only thing wrong with my home. The house is selling for $350,000. Am I being unreasonable not wanting to pay for the windows? --Joe McC.

DEAR JOE: If the buyer's purchase offer is acceptable, especially if the local home sales market is slow, why risk losing him over a few hundred, or even a few thousand, dollars?

Better than replacing those windows, however, is to offer your buyer a "repair credit" at the closing, such as $500 or $1,000. Chances are the buyer won't even replace those windows, but then you won't risk losing the sale over a petty item.

The new Robert Bruss special report, "Probate Property Profit Secrets Revealed," is now available for $5 from Robert Bruss, 251 Park Road, Burlingame, Calif., 94010, or by credit card at 1-800-736-1736 or instant Internet delivery at www.BobBruss.com. Questions for this column are welcome at either address.