April 28th, 2008 Kurt Wilde
A new buyer wouldn’t want to worry about what will break or fall apart after the losing. Since accidents like these could happen, it’s a good idea to get home warranty from the seller. Sometimes, real estate agents give buyers a home warranty during closing as a gift. A home warranty is relatively expensive, with prices that range from $250 to $350, depending on the coverage. Most home warranties work like this: if an appliance or homesystem breaks down, the home owner calls the warranty company, who then contacts a provider. The provider calls the home owner for an appointment to fix the problem. The home owner pays a small fee of less than $100 for the provider’s services.
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April 24th, 2008 Kurt Wilde
Check bedroom locations. Although second floor bedrooms may seem safer, their distance from the first floor makes it soundproof. If somebody breaks in, you might not be able to hear it. It’s also more difficult to escape from the second floor if the threat is a fire.
Get a condo unit in a higher floor. Thieves and crimminals won’t bother taking the elevators or the stairs since they’ll be noticed by people in the building. Units that face the street are also more safe than units located in the back.
Don’t get an apartment located on an alley. Alleys are dark and quiet at night, which provides the best conditions for crimminals to creep into your home, unnoticed.
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April 20th, 2008 Kurt Wilde
According to the US Census Bureau, there are over 14 million women who live alone in big cities. City planners and buildings are increasing security as they realize that many homes, apartment buildings, condominiums and streets are not designed with women’s safety in mind. To help women buy a home with safety features, here are some tips:
Buy a home with an attached garage. During winter, the days are shorter, which means that it’s usually dark by the time you get home from work. You might feel uncomfortable walking to your house in the dark from a detached garage.
Consider a neighborhood with good lighting. Brightly lit streets or streets with motion sensor lights give more protection than dark streets.
Get a home with a security system. Ask the homeowner if the security system is owned or leased and how much it will cost each month.
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April 17th, 2008 Kurt Wilde
When you build your dream home, you are free to choose everything you want in terms of the style and design, from the carpet up to the cabinets. Having everything brand-new and according to your liking is main advantage to building a home. Besides this, you can analyze the building materials yourself and make sure they comply with the latest in safety standards.
However, building a custom home comes at a fairly high price. If you can’t afford that, the best alternative is to go for a semi-custom home. This allows you to select some of the features you want but without going over your budget. With semi-custom homes, the building shows you several floor plans and house styles you can choose from. You’re free to choose your flooring, lighting fixtures and locations, cabinets, and appliances. You also have the option to add more rooms and structures like attached garages.
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April 14th, 2008 Kurt Wilde
When it comes to buying a home, first-time buyers usually carry the misconception that they need to have a large amount of money right away. This is not true. In fact, if you do your research, you can find a good home in a nice neighborhood at a price you can afford. All you need is to have the right resources and to know how they fit together. One good place to look at homes is at areas where there are foreclosures. Homes that are foreclosed have owners that were unable to pay on time and were forced to move out. The bank is the one paying the house and they are usually more than happy to sell them at bargain prices.
If you don’t know where to find these deals, browse through your local real estate listings or ask around. Whenever you see a “for sale” sign, stop and talk to the owner. When the owner is forced to sell the house because of financial problems, he or she is usually more willing to negotiate.
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April 10th, 2008 Kurt Wilde
If you thought that properties held by the government are not for sale, think again. Abandoned property kept by the government are usually auctioned off. In fact, not only is buying these properties is a fairly easy task; they can also be purchased at major discounts. The common misconception is that the kinds of abandoned property at government auctions are usually decrepit and undesirable houses and bungalows. Most of the time this is true, but other structures like warehouses and office buildings are usually auctioned off. A property is considered abandoned if its owner does not meet tax payments and other obligations.
Since any property bought from government auctions can be resold, this is a simple way you can be a real estate speculator. Many people have made millions buying and selling abandoned property, even if they haven’t visited it after the initial evaluation.
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April 7th, 2008 Kurt Wilde
If you want to increase your property’s value, consider doing a renovation. Although major changes can get expensive, this is never a waste of money since the investment will end up coming back to you. The renovation will pay for itself once you sell the property. If you don’t know what kind of renovations to do, ask your real estate agent to evaluate the home and point out aspects that may increase its value. To get an idea of how much renovation you should be doing, look at the real estate listings in your area so you’ll see how similar homes in your neighborhood compare to your property. You can start renovating by changing small things that will make a big overall impact, like getting new carpets for your floor, new kitchen countertops, or changing the paint.
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April 3rd, 2008 Kurt Wilde
Refrigerator art marketing might sound strange and newfangled but this is just a different twist to an old marketing idea. Advertising on refrigerator doors isn’t a new idea; lots of companies give away advertising magnets to customers and prospective customers.
Refrigerator art marketing is fairly similar to this. Many home buyers bring their kids with them when they look at houses or meet with their real estate agent. The kids tend to be a distraction and keep the transaction from getting done. The trick is to provide them with paper and crayons so the kids would remain distracted throughout the meeting. The marketing part comes in the paper, because it will contain your name, contact details, company information at the bottom of the page. Often the kids’ drawing will end up on the refrigerator door of your client’s home, which is a great place to be seen.
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