Thursday, April 12, 2007
First, you have to figure out what really needs to be done to your home. A thorough property inspection up front would surely help to identify problem areas. Having the property inspection done and then all the corrections taken care of before you get offers will shows the buyers that you are conscientious homeowners. This would relieve some of their anxiety about buying a home.
Use the following checklist as your guide to preparing your home for sale.
Smart up the Outer
- Paint: Few things you would enhance the salability of your house quite in so far as painting the outside. Pay special attention to wood, trim, gutters, and other wrought iron.
- Front Entry: Give special care to this particular area. A first impression does make a difference! All woodwork needs to be freshly and neatly painted, including the door if necessary.
- Yard: Mow and trim your lawn. Weed flower beds; remove or may replace dead plants or trees. Water it regularly during the growing season.
- Driveway, garage/carport: Clean up any grease or oil spots; remove the soil at least once, if not the stains. See that the garage opens its door freely, and if you have an automatic door opener.
- Air Conditioners: Paint or replace any rusted bare metal. Correct rude draining.
Patio: A nice spread of outdoor furniture looks quite appealing. If necessary, borrow some from a friend to improve the "show ability" of your property.
- Windows: Repair or replace any torn or bent screens. As a last resort, remove them entirely; it's always better to have no screens than to have ugly ones. Replace any cracked or any broken panes.
- Doors: Check to see that all doors open and gets close freely, including closet doors and patio or any sliding glass doors. Oil any shrill doors. Tighten the hardware, chiefly doorknobs.
- Walls: As with the exterior, painting indoors would pay dividends out of all amounts to the time and the effort spent. Wallpaper needs to be clean and adhere smoothly to walls.
- Floors: Repair or replace missing or any damaged pieces of tile; polish if needed. Repair of a loose stair walk plate or loose carpeting on a staircase is a top priority.
- Carpet: Steam cleaning is the actually the best answer for soiled carpets, particularly when shampooing isn't enough.
Housekeeping Hints
- Bathrooms: Few places in the home could get so dirty so fast, and yet few things would "not sell" a house as fast as dirty bathrooms. Vanity, sink, faucet hardware, and other mirror are the focal points.
- Kitchen: Most buyers would also inspect the kitchen carefully, so time invested here is well spent. Replace poorly stained or corroded reflector plates under the heating elements on other electronic range tops.
- Windows: Clean windows are a total necessity if a house is to look its best. Weather permitting and open windows to let in fresh air.
All this may really seem like a lot of work, and it is, but it means a quicker sale with less hassle and with more money in your pocket. Not to mention the pleasure you and your family would receive from living in a well-kept home.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
If you have a positive cash stream on your hire properties, deem using it to make extra principle payments. By making additional principle payments, even small ones, you could save drastically on interest. This is because interest is charged on the exceptional balance owed. For example, if you paid an additional $50/month the loan explained above, you will save $49,000 in interest and pay off the loan balance six years earlier. If you paid an additional $100 per month, you would save over $75,000 in interest and pay off the balance ten years earlier.
Save Money on Late Fees
If you are in risk of paying your mortgage late, send your payment via overnight mail. The cost of doing so is most likely much less than your late payment. For example, a 5% late fine on a $1,000 payment is $50. Sending the imbursement via Federal Express would cost you less than $15.
Tips when in Default
- Watch for Bankruptcy. A borrower in evasion could run into federal court and file for insolvency to stop your foreclosure proceeding. Once the federal bankruptcy appeal is filed, the state court foreclosure taking place is subject to an automatic "stay". Simply have your lawyer march into federal court and ask the judge to have the wait lifted against you. However, if the debtor files for chapter 14 reorganization, he might be able to ask the court to force you to recognize a payout plan. Either way you would get paid, even if it means having to wait.
- Think of "Deed in Lieu of." If you are in a mortgage state, a borrower could delay the scheduled for months by just filing an answer to the complaint, lifts any number of defenses, as well as improper service of the summons. If you are on speaking terms with the borrower, try and work it out. It might be cheaper for you to give up the back payments and even pay he to give you a deed in lieu of forecloses. That is, he gives you the property back and you spare him the discomfiture and credit damage of a foreclosure (as well as a possible lack judgment against him). Time is money when it comes to foreclosure, so use it wisely!