Tag Archives: Real Estate

Easy “no cost” seller ideas to use to sell your home when you are in trouble.


When you are faced with being forced to sell your home and you do not have the money to invest in repairing it, you may then have to sell it “AS-IS”.

Here are several things you can do to give your home the best chance to sell quickly even if it needs repairs.

Think of what you can do and not what you can’t do



None of these ideas cost you money and it is possible they may make you some money! (OK one maybe will but only if you have no other option)

In the sellers disclosure identify what needs to be repaired. Better to disclose than to hope the buyer will not see the areas that need attention.

  1. Start clearing out and start selling items you do not need. Look in every nook and cranny.
  2. Remove all your personal pictures and notes from the walls, desks, tables and refrigerators. Buyers are not interested who is in the house they want to know about the house.
  3. Vacuum the carpets all over the house, under the bed, under the couch, and the chairs.
  4. Deep clean all of the bathrooms, and the Kitchen. Do not forget behind the stove and under the refrigerator. People will pull the shower curtain to see how clean the shower is.
  5. Take a damp sponge and clean off all the finger smudges of the walls by the light switches and other places you can find. Don’t scrub hard be very gentle.
  6. Clean out overstuffed closets. Put the excess in to storage or sell it.
  7. Organize your kitchen. Get rid of the junk drawer (we all have one).
  8. Clean off the kitchen counter top. If you keep it cluttered, you are telling the buyer that you do not have enough storage room for your items.
  9. Clean out the garage. If you have to sell some of the stuff you have then do so!! Otherwise put it into storage. Do not use the garage as storage unless you are planning on telling the buyers that the house is too small and does not have enough storage.
  10. Clean up the yard!!!
  11. Mow the yard and keep it trimmed!!!
  12. Ask friends or family members if they have some plants you could plant in your yard when you have none.
  13. Clean your windows and open the curtains to let light in!!!

All these ideas, except for putting some of your items into storage, will cost you no extra money you would not be spending anyway. What you will be spending mostly is your effort to get it done.

The faster you can sell your home, the faster you can get back on track, and the faster you might be able to get in to a new home. The longer it takes, the larger the shortfall will be. In this case time is money!!!!

2014 Home-A-Rama, Westfield IN


G&G Custom HomesJust as in previous years, Home-A-Rama 2014 again has some great custom builders showcasing their craftsmanship. This time they are in the Brookside Neighborhood by Langston Development located in Westfield IN.

20140606_140355Brookside is one of Westfield’s premier neighborhoods with a variety of custom homes. Due to the variety of custom builders building in this Neighborhood you never will have a house that looks the same as your neighbors.

20140606_145017_1This year the Home-A-Rama 2014 features G&G Custom Homes, Bedrock Builders, Hoss Homes, M/I Homes – Showcase Collection, and Heartwood Custom Homes.

20140606_141705_1The Brookside neighborhood itself is a very diverse and stylish neighborhood with home prices ranging from $600,000 to $1.7 million. Just minutes away from all major conveniences like recreation, shopping, and schools. Brookside is located on 161th Street East of US 31.

20140606_143419Every one of the builders being showcased at the 2014 Home-A-Rama had a very unique style. I found that high vaulted ceilings and open floor plans are still popular.

20140606_142924Even when you have an open floor plan you still can find corners that will be quite enough for conversation or relaxing. Hideaway spaces like a hidden game room or reading /play room found itself into their design as well.

20140606_145845Pocket and barn doors have finally made their way back into the Midwest building style. It makes a stylish addition to a home and also will make room for other amenities. Clean lines and simple but stylish dĂ©cor design helped showcase the builder’s craftsmanship.

For more information about this or other neighborhoods, the builders, or the area in general contact the Settles Team.
// ]]>

DIFFERENT TYPES OF LISTING CONTRACTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO SELLERS


Every seller has the right to sell their home without the help of a brokerage firm and that is called a For Sale By Owner (FSBO) listing. You as an owner make the decision of accepting or rejecting an offer from a buyer represented by a real estate professional. Many times, before the buyers real estate representative will present an offer to the FSBO owner, they ask the FSBO owner to sign a commission payment agreement that guarantees the broker a commission at the time of closing. This in many states is also called an OPEN LISTING.

Man's Hands Signing DocumentThere are many types of listing agreements that can be used in the sale of residential real estate.

Another form of contract is the EXCLUSIVE AGENCY LISTING. The huge difference between this and the EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO SELL is that when the agent or cooperating agents brings a buyer to the transaction the seller would have to pay for the commission. When the seller brings the buyer to the transaction the seller does not owe the agents a commission at time of closing. Many real estate professionals are reluctant to work on EXCLUSIVE AGENCY LISTINGS due to the lack of control.

An EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO SELL listing is used close 95% of the time when it comes to listing residential real estate for sale. With this type of listing contract, no matter who brings a willing and able buyer to the transaction, the agent will earn a commission. In most markets when the buyer is brought by a cooperating agent the commission is split equally between the cooperating brokers. The length of time a listing contract runs is negotiable. It can be as short as 30 days and as long as 6 months. It just depends on your local market.

Another form of listing is the NET LISINTG. In many states the net listing might not be legal. Many times with the NET LISTING, the seller tells the real estate professional what their net price is for the home and the agent adds their commission to the net price later when they have a buyer. There might be a conflict when this situation when the agent has an offer that is much higher net than what the seller requested. In this case the seller might feel cheated. On the other hand, when the net is much lower than the seller anticipated the agent might not earn a commission and is reluctant to present the offer. In my state, Indiana, in order for a NET LISTING to be legal, the maximum amount of commission must be stated in the listing contract and has to be disclosed up front and agreed to by the seller.

When you have any questions feel free to contact the Settles Team.

PLANNING TO START TO INVEST IN REAL ESTATE?

stock investmentGetting started in Real Estate acquisition could be a scary and daunting undertaking. When you break it down into small action steps the elephant in the room can get smaller and smaller.

Before considering any Real Estate acquisition, especially for investment purposes, consider first building your real estate advisory investment team. On our Settles Team website we have some great information listed for experienced or first time Real Estate investors.

After you have your advisory team in place you need to make some crucial decisions.

For example:

  • How to pay for the investment?
  • Are you planning on holding or turning the investments?
  • When you hold the investments who will manage them?
  • How to take title of the property.

 

There are many more questions you should consider before looking and buying any investment property.

You need to take real estate investing serious and you should consider it as a full time job and not a hobby. Make a business plan with goals, action steps, and an exit strategy.

When you are planning to get into Real Estate acquisition for investment purposes contact the Settles Team. We will be happy to help.