Archive for April, 2009
Expect Great Things From Your Next Open House
Open houses are great ways to create exposure for your property. When advertised and executed properly open houses will tap into most interested buyers and reinforce established ties with a community. Running a well prepared open house can give a potential purchaser many insights into life inside the home and the community and ultimately sell the home faster Taking the proper steps to make sure your home shows its best and tap into all possible sources before showing are essential.
With the competitive nature of the home selling process more real estate agents and homeowners are utilizing “stagers” professionals with design backgrounds to create the most appealing atmosphere possible. Home stagers’ fees can start at 100 an hour with a two hour minimum. They can create environments for homeowners that make a property more appealing to a greater number of potential buyers. Regardless of what methods you use to present your home it should feel like a home. Your home may not be ready to grace the cover of a trade magazine but it should make the most of its best attributes.
Cleaning the home from top to bottom is where most real estate professionals recommend paying strict attention to kitchens and bathrooms. Carpets should be vacuumed every surface dusted dishes put away as well as anything else: clothes toys and books that will take away from the focus of the room. Small repairs should be made: leaky faucets and toilets chipped paint and torn screens should all be fixed. An inspector or Realtor would be helpful in streamlining the house: removing extra furniture or putting away any excess that would take away from the warm and inviting environment of the home.
Once the inside is cleaned you can take care of other necessary improvements that will add to the overall atmosphere of the home. Painting landscaping and deep cleaning are just a few. Changing the lighting at the entrance ways can also create a warm mood and make the home more inviting. Major improvements shouldn’t be done unless you plan on recouping the cost in the sale price.
Bushes plants trees and grass should be trimmed and neat. The exterior impression is the first impression your home makes to a buyer. Recent Studies indicate “50 percent of purchase decisions are made during the first 60 seconds” of a buyers’ stroll up the walk. If an inspector or professional home stager aren’t in your budget have your Realtor inspect the inside and outside of the house and offer insights or advice. The whole point is to make the best first impression you can to entice the buyer in for a better look.
As the big day approaches there are some things to make the open house runs as smooth as possible. Make sure all your valuable and personal items have been put away. Make sure doors and windows that should be left open are and main hallways cleared. Garbage should be emptied and if you havent had a chance to completely air out the home now is the time. Turn on all lights to allow the home to appear as bright as possible.
Experts strongly advise against scented fresheners and carpet deodorizers. They do recommend fresh cut flowers potpourri and scented candles. Even simulating the subtle aroma of a home cooked meal has been suggested. The key is subtlemake sure that the aroma will not aggravate prospects allergies. It also might be the time to take advantage of visual cues. There are some neat tricks that wont cost you an arm and a leg to enhance tables sitting areas or focal points of the tour with a bowl of fruit a display of magazines candles small water gardens or a strategically placed wicker basket.
Ask questions and gain opinions of other homes for sale in your area. Find out what other sellers are doing and what buyers are expecting. Visit other open houses in your area before your event. The whole point of the open house is for prospective buyers to find what they are looking for in terms of a home. The easier a seller can do that than the quicker he sells his home.
About the writer: Alex Peterson writes for ZipRealty Inc. ZipRealty provides home buyers and sellers with an innovative real estate solution. By using the efficiencies of the Internet ZipRealty has streamlined the real estate process and is able to pass significant savings on to home buyers and sellers.
Crestview
Just north of Austins urban center lies the Crestview neighborhood bordered by Anderson Lane to the north Justin Lane to the south North Lamar Boulevard to the east and Burnet Road to the west. In 1948 developer A.B. Beddow began building the Crestview homes on what was originally an old cotton field.
The majority of the homes in Crestview were built in the 1950s with a very utilitarian style mostly 2 and 3 bedroom cottages ranging around 1100 to 1200 square feet suitable for the postwar boom of the time. Many residents of Crestview have lived in the area since its inception not willing to leave the tranquil surroundings and friendly neighbors theyve grown close to over the years.
It’s this same reason more Austinites want to move to the neighborhood as its still considered a great place to raise a family 60 years later. Crestview is also highly desirable to those seeking an older home that is centrally located but cannot afford to pay the higher house cost and property taxes of neighborhoods such as Hyde Park which also has a high UT student population upping the possibility of a loud and rowdy neighbor. Also those on the hunt for a mid century modern home can find success in Crestview houses built in the 50s.
Though the Beverly Sheffield Park draws a crowd with its public pool playground and barbeque grills its the Crestview Shopping Center that would be considered the heart of the neighborhood. Built in 1952 the Crestview Shopping Center has maintained its original state like many of its surrounding homes. The Crestview barber shop has been in the same location since it arrived in the shopping center in 1954. The landlord of the shopping center is 72yearold J.D. Harper who runs the Crestview Pharmacy which he purchased from the centers founder Ray Yates in 1964. Ronnie Prellop owns the shopping centers independent grocery store Minimax. The Prellop family has operated the store since 1953. Lucretia Doyer runs the Little Deli which yields lines out the door during lunch hour. Her family ran the cleaners in the shopping center since the late 50s until it was sold in 2006. Its this kind of time warp that makes the Crestview residents refer to their area as a modern day Mayberry.
Early this month construction began on what will be called Crestview station. Located west of Lamar between Justin Street and St. John’s where the Huntsman Corporation sat from 1949 to 2005 Crestview station will be the first big transitoriented development along the Metrorail track which will provide a train service from downtown Austin to Leander. Crestview station will be a mix of retail office space and residence space. The first phase will include around 800 apartments with 400 singlefamily row style homes slated afterwards bringing a newly built residential region to Crestview something not easily achieved in most centrally located neighborhoods.
Many new suburbs pop up around Austin constantly where neighbors pass by without even making eye contact. Crestview is the complete opposite a neighborhood where neighbors share their front door keys in case of emergencies and suggest the daily specials at the deli. This kind of neighborly bond is hard to come by these days.
About the writer: Ki is a realtor helping clients investigating the Austin Texas real estate market. His site has a free search for Austin homes for sale. He also provides an Austin real estate blog to help people keep up to date on the Austin market.
Condo Living 101: What To Expect
“More and more people are deciding to bypass purchasing a home in favor of buying a condo instead. Although condo living is becoming increasingly popular many people still fail to realize the advantages of living in a condo and still do not fully understand what they can expect from condo living.
Mutual Ownership
One fact that you need to understand when you own a condo is that you will be sharing the building with other condo owners. Although you will own the actual unit in which you live you do not own the building in which the unit is located. Rather you and all of the other people that live in the condo are joint owners of the building.
Since you are joint owners of the building you are also jointly responsible for taking care of the building. As such you will need to pay fees that will go toward maintaining the building and its yards. In addition you will need to help pay for insurance coverage for the building while also maintaining separate coverage for your unit.
Enjoying Amenities
One of the great benefits of condo living is the fact that you get to enjoy a number of different amenities. Common amenities that are included with condos include swimming pools workout rooms tennis courts and more. Buying a condo makes it possible to enjoy these amenities because you share the expense of having them in place and maintaining them rather than paying for them on your own.
Being Part of a Community
Since living in a condo requires living in a building with other condo owners you will need to be prepared to become part of a close knit community. Condo owners typically spend a great deal of time with one another and enjoy each others company. If you are looking to live somewhere that will provide you with solitude condo living may not be right for you. If you like to socialize and you are looking for a way to meet new people condo living is a great option to consider.
Taking Advantage of a Great Location
Condos are typically located in a great location that makes it easy to reach public transportation or to get back and forth from work. Many are also located near to great shopping and dining opportunities as well. In fact condos are commonly found in cities where traditional homes are rarely found. Therefore if you are interested in city living but want to enjoy the pride of ownership purchasing a condo is a better choice than renting an apartment.
Making Decisions Together
Since you share the building in which your unit is located you should also be prepared to make decisions with the other residents. In other words you will not be able to make decisions completely on your own as you would with a house. Since your decisions will affect the other residents of the building many of your decisions will be made jointly. In fact you will be frequently called upon to vote on certain decisions. Be prepared to be outvoted by the other residents of the condo though you can certainly take steps to let your opinion be heard before any decisions are made.
Condo living has a number of advantages but you need to be fully aware of what to expect before you invest in this type of real estate. By being fully informed however you will be more likely to be thrilled with your decision and to love living your life in your condo.”
About the writer: Eric Bramlett is the broker coowner of One Source Realty in Austin Texas. Eric currently manages his downtown Austin condos website his Austin Condo company’s website his Austin condos website.