Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Mistakes Home Sellers Make

Orange County Realtors, Drew and Linda Hartanov, have a great post on their Blog... 4 Common Mistakes Home Sellers Make and How To Avoid Them.

Take a look and then contact me, 802-226-8022 with any questions you might have about how these mistakes relate to the Vermont housing market.

You can receive a Market Valuation of your home by visiting: www.ISellVermontRealEstate.com

Thursday, May 25, 2006

5 Powerful Buying Strategies

A post on Hampton Roads Real Estate Blog by Realtor and friend, Dave Macklin in Virginia Beach, Virginia gives 5 Powerful Buying Strategies for today’s buyers. These strategies include:

1. Don't Get "Pre-Qualified!" Get "Pre-Approved"

2. Sell First, Then Buy

3. Play the Game of Nines

4. Don't Be Pushed Into Any House

5. Stop Calling Ads!

Read this important post and put yourself in the best possible position to buy a home. Then contact me, or visit my website, so I can represent your best interests when buying your Okemo Mountain home. I will take care of you just like family.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Hands On Help

The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® announced a new partnership with Habitat for Humanity encouraging each of the nation’s local REALTOR® associations to sponsor and build a new Habitat home in the Gulf Coast region.

NAR will hold its annual convention in New Orleans this fall, at which time, approximately 30,000 REALTORS® will deliver hands-on help to clean up damaged neighborhoods, build 54 new Habitat for Humanity homes.

Realtors have always believed in giving back to the community and I am especially proud that the focus of this year's national convention will be serving the community we are visiting.
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Thinking of buying or selling a home? Visit my website. Here you can view all real estate listings.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

A Creative Alternative

I though you might appreciate a reminder that Mother's Day is this Sunday, May 14. You have probably given flowers, candy, cards and all the other traditional gifts. A new idea is to give the important mothers in your life a Vermont Teddy Bear.

These adorable bears are hand-made in Vermont and guaranteed for life. I don't know a woman who doesn't like a Teddy Bear...doesn't matter what age we are.

You can purchase you Teddy Bear by clicking here.
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Thinking of buying or selling a home? Vist my website for the current market value of your home or to view all local real estate listings.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Post-Contract Pitfalls

Selling a home is like climbing Mount Everest – getting a signed contract is a great accomplishment, but that's only half the journey. The typical home sale today involves more than 20 steps after the initial contract is accepted to complete the transaction.

Much of what needs to be done before the closing is the responsibility of appraisers, loan processors, attorneys, and inspectors — my role, as your REALTOR®, is to coordinate those responsibilities, helping to ensure that others do their jobs promptly and correctly and that the closing isn't jeopardized.

Many steps between contract ratification and closing involve the cooperation of both buyer and seller, and it takes attentive REALTORS® on both sides of the transaction to troubleshoot and keep everyone on track. When things go wrong, closing can easily fall behind. Here's how much time to expect on particular delays:

One-Week Delays
1. Buyer submits incorrect information to lender.
2. Source of down payment changes.
3. Escrow fails to notify parties about missing documents.
4. Principals leave town without signing all necessary papers.
5. Unknown defects are discovered in the property.
6. Last-minute liens discovered.
7. Cloud on title.
8. Move-out date changes.

Two-Week Delays
1. Lender decides at the last minute it doesn't approve of the borrower or the property.
2. Lender raises interest rates.
3. Lender requires last minute reappraisal or repairs.
4. Appraisal too low.

I have extensive experience in handling problems that may arise during the time between contract and closing; I can anticipate difficulties and address them in time to ensure a smooth settlement for all involved.

To ensure a smooth settlement when buying or selling your home, give me a call, 802-226-8022. I'm here to help!