| Monthly
Quote |
“A
perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze
is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken.”
-James Dent, U.S. humorist, 1928 – 1992
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| Tip
of the Month |
Is
your house lovely to look at until the eye finds that ugly
air conditioning unit, satellite dish or other eyesore? Here
are some easy ways to obscure unattractive views on your property:
• Evergreen trees. Fast-growing types
of evergreens include Pinus strobus, known as Eastern white
pine (12 inches per year and hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8),
and Emerald Green Arborvitae (4 feet per year, zones 2 to
7). Choose the appropriate tree for your area and plan according
to the height and width the tree will be at maturity.
• Pergola. This method is especially
effective for disguising air conditioning units. You can build
or have built an arbor or lattice cover (supplies can be found
at your local big-box home improvement or hardware store)
to loosely enclose the unit. To cover the pergola in the first
year, plant morning glory, which is a fast-growing annual.
You can also simultaneously plant a climbing rose bush, such
as Climbing Iceberg or Lavender Lassie (both zones 5 to 10)
or New Dawn (zones 4 to 9), and the box will be covered by
the second year.
• Perennial grasses. Probably the easiest
choice, perennial grasses are moderately priced and fast-growing.
At maturity, their height will screen any unpleasant views.
Arundo donax, also know as the giant reed, can reach 20 feet
tall within three or four years (zones 7 to 10) and Miscanthus
“Giganteus,” giant Chinese silver grass, can grow
up to 12 feet tall (zones 5 to 9).
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7
Ways for Sellers to Stretch Their Dollar
 The
cooling market has meant trouble for many sellers who
have had to see their homes languish on the market for
months or see their prices drop in an attempt to lure
a buyer. A recent Wall Street Journal Online article
advises sellers on ways to make the most of their real
estate money.
Drop-off in buyer demand, heavy home
inventory and tougher qualification for mortgages has
resulted in a cooling real estate market. For sellers,
this means that control has landed squarely in the hands
of buyers. Attracting a buyer from the already small
pool can be tough. Wall Street Journal Online offers
the following advice for sellers on making the most
of your money in today’s market.
1. Figure out what you’re
dealing with. In other words, do your research.
Study your local market and look at other homes for
sale. Find out what their asking prices are and for
what price homes are actually selling. “Be savvy
to market trends and know what things are worth,”
advises Rob Gross, a senior vice president with Prudential
Douglas Elliman in Manahattan. HouseHunt.com can help
you look up home prices in your area, and your Realtor
can help you find out area selling prices. You can also
go so far as to visit area open houses to find out what
you’re up against and how to make your home stand
out.
2. Price competitively. In the market
of previous years, sellers were able to set a price
and wait for buyers to start a bidding war. Now, if
a home is overpriced, the buyer can simply go on to
the next property. Gross suggests pricing your home
just below what the market will bear. For instance,
if your type of home may sell for $300,000, price it
at $295,000 to get traffic. Don’t fall into the
trap of thinking that your home is better than the one
down the street or that you can get housing-boom prices.
3. Help your Realtor. Seller William
Casper of Pikeville, Tenn., isn’t leaving it up
to his Realtor to do all the work. He is using the Internet
and some networking to locate a buyer. He even worked
out a deal with his Realtor that he will pay a 3% commission
(instead of the more typical 6%) if he locates a buyer
on his own. You can look on the Internet and talk up
your home to friends and coworkers. Buyers can be found
in unlikely places.
4. Don’t snooze. In real estate,
especially in today’s market, time is money. The
longer your home sits on the market, the more money
you are likely to lose. Don’t be quick to turn
down an offer that is below your asking price –
you may be offering that same price two months down
the road when your home isn’t selling.
5. Negotiate. You can encourage buyers
to look seriously at your home by making concessions,
such as throwing in the hot tub or offering to make
minor repairs. Small expenditures, says Phyllis MacBeth
of Main Street Realtors in Long Beach, Calif., can speed
a sale, thereby preserving some of the home-price gains
experienced during the housing boom.
6. Make the most of your assets. With
more properties on the market, sellers have to make
their properties stand out. New paint, heavy cleaning
and neatened-up landscaping go a long way toward making
a good first impression. You should also clear up clutter
in your home, such as piles of mail or children’s
toys, and try to remove your home’s “personal”
touch, such as artwork or collectibles. You want potential
homebuyers to imagine themselves in your home. You can
also find out what a good “look” for your
home is by looking at model homes in your area and copying
it.
7. Cut your losses. If your local market
is cooling fast, you should try to get out while you
can. Since your home is such a big investment, many
people find it difficult to know when to take a loss
and move on. If you don’t get as much of a return
on your house as you expected, you may want to consider
moving to an area with cheaper housing prices to make
your money stretch further.
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