Getting Your Home Ready to Sell

As a seller, your No. 1 goal is to sell your home as quickly as possible at or near the listing price. In today’s market, where there is much more competition for buyers, it is important to put your best foot, or in this case, home forward because first impressions are vital.
Many of today’s prospective homebuyers have busy lifestyles and are looking for properties that don’t require a lot of work. Therefore a home in move-in condition is much more attractive. Before placing your home on the market, you may want to invest in making needed repairs.
To get started, inspect both the inside and outside of the home. Take inventory of practical and aesthetic repairs. You may want to apply a fresh coat of paint on the walls, doors, and shutters. Clean the carpet and buff and polish wooden floors. Tighten and polish hardware. Repair cracks in sidewalks and driveways, and clean any stains on them. Replace missing or warped roofing. Clean or re-grout kitchen and bathrooms. Repair dripping faucets and drains or plumbing fixtures that aren’t operating.
Fix sticking doors and replace old locks and doorknobs. Replace old bulbs and broken electrical sockets. Replace cracked windows and torn screens. Repair broken fencing and reseal the deck. Clean up stains on the tiles and countertops.
Some experts also recommend hiring a certified home inspector to thoroughly and impartially evaluate the property. (For a list of inspectors in your area, visit the American Society of Home Inspectors website, www.ashi.com, or ask your real estate professional for recommendations.) A standard report will review the condition of the home’s heating system, central air conditioning, plumbing and electrical systems, the roof, attic, walls, ceilings, floors, windows and doors, the foundation, basement and visible structure.
If there are recommendations for improvement, consult with your real estate professional in prioritizing the list of repairs.
Depending on your goals and budget, you may want to repair only items that could cause significant deterioration to the home, such as a leak. In addition, your local market conditions may dictate how extensive your repairs need to be. Let your budget and your real estate professional guide you.
However, be careful about major repairs. Sellers rarely recoup money on major remodeling projects, and you may want to save funds for your new home.
A home in good condition demonstrates pride of ownership. Taking the time to make small repairs to your home can go a long way in making sure that your home is presented to potential buyers in its best possible light. They also just might make the sale.

Tips on Moving With Pets

When making your moving plans, don’t forget to include your beloved pets. Although they present a new set of challenges, it doesn’t have to add to your stress if you take the following steps before your big move.
Visit the Vet
Schedule a pre-move visit with your veterinarian for a checkup and to make sure that all vaccinations are current. Use this time to get copies of your pet’s records, a recommendation for a veterinarian in your new location, and possibly a tranquilizer to give your pet during transportation.
Research Laws in New Area
Research the requirements regarding animals in your new locality. Nearly every state has laws regarding entry of dogs, cats, horses, birds and other pets. For example, most states require interstate health certificates for dogs and horses coming from another state. If you own an exotic animal such as a ferret or potbellied pig, check to see if it is allowed as a pet in your new city. Some states require an entry permit. You can obtain compliance information from the state veterinarian or other appropriate authority. It’s important to get this information well ahead of your move so that you can get any necessary examinations or documents.
Make sure your pet’s identity and rabies tags are current. You should also have a special travel identification tag just in case they become lost during the move. The tag should include the pet’s name, your name and new address, and an alternate contact.
Decide on Transportation Mode
Decide how you will be transporting your pet. Animals are not allowed on moving vans, so your choices are by car or air.
By Car
If traveling by car, the American Animal Hospital Association suggests that you take your pet on short rides before the trip so that he can get accustomed to the movement. The day of the trip, don’t feed your pet for several hours before departure. It’s also a good idea to take him on a long walk before heading out.
Pack a travel kit to include food, food and water dishes, can opener, scooper, paper towels for clean ups, and plastic bags. You may also want to include a blanket to cover your car seats, plus treats and a favorite toy.
If you are traveling with birds or other small pets, such as a hamster, make sure they are in a stable cage with proper ventilation. A kennel for cat or dog may also be a good idea.
If your trip will require an overnight stay, find out well in advance of your trip whether pets are allowed at the lodging of your choice. The website www.petswelcome.com is a great place to search for lodging that accommodates pets.
By Air
Traveling by air definitely requires preplanning. Each airline has its own policy regarding pet transportation. In addition, there are federal requirements you must follow. For example, dogs and cats must be at least eight weeks old and weaned for at least five days. In addition, cages and containers must meet certain standards.
You need to decide if your pet will accompany you in the cabin or be checked as baggage, or shipped separately by air freight.
Check with your airline to make sure that pets are allowed to travel in the cabin and obtain guidelines. The U.S. Federal Animal Welfare Act requires that pets traveling in the passenger cabin be in a carrier that can fit underneath the seat without blocking the main aisle. The container must remain stowed the entire flight.
If your pet will be transported as baggage or by freight, make shipping arrangements as far in advance as possible so that space can be reserved. It is recommended that you schedule a non-stop flight on a weekday. You also need to supply the air carrier written instructions for food and water.
Other precautions to take when transporting your pet by air include:
Before traveling, get your pet accustomed to the kennel in which it will be shipped.
Don’t give your pet solid food six hours prior to the flight. Providing water a few hours before the flight is advisable.
Write your contact information on the container and make sure your pet is wearing a tag with the same information.
The Federal Aviation Administration (www.faa.gov) and Department of Transportation’s (http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov) websites have valuable information regarding traveling with pets.
Transitioning to New Home
Once you are in your new home there are some things you can do to help ease the transition for your pet. If you have a dog, take him for a walk immediately so that he can become familiar with the new area. Cats, on the other hand, have a tendency to run away searching for their old home. They should be kept indoors for several weeks until they become comfortable in the new home and familiar with its scents and noises.
Veterinarians also advise that you bring water from your old home, because a change in water sources can sometimes cause your pet to become sick.
Like humans, pets are can become stressed when change occurs. By planning ahead, you can help to make sure your pet has a smooth transition to its new environment.

As Seen on TV – In Reality, Are Those Real Estate Shows Really Fake?

RISMEDIA, December 21, 2009—(MCT)—Flip on your television and tune into HGTV’s “House Hunters,” and you might see yet another set of Chicago homebuyers and a local real estate agent in action.

The popular cable TV program seems to like the local real estate market; it’s certainly been featured before. And with every show, another buyer and agent learn the skinny about what’s real and unreal on reality television.

“House Hunters” is one of those programs you can stumble across and then find yourself sitting down to watch, critiquing the three different properties being shown and the buyer’s tastes, and then guessing which one they’ll pick. It also provides a sense of property values in a given locale, as in “look how much more/less house we can get if we moved somewhere else.”

So hearing the behind-the-scenes details of several episodes that have been filmed here recently is a bit like pulling back the curtain to reveal the real Wizard of Oz.

A few months ago, while they were looking for another set of homebuyers, the show’s producers stumbled across the blog of Chicago Realtor Eric Rojas and asked if he had a willing buyer. He did. But Chicagoans Kurt and Kelly Schnakenberg had to be more than willing to appear on television. They had to have the financial wherewithal to actually close on a home, and they had to have the right personalities for the show, something they demonstrated in a videotape sent to the producers.

Rojas, meanwhile, had to fill out a questionnaire about how he does business.

For the show, the couple looked at three properties in Lakeview: a $415,000 loft, a $355,000 vintage condo with a kitchen that needed work and a $400,000 loft-style town house that needed updating. Of those three, one of them was the unit the couple did indeed purchase. Another one was under contract to someone else, so the listing agent had no problem showing it. The third unit was for sale, but the couple had never seen it before and had pretty much already made up their mind.

The conversations aren’t the same, either. Kurt Schnakenberg said he and his wife did debate the merits of various condos but it was never so serious and “usually over a bottle of wine.”

Chicago agent Carrie Georgitsis, who showed properties to her father for a different episode, had no idea how tiring it would be until she found herself involved in 40 hours of filming for what amounts to less than 25 minutes of programming. She found herself having to say the same things over and over, while the camera crew shot her conversations with her father from different angles, and had to be careful not to tip off viewers to which property was chosen.

Why can’t it be more real than it is? Here’s three good reasons: One, it’s a TV show and it’s meant to be entertaining. If it turned out that the buyers had bad credit and couldn’t close on a home, there’d be no happy ending and no “after” shot showing the new homeowners in their abode. Two, sellers—and homeowners associations—have to agree to the filming and some don’t want to be bothered or don’t want to deal with the legal ramifications if a crew member gets hurt during filming. And three, if the buyers and the real estate agent are totally unlikable and mumble, do you want to watch them buy a house?

Rojas doesn’t think so. “‘House Hunters’ is house candy,” Rojas said. “It’s not realistic. It’s directed. You don’t learn anything about buying. You learn about real estate values. You learn about how houses look.”

Despite all that, agents who’ve done it say they still watch the show, and they’d go back on it again. After all, it’s great marketing exposure, particularly because programs are repeated.

“It’s totally fake, but does anybody think reality TV is real? It’s all canned, but it’s fun to watch,” said real estate agent Karl Vogel, who was also featured in a recent episode helping a Boston native find a home in Chicago.

The Schnakenbergs, who’d never before seen the show, already plan to capitalize on their upcoming 30 minutes of fame when it comes time to sell their condo. “Listing it ‘as seen on HGTV’ couldn’t hurt us,” Kurt Schnakenberg said. “I’m not sure if it will get us more money, but it will help us get more showings.”

(c) 2009, Chicago Tribune.

Crofton, MD - A Great Place to Live

Crofton is a planned community. On a map, Crofton is a triangle bordered by Route 3, Route 424 (Davidsonville Road) and Route 450 (Defense Hwy). It is midway between Baltimore and Washington, DC. Inside the trangle, everything is residential with the exception of the Crofton Country Club, a few churches, and Village Green...a small cluster of businesses. Crofton Parkway is a wide boulevard that is a 4 mile circle inside the triangle. Many of the homes along the parkway back to the golf course. On any given day, you will see people strolling, running, and biking the parkway.

In the past 10 years, new housing was build outside of the Crofton triangle. There are townhouses and single family homes by a variety of builders. Walden is a planned community with a golf course and country club. Housing in the newer area of Crofton is comparable to other housing built in the Washington, DC area in the past 10 years.

One of the advantages that Crofton has is location and the accessibility to transportation. Washington, DC is a 25 minute drive; Baltimore is a 30 minute drive. There is a bus that leaves Crofton every morning for the New Carrolton Metro Station (orange line). The bus returns every evening. The New Carrolton station is about a 20 minute drive from Crofton and there is parking there. The MARC train that goes to Union Station leaves from Bowie and Odenton. Both stations are within 15 minutes of Crofton.

Crofton has a beautiful park with athletic fields and an outdoor theater. In addition, there is a smaller park with a lake inside the triangle. The lake is stocked with fish, and on a summer day, many youngsters try their luck at fishingl. The other lake in Crofton put the community in the public eye a few years ago when snakehead fish were found.

A quiet residential community, Crofton has all sorts of activities. Every summer there are Sunday evening concerts on Village Green; there is an Easter Egg Hunt, a Halloween parade, and a Christmas tree lighting. There are summer ice cream socials, and every spring and fall there is a wonderful craft bazaar across from the Village Green.

Average List Price for Sold Properties in Anne Arundel, Howard, and Prince George's Counties for August

This is where the really positive news shows. The number of houses sold in the month of August for Anne Arundel County was 9% higher than a year ago. In Howard County there was a 7% increase. Prince George's County is the big winner with a 48% increase over August 2008. Keep in mind that the sales price is lower than a year ago. However, the good news has to start somewhere. Increase in sales price will come as the economy improves. It may be the the $8K tax credit is getting the first time home buyer out to buy. It also appears that now is the time to buy if you are a first time home buyer that has been sitting on the fence, because this is probably the bottom of the market. As short sales and foreclosures decrease, home prices will start to increase. It is hard to say when that will happen, but it is inevitable. Keep in mind that like all of our economy, the housing market is cyclical, and we have been in this down cycle for three years.

Data from MRIS

Resale Houses Sold in Anne Arundel, Howard, and Prince George's Counties for August

This is where the really positive news shows. The number of houses sold in the month of August for Anne Arundel County was 9% higher than a year ago. In Howard County there was a 7% increase. Prince George's County is the big winner with a 48% increase over August 2008. Keep in mind that the sales price is lower than a year ago. However, the good news has to start somewhere. Increase in sales price will come as the economy improves. It may be the the $8K tax credit is getting the first time home buyer out to buy. It also appears that now is the time to buy if you are a first time home buyer that has been sitting on the fence, because this is probably the bottom of the market. As short sales and foreclosures decrease, home prices will start to increase. It is hard to say when that will happen, but it is inevitable. Keep in mind that like all of our economy, the housing market is cyclical, and we have been in this down cycle for three years.

Data from MRIS

Median Sold Price for Real Estate in August - Anne Arundel, Howard, and Prince George's Counties

Median price tells us that as many houses sold above this dollar amount as sold below the amount. This statistic has been down over the same period a year ago for the past 12 months in all 3 counties. Anne Arundel and Howard Counties' numbers are less than 10% and have been for the entire year. Prince George's County has taken the biggest hit in prices. This is because there are more distressed properties in Prince George's County than in any other county in Maryland. Also, keep in mind that a lot of first time home buyers are taking advantage of the $8,000 federal tax credit. This means that lower priced homes are selling because people are being given an incentive to purchase.

So this statistic indicates that many more lower priced homes are being sold than higher priced homes.

Data from MRIS