FSBO - How to Prepare Your House to Sell

Did you hear that? Prices of houses in Phoenix have been jumping 5% each month for 2005 according to market experts! Some even predict that the price of housing could jump an additional 10% for the upcoming year. The shortage of houses for sales and the still relatively low interest prices are causing the price of homes not just here in Phoenix but nationwide to escalate. What does this mean? If you are thinking about selling your home, there is no better time than the present. Jump on the bandwagon!

Okay, great, you say. I’ll buy a for-sale-by-owner sign, set it out in the front yard, host an open-house this weekend. I should have my house sold by the end of next week! Well, two months later, that for-sale-by-owner sign is still in the front and you don’t have a buyer. Do not think that just because there is a shortage of houses for sale, selling a house is a piece of cake. It may not as easy as you think. Instead of using a Realtor, you are determined to sell the house yourself. That’s fine and it’s possible. People do it all the time; however, what are some tips to help you prepare your house to sell. I have done the research and found four minimal-cost tips in preparing your sell:

1. Clean-up. The first impression is always the lasting one. You want potential buyers to be impressed the moment that they spot your house from the street. Everything from the yard, to the windows, to every room inside should be squeaky clean. And if you have a collection of, well, several collections of…stuff, it’s distracting to the buyer and really takes away the beauty of your home. If you can’t part with those items, pack them away in boxes. A potential buyer won’t be offended by a few packed boxes in the house. They most likely are expecting you to be preparing to move anyway.

2. Deodorize. This goes hand-in-hand with cleaning your house and removing the clutter. If your house smells, it won’t sell. If the house has been vacant for a while, there is nothing more offensive to a potential buyer than the smell of mildew. Please take care of the mildew before showing the house. And you petowners, understand that your precious little pets that you keep indoors are not odor-less. You just have become accustomed to the smell. A potential buyer will pick up the pet order immediately. The same is true for cigarettes.

3. Re-paint the house. Okay, you may have enjoyed a blue kitchen, an orange living room, and a red bathroom. But your potential buyer may not be as cutting-edge. Experts agree that neutral colors are best in showcasing your house. Also take a second look at the decorations on the wall. Remove anything that could be offensive to your potential buyer.

4. Embrace the sun. I don’t particularly care for the Phoenix heat, but I love the sun. It symbolizes laughter, happiness, brightness, things that are upbeat and positive. Open the blinds and curtain in your house and let the sunshine in!

Remember, you want to impress the potential buyer. By following these four simple tips, you can be a step-ahead of the game in reducing the time it takes to sell your house. However, if you don’t have the time it requires to sell the house yourself and don’t want the expensive of hiring a Realtor, please visit my website to read the free report, Sell Your House in Seven (7) Days at www.adpropertyconsultants.com.

Andrea Groves is a private real estate investor and owner of A & D Property Consultants LLC, a real estate consulting firm. The company specializes in providing property leads for other private real estate investors. Andrea has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration/Leadership and Management and holds two professional certifications in advanced administration. For more information about A & D Property Consultants LLC, please visit the website at http://www.adpropertyconsultants.com

Read also about FSBO, FSBO Expert

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrea_Groves

State Regulators Say No To Banks In Brokerage

If you have a beef with a broker -- if your broker does a lousy job that fails to meet the baseline standards for licensed professionals -- who do you call?

The usual and traditional answer is that you pick up the phone or send a letter to state or provincial regulators. They can investigate the matter; obtain books, papers and testimony; and -- if they find wrong-doing -- fine a broker or suspend or terminate a license. This is serious stuff because a broker without a license is a broker without a livelihood.

Given that a real estate transaction is a major life decision, it follows that the rules related to brokerage should be both clear and enforceable. In the case of real estate there is a substantial body of laws, regulations, court decisions and ethical standards which govern the field. Brokers, in turn, should know what the standards are and the rules should apply equally to all licensees.

With this background in mind, the federal agencies that regulate national banks are now seeking to define real estate brokerage as an "activity" which is financial in nature, incidental to financial activities, or that complements a financial activity. In other words, real estate brokerage is simply another service bankers should be able to offer.

The definition of banking under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999 is so broad that it seems to include every event where money is exchanged. After all, is not buying a car a "financial activity"? What about the purchase of balloons, soap or lemonade?

For consumers the issue is different: If national banks are allowed to provide real estate services under the authority of federal regulators, it means that state laws will be preempted. A national bank need not match the standards required of state-licensed brokers and salespeople. In effect, there would two sets of real estate regulation, one for national banks and a second for all other brokers.

The ability of banks to offer real estate brokerage services also means something else: If consumers have a complaint or problem with a broker, where do they go? Today they can go to nearby state regulators -- and if those regulators are not responsive they can make their feelings known to state officials, politicians who would like to stay elected.

But with national banks in real estate the complaint process would be different: A consumer with a beef would have to go to un-elected federal regulators in Washington, a place where access and satisfaction by individual consumers without substantial PAC money is hardly assured. Even the Federal Trade Commission -- the huge agency that's supposed to protect the public against unfair business practices -- is literally barred from examining bank abuses. As the Federal Reserve Bank of New York explains, the "enforcement of federal consumer regulations is generally left to the FTC when the institution is not a federally insured depository institution." That's scarcely a good omen for a consumers.

The Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO) issued a statement last week opposing the expansion of national banks into real estate brokerage. This is not a narrow matter of turf and territory, rather at its core it concerns the right of consumers to hold local politicians responsible for the acts of regulators -- and thus the regulators themselves.

To this point Congress has prevented federal regulators from expanding national bank powers, but this is a matter needs to be finally resolved.

Buying and selling residential real estate is typically the most significant economic event we each experience. Everyone should be able to deal with local real estate brokers with the assurance that if something goes wrong, if the broker is at fault, consumers will not have to look far for satisfaction and remedies. That's a standard that cannot be met by bureaucrats a thousand miles away.