your home may not sell, but you can always compensate for a less-than-perfect loca- tion with a better price. Here are five tips to sell your home this spring. Price it right Even though prices are rising in some areas, sellers need to be reasonable and compare their homes to similar properties that have recently sold. Pay attention to curb appeal Buyers decide within 60 sec- onds of seeing a home whether they want to consider buying it. Trimming trees and bushes so buyers can see the house, and pressure-washing the driveway, front walk, house and patio. I suggest cleaning and painting the front door because buyers must linger at the door while they wait for the agent to open the lockbox. Am I a Buyers market or a sellers market? Even though we are heading back to a sell- ers market, we are still in the downswing going up. Spring might be an even live- lier home-selling season this year because homebuyers want to act before interest rates or home prices rise. Even so, buyers insist on good deals. Even in seller's markets, where the supply of homes for sale can't meet demand from buyers, the overpriced homes are at a disadvantage. We're seeing competing offers for some homes, but houses with too-high asking prices aren't selling at all. 3 things sell a home in any season: location, condition and price. If one of those three isn't good, If you want to sell your home this Spring, prepare for Buyer demand. A Business Motto for the Month 8 MISTAKES 2 MY BLOG 2 BUSINESS OF THE MONTH 3 RECEIPE 3 PUZZLE 3 ASK MR. KW 3 PROPERTIES & TY’S 4 Inside this issue: March 2016 WHERE OUR CLIENTS COME FIRST The Mike Fitzpatrick Team 267-549-2505 Keller Williams Real Estate Serving PA/NJ 215.464.8800 “You cant live a perfect day with- out doing some- thing for someone who will never be able to repay you.” John Wooden Philadelphia City Lift Program Get help with your down payment. Apply for down payment assistance from local nonprofit groups, when the program is available in your area. Find out if you’re ready to buy a home. Financial education is available to help buyers prepare for homeownership. Philadelphia City Lift Program You can apply for the program if you are approved for home fi- nancing and you meet the income restrictions. Whether this is your first home or you are ready to buy again, there are a number of homebuyer education re- quirements that must be com- pleted prior to the home pur- chase. Step 1: Get a preapproval Step 2: Take homebuyer edu- cation Step 3: Search for a home Step 4: Sign a purchase con- tract Step 5: Qualify for the program Step 6: Move forward with home financing Step 7: Close on your new home For more information register to our Free Real Estate Seminar at 215-464-880 ask for Maria https://www.facebook.com/ Themikefitzpatrickteam/? ref=hl Pare down possessions If you have 17 sweaters, you need to pare it down to two, so your closets look big- ger. Pack up anything you want to keep, and put it off-site in a pod or a storage unit because you want your home to look like it always has plenty of space in all the closets. Do pre-inspection repairs If you haven't maintained your home, you may want to hire your own home inspec- tor before your home goes on the market so that you can make appropriate repairs before you try to sell it. Hire a marketing magician The majority of buyers start their home search online. To sell a home this spring, hire a Realtor who will make sure that professional photos, a virtual tour and a vibrant description are widely available on multiple websites. More buyers are using mobile phones and tablets to search for homes, so marketing materials should be easy to navigate from those devices, too. Page 1
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Transcript
your home may not sell, but
you can always compensate
for a less-than-perfect loca-
tion with a better price.
Here are five tips to sell your home this spring. Price it right
Even though prices are rising in
some areas, sellers need to be
reasonable and compare their
homes to similar properties that
have recently sold.
Pay attention to curb appeal
Buyers decide within 60 sec-
onds of seeing a home whether
they want to consider buying it.
Trimming trees and bushes so
buyers can see the house, and
pressure-washing the driveway,
front walk, house and patio. I
suggest cleaning and painting
the front door because buyers
must linger at the door while
they wait for the agent to open
the lockbox.
Am I a Buyers
market or a sellers
market?
Even though
we are heading
back to a sell-
ers market, we are still in the
downswing going up.
Spring might be an even live-
lier home-selling season this
year because homebuyers want
to act before interest rates or
home prices rise.
Even so, buyers insist on good
deals. Even in seller's markets,
where the supply of homes for
sale can't meet demand from
buyers, the overpriced homes
are at a disadvantage.
We're seeing competing offers
for some homes, but houses
with too-high asking prices
aren't selling at all.
3 things sell a home in any
season: location, condition and
price.
If one of those three isn't good,
If you want to sell your home this Spring, prepare for Buyer demand.
A Business Motto for
the Month
8 MISTAKES 2
MY BLOG 2
BUSINESS OF THE MONTH 3
RECEIPE 3
PUZZLE 3
ASK MR. KW 3
PROPERTIES & TY’S 4
Inside this issue:
March 2016
W H E R E O U R C L I E N T S C O M E F I R S T
The Mike Fitzpatrick Team 267-549-2505
Keller Williams Real Estate Serving PA/NJ 215.464.8800
Be careful Calling that number on the For Sale Sign!!!!
8 Mistakes to avoid if you are thinking of building or remodeling a home
5. Work that you can do to reduce costs – Ask the builder what
sweat equity he/she will allow you to do to help reduce costs.
Painting the walls or staining the trim. Maybe you have a friend
who is a licensed electrician who would charge you less.
6. Think about the upgrades – When a builder provides you with a
price to build your home/remodeling, it’s usually based on
“medium grade” materials. Take kitchen cabinets for example.
What type, color and grade are included? Or should you pay
$8,000 extra for solid maple cabinets instead? It depends on your
budget and if you can find something that you like in the medium
grade so you can use the money for something else. Other than
you loving maple wood, there is very little resale value in up-
graded cabinets when it comes time to sell. Consider only add-
ing your MUST HAVE upgrades.
7. Think about selling your home in the future – Even if you never
plan to sell your home, your descendants may have to do so.
Build your home so it’s not a nightmare to sell.
8. Think about monthly mortgage payments – When you have been
preapproved for your mortgage amount there are a few things to
consider.
A. What will the interest rate be when the home is completed?
B. How much will extra upgrades add to the monthly payment?
C. How much money will you need after the closing (window
coverings, furniture, landscaping)?
Have you ever walked into a home (either a brand new one or one that’s
been around for 25 years or more) and said to yourself, “I wonder what
the builder was thinking when they built this house?”
Maybe you are thinking of finally building your dream home. Or consid-
ering downsizing the one you currently own. Or need to remodel the one
you currently live in.
Here are 8 things to keep in mind:
1. Have a vision of what you want your home to look like. The floor
plan is just the first step in the process. There a hundreds of thou-
sands of decisions you will need to make. Take just the bathroom –
what color tile? What pattern? Will the cabinets match? Faucets?
Countertops? The floor? And that’s just one bathroom!
2. Find the right people – By people, I mean an architect, a builder, sub
-contractors, suppliers. Are they licensed and bonded? More impor-
tantly, can you get along with them? Do they offer suggestions? Are
they difficult to deal with?
3. Visit the construction site often – Be sure that the home/remodeling
is being built to your expectations. Ask questions. Make sugges-
tions. Visiting your home every other day is recommended.
4. Building too big of a home – Don’t think about what size you need
right now—but what you will need 7 to 10 years from now. A well-
designed 3,000 sq. ft. home may work just as well as an ill-designed
5,000 sq. ft. home.
Page 2
The Mike Fitzpatrick Team 267-549-2505 My
Blog Dual Agency-When a buyer is represented by the
same brokerage firm that has the listing, it is called
dual agency. When one agent represents both the
buyer and the seller in one transaction, it is also
called dual agency. In many states, dual agency is
illegal: it can be a conflict of interest that best
serves the broker.
In PA/NJ it is legal, and done the right way, it is
very beneficial. So please interview your agent.
I personally have done many dual transactions.
With full disclosure of course. In my opinion, how
can you fully represent the Seller in getting them
their highest and best price? How can you represent
the Buyer and get them their lowest price? Can not
be done. When this happens, I represent the trans-
action. As long as I make sure that I am meeting the
sellers’ needs and the buyers’ needs, this transac-
tion can happen.
Can you give advice? You have
to be careful. Because you have
knowledge of both parties finan-
cials and desires you really have
to stick to only giving “options”
of what they can do. Does that
seem fair? Yes and No. No, because the agent can not use any negotiat-
ing skills without hurting their clients. Yes. The agent has the flexibility
to use the certain resources to get the job done.
When I do dual agency I have to make sure it’s a WIN for the Seller at
the same time it’s a WIN for the Buyer. If not, I will advise the Buyer
to use a different agent.
Buyer’s mentality is to call the name on the sign to get the deal done.
That’s fine, but if you don't have someone negotiating for you, you
could be paying too much. For example, my last transaction I was able
to negotiate $9,000 off sales price, $7,000 in assist for closing cost,
$4,000 in repairs for inspections, and a home warranty totaling
$20,500.
Do you think if I was the listing agent I could've done that????
Ok. I got your attention now. If I'm new to the game, how do I choose a
Realtor?
Meet them. Are they listening to you? Or are they
talking about themselves. Are they showing you
properties that you want to see, or the ones they
want to show you? Did they show you how they
will find your home step by step?
Unless you are an expert in the real estate field, you could be leaving thousands of dollars on the settlement table. Or even worse, not getting full representation!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar for decora-
tion
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking
pan.
2. Combine the flour, 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, and butter. Pat dough into
prepared pan.
3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until slightly golden. While the
crust is baking, whisk together eggs, white sugar, flour, and lemon juice until
frothy. Pour this lemon mixture over the hot crust.
4. Return to the preheated oven for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until light
golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
5. Dust the top with confectioners' sugar.
6. Cut into squares.
Bake Sale Lemon Bars
Puzzles
Page 3
Tips & Tricks
House Tip From The Mortgage Mom
Clean the Air Your home feels cleaner if it smells clean. Baking soda is your right-hand man for
the job. Use it when you vacuum your carpets, letting it absorb odor for 30 minutes
before you vacuum it up.
The Shower– Lemon oil works will on soap scum; use it on your glass shower
doors by spreading it on, then scrubbing it with a soapy sponge. Put a vinyl shower
curtain in the washing machine with two towels and a cup of vinegar. Hang it back to
dry.
Flooring—Ceramic tile can be cleaned like vinyl flooring, but if the grout is not
sealed it will darken and stain. You can seal it to prevent these stains, but first clean
it by scrubbing it with a degreaser and brush. If that fails, apply a bleach solution
then seal. Wood floors with a polyurethane finish are the easiest to maintain, and
only require a mopping with a mild cleanser. Waxed wood floors can be cleaned with
a solution of hot water and up to six tea bags. The tannic acid in the tea is good for
the wood, and it will not stain. Wring out the mop well before applying. Re-wax
your floors when a few drops of water darken the wood.
Take something away—This simple trick about fashion accessorizing works
well for the house, too. Not only does it look better, but it cuts down on your job of
maintaining your home. You do not have to throw or give away the items, you make
a storage box for seasonal rotation. I will help keep you house looking less cluttered,
and will cut down on things you have to dust. You can do the same thing in your
kitchen and bathroom with expired foods, medicines and makeup.
Apply a little consistent prevention with these ideas for home cleaning, and your
spring or fall cleaning days will be shorter and easier. Pair them with your own
clever home cleaning ideas and your home will stay clean and fresh year - round.
For more info call Deanne @ 609-605-7153
The Mike Fitzpatrick Team 267-549-2505 P R O P E R T I E S & T H A N K Y O U
We Are Always Thinking Real Estate!!!!
We are very low on inventory.
Are you thinking of selling?????
S
O
L
D
!
Are you a first time home buyer or seller? Do you want a refresher
course on buying or selling a home? If you answered yes to any of
these questions, our real estate seminar is for you! Real Estate pro-
fessionals tell you everything you need to know from A to Z on buy-
ing and selling a home. This seminar is completely FREE and re-
freshments will be served.
If you cannot make it this Wednesday that's okay! We have these
seminars every Wednesday at our Philadelphia Keller Williams of-
fice. 1917 Welsh Rd Philadelphia, PA 19115 and now in Washington