Tips to find the perfect neighborhood

1. Make a list of all of the amenities that are close by in the neighborhood you are considering as your new residence. Keep in mind what distances and routes to each of these places are acceptable and what are not.



2. Determine what the best features of the neighborhoods are. This is especially helpful if you are deciding between a few different neighborhoods.



Are there parks nearby?

Is it scenic and visually appealing?

Are there quiet areas, streets, culs de sac?

Are the people friendly in the neighborhood?

Is the neighborhood clean? Yards, streets, parks?

Are there nice trees and foliage?

Do the lots have large or small yards?

Are there walkways and are they easily accessible?

Is it a safe neighborhood?

What are the market values of the homes in the area?

Are there many houses for sale?

How long ago was the community developed?

What is the average age of the people in the area?

Are there families with small children in the area?

What is the proximity to schools?

Are there community events or organizations?


3. Walk around in the neighborhood. The best way to determine the cleanliness and friendliness of the neighborhood is to walk around in it and meet its residents.

Short Sales Explained


A short sale can be an excellent solution for homeowners who need to sell, and who owe more on their homes than they are worth. In the past, it was rare for a bank or lender to accept a short sale. Today, however, due to overwhelming market changes, banks and lenders have become much more negotiable when it comes to these transactions. Recent changes in corporate policy and the Obama administration have also improved the chances of getting a short sale approved.

But to be technical, here's a more official definition:

A homeowner is 'short' when the amount owed on his/her property is higher than current market value.

A short sale occurs when a negotiation is entered into with the homeowner's mortgage company (or companies) to accept less than the full balance of the loan at closing. A buyer closes on the property, and the property is then 'sold short' of the total value of the mortgage.

For homeowners to qualify for a short sale, they must fall into any or all of the following circumstances:

Financial Hardship – There is a situation causing you to have trouble affording your mortgage.

Monthly Income Shortfall – In other words: "You have more month than money." A lender will want to see that you cannot afford, or soon will not be able to afford your mortgage.

Insolvency – The lender will want to see that you do not have significant liquid assets that would allow you to pay down your mortgage.

This seems simple enough, but it is a complicated process that takes the expertise of experienced professionals. I hold the CDPE® Designation and am ready to identify all possible options and, when possible, assist in the quick execution of a short sale transaction.



If you have questions or feel you may qualify for a short sale, please contact me for a free consultation.

Understanding your options now could mean all the difference in the world.


Homeowner Resources

Get Your FREE Report!   info@magdarobles.com   Ask me About Short sale report



What is a CDPE®?

Learn how agents with the Certified Distressed Property Expert® designation are best suited to help distressed homeowners.

Contact This CDPE®

Magda Robles,CRS,SFR,CDPE

Keller Williams Realty Partners

2000 NW 150th Avenue

Pembroke Pines,Miramar,Weston,Plantation,Hollywood, FL 33028

(786) 302-5253

www.shortsales333.com

If your Lender is Bank of america, Chase, Wells Fargo, Saxon... We can assist you thru equator and process the short sales shortening the time for approval.  You might be able to obtain a relocation incentive.   Ask me more about HAFA

Foreclosure is not an option: Home Staging: Making Your Property Extra Appealing

Foreclosure is not an option:

http://www.shortsales333.com/

Home Staging: Making Your Property Extra Appealing

With massive numbers of unsold homes, it has been a huge struggle for home sellers to actually make a sell. However, while the economic downfall is something sellers cannot really control, home marketing can be something they can work on to increase the chances of getting the house sold.

Unknown to most sellers, they need to put in a little bit of effort to sell a house. A house cannot sell just like that and it will not attract viewers without appeal. Therefore, owners have to start from the outside. To get buyers to actually take interest in viewing the house, the exterior has to look perfect. The grass should be trimmed, the driveway cleaned, and scattered potted plants should be put into order. Once the exterior is set, owners can now focus on the inside of the house. The number one rule in making a house appealing from the inside is to de-clutter. Set aside items that you will take with you in boxes and arrange those you will leave behind. Do a little interior designing to make the space look nice. If you can, also focus on little repairs your house might need - check your doors, windows, and floors... perhaps consider giving it a fresh coat of paint as well.

With that extra effort, home sellers can make a huge difference from being the house waiting to be sold to a house receiving bids from interested buyers. For more information on selling your house on your own, visit this site.

Selling your home on your own...

Sometimes, home owners choose to sell their homes without the help of a real estate agent. Although this allows home owners to be more hands-on on the process, it can cause a lot of stress and frustration. Homes can be in the market for months already and still not able to sell. This can give home owners a reason to give up selling their home themselves.

However, there is no reason to give up selling your home yourself -- even if it has been in the market for months already! Once a home owner fully understands the process of selling a house, he/she can do it on his/her own. For more information on selling a house on your own, read this report. It can help a lot in learning the twists and turns of real estate!

How can you price your home?

If you are thinking of selling, it is important to know what exactly your home is worth. Home owners can do a bit of research by checking the houses that are listed in their particular areas. By doing so, they can do comparisons that can determine the price range of the home they are selling. But, there are many other factors that can affect a home's value -- such as the commercial establishments within the area, the schools, security of the neighborhood, etc.

To make sure that everything is taken into consideration when pricing, home owners can hire a real estate agent who can help research and determine a home's value or they can try this free and over-the-internet home evaluation.

Should you sell your home or rent it out?

When home owners need to relocate immediately, how to handle property they are leaving behind becomes a problem. They can either sell the property or rent it out. However, there are several factors to take into consideration when making a decision like this.

First of all,  home owners need to look at their equity. For owners with significant equity, selling a house would be the less risky choice than renting it out to avoid not being paid or getting the property damaged. But, home owners that have smaller equity tend to have lower mortgages, which makes their property more profitable when rented out.

Another factor is the real estate market. Home owners should check whether or not the market  in their respective areas are stabilized  already or have increased values. The usual indicator of this is a steady employment rate in the area.

Finally, home owners might also want to have a look at the rental market. It is advised to consult with a real estate agent on the rental rates and on how to find renters who will actually pay for the rent. This is to make sure that the property will bring a stable cash flow.

If you are a home owner choosing between selling and renting, visit this site for free reports and tools that can help you with your decision.

Home Inspection and Passing It

Before listing the house, it is essential for every home owner to make sure that the house they are selling will not fall short of requirements. Experts says that there will be at least thirty problems that will usually come under scrutiny when an inspector checks a house. However, home owners can still avoid huge problems during house inspection.

For one, owners can make the necessary repairs needed on their respective houses. They have to make sure that a fresh coat of paint is applied on both the exterior and interior of the house and that the floors, doors, and windows are in good condition. Also, all the clutter must be cleared out so that the house will look "livable" for the incoming owners.

If you want more information on things you need to watch out for when preparing for an inspection, check this report out. Who knows? This might save you from the hassle and the bucks you will spend if something is pointed out to you during inspection.

How can you sell for more in less time?

Perhaps the first question that any home owner planning to sell his/her house is, "How can I sell my home for profit, but less time?" Although the real estate market is somehow recovering from the economic downturn, movement of the market is still not as fast as it used to be. This is why home sellers and buyers alike need to make informed decisions when selling or buying an asset as huge as a house.

This is why sellers and buyers need to make use of as much sources as they can before signing a contract. Broward Home Info offers free reports and tools especially made to help anyone who is planning to buy or sell.

When will it sell?

Are you planning to sell your home? Perhaps one of the first questions that will pop up from your mind is how long it will take for your home to sell. Statistics show that 40% of homes usually sell within the first month of listing. However, this is not always the case. Many factors may affect the length of time your home will take to sell.

First, look at the neighborhood your home is located in. If there are a lot of buyers looking for a home in that neighborhood, you have a market in which it may take faster to sell a home. However, you will also need to look into the business climate of the neighborhood-- What establishments are present? Do you have schools around? How are the interest rates of homes for sale in your area doing?

Then, you have to check the condition of your home. If you really want to make your home sell, it has to be in good selling condition. Make sure you fix the exterior of your home (including the lawn) and organize the interior. As much as possible, try to put a fresh coat of paint that looks warm in the eyes and remove all the clutter. Remember that you want to make your possible buyers feel at home!

Finally, the price of your home is a huge factor in selling it. You have to make sure it is not overpriced nor underpriced by checking the selling price of homes within your area. If you are unsure about it, hire an agent who can help you price your home and list it when it is ready.

Do you need more information on home selling? Visit this site for free real estate tools, articles, and reports!

Is this the right time to invest in real estate?

Seeing that prices have definitely gone down, it cannot be denied that now is the opportune time for home buyers to start investing on real estate. Investing on this sector, in the long run, can bring huge returns. However, it is advised that buyers only invest if they have the resources to do so. If investing means having to strap yourself financially, then perhaps you should not take the risk of putting a lot of money into this sector as returns may not come right away.

For more information on home buying and selling, visit Broward Home Info. There are numerous reports, tools, and articles for the free use of home owners seeking to buy or sell. Moreover, the site offers free home valuation and can give you the help you need when it comes to real estate.

Is now a good time to buy?

As we all know, the real estate market is moving slowly... which is why a lot of people ask if it is a good time to buy a home. Well, there is no definite answer to this. It all depends on the kind of deals you make, really. If you find a good deal with a low interest rate (therefore allows for a significant cash flow), then you have a decent investment in your hands. However, as soon as you see something that might cause you problems in the deal, think twice right away. You wouldn't want to make a wrong investment.

For more information on home selling and buying, visit this site. It has free real estate reports and tools especially made for newbies in the business.

Real Estate Courses

Are you interested in real estate and considering taking courses? Then, it is important to know that each state has a different set of requirements. Also, it is essential to keep in mind that each real estate course is different from each other. Some may be less convenient, others may be much more costly. Therefore, when hunting for a program, make sure you look through as much choices as possible. This will help you sift the best of the best programs available to you. However, another option would be to educate yourself by reading sources about real estate and through experience itself. This will give you a chance to really be hands on on the market.

Whatever you decide to choose, just make sure that you are comfortable with your choice to assure that the effort will not go to waste. Once that is established, you are definitely on your way to real estate success.

Home Seller Mistakes You Can Avoid

Reports have shown that there are seven costly mistakes that home sellers make when selling their homes. The good thing about these mistakes is that sellers can avoid committing them early on; hence saving them from spending thousands of dollars. What are these mistakes? Find out here and see the potential trouble spots in home selling. In this case, prevention really is better than cure!

Getting Into Real Estate: What do you need to learn?

As a general rule, diving into the real estate marketing means having to educate yourself all the time. Learning about the market is not going to be a one-time thing as it is an ever-changing thing; every business cycle is different from the last. This is why educating yourself and keeping updated is a rule of thumb.

For more information on home selling and buying, visit this site. Free articles, reports, and tools are available to all visitors.

Which marketing efforts work?

One of the things home sellers ask about is which marketing strategy will work for their homes to sell as fast as possible and with a good amount of profit. The thing with marketing is, it really depends on the kind of audience you are trying to target. Once you have determined what kind of clients you are trying to target, you can then start by experimenting on various marketing methods until you find the most effective one.

If you are on a tight budget, it is advisable that you try online marketing first as this is the cheapest form of marketing -- but at the same time, has a high success rate. Sellers can either start a blog, be active in forums, or try reaching out to an audience in social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. For a more personal approach, sellers can also go for e-mail marketing. If this does not work, you can always go for the more expensive types of marketing; such as through radio or the television. Or, you can go old school and make use of flyers and business cards.

The point is, whatever strategy a sellers uses, as long as he/she follows it up and builds a network through it... it will be successful.

This article is brought to you by

Broward Home Info

Why hire a real estate agent when selling your home?

Although home owners can opt to sell their homes themselves, oftentimes, hiring an agent is still a wise choice as it lessens the hassle of the whole process. For one, real estate agents can offer you better access into the market. These agents are familiar with other listed properties, so they know how to price your home and how it can fare with the rest of the market. Also, agents can be very useful in negotiations and handling contracts. They will definitely help take off the stress caused by the processing and paper works.

If you are worried about an agent conning you, well, it is very unlikely as these are licensed professionals. Doing such a thing to clients can hurt their name and the company they work for. For more information on home selling, check this site out.

Tools and Articles for Sellers and Buyers

Whether you are a home buyer or a home seller, it is always important for you to be able to make informed real estate decisions. To do this, buyers and sellers (especially newcomers to the business) need to gather as much information and utilize as much tools as they can. Fortunately for everyone, Broward Home Info provides all these for free. If you are looking for free reports, articles, and tools -- they have it! Yes, they have everything you need to know about real estate.

Remember, to be successful in anything you do, be sure to equip yourself with knowledge and follow through with full effort and determination.

Solar Panels and Its Effect on Your Home's Value

Although solar panels are definitely an add-on to a home, real estate agents do not really have a fixed agreement on whether it really does add to a home's value or it's just an extra bonus for buyers. For buyers who are into alternative energy, it might be a selling point. To others, however, it may be a turn off.

If a home owner does decide to have these panels installed, certain things must be put into consideration. For one, owners must know that these solar panels cost a lot ( despite the tax credits and rebate owners can get).

If buying one is too much, owners can opt to rent panels. Owners do not have to pay for the whole upfront cost, but leases can take years to end.

As a conclusion, solar panels are great as they are huge help to environment... but unless a home owner plans to stay in that house for at least a decade, having these panels installed can be too costly.

Selling Your Home In A Down Economy

With the real estate market moving slowly, sellers find themselves in a dilemma wherein their homes are not selling as much as they should be. However, although this is the case, home sellers can still boost the price of their homes to maximize the profit. The important thing now is to be able to have an edge over other listed homes.

First of all, make sure the house you are selling can make a lasting impression. Repaint the house with a lighter coat to make a warm and welcoming impression. Also, be sure to keep the lawn trimmed and tidy as it is the first thing potential buyers will see. Second, focus on repairing the flooring, doors, and windows. Make sure the house is in top shape before clients start viewing the house. Finally, take out all the personal things out of the house. Clean up the clutter and leave your potential buyers feeling like they can move in already.

Once the updating and fixing are done, you can finally have your home listed. To boost its possibility of being sold faster, you can also try hiring an agent. However, you have to be careful in choosing an agent who can really get the job done. Look into his/her selling records and see how fast he/she has sold a house before.

For more information on selling a house, visit this site.