So here goes (not in any particular order):

1. Get a home inspection. Yes, pay $500 bucks or so to get a full home inspection. This will tell you all you need to know about your house. Generally I recommend you fix everything. Some will be super simple and you can do it yourself if you are handy. Some, like plumbing and electrical, will require a professional. Get a pro and keep the receipts. This might costs hundreds, or even thousands of dollars, but you will reap the rewards at closing. Advertise as pre-inspected and make the inspection available to buyers. Trying to hide problems never works.

2. Mold inspection. Get one if the home inspection recommends it or if you know there is visible mold in the crawl space. This is the new “red button” for buyers. The mere mention of mold, which is in EVERY house in the world, strikes terror in the buyer’s mind. A mold inspection by an independent inspector will cost about $300, depending on the size of the house. Fix as suggested. Yes, more money spent.

3. Clean!!!!!!Clean like never before! It is easy to become comfortable with a certain level of “mess” in our houses. Buyers want their own mess, not yours. Either break out the rubber gloves and cleaner or call in the pros and tell them you want the deepest cleaning they have. This will really help sell your house. The hard part is keeping it clean as time drags on. Don’t falter. It’s not fun but it IS necessary to keep it clean and smelling fresh. (Change your air filters a lot.) This includes the garage, decks, and any sheds!

4. Remove collections. Your frog collection is wonderful, but it is time to pack it away. You will be moving everything anyway, so get a headstart and pack up all your collections. Plus, do you want your expensive items out where children of buyers can get at them?

5. Reduce furniture. It is amazing how much can get packed into a house over the years. Now is the time to sell, store or donate some of it. You want to open up the house and let buyers see how big the rooms are. Stage furniture for maximum impact.

6. The dump is your friend. Get rid of all the garbage, broken items, etc. Be brutal. Take it to the dump and be rid of it. If it is in good shape, donate it and get the tax deduction. Or sell it and get the cash.

7. Paint. Do it yourself or hire someone, but do it. It is easy, quick and cheap. Inside and out. And it has a tremendous impact on the curb appeal of your house. This one task probably has the greatest return on time spent. Keep colors neutral.

8. Clean your yard. Mow, mulch, get rid of “yard art”. Your yard will be the first thing a buyer sees. You want it to shine. Drive around your neighborhood and see what houses stand out to you. Copy them. Power-wash your sidewalks, decks and driveway.

9. Hire me as your listing agent.

Does everyone do these things? No. Most don’t. They are reluctant to spend the money up front. They think they will just take a few bucks off the asking price if the buyers wants stuff fixed. Big mistake. The buyer will invariably demand WAY over the actual cost on any item. And you will be scrambling to fix items between the inspection and closing. Not a good thing.

The question is: Do you really want to sell your house? If so, then you should do everything possible to get it in prime condition. The above suggestion will go a long way in helping you do that. Give me a call if you want more in-depth advice.

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There is an elevator for your use and each building has a locked entry. This unit comes with a outdoor storage shed. Come and check out this wonderful condo. For more information give me a call at 919-417-9753.

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Now these people are screaming for the politicians to do something. And politicians, being what they are, are more than willing to help out. I have a suggestion. Tell these home buyers to deal with it. They made the choice to get that mortgage and buy that home. Millions of home buyers were very happy riding the real estate bubble. Now that the bubble has burst they are not so happy. Let the market do what it does best. It will correct the problem on its own. It won’t be pretty, but it works. The only thing politicians can do is mess it up.

These people signed a legitimate contract. It is their problem, not anyone elses’. It is called tough love. People need to start reading what they sign and deal with the consequences if they can’t live up to the terms of the contract. They should NOT be bailed out by the rest of the taxpayers. We have problems enough of our own.

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I heard on the radio today that only 40% of the U.S. population still believes in the American Dream. Think about that! Sixty percent of the population no longer believes you can get ahead by hard work and make a better life for you and your family. I find that alarming. And it is also absolute nonsense! You can still be anything you want to be in this country if you are willing to work for it. You are blessed to live in the greatest country this world has EVER seen.

As I thought about the sixty percent I figured I shouldn’t be too surprised. The government and socialists in this country have spent the past 50+ years telling people that they can’t get ahead on their own. They kept telling everyone you can only get ahead with the help of government. That is a tragedy. I would say to that 60%, ignore the people who tell you you can’t do something. There are always those who will tell you to give up, it’s too hard, it’s not your fault. Ignore them! Take responsibility for your life and your actions.

To the government I would say get back to doing what the Constitution tells you to do and stay out of our way. To the socialists I would say shut up. You have preached failure and defeat long enough. You are free to dwell in your shrinking piece of your pie, but don’t drag me down with you. To me the future is without limits. And, for now, there is still a 40% chunk of Americans who agree with me.

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Think about when you look at the house ads. Kind of makes your eyes blur with all that clutter, doesn’t it? The VAST majority of buyers go to the internet to find a home. THAT is where your house needs to be.

So, when I went off on my own I decided to stop doing stuff that doesn’t help my buyer or seller. Now I do only internet and targeted direct mailings. This is not necessarily cheaper for me, but it works. Newspaper ads are “old news”. On-line is the place to be.

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Our current house is surrounded by huge maples and oaks. When the sun is out out our wonderful trees provide shade coverage for almost the whole day. Our A/C easily maintains our house at a very comfortable temperature. And the bill the next month puts a smile on our faces.

Plus, we can now actually use our back deck! The oaks make it a great place to sit and read a book, as well as watch our three dogs play in the back yard without fear of heatstroke.

So, when you are looking at what house to buy do not neglect the landscaping. It can come back to bite you or put that smile on your face!

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The chart shows the number and stats of the active homes in Springcrest, as well as the houses that have closed in the past six months. Activity has picked up since February, which is usual. But take a look at the average asking price/sf vs. the average selling price/sf. This could be a reason the Days on Market has crept up. Today’s market is not the same as two years ago. Asking prices need to take this into account. Even so, Springcrest is a very nice neighborhood and worth the look. So, if you are looking for a nice home, convenient to everything, and in the East Chapel Hill High School district, give Springcrest a shot.

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The house has three bedrooms and three full baths. There are also two additional rooms that could be used as offices, media rooms, exercise rooms - you decide how to use them! Great attached garage workshop, as well as a large outside storage shed. Great kitchen, breakfast area, family room to spend a lot of quality hours. Or get away to the comfortable living room for some quiet. There is a large back deck to relax and enjoy nature.

CLICK HERE for a VisualTour of this listing.

For more information on this wonderful home, give me a call at 919-417-9753, or email me at jjod3@earthlink.net.

UPDATE - This house is now UNDER CONTRACT! Everything looks good, but you never know. If you want to be kept informed should it go back on the market just shoot me an email.

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The transfer tax would have been passed along to buyers and sellers, thereby raising the price of buying a home.

Well done voters of Orange County!

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The chart shows the number and stats of the active homes in Stoneridge/Sedgefield as well as the houses that have closed in the past six months. These figures are a pretty good indicator of the average price in this neighborhood. You occasionally get houses priced much higher, but those are BIG houses on BIG lots!

So, if you want to be close to everything, but still have your “space”, check out Stoneridge/Sedgefield. Email me, or give me a call at 919-417-9753 if you want more info.

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