AmyBSells Team - Cincinnati Real Estate Blog

Amy December 3rd, 2007

The answer is, why wouldn’t you get a premium service without any added cost to you?

That is the question asked of me sitting at a kitchen table a week ago. A seller with two homes, not by choice, in a down market, priced too high and on the market for over 6 months said to me, “Why didn’t my first Realtor show me this information, I could have made a more informed decision about my original list price and the market in my area?”

I was saddened to hear how her previous Realtor did not do the necessary research that all CRS Designees are taught to do in their advanced training classes. I was called in after another agent could not sell the house. I took a totally different approach in considering the details of the listing. That is what Business People, or Certified Residential Specialists know how to do. It makes all the difference in the world.

That seller looked at me, with tears in her eyes, realizing that she had wasted 6 months of a decent market at the wrong price with the wrong Realtor, and that decision had cost her tens of thousands in the end. She said to me, “I had no idea you could provide this type of information on my house, my neighborhood and the local market. How did you know how to do this?” My answer was simple, I could have years of experience, but the CRS Education and training is what taught me how to find, organize and present the most relevant data to price listings to sell, all while making sure that the sellers largest financial investment was understood and treated with respect.

As a CRS, I am in the top 4% of the Realtors in the country. Certified Residential Specialists do more than three times the amount of business that the average Realtor does in a year. I have completed necessary experience and education that awards me the honor of being one of the elite Certified Residential Specialists. I have invested my own money in my education to become the best Realtor for my clients that I can be. After I earned this designation, I continue to invest in myself and my clients with additional educational opportunities and training. I want to be a wealth of knowledge so that I can transfer that information and those skills I learn in my CRS education to professionally assist my buyers and sellers with their largest financial investment.

In CRS courses, I learn skills and ideas that help me represent my clients better. I also learn advanced negotiation techniques, innovative marketing ideas, how to calculate absorption rates and how to predict how long a listing will take to sell, how to price a home, how to earn referrals and how to thank my customers and clients. How to create a team of professionals to make my clients experience the best it can be. I learn how to plan for my business’ financial future, so I am making good investments in my business to ensure that I will be able to work with my clients throughout their lives. I learn how to counsel, ask the right questions, answer the tough questions, negotiate, concede and win. These classes are taught by the most fantastic and experienced instructors that I have ever encountered in any industry. The forums are open and provide a wonderful environment to share experiences and ideas to make each of us better Realtors for our clients. I network and brainstorm with the nations Real Estate cream of the crop, bringing valuable and effective strategies and ideas back to Cincinnati and Hyde Park. We strive to be the most professional, knowledgeable, and experienced Realtors in the world. I do this to make myself better for you! I invest my own time and money, which makes me a better Realtor for you.

Just like a person would never trust anyone other than a Cardiologist with their most vital organ, their heart, … Seek and find a Realtor for your largest, most vital financial investment with a CRS after their name, because there might as well be a Dr. in front of it too, Dr. of Real Estate!

To learn more about the CRS Designation and the Council of Residential Specialists, visit their website at www.CRS.com.

• Buyers , Sellers
• Comments (0)

Amy October 13th, 2007

After reading The Home Buying Process Step 1, you know where your financial boundaries are, and you have a loan approval letter, we are ready to go shopping for a house!

Loan Approval: pull credit and prove income confidentially with lender constitutes a loan approval, this is more official that a pre-qualification or pre approval

There are many factors that figure into defining the type and location of your home. Factors such as where you work, what type of schools you desire, what type of home you are looking for, the ability to walk to restaurants, being near a bus line, and how much return on your investment you hope to gain, if any. I have individual resources for schools, area appreciation and demographics that I will share with you individually as they relate to your needs. These are all KEY in selecting your next home. As an Accredited Buyers Representative, I will take you through a list of questions similar to those below to gather some information on what is important to you and your family. Based on your answers, we create a list of priorities in order of importance. These priorities may shift a bit during our home search, but we always know which are the most important and keep track of them. No home is 100% perfect; there are always some things that get pushed aside for a better kitchen, or school district. But in the end, it is my job to keep you focused on those priorities when emotions tend to take over your thought process.

Example Questions during our First Meeting/Telephone Call:

1. What do you like to do on the weekends or in your time off?
2. Are schools important and what type of school are you looking for?
3. What do you like best about your house now?
4. When do you want to be moved into your new home?
5. How long do you think you will be staying in your next home?
6. What type of return on your investment would you like to see?
7. Are you handy, do you want to do some improvements, or move into a home that has already been done for you?
8. Are you considering a single family residence, or are you open to a condo as well?

Your answers to these questions help me to shuffle you into a few different areas of Cincinnati and even perhaps Northern Kentucky. We then talk about how many rooms, bedrooms, garages etc you will need. Since by this point, you have already spoken to the local lender and have a loan approval, we will be able to consider your price range and what you can get in a home in a given area for that price. This is where my experience with different communities, their school systems, and what you can expect to get for your price range comes in handy, guiding you to areas that will have what you are looking for. My knowledge and ability to hone in on what is important to you help you focus on what you want and save time looking in all the wrong areas while the home of your dreams sells to another buyer.

Congratulations! You are a VIP BUYER!

With the responses to my questions, along with the lenders loan approval, we can make you a VIP BUYER! As a VIP buyer, you will get priority treatment from me, sending you emails and scheduling showings for you. It is important for me to give you this VIP treatment, because you have done your best to get yourself loan approved. You have thought about the things you want in a home. You have thought about a location. We have worked together to prepare you for homes that meet your financial needs and your priorities.

When you are a VIP buyer, I’ll scour the Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky MLS and compile a comprehensive list of new homes on the market in the Greater Cincinnati Area, complete with pictures and detailed information. Every time a home that meets your exact needs comes on the market you’ll be notified via email. This simple program saves time and eliminates guess work, and provides you information on the latest listings and price adjustments before other buyers even get out of bed.

When you see a home come across your email that you like, you just send it back to me, and I keep a file of what you like. When you are in town, or schedule an afternoon to see homes, I will pull out the listings that you liked and we can see them all! Your home hunting trip takes priority for me! Sometimes, you might even need to see a spectacular home within an hour of it being listed, to beat the other buyers to the punch. We will get you in there and get it under contract before anyone else can even see it, even if I need to write the offer on the hood of my car! (It has been done!)

How long will it take me to find the house I want to write an offer on?

That question is asked of me by almost every buyer I have worked with on our first outing. Here is my answer… Once you have a list of several homes you want to see, I take note and LISTEN to what you like, the type of homes, the features inside them. When we go through the homes for the first time, usually a few hours, we talk inside each home about what you do and do not like what you would like to see. I take notes, LISTEN and formulate an idea of what you want to find. We talk at the end of that first day about what you thought of the homes, and try to narrow down types of housing, locations and styles of homes.

Sometimes after the first day of hunting, you may totally rearrange your criteria, but do not be dismayed. We are working to get you one step closer to your perfect home. We will collect more listings and focus a little more on certain areas or types of homes the second trip out, allowing me to assert more guidance in getting you to areas and homes that you expressed interest in the last trip. In this trip out, we get very close if not finding the house you are looking for. This occurs based on my LISTENING to you as to what you like and trying to narrow things down for you to exactly what you are looking for.

It usually takes 2-3 half day trips of looking at homes to really define what you want, and to find the home you want to write an offer on. I do this so efficiently because I LISTEN to what you are telling me. I LISTEN to what you want and I FILL THAT NEED with a home that meets your criteria. Listening to you is the key for me to help you get what you want. So, when we are out looking at homes, talk to me, tell me what you do and don’t like, how you feel in a home or a neighborhood. That is the info I need to move you ahead and closer to what you are looking for. It is an intuitive skill that I have that will save you time and get you the home of your dreams!

In some cases, it does take a bit longer, depending on your price range and specific needs, but rest assured I will find you what you need in a timely fashion. I want you to love your home!

It may seem like a lot of work in just the first two steps, but that is just half of the work! In the next step, you will see my honed Accredited Buyers Representative negotiation strategies and skills at work for you! Why are my skills so sharp, Practice, practice, practice! I sell more than 30 homes a year and negotiate more than 40 contracts a year. There are tricks of the trade, and time tested strategies that are under lock and key for my VIP Buyers only! Hang in there to see what Step 3: From For Sale to Pending has in store for you!

• Buyers
• Comments (2)

Amy September 6th, 2007

Depending on the price range of buyer that I work, with, I almost always get the question during our hunting,  “What about Foreclosures?”

Usually in the price ranges below 200K, we see a large amount of bank owned properties in foreclosure or accepting a short sale (when the bank will take less for the property than what they have lent out on it). Foreclosures are perfect for certain people but I will stand behind the statement that they are not a good idea for first time buyers, or for people who intend to use the home for their primary residence. That being said, there are a small amount of buyers out there that do have success in this foreclosure market.

Ohio has lead the country in foreclosed properties for several years. This shows us that at one point, banks in this area were more liberal in lending monies to people who were getting 100% loans, who perhaps should not have purchased a home at the height of their price point, and thus, have failed to make payments on time, defaulting on their loans and the bank taking the house back from them. I have toured a foreclosed property after the people living there were evicted, and I can assure you they were not happy they were kicked out. So much so that you sometimes don’t want to enter due to stench or filth. Many times, they are in the process of trashing the house, to get back at the bank, and you don’t want to buy that house for your family.

Typically if the owners could not make their mortgage payments, they might not have also been taking care of the general maintenance of the house. Almost always, you find that the house has been neglected due to lack of money to care for it. Sometimes it is small things like lawn care, but sometimes, it is a leaky sink, that leaks for months, causing the cabinet to rot out, and leak into the drywall of the floor below, now having concern for mold problems, drywall needing to be replaced etc.

In a foreclosure, since the people weren’t paying their mortgage payments, there may have been other bills or repairs that have not paid either. When creditors are not paid by their customer, they can put a lien on the real estate they own. This lien will have to be paid before you the buyer can purchase the real estate. So, if you buy a foreclosure you may also be responsible to pay off several thousand dollars in liens for the previous owner, before you can title the property in your name. There are methods of negotiating with lien holders for a reduced payoff, but you will always pay more than half of their lien debt prior to closing on the home. Investors are used to this type of situation and they pay the liens with cash and move on with their purchase.

Inspections are KEY in homes like these, if you intend to put your family into them. Remember, if this is the largest purchase you will make, then you must do your due diligence and have an inspection, to protect your families interests. The problem with inspections is that in the process of negotiating with the bank, they will rarely give you the time you need to get an inspection to know what you are buying. Nor do they ever agree to repair or replace anything that was not maintained or broken by the previous owners. They take a completely hands off approach with regards to inspections and repairs. Most will just sell the property as is and not even look at the results of an inspection. This will take the wind out of your sails if you were hoping to have a smooth and pleasant home buying experience. A foreclosure property will often have several other buyers or “investors� interested in this same property, who have cash and will buy the house with no inspections.

These investors have the upper hand, as they have cash to purchase the property, which allows them to close on the house in a week’s time. If you are getting a loan, then that process is likely to take 30 days to complete. The banks will take less for the home, if they can sell to a cash buyer with no inspections. And they do, almost every time.

When we have a short sale situation, and you want to put in an offer on a house, you go through a long waiting period. The house goes on the market, you write an offer and submit it, (some times, the bank requires a larger than normal earnest money or down payment that most buyers in this price range do not have) and depending on the bank, it takes 14-45 days to get a response from the back as to if they will take your offer or not or if they will begin to make a counter offer. In the meantime, cash offers will come in and will go to the top of the stack of offers at the bank in those 14-45 days. If you severely under bid for the house, then someone can outbid you during these 14-45 days. All while this is going on, you are prohibited from writing an offer on another property while you have an offer in on this one. You will have no idea when you will get a response or what that response will be. So, you might have just wasted 45 days, and missed finding that house that is perfect for your family and you could have already moved in by now. This method of buying a home may save you some money, or it may end up costing you more money in unknown defects and their repairs and frustration in the end.

In some states in the US, you can get all the way through this process and actually close on the house, and the original owner can come up with their deficient monies and get the house back! That means you lose the property you have been working for months to obtain, just because the previous owners raised the money necessary to take back their home. When this happens, you loose considerable amounts of money, especially if you have already begun to renovate the home, now for the old owners!

Foreclosures are a great idea when you have about 100K in cash to invest in a piece of real estate. These types of investments are still risky if you don’t have an inspection, and know what you are buying. Foreclosures are great if you have time to repair and discover the inadequacies of the home, they are not generally move in condition. If you are a handy man or are very knowledgeable about the construction and or renovation process foreclosures are great. If you have investors along side you in the property, it reduces your risk, and most investors team up or have a few partners to reduce risk. Foreclosures carry a lot of risk, and if you can bite through the risk, there is sometimes a large reward, other times, it is a break even or when more problems than expected come up, they are upside down in the investment. To me, foreclosures are best for investors, not families. If you are still interested in purchasing a foreclosure property, I can recommend you to a Realtor that focuses his business in the foreclosure market.

If you want to be excited and have a great experience finding your dream home, I don’t recommend going the foreclosure route. I can promise you will have a wonderful experience buying a home the traditional route that 99% of people take when purchasing their primary residence with me! I hope I am your #1 choice to represent you as your Residential Realtor!

• Buyers , Foreclosures , Inspections
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Amy August 28th, 2007

A 5 part series on what steps you need to take to make buying the perfect home easy

As you make the decision to buy your first or next home, the most important first step is to talk to your Realtor, so that I can get you set in a direction that makes the entire process simple for you and as easy as possible. You can read here what other people who were buying a home from me thought of my ability to make things easy for them.

From my perspective as an Accredited Buyers Representative, completely educated and experienced in representing Buyers in their home purchase, I feel that talking with a lender is the most important Step in the entire process. Your financing is the foundation of your home search, it defines what you can and will buy.

Our first of this 5 part series focuses on Financing for your home purchase.

It doesn’t matter if you have never purchased a home before, if you are buying your eighth home, or are preparing to buy a second home for yourself, you must understand where your financial boundaries are. This is a critical element to the entire rest of the process of purchasing a property.

You must talk to a reputable local lender to determine your debit to income ratio, your credit scores and your reserves. All of these and more factor into the loan that you qualify for. I can give you a few lenders names that I work with, who have proven over the years to be honest, reputable, creative and provide excellent service. Based on the type of property or loan you need, I will give you a few lenders.

As you may have heard from others, “A lender will always tell you that you qualify for a home 3 times more expensive than you would want to buy.” This is true with lenders who are not as focused as my select group of associates. I prefer to approach the loan approval dollar figure in a different way.

Loan Approval: pull credit and prove income confidentially with lender constitutes a loan approval, this is more official that a pre-qualification or pre approval

As a client of mine, I assume you have a monthly figure in mind that you are comfortable paying for your mortgage payment. This figure will include Principal, Interest, Taxes and Insurance for your loan, known as PITI. That dollar figure can then be shared with the lender, who will then work that monthly payment backwards to tell you what price range you need to stay within in order to keep your payment at or below that monthly dollar amount. From there, we can stay under a certain price range to keep you comfortable, or go above, as long as you make the decision that the higher price is worth the extra monthly cost to you.

This is one of the first items to discuss with the lender during your loan approval process. The lender asks a multitude of questions that can be answered in about a 20-30 minute conversation. It is important for you to understand that your conversation with these lenders is confidential. Your income, your debit all of that is not to be shared with me, your Realtor. The lender assesses your situation and only shares with me the types of loans you qualify for and how I can negotiate in the contract to get you the best financial terms possible. At no time am I privy to your credit scores, or income figures etc. This is important to me, that you are comfortable with me as your Realtor to sell you a home, I do not need to know that info, only what your price range is and the type of loan you are getting so I can help you capitalize on your negotiations.

See typical Pre Approval Questions here.

Once the lender has the info necessary, they can give you an idea of where your price range should fall. Once this has been determined, they can be prepared to write you a letter of  loan approval once we find a property that meets your needs.

A note about your loan approval letter. I find it most beneficial to the buyer to have a loan approval letter that does not provide the dollar amount that the buyer is qualified to buy. It is best to just simply state that the “buyer is qualified to purchase the property located at 123 Dream Street, Cincinnati, OH.� That way the sellers know you can purchase the property based on the listing price, not that you will pay list price. The local lenders that I work with all agree to this type of loan approval letter. Many out of town lenders will not do this as they do not have a relationship with me to agree to this type of letter, and thus they reduce your bargaining position with the seller during the contract negotiation.

This loan approval letter allows me to catapult into my illustrious Preferred Buyers Program! This program gives you priority service when scheduling showings and working to find your home. Having a loan approval is your ticket to a stronger contract and a smoother purchase process. So many times my clients were the winner in a multiple offer situation just because they had a loan approval and the other buyer did not. In strong markets or areas, loan approvals are required with an offer. As a listing agent myself, I will not allow my clients to agree to a contract without seeing a loan approval letter from a financial institution.

In the Preferred Buyers Program, loan approved buyers with local lenders are entered in to the MLS system to get daily updates on local listings that meet their criteria. If you want a 3 bedroom, 2 full bath 2 car garage in Hyde Park, Ohio, priced between 200-300K, then as a home that meets this criteria enters the market, or takes a price reduction, you will be notified immediately via email. This gives you up to the minute info on new listings and recent price reductions that relate to you and your needs. You may get 2 emails a day with new listings. From these MLS emails we will work to compile a list of homes that we can tour and get our feet wet. This gives you a little preview into the second part of the 5 part article, defining the type and location of your home.

It is further important to become loan approved so that we aren’t spinning our wheels in the wrong price range. If you start to see homes that are 100K more than you can afford, once we get you back down into the range that you are approved for, there will be a great deal of disappointment, taking the excitement right out of buying your home. If we look to low, then you don’t know what you are missing in a nicer neighborhood or school district. We can be precise and informed when you are loan approved making the entire process easier for you!

It is important for people who have recently become divorced to be loan approved as financial situations change a great deal and effect the price ranges more than you might realize.

It is important to become loan approved if you haven’t sold your home and plan to buy another before selling. Sometimes this is impossible and you must or want to sell first. It is best to know what you can and cannot do. Many people find out that they need to sell before they can buy in the price range they desire. Others find that they can buy without selling (although risky.)

It is important to become loan approved if you are considering buying a second property that you may not live in or live in part time. Rates are different for these property purchases, and many require higher down payments, so this could considerably affect your purchasing power for your second home.

Many people have no idea what their credit scores are and thus get a better or worse rate when they finally speak to a lender.

Now a little more on a local lender. It is absolutely KEY to the Preferred Buyers Program and your overall experience of purchasing a home to use a local lender in Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky. There are so many regional differences in tax and transfer laws, local traditions as they relate to who pays what in closing costs (See article on typical Closing Costs here), and which local title companies do the best job closing the loans that a local lender will ensure a smooth process. The lenders that I refer have proven themselves through experience with my clients to provide excellent knowledge and service for my clients. I ONLY recommend lenders who I have worked with before, who my clients have raved about, and who have provided the type of service to my clients that I give them myself. I have seen internet lenders fail to have the concern or attention to detail that my trusted local lenders do. I have seen out of state lenders and internet lenders fail to make sure their customer, the buyer, lock in on a rate in a timely fashion costing them thousands of dollars during the life of their loan. I have seen these out of town lenders fail to insist upon an appraisal to make sure the buyer isn’t paying more than the property is worth. I have seen out of town lenders not quote taxes correctly to the buyer and thus approved the buyer for the wrong purchase amount, based on a $300 a month tax bill. Once this was found, the buyer could no longer afford to buy the home that they had already negotiated and paid for a home inspection on etc. Wasting time and money of their “client”? The out of town lenders do not feel the obligation to service you well or get you a great deal or give you the benefit of the doubt like my local lenders do, because they will never see you or me again. My local network will guarantee excellent service, tireless attention to detail, direct contact numbers and communication with you and me, your Realtor. They know that if they don’t provide excellent service, they will not be hearing from me or my clients again. Local lenders will allow me to help you with the small details of the loan process while you are busy at work with more pressing issues. Choosing a local lender is the best possible decision you can make, and key in the home buying process.

The more informed we are at this first step, the foundation, of the Home Buying Process, the better the entire experience will be! I have proven this method time and time again, be the next to buy a home with me!

In my next article we will move on to the second key part of the Home Buying Process, defining the type and location of your home.

• Closing Documents , Financing , Lending , Listing , Pre-Approval , Sellers
• Comments (1)

Pat August 20th, 2007

Have you heard about Triple Crown Country Club in Union, Kentucky?

The beautiful Golf Community of Triple Crown Country Club is located in Union, KY, 41091 on over 1500 acres and growing. The community honors the thoroughbred horses, jockey’s and trainers of the Triple Crown Winners of horse racing by naming their streets in honor of them. One of many streets named for a triple crown winner is Arcaro Lane, named for the great thoroughbred jockey, Eddie Arcaro, who rode aboard two different horses to win the prestigious Triple Crown race not once, but twice in consecutive years (Whirlaway in 1941 and Citation in 1942). In the community, the two streets name Whirlaway and Citation are connected by Arcaro Lane.

Eddie Arcaro was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1916 and died in 1997. He rode his last race at the age of 45 in 1961. Homes on Arcaro in Triple Crown range in price from $375,000 to $650,000.

Triple Crown Golf Club is private and holds its rank in the top 3 for difficulty in Greater Cincinnati. A beautiful club house with dining privileges, swimming pool, tennis courts and driving range. The homes in Triple Crown have price ranges for single family from $240,000 up to over $2 Million Dollars. The community began with Residential Single Family homes in 1990 and now has over 721 Single Family homes and 547 Condominiums. There are no Apartments in Triple Crown. The membership to the Country Club is not required nor is it included when you purchase a home or condo in the community. A home owners association does exist and the fees to date, per unit, are $400.00 per year. If you would like to learn more about this community and country club memberships, go to www.TripleCrownCC.com (map).

The community also has an optional swim and tennis membership, not associated with the Country Club. There are walking trails and play lot for children, horses in a paddock area at the entrance of the community and Triple Crown Boulevard runs thru the middle of the 18 hole golf course. Some homes are situated on the course and others on lakes and nicely wooded lots with full utilites.

Homes in this golf community see an average appreciation of 3% per year. Many custom homes are located throughout the community. There is also a nice mix of affordable production-built homes, priced from $300,000 to $550,000. Condo’s range from $125,000 to $400,000. Riva Ridge, Pimlico and St. Leger are the only Landominiums in the community with prices ranging from $450,000 to over $750,000.

Excellent, award winning Boone County public and private schools for children, many fine universities close by, such as University of Kentucky, Thomas Moore College, and Northern Kentucky University and in Cincinnati, Ohio the University of Cincinnati, College of Mt. St. Joseph and Xavier University.

Real Estate Taxes are found to be very reasonable, compared to similar golf communities in neighboring states. The Real Estate Tax rate is for an unincorporated area of Boone County at $8.26 per $1000.00 of the purchase price of the home and or lot, plus a small tax of less than $2.00 per $1000.00 for fire district and emergency vehicle response, which varies with each Fire District. The roads are all county dedicated and maintained and the community is located within 2 miles of Interstate I-71/75, at Exit # 175, (Richwood Rd.) and lies between US25 and US42. Triple Crown is approximately 12 miles south of the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky International Airport, CVG and located just 16 miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio’s riverfront and

Covington and Newport are Northern Kentucky’s active entertainment riverfronts. 60 miles south is the Kentucky Horse Park near Lexington, KY.

I have lived with my family, in this community since 1991 and was the first REALTOR to purchase a lot here. My family was one of the first families to commit to building a home in this community in 1990. I specialize in relocation, homes and lots in Triple Crown and represents many buyers relocating into the community. I bought and chose to move into this community because from my first visit to my latest trip into the community, I feel like living in Triple Crown is like going to a resort, on vacation, every time you enter this community. I have been selling real estate as a REALTOR since 1989 with RE/MAX.

10944 Arcaro Lane, Union, KY - view more photo’s and information of this Triple Crown home
Read more about this home

• Buyers , Kentucky , Neighborhoods , Triple Crown Country Club
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Amy August 20th, 2007

What is Staging?

STAGING [stey-jing] noun/verb

1. verb The act, process or manner of presenting a house for sale

2. verb The art of transforming a space so that it is universally appealing by emphasizing the natural architectural features and downplaying the negative aspects of the space

3. noun The business of preparing one’s house, in order to sell faster and for more money

If you have seen any of these HGTV shows on your evenings or weekends, you will know what Staging is. It is they method by which a Staging Professional, trained, educated and practiced in the art of staging, turns a home from the way you live in it, To the way it needs to be sold. Professional Stagers accent and draw attention to the best details of the home and not the decorating. These are very different things.

Home Staging IS detailing, de-cluttering, depersonalizing and preparing a seller’s home to give it a “model home” appearance so that the potential buyer can “see” themselves living in the home.
The official Accredited Staging Professiona(ASP) website states that:

On average, staged homes sell 50% faster and for 6.9% or more than non-staged homes and homes that are Staged before being put on the market sell in an average of 9 days.

I find myself explaining this concept to those who have not before seen a vacant home staged, or those who cannot visualize their own homes in a more neutralized way. I truly think these examples will speak for themselves. Look through the virtual tours to determine the difference these homes that have been staged make to the buyer.

The Vacant Rehab:
This home was totally vacant before we staged it. In fact, it had been rehabbed and totally complete and ready to move into for more than 6 months before I took the listing. I had the house staged, because it was so large and empty, I felt that people would have trouble thinking of what would go in each of the rooms in the house. The house was staged, and when I held an Open House after staging, people in the area came through again and said it looked better “finished” and that they thought the first time they had been through 6 months ago, it wasn’t “done” yet. In fact, the house had been done and ready to sell, but the staging made it fell like a home and a more finished product. In addition, this home was so large with 15+ rooms, buyers had a difficult time understanding what they could or would make each room into, so we planned a home office, and a second floor family room, along with a few other ideas to fill up these rooms and give buyers ideas for what they can do with this huge home. http://www.amybsells.com/listings/2166Grandin/

Vacant over Winter:

This next home was for sale for 6+ months with another agent. Priced too high, with no offers. Totally vacant between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I suggested spending the money on staging. I had Realtors go out of their way to call me and tell me what a difference the staging made to the feel of the house when they showed it from before and after the staging. In December, we had 4 offers in 2 days, it sold over asking. (There are your statistics stated above) This is an example of light staging that really just warms the house up and provides lighting for timers to draw attention on those evenings that turn dark so early.
The Sub Contractor Stage:
This home was also staged by Nancy Buck with It Pays to Stage. Nancy doesn’t just stage homes with her furniture, but she also consults and can act as the general contractor for the interior painting and colors, the new carpeting and color, and the refinished hardwoods. This went beyond the normal staging of a home, it was a roll up your sleeves 3 week job! With Nancy’s connections, a job like that can be done very quickly so you do not miss valuable selling time in this difficult market.

The Do it Yourself:

The owners of these two properties did their own staging with great success. The staging professional also charges a fee to come to your home with things you already have and helps you arrange, and de clutter for the best appearance, she also suggests new wall color or carpeting, exterior curb appeal ideas in a written report for you to take to the job yourself, simply following the professionals direction…

No Staging:

Compared to completely vacant properties, the staging does make the house feel more like home, and puts the buyer more at ease with their environment. Based on the time of year the home is on the market, a lamp on a timer in almost every room is nearly a necessity. Even simple light staging will act to draw the eye away from the imperfections in the home and towards the features. This is a benefit to staging a home. In contrast, see these homes that have not been staged…
http://www.amybsells.com/listings/1627Alcor/
http://www.amybsells.com/listings/9323Loveland-MadeiraB/

Who do I recommend as a Professional Stager?
I work with Nancy Buck, an ASP every chance I get. She is always on time, professional and has great ideas. She is passionate about making sure that your home is displayed in the best possible light and accentuated for the buyers. Whatever it takes to make the house look the best, Nancy will make it happen. She works quickly to know what the client is looking for and makes the staging happen quickly, keeping in mind that the home needs to be on the market to sell. She has proved effective in several of my listings that were previously difficult to sell, took only days after her warm touches and suggestions. Being a designer as well, she knows colors, textures and lighting. Lets see what she can do for your home!

What is an Accredited Staging Professional and why should I use one?

The ASP or Accredited Staging Professional Course was started by Barb Schwarz. Barb created the concept of Home Staging some 35+ years ago and has been speaking on the topic to Real Estate Agents ever since. In 2000, she created the ASP Course and Stagedhomes.com. Since then, more than 14,000 Stagers and Real Estate Agents have completed our course. As Barb says on her website:

“Accredited ASP Stagers and ASP Real Estate Agents are true Professionals trained under strict guidelines using proven Staging techniques developed for over 30 years. When you bring your home on the market and prepare your house for sale always hire an ASP because they are the true leaders in the Staging and Real Estate Industries.�

What do these Professional Stagers need to do to get their title and designation? Thankfully, they have to have education and experience to call them selves ASP’s.

• ASPs who have graduated from our three day class, have completed training that includes vigorous instruction in the following areas:
• Knowing the benefits of Staging and how Staging can help homeowners sell their homes faster and for more money.
• The techniques and concepts of Staging
• How to Stage homes using just the furniture and accessories the homeowner already has in the home
• How to Stage vacant listings by renting furniture or supplying their own inventory
• Hands-on Staging training and practice in class by Staging an actual lived-in home that is on the market
• Also, though Stagedhomes.com is not a franchise and ASPs conduct their own business, they do sign a type of “Code of Ethicsâ€? with us that ensures they will follow proper business practices. It’s rare, but if we do receive a complaint about an ASP, we do investigate it and we hold the right to withdraw their designation.

• Buyers , Staging
• Comments (2)

Amy August 14th, 2007

Ask St. Joseph to help you sell your house? Have you heard about how sellers are praying to St. Joseph to help them sell their homes? Here in heavily Catholic Cincinnati, Ohio, it is common practice for home sellers and many Realtors to employ the good works of St. Joseph to help sell Real Estate during this difficult buyers market.

Although this was not a chapter in my education towards becoming a Certified Residential Specialist, so many of my sellers have told me that they have buried St. Joseph and said their prayers to help me sell their Real Estate. A recent seller, who had had her home on the market for more than 6 months with another Realtor, then switched to work with me, buried the St. Joseph a few weeks after I committed to selling their home. It worked! They sold their house in just 34 days! I’d like to think my marketing and positioning helped, and they agreed, but did not think twice about getting extra help from St. Joseph.

Don’t know much about this catholic strategy to selling real estate? Read on to learn more. Perhaps this can aid you in your sales as well. If it doesn’t work immediately , give me a call and we will see if we can freshen up your listing with creative marketing to develop some new interest!

A history:
Saint Joseph is petitioned by many conservative Catholics as one who grants an easy death, but in the wider world of Catholic folk-magic, he is the Patron Saint of real estate matters and home sales. The reason given for this belief is that he was a carpenter who taught his step-son Jesus the carpentering trade, and he always saw to it that Jesus was well housed.

The custom of burying a statue of Saint Joseph upside down in the yard while one’s house is for sale goes back to the 1930’s in the United States.

The picture of Saint Joseph shown here is a detail from a typical holy card and shows the Saint at his carpenter’s work bench, holding the infant Jesus. On the work bench is a carpenter’s try-square and a wooden box plane; the bench is also outfitted with a vise. Saint Joseph holds a long stalk of Lily flowers in the crook of his left arm.

The following is the text of a real estate prayer to Saint Joseph:

PRAYER TO SAINT JOSEPH FOR SELLING A HOUSE
O, Saint Joseph,
you who taught our Lord
the carpenter’s trade,
and saw to it
that he was always properly housed,
hear my earnest plea.

I want you to help me now
as you helped your foster-child Jesus,
and as you have helped many others
in the matter of housing.

I wish to sell this [house/property]
quickly, easily, and profitably
and I implore you to grant my wish
by bringing me a good buyer,
one who is eager, compliant, and honest,
and by letting nothing impede the
rapid conclusion of the sale.

Dear Saint Joseph,
I know you would do this for me
out of the goodness of your heart
and in your own good time,
but my need is very great now
and so I must make you hurry
on my behalf.

Saint Joseph, I am going to place you
in a difficult position
with your head in darkness
and you will suffer as our Lord suffered,
until this [house/property] is sold.

Then, Saint Joseph, i swear
before the cross and God Almighty,
that i will redeem you
and you will receive my gratitude
and a place of honor in my home.

Amen.

Now take up the statue of Saint Joseph and dig a hole in your back yard. If there is no back yard, use the front yard. If there is no yard at all, dig a hole in a large potted plant. Bury the statue upside down, head downward, facing east, in the hole and cover it over.

When the property sells, you MUST dig up the statue, clean it, and carry it with you to your new home, where it should be kept in a place of honor.

Just last week, I buried St. Joseph at a property I am working very hard to sell! Along with a fresh marketing blitz, I thought that St. Joseph could help us see the sale through. If you or a friend are looking for a great home in Mt. Washington on a private cul-de-sac street, check out the photos of our latest St. Joseph sighting.

Links and Resources

• View photos of this home.
• Read more about this home.

• Listing , Sellers
• Comments (0)

Amy August 14th, 2007

Wells Fargo offers Summer Buyers a 1% Rate Reduction now through the end of August 2007. Why would Wells Fargo do such a thing? They want YOU to BUY a home! Take advantage of this great rate reduction for one entire year and buy in this buyers market! Never before did investing in Real Estate become so easy.

Just this summer I have helped more than 15 home buyers, some first time buyers, purchase homes in this buyers market in Cincinnati, Ohio and its East Side urban areas of Hyde Park, Mt. Lookout, Oakley and Columbia Tusculum and several have taken advantage of this great rate reduction.

Have you been thinking about becoming a home owner and reducing your taxable income with the interest deductions of a mortgage? Don’t wait any longer, as the market and the 1% rate reduction may just pass you by.

There are so many motivated sellers in this market looking to sell their homes to buyers who are pre-approved with lenders. This is such a great time to buy your first home. I have several properties currently For Sale that are offering this 1% Rate reduction. This is the best time I can think of that buyers can get a break on their rate for a year, and buy homes that are aggressively priced to sell!

Sharon Natarus with Wells Fargo in Cincinnati Ohio is offering this special rate through August 31, 2007 to qualified candidates. Sharon can be reached directly at 513-587-3524 or emailed at Sharon.Natarus@wellsfargo.com. Learn more about Sharon’s extraordinary customer service and creative style here.

Looking for a home with a 1% rate reduction in the first time buyer price range? I just so happen to have several for sale, and the rate promotion will last through August 31st 2007.

I recently listed the cutest starter home in walking distance to Mt. Lookout Square. This home is located at 1015 Kinmont Avenue (map). It is an adorable cottage home and tree house atop the hill on Kinmont Avenue. The home can be entered from a private street behind the house providing easier entry, with no stairs necessary. The one car garage in the rear of the home, with a potential second parking spot to the left of the garage gives you plenty of space, so you never have to take the stairs! This home is adorable, with updated furnace, air conditioner, water heater and replacement windows, giving you, the new owner great efficiency!

The living room is so very charming, with 12 foot ceilings, a beautiful stone gas fireplace, the original architectural arched front door and screened door. The hardwoods gleam throughout the house. The decor is very neutral allowing you to be able to move right to this cottage today!

The kitchen has been remodeled, with new white cabinets, some with glass front, stainless steel fixtures, new lighting, updated counter tops, tumbled marble back-splash, ceramic tile floors and under cabinet lighting. The appliances are all newer and white, all included with the home. There is a step in pantry in the kitchen great for plenty of storage! The lower level is located off of the kitchen and provides great bright open space for laundry and workshop areas. The dining room is also just off of the Kitchen and the flow of this house is great for entertaining throughout the whole home!

There are two bedrooms in this home. Both rooms have hardwood floors and window blinds. Each with great closets. This room pictured is used as a study or guest bedroom and has beautiful wainscoting surrounding the perimeter, giving the room a stately feel, appropriate for a home based employee, or a very nice guest bedroom.

The Master Bedroom has such charm with the front windows and window box just outside. A large closet, and hardwood floors make it a great place to rest. The remodeled full bath is nestled between these two bedrooms, with new flooring, fixtures and glass doors for the shower/tub.

There is a rear entry to the home, with the white picket fence gate, the mailbox and the one car garage in the rear private street. The rear yard has a beautiful paver patio, and a great usable yard for picnics, entertaining or a great place for a doggie to run and play! We look forward to seeing you soon! Click here for a virtual tour of the home.

For more information or to schedule a private showing please contact me at 513-377-3637.

• Lending , Listing , Mount Lookout
• Comments (1)

Amy August 12th, 2007

The new Columbia Square will be located at the corner of Delta Avenue and Columbia Parkway in the Heart of Columbia Tusculum and has a projected cost of $24 million dollars. There will be four total buildings that comprise Columbia Square. Three of these buildings will be located on the south east corner of Delta Avenue and Columbia Parkway, near the Precinct and the Junior League of Cincinnati, both of which will remain in their current buildings. The fourth building will be on the north west corner of the intersection. This project is planned to take almost 10 years to complete in two phases. This development projects are to add 160 full-time jobs to the Columbia Tusculum and Cincinnati Communities that surround it.From what we know in the community and on the Neyer Development Website , the City and Neyer are planning eight acres of mixed use office, residential and retail space. There will be 50,000 square feet of Class A office space, 25,000 square feet of retail shopping, and 60 Upscale residential units in two separate phases and 6-12 luxury town homes. The development will also include off street parking for shoppers, residents and employees.

This type of rebirth in the Columbia Tusculum area with retail and office space will create a greater demand for housing within walking distance to the development, thus boosting the already solid return on investment of Residential Real Estate in Columbia Tusculum. Now, like it’s neighbors of Hyde Park, Oakley and Mt. Lookout, Columbia Tusculum will join in the economic boost of having a square that residents can walk to. We have seen in the other bordering areas that the housing values are stronger when Residents have squares with dining, shopping and entertainment in walking distance. I will enjoy educating potential buyers of Real Estate in Columbia Tusculum of the great benefits of Columbia Square.

What are the current demographics of Columbia Tusculum?

Slightly more than 3,000 residents live within the one square mile of Columbia-Tusculum. The neighborhood has approximately 1,500 housing units and many families with young children.

What types of housing can I find in Columbia Tusculum?

Contemporary or historical, single families, condos or double-deckers, many of Columbia-Tusculum’s homes have a common element-their vibrant colors-straight out of a box of Crayola Pastels. The “Grand Old Painted Ladies” are Victorian gingerbread homes with 3, 4, 5 or even 8 different colors! Many of the area’s older homes are perfect opportunities for restoration with their ornamental front porches, hardwood floors, solid structures and high ceilings. Add mature trees, well-manicured lawns and rolling hills, and you’ve stirred up a recipe sure to charm even the most critical home shopper.

Want to buy a home in Columbia Tusculum before the prices SKYROCKET?

Contact Amy about finding a great painted lady!

• Columbia Tusculum , Listing , Value
• Comments (0)

Amy August 12th, 2007

Attention: For Sale By Owners! Why People Are Afraid To Buy From You!

Many homeowners believe to maximize their home sale they should sell it themselves. At first glance, they feel selling a home is simple. Why should they pay a broker fee for something they could do themselves? In fact, 12% of all the homes sold last year were sold For Sale By Owner (FSBO).

However, close to half of the FSBO’s said that they would hire a professional next time they sold. Thirty percent said they were unhappy with the results they achieved by choosing FSBO. Why?

Many FSBO’s told us the time, paperwork and everyday responsibilities involved were not worth the amount of money they saved in commissions. For others, the financial savings were even more disappointing. By the time they figured the fees paid to consultants, inspectors, appraisers, title lawyers, escrow and loan officers, marketing, advertising, they would have been better off to have paid the broker’s fee that would have included many of these charges.

Selling a home requires an intimate understanding of the real estate market. If the property is priced too high, it will sit and develop a reputation for being a problem property. If the property is priced too low, you will cost yourself serious money. Some FSBO’s discovered that they lost money as a result of poor marketing decisions. In the final outcome, this far outweighed the commission they would have paid.

Before you decide to sell FSBO, consider these questions and weigh the consequences of assuming the responsibility versus employing a professional. A little time spent investigating now could pay off tenfold in the end.

Questions To Consider

Do I have the time, energy, know how, and ability to devote a full forced effort to sell my home?

One of the keys to selling your home effectively and profitably is complete accessibility. Many homes sit on the market much longer than necessary because the owner isn’t available to show the property or return phone calls within 3 hours. Realize that a certain amount of time each day is necessary to sell your home.

Am I prepared to deal with an onslaught of buyers who perceive FSBO’s as targets for “low ballingâ€??

Another challenge of selling a home is screening unqualified prospects and dealing with “low-ballers.� It often goes unnoticed that much time, effort and expertise is required to spot these people quickly. Settling for a “low ball� bid is usually worse than paying broker commissions. In addition, buyers looking for FSBO’s want to share in your savings, so they will often offer much less to share in the savings you are getting as a result of not paying a commission.

Am I offering financing options to the buyer? Am I prepared to answer questions about financing?

One of the keys to selling, whether it’s a home, a car… anything, is to have all the necessary information the prospective buyer needs and to offer them options. Think about the last time you purchased something of value, did you make a decision before you had “all your ducks in a rowâ€?? By offering financing options, you give the home buyer the ability to work on their terms. You’ll open up the possibility of selling your home quicker and more profitably. A professional real estate agent will have a complete team for you to profit from… lenders… title reps… inspection companies… they’ll be completely at your disposal.

Do I fully understand the legal ramifications and all the necessary steps required in selling a home?

Many home sales have been lost due to incomplete paperwork, lack of inspections or not meeting your state’s disclosure laws. Are you completely informed of all the steps necessary to sell real estate? If not, you may want to consider consulting with a professional.

Am I capable of handling the legal contracts, agreements and any disputes with buyers before or after the offer is presented?

Ask yourself: “Am I well-versed in legalese? Am I prepared to handle disputes with buyers?� To avoid any disputes, it is wise to put all negotiations and agreements in writing. Many home sales have been lost due to misinterpretation of what was negotiated.

Have I contacted the necessary professionals… title, inspector (home and pest), attorney, and escrow company?

Are you familiar with top inspectors and escrow companies? Don’t randomly select inspectors, attorneys, and title reps. Like any profession, there are inadequate individuals who will slow, delay and possibly even cost you the transaction. Be careful!

My hope with this report has been to educate you and help you avoid the pitfalls many FSBO’s go through. I hope you found the idea’s valuable and if there is ever any way I can be of service to you or anyone you care about, please contact me Amy Broghamer at 513-377-3637.

• Buyers , Closing , Closing Documents , FSBO , Inspections , Listing , Pre-Approval , Pricing , Real Estate Law
• Comments (1)