Monday, February 8, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
REAL ESTATE $EN$E
Let the
Seller
Beware!
Sellers should take care when speaking to potential buyers.
The real estate world is filled with stories of potential sales
killed by sellers who inadvertently muttered the wrong
thing. This has nothing to do with hiding anything from a
potential buyer, but is based on personal preferences.
What the seller sees as a positive attribute, the buyer may
find negative.
Sellers should not talk about the children or animals in the
area, their church, the quietness of the neighborhood, existing
warranties, the number of “showings” they’ve had, and
shouldn’t offer information on the reason they are selling.
Basically, anything a seller says to a potential buyer could
create a problem. The best course for sellers is to make
themselves scarce after greeting potential buyers and leave
the presentation to their professional real estate agent.
The real estate world is filled with stories of potential sales
killed by sellers who inadvertently muttered the wrong
thing. This has nothing to do with hiding anything from a
potential buyer, but is based on personal preferences.
What the seller sees as a positive attribute, the buyer may
find negative.
Sellers should not talk about the children or animals in the
area, their church, the quietness of the neighborhood, existing
warranties, the number of “showings” they’ve had, and
shouldn’t offer information on the reason they are selling.
Basically, anything a seller says to a potential buyer could
create a problem. The best course for sellers is to make
themselves scarce after greeting potential buyers and leave
the presentation to their professional real estate agent.
REAL ESTATE $EN$E
Still Riding the Rental-Go- Round?
Renting a place to live may be a convenient and necessary expense, but this chart from Bank of America shows how quickly rent payments add up.
Monthly rent 3 years 10 years 15 years 30 years
$400 $14,400 $48,000 $72,000 $144,000
$500 $18,000 $60,000 $90,000 $180,000
$600 $21,600 $72,000 $18,000 $216,000
$700 $25,200 $84,000 $126,000 $252,000
$800 $28,800 $96,000 $144,000 $288,000
$900 $32,400 $108,000 $162,000 $324,000
$1,000 $36,000 $120,000 $180,000 $360,000
$1,200 $43,200 $144,000 $216,000 $432,000
$1,500 $54,000 $180,000 $270,000 $540,000
$1,700 $61,200 $204,000 $306,000 $612,000
Bank of America recommends checking with a real estate agent or bank executive to discuss home-loan details, and points out that monthly mortgage payments are often not much more than rent.
$400 $14,400 $48,000 $72,000 $144,000
$500 $18,000 $60,000 $90,000 $180,000
$600 $21,600 $72,000 $18,000 $216,000
$700 $25,200 $84,000 $126,000 $252,000
$800 $28,800 $96,000 $144,000 $288,000
$900 $32,400 $108,000 $162,000 $324,000
$1,000 $36,000 $120,000 $180,000 $360,000
$1,200 $43,200 $144,000 $216,000 $432,000
$1,500 $54,000 $180,000 $270,000 $540,000
$1,700 $61,200 $204,000 $306,000 $612,000
Bank of America recommends checking with a real estate agent or bank executive to discuss home-loan details, and points out that monthly mortgage payments are often not much more than rent.
REAL ESTATE $EN$E
Watch Out for
Faulty Wiring
According to ABC News, 39,000 homes catch fire
each year as the result of faulty wiring or other electrical
problems. Watch for these indications of danger:
* A circuit breaker that trips repeatedly
* Loose-fitting electric plugs in outlets
* Dimming of lights when you turn on a particular
appliance
* Light switches or outlets that are hot to the touch
* Flickering lights
* A burning smell
Call a licensed electrician to investigate and make
repairs if you notice any of these warning signs.
REAL ESTATE $EN$E
Protecting Foods
During a Power
Outage
The United States Department of Agriculture says you can protect your frozen and refrigerated foods during a power outage or refrigerator malfunction by following these tips:
* If your freezer is full, it will stay at freezing temperatures for about two days; a half-full freezer about one day provided that you keep the door closed as much as possible. If the freezer is not full, clump foods and packages together to help keep them cold.
* In general, non-perishable refrigerated items should be safe for up to four hours. Discard perishable foods, such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and leftovers that have been above 40 degrees for two hours or more, as well as any food that shows unusual odor, color, or texture, or feels warm to the touch.
* If you think the power may be out for several days, put dry or block ice in the freezer and refrigerator. If only a small amount of the food is worth saving, use a cooler filled with ice.
* Don’t open the door to the refrigerator or freezer any more than necessary.
REAL ESTATE $EN$E
Why Settle for a
Local or Regional
Market When
Selling Your
Property?
Internet technology can expose your property instantly to a worldwide audience of potential buyers. According to the Inman News January 20, 2005, Newsletter, the top trends in real estate includes “online lead generation.” “There is a mad dash to get Internet leads by brokers and agents. Once willing to let agents ignore inquiries, e-mails and forms, the industry is embarrassingly admitting this system of benign neglect will not work. The vast majority of brokers and agents are not sophisticated enough with technology and Internet customers to know what they are doing yet. The business processes and tools to capture and convert leads are weak.” The newsletter acknowledges that, “A small band of smart real estate companies that have figured out the Internet customer are racing ahead of their competitors.” United Country® Real Estate has long been a leader in using modern technology and a successful presence on
the Web for years.
REAL ESTATE $EN$E
Will We Ever Be
Ready For Metric?
or Just How Far is a
Country Mile?
Anyone who grew up listening to “Baseball Game of the Week” with Dizzy Dean doing the color commentary is very familiar with the phrase “He hit that ball a country mile!” But, to be brutally honest, a country mile is not a centimeter longer than any other mile. Maybe it just seems longer because the pace is usually more relaxed in the country. Whatever the reason, “a country mile” has became part of the vernacular, and is just one example of many phrases that would be incompatible with a metric system. In spite of some concerted efforts by the scientific community to convert the United States to a totally metric system, almost no “progress” has been made in that regard. Real estate is one of the major reasons for this lack of evolvement. The terms “acre, acre foot, front foot, square footage, section of land,” and so forth are so prevalent and firmly entrenched in the real estate sector that totally abandoning them for a metric system would be a task of major proportions.
Here are just a few conversion figures:
1 acre= 43,560 square feet— 4,046.825 square meters —
0.0015625 square mile
1 square mile= 640 acres — 27,878,400 square feet —
2.589988 square kilometers
1 square meter= 10.76391 square feet — 0.0001 hectare —
0.000241044 acre
1 acre= 43,560 square feet— 4,046.825 square meters —
0.0015625 square mile
1 square mile= 640 acres — 27,878,400 square feet —
2.589988 square kilometers
1 square meter= 10.76391 square feet — 0.0001 hectare —
0.000241044 acre
REAL ESTATE $EN$E
WILDLIFE CAN ADD VALUE TO YOUR LAND
Larger, more remote tracts offer opportunities for hunting, but even an acre or less can be enhanced by the presence of wildlife. The aesthetic appeal of nature’s creatures can be subtle or dramatic. A glimpse of a deer browsing at dawn, the cheerful melody of songbirds, butterflies flitting among the flowers, rare animal discoveries - all these events can add greatly to the overall life experience.
A wildlife haven on your land can be a highly rewarding experience. Various county, state and federal agencies provide information and other assistance to landowners interested in establishing or improving habitat for wildlife. Water on the property greatly expands the possibilities for enjoying “feral friends.” A fish-stocked pond, flocks of waterfowl, bullfrog voices filling a summer night -strangely reassuring, almost magical.
A wildlife haven on your land can be a highly rewarding experience. Various county, state and federal agencies provide information and other assistance to landowners interested in establishing or improving habitat for wildlife. Water on the property greatly expands the possibilities for enjoying “feral friends.” A fish-stocked pond, flocks of waterfowl, bullfrog voices filling a summer night -strangely reassuring, almost magical.
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