Selling Your Home

• Put fresh or silk flowers in principal rooms for a touch of color.
• Add a new shower curtain, fresh towels, and new guest soaps to every bath.
• Set out potpourri or fresh baked goods for a homey smell.
• Set the table with pretty dishes and candles.
• Buy a fresh doormat with a clever saying.
• Take one or two major pieces of furniture out of every room to create a sense of spaciousness.
• Put away kitchen appliances and personal bathroom items to give the illusion of more counter space.
• Lay a fire in the fireplace. Or put a basket of flowers there if it's not in use.
• Depersonalize the rooms by putting away family photos, mementos, and distinctive artwork.
• Turn on the sprinklers for 30 minutes to make the lawn sparkle.

• Hire a cleaning service. A spotless home is essential; dirt will turn off a prospect faster than anything.
• Mow your lawn, and be sure toys and yard equipment are put away.
• Serve cookies, coffee, and soft drinks. It creates a welcoming touch. But be sure the kitchen has been cleaned up; use disposable cups so the sink doesn't fill up.
• Lock up your valuables, jewelry, and money. Although your real estate agent will be on site during the open house, it's impossible to watch everyone all the time.
• Turn on all the lights. Even in the daytime, incandescent lights add sparkle.
• Send your pets to a neighbor or take them outside. If that's not possible, crate them or confine them to one room (a basement or bath), and let your agent know where to find them.
• Leave. It's awkward for prospective buyers to look in your closets and express their opinions of your home with you there.

• Get rid of clutter. Throw out, or file, newspapers and magazines. Pack away most of your small decorative items. Store out-of-season clothing to make closets seem roomier. Clean out the garage.
• Wash your windows and screens to let more light into the interior.
• Keep everything extra clean. Wash fingerprints from light switch plates. Mop and wax floors. Clean the stove and refrigerator. A clean house makes a better first impression and convinces buyers that the home has been well cared for.
• Get rid of smells. Clean carpeting and drapes to eliminate cooking odors, smoke, and pet smells. Open the windows.
• Put higher wattage bulbs in light sockets to make rooms seem brighter, especially basements and other dark rooms. Replace any burnt-out bulbs.
• Make minor repairs that can create a bad impression. Small problems such as sticky doors, torn screens, cracked caulking, or a dripping faucet may seem trivial, but they'll give buyers the impression that the house isn't well maintained.
• Tidy your yard. Cut the grass, rake the leaves, trim the bushes, and edge the walks. Put a pot or two of bright flowers near the entryway.
• Patch holes in your driveway and reapply sealant, if needed.
• Clean your gutters.
• Polish your front doorknob and door numbers.

Flat screen TVs. Surround sound. High-Speed Internet. If the latest technology or entertainment options are important in your new home, add the following questions to your buyer's checklist.

• Are there enough jacks in every room for cable TV and high-speed Internet hookups?
• Are there enough telephone extensions or jacks?
• Is the home prewired for home theater or multi-room audio and video?
• Does the home have a local area network (or LAN) for linking computers?
• Does the home already have wiring for DSL or other high-speed Internet connection?
• Does the home have multizoning heating and cooling controls with programmable thermostats?
• Does the homes have multiroom lighting controls, window-covering controls, or other home automation features?
• Is the home wired with multipurpose in-wall wiring that allows for reconfigurations to update services as technology changes?

Visit the Consumer Electronics Association (www.ce.org/techhomerating) for a complete Tech Home™ Rating Checklist.
Source: Realtor Magazine

Before you buy a condo, contact the homeowners board to ask the following questions. In the process, you'll learn how responsive—and organized—its members are.

• What percentage of units is owner-occupied? What percentage is tenant-occupied? Generally, the higher the percentage of owner-occupied units, the more marketable the units will be at resale.
• What covenants, bylaws, and restrictions govern the property? What grandfather clauses are in place? You may find, for instance, that those who buy a property after a certain date can't rent out their units, but buyers who bought earlier can. Ask for a copy of the bylaws to determine if you can live within them. And have an attorney review property docs, including the master deed, for you.
• How much does the association keep in reserve? How is that money being invested?
• Are association assessments keeping pace with the annual rate of inflation? Smart boards raise assessments a certain percentage each year to build reserves to fund future repairs. To determine if the assessment is reasonable, compare the rate to others in the area.
• What does and doesn't the assessment cover -- common area maintenance, recreational facilities, trash collection?
• What special assessments have been mandated in the past five years? How much was each owner responsible for? Some special assessments are unavoidable. But repeated, expensive assessments could be a red flag about the condition of the building or the board's fiscal policy.
• How much turnover occurs in the building?
• Is the project in litigation? If the builders or homeowners are involved in a lawsuit, reserves can be depleted quickly.
• Is the developer reputable? Find out what other projects the developer has built and visit one if you can. Ask residents about their perceptions. Request an engineer's report for developments that have been reconverted from other uses to determine what shape the building is in. If the roof, windows, and bricks aren't in good repair, they become your problem once you buy.
• Are multiple associations involved in the property? In very large developments, umbrella associations, as well as the smaller association into which you're buying, may require separate assessments.

Source: Realtor Magazine

• Find a real estate agent that shares your vision and values. Homebuying is not just a big financial commitment, but also an emotional one. It's critical that the agent you choose is both skilled and a good fit with your personality.
• Remember, there's no "right" time to buy, any more than there's a right time to sell. If you find a home now, don't try to second-guess the interest rates or the housing market by waiting. Changes don't usually occur fast enough to make that much difference in price, and a good home won't stay on the market long.
• Don't ask for too many opinions. It's natural to want reassurance for such a big decision, but too many ideas will make it much harder to make a decision.
• Accept that no house is ever perfect. Focus in on the things that are most important to you and let the minor ones go.
• Don't try to be a killer negotiator. Negotiation is definitely a part of the real estate process, but trying to "win" by getting an extra-low price may lose you the home you love.
• Remember your home doesn't exist in a vacuum. Don't get so caught up in the physical aspects of the house itself—room size, kitchen—that you forget such issues as amenities, noise level, etc., that have a big impact on what it's like to live in your new home.
• Don't wait until you've found a home and made an offer to get approved for a mortgage, investigate insurance availability, and consider a schedule for moving. Presenting an offer contingent on a lot of unresolved issues will make your bid much less attractive to sellers.
• Factor in maintenance and repair costs in your post-home buying budget. Even if you buy a new home, there will be some costs. Don't leave yourself short and let your home deteriorate.
• Accept that a little buyer's remorse is inevitable and will probably pass. Buying a home, especially for the first time, is a big commitment, but it also yields big benefits.
• Choose a home first because you love it; then think about appreciation. While U.S. homes have appreciated an average of 5.4 percent annually from 1998 to 2002, a home's most important role is as a comfortable, safe place to live.