Anita Benabou Rozenblat "Will you be my Curb Appeal"?

Love At First Sight

“Will you be my Curb Appeal”?


Anita’s 8 Countdown’s on Curb Appeal

First impressions
1) Curb appeal' literally begins and starts with the curb! How clean and presentable is your curb? Does it need to have sand, dirt or pebbles swept clean? Does it need to have leaves, cigarette butts or other debris cleaned up? Are there weeds or grass growing in the cracks and crevices of your curbs and sidewalks? Concrete curbs (sidewalks, driveways, etc.) that are badly cracked or broken should be replaced. You'll be amazed at how other things in your yard start taking on a much more attractive look.

2) Wash down the exterior of your house. You don't necessarily need to rent a power washer. A hose and broom and some dishwashing cleanser work great. ... Look for cobwebs and hornets nests weekly. Beg, borrow or steal a lawn edger if you don't use one regularly. Trim back all grass at every edge, including the street. Sweep the street gutters! You may have to do the neighbors on both sides, too (I did), to make sure your section of the street looks really tidy and well-kept.

3) Curb appeal is huge, especially in the winter season when sidewalks are icy and snow-covered. If you take time to shovel and salt your sidewalks, the home looks like it's been taken care of even when the buyers can't see the lawn under the foot of snow covering it. In the spring and summer, lawn ornaments are a no-no, and a quick driveway resealing is inexpensive and works wonders for the drive-by appearance of your house.

4) Being a real-estate broker myself, I come across many things that help sell a home. The most obvious is landscaping. Good landscaping makes a home look 100% better. Even if it's just some shrub and tree/shrub trimming along with some fresh mulch, do something to spruce up the outside appearance.

5) Make sure the areas around your furnace and hot-water heater are clean, neat and spacious. The components themselves should not be covered with dust, cobwebs, rust spots, etc. Even if they're old, they should look shiny and well-maintained. Change the filters often to help with dusty smells. … Take everything out of the garage, vacuum all floors, walls and ceilings, then paint it bright white. If there are shelves and brackets, paint them bright white too. Then bring back only a little of what once dwelled there.

6) Certainly you can decorate your house however you like, but once you are selling, you have to keep in mind what buyers are looking for. If you want to know what they like, go look at popular model homes in the area that are selling hot. However they are decorated should be how you do it. No pink bathrooms or green walls. Paint it all a soft white!

7) Does your home smell bad? Place a plug in scent in the wall, light a scented candle, bake an apple pie. A home that smells good is very inviting.

8) The loveliest home doesn't have a chance with the poor photography I see in a huge portion of Internet listings, which are the first impression of your home for many buyers. With so many listings posted in some areas, trying to make out details in dark, blurry photos when there are a lot of other listings to look at could have a very negative effect. I always think that if I were trying to sell in this market, I'd be furious with my Realtor if I had a stylish, attractive home represented by a fuzzy, dark rectangle! Let your agent know how you feel about the presentation of your home!

The Right Agent Makes All The Difference!


Happy Valentine!
Love Always,
Anita

Should I Buy First or Sell First

If your planning on selling your home and buying another, which should you do first? If you sell first, you'll be under time pressure to find another house quickly -- and may end up settling for less than you wanted, overpaying, or stuffing yourself and all your possessions into a hotel room until you can buy a new place. But, if you buy first, you'll have to scramble to sell your old house -- a particular problem if you need to get top dollar on your old house in order to make the down payment on the new one. And owning two houses at once is no treat either, even if it's for a short time. You'll have to worry about two mortgages -- in the unlikely event that a lender is even willing to offer you a mortgage for a second house before you've sold the first -- as well as twice the maintenance, and the security issues around leaving one house empty.
Here are some ways to minimize the financial and psychological downsides of selling one house while buying another.

Take the Housing Market's Temperature

Before putting your house on the market or committing to buying a new one, investigate the prices of houses in the areas where you'll be both selling and buying. In order to figure out how to sell high and buy low, you'll need a realistic idea of how much comparable houses are going for.
Also focus on whether the local real estate market is "hot" (favors sellers) or "cold" (favors buyers). Since you're both a buyer and a seller, you'll need to protect yourself in your weaker role while making the most of your stronger role.

Strategies in a Buyer's Market

When the market is cold, you're in a stronger position as a buyer than as a seller. You've got your pick of lots of houses for sale, at reasonable prices. But you may have trouble selling yours. To protect yourself, you might start by buying a second house, but ask the seller to make your purchase contract contingent upon your selling your current home. A seller having a hard time finding a buyer is likely to accept this contingency, even though it means waiting for you to find a buyer. Be ready to give the seller plausible reasons why your home will likely sell quickly.
In case no seller is willing to accept this contingency, however, at least make sure you can arrange financing. Talk to a mortgage broker about what you'll qualify for. Then be ready to act quickly to put your first home on the market after going ahead with buying a second one. There's a lot you can do ahead of time -- taking care of maintenance issues, going through files for the appliance manuals and other documents you'll give the buyer, choosing a real estate agent and possibly a home stager, and so forth.

Strategies in a Seller's Market

In a hot market, selling your house will likely be easier than buying a new one. To make sure you don't end up house-less, you may want to start by looking for a house to buy, then line up enough cash -- using the strategies described below -- to tide you over during the presumably short period where you own two houses at once.
If you can't swing such an arrangement, however, you can negotiate with your house's buyer to have the sale contract include a provision making the closing contingent on your finding and closing on a new house. Although few buyers will agree to an open-ended period, some will be so eager to buy your house that they'll agree to delay the closing until you close on a new house or until a certain number of days pass, whichever comes first. Also be sure to fully research the market before you sell, so that you'll be an efficient buyer, able to offer the right price on attractive terms.

Anita Benabou Rozenblat- OVER 90% SOLD 21 Townhouse Project in Cote St Luc on Marc Chagall Ave.

Les Cours Marc Chagall is over 90% SOLD OUT,
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THOSE THAT HAVE PURCHASED!
YOU HAVE MADE AN INCREDIBLE CHOICE!

Construction is in progress as of October 31st 2011,we're anticipating to deliver by end of the summer 2012!
I have had the most amazing experience meeting great people whom i'd love to mention in my blog.....Thank you all for your trust and great support!

I'd like to also thank the Mayor of Cote St Luc for believing in our project which has generated many young families into Cote St Luc. The editors of many major newspapers. My team of agents who've worked day in and day out making it happen.

Buyers shopping for a home in Cote St Luc were looking for that youngish modern & trendy lifestyle as well as affordable.

Les Cours Marc Chagall has promised a top notch project and we have succeeded in just that!

Again,
thank you everyone!

Hugs,
Anita

Anita Benabou Rozenblat 21 Townhouse on Marc Chagall Ave.

Anita Benabou Rozenblat-New Project on Marc Chagall Av. in Cote St Luc 21 Pristine Townhouses SALES OFFICE ON SITE NOW OPEN

Very exciting project coming to Cote St Luc
21 Townhouses
Located on Marc Chagall Ave.
Steps to The Musical Streets
Prestigious Private School-Bialik High
New Synagogue
Public Library
Parks
Tennis Courts
Cavendish Mall
Transportation
Great Location, only 21 Townhouses
Reserve your address today

Thanks,
Anita Benabou Rozenblat

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