PEELING PAINT
• Many a home sale is made or lost as the buyer approaches the house for the first time. Even a few patches of peeling paint make a house look sad and neglected. And, it makes an otherwise sound home look like it's falling apart.
OFFENSIVE ODORS
• Maybe you're used to it, but when a prospective buyer walks into a home that smells of cigarette smoke, fried fish, wet dogs or dirty diapers, the offensive stench is impossible to ignore. And as a result, the showing rarely lasts more than a few minutes.
MOLD AND MILDEW
• Slime growing on walls isn't only nasty looking, it's a health hazard. As a seller, you can scrub surfaces clean, but until you discover-and stop-the source of the moisture, the problem will return.
WALLPAPER OVERLOAD
• A little wallpaper, no matter how ugly or outdated, isn't likely to kill a deal. However, a house filled with wallpaper can discourage the most interested buyer.
DIRTY, SMELLY BATHROOMS
• Need I say more?
DAMP BASEMENTS
• Water or excessive moisture in a basement renders the space useless for storage and its smell can permeate the whole house.
WATER-STAINED CEILINGS
• These stains aren't always caused by a busted water pipe or leaky roof, but their presence alone is enough to raise a buyer's suspicions.
BUGS
• An ant here or there is okay. The occasional spider or web is no big deal. But nothing will send buyers sprinting for the door faster than opening a kitchen cabinet and seeing an army of bugs creeping out every direction! Ouch!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
I’ll Envy The Family That’ll Buy My Home
I've had such an amazing life in this home. My kids were raised here! Such great memories, I can't believe its time to sell.
I'm not happy about having someone else enjoy my garden that i've worked on for over 25 years!
I've invested time and money and I hope the buyers appreciate what I've done!
You're anxious, worried and feeling as if you've lost all control. Your stomach is in knots and you have no appetite. You sit by the phone nervously, waiting for it to ring. These are the unmistakable symptoms of someone who has either: 1) fallen in love for the first time, or 2) put a house up for sale.
If you happen to be lovesick, you're on your own. But, if you're selling your house, there are steps you can take to ready the property--and yourself--for the sale.
First, you need to prepare psychologically. Once your home is on the market, the sign goes up and the neighborhood knows your selling, you then need to learn to think of it as a commodity of certain value. Your job is to organize and present that commodity so it's attractive to potential buyers.
Unfortunately, letting go of a home can be an excruciating experience, I can understand that! It’s where your kids were born & raised. Remember, "The sellers' motivation plays a key role in their emotional attachment to the house. The emotional ties can be extremely difficult to break."
Keeping sentiments in check is advisable because it allows you to make smart, clearheaded decisions. Buying and Selling a home are easily the largest, most nerve-wracking transactions you'll ever complete. So, in order to sell your home quickly and at the highest price, keep your emotions under control and work closely with an experienced real estate agent.
I'm not happy about having someone else enjoy my garden that i've worked on for over 25 years!
I've invested time and money and I hope the buyers appreciate what I've done!
You're anxious, worried and feeling as if you've lost all control. Your stomach is in knots and you have no appetite. You sit by the phone nervously, waiting for it to ring. These are the unmistakable symptoms of someone who has either: 1) fallen in love for the first time, or 2) put a house up for sale.
If you happen to be lovesick, you're on your own. But, if you're selling your house, there are steps you can take to ready the property--and yourself--for the sale.
First, you need to prepare psychologically. Once your home is on the market, the sign goes up and the neighborhood knows your selling, you then need to learn to think of it as a commodity of certain value. Your job is to organize and present that commodity so it's attractive to potential buyers.
Unfortunately, letting go of a home can be an excruciating experience, I can understand that! It’s where your kids were born & raised. Remember, "The sellers' motivation plays a key role in their emotional attachment to the house. The emotional ties can be extremely difficult to break."
Keeping sentiments in check is advisable because it allows you to make smart, clearheaded decisions. Buying and Selling a home are easily the largest, most nerve-wracking transactions you'll ever complete. So, in order to sell your home quickly and at the highest price, keep your emotions under control and work closely with an experienced real estate agent.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Bringing Back Some Old Memories
Hello Anita
My name is Marie and I purchased some Mosskito Fashions from the shopping channel. I e-mailed them recently to ask when they would get your fashions back on TV. After doing some checking I found out that you have changed careers and are now in Real Estate.
I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed you & your fashions ---stylish, comfortable and affordable.
Congratulations on your new career!!!! You were a terrific salesperson on television and i'm sure your doing excellent in real estate!
All the best,
Marie
My name is Marie and I purchased some Mosskito Fashions from the shopping channel. I e-mailed them recently to ask when they would get your fashions back on TV. After doing some checking I found out that you have changed careers and are now in Real Estate.
I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed you & your fashions ---stylish, comfortable and affordable.
Congratulations on your new career!!!! You were a terrific salesperson on television and i'm sure your doing excellent in real estate!
All the best,
Marie
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Anita Rozenblat-Life Before Real Estate
Anita Rozenblat was only 5 years old when her family moved to Montreal from Israel. Growing up, she had a hunger to learn everything and excelled at whatever she tried. “I think I may have invented the concept of multi-tasking,” Rozenblat said. “I love to be very busy and succeed in creating good outcomes even from the most challenging situations.”
Rozenblat has always had a passion for fashion. She married and for 17 years worked with her husband in the fashion industry, all the while raising their two daughters.
One of Rozenblat’s goals was to penetrate Canada’s Shopping Network. After five years of trying, she succeeded. Rozenblat designed and launched her own clothing line and appeared on TV, marketing her clothing. After seven years of this she was ready for a change.
“Throughout my life, so many people I met told me I’d be a natural for real-estate sales,” she said. “My older daughter had just turned 16 and I wanted more time at home.”
While continuing her day job with her husband, she decided to study real estate in the evening.
“When I placed my first call to the Collège de l’Immobilier du Québec, to find out what becoming a real-estate agent entailed, the woman told me there was no way I could get into their next course, which was starting the following week,” Rozenblat said. “I said that I didn’t like her answer and asked what I had to do to help her get me in.”
The woman liked her enthusiasm and found a way to squeeze her into the course. When she got her licence, Rozenblat joined Century 21 Vision. That was less than two years ago. Today she is their top-selling agent. On Feb. 4, Rozenblat received one of Century 21’s highest honours: the Centurion Award for Outstanding Achievement of Excellence. As busy as she is, she still finds time to blog (http://www.anitarozenblat.blogspot.com/).
Rozenblat has always had a passion for fashion. She married and for 17 years worked with her husband in the fashion industry, all the while raising their two daughters.
One of Rozenblat’s goals was to penetrate Canada’s Shopping Network. After five years of trying, she succeeded. Rozenblat designed and launched her own clothing line and appeared on TV, marketing her clothing. After seven years of this she was ready for a change.
“Throughout my life, so many people I met told me I’d be a natural for real-estate sales,” she said. “My older daughter had just turned 16 and I wanted more time at home.”
While continuing her day job with her husband, she decided to study real estate in the evening.
“When I placed my first call to the Collège de l’Immobilier du Québec, to find out what becoming a real-estate agent entailed, the woman told me there was no way I could get into their next course, which was starting the following week,” Rozenblat said. “I said that I didn’t like her answer and asked what I had to do to help her get me in.”
The woman liked her enthusiasm and found a way to squeeze her into the course. When she got her licence, Rozenblat joined Century 21 Vision. That was less than two years ago. Today she is their top-selling agent. On Feb. 4, Rozenblat received one of Century 21’s highest honours: the Centurion Award for Outstanding Achievement of Excellence. As busy as she is, she still finds time to blog (http://www.anitarozenblat.blogspot.com/).
Monday, March 23, 2009
What Can I Do To Improve The Look of My Home
Paint the rooms in your house in neutral colors: This will appeal to the broader market. Imagine having 100 viewers in your house and your rooms are painted in bright vibrant colors. You may get 5 % who have the same taste in colors as you but what about the other 95%; they will be put off by the amount of work they have to do to change the color scheme. Painting your house in neutral color’s is one of the most effective ways of adding value to our house and one of the cheapest and easiest to achieve.
Depersonalize your home: If you have a lot of personal photographs on the wall and throughout your house take them down and box them for your new house. Prospective buyers want to imagine themselves living in a new house and find it harder to do this when you have the family photos all over the house. This is purely psychological but it does make a difference. Trust me!
Let the Sun Shine in! Open curtains and blinds to their maximum or in some cases take the curtains down altogether. This will let a lot more light in and make it feel more airy and spacious. Some buyers feel claustrophobic when they walk into some homes, don’t let that happen to you!
Kerb appeal: A home to me is like falling in love! If a home is attractive on the outside, I’d be curious in seeing the inside. Clean the front yard, add a few large pots & some greenery. Your garden can be a major selling factor, make sure it’s clean, tidy and presentable. First impressions are key in selling your home!
Depersonalize your home: If you have a lot of personal photographs on the wall and throughout your house take them down and box them for your new house. Prospective buyers want to imagine themselves living in a new house and find it harder to do this when you have the family photos all over the house. This is purely psychological but it does make a difference. Trust me!
Let the Sun Shine in! Open curtains and blinds to their maximum or in some cases take the curtains down altogether. This will let a lot more light in and make it feel more airy and spacious. Some buyers feel claustrophobic when they walk into some homes, don’t let that happen to you!
Kerb appeal: A home to me is like falling in love! If a home is attractive on the outside, I’d be curious in seeing the inside. Clean the front yard, add a few large pots & some greenery. Your garden can be a major selling factor, make sure it’s clean, tidy and presentable. First impressions are key in selling your home!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Is It A Buyer’s Or A Seller’s Market?
Is it a buyer’s or a seller’s market?
When there are lots of people looking for homes but not many for sale, this is called a ‘seller’s market’, because the seller has something everybody wants. When there are more homes for sale and not many people buying them, this is called a “buyer’s market” because buyers have more power of choice.
How quickly do you need to sell your home?
In a seller’s market, top price and a fast sale can go hand-in-hand. In a buyer’s market, more sellers are competing for your potential buyer. If you have to sell right now, you may wish to lower your asking price a bit to speed up the sale.
Do home sales get frostbite?
It’s true. Winter sales tend to be slower, and Spring sales are more brisk. Regardless, there are always people looking to buy, and seasonality is only one of many factors to consider. If you’re also buying a home. In this case, you don’t really have to worry about playing the market. If you sell your existing home for a ‘low’ price, you’re probably also buying at a low price. If you are upgrading to a larger home, this actually works to your advantage. Imagine when your bigger home is on the upswing. If you’re downsizing from a bigger home to a smaller home or a condo, you need to pay a bit more attention to the market.
Buy first or sell first?
The eternal question. Many people are able to time their sale and purchase so they happen on the same “closing date.” Buyers can make their offer “conditional’ on the sale of their existing home, to make sure they’re not left paying for the upkeep of two homes. When selling, you can try to extend the “closing period” to give yourself more time to find your next home. If you find your new dream home before you’ve even started to sell your old one. Talk to your existing mortgage lender. You may be able to arrange “Bridge Financing.” This is when your lender (the bank) is confident your existing home will sell quickly, and they agree to lend you the down payment for your new dream home.
When there are lots of people looking for homes but not many for sale, this is called a ‘seller’s market’, because the seller has something everybody wants. When there are more homes for sale and not many people buying them, this is called a “buyer’s market” because buyers have more power of choice.
How quickly do you need to sell your home?
In a seller’s market, top price and a fast sale can go hand-in-hand. In a buyer’s market, more sellers are competing for your potential buyer. If you have to sell right now, you may wish to lower your asking price a bit to speed up the sale.
Do home sales get frostbite?
It’s true. Winter sales tend to be slower, and Spring sales are more brisk. Regardless, there are always people looking to buy, and seasonality is only one of many factors to consider. If you’re also buying a home. In this case, you don’t really have to worry about playing the market. If you sell your existing home for a ‘low’ price, you’re probably also buying at a low price. If you are upgrading to a larger home, this actually works to your advantage. Imagine when your bigger home is on the upswing. If you’re downsizing from a bigger home to a smaller home or a condo, you need to pay a bit more attention to the market.
Buy first or sell first?
The eternal question. Many people are able to time their sale and purchase so they happen on the same “closing date.” Buyers can make their offer “conditional’ on the sale of their existing home, to make sure they’re not left paying for the upkeep of two homes. When selling, you can try to extend the “closing period” to give yourself more time to find your next home. If you find your new dream home before you’ve even started to sell your old one. Talk to your existing mortgage lender. You may be able to arrange “Bridge Financing.” This is when your lender (the bank) is confident your existing home will sell quickly, and they agree to lend you the down payment for your new dream home.
Should I Buy or Should I Rent?
Buy or Rent
With today’s low rates, mortgage payments are often less than monthly rent payments, making home ownership more attractive than ever. Instead of using your hard-earned cash to pay the landlord’s mortgage, you can use the rent money to buy a home of your own.
Buying a home makes sound financial sense, but the benefits extend much farther. Here are some facts to consider when you start wondering why buying is better than renting.
• If you are 35 now and just buying your first home, you’ll be mortgage free when you are 60 and sitting comfortably on a considerable asset. It could mean financial independence as a senior, and the opportunity to enjoy your golden years.
• It’s highly likely your investment will appreciate considerably in 25 years. Don’t buy now with the intention of making a quick fortune, though; think of home-buying as a sound, long-term investment.
• Buying a house is a very effective way of saving regularly for 25 years. Even if you never buy into another retirement savings or investment plan, you are effectively putting money away for the future when you buy a home.
• Owning a home of your own means you can set down roots, get to know your community and involve yourself in it. Kids can make friends in the neighborhood, many of whom will probably go to the same school and be involved in similar recreational groups.
• Discover the pride of home ownership. You can fix up the place to suit your particular needs. Knock out that cupboard under the stairs. Put a darkroom or woodworking room in your basement. Try those fancy paints or finishes. Put murals on the wall. Build a deck. Create the kitchen you’ve always dreamed of. You can enjoy the touches you put into your home for as long as you want, and then you can change them again.
• If you are planning to borrow money from a bank or other financial institution, owning your own home is a definite plus when it comes time to negotiate.
• If you pay $750 a month for a rental unit and never face a rent increase, after 25 years you will have paid a total of $225,000 - and have nothing to show for it. If, like most people, you face an annual rent increase of, say, five per cent, you will have paid out $430,000 to a landlord.
• You may not need as much money as you think to get into the home market. Qualified buyers can buy a house with as little as five per cent down these days through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) mortgage insurance plan.
• With many kinds of investments, you have to pay a capital gains tax on money you make. You don’t have to pay that tax when the value of your house goes up. This means you can keep more of the money your investment earns.
With today’s low rates, mortgage payments are often less than monthly rent payments, making home ownership more attractive than ever. Instead of using your hard-earned cash to pay the landlord’s mortgage, you can use the rent money to buy a home of your own.
Buying a home makes sound financial sense, but the benefits extend much farther. Here are some facts to consider when you start wondering why buying is better than renting.
• If you are 35 now and just buying your first home, you’ll be mortgage free when you are 60 and sitting comfortably on a considerable asset. It could mean financial independence as a senior, and the opportunity to enjoy your golden years.
• It’s highly likely your investment will appreciate considerably in 25 years. Don’t buy now with the intention of making a quick fortune, though; think of home-buying as a sound, long-term investment.
• Buying a house is a very effective way of saving regularly for 25 years. Even if you never buy into another retirement savings or investment plan, you are effectively putting money away for the future when you buy a home.
• Owning a home of your own means you can set down roots, get to know your community and involve yourself in it. Kids can make friends in the neighborhood, many of whom will probably go to the same school and be involved in similar recreational groups.
• Discover the pride of home ownership. You can fix up the place to suit your particular needs. Knock out that cupboard under the stairs. Put a darkroom or woodworking room in your basement. Try those fancy paints or finishes. Put murals on the wall. Build a deck. Create the kitchen you’ve always dreamed of. You can enjoy the touches you put into your home for as long as you want, and then you can change them again.
• If you are planning to borrow money from a bank or other financial institution, owning your own home is a definite plus when it comes time to negotiate.
• If you pay $750 a month for a rental unit and never face a rent increase, after 25 years you will have paid a total of $225,000 - and have nothing to show for it. If, like most people, you face an annual rent increase of, say, five per cent, you will have paid out $430,000 to a landlord.
• You may not need as much money as you think to get into the home market. Qualified buyers can buy a house with as little as five per cent down these days through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) mortgage insurance plan.
• With many kinds of investments, you have to pay a capital gains tax on money you make. You don’t have to pay that tax when the value of your house goes up. This means you can keep more of the money your investment earns.
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