Comments for Home Fix-It Tips

Comment on Home Staging in Tough Times OR How Home Stagers Can Profit from a Real Estate Staging Business in a Down Economy or Any Economy, Even Without Cash by Midwest Book Review

Midwest Book Review — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 10:33:55 +0000

Home Staging in Tough Times offers a number of tips, ideas and concepts never before published by home stager expert Barbara Jennings, who offers plenty of examples, forms, sample letters, promotional articles and more to go beyond the usual ‘how to stage a home’ guide. Learn how to open and operate a home staging business with a practical, hands-on guide professionals and home sellers alike will appreciate.

Comment on Home Staging in Tough Times OR How Home Stagers Can Profit from a Real Estate Staging Business in a Down Economy or Any Economy, Even Without Cash by Casey Cole

Casey Cole — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 09:31:51 +0000

As everyone knows the real estate market has been hammered. No one is doing business as usual. That’s why this book is so timely and practical. It truly is a gem and in a class of its own. It is what it claims to be: an indepth discussion on practical steps one can take to market their business to people who cannot afford to pay for the service or who are reluctant to do so for whatever reason. A business person needs every strategy they can use and needs to be able to adapt what used to work. All of the forms are unique and original and well suited to the topic. It’s a different take on the home staging business and devotes much space to identifying alternative ways to market a staging business and transact business whether the client has cash or not. I love the refreshing outlook and it has kindled lots of new ideas I plan to try out. I already got a new client as a result, so it has more than paid for itself many times over. My thanks to the author. Cheers!

Comment on Home Staging in Tough Times OR How Home Stagers Can Profit from a Real Estate Staging Business in a Down Economy or Any Economy, Even Without Cash by Inspired Trainer

Inspired Trainer — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 06:44:20 +0000

This book really delivers lots of ideas and methods to market a staging business during a down real estate market. It is refreshing when the material is targeted and easy to follow. These concepts are easy to implement too, so that makes them even more valuable. I would recommend this book even if times were better. It’s a different twist that anyone can use.

Comment on Home Staging in Tough Times OR How Home Stagers Can Profit from a Real Estate Staging Business in a Down Economy or Any Economy, Even Without Cash by Sandra Brewer

Sandra Brewer — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 06:38:31 +0000

I read this book cover-to-cover and found it very informative. I like the writers conversational style, she conveyed the information very well and she is quite knowledgable in her field. I purchased 2 other books by the same author and, although some information was repeated, I found that it was appropriate and made it easy for me to remember. Overall I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.

Comment on Home Staging in Tough Times OR How Home Stagers Can Profit from a Real Estate Staging Business in a Down Economy or Any Economy, Even Without Cash by Decorating Lover

Decorating Lover — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 04:10:18 +0000

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of this author’s books. I have bought several (and a few by other authors as well) and there is simply no comparison. I’m amazed at the wealth of information contained in all of her books – and each book focuses on different aspects of what can be a very complicated business to market and operate successfully. I appreciate the depth of her knowledge and experience and how she shares so willingly with readers. Jennings shines every time out.

What makes this book especially good and different from all her other ones, is that she addresses some marketing strategies that work specifically well in a down market – cashless strategies – and opens your eyes to more possibilities. We are left to pick and choose what works best with our personality and area of the country. Some ideas look to be really fun and a bit daring, so if you like creative marketing, ths book is for you. It’s also loaded with great forms, sample letters of all types and I’m finding it very useful – just the kind of practical stuff I crave and find so helpful. Everyone should have a copy of this book, especially now. I’m thankful I have all of her books.

Comment on where can I find products lice fake plasma tv’s or fake shampaine for staging my house? by R P A

R P A — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:16:20 +0000

You can check your local craigs list free section. I see non-working large screen TV’s for free all the time. Buy real Champagne and celebrate when you sell!

Comment on What do I need to start my own Home Staging business? by RetiredDebtFree

RetiredDebtFree — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 04:49:46 +0000

You need to know how to explain to people that their kids’ art has to come off the fridge, and painting over the purple wall in the living room is well worth the money. Anyone can pack up people’s stuff and clean off shelves and garages. Psychology and tact are the skills that are the hardest to master, especially when it comes to religious and/or ethnic themes and items. Negotiation skills will serve you well, and an understanding of different personality types, biases, and traditions.

Connections with realtors will be almost mandatory. Work for free for 6-8 homes to get some experience and references if you do not already have a customer base that is easily reachable.

Comment on Do home appraisals strictly cover the house or do they also include the property the house is on? by LandMark Valuation

LandMark Valuation — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:36:28 +0000

Theoretically, all real property appraisals contain both. Site size is dependent upon the legal description. To appraise improvements sited on over 5 acres and not consider the entire site is a violation of both USPAP and FNMA (with the exception of a hypothetical situation, which is rare and generally mishandled). To consider a subdivision of the site for other purposes would again require a hypothetical situation. The lender wants to know what the value of the property you’re purchasing as legally described and currently utilized is, on the effective date of the appraisal (inspection date). It appears you’re buying the house to live in, so the contributory value of the improvements (house) typically exceeds the contributory value of the land (it’s not transitioning to commercial). In fact, lenders look for this and have a guideline of the site (land) not exceeding 30% of total value for typical residential properties. In certain instances (farm properties with large acreage and certain waterfront properties) this is inevitable. It is extremely likely your lender ordered a “full (FNMA 1004 Form) appraisal’, which includes what’s called a “Cost Approach”. This is located on page 3 of the form and contains a breakdown of value attributable to the site, as well as improvements. If perfomed properly and supported, this will give you a significantly accurate representation of the site value. Enjoy your new place!

Comment on Do home appraisals strictly cover the house or do they also include the property the house is on? by Bill

Bill — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:34:26 +0000

An appraisal for mortgage lending purposes will almost always cover both the land and improvements. A rare exception would be an instance where a mortgaged property includes excess land that the owner wishes to split off and sell or otherwise develop separately. If such is permitted by CCRs and city planning, the lender might require current appraisals of the property as is, the residual property minus the split off land, and the value of the split off land.

For other purposes, either the land or the improvements could be appraised independently of each other. For example, an appraisal on an older dwelling on land in an area that is transitioning to commercial. Here, a bank might want an appraisal of the land only.

Comment on Do home appraisals strictly cover the house or do they also include the property the house is on? by teran_realtor

teran_realtor — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 13:35:19 +0000

Normally, it covers both. If you’re buying a mobile home on rented land, there will be no consideration for the land.

In the spirit of the elections….. “If I am given the ten points, I promise to work diligently so your appraisal will come out right at the sales price! I voted in favor of that at the beginning and I still stand by that decision.”