Cindy Abraham, A Team Florida, Keller Williams Realty Professionals

 LandLord's

  With the thought in mind that many homeowners will become renters, I have this to say  LANDLORD'S LISTEN UP!  The wisest property manager I know has filled her buildings with families who lost their homes in short sales.  She has found that people who had short sales had an impeccable credit history until their credit score was hit because of the inability to pay the mortgage. These folks have pride of ownership and a history of meeting their financial obligations. Short-sighted landlords only look at the credit number and never take the time to find out the true credit history. This is a great time for landlords especially if your tenants are responsible people who went through the short sale process and did not just walk away from their homes.  Don't tell them they can never go home again! Let them "click their heels three times and say: “There's no place like home."

Cindy Abraham, A Team Florida, Keller Williams Realty Professionals

Short Sale Vs. Foreclosure

For most owners, a short sale is preferable to a foreclosure. Although both can negatively impact your credit score, in a short sale the owner made the effort to do the right thing. Future loans may depend on this effort.  Banks are unwilling to negotiate deficiency judgments with the homeowner after a foreclosure.  A foreclosure does not indicate “best effort” to better the situation for homeowner and lender.

Walking away from a property does not instill trust in a future lender. Foreclosures can not only hurt the future loan worthiness of the defaulting homeowner but also is bad for the neighborhood. If embarrassment enters into your decision, you can short sale your home without broadcasting it with yard signs and lockboxes.  It can be a completely confidential transaction.

Once you have made the decision to short sale your home, condo or investment property, I recommend you call me Cindy Abraham at 954-895-1617 I am a Certified Distressed Property Expert trained to handle the sale. I have the special skills to work with the seller through the complicated steps of the process.  

Cindy Abraham, A Team Florida, Keller Williams Realty Professionals

The big question is “Should I short sale, let the property foreclose or maybe file bankruptcy?”  If you are pondering whether to apply for a loan modification, agree to a short sale or just let the property go into foreclosure, PLEASE READ THIS.

Remember you are not alone.  Hundreds of thousands of people were victims of the Real Estate bubble.  Some have already resolved their problem but others were either paralyzed by the fear of losing their home, tried options that did not work, or just did not want to deal with it.   As this crisis has "matured" there is more assistance than when it first erupted.  First speak with your attorney and accountant.  They will be able to give you the advice you need for your particular situation. This is an important decision and one that needs to be made for peace of mind, if for no other reason.

As a Certified Distressed Property Expert, I can tell you from experience that there is no precedence for the upheaval the market has seen.  Having experienced working with properties in foreclosure, I have found that the best solution by far is a short sale.  If you know of ANYONE who has been successful with a loan modification that had favorable terms in the long run for the owner, call me. It would be a first.   If you or someone you know has paid hundreds of dollars to find out that a loan modification was either not feasible or was rejected, do not call me.  Sadly, I already know too many people who have been taken for the loan mod ride. The lack of results is shameful.

Cindy Abraham, A Team Florida, Keller Williams Realty Professionals

Windows and Doors
   Check all of your windows to make sure they open and close easily, especially in condos. Make sure there are no cracked or broken windowpanes or torn screens. If there are replace them before you begin showing your home.Do the same thing with the doors, make sure they open and close properly without sticking or creaking. For sliding glass doors DO NOT USE WD-40, use Aluminum Lubricant that doesn’t build up and attract dust.

Odor Control

   Smokers, please do what you can to minimize smoking indoors while trying to sell your home. Actually, it is best to move smoking outside. Use sprays that remove odors rather than masking them.  Apologies to pet owners, but pets come with odors.  You may have become used to them, but they are immediately noticeable to those with more finely tuned olfactory senses and allergies! For those with cats, be sure to empty kitty litter boxes daily and use plenty of baking soda. 

Cindy Abraham, The A Team, Keller Williams Realty Professionals

More On De-Cluttering


      Beneath The Sink

 Make sure the area beneath the sink is as empty as possible by removing all extra cleaning supplies. Scrub the area and check for signs of water leaks. These will come up in the inspection so you want to make sure it is not an active leak.

 

Ceilings, Walls, and Painting

Check all the ceilings for water stains, whether the leak is caused by plumbing or a faulty roof.  If a water stain is left after something you have already repaired, paint the area.  You may have to paint anyway, especially if dirt has accumulated in spots or you have an outdated color scheme. Painting makes a home look fresh and new on the inside and never fails to impress.Painting can be your best investment when selling. Painting is not a very expensive operation and often you can do it yourself. Choose colors based what would appeal to the widest possible number of buyers. You should almost always choose an off-white color because white helps your rooms appear bright and spacious.

Carpet and Flooring

Unless your carpet appears old and worn, or it is definitely an outdated style or color, you probably should do nothing more than hire a good carpet cleaner. If you do choose to replace it, do so with something inexpensive in a fairly neutral color.  Repair or replace broken floor tiles, but do not spend a lot of money on anything. Remember, you are not fixing up the place for yourself. You want to move. Your goal is simply to have few negative impressions upon those who may want to purchase your property.

Cindy Abraham, A Team Florida, Keller Williams

Getting your House or Condo Ready to Sell

         When speaking with real estate agents, you will often find that when they talk to buyers about real estate, they refer to the property as a “home." Yet if you are the seller, they will often refer to it as a "house." There is a reason for this. Buying real estate is often an emotional decision, but when selling real estate you need to remove emotion from the equation.You need to think of your house or condo as a marketable commodity. Your goal is to get buyers to see it as their potential home, not yours. If you do not consciously make this decision, you can inadvertently create a situation where it takes longer to sell your property.  The first step in getting your home ready to sell is to "de-personalize" it

Make Your Home "Anonymous"

       The reason you want to make your home "anonymous" is because you want buyers to view it as their potential home. When a potential homebuyer sees your family photos hanging on the wall, it puts your own brand on the home and momentarily shatters their illusions about living in the house themselves.Put away family photos, sports trophies, collectible items, knick-knacks, and souvenirs. Put them in a box and put the box in your storage unit.

Cindy Abraham, A Team Florida, Keller Williams

De-Cluttering

This is the hardest thing for most people to do because they are emotionally attached to everything in the house. After years of living in the same home, clutter collects in such a way that may not be evident to the homeowner. However, it does affect the way buyers see the home, even if you do not realize it. Clutter collects on shelves, counter tops, drawers, and closets. You want as much open clear space as possible, so every extra little thing needs to be cleared away.

The kitchen is a good place to start removing clutter, because it is an easy place to start.  First, get everything off the counters, even the toaster. Put the toaster in a cabinet and take it out when you use it. Find a place where you can store everything in cabinets and drawers. Of course, you may notice that you do not have cabinet space to put everything. Clean them out. The dishes, pots and pans that rarely get used? Put them in a box and put that box in storage.

If your kitchen cabinets, pantries, and drawers look jammed full, it sends a negative message to the buyer and does not promote an image of plentiful storage space. The best way to do that is to have as much "empty space" as possible. For that reason, if you have a "junk drawer," get rid of the junk. If you have a rarely used crock pot, put it in storage. Do this with every cabinet and drawer. Create open space, If you have a large amount of food crammed into the shelves or pantry, begin using them especially canned goods. Canned goods are heavy and you don’t want to be lugging them to a new house anyway, or paying a mover to do so.