broker east 2-18-11
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Broker 2-18-11TRANSCRIPT
A Real Estate Publication of the St. Tammany News • Friday, February 18 , 2011
You will love this fabulous home on a lush park-like acre. Home features beautiful custom wallpainting, soaring cathedral ceiling in the den, two living rooms, trey ceiling in master bed-room, and screened sunroom. There is a three car garage and two parking pads. Wonderfullocation in a very demand school district and convenient to a major hospital, shopping,restaurants, and highways for easy commute. For a private showing call Dino Aversa ofColdwell Banker TEC Realtors at 985-649-6300. You are also invited to visit our OpenHouse Sunday from 2 – 4 PM hosted by Sara Clancy.
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Roughly half of all homes havehardwood flooring, and industryprofessionals suspect more andmore homeowners are looking tohardwood flooring for their homes.
When surveyed, 90 percent ofreal estate agents have said thathardwood flooring is a desirable fea-ture in a home. Those agents alsosay property with hardwood floor-ing sells faster than one with carpet-ing or another flooring option.
With hardwood flooring so preva-lent in homes, protecting thosebeautiful wood floors is a major pri-ority for homeowners. Caring for
hardwood floors only takes somecommon sense precautions andminimal maintenance. Today'shardwood floors are often producedwith durable sealants that protectthe wood underneath or are com-prised of composite or reclaimedwood products. But that doesn'tmean precautions should be takento further protect against potentialdamage to the flooring.
•Place area rugs or mats at thedoorways entering the home. Thisway sand, dirt and other debris canbe wiped off at the entryway and not
carried onto the wood flooringwhere it can cause abrasions overtime.
•Pay careful attention to whichtypes of shoes are worn on thefloors. High heels or cleats can dam-age the wood. Removing shoes priorto walking on the floor is a safer bet.
•Choose the right type of cleanerfor the floor. Do not assume justbecause a particular cleaner is ade-quate for wood cabinetry or furni-ture that it is also fine for woodflooring. Check the label.
•Use area rugs and carpet runnerson areas of the floor that tend to behigh-traffic areas. This will preventthese areas from being worn downunevenly from other areas of thefloor.
•Do not allow water or other liq-uids to stand on the floor for a longduration. This can cause degrada-tion of the wood and staining.
•Use felt or plastic protectors onthe "feet" of dining room chairs orother furniture to prevent againstscuffing or scratches.
Wood flooring can be an expen-sive addition to any home, but onethat is sought after for its aestheticappeal. To ensure a floor remains ingood condition over the long haul,take action to protect hardwoodfloors as soon as possible. SH112404
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011 BBRROOKKEERR EEAASSTT PAGE 3ST. TAMMANY NEWS
Protecting Hardwood Floors
Homeowners can take several steps to protect their invest-ment in timeless and attractive hardwood floors.
Record-low interest rates andrecord-low housing prices arerenewing interest in the floun-dering housing market formany people. Now could be thetime to sell and buy a new homeand earn an even bigger slice ofthe real estate pie. Whether anindividual is a buyer or a seller,or doing both, his or her goal isto get the best financial deal onthe home -- and often that
means having a qualified realestate agent working in his orher corner.
Those entering the real estaterealm may have misconceptionsabout what's involved.Oftentimes, individuals thinkthey can go it alone and savemoney on real estate commis-sions in the process. However,not having a knowledgeableagent to navigate the process
can end up costing more moneyin the long run. An agent is notthere just to open up houses forviewing or to simply put a for-sale sign on the front lawn.Agents guide the seller or buyerthrough a complicated processof legalities and emotional hur-dles. The agent also negotiatesfor the buyer and seller to helpthem make important financialdecisions.
"When sellers are interview-ing real estate agents to markettheir homes, their primaryfocus is usually on the advertis-ing that the agent will offerthem," says Jessica Goodbody ofWeichert Realtors. "Advertisingis important, but, once sellershave an offer, they need a strongnegotiator to help them get thebest price and terms. Buyersshould also look for agents whohave strong negotiating skillsand neighborhood knowledgewhich will help them make themost of their purchasingpower."
Individuals can expect a realestate agent to help them navi-
gate a process that, to first-timebuyers or sellers, can proveintimidating.
Buying a Home1. Schedule a consultation to
discuss what features andamenities buyer is looking for ina home.
2. The agent may suggest buy-ers speak with a mortgage con-sultant to figure out their buy-ing power and obtain a mort-gage pre-approval letter.
3. The agent will then look uphome listings in a particularprice range and help the buyersto view the homes.
4. When buyers find a homethey want to purchase, the realestate agent will help themcome up with a fair marketprice and write up the contractto present to the seller.
5. The agent will help thebuyer negotiate on the finalprice with the seller.
6. In some states, the agentwill accept a down payment toplace in trust or work with a realestate attorney on behalf of thebuyer.
7. The agent may be presentduring a home inspection,which is recommended.
8. The agent will then sched-ule the home appraisal.
9. He or she will then confirmthe closing and be present atclosing with the buyer and theattorney, if necessary.
Selling a Home1. The real estate agent will
meet with the sellers and evalu-ate the home and property.
2. He or she will do a marketanalysis to figure out the bestprice to list the house based onthe neighborhood and compa-rable sales.
3. The agent may make sug-gestions for repairs or improve-ments that can help make thehome more attractive to buyers.
4. The real estate agent maypresent a marketing plan thatindicates where the home willbe advertised.
5. He or she will write up alisting agreement and begin theprocess of marketing the home.
6. An open house for realestate brokers may be sched-uled, also a caravan of brokersfrom the agents' own real estateoffice and surrounding affili-ates.
7. An open house for buyerswill be scheduled.
8. The agent will field callsfrom other agents and notifythe seller when a viewingrequest has been made.
9. Follow-up feedback can beoffered, which may includeinformation the agent receivesby making calls to people whoviewed the home or by trackinghow many potential buyersviewed the home listing.
10. When an offer comes in,the agent will notify the sellersand advise him or her of thenegotiation process.
11. The agent will be presentduring the home inspection, ifthe buyer requests one.
12. The agent will schedulewith the city or town to have acertificate of occupancy inspec-tion conducted.
13. The seller will be notifiedby the agent when the buyer hasobtained a mortgage commit-ment and made good faithdeposits.
14. The agent will likely bepresent at the home closingwith the real estate attorneys.
Individuals buying or selling ahome can certainly do it bythemselves, but real estateagents have the knowledge andprovide assistance through themyriad steps of the process,helping individuals to save timeand money. MM10C156
PAGE 4 BBRROOKKEERR EEAASSTT FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011 ST. TAMMANY NEWS
Real Estate Agents Can Help Save Buyers and Sellers Money
PAGE 6 BBRROOKKEERR EEAASSTT FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011 ST. TAMMANY NEWS
ST. TAMMANY NEWS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011 BBRROOKKEERR EEAASSTT PAGE 7
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PAGE 8 BBRROOKKEERR EEAASSTT FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2011 ST. TAMMANY NEWS
Locating Your Laundry Room
You probably spend a lot oftime doing laundry, from pilesof bathroom towels to the kids'sports uniforms. To be surethis chore doesn't becomemore of a headache than it hasto be, consider planning thestyle and location of your laun-dry room around yourlifestyle, rather than just stick-ing it in the basement or a cor-ner closet. When decidingwhere to set up your laundryroom, ask yourself these ques-tions:
* Where in your home doyou spend most of your time?If it's your kitchen or your liv-ing room, the laundry roomshould be adjacent to thoserooms. Just be sure to pur-chase sound-conditionedappliances so the noise of thewasher and dryer doesn't com-
pete with family conversationor the television.
* If you are unable to climbstairs or prefer to save yourworkout for the local gym,consider putting the laundryroom on a main level or evennext to the bedrooms, wherethe majority of laundry will begenerated.
* If cost is an issue, and youcan't rework your home'sentire plumbing system, findout which walls house themain water and waste pipesand plan your laundry area forthose locations.
* Think creatively to turnyour laundry area into a multi-use space to save on interiorreal estate. It may double as amud room, a butler's pantry, orexercise area. FH099543