Seduce Buyers With The Master Bedroom Suite

Provided By Realty Times

Kitchens and bedrooms are both very important rooms in a home. It's in these two rooms where our basic needs are satisfied but they are also areas of a home that attract buyers for more than just what's done in these rooms: eating and sleeping. The master bedroom suite and the kitchen can be used for multiple purposes.

If your home has a master bedroom suite, a room large enough to allow space for more than just a bed and a couple of dressers, then it can be decorated to highlight other activities like a reading nook or a meditation setting.

In the kitchen, as I've written about in previous columns, it's not just how functional it is for cooking meals that appeal to buyers. Instead, they also want to see that the kitchen can be a comfy gathering place where the cook can have guests huddle around over a glass of wine while the meal is being fixed.

The common denominator, as you might well be able to see, is that homes must have gathering spaces where family and friends can come together, like in the kitchen-great room extension–a wide open area (formerly a living room but now opening into the kitchen) that unites the rooms and the company in them.

But conversely, homes also need privacy. Spaces that are like sanctuaries and escapes for the people living in them. A place for individuals to take a break, even from the other members living in the home. Thus the master bedroom suite is so much more than just a "bedroom".

It can be a place of refuge. A place to unwind and re-energize for another busy day. In a master bedroom suite, you have the ideal opportunity to create an atmosphere that allows you to see the bedroom as more than just a sleeping area.

Master bedroom suites can be very appealing to buyers if they're nicely decorated. However, sometimes sellers will use the extra space in a master bedroom to store things they love but that aren't appropriate in the minds of most buyers.

What do I mean? I did a walk-thru with a designer who was pointing out the pros and cons of home that the seller was getting ready to put on the market. There was a big beautiful master bedroom suite. Your eye was drawn to the bright (pink, red, white) colors. Architecturally, the master bathroom flowed seamlessly into the master bedroom suite but then your vision stopped abruptly at the large, protruding drum set. Yes, drum set, in the corner of the master bedroom that overlooked a beautiful valley. Unfortunately, you couldn't really see the valley and its lush trees because of the drum set that blocked the window.

So, you get my point. This was a good example of what not to put in your master bedroom. Yes, the rare drum enthusiast may argue this issue but most would not think that a drum set belongs in the master bedroom suite.

When you're staging your home for sale, you're staging it for the masses, not the rare exceptions.

Here are a few quick pointers. Go with colors you like but try to keep it to no more than three or four. Any more than that and the room can look a bit kaleidoscopic. Keep the colors all flowing and harmonizing unless you have a very compartmentalized master bedroom suite. Then you can separate the areas using different colors like entering a different room but if the areas can be seen from any one standing point, make sure they blend.

Use lighting and mirrors to evoke emotion, depth, dispersion of light, and interesting views. This also creates a greater brightness and cheery look. Decorative lighting is also good in large rooms.

Remember the key to good decor that appeals to buyers is to keep the room comfy, simple, and not overly crowded. And, even though you're selling the home, you might just find that style of decor is also attractive to you. It's just that the day-to-day living often imposed piles, boxes, and added "stuff" that accumulates and sometimes doesn't find the appropriate "home" until it's time to move.

Making your master bedroom suite seductive will surely create a compelling reason for a buyer to consider making an offer.

Survey Reality: Is What I See, What I Get?

Provided By Realty Times

As I stand on my front porch admiring my small, but spectacular, spring garden, nestled under my two towering spruce trees, I am very wrong about everything I see.

 

Most of my urban garden - plants, trees, rocks, retaining wall… - is not “mine," but the government's.
The first 30 feet or so in from the street belong to the city even though I am charged to look after this land. I'm caretaker of the retaining wall, trees, and plants, but not owner of the land they occupy.
 
The actual property line marking the limit of my ownership is not the street curb that I consider as delineating what's mine from public property. My ownership begins at an invisible line called the street line, not visible to anybody, but a surveyor. (In different jurisdictions, this ownership demarcation may have a different name, like building line.)


The marked line, running left of the hedge on Edith Avenue and parallel to it, is the street line.
©Copyright 2012 Association of Ontario Land Surveyors, AOLS.org Surveyors are not blessed with sci-fi sight that allows them to detect street lines. However, they do have the special knowledge, skills, and technology to carry out the detailed research which reveals street line locations - along with many other things, or improvements - on the land.
 
In Ontario, licensed land surveyors (OLS) are members of the Association of Association of Ontario Land Surveyors (AOLS). The designation requires successful completion of a university program, an articling period, and professional exams.
 
The visual confusion assailing property owners extends to the other property boundaries, too. Fences are taken as identifiers of what's mine and what's not, but their location can only be determined by a surveyor's skill. Are your fences on the property line, or on one side or other of that boundary? Only a survey (more accurately called a plan of survey) can identify exactly where boundaries - and, therefore, fences - are on the land. But a plan of survey's value lies beyond this basic clarification.
 
You think you can count on knowing that you own the buildings on your property, but you can't especially if they are near a property boundary. Once again, only surveyors can confirm that the garage or patio lies entirely within a property, or extends or encroaches on neighbouring land.
 
Even obvious overlaps like eavestroughs require a survey to establish exactly how much of an encroachment is involved. If a gutter or garage extends only a few inches into the neighbouring property, problems can arise. Ever tried to move a garage 6 inches to the left to pacify an irritated neighbour? Mortgage lenders don't like encroachments because they can lead to legal issues which could delay a quick sale should the homeowner default on the mortgage.
 
Title insurance can satisfy lender concerns because this product provides financial compensation for losses, but title insurance may not identify specific problems before closing or offer alternatives. Nor does it certify title in the ways a Surveyor's Real Property Report (SRPR) - considered “the best disclosure of the extent and quality of title" - does through its detailed plan and accompanying written report highlighting the OLS's opinion of any issues regarding title. Purchasers benefit from having the property they buy surveyed to ensure they know what they are getting. There are too many examples of cases, especially in cottage country, where how a property looks is quite different from the way ownership is revealed in a survey.
 
A plan of survey is not created in isolation, but ties the property to others in the neighbourhood, according to the original survey of the area. AOLS Deputy Registrar Maureen Mountjoy, OLS, OLIP describes this as fitting one property into “the fabric or the framework" of a street by researching previous surveys in the area and local details. Mountjoy explains: “You're trying to establish the original intent of the survey, so you can't just survey the property like an island. It has to be in conjunction with everything around it."
 
What are you missing when you stand and “survey" all that you own - or think you do? Perhaps, a plan of survey?
 
Resource - This AOLS brochure provides additional detail on the value of and relevance of plans of survey: Click Here ©Copyright 2012. Association of Ontario Land Surveyors, aols.org

Texas Housing Market Picking Up

Provided By Texas A&M Real Estate Center

The Texas real estate market gained positive momentum in first quarter 2012, according to the Texas Association of Realtors’ latest Texas Quarterly Housing Report, which was issued this week.

For January through March 2012, the volume of single-family home sales in Texas was 45,502, 12 percent more than the same quarter in 2011. The median price for Texas homes during the quarter was $147,100, up 2.7 percent more than a year ago.

Months inventory was at six months. Experts say a 6.5-month inventory represents a balanced market.
Real Estate Center Research Economist Dr. Jim Gaines said he believes several factors are driving the strong performance of the first quarter, including continued job growth in Texas and some increased access to credit for homebuyers.

Most of all, Gaines said there's beginning to be a shift in Texans’ attitudes toward real estate. Essentially, buyers and sellers have higher expectations for the market, so they’re beginning to take action, and the state is starting to feel the impact.

**RED DAY**

Hello Rockwall Community,

We are asking any and all volunteers to help us this Thursday, May 10, 2012 at the Boys & Girls Club of Rockwall! To learn more about how you can give back to your community please call us at 972.772.7000! Thank you!

-Rockwall Cares

"Being good is commendable, but only when it is combined with doing good is it useful."
-Author Unknown

Avoid First-Time Buyer Mistakes

Provided Realty Times

You've finally decided that now is the time for you to jump into the housing market! Perhaps you've done the math and want to take advantage of historically low interest rates and high levels of affordability. Maybe you have a new family that is quickly outgrowing your little rental. No matter the reason, buying real estate is a big responsibility.

 

There are several rookie mistakes that many first-time home buyers can make. Keep reading for how to avoid them!
 
First, first-timers underestimate the importance of finding the right real estate agent. Not all agents are equal. Not only do their experience levels and commission rates vary widely, but every agent has their own unique personality. You want to be sure you find an agent that you feel comfortable with and that you respect.
In order to find the best fit agent for your needs, set up several interviews with local agents. Ask them about their business. Do they have a cell number where you can reach them? Do they web conference on days you can't meet? How often do they send prospective homes to buyers? Be sure to ask for testimonials and references. Finally, just get a feel for how your two personalities will mesh. Does the agent seem to have your best interest at heart? Are they giving you the respect you deserve or treating you like a dunce?
Next, a common mistake for first-time agents is to consider what type of home you want. If you know ahead of time what you are looking for, the price range, as well as what you're willing to compromise on, you'll be much more likely to make a decision quickly about buying a specific home.
 
This is important for two reasons. You don't want to make an impulsive decision, but you also don't want to wait so long that someone else swoops in and buys the house before you can make an offer!
 
The third mistake is not considering that a home is an investment -- one where you don't want to lose your shirt down the line. Is this home priced right? Compare it to other similar homes. Is this home in a desirable location or is it next to a busy street, etc? Will is require a lot of work? When you go to resell this home, you want to make a profit or break even.
 
You'll need to consider that you'll probably pay an agent a commission and will be paying closing costs at selling time. This is extra money on top of what you need to make on the sale of the home to break even.
Most experts say you need to stay in a home for at least 3 to 5 years in order to break even. This time frame could be even longer if home values continue to fall. Remember, homeownership is a long-term investment
Next, ask your lender lots of questions and be proactive about finding the best deal. Different lenders will offer you different rates. Research your options. Would you be better served with a 15-year or 30-year note?
 
Ask lots of questions about the difference between adjustable and fixed rate mortgages. Learn about points. Find out how much interest you'll pay over the life of the loan. The lender is there to serve you, so don't be shy about getting the information you need.
 
Finally, don't be greedy or low-ball sellers. This may be a buyers market, but if you offer too little or ask too much in concessions you may turn the seller off. They don't have to sell their home to you!
 
Avoid these common first-time buyer mistakes and you're sure to have a fun and rewarding buying experience!