The Mesquite Nevada Real Estate Blog: September 2008

Are you getting a lot of "lookers" but no "takers"? A lot of showings but no offers (or mostly low ball offers)? Your home probably needs the help of a Professional Home Stager.

Preparing a home for sale is a lot like getting ready for a first date. When preparing for a date you may ask yourself "Do I look good?", "Do I smell good?" "Will he/she like me?" "Could this lead to a long term relationship?"

It is the same with putting a home on the market. Ask yourself:

Have I done everything I can possibly do to get a potential buyer to like the home enough to lead to a long term relationship (aka a sale)? Does my home look good? Does it smell good?

 

Santa Monica kitchen after staging by Moving Mountains Design Home Staging

 

 

 

 

 

As with dating, sometimes it takes an objective   observer to tell you if your home is ready for it's first date with buyers. Thats where a professional home stager comes in. Home stagers are trained to inspect your home with "buyer's eyes". They can spot all the small and large items that need to be addressed so that your potential buyers are not turned off by the condition or appearance of your home. For less than $500, in most cases, a professional home stager will prepare a comprehensive staging report that will act as a road map for preparing your home for sale.

Some of the questions that might be addressed in a comprehensive staging consultation are:

Is the home sparkling clean? Really? What about those mineral deposits on the shower door or that pesky mildew stain on the grout?
Does the home smell good? Really? Do you have a cat? Did you make curry for dinner last week? If a home stager can smell it, so can a potential buyer.
Is there a working lightbulb in every lamp and fixture? What about the missing light bulb in the patio light?
Do the hinges squeak? Do all the door knobs work?
Has that leaky faucet been repaired?
Has all the dog poop been picked up in the yard?
Do the walls or trim need to be painted? Does the wall paper need to be stripped and the rooms freshened up?
Are your walls painted a color that will be attractive to most potential buyers, or just buyers that share your particular taste?
Is your furniture arranged in a manner that makes your rooms seem larger than they are?
Is there too much furniture? Too much clutter? Too many personal items?

 

 Pasadena Craftsman before staging

 

 

 

 

 

 A home stager can also help you find a handyman, professional painter, carpet installer, cleaning service and mover. Don't forget, experienced home stage have helped many home owners prepare their homes for sale. They have a lot of tricks up their sleeves that will make your move easier.

Most home stagers offer a full menu of staging services to suit almost every home seller's needs. Once you have your comprehensive staging report in hand, you can then do the suggested work yourself, do some of the work yourself and hire the stager to do the balance or hire the stager to do all of the work.

 

 

Pasadena Craftsman after staging by Moving Mountains Design Home Staging

 

 

 

 

 Professional home stagers are trained to help you take the guess work out of preparing your home. We help you make your home more appealing to the greatest number of potential "lookers" so they become "takers". For a faster sale at the best price, call a Professional Home Stager today.

Moving Mountains Design was recently featured in the Sunday Los Angeles Times Real Estate section in an article about the benefits of staging a home. Don't settle for second best and don't trust the sale of your home to just anyone. Choose the Los Angeles home staging company with the experience and knowledge to help you get your home sold faster and for the best price. Call us today at (626)441-8975 or visit our Los Angeles home staging website.

To say your credit history & score is HUGE these days may be a borderline understatement.  For purposes of my experience, I'll concentrate on how credit relates to getting a mortgage to buy a home or trying to refinance the one you currently own.

Talking about credit is about as much fun as chewing broken glass while watching Yanni's latest video on VH1, at least to most.  Even for the most severe masochists or staunchest Yanni advocators, it's probably not a subject full of brim excitement.

So, I'll try to make this concise and simple.  Educating yourself and working with professionals who can guide you along the way, to make sure your credit is worthy of a three course meal at the White House, is crucial.  I'm not just talking about those whose credit is in the crapper.  I'm also writing to folks whose credit may be moderate or maybe you've never made a late payment in your life but your score is low.  The Credit Reporting Industry is wagging the dog, forget about whining... work and know the system.

Here are a few tips & quips:

* Get a copy of your Credit Report.  It may not provide your actual credit score, but at least you can verify the accuracy of the information on your report.  I've included information below that you can utilize to do this.  Quick thing here, credit modules differ within industries.  For example, the credit report a mortgage company pulls may differ from that of the institution giving you a car loan or credit card.  Mortgage folks weigh heavy on student loans and car loans and even heavier on your Mortgage History, provided you have one. 

* Communication is key with your credit.  If you are experiencing rough financial times, call them before they WILL call you.  Let your creditors know what is going on.  It probably won't stop them from reporting you late to the credit agencies, but it probably will provide you one less of a headache.  That's what life's all about... avoiding headaches:-)

* The only thing that may be just as bad or even worse than credit overload, is no credit at all.  Establish yourself in the creditor's eyes.  If you have no credit, get secured credit that reports to all three credit reporting agencies.  This may mean making a deposit at your bank and taking out a loan against it or pre-paying on a credit card.  If you are doing the latter, use that credit card and pay it off it off regularly.

...if you have a bankruptcy or foreclosure in your past, establishing 12-24 months worth of a good credit is absolutely crucial!

* Oh, those credit cards.  I'll put it bluntly, the bigger the differential between what your current balance is and what your available balance is, the better for your Credit Score.  Don't be afraid to call your credit card company and ask them to raise your available balance.  Don't use it, just have it there to improve your credit standing and score.

...sidenote on credit cards.  Don't be afraid to call your current credit holders and ask them to lower your interest rate.  If the first person you talk to can't or won't, ask to speak with a manager.  If unsuccessful in that endeavor, call back at a later date.  Be persistent & professional in your efforts.  Lowering your rate even the slightest bit can save you some serious money now and down the road.

* Pay your bills on time.  Yeah, I know, this is a no-brainer to most.  Yet, it doesn't report late to the credit bureaus until you fall 30 days late.  Try to make sure you don't get 30 days late on anything.  Sure, you may incur late fees if you are even a day behind on some credit, though Mortgage Companies typically give you a 15-day grace period before you incur any late fees.  From my experience, make sure your mortgage/rent is paid on time first, then student & car loans, then credit cards.  If you are a renter...

...pay your rent by check and keep copies of your canceled checks.  Twelve months worth will do (pay month by month, pre-paid bulk payments won't do you any favors...create a consistent history).  This establishes a housing history.  While it doesn't do anything positive for your credit, it does wonders when you apply to buy a home.

* Settle delinquent accounts for pennies on the dollar.  If you owe the International Bank of Jason Sardi a cool $5,000.00 and your account is charged off, you should call to arrange a settlement once it goes to collections.  Often times, you can come to an agreement for a lump sum of $2,500.00 or less and you may even be able to work out a payment plan.  Either case, make sure you pay that account satisfactory and get the paperwork of the agreement and the final pay-off to prove it.  Paying off delinquent accounts will probably drop your score at first, but will do wonders for your score down the road (provided you keep paying everything else on time).

* Avoid 'Hard' Inquiries.  Your current creditors may check your credit, but that is considered a 'Soft' inquiry and shouldn't affect your credit score.  Yet, if you are applying for credit out the behind, those inquiries can adversely affect your score.  It raises the red flag that you may be on your way to becoming credit dependent.  Psychologically speaking, never give them that drift, make them know that their livelihood depends on you... not the other way around.

* Credit Restoration Companies may be able to help but avoid anything that says, "Consumer Credit Counseling."  CCS is considered a form of bankruptcy in many lenders eyes and their ability to pay your debts at a 'consolidated interest rate & lower payment' is suspect and often times worsens the situation.  On the other hand, I've only witnessed one Credit Restoration Company worth its weight in the seven years I've been traveling this gig.  There may be and probably are more, but I've only witnessed one.  If you want more info, contact me.  Always remember though, you can do everything to make sure your credit is at it's best, yourself... it's a matter of being educated and persistence in your efforts.  That takes time.  Though time is a commodity not all of us have.

Below is info on the reporting agencies that you should contact to get started.  Even if you have an above average credit score, you'll pay more than you should if your credit score is even 20 points lower than the next guy or gal.  Save yourself money, put in the time and seek out the Mortgage Professionals to ensure that time is well spent.  Your credit is crucial... our knowledge of the industry and mechanics involved... can save you money and fulfill your dreams of home-ownership.  If you already are a homeowner, we can help you get on the path to make finances one less worry in this life.

 

Equifax

P.O. Box 740241

Atlanta, GA 30374

1-800-685-1111

www.equifax.com

 

TransUnion

P.O. Box 2000

Chester, PA 19022-2000

1-800-916-8800

www.transunion.com

 

Experian

P.O. Box 2104

Allen, TX 75013

1-888-397-3742

www.experian.com

 

Bear in mind, at this point, you're entitled to one free credit report a year.  Or, and I'd personally recommend this, you can get the whole batch which is simply called the 'Annual Credit Report Request Form.'  That's free as well!  The following sites will lead you in the right direction:

http://ftc.gov/credit

www.annualcreditreport.com

The bottom line in all this, the status of your credit can either cost or save you money.  Which option sounds better to you? 

***UPDATE!***

Lori brings up a good point with the following comment:

i Jason,

What a great blog. You gave a lot of valuable information. I envy your writing skills. I have just one comment, be careful on advise towards settlement's. While it may make the consumer feel like they have done the ethical and moral thing, it mayl not help their credit rating. In reality, you can actually hurt it in the long run. That item can now be reported up to another 7 years. Understand that this reporting is fromthe date of last activity. If you are dealing with an item that has been reporting for a while and is about to fall off, by paying the debt it will be re-activated and stay on for up to another 7 years. The bottom line is a negative entry is a negative entry.  Advise on repairing credit should be looked at on a case to case basis. Each credit profile is as individual as a fingerprint. While most of your information is spot on, there are certain things that can't be generalized. I wish I had your writing skills to be able to give out all the information in my head. I am working on that end of my social networking. Again, great post and feel free to call e-mail me with any questions relating credit repair, credit profiles or any credit related issue including identity theft.

Happy Thanksgiving-Lori Isaacson

 

11/25/2008 01:46 PM

by Lori Isaacson (Credit Restoration Consultants)

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