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Quick word from Bettina,
(I could not resist to put my two cents in)
I am not sure if any
of you are listening, but looking at what the main stream media reports,
not vary many of you are.
The main stream media reports on the 7% defaulted market but never
reports on the 93% that are just in perfect shape and has no issues
paying their mortgage and their bills.
The main stream media reports on the Mortgage lenders branch that “got
the borrowers in trouble” but it takes two to tango. They never
report on the thousands of home owners that the department on the other
side of the branch has helped to keep their homes.
Everybody thinks that a lender has never done something to help
defaulted borrowers and that they only started to help people as the
government enacted laws. Have you maybe overlooked that these laws have
already been place for quite some times and have just been brought to
the forefront.
For years lenders have helped defaulted borrowers. Borrowers just did
not pick up the phone to talk to lenders, or even call the lender
themselves. No one reports on that…it is just better to feed the
negative media market. Why????
I know...It sells newspapers, bad news sells ....not good news....but I
still don't have to like it.
I just turn off the
main stream news.
Bettina Settles
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 Easy no cost seller
ideas to sell you home when you are in trouble.
Bettina Settles 03/01/2008
Money is tight and you are faced with
having to sell you home but you do not have any money to fix or repair
the home. The home then will have to be sold AS-IS.
Here are several things you can do to give your home the best chance to
sell quickly even if it needs repairs.
Think of what you can do and not what you can’t do……
None of them cost you any money and they may make you some money! (OK
one may, but only if you have no other option.)
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In the sellers
disclosure identify what needs to be repaired. Better to disclose than
to hope they will not see the need.
-
Start clearing out
and start selling stuff you do not need, look in every nook and
corner.
-
Take down all your
personal pictures and notes from the walls, desks, tables and
refrigerators. Buyers are not interested who is in the house. They want
to know about the house.
-
Vacuum all the
carpets in the house including under the bed and under the couch and chairs.
-
Deep clean all of
the bathrooms and the Kitchen. Do not forget behind the stove and
under the refrigerator. People will pull the shower curtain back to see how
clean the shower is.
-
Take a damp sponge
and clean off all the finger smudges of the walls by the light
switches and other places you can find. Don’t scrub hard. Be very
gentle.
-
Clean out
overstuffed closets. If you can put the excess in to storage or
sell it.
-
Organize your
kitchen. Get rid of the junk drawer (we all have one)
-
Clean off the
kitchen counter top. If it is cluttered, you tell the buyer that you
do not have enough storage cabinets to put your stuff away. The other message you might
give them………………………it will take me months to move
out!...................... …………………………….I have too much stuff to
move!!.....................................
-
Clean out the
garage and when you have to sell some of the stuff you have, do it!!
Otherwise put it in to storage. Do not use the garage as storage
unless you are planning on telling the buyers that the house is too
small and has not enough storage.
-
Clean up the
yard!!!
-
Mow the yard and
keep it trimmed!!!
-
Ask friends or
family members if they may have some plants you could plant in your
yard when you have none.
-
Clean your windows
and open the curtains to let light in!!!
All these items will cost you
no extra money you would not spend anyway unless you have to rent
storage. All this will cost you
is your time and effort to get it done.
The faster you can sell your home the faster you can get back on track and
the faster you might be able to get in to a new home. The longer it
takes to sell the home, the more you will owe at the closing. In this case time is money!!!!
Bettina Settles
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Newsletter Archive
1st quarter 2008
4th quarter 2007
3rd quarter 2007 |
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 Positive examples of people who did safe their homes.
Bettina Settles 03/01/2008
You only hear about people who are losing
their homes!
Let me give you some examples of people (names and identities have been
changed) who just did the opposite.
The first one is a self employed single women who, like some of the
people who are in trouble, had taken out an Adjustable Rates Mortgage.
She knew that she took out the Adjustable Rates Mortgage and she was
fully aware of the possible consequences when the rate would adjust.
What she did not calculate in was the economic trend of her industry and
the tightening expenses accounts of companies that would use her
services, and with this she had a downtrend in her income.
She did fall behind on her expenses and this included her mortgage.
Now she was in a race to save her house. She knew her credit was shot
but she did not care at this point. It took months of persistent
calling and daily communications on our part to be able to get her house pulled out of the sheriffs sale batch
at the last minute.
She is now back on track and working on getting her credit restored.
How last minute was the home saved?
It was pulled out of the Sheriffs sale the Friday before the sale. And
the sale was on a Wednesday morning.
Why where we able to do this?
Because we called and talked to the lender all day every day since day
one and we had all our paperwork that was requested ready in a very
short period of time.
The second case was a single, very well educated young man who wanted to
buy a home but was not able to afford it at the time.
He took in room mates and at first all was well.
He repaired and updated the home and one day he found himself in the
home without roommates and no savings to keep his bills up to date. By
now he had a new job and was making enough money, but he already was
behind and in trouble.
Now his race started to save his house. He was fully aware that his
credit was gone at this time and he was not able to refinance to a lower
rate. Again, with months of persistent calling and communications with the
lender, the loan was modified and we now can happily report that this
young man is able to combine is first and second mortgage in to a fixed
rate mortgage.
With the combining of his mortgages he will cut down on the total
interest rate, time when the mortgage matures, and he will save 100’s on
the mortgage payments.
True stories and these are the ones you never hear about…what a shame…
and there are more….
Bettina Settles
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Selling a Home is a Team
Sport.
Bettina Settles 03/010/2008
……and you the seller have a very
important part.
Houses can only sell when the
selling Team works together. And as the seller, you are part of
the team. Nothing new, but now let me explain you what I mean with this.
Your part is to make sure that your
home puts its best foot forward. Without this very vital contribution to
the Team the rest of the Team will not have it easy to do their part.
The Marketing part of the selling is
started right after you sign the Listing contract. Most of the REALTORS®
will advertise the house online and with fliers that are available in
the flier box right in front of your house.
One of the seller’s parts of the
Teamwork is to de-clutter the house and to put their personal
possessions away during or prior to showings.
Now, the Buyer who has read the web
advertising, has looked at the pictures of the home that have been
posted online, and reads the property remark:” Roomy home, with ample
storage”, goes through the house and now finds the kitchen full with
clutter and stuff and the toothbrush dirty in the sink or dirty laundry
on the floor will probably be a little disappointed that the way the
house looks at the showing does not match what they had expected.
I know this is a drastic example, but
this is to show how important the part a seller plays in the selling team.
The REALTOR® is there to help as a
coach to get the team to the finish line and the goal. Everybody
is a vital part of the team.
Bettina Settles
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Bettina Settles Realty LLC
Office Phone:
317-508-0627,
Fax:
317-883-0830
E-Mail
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Website:
www.BettinaSettlesRealty.com
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