Ellerman Team Blog

Apple's First Quarter Earnings: The Unbelievable Numbers

2012-01-25T06:56:00.000-08:00

Apple's First Quarter Earnings: The Unbelievable Numbers

Statistics Prove Home Staging Works

2012-01-23T13:39:00.000-08:00

Statistics Prove Home Staging Works

National Radon Action Month

2012-01-20T08:23:00.001-08:00

Celebrate National Radon Action Month — You’ll Breathe Easier

January is National Radon Action Month. So don’t just sit there — take these actions to protect you and your family from this deadly gas.

Buying and Selling 2012 | NewsGeni.us

2012-01-18T11:19:00.000-08:00

Buying and Selling 2012 NewsGeni.us

Our Secret to Success? YOU!

2012-01-06T09:13:00.001-08:00

2012-01-06T08:06:00.000-08:00

The Rob Ellerman Team Scholarship Fund. Apply Today!

2712 Olmstead-0.wmv

2012-01-05T09:44:00.000-08:00

2012 Home Sales: Positives on Many Fronts

2012-01-05T08:39:00.000-08:00

2012 Home Sales: Positives on Many Fronts

Survey Reveals 5 Home Buying Myths

2011-11-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

Daily Real Estate News |

Friday, October 28, 2011

Overall, today’s home buyers tend to be fairly knowledgeable about the real estate market, but there are still a few points of confusion in the process, a new survey by Zillow of 1,000 potential home buyers finds.

Here are the five main areas of confusion the survey revealed:

Appreciation: About 42 percent of home buyers believe home values will appreciate by 7 percent a year. Reality: Historically, home values in a normal market appreciate by 2 to 5 percent in a year.

Mortgage insurance: 41 percent of buyers think they will have to purchase private mortgage insurance, regardless of the amount of their downpayment. Reality: Buyers only need to purchase PMI if their downpayment is less than 20 percent of the home’s purchase price.

Appraisals: 56 percent of the buyers said the purpose of the appraisal was to determine if a home was in good condition. Reality: That’s the purpose of a home inspection; an appraisal estimates fair market value.

Home owner’s insurance: 37 percent of home buyers said that buying home owner’s insurance is optional. Reality: Lenders require homebuyers to purchase homeowner’s insurance.

Ownership: 47 percent of home buyers said a prospective buyer owns a home after the purchase contract is signed. Reality: The purchase and sales agreement is the beginning of the closing phase, but it can be a long process until they finally take ownership.

Source: Zillow Inc.

9 Unique Features That Set a Home Apart

2011-09-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

9 Unique Features That Set a Home Apart

"Pet Peeves of a Home Stager"

2011-08-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

"Pet Peeves of a Home Stager"

(or: Things that Make Me Go "Aaarghhh!")

by: Cynthia Black, HomeStaging by Cynthia, Inc. in KCMO

www.HomeStagingByC.com

"Over 4,000 Homes Staged...since 1999!"

I'll admit that I've never owned a Peeve so I don't know what they're like as Pets, but I DO know what drives me nuts as a Home Stager:

Painted-over Wallpaper

I realize that some of the stager-types do this on HGTV, but it's EVIL! Eventually, the paint pulls the paper away from the wall, revealing a seam, which is a huge red flag for wise buyers. Meanwhile, someone is cursing the person who painted over the wallpaper (whose life is now in the toilet and doesn't know why). To avoid bad karma you'll never hear me say that it's okay to paint over wallpaper. Meanwhile, is it too much to ask builders to size before hanging wallpaper?

Exercise Equipment in the Master Bedroom

Ugly. All I can say is, if you're going to sweat in the master bedroom then you'd better be having fun, and stairstepping to Nowhere is not my idea of fun.

Smallish Closets with a Single Bar Across

There are home improvement store aisles devoted to this very important master bedroom space. I recommend that sellers raise the bar (pun intended) so that a double-hanging bar can hang in a portion of the space...add a shelf or two above...and for goodness' sake hide the open hamper of dirty skivvies seen on the closet floor.

Updated Kitchens with Brass Cabinet Pulls

The stainless (or black) appliances look amazing, the lighting has been updated...why are the cabinet pulls still brass? A hundred bucks or so and the kitchen is fully updated!

Granite Counters with Dated Back Splash

Why? Why? Why? Buyers see the dated back splash butted against the gorgeous granite counters and wonder why the sellers didn't finish the job. What should have been a fabulous plus is now a frustrating negative.

Chandelier Hung Too High

It's one thing to hook the chandelier higher to prevent the movers from bonking their heads on it, but it's another to leave it hung too high five years after the movers have moved on. Rule of thumb: 33" to 39" from the top of the table to the bottom of the chandelier. Easy fix.

Ceiling Fan Over a Dining Table

Unless the table is bathed in hot Summer sun most of the year requiring an overhead fan to keep diners from melting into the chairs, who wants to serve a hot meal that will be cold in 15 seconds? (Or, depending on housekeeping skills, covered in dust!)

Empty Bookshelves

Really? They look better empty? I suspect this trend was started by a "stager" who writes reports for a living and can't be bothered with dusty hands. Empty bookcases make a home feel soulless. Technically, I realize homes don't have a soul, but folks tend to connect to a home at that level, so just give me a call if the bookcases aren't cutting it. I can save them!

Artwork Hung at "Eye Level"

Just whose eye level are we talking about? Mister Basketball Star over there or Miss Pretty 'n Petite over here? The only time "eye level" applies is in a foyer or hallway, where one is never sitting. There, the rule-of-thumb is that the top of the frame should never be level with--or higher than--a door or window frame. We spend our time sitting in most rooms, so the artwork should be hung in relation to the furnishings, providing balance and color. You can feel the difference.

*sigh* I feel better now; thank you for letting me vent.

Wait, did you say vent?

The slats on a return-air vent need to be slanted so we don't see the unfinished wall behind it. Another simple fix!

If your listings need some tweakings please feel free to contact me. I stage what sellers already own, making their things work very hard to sell the home; I can do serious damage in just two hours!

Meanwhile, I'm having "Save the Bookshelves!" bumper-stickers made. I'm on a mission.

Cynthia Black (aka “The House Whisperer”)

HomeStaging by Cynthia, Inc.

816-444-5352

www.HomeStagingByC.com

"Over 4,000 Homes Staged since 1999...because the way we live in our home is different from the way we sell our home."

* * *

"Source: HomeStaging by Cynthia, Inc. in KCMO / www.HomeStagingByC.com "

Ellerman Team Blog

Apple's First Quarter Earnings: The Unbelievable Numbers

Statistics Prove Home Staging Works

National Radon Action Month

Celebrate National Radon Action Month — You’ll Breathe Easier

Buying and Selling 2012 | NewsGeni.us

Our Secret to Success? YOU!

2712 Olmstead-0.wmv

2012 Home Sales: Positives on Many Fronts

Survey Reveals 5 Home Buying Myths

9 Unique Features That Set a Home Apart

"Pet Peeves of a Home Stager"