Virtual Staging helps sell foreclosures, vacant homes

Here is one in the why didn't I think of that category. New companies are springing up all over the internet offering a service called virtual staging. That's right - just email photos of the vacant rooms to one of the services, and they will digitally add furniture, art, plants, dishes, everything to make your home look like it was staged by a professional designer.

This relatively inexpensive alternative to traditional staging is helping to sell vacant foreclosures and helping homeowners with little capital to redecorate. Just Google "virtual staging" and several companies come up. Check out their gallery photos and you'll be impressed, although one of the galleries I looked at used the same strange curtains in every room.

If you have a vacant home or investment property that you'd like to list with me, I'll be glad to investigate this service on your behalf. Just email or give me a call to go over this and other technology options I use for selling listings.

Another Benefit for Home Sellers

By now, every Realtor should realize the importance of using the Internet, in as many ways as possible, for publicizing listings. It is known that 81% of homebuyers start their search on the web, and in my experience, most buyers who work with a Realtor use the internet for information on neighborhoods, school districts, and transit routes.

For my listings, I used the internet extensively, and I've just added this new benefit - auto posting through Posterous.com. It is preposterously simple, preposterously useful , and - ok, sorry, I'm sure you get the picture by now. I just write my posts in an email to my posterous account, and it automatically distributes it to my blog, my FaceBook account, and my Twitter account. Pictures are posted to Flickr, videos to YouTube and Vimeo - incredibly easy to use, all bringing your listing greater publicity, quickly and easily. Plus, posterous.com is adding new utilities all the time.

In addition to the benefits of tweetlister, postlets, and other internet exposure utilities, your listings receive great exposure to as many buyers as possible. I look forward to working with you.

Zemanta helped me add links & pictures to this email. It can do it for you too.

Posted via email from lisamerrittrealtor's posterous

My First Blog Post

Ok, so Google is taking over the world, and I'm trying out posterous.  If this works, it is the most awesome, easy-to-use web app ever.

Posted via email from lisamerrittrealtor's posterous

Google amps up real estate listing competition

A recent Google announcement on their Lat Long Blog details the many ways that real estate has changed the process of searching for a new home - right from one's computer.

These many services go far beyond just searching the various listing services to find a new home. For instance, a prospective buyer can use Google Maps Street View to check out a neighborhood before ever driving to the home for sale. You can get driving directions from a variety of services. There is even a service called Transit that lets you figure out your new commute to work if you should buy. (I had never tried Transit myself, so I just routed my drive from home to the office, and it suggested a route I have never tried that will shave an estimated 5 minutes off of my drive.)

Add to this Google's recently enhanced map based search that incorporates listings from Google Base. Real Bird Blog gives a great discussion of how this will improve the user's search experience as well as what this might do to upset the balance among real estate listing sites.

What does this mean for you? For starters, if you are considering listing your property with a realtor, you'll want to make sure that your realtor includes listing your property on Google Base in your marketing strategy. For buyers, if you know the specific area where you want to live, you'll have a more comprehensive map-based search experience.

BTW, I do upload my listings to Google Base. As well as Postlets, which syndicates to the major sites, and craigslist, twitter, my blog, all as part of my comprehensive real estate internet marketing strategy.

To list with me, call me 305-984-0404.

Thanks!

Investor Property Mystery

What a strange market we have at the moment. Tenants refusing to allow access because they don't want to lose their rental, only to cause the owner to go into foreclosure. Investment properties that can't be shown, and realtors who don't want to be called. First time buyers scrambling to beat the Dec.1 deadline. Whew!

Ok, so if you happen to be an investor who likes a good mystery or who wants to take a gamble, here's a good one for you. An unapproved short sale of a 4-plex, in a great area, that is bringing in (according to the listing) over $3100 per month.

The list price has fallen in the year-plus that it has been on the market to $170,000. Talk about your cash flow property!

But the listing says Drive-by only. No access. Don't disturb tenants. Don't call listing agent, email offers. And of course there are no pictures on the listing

The property is in Lis Pending, but does not match tax roll in current use (tax roll calls it a triplex).

But Google Maps shows a tidy, cute old-spanish with off-street parking.

Of course any offer would be subject to inspections, so it isn't such a gamble, and it might just be a great deal.

If you would like to consider this, or even a more traditional option, call me at 305-984-0404 today!

Thanks

First time buyers - Don't Miss Out!

ATTN: If you are a first time homebuyer counting on the $8000 tax return and you still haven't found a property, what are you waiting for?

You have to close on a property - that is close, not contract - by December 1, 2009 to qualify for the $8000.

So, working backwards, you'd need to be under contract for a straight sale by October 1 to ensure that you have plenty of time to close. Remember, mortgage brokers and title companies are going to be swamped with closings in November, so you don't want to get held up by being last in line. You'd also need to begin negotiations by mid September to have time for counter offers.

If it is a short sale situation, especially an unapproved short sale, you'd need to be under contract by August 1 to allow 120 days. You need to be looking and making offers NOW.

Say you haven't found the perfect place. Could part of that $8000 help you make it the perfect place? $8000 can go a long way towards kitchen appliances, or tile, or paint, or landscaping...

Don't miss out on homeownership! Don't forget that a single family home includes a condo, townhouse, house, duplex, triplex, or fourplex.

Call me today - our office just listed a perfect duplex and fourplex in great condition. Take advantage of the rental units to live mortgage free and pocket your $8000 tax credit. 305-984-0404.

Great Refi News!

The affordable refinance program has been expanded to help more homeowners keep their homes!

Homeowners who are upside down up to 125% on their mortgage can refinance if they are current on payments and the loan is guaranteed or owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

This is an increase from 105% for the Obama administrations Home Affordable Refinance Program. Good news for homeowners, especially in areas like Miami where values have fallen rapidly.

Hopefully, this will help to stabilize real estate prices by allowing more homeowners to avoid foreclosure.

If you are in the position to buy, this might mean the bottom is near. What are the signs of bottoming out? I'd like your comments. From what I've been seeing, the best deals are going into bidding wars, meaning homes are selling for higher than list prices. If more homeowners are able to keep their homes through refinancing, then there will be less supply on the market. It might be turning around!