Now may be a great time for you to sell and buy the home you’ve been wanting.  While some neighborhoods have seen very little or no decrease in prices other areas or price ranges have seen significant decreases. While your home might only have decrease less than 5% in value, that home you’ve been dreaming of may be 20%-30% less than it was 5 years ago.

Give us a call and let us help you determine if now is the time for you to make that move.

CENTURY 21 Garner Properties

859-363-9900

1. As inconvenient as it might be you must de-clutter and remove all of your personal pictures and items. You want the buyer to see the rooms as something they could be comfortable in. Too many personal items crowded in a space makes that a challenge for buyers and clutter is a big detraction away from the features of your home.

2. New neutral, good quality rugs. Even if your not normally a “rug” person, rugs are very warm and inviting.

3. Re-painting  rooms into neutral colors, if needed. Seriously, neutral colors, not some color combination you liked on  HGTV. Your not trying to make a decorating statement here, you want any and every buyer that comes through your door to think ” I can live with this”.

4. Replacing and updating lighting fixtures. Lighting fixtures can easily become “dated”. What was popular 10 years ago is  not popular today. For a few hundred dollars lighting fixtures can make all the difference in the world. And, replace any of those “custom” light switch covers while your at it.

5. Make any small repairs (or big ones if needed). This a critical in this real estate market. If roof is missing some shingles you can be sure a buyer will deduct twice as much as a new roof would cost should they decide to make an offer.

6. Purchase matching appliances in the kitchen for a  finished look. I’ve been amazed many times how new appliances influence many buyers.

7. Update major furniture and/or, put several pieces of your furniture into storage.

8. Rearrange furniture to show the rooms to their best advantage. See number 7 above. It may not be comfortable for you to move that lazy-boy to an angle from the TV that you don’t care for but remember that your staging for the best overall look of the room.

9. Stage your bathrooms with hand towels and counter-top decor.

10.  I didn’t say selling was going to be convenient, unless of course your willing to take a few thousand dollars less.

Check out these before and after photos below of a very well staged home.

Photo Credit:  Southern Charm Home Staging on PicasaWeb . CC Licensed.

of Northern Kentucky

Those childhood memories were great for reminiscing but we’ve created new memories at a great little local Christmas tree lot where selecting a tree is easy, the folks are friendly as family and your shouldn’t have to worry about your toes being frost bitten. Our favorite Tree lot the Deaton’s Nursery and Florist in Independence, Ky, just north of Simon Kenton High School.

Collection details and restrictions are as follows:
Aerosol Cans – all aerosol cans will be accepted – excluding spray paint
Antifreeze – antifreeze only, no mixtures will be accepted
Batteries – all batteries will be accepted, including: Alkaline, Ni Cad, Lithium, Lead Acid, etc.
Bulbs – CFL bulbs, 4 ft. tubes and 8 ft. tubes will be accepted
Corrosives/Flammables – no ammunition, gun powder explosives or radioactive items will be accepted; fuel and kerosene will be accepted
Electronics – computers, TVs, laptops, cables, cameras, VCRs, monitors, keyboards, printers, cell phones, etc.
Ink Cartridges/Toner – any ink or toner cartridge that comes out of a printer, copier or fax machine will be accepted
Oil – used motor oil, hydraulic fluid, transmission fluid and brake fluid will be accepted
Paint – all types of paint will be accepted
Paper – documents to be shredded
Pesticides – 2 gallon/2 lbs. limit
Propane Tanks – only 20 lbs. tanks will be accepted
Appliances, fertilizer, mercury containing devices or tires will NOT be accepted.

All residents who plan to drop of items must complete a registration form and bring it on the day of the event. This completed form will help with the flow of traffic and will reduce your waiting time. To download a copy of the event flyer and registration form, please click here. This event will take place rain or shine.

Now, if we could just get unemployment under control..

HUD Offers REO Homes for $100 Down in Select States

Oklahoma
South Dakota
Texas
Wisconsin
Wyoming
Utah
Atlanta Homeownership Center’s Jurisdiction:

Alabama
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Illinois
Indiana
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Caribbean
HUD’s $100 down payment incentive program can also be applied to an FHA 203k loan, which can be used to fund repairs and renovations on the home. The 203k program allows buyers to finance both the mortgage and additional money for rehabilitation needs with a single government-insured loan.

Matt Martin, CEO of Matt Martin Real Estate Management (MMREM), says this is one of the most exciting features of the new incentive program and should drive a lot of exposure to FHA’s 203k offering.

MMREM is under contract with HUD to assist with disposition sales of its repossessed homes. MMREM handles properties throughout 16 states, or about a third of HUD’s REO portfolio.

With an FHA 203k loan, “buyers can find a property that needs some TLC, fix it up however they want to, and finance the whole thing for $100,” Martin explained.

“MMREM is excited to work with this recent initiative, in a way that it supports putting HUD homes back into the hands of homeowners,” Martin said.

In addition to $100 down instead of FHA’s typical 3.5 percent down payment, HUD says it will also cover up to 3 percent of the closing costs in most cases.