Archive for March, 2009
Home Safety Tips Even My “Safety Dad “Can Appreciate
March 26th, 2009 categories: Central Connecticut News & Information, Home Owners
I have a nickname for my Dad…Safety Dad.
When I rented my first apartment, Safety Dad bought me a fire extinguisher.
When I bought my first house, Safety Dad bought me a home security system.
When I became a Realtor, Safety Dad gave me some pepper spray.
Robert Kiyosaki has his Rich Dad, I’ve got Safety Dad.
I think Safety Dad would approve of these tips to keep your house safe…
You may also enjoy reading:
Are We Headed for A Recession Crime Wave?
Tips to Prevent a Home Invasion
What else but…Safety Dance by Men Without Hats
Do you dig real estate news, tips and advice? Sniffing around for pet-related information in Connecticut?
Get Unleashed - the blog that’s helping to find homes for people and pets.
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Home Buying 101: Step 8: Shop for your House
March 23rd, 2009 categories: Home Buying 101
This is the eighth post in a series of twelve on buying a home, now updated for 2009. Click here for the other posts in this series.
You’ve prepared yourself by putting your finances in order, shopping for a loan, obtaining pre-approval for a mortgage amount you can afford and hiring a buyer’s agent. Now, you’re ready to find the house of your dreams - or at least the house that fits your wants and needs right now.
House=Life
Buying a house is an expression of your personality and lifestyle. If you are a private person who doesn’t like nosy neighbors or noise, then condo living isn’t for you. Or, if you have small children, then you probably don’t want to be in a secluded area where there are no other children for miles.
I begin the search for the perfect property with clients by asking them a lot of personal questions such as:
–What do you do for a living?
–How long do you anticipate living in this house? Or, what is your five-year plan for yourself? Marriage, children, new job, etc?
–How many family members will be in the home? And what are their ages?
–What are your hobbies? Traveling, boating, pets, etc?
–Do you entertain or plan to have overnight guests?
–Do you consider yourself handy around the house?
–How long do you want your commute to be?
Then, I ask questions about what towns or area buyers are looking for and things they like and dislike about homes they’ve seen. I may ask buyers to describe the house they see themselves living in. Lastly, I’ll ask clients for the details - number of bedrooms, baths, size, style, location and amenities.
Then, it’s a process of matching needs to what is available on the market - both through the multiple listing service and for sale by owner properties. An agent will suggest properties but many people like to look online for themselves and will ask to see certain properties. But be aware that your agent has access to the most up-to-date listings - Realtor.com and other advertising and lead generation sites may have houses advertised that are no longer on the market.
Buying a house will likely involve compromises.
Even people looking at million dollar homes need to make compromises. You may need to trade a larger back yard for a larger house. Or, you may need to compromise on condition to get the price and neighborhood.
Don’t Rush It But Don’t Look At Houses Forever
Allow plenty of time to find a house. It typically takes between 30 -45 days to complete inspections, get loan commitment and close on a property - that’s after you already found the house and have an accepted offer. If you need to move in June, don’t wait until May to begin your search.
On the flip side, don’t drag your search out for months and months, unless you’re looking for something really unique or hard to find. Just like properties can become shopworn, buyers can become overwhelmed by the number of houses they’ve seen. If you’ve seen a lot of houses and you can’t find anything you like, then it’s time to go back to the drawing board and really analyze what it is you’re looking for.
How many houses is too many? Or, how long is too long? It depends on what you’re looking for but I think that in most cases, if you’ve seen 30 houses and haven’t written an offer yet, you’re either not looking in the right places, have unrealistic expectations or just aren’t ready to buy yet.
Here are a few other tips to help you make a good decision:
–Bring a spouse, family member, or friend.
–Make sure the house fits into your budget.
–Ask about utility and maintenance costs.
–Think of commuting time and costs.
–Compare what you’d like to have against what you really need.
–Consider your monthly budget - can you afford the renovations and maintenance that you’ll need to do?
–Compare what you’d like to have against what you really need.
–Don’t make a “spur-of-the-moment” decision.
–Ask your agent for help. Your agent may be willing to preview properties for you to save you time.
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Alternatives to Abandoning Your Pet When Facing Foreclosure or Eviction
March 21st, 2009 categories: Central Connecticut News & Information, Pets & People
I was recently interviewed for this article in Our Companions News, available online, about the increase in pets abandoned due to the economy, foreclosure or eviction.
Many people want to keep their pets but either because they don’t think they have a choice or they wait until the last minute, pets are left at vacant homes or dropped off in the middle of the night at shelters (my dog, Willy, was tied to the dumpster at a local shelter and was luckier than some). These pets face very uncertain futures - especially older pets or certain dog breeds such as pitbulls.
This article is for pet owners who need to find a new home that will include their pet. But it’s also for Realtors with clients going through a short sale or foreclosure, landlords who may want to reconsider their pet-policy or anyone who comes into contact with people in financial trouble who have pets.
From the recent Our Companions News,
‘The impact of the current economic crisis and the rise in home foreclosures has led to an increase in abandoned pets left on the streets and doorsteps of shelters across the country. Overburdened shelters are turning pet owners away at the door, as they are already unable to manage the influx of homeless animals. Desperate pet owners, suddenly unable to handle the financial responsibility for their pets, or forced to move out of their homes and are unable to take their pets with them, seemingly have nowhere to turn. As a result, people are leaving their beloved pets behind in vacated properties or depositing them in the streets to fend for themselves.
Called “foreclosure pets,” this new wave of abandoned pets is most likely to impact cats, who are often viewed as more disposable than dogs. In some extreme cases pets are found in the home, long after the owners have left, in conditions too severe to mention. But most often, cats are simply left on streets to find food and shelter on their own.
Homeowners or tenants facing eviction often don’t want to face reality and may wait until the last minute to worry about their pets. Our Companions’ Animal Helpline volunteers, on the front lines of this trend, have been seeing an increase in calls for assistance where the need is economy related. “We’re getting more calls from people facing eviction due to foreclosure than ever before. Most often, the need is urgent. We want to help pet owners but we need time to help them,” says Susan Linker, CEO of Our Companions.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, moving or no-pet landlord policies have always been among the top three reasons people give for abandoning their pets.
And when you have an economic and housing crisis affecting more and more people, the need for assistance only increases. But it doesn’t have to be this heart-wrenching.
Alternatives to Pet Abandonment
Pet owners are not without alternatives to abandonment. Although it takes more effort, finding a new home that will accept your pet will ensure that he/she has a loving home in the future. Planning ahead and having a positive approach can produce an outcome that works for everyone. There are various resources within most states to help people find rental housing that is advertised to be pet-friendly, where landlords either accept all or some types of pets. We’ve enclosed a list of resources at the end of this article to assist you.
In addition to these resources, there are also constructive ways to make contact with landlords who might not openly advertise a pets-allowed policy. While some landlords completely forbid or restrict pets and will place their pet policy in their advertising, many others would gladly rent to
responsible pet owners who are good tenants if they are asked and presented with a good reason to do so.’
Is There A Ghost by Band of Horses
Do you dig real estate news, tips and advice? Sniffing around for pet-related information in Connecticut?
Get Unleashed - the blog that’s helping to find homes for people and pets.
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Calling All Misers - Money Saving Seminar on March 26th, 2009
March 17th, 2009 categories: Central Connecticut News & Information
Everyone is talking about ways to cut back on their household budgets. If you’re looking for some new ideas to trim the fat in the areas of home energy costs, taxes, insurance and home decorating (you gotta have style even in the lean times), then this event is for you.
I’m co-hosting this event on March 26th with another Realtor, Leslie Bajorski at the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department. To sign up, e-mail me or call our office at (860) 665-0850
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I Read It On Trulia So It Must Be True - Avoiding Bad Real Estate Information Online
March 12th, 2009 categories: Home Buyers, Home Sellers
Long gone is the time where Realtors controlled access to listing and real estate information. Today home buyers and sellers have mountains of information about real estate at their finger tips. Real estate agents and commentators are more than willing to give you their opinion and compete for your attention(this agent included). Nowhere is the competition more visible than on Q&A websites such as Trulia, City Data and Zillow.
While all of this information can be great - it’s free and easy to access over your computer while you’re sitting at your desk - the quality of information may not be that great. I regularly post answers on Trulia and City Data and am sometimes appalled by the answers given, particularly on Trulia. Answers can range from being rude to just plain wrong.
Not all information is created equal - especially information obtained by asking questions of people you’ve never met before and whose identity may be unknown.
How can you sort through the static and find sources of valuable information? How can you tell if one answer to your question is better than another? Here are a few tips for the average real estate consumer:
Realtors Troll Sites Looking for Prospects
When you post a question on Trulia and Zillow especially, expect to see Realtors throwing themselves at you. Since you’re in an anonymous forum, they can’t contact you directly but it is a little much to get 15 agents pushing you into calling them. Sometimes, the agents won’t even answer your question - they just hope to get you on the phone.
Make Sure A Local Realtor is Answering the Question
Especially on Trulia and Zillow, agents from across the country will be answering questions - even if the question is specific to a certain house, town, market or local real estate laws and practices. An agent from Hartford County is going to have better information about the local real estate market than an agent from California - plain and simple.
Realtors Can’t Answer All Your Questions
Legal issues are best answered by an attorney. Property condition or home inspection issues are best answered by a contractor or home inspector. Realtors can answer specific questions about a house if it’s their listing or about the general home buying and selling process, market statistics, or can tell you how to find out how crime is in a specific neighborhood, for example. Realtors have to be very careful about answering questions that could be interpreted as steering a buyer from one area to another…even though that’s what consumers expect us to do.
Questions you’re likely not to get answered or answered seriously are those that could violate Fair Housing Laws or “psychologically impacted properties.” Psychologically impacted properties include those where a murder, suicide or other crime took place, a “haunted” house or one where someone with HIV/AIDS lived.
Opinions Are Like ********, Everyone’s Got One
Sorry. I just couldn’t think of a more appropriate title.
If you spend any time on City Data, Trulia or Zillow, you see pretty quickly that some opinions are better than others. There are your Realtor Haters (every Realtor is a cheat and liar), Closet Realtors (they bought a house once and know everything about real estate), Neighborhood Racists (this or that part of town stinks), Grumpy Taxpayers (everything is too expensive), People Who Don’t Read the Question (obvious), and Anarchists (post nonsensical or inflammatory comments).
Once you weed through these answers, you may find a few decent opinions. Maybe.
I’m not saying don’t post your questions online - just use some common sense and don’t expect too much. Where should you go for quality information then? I bet you can answer that question without any prodding from me.
You may also like reading:
How Can It Always Be A Good Time To Buy Real Estate?
Websites Every Home Buyer and Seller in CT Should Use
Naive by The Kooks
Do you dig real estate news, tips and advice? Sniffing around for pet-related information in Connecticut?
Get Unleashed - the blog that’s helping to find homes for people and pets.
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