With the recent Credit Crunch causing widespread worries and Christmas shopping just around the corner, now is a great time to discuss things that we do to hurt our credit scores.
Keep in mind that very good credit is a necessity these days, where just a year ago, average credit was acceptable. As you read this, remember that your credit score dictates your ability to get a mortgage loan, the interest rate on your mortgage and auto loans, your credit card interest rates and even the amount you pay for insurance.
Let’s start with the simple and most obvious things that we do to hurt our credit….
Visit the Northwest Indiana Loan Guy’s site for the rest of the story
Scott Swinford, your Northwest Indiana Loan Guy, is a Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist and a local credit expert. To email Scott, click here.
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Gina Bombin, Wheatfield, Hebron, & Crown Point, Indiana Real Estate Agent
Home Staging to get it sold.
Staging your home is very important in any market, but is crucial in a “Buyer Market.” Many buyers don’t have the time to improve their homes, so they want something they can move right into without the fuss. Also who doesn’t love walking into a new construction open house? They are always staged for dramatic impact and of course with a cozy and inviting feeling without the lived in look. So, when you have something to sell that, of course, you live in, the best way to stack up to the competition is to make your home appear new, updated, and of course not lived in. How do you do that? It is very easy. You get it staged.
1) Hire a real estate agent that is in tune with staging or even a home stager.
2) Remove clutter, storing away unnecessary papers, nick knack, and children’s toys are a must when home staging.
3) Depersonalizing, you love your family, but keeping those family photos on display will only distract the buyer. So stage away your pictures.
4) Remove oversized furniture from every room. Square footage is what sells, so show it off. This is a home staging must.
5) When home staging you must freshen floors. If you have worn carpet consider having it replaced or professionally cleaned. Hardwood is worn and has lost its finish? Have them sanded and stained. Or even pick up a solution at your local hardware store and do it yourself. Tile dated and dirty? Replace or re-glaze.
6) Every room counts when you are home staging, so give every room the special attention it deserves, even the basement and garage need to appear clean and fresh. Consider storing boxes and furniture at a storage facility. Better yet, finding that you have items you don’t plan to move, have a garage sale or donate to a local charity.
7) Kitchens and bathrooms are what sell a home. Updating and staging those rooms will bring you the buyers. Every dollar in brings more dollars out.
Update your fixtures when you are home staging. If you have dated light fixtures and faucets, change or refinish them to a more modern style.
9) Curb appeal. If you don’t have it, a buyer is more likely to keep on going. So sprucing up the outside is just as important as the inside when home staging.
10) Accessorize! Bring in modern elements to heighten your room’s potential, and warm it up with rich and bright colors in rugs and accents. So set the stage!
Home staging is all about making your home appear lavish and rich without killing the pocket book. So explore your local flee markets, thrift stores, or even a garage sale. Also, home staging is about using what you have. Walk around your home and look for furniture and accessories that you may have placed in another room. Think outside the box. Your furniture and décor are not permanent to a particular room, so move it around. Have fun with it. Remember your ultimate goal is to sell your home.
Gina Bombin, Your link to Wheatfield, Indiana R eal Estate, Home Sales
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