long you're watching real estate agency the program that will bring you the most current information about real estate and home staging i'm karen bizzaro realtor with keller williams real estate professionals and accredited home stager today's topic will include all areas of real estate from eight is a beginning with what's happening with appraisals to the fascinating web site zillow dot com i will be explaining why home staging has become such a critical marketing tool and give you some great holiday staging tips if you have anything you want to know welcome back here are the facts that are happening in the real estate just how to real estate today starting with the letter and appraisals are looking for comparative homes that have sold in the last two to six months within a certain location of the subject property loan amounts are determined by the purchase price or appraised value whichever is less so the house doesn't appraise for the purchase price alone will be based on the lower appraised value the buyer would be responsible for currently as in the past six years there are more buyers than there are so those which keep the listing prices stable pittsburgh has always been recognized as having a stable market and very desirable place to live during the holiday seasons  appeal becomes very important overly decorated houses tend to be confused confuse the buyer from noticing the features of the house my suggestion is to keep holiday decorations to a minimum and to take down decorations as soon as the holidays are over fireplaces are often sought after by buyers and they should be attractive during the holiday season but not over done hiding the fireplace or mantle keep the decoration simple to expose the shape of the fireplace screen and the details of the man's mantel downsizing has become an issue for many homeowners townhouses and low maintenance properties on the rise as the baby boomers are  different getting older moving into garden homes and first floor living is important to them energized seller dot com is a fascinating and informative web site that will give you suggestions and insights into how to sell your house with great tips for curb appeal and they can hold for free copy of the energised sell a booklet please contact me at karen bizzaro dot com this booklet is packed with valuable information about home staging and getting results with minimum cost foreclosures do impact the market value in your neighborhood for foreclosures are considered when comparisons are reviewed there are over two hundred foreclosures in peter tangible loan and the numbers are not supposed to level off until twenty eleven for sale by owners be aware of the legal and contractual obligations which are required of you in today's market homeowners are realizing that agent representation is essential to getting them the maximum exposure and the maximum sale price getting a mortgage requires you to be organized and prepared you will need to have all your documentation available for the lenders whose main goal is to help you close as quickly and smoothly as possible you will need information to verify your employment income death and assets along with miscellaneous information regarding cosign loans and any other propert being prepared will help you have a smoother transaction own staging is a marketing tool used to turn your your home back into a house is the art of placement and the rearrangement of furnishings so that the house will appeal to the emotions of the most potential buyers according to home games the days on the market as substantially more the houses not stayed their theme out of time the house is on the market if it is staged the average time for peters township homes on the market is seventy days the goal is stage homes that are priced right to sell in thirty days get your house hotel ready and increase the value of your home by home state stay in touch with channel seven for more home staging program there is no better time than now to invest in real estate with so many foreclosures in the area and low mortgage rates buyers are considering investing in real estate real estate is it the will be having a complete show on the season on and vesting in real estate so watch for upcoming gate joining or creating an investment club can be very exciting if you're interested in creating a new investment club and peers chance to please email me at  dot net and i can help you get started with answering your questions and formulating a group getting renovations are the number one room in the house which the most of course the value even my repairs to cabinet searchers changing the hardware can live an up and outdated kitchen kitchens are one of the most important selling features in a house and i suggest considering even the minimal this photo shows a simple addition  some decorating props along with lighting up the space the difference is subtle but makes a tremendous impact on the buyer location is still one of the strongest selling features along with condition of the house and sale price the condition and surprise are the two areas that the seller can control but the location is still what is important to the buyer mortgage interest rates are at a record low and there are several loan options available for all types of buyers it's a great time to buy a new house or refinance new construction with larger lots and larger homes are still flourishing in peter's township quality custom homes are in demand and builders can offer amenities for your specific needs peace corps life is called how far will you go is also one of the most important if your home is listed at a price that is above market value you will miss out on prospective buyers who would otherwise be prime candidates to purchase your home if you list at a price that is below market value be still for a price that is not the optimum value of your home as figure one illustrates more buyers purchase their properties at market value than above market value the percentage increases as the price for even for the below market value therefore by pricing your property at market value you would fold to a much greater percentage of prospective buyers this increase create increases your chances for a sale ensuring a final sale price price that reflects the true market value of your home qualifying yourself for home buying is easy choose the right lender for your for you and your personal needs not every lender is the same researching lenders is important because you may have three hundred or quoting the same rate but their fees may be very different in qualify chose the seller that you are a ready and serious about buying researching the most fees besides the realtor commission and of course you offer home staging as part of your marketing plan short sales for homeowners currently behind on their mortgage payments are occurring in peter's township some banks will consider taking less than the current balance due on the mortgage short sale simply that the sale of the home comes up short of the total mortgage and taxes owed on the house knowing your payoff amounts is critical in selling and to be verified with the bank with the underwriters job is to verify that this documentation is accurate and the fraudulent underwriters are acquiring more documentation than ever and the process can take longer so consider that when setting a closing date here other values imputed township average listing price in mcnairy is two hundred thirty eight thousand dollars for two hundred thirty eight thousand five hundred twenty six dollars a season in september there were forty nine properties closed and the average sale price  hundred seventy four thousand five hundred ten dollars when we take a look at the graph we're able to see the increase of closings and listings for peters townships marked in red versus washington county in the median close prices are steady with a slight increase in september twenty ten waiting for the market to rebound could take a while so to have a win win situation for both the seller and the buyer take advantage of the of the market for low interest and the low housing prices x marks the spot when placing your for sale sign out front for the end of the daylight savings time try a small low level spot on the sign during twilight hours and leave it on during open houses using the appropriate extension cord and green or brown to help disguise the cord that leads to the outlet since will be darker now for several months picture all the lights are on in the maximum brightness and that and the li left on for showings at night your local realtor has all the information required to sell your home or buy a new one you know your house but the realtor knows how to sell it  com is a free online real estate site where you can search for homes find home prices see home values view recently sold homes and set mortgage rates there you have it real estate agency i'd like to thank the students and staff channel to all the contributors who helped with this edition of agency and thank you for watching and remember home staged homes sell faster and for more money and we'll see