I would like to take a moment of your time to introduce a complimentary service I provide for all of my clients.

My Client Appreciation Program is part of the commitment I have made to run my business exclusively by referral. Every month I will be sending information that I believe you will find useful.

This piece explains how my decision to work by referral benefits you. It allows me to devote my time and energy to meeting the needs of my clients. There are a number of ways that I can be a valuable resource to you, such as providing market updates and referring other reputable professionals when you need them.

I will make a constant effort to provide you with excellent service, because in my business, the most profound assets I possess are your respect and trust. Feel free to call if you need anything at all; I am always here to help.

So…Who Would You Recommend to Your Family & Friends??? I’d love to be that person!

Staging is about appealing to a broad range of buyers. It’s about creating an image of a lifestyle that buyers can’t resist. They need to be able to imagine themselves living in your house.

Staging doesn’t require a big budget either. Although, if you have the budget to make your home a showpiece, go for it! In general, though, successful staging means paying attention to the details.

Here are 10 secrets of staging that can help your home sell.

1. Declutter. Clutter can be one of the most distracting aspects of showing a house. Instead of a buyer focusing on the unique architectural details of your room, they focus in on your trinkets and trash. You don’t have to toss your decor, just put it away for now.

2. Furniture: Large, oversized furniture can makes rooms look smaller than they are. The converse is true as well. Small furniture in large rooms looks disproportionate.

3. Room true to purpose: You may have your dining room set up as an office or a second bedroom set up as a craft room, but buyers need to see homes true to their purpose. They want to see the formal dining room that was advertised on the MLS. They want to see 2 bedrooms, not one and a craft room.

4. Proper lighting: Good lighting makes everything look better. CFL lights in “daylight” color makes rooms look light and bright even during the evening hours. Be sure all rooms are well lit, including laundry rooms, garages, and closets.

5. Repairs: Most buyers aren’t interested in fixer-uppers. They want homes that have been well-maintained. You may have to spend a little time and money to fix broken doors, drawers, and windows. Buyers will notice every loose board and trim piece. Fix them before you start showings!

6. Keep it neutral: It is much easier to imagine putting your mark on a neutral room than it is to imagine yourself living in someone else’s Moroccan paradise. Paint is relatively inexpensive. Play it safe and pick out neutral tones.

7. Fresh flowers: It’s all about things smelling fresh and clean. Flowers add life and fragrance to a room!

8. Thorough Cleaning: Clean from top to bottom. The basics mean having dishes and laundry done. Deep cleaning means cleaning carpets, removing stains, and scrubbing that bathroom until it sparkles.

9. Staged Dining Area: You can really make a room pop by setting a formal place setting. Outdoor dining spaces also look great set with placemats, chargers, and proper plates and glasses.

10. Hotel Inspired Bedrooms. Boutique hotels do a great job of making bedrooms feel luxurious. You can do the same by updating your bedding and having a liberal use of pillows.

Staging can make you stand out from your competition. It may mean the difference between selling or not selling in this tough market.

Written by Carla Hill

Even before you begin looking for a home, the home-buying process requires diligent preparation. Buyers who have been preapproved for a home loan often have their offers taken more seriously by sellers. With advance preparation, you can tackle the process of acquiring the financing you need with more confidence. To help you on the path to homeownership, NeighborWorks® offers* step-by-step guides, developed by the Fannie Mae Foundation, that can help you get closer to achieving your dream:

* Knowing and Understanding Your Credit

* Opening the Door to a Home of Your Own

* Choosing the Mortgage that’s Right for You

* Borrowing Basics: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You

Let me know if you have specific questions related to purchasing a home…I’m here as a resource for you, every step of the way.

Even if you don’t live in a dry climate, fresh water may be an increasingly scarce and expensive commodity. One way to conserve water is to design a landscape plan that cuts down on the need for irrigation. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, converting to a water-efficient landscape can reduce your outdoor water use by 20% to 50%, or as much as 10,000 gallons a year. That saves money, too, shaving between $30 and $70 off the average annual household water bill.

Often called xeriscaping or drought-tolerant landscaping, low-water landscaping also makes yard maintenance easier. Here are 10 strategies that will save water and still let you enjoy a beautiful, healthy garden.

 1.  Choose Native Plants
Plants that originated in a particular part of the country have had eons to get used to that area’s normal rainfall, soil and climate. That means they require less maintenance and little or no watering once established. Your local cooperative extension or botanic garden is a good place to start a native plant search. Sites like eNature.com or H2ouse can help you find the best species for your location. Portland-based PlantNative has a handy database of nurseries nationwide that specialize in native plants. Note: Just because you see a plant in your neighbor’s yard doesn’t meant it’s a native.

2. Skip the Supersizing
“Pick plants that grow only to the size you want them,” advises Margaret Grace, principal of Grace Design Associates in Santa Barbara, CA. “If you need five-foot-high screening between you and a neighbor, don’t put in something that grows nine feet high. You’ll have to chop it back all the time.” That’s a huge waste of water, not to mention extra work.

 3.  Mulch to Reduce Evaporation
Putting two or three inches of mulch on top of the soil around your plants is a great way to reduce water loss. Mulch also cuts down on water-stealing weeds. The best mulch options are natural ones like compost, bark chips and pine needles. These organic mulches gradually break down and add nutrients to the soil. Inorganic materials like rocks and pebbles are a more permanent option, although in some climates they can hold too much heat. A quick tip: Don’t pile mulch up in huge cones against a plant’s stem or it will trap too much moisture, which leads to fungus and rot.

4.  Make Paths Porous
Paths made of pebbles, gravel or non-mortared concrete pavers or brick allow water to percolate down to your plants’ roots instead of running off into a storm drain. No mortar does mean more room for weeds to grow, though.

5.  Lose the Lawn
The average American family uses more than 20,000 gallons a year watering the lawn. If you need grass for a play area or just like to feel the blades between your toes, you can still cut water use by replacing some of that conventional grass with varieties that need less water. Bermuda or buffalo grass can use 20% less water than fescue or bluegrass, according to the University of California Cooperative Extension. Keep it long, too. Raising your mower blade to three inches helps shade grass roots so they lose less water through evaporation.

6.  Put Thirsty Plants Together
Grouping plants with the same water needs means you don’t waste water where it’s not necessary. Create a “mini-oasis” near the house, where thirsty plants can benefit from roof runoff. Farther out, make a “transition zone” for plants that need supplemental drip irrigation. Farther still is a “natural zone” for native plants that can survive on rainfall alone.

7.  Plant and Water When It’s Cool
New plants and transplants need far less water if you put them in the ground in early fall or early spring, when it’s cooler. Similarly, water in the morning so that you’ll lose less to evaporation in the heat of the day.

8.  Do Donuts
Trees and shrubs need extra water the first couple of years to help their roots take hold. An efficient way to keep them moist is to mound several inches of soil into a donut-shaped berm out about as far as the branches reach. Use a hose or bucket to fill the donut dam to the top. Water will absorb slowly instead of running off. Another option: Attach a $25 – $30 drip irrigator bag to the tree.

9.  Follow the Sun
Use dry-soil plants in sunny areas and plants that require more water in shady areas where evaporation is slower.

10.  Create the Illusion of Water
Yes, you can have a water feature in a low-water garden. In fact, a small pond or fountain with a re-circulating pump uses very little water. Pumps start as low as $10. Bonus: Water features attract birds and butterflies.

By Laura Fisher Kaiser

Arizona REALTOR® Magazine — March 2011

1. Be truthful on your mortgage application

You may think fudging your income a little or omitting debts when applying for a mortgage will go unnoticed. Not true. Lenders have become more diligent in verifying information on mortgage applications. If you fib, expect to be found out and denied the loan you need to fund your home purchase. Plus, intentionally lying on a mortgage application is a crime.

2. Hold off on big purchases

Lenders double-check buyers’ credit right before the closing to be sure their financial condition hasn’t weakened. If you’ve opened new credit cards, significantly increased the balance on existing cards, taken out new loans, or depleted your savings, your credit score may have dropped enough to make your lender change its mind on funding your home loan.

Although it’s tempting to purchase new furniture and other items for your new home, or even a new car, wait until after the closing.

3. Keep your job

The lender may refuse to fund your loan if you quit or change jobs before you close the purchase. The time to take either step is after a home closing, not before.

4. Meet contingencies

If your contract requires you to do something before the sale, do it. If you’re required to secure financing, promptly provide all the information the lender requires. If you must deposit additional funds into escrow, don’t stall. If you have 10 days to get a home inspection, call the inspector immediately.

5. Consider deadlines immovable

Get your funds together a week or so before the closing, so you don’t have to ask for a delay. If you’ll need to bring a certified check to closing, get it from the bank the day before, not the day of, your closing. Treat deadlines as sacrosanct.

By G.M. Filisko who is an attorney and award-winning writer.

Home owners’ increased interest in enjoying nature and gardening is reflected in patios and decks sprouting on the front, back, and sides of homes, condominiums & townhouses. These outdoor spaces reflect a greater array of designs, materials, sizes, and price points than constructed in years past.

They’re getting bigger and bigger and sometimes extend off the back and wrap around one side. Many also are designed as a transition between the indoors and a landscaped yard. Decks and patios also are getting swankier, the equivalent of outdoor rooms with sophisticated furnishings and all the bells and whistles. “Home owners want to take everything they love about their homes and move the whole lot outside,” says Michael Payne, a designer and former host of HGTV’s show, “Designing for the Sexes.”

Here’s how to get these outdoor spaces the attention they deserve:

Boost Curb Appeal

Outdoor spaces have become a bigger part of the curb appeal that attracts buyers and can even increase a selling price. More than one-third of buyers want a patio or terrace (a space level with the ground) while 21 percent desire a deck (constructed above the ground), according to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ “Profile of Buyers’ Home Feature Preferences.”

Choose Features Wisely

To get the greatest enjoyment and best return on dollars invested, home owners should study examples in design publications, drive through favorite neighborhoods to see possibilities, and ask themselves pertinent questions, such as how the area will be used, when, and what activities will take place there.

Other factors to consider:

Style – Most designers recommend a style compatible with the home’s architecture. The greatest opportunity for a successful look is for the space to be seamlessly integrated with the house rather than resemble an afterthought.

What the yard and home look like – The style also should blend into the landscape. A deck or patio should be an extension of interior taste. “You can repeat the floor pattern, colors, or an architectural treatment.

Materials – More buyers seek materials that require little or no maintenance and can withstand inclement weather. Materials that are gaining popularity today are recycled plastic composites; dense renewable tropical hardwoods such as ipe; vinyls that have the look and feeling of wood; and Trex, made from reclaimed wood and plastic.

Installation – How the material is installed makes a difference. Brick pavers atop a sand base can be installed quickly and inexpensively but may shift; those atop a crushed gravel base will cost more but require less maintenance.

Color – Lighter materials reflect more sunlight and can be hotter. Stains can change the color and protect wood from moisture, mold, and algae growth.

Size – While shape and size should be proportional to the home, the deck or patio also needs to be large enough to accommodate all uses and users comfortably. Outdoor furniture is one-third larger than comparable indoor pieces; chaise lounges are especially big. To accommodate multiple uses and add visual interest, decks can be built on several levels.

Placement - Where the deck or patio is situated should depend on views and the region of the country. Everyone’s conscious of sun and how it can damage skin, but where the sun is rare — for example, in northern Minnesota — the last thing people want to do is sit in the shade.

Safety -  Any deck or patio needs to meet local safety codes with the correct height of railings and spacing between and correct number of steps. Some communities require lighting in step risers to illuminate treads.

The extras - Among today’s favorites for decks and patios are fireplaces and pits, gourmet kitchens, sound systems, water features, flat-screen TVs, high-end furnishings, storage, gazebos, colorful awnings, space heaters, and decorative and energy-efficient lighting. Many home owners spend most of their time after dark on their decks and terraces. Lighting also is good for security.
 

Understand Costs

The cost will depend on the material, size, amenities, and labor. A trellis built from 4-by-4 inch cedar posts that adds a simple decorative touch might run a few hundred dollars while an ornate cedar deck with pergola for shade could run a few thousand dollars, says Paul Mackie, Western-area manager with Western Red Cedar Lumber Association.

While it’s difficult to generalize, concrete typically runs $8 to $10 a square foot, cedar or bluestone $25 to $35 a square foot, and granite or limestone $60 a square foot.

Amenities and furnishings also represent a wide range. The key is to make the price proportionate to the home’s value. Don’t spend $50,000 on a house worth $350,000, but you might for one between $750,000 and $1 million.

Don’t Forget the Landscaping

An outdoor room is best accessorized with plants. You can’t compete with Mother Nature, “She offers the best of the best.”