Now that we have talked about how you can advertise via the standard open house sign and where you need to put that sign, it is now time to talk about other means that you can advertise your open house.

The internet is a fantastic thing that you can use to truly get the word out there that you are having an open house and where.  Places like Craigslist.org and even the classifieds are fantastic to truly let the public know that you are having an open house.

You want to make sure that you use the free means of internet, that way you can make sure that you are not going over your budget on your advertising – that is something that every single real estate agent worries about, I know that.

If there is one thing that I know about real estate, it is that if you are going to have an open house, it is very, very important that you advertise it.  There are so many times that a real estate agent, mainly the newer ones that will plan an open house and just put up a few open house signs and only a few prospective home buyers will show up – if this has happened to you more than once, it is time for you to switch up your style and that is exactly what we can help you with!

One of the first things that you need to learn is make sure that you place any open house signs on well-trafficked streets and ensure that the signs are getting the most exposure – that way, everyone can see that you are having an open house and they are welcome to stop by!

Balloons are also a fantastic way to draw people to your sign and also to the home, so that might be a fantastic thing that you can do to attract people to your open house.  Stay tuned for more tips in the next blog!

Now that we have talked about the time it takes for you to get a new home if you file for bankruptcy, it is now time for us to touch base on how you can get a new home for if you have foreclosed on your house.

If you had a foreclosure, you need to wait about three years from the date of the sheriff’s sale/auction or short sale on your previous property.  There is only one exception to the rule and that is what is called a ‘documented extenuating circumstances’, these include death, job loss or disability.  Even then, it is mostly at the lenders discretion.

It is obvious that if you have foreclosed on a home or went into bankruptcy, you are not going to have stellar credit – that is something that you want to work on.  You want to make sure that you get back into the perfect credit area – that includes paying your bills on time and making sure that your credit score stays between 620 and 740+.

Purchasing a home in this day and age, having good credit is something that can truly help you not only get the home that you want, but also get the price that you want.  What happens if you want to buy a home after you have gone into bankruptcy or foreclosure though?  Well, there are some things that you can do – after all, everyone in the world should have a chance to buy a new home and that is what we are going to help you do!

One of the first things that you need to be is organized.  You want to make sure that you mark your calendar accordingly, that way you know exactly when you can start purchasing your new home.  If you have filed for Chapter 13, bankruptcy then after 1 year, you can get a new home.  If you have filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you can buy a new home after 2 years.

The next thing we are going to explore in the next blog is if you foreclosed on your home, what you need to do in order to get a new one!

In this day and age, people are constantly looking for ways to cut costs – that includes the times when they are looking for a home.  While many people are trying to scrimp and save, that does not mean that they do not want to buy their dream home … they just want to make sure that their dream home is going to have some concessions included and one fantastic concession seems to be the internet.

Many home-owners that are trying to sell their home are actually trying to include wireless internet into the home-buying package for any potential buyers.  There are many suburbs and even counties that have free wireless internet in them as well, so you can use that to your own advantage.

Including internet for anyone that is going to buy your home is a great marketing tool and one that can truly hope you sell your home that much faster.  With all of the homes on the market why wouldn’t you want to get your home off the market as soon as possible?

If there is one thing that I have noticed about the foreclosed homes in America is that there is a hell of a lot of them.  No matter where you go, you are bound to see at least six or seven foreclosed homes on the way.  I know that on my street alone, there are at least seven within a two mile radius and that is saying a lot.  Hud homes are something that I did not expect to see around my neighborhood but there they are – signs are going up everywhere.

That is where this plan should really come in handy.  Now, this plan for foreclosed homes is actually to keep the homeowners on however have them renting the house versus just buying it.  While this is a fantastic plan in my head – there are still some questions that have come up – one, if they can not afford the mortgage payments now, how are they going to afford them as a renter?

This plan is getting a lot of attention right now just due to the fact that so many mortgages are going by the waste side, however they need to make sure that they read the fine print.

Ah, San Francisco — the destination of a lot of people’s dreams.  The housing mark there is surprisingly good — but only for certain price ranges.  We might as well say that right off the bat.  Homes in Sarasota, Florida may average out to a hundred grand or more, but homes in San Francisco are currently averaging out to more than five hundred grand.  Again, however, you have to remember that this town is home to the Painted Ladies.  You are looking at sprawling Victorian homes, the likes of which not even who knows how many years of Full House could really prepare you for.

So, in comparison with other areas, San Francisco is still an expensive place to live — but you have to realize that the real estate market there has undergone a very sharp decline since the housing crash, which means you could theoretically get a fantastic home there for what is, in comparison to what it once was, quite a steal.

With the housing slump still continuing, even though it is not quite as bad as it was during the last couple of years, people are becoming more and more interested in locating a market they can afford.  These days, the location of their dreams matters less than the location they can afford — after all, beggars cannot be choosers, right?  As a matter of fact … that is dead wrong.  Because there are a number of surprisingly valuable housing markets that you may never have considered.

Take the sunny, sand swept city of Sarasota, Florida, for example. It is continued a fairly upscale community, located on the west coast of Florida.

Of course, Sarasota should only be an option for those potential homeowners who are in the six figure range. There, the average home goes for about $141,000 — which really is not bad, considering the location.

Remember, when considering price, it is relative to the city.

When you are dealing with curb appeal, as we talked about in the last blog – you really need to think about what you, as a customer want to see.  You want to see flowers, trees and some bushes – however, what about the home itself?  Does it have a porch?  Is the porch cleaned off?  Have you power washed lately?  These are all things that you are going to need to take into consideration whenever you are looking at a home. 

Power washing is something that many, many people forget about whenever they are looking to give their home a little curb appeal and to be honest, it is something that will really help you in the long run.  All of the dirt and grime that has built up on your house over the course of the years is something that power washing can take care of no problem!

As you can see – curb appeal is something that is very important.  If you want to sell your home, you need to make sure that you have it.

To be completely honest, modifying any loan, especially your mortgage loan is something that can be extremely scary.  I think that switching up what you signed onto is something that needs a lot of research and something that you really, really need to consider, especially if you have a second mortgage!  One of the first things that you need to consider is a short sale.  This means that if you are trying to sell your home … you could sell it for less than it is actually worth, however that is something that the mortgage lenders will have to approve.

However, if you are not selling your home, how can you modify your mortgage and why would you want to?  Well, modifying your mortgage and refinancing even can honestly get you a lower mortgage rate each month, which is what every single person in the world is after.

You do however, want to make sure that you do your research – modifying anything is different and scary and it should be something that you really take under a lot of consideration!