Why should a buyer employ a realtor? For many reasons: For starters because they are going to help you make sense of all the forms you need to sign and how the process works, they can also give you referrals for lenders, inspectors, title companies, etc. They can save you a lot of time too. A realtor has access to search engines and history on a lot of homes. They can put in your requirements, both likes and dislikes, to narrow down the search from hundreds for sale in one neighborhood to possibly only 3 that fit all your needs. But probably a buyer’s favorite reason for going with a realtor is that they are basically free for you to work with them! Why? It’s because their commissions are most often paid by the home seller.  

What realtor do you go with? Well you don’t have to go with the realtor on the sign in front of each house you are interested in…Licensed “Realtors” are members of a national group that have local branches. To remain a member of that group a standard of behavior must be upheld according to the rules and protocol. Provided the rules and protocol are followed each realtor in that massive group can obtain entrance permission into any other member’s listed home.  So how do you find a good one? Checking with your friends and family never hurts to see who they worked with but if you are moving to a new area where they have no reference there or maybe you just want to keep your real estate business separate from your personal relationships, try online. But NOT just the realtor’s individual website, that can be a great starting point however the “testimonials” on there could be from anyone. Try checking with a national search web site like Trulia.com or Zillow.com. They make sure the “testimonials” are verified by the person who was actually involved with a real estate transaction and not just some realtor’s super proud mom.

Hope this helps as I am always working hard to be your favorite realtor!
margie@townfavorites.com

Believe it our not when you are thinking about buying a home the first thing you need to do is NOT look at homes! Talk to a lender first. They can help you check to make sure your credit is in good order. Sometimes a big reason people get bad credit ratings is because there is an error on the report. There may also be little things adding up that you can remedy without too much effort. Ideally, you'll go with a local lender that has in house underwriting--this is huge as it can really speed-up the closing process. Need a reference on a few good lenders? Well check with a good realtor for that...hopefully ME! Margie Maybe with Town Favorites Realty LLC, Baton Rouge, LA (225)292-1772 Licensed in Louisiana by the LREC

So the other day I got to do the coolest thing; helped out a good cause by eating cup cakes!!!! It's all a part of Sweet Wishes Gourmet Cupcake Shoppe's first annual "Golden Cup".
Here's how it worked: People sent in recipes, then the Sweet Wishes owner, Sheetal Verma (pictured with me above) and her staff made all the varieties of the cupcakes, then that's where yours truly and my fellow judges came in (pictured below). We got to try all the cupcakes to narrow it down to the top six!

It was tough work but someone had to do it ;)

Here's the best part..there is more work that needs to be done by you! The top six also represent various charities that will benefit if they win the award. So get to Sweet Wishes Gourmet Cupcake Shoppe and vote for you favorite cupcake by buying and trying them! To tell you the truth, they were all so good you might just want to vote for your favorite based on the charity it supports alone.

To find out more click here 

Why hold an open house

Did you know it’s estimated that less than 5% of all buyers purchase a home they visited during an open house. Wow for all the work that goes into having one that seem like a pretty ineffective sales approach. So why have one? Well if you use it as a tool to achieve your goal rather than trying to make it the answer to your quest, it works wonderfully.

Personal story: Early on in my career I was helping a family sell their home and their décor wasn’t cluttered, they depersonalized by taking down all their family pictures, and they had this designer approved “shabby-chic” theme going on throughout the whole house. It wasn’t until I held an open house that we noticed people were distracted by her lovely artwork and furniture treatment. They weren’t noticing the house itself. Simple enough to fix we dialed down the theme with a goal of a neutral décor and they started getting offers.

Another time I had a gentleman I was trying to help sell his condo and he had his place in the neutral zone décor wise. It wasn’t until I held an open house for him that I found out that prior to every viewing he was spraying and setting out room scented stuff that was so strong you thought he must have been trying to hide the smell of a cigar bar with a herd of cats in it. His house didn’t smell normally!?! He said later he thought that overbearing pine smell would give the house an open and airy smell about it.

So you see open houses can help you get a sense of what your home is viewed as and there is a possibility that a neighbor who just pops in to sneak a peek might just see your home without you in it and realize it would be perfect for a friend of theirs. And there is always that 5%. Good Luck!     

Buyers' Tip

Before you see a realtor, go see a lender! Preferably one with an in-house underwriter. They will want to see your tax returns from the last two years as well as your W-2s, bank statements from the past 2 months at least, a recent pay stub, and maybe a few other things. Are they prying into your business a bit much? Kind of. They need that info to make sure you can afford a loan. They'll also check your credit rating and if you do this before you even look for a house their might be some simple thing you can do to fix that credit report.

Your lender will also be able to tell you about the various loans you may qualify for and around how much money you can spend on a house. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BUY THE MOST EXPENSIVE THING IN YOUR PRICE RANGE. (We'll discuss being house-poor in a future post.)

This visit to a lender is essential. Do it before you shop so you won't risk falling in love with a house you can't attain the funds to purchase. Besides most sellers require a letter from your lender, saying you can afford the house, before they will accept your offer. What's more it will help save time with the closing if your lender has all your info ready to go to all the channels it needs to go through before you can get the keys to your new home.

Good Luck,
Margie Maybe
Town Favorites Realty
Margie@townfavorites.com

Staging Tips for Your Home with Margie Maybe Sutcuoglu

Staging for the Senses

When you’re getting ready to sell your home…

Think of staging it for the potential buyers’ five senses.

Sense of Sight and Touch

This seems obvious. When the buyer walks through the doorway the house should look clean and when they go to touch doorknobs or counters they should also feel clean!

Going further into the things potential buyers see are your closets. That maybe your favorite place to stash stuff when company comes over but the buyer is not company and they will check in there. So please go through the closest as well as the whole house and get rid of all the extras. Think of it as pre-packing. Donate, sell, dump, or pack stuff you do not use on a regular basis. You are selling your home’s space. A buyer will understand a seller having neatly stacked boxes. They don’t understand an over-packed space is a sign the seller has out grown the house. To them it just looks like the house does not have enough storage for anyone.

Sense of Taste

We’ve all heard the tip about baking cookies for an open house to make potential buyers feel at home. Well that isn’t always true and rarely possible for regular showings. While having pre-made cookies at an open house to save off hunger pangs of a buyer that is on their sixth home showing is one thing. Those freshly baked tasty cookies can often be big distraction. “Ooh, I want cookies now but hmm, I’ve been so good on my diet…that reminds me I need to get healthy snacks packed for work tomorrow. I better leave.” Even worse is to have a crockpot at work reminding the potential buyer that they haven’t started their meal yet.

Sense of Sound

They used to say, “Leave some soothing music on to set the mood of a house.” Not sure where that theory started but it needs to end. Your mood is not necessarily the same as the buyers and that can be a real turn-off to their buying mood.

If you are leaving the music or a fountain on in hopes it will show how easy it is to drown out the busy street noise, think again. The buyer has just come from outside and is fully aware of the noise. They see the music or fountain noise as an effort to cover-up the noise. That gets them wondering what else the seller may be trying to hide. (Not good!)

Sense of Smell

Last but certainly not least. This may be the number one thing that can dissuade a buyer from even touring a house. I have had clients that have asked me to pre-tour homes to check for “cat smell” so they won’t have to waste any time at the house. There has never been a pet lover that has said, “Oh joy, this house already smells like it’s got animals living in it, let’s put an offer in.” Pay your neighbor or be good to your relatives so they will watch your pets while you sell your home. If you are selling your late great aunt’s empty house, that used to house her herd of cats, please remove the carpets and drapes. Even if you cannot afford to replace the flooring, if it gets rid of the smell that’s ok. A potential buyer can envision an easy solution to flooring. If you can’t afford to paint than at least try to clean the walls, this will help with former smoker’s remains, too. A lingering odor is a challenge a buyer is not certain they will be able to remedy. Uncertainty is a deal killer.

Good luck staging for the senses and if you have any questions or tips I would be happy to hear from you!  

George Clooney arrested, Gaga silenced, dinner with Chad, and more

Big news today is that George Clooney was arrested outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, D.C. He was taking part in a demonstration to draw attention to that country's president, Omar al-Bashir, who is committing violence against the people of the Sudan and is not allowing humanitarian aid in. Please excuse my moment of shallowness but, “Wow, George just keeps getting hotter being all committed to a cause!

Speaking of being committed…

Lady Gaga in an upcoming interview with Oprah is set to announce she will be taking a vow of silence. She says she won’t be talking to anyone after that interview. No word on for how long and if her twitter account will still be active.

Speaking of twitter stuff

It pays to be a fan of Chad Ochocinco. He might have been just trying to get the fans behind him as his future with the Patriots is now in question. But none the less he spent nearly $8,000 on dinner for 200 local fans that he just tweeted an invite to join him at some New York Restaurant for a free meal.

Speaking on needing some image work

Russell Brand has been named in a police report in New Orleans. Apparently a paparazzi guy claims the actor snatched his cell phone out of his hand and threw it through a window of a nearby building. TMZ is reporting that the camera guy immediately filed a report with police. No word on whether the building’s owners have done likewise.