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December 6, 2004 10:19 AM

Selling Your Home


Excerpt: Selling a home can be an intimidating prospect, but with the right preparation and attention to detail you can maximize your house's value. Whatever the reason for putting your abode on the auction block, you'll want to figure out the smartest way of doing it. Here are today's five tips.


Thinking of cashing in your gains in the real estate market? Or maybe you're selling because you're changing jobs, downsizing, leaving the fast lane.

Selling a home can be an intimidating prospect, but with the right preparation and attention to detail you can maximize your house's value.

Whatever the reason for putting your abode on the auction block, you'll want to figure out the smartest way of doing it. Here are today's five tips.

1. Don't wait for spring.

The conventional wisdom is that spring is the best time to sell. But more and more sellers are ignoring this advice and putting their homes on the market even in November and December.

This winter there's more reason than ever before to think about getting started early -- the prospect of rising rates. With most economists predicting higher mortgage rates, shy sellers who wait til June to unload their castle may be disappointed, especially those living in red-hot markets.

A spike in rates could make housing less affordable to buyers. What's more, savvy buyers are trying to get into the market before rates can cut their buying power.

Read Full Story ...



Get Real About Real Estate (December 09, 2004)
THE HOUSING MARKET HAS shown Herculean strength in the past few years. New home sales increased 0.2% in October, to the third-highest level ever, according to a recent Commerce Department report. That same month saw new home construction rise 6.4%, to the highest level of ...
Can There Be Too Many Homeowners? (December 06, 2004)
More than 69 percent of American households own their homes. Further expanding the rate of homeownership, which is a policy shared by the housing industry and politicians alike, is leading to an increased focus on subprime borrowers -- those with less-than-perfect credit. But with affordability ...
Conforming Mortgage Loan Limits Rise For 2005 (December 04, 2004)
Borrowers can get larger loans in 2005 without having to pay higher rates for jumbo mortgages. Mortgage funding titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have raised their 2005 conforming limit to $359,650, up from the 2004 limit of $333,700. It represents a 7.7 percent increase ...
12 Tips For Wise Use Of Equity (December 01, 2004)
Before taking a home equity loan, look over these guidelines. 1. Make your mortgage payments a priority. It's your home that's on the line. 2. Don't go with a high loan-to-value product. Lenders who let you borrow more than your house is worth may not ...

Read all 22 posts in the same category of Home and Mortgage:

A New Way to Hedge Your Home's Paper Profit - Dec 12, 2004
California, U.S. in a Housing 'Bubble,' UCLA Forecast Says - Dec 11, 2004
21st-Century Landlords - Dec 10, 2004
Get Real About Real Estate - Dec 09, 2004
Can There Be Too Many Homeowners? - Dec 06, 2004
Conforming Mortgage Loan Limits Rise For 2005 - Dec 04, 2004
12 Tips For Wise Use Of Equity - Dec 01, 2004
Housing Wealth Reverberates - Nov 30, 2004
More Mortgages To Be 'Conforming' - Nov 30, 2004
Realtors Engage In Turf Battle With Discounters - Nov 28, 2004
Expanding The American Dream Commitment - Nov 26, 2004
'Tis the Season to Fix Up Your House - Nov 26, 2004
Sell Your Home — Fast - Nov 26, 2004
Most Expensive Gated Communities In America 2004 - Nov 26, 2004
Exchanging Real Estate Tax Free - Nov 25, 2004
Home Equity For The Holidays? OK, With Caution. - Nov 25, 2004
Does It Pay To Save? - Nov 23, 2004
The High Earner/Poor Saver - Nov 20, 2004
Six-Figure Zip Codes - Nov 20, 2004
Buyer's Home Feature Preferences Reflect Lifestyles - Nov 16, 2004
Pattern of Strong Home-Price Gains Continues in Most Metro Areas - Nov 16, 2004