November 26, 2004 08:44 PM
'Tis the Season to Fix Up Your House
Excerpt: If you want to take advantage of next spring's selling season, you should start prepping your house now. If you wait too long, you might not have the time to make necessary repairs — and that could cost you.
WHEN ERIK TAROS, a 44-year-old graphic designer, bought his turn-of-the-century Victorian house in 1992, it was the eyesore of the block. He planned to restore the home to its original beauty over many years.
But in February 2002, his son's charter school announced it would close its doors at the end of the academic year. Suddenly, Taros was forced to speed up his renovation plans so he could sell his Lynn, Mass., home and move to a better school district by late summer.
Over the next five months, he and his wife spent every weekend getting their property ready to sell. They updated electrical wiring and plumbing, and laid new sod outside. They built a new porch. They even moved excess furniture to relatives' homes so the place would look airy. The hard work paid off: the house went on the market in June, and sold in August. Taros said he nearly quadrupled his initial investment in a decade.
Any realtor will tell you that the spring and summer are the best times of the year to sell a home, because that's when buyers are the hungriest. According to the most recent data from the National Association of Realtors, or NAR, roughly 350,000 transactions closed during January and February of this year, compared with 650,000 to 700,000 a month in June, July and August.
READ FULL STORY ...
Realtors Engage In Turf Battle With Discounters (November 28, 2004)
Facing competition from discount firms that offer similar services for as little as half the price, real estate agents in the United States are promoting themselves with a familiar mantra: You get what you pay for. If they hire traditional Realtors, customers will "have someone ...
Expanding The American Dream Commitment (November 26, 2004)
The American Dream Commitment® 2003 Report (PDF) underscores Fannie Mae's commitment to working with our partners to tackle the nation's toughest housing problems. This includes pledging to increase minority homeownership rates, expanding access to homeownership for millions of first-time home buyers, streamlining the mortgage process ...
Sell Your Home — Fast (November 26, 2004)
IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO sell your home in a matter of days rather than months, you might want to take some tips from 32-year-old Mona Ross Berman. To get her Washington, D.C., townhouse ready for sale in early 2004, the interior designer went through every ...
Most Expensive Gated Communities In America 2004 (November 26, 2004)
As long as there have been rich people, there have been gates to keep everyone else out. Many think Tuxedo Park, just north of New York, was the first gated community in America, but businessman Llewellyn Solomon Haskell designed Llewellyn Park in Eagle Ridge, N.J ...
Read all 37 posts in the same category of Home and Mortgage:
Why a Real Estate Agent May Skip the Extra Mile -
Feb 21, 2005
Fed Chief Sees Home Price Bubble - Feb 21, 2005
Title Insurance Protects Lenders. So Why Shouldn't They Pay for It? - Feb 10, 2005
The Shiller Interview - Jan 25, 2005
HELOC Rates Move Closer To Home Equity Loans - Jan 23, 2005
Finding an Affordable Home Gets Harder - Jan 17, 2005
If you're paying off student loans, check out the tax deductions available to you. - Jan 17, 2005
What Is Your Home Worth? - Jan 04, 2005
U.S. Sales Of Existing Homes Hit Record - Dec 29, 2004
What Length Mortgage Should You Get? - Dec 27, 2004
Maneuvering Property-Swap Tax Details - Dec 27, 2004
No Money Down - Dec 24, 2004
New Home Sales Tumble - Dec 23, 2004
If The Bubble Bursts... - Dec 18, 2004
Housing Starts Tumble, But ... - Dec 18, 2004
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
Selling Your Home - 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
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
Fed Chief Sees Home Price Bubble - Feb 21, 2005
Title Insurance Protects Lenders. So Why Shouldn't They Pay for It? - Feb 10, 2005
The Shiller Interview - Jan 25, 2005
HELOC Rates Move Closer To Home Equity Loans - Jan 23, 2005
Finding an Affordable Home Gets Harder - Jan 17, 2005
If you're paying off student loans, check out the tax deductions available to you. - Jan 17, 2005
What Is Your Home Worth? - Jan 04, 2005
U.S. Sales Of Existing Homes Hit Record - Dec 29, 2004
What Length Mortgage Should You Get? - Dec 27, 2004
Maneuvering Property-Swap Tax Details - Dec 27, 2004
No Money Down - Dec 24, 2004
New Home Sales Tumble - Dec 23, 2004
If The Bubble Bursts... - Dec 18, 2004
Housing Starts Tumble, But ... - Dec 18, 2004
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
Selling Your Home - 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
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
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