Any Pinners out there? Check out some Killer Decorating Ideas for your Home!

Need to plan for your next project in the house? Need some killer ideas? Check out this new pintrest board I have been working on....

new boards are popping up all the time and updated all the time! Keep checking back for more ideas!

Home Movie Theater Idea

Click the picture to go to this board and see more!


Sabrina Martin-Shamugia
Realtor
Keller Williams Realty East Valley
480-593-1589

4 Tips for Selling Homes with Pets that Won’t Put You in the Doghouse

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Keller Williams Realty International 

Selling a home is stressful enough for home owners, but selling a home with pets can be even more stressful. In addition to the usual concerns home owners have, clients with pets also have to consider if they should move their animals out while the home is for sale, how much it will cost to repair any pet-related damage and if pet odor will deter potential buyers.

Unfortunately for pet owners, the truth is that pets can turn away potential buyers and even lower the perceived value of their home if they are not addressed prior to listing. However, when properly prepared, homes with pets can be cleaned and staged in a way that makes the existence of the pets almost undetectable.

The first step is to sit down with your clients and talk to them about the issue of selling a home with pets. Most regard their pets as family members, so telling them that not all buyers like pets can be emotional. Consider making the following tips part of your listing presentation discussion so that the matter is addressed right away.

1. Eliminate Pet Odor

Although your clients might have become accustomed to it, pet odors can deter potential buyers. Our sense of smell has a powerful effect on our emotions and on our perception. The scent of pet odor in a house is sure to stick in a potential buyer’s mind, and this will likely cause them to deduct the cost of carpet replacement from their offer. Even worse, if a buyer walks in the home and smells a dirty cat litter box or soiled carpet, they might not even proceed with the tour. To eliminate pet odor and keep potential buyers moving through the home, consider the following:

• If not replacing carpet, have it professionally steam cleaned. Don’t forget to also clean upholstered furniture and area rugs. Any surface that holds in pet odor should be cleaned, replaced or removed.
• Weather permitting, advise clients to open windows for a few days leading up to showings to help air out the home.
• Be cautious when using air fresheners. You don’t want buyers to be blasted with the smell of artificial flowers that scream the seller is hiding an odor. Some fresh flowers can not only help with fragrance, but also add to the home staging. Also consider air neutralizers and odor absorbing products. Rather than masking the smell, these items actually absorb odor and neutralize the air.
• Consider placing an air purifier in the pet’s main living area to filter the air.
• Replace air filters that might have trapped pet dander and odor.

2. Repair Pet-Related Damage to Home and Yard

As much as we love our pets, the truth is they cause extra wear and tear on the home, especially in the yard. Assess the home and consider recommending the owner repairs as much of the pet damage as possible before showing. Some areas to look at include:

•          Over-seed the yard or patch lawn areas to repair brown spots.
•          Fill in holes created by canine gardeners. Not only are they unsightly, they can be potentially dangerous if someone were to trip in it.
•          If doors and/or window screens have been damaged and scratched, replace them.
•          Clean pet hair from hard-to-reach places such as behind appliances and behind doors.
•          If wood or laminate flooring is scratched beyond repair, consider repairing the floor. This might be a large investment up front, but it can yield great results at sale.

3.  Consider that potential buyers might be afraid of animals and vice versa.  Educate your clients about pet liability and discuss having the pets temporarily (either during the entire sale process or on days when there are showings and open houses) relocated if possible. If your client does not have a relocation option, talk to them about crating their animals during showings and open houses. For pets that are not already crate trained, it can take time for them to enjoy being in the crate. Suggest your client contact a pet trainer to learn how to introduce their pet to a crate. Your clients can create positive associations with the crate by giving the pet a treat-filled toy or bone to keep them busy while in the crate.   This is not only essential for the safety of potential buyers, but it also protects animals from getting out of the house, getting hurt, or causing harm to others.

4. Speaking of stress, animals can experience anxiety from having a lot of strange foot traffic in their home. Potential buyers might be distracted by a stressed pet and a nervous barking. Recommend that your client talks to their veterinarian to get a product recommendation to help their pets cope with this stressful event. National pet stores sell items such as plugins that release stress calming pheromones. The plugins do not emit any scent and can last up to three months. The pheromones released are only detected by the animals and will not affect humans.

Above all, when selling a home with pets remember that they are part of your client’s family. Your clients will appreciate your compassion and willingness to not only help them sell their house, but to also reduce the stress on them and their pets.

If you want more information on listing your home for sale please visit my website! Sell Your Home Now!

Wow! WHAT IS CHANGING? FICO scores on Credit are Changing?

According to the announcement last week FICO is changing the way they score credit reports for the purposes of lending for home buyers!

Excellent news for borrowers. I heard through the grape vine that it will now not account for medical related derogatory credit. That is great news!
Link to the announcement from the Realtor Association:
http://www.realtor.org/news-releases/2014/08/new-credit-scoring-calculation-will-improve-access-to-homeownership-say-realtors

Can't wait to see it in action!

Hope you are having an excellent day!
Sabrina

Sabrina Martin-Shamugia
Realtor (R)
Keller Williams Realty East Valley
sabrina.azre@gmail.com

What is Home in Five? How does it help me buy a HOUSE?

The Home in Five Program is a Grant program that will issue a grant to home buyers for 5% of the purchase price of the home they are buying. 

What does that mean? 

Let’s look real quick at an example. Of a home contract price of $200,000.00, the grant will be issued, through your lender, to cover 5% or $10,000. 

Wow! That is a lot of money! Where does it go?

Well there are certain things that this money is allowed to go for. Down payment is the majority of it, and of course the program fee and another fee that the government charges for you to use the program. It usually ends up to be about 2% of the grant that is issued to you.

What? That is crazy! 

Yes, I know, but it is our government. That is how they work, they give it to us, then they take it right back. But the trick is to have a savvy Realtor that knows how to get you in with the least money out of pocket.

So how is that accomplished?

Well, for instance, if your Realtor was wise, they would say to you. “Pay your inspection fee and your appraisal fee with your own funds, from a debit card or check that comes straight from your account, like cash.” When you do this, these funds are able to come back to you from the left over money from the grant.

What?  OMG! This is weird.

Yes, but that is the government. So if you want those monies back at closing, make sure you pay with cash on hand and can prove it. 

So what kind of program should I be qualified for through a lender for this grant program?

The Home in Five program is eligible for all VA, FHA and USDA housing programs. Even if they are at 100% LTV (LTV is lender speak for Loan to Value or for normal people like you and me, the purchase price).  Now be careful! If you are going FHA or VA and are looking at condos and townhomes, you need to purchase one that is approved by HUD. Make SURE your Realtor knows this and verifies this before you go out looking or look at listings of homes, the MLS (or Listing Database your realtor searches from is not always correct!). Otherwise you could be facing an emotional catastrophe when you find out that your financing does not apply for this and you will have to bring in a mountain of money you don’t have or don’t want to put down.

What about opening escrow, can I get my escrow money back? 

Opening escrow, again, you must use your own funds, they can even be gifted funds from family and friends. An example told to me was that a boyfriend can use a payday advance to gift to his girlfriend to open escrow, even if he goes and pays the escrow himself for her, the money is considered a gift and can be credited back to the buyer at the closing provided the funds are left over.

What about closing costs and pre-paids? What are those?

Closing costs are all the fees that are associated with the purchase of the home and the transfer of the title, hoa, and other fun stuff that you will see along the way. Pre-paids are the impound accounts that the escrow will collect to pay for things like your taxes, insurance, etc.  Now if you have a savvy Realtor (wink, wink) she can negotiate for these to be paid for by the seller, as she does her homework. And most HUD programs allow for up to 6% of the purchase price to be contributed to the buyer from the seller for closing costs and pre-paids exclusively.  (That is usually more than enough to cover these costs) 

So how much can I buy on this?

Well it is limited to $300,000 purchase price and this program is only good in Maricopa County, sorry Pinal. But there are some other programs for Pinal County, you just have to know who to contact, people like me! ;) 

If you would like to ask me more about this please contact me!

I love to talk about this and how we can get you into your home with literally almost nothing!

Well, nothing the government way, you fork it out first, then they reimburse you!

Hope you are having an excellent day! I look forward to working with you!

Sabrina

Sabrina Martin-Shamugia

Realtor ®

Keller Williams Realty East Valley
sabrina.azre@gmail.com

Home Buyer 101: The Process

Being new to the home buying process is not thing new, many people do not know much about it unless they are active in the industry. So don't worry! When you hire a professional, they will walk you through every step of the process and explain what to expect before you even start!

So to give you the low down on how to do things the correct way and what to expect along the way here we go:

Step 1: Hire a Real Estate Professional- you want to make sure that you get along with this person, and enjoy their personality. It is important that you want to speak with this person as they will be the one to keep you on track through the entire process. Above all make sure that they are familiar with the area in which you are wanting to buy.

Step 2: Get prequalified! The lender that you choose to work with will take a look at your financial situation and let you what price range you are at and how you can best structure your financing to fit your needs and situation. Put some faith in them! Never be afraid of what they will see, even if you have a "credit problem" nothing is completely unworkable as long as you are willing to take the necessary simple steps it takes to complete the financial process! And after you have begun the process, do NOT go out and do any other pulls on your credit, or changes in finances such as buy a new car, take out a personal loan, apply for credit at the local Home Depot or Lowes to buy the washer and dryer you want, or move or transfer money without being directed by your lender. This could cost you your home as the underwriters who approve the loan do check your credit for changes right before closing! make any and all other purchases after CLOSING!

Step 3: Before meeting with your Realtor, you need to make a wish list. Make sure that you decide what is completely necessary, what is desired but not a necessity, and what is not acceptable. Remember, no matter how vast the selections can be, you need to be able to narrow down your search to the acceptable and the desired so that when you go out looking you can make sure that you will find a home that will make you and your family happy and fit your needs!

Step 4: Make an offer! When you find the home that you want to live in, you will be excited, and want to make an offer! Due to the excitement, I recommend that when you first meet with your realtor you go over the documents that are going to be used in your transaction. This will give you time to go over them on your own, get familiar with the terminology and ask questions! Your offer will reflect what you and the lender spoke about and the figures you were given. You offer also depends on what the listing (asking) price of the home is and what you think it is worth based on the comparables provided to you by your realtor.

Step 5: For your Protection! Get a HOME INSPECTION! After your offer is accepted you as the buyer in Arizona have a 10 day inspection period. It is at this time that you should be hiring a home inspector and an inspector for any other important issues that concern you, like for mold, air conditioners, roof or foundations, as there are many specialists that do these inspections based on what your primary concerns are. This is a cost you should be prepared to pay for out of pocket.

Step 6: An appraisal! The lender you chose to work with will help you order this task to be done. It is required for the funding of your loan, and may be a cost that you pay for up front depending on how your lender has structured the financing. But this is the giant step that needs to be done before the closing! Almost there!

Step 7: Go to CLOSING: The tile or escrow company that is chosen to help with the transaction is where you and the seller will go and sign your closing documents. What is a tile or escrow company? They are the third party handlers of the money that is involved in a real estate transaction. They are also responsible for making sure that the title of the home is clear with not one "cloud" or mistake on it, so that the title can be transferred to you the buyer in an clean and orderly fashion. The title or escrow officer in charge of your transaction will make sure that the lender sends the funds plus your down payment, and escrow deposit from your earnest money and in return will pay the lender, any liens against the home, such as taxes, create your own impound accounts for your taxes on the home, and any other accounts such as an HOA if applicable, or mortgage insurance if you should have any.

Step 8: Meet your Realtor for your KEYS! Once the title and escrow company are finished with the disbursements of the funds and everything is recorded with the country registrar, you are officially the new owner of the home! CONGRATULATIONS! Move into your new home!

For more information or to get started buying or selling your home, give me a call right away!

Have a wonderful day!
Sabrina

Sabrina Martin-Shamugia
Realtor (R)
Keller Williams Realty East Valley
sabrina.azre@gmail.com

Why MEET a Realtor FIRST before LOOKING at any HOMES?

What an excellent topic! That is such a good question!

Meeting with a Realtor first can help you understand the buying process before you even begin. This will assist in making what might seem like a huge big deal and transform it into a very simple and organized process. Not to mention letting you in on what the different steps are and how they fall into place with your transaction.

So, what should you expect to talk about when you first meet your Realtor?

Answer:

That is such a good question; there are many things that you will want to discuss with a Realtor. The big thing that I personally like to go over with clients in that first meeting is all of the different disclosures and verbiage that are new to home buyers. This gives an opportunity to the buyer to examine the paperwork that goes with an offer on a home so that they are comfortable with the terms being used and how it looks before they even have to sign it.

Then what do I ask the Realtor that I meet with?

Answer:

Anything and everything that comes to mind! Your Realtor is there to help you through this process. Meeting before you go out and see a property will make sure that you can focus on the transaction process and understand the forms that you are expected to read and sign at each stage in the process. I personally recommend my clients to bring a list of questions in with them so that I can answer all of their questions up front.

                Some examples of questions you might ask will probably look like this:

1.       What happens during the purchase process? Are there any out of pocket costs?

2.       Agency? What the heck is that?

3.       What is the contract versus just an offer?

4.       What is an addendum and why would it be used?

5.       What are SPUDS? My friend talked about that with their purchase.

6.       What is a BINSER and how can it affect my contract?

7.       Lead based paint? Does that still exist? Does it apply to me?

8.       Can I have a copy of all these disclosures upfront so that I can review them before we go looking at the homes I want?

Your Realtor should be happy to provide you with a copy of the documents that are going to be used in your transaction up front.

Why, you ask?

That answer is simple:

When you go out on that housing tour and you find the home of your dreams, you are going to be way to excited to listen to all of the fine details that your Realtor is explaining to you. Let’s face it! It is the house of your dreams and at that point you will sign anything to MOVE IN!

If you have any questions at all I am happy to answer them, in person or via email, text or phone!

I am a phone call away at all times!

Hope you are having an awesome day!

Sabrina

Sabrina Martin-Shamugia
Realtor (R)
Keller Williams Realty East Valley
sabrina.azre@gmail.com

 

Interested in buying a NEW HOME??? BUYER BEWARE! DON’T GO IN ALONE!

Working with a Buyer’s Agent will help you get the best price on a new home in the neighborhood you want!
Come look at all the inventory just waiting for you to pick which one you want! Warning: Do not go to into a New Home Builder without Representation! Bring a Realtor with Your INTERESTS on their mind, not the Builders.
Email or text me what you are looking for and where and I will set it up for you right away!

New home builders are more than likely to negotiate on a spec home price with a Buyer’s Agent involved and looking out for YOU the buyer.

Give me a call or shoot me an email anytime! I am happy to assist!

Sabrina

Sabrina Martin-Shamugia
Realtor (R)
Keller Williams Realty East Valley
sabrina.azre@gmail.com