Go ahead….. give it a try!   Can you name the oldest?  Your hints are 1775, and think of another word for fort!  Which one became home to railroad executives in the 1880’s? Hint: it’s our concentration of east-coast style Victorians!   Where is our concentration of California-style bungalows?  Hint:  the UA caused two “suburbs” to crop up…. can you name those two?  And what about my neighborhood?  We are famous for housing many santitariums for tuberculosis patients… early nickname was “Lung Hill.”

 Email me! sdenis1@cox.net

You’re thinking your house for sale is wonderful, and you’re wondering why it’s not selling.  Here’s what buyers want, according to recent survey results from the National Assoc of Realtors:

• central A/C
• wood floors
• lots of storage & big closets
• energy efficiency

Did you know that 51% of homebuyers remodel the kitchen within a year of purchasing the home?  Interesting.

So… if you’re looking at that nasty old carpet, wondering what to do…. rip it up, put down wood!  And if you think everyone in Tucson should just suck it up and live with a swamp cooler —no way!  Now’s the time to get good pricing on central A/C installation… summer’s over, so get an estimate done today.  Get your home as close to as you can… there’s a lot out there for them to choose from!

You don’t believe that it’s a VERY good time to buy?  Here’s why I think you should get started with me today:  4 reasons. 

1. Sellers wouldn’t have their homes on the market right now if they didn’t need to sell, which makes everything negotiable!  You must have a realtor who’s not shy about lowballing on your behalf, negotiating hard, and guiding you to the real deals!

2.  There is a huge inventory right now, literally hundreds of homes in your pricerange and with your criteria.  Now is the time to get shopping with a tireless realtor ready to sift through them and help you choose.

3.  Prices are continuing to correct, true. But why not get out there while other buyers are sidelined and hesitant? This way you get to see the very best in your pricerange, work with me to get it now, at a price lower than the next 7 months worth of despairing price reductions.  The seller will be easier to deal with on repairs now.  Buyers are gold, and sellers know it.

4.  The mortgage crisis may be helping you! If  you have good credit and get into a loan program that won’t hurt you in the future, you are still afloat!  Hundreds of would-be buyers just went under in the pool of potential buyers.  I’ll help you find a local lender you can count on and learn from and trust.

Yes, it’s a VERY good time to buy!

check out my blog for the latest in desert digs and deals, advice, random thoughts, musings, pix of houses i like, gates that inspire….

How do I find a trustworthy wonderful petsitter to stay at my house while I go away for the weekend? I get this question just about weekly from my clients!  If you’re looking for someone to check in on your house and bring in the mail, or go all the way to living at your place, caring for your precious pet, I  recommend that you use someone you get through a referral.  Look at my links page for my recommendation.  

Price right, that is price the property to sell.  There is no more "well, let’s just see if we can get the sky, the sun, the moon AND the stars for this property!"  Buyers are back; they’re coming off the sidelines.  But they’ve got nearly 10,000 properties in the inventory, and they’re going to be picky and expect reasonable pricing. 

Sick of those bundles of credit card applications in your mailbox?

Get rid of them:  www.creditsourceonline.com/optout.html

 And they’re dangerous… falling into the wrong hands, discarded without shredding… most frequent method of identity theft is those very applications that stuff your box every day!  You’ve probably done this one already, but if not:  www.donotcall.gov to stop the telephone solicitors, or by phone at 1.888.382.1222

How did this home sell in 10 days in this "cooled" market?

I’ll tell you.  The seller took my advice and finished the home, rather than letting an investor have it to finish.  Fear was put aside, he pressed through, and it rewarded him with $45,000 more net than he’d have earned by "dumping" it unfinished. 

What can you do?  First rule of thumb, if you’ve felt it’s something that needs to be done, DO IT!!!  Do it for them, though you never did it for yourself.  Ready your home for the market the way you would if you were selling anything!  Would you put a used car in the paper and then let people come to test drive it still filthy and unpolished?  No way! You’d clean out the BigMac wrappers, have it detailed, waxed, put in a nice CD for ambient music when they turn the ignition… and make sure that the CD player works and the blown back speaker is replaced, right?! 

Homes that are spiffed and polished, painted and groomed…those show well and sell more quickly.  As for your stuff:  remove 1/3 of it.  Pack, rent storage space, and follow the adage "less is more" with decor, furniture, everything.  Put bright bulbs in every light fixture, wash windows, leave all curtains open and lights on when you leave for showings.  Fresh flowers (no nasty water, wilting leaves, please!) in big planters, in vases, make it "look like a magazine!" 

What does "Neighborhood Specialist" mean?  I have sold all three of these homes.  And I live in one of them.  Guess which one?  This is Historic Feldman’s neighborhood, just north of Speedway at 4th Avenue.  It’s a fabulous concentration of 20’s, 30’s and 40’s bungalows, walkable to the hip 4th Ave shopping district and to UofA.  Call me if you are interested in learning more!  977.8503

What is Staging?

Think of a director, carefully selecting just the right pieces of furniture, just the right lighting… for an effect.  She wants an emotional effect on the audience, not a realistic lived-in family room!  That’s what you’re after here, too, with staging a home for sale.Lighting is key… many buyers come to see your home with their realtor after work, and daylight’s getting shorter!  Create ambience with the right lights, the right bulbs, and don’t scrimp… leave them on so the stage is set when your potential buyers walk through the front door.Remove some furniture, leaving just a suggestion:  two chairs placed to suggest a cozy converstation corner, a table with three stems in a vase and colorful placemats.  Get rid of all the clutter:  magazines, knicknacs, chotchkies (sp?), all of it!!!  Box it, sell it, rent a storage unit… it’ll make a difference!

Paint is cheap and can really change the look and feel of a room; 10 minutes of HGTV should prove that to you.  But don’t go wild with color… keep it simple and subdued so the buyers first reaction isn’t "Ohmigod!  Look at that ORANGE bedroom."