Real Estate Blog
1 million American Households may Lose their Homes to Foreclosure in 2010!
1 million American Households may Lose their Homes to Foreclosure in 2010!
Worried about your home? Think you might be on the brink of foreclosure?
You’re not alone. This holds true for a huge number of households in the United States. In fact, more than 1 million American households are likely to lose their homes to foreclosure in 2010 – a number that has been estimated by lenders who have been working on getting through the backlog of people who have missed, fallen behind, or stopped making payments towards their home loans.
We’ve entered the second half of the year already, and the foreclosure problems are hardly behind us. According to RealtyTrac Inc., a foreclosure listing service, 2009 saw a total of about 900,000 homes being foreclosed upon. If you winced at that number, you’re in for a bigger surprise! The first half on 2010 alone has recorded a whooping 528,000 homes that were taken over by lenders – which is eight percent more than it was last year. With another five months for the year end, these numbers only seem to escalate further.
Overall, foreclosure-related notices were sent to about 1.7 million homeowners in the first half of 2010, which equated to one in every 78 homes in the United States!
Having said that, many financial institutions are using active measures to regulate the current situation. New delinquent payers are not facing foreclosure just yet. Banks have started letting people stay at their homes for an extended period of time to avoid the surge in the number of foreclosures that hit the market. On the other hand, lenders have been working hard to reach out and clear all the backlog of bank-owned properties on the list.
22 Tips to Sell your House Fast! Part 4
22 Tips to Sell your House Fast! Part 4
Mirrors: Another trick to give the illusion of space is to add mirrors.
Counter-tops: Use a good de-greaser while cleaning the kitchen. Don’t forget to look at debris under the stove.
Kitchen: Upgrading your kitchen can bring great return on investment.
Bathroom: Keep it extremely clean. Check the bathtub and shower panels for grime and leaks. Include fresh towels, a clean shower curtain, nice warm bathroom rugs, and an air freshener.
Fragrance: A home with a pleasant fragrance is always more inviting.
Presentation: Leave a basket of baked cookies, some snacks and a beverage. These complimenting tips come a long way in making the home-buying experience extremely memorable. Even if people who come to your house don’t end up buying it, your hospitality and presentation can generate a lot of word of mouth!
In addition, it’s important to know that buyers like to explore houses on their own. If you reach a certain level of comfort with who’s checking your house, leave the house for some time so that the potential buyers can explore the house to their satisfaction.
There now, that’s the whole list of 22 tips and tricks. Don’t look at this whole process as one big chore. Be creative and you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to make your home look nice and shiny.
Still unsure if you can sell your place? Need an expert’s opinion? Talk to us. Express Homebuyers has sold over 800 homes within the DC metro area, in the past five years alone! We are ready to assist you. If we can’t sell your house in 60 days, we guarantee to buy it from you, no matter what the condition.
Just call us at [dynamic_phone] or visit our website to chat with a representative.
If you have any tips or suggestions that you’d like to share, please feel free to comment on this blog post.
22 Tips to Sell your House Fast! Part 3
22 Tips to Sell your House Fast! Part 3
Imagine visiting a house with a very beautiful colonial exterior. You step in and it looks more like a fraternity home on campus! How would you react?
You’ve put on your charm and worked hard in making your home exterior look picture perfect! It’s time to take the interiors to the next step.
Packing: Put away everything that you don’t use regularly. To that list add personal mementos, collector’s items, souvenirs. Anything that distinctly spells your personality should put away in the storage.
Interiors: Some people recommend leaving the house empty so that people can imagine their own lives in those open spaces. Don’t spend too much money here, and make it as minimalistic as possible.
Flooring: Whether carpet or wood, make sure you observe the condition of your floors. Evenness in color tone and texture is what you should look for.
Painting: Chipped, faded walls could devalue your home. A couple coats of fresh paint could do wonders to a living space! Avoid dark shades; they tend to make the room look smaller. If you want to add color, look at using neutral shades with one accented wall. Also, pay special attention to the ceilings. A nice white ceiling can make your space look a lot bigger.
Cleaning Areas: You don’t want anyone thinking ‘you missed a spot.’ People often forget to clean underneath furniture, behind household appliances, ceiling fan blades, light fixtures, and the skirting around walls.
Lights & Windows: Just like the treatment done outside, take a second glance at fixtures, bulbs and window dressings. Uniformity is key! Look for bright bulbs, and replace all with the same kind. If a room has more than one window, it’s nicer to have the same window treatments everywhere. If people come in during the day, keep windows open to bring in natural light and make the room feel more airy. If it’s later in the day, you must put all the lights on to brighten up your space.
DC Job Fair Tonight, June 17 – Will Present Career Opportunities for all! More than 15 Vacancies to Fill.
DC Job Fair Tonight, June 17 – Will Present Career Opportunities for all! More than 15 Vacancies to Fill.
The Express Companies – the fastest growing real estate and home renovation business in the DC Metro Area. You can become part of our growing team whether you are an experienced professional or this is your first job. All are professionally compensated, most with full benefits including health and dental coverage. Come attend our job fair on June 17 from 6pm to 10pm.
We have more than 15 sales, administrative and operations-related full-time and part-time positions to fill in our offices.
just visit: www.expresscompaniesjobs.com and you can be a part of our Job Fair in Washington DC
If we think you have what it takes to be a part of our highly driven team, we will respond to you immediately. You should receive an email that confirms your spot and a time slot for an interview with our Management team. All you need to do is take a print out of the confirmation and bring it to our job fair tomorrow, June 17, 2010 in Alexandria – VA. For more details, visit: http://www.expresscompaniesjobs.com/
Please note: You will not be able to enroll in the job fair post 3pm today!
22 Tips to Sell your House Fast! Part 2
22 Tips to Sell your House Fast! Part 2
It’s now time to add finishing touches – some that could use a couple more dollars, some that just need an eye for detail. Here are some great ideas that can be extremely effective if put together cohesively.
The exterior of your house is what will draw people to check what’s inside. Here’s a list of tips to help make your house more inviting:
OUTDOORS
Driveway
garage
mailbox
lawn
landscape
lighting
decks
patios
rails
fences
windows
window treatment
entrance
front door
door bell
paint
varnish
22 Tips to Sell your House Fast! Part 1
22 Tips to Sell your House Fast! Part 1
It’s now time to add finishing touches – some that could use a couple more dollars, some that just need an eye for detail. Here are some great ideas that can be extremely effective if put together cohesively.
The exterior of your house is what will draw people to check what’s inside. Here’s a list of tips to help make your house more inviting:
OUTDOORS
Driveway
garage
mailbox
lawn
landscape
lighting
decks
patios
rails
fences
windows
window treatment
entrance
front door
door bell
paint
varnish
Cheap, Easy Fix-ups Under $250 to Sell Your Home Fast!
Cheap, Easy Fix-ups Under $250 to Sell Your Home.
It’s super easy. It’s just so simply easy to make your house look sharp and saleable without burning a big hole in your pocket. All you need is time, and a little enthusiasm for do-it-yourself projects.
Declutter
Clean
Patch, Paint & Balance
Polish & Fix
Landscape
Décor
Selling your House to Avoid Foreclosure? But What About the Tenants?
Selling your House to Avoid Foreclosure? But What About the Tenants?
So the banks have sent notices to your place and you can’t wait to put your house up for sale. Obviously! You want to sell your home fast – to avoid foreclosure.
You have tenants in your house, and they pay their rent regularly. Can you actually sell the house with renters who occupy your place?
With a lease in the picture, you might want to wait for the contract to end.
On the other hand, if it’s a month-to-month contract, you can give your tenants 90 days to vacate the place.
Should You Have an Open House? The Debate Continues…
Many expect an Open House for their home sale. But nine out of ten buyers today look for houses on the Internet. The debate continues…
Loan Modification: Help for Your Home, Hurt for Your Credit Score.
If you are in trouble with your mortgage payment, you may be applauding recent government programs to help you negotiate a loan modification. You may have already been helped through Making Home Affordable or through a similar program at your bank. Now with recent program changes that encourage principle reduction and offer help making payments when you are unemployed, you may feel assured that you will make it through a tough time with your home intact.