By G. M. Filisko, contributing writer, HouseLogic
Sellers have a lot of plates in the air during their home sale, and sometimes making their yard stand out is the plate that drops.
Make sellers’ lawn-job easier with tips on landscaping for curb appeal from the June “Exterior Upgrades” package of articles now available at the REALTOR® Content Resource. Here are just three tips on keeping grass looking golf-course green:
1. Green up the grass. If your house has a front yard, you don’t want bare spots, sprawling weeds, or an untrimmed appearance. “It’s so simple to go to Home Depot, buy fertilizer, apply it every six weeks, and water it,” says Mitch Kalamian, a landscape designer in Huntington Beach, Calif.
2. Get sod. If the yard looks really scruffy, you may decide to invest in some sod. According to the National Gardening Association, the average cost of sod is 15 to 35 cents per square foot. If you hire a landscaper to sod your yard for you, labor will add 30 percent to 50percent to the total cost of the project.
3. Substitute turf grass for sod. Another alternative is to plant low-maintenance turf grasses. Turf grasses are durable and drought-resistant. Expect to pay $18 to $30 for enough turf grass seed to plant 1,000 square feet of lawn area.
Get even more tips on landscaping for curb appeal at the REALTOR® Content Resource. Also available as part of the “Exterior Upgrades” article package are tips on choosing an exterior door, achieving the perfect paint job, low-maintenance lawn alternatives, and outdoor lighting for curb appeal and safety.
The REALTOR® Content Resource, the new tool brought to you by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, is an exclusive NAR member benefit that entitles you to download free homeownership content to your consumer website, blog, or e-newsletter. HouseLogic is the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS’® no-topic-left-uncovered consumer website geared to helping homeowners make smart decisions to maintain, protect, and increase the value of their home.
By G. M. Filisko, contributing writer, HouseLogic
In today’s economy, there’s no shortage of potential buyers, but few have emerged from the recession without a few dings on their credit. Help potential buyers boost their credit with tips from the June “Get Ready to Own” bundle now available at the REALTOR® Content Resource:
1. Know your credit score. Credit scores range from 300 to 850, and the higher, the better. They’re based on whether you’ve paid personal loans, car loans, credit cards, and other debt in full and on time in the past. Buyers will need a score of at least 620 to qualify for a home loan and 740 to get the best interest rates and terms. They’re entitled to a free copy of their credit report annually from each of the major credit-reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. They can access all three versions of their credit report at www.annualcreditreport.com and then review them to ensure the information is accurate.
2. Correct credit report errors. If buyers find mistakes on their credit report, they can write a letter to the credit-reporting agency explaining why they believe there’s an error. They should include documents that support their case and ask that the error be corrected or removed. They can also write to the company, or debt collector, that reported the incorrect information to dispute the information and ask to be copied on any materials sent to credit-reporting agencies.
Those are just two of seven tips buyers can use to boost their credit now available at the REALTOR® Content Resource. If buyers’ credit is impeccable, share tips on steps to take before buying a home, finding the right home, determining how much mortgage you can afford, understanding real estate representation, and keeping your home purchase on track, all of which are also part of the “Get Ready to Own” bundle.
The REALTOR® Content Resource, the new tool brought to you by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, is an exclusive NAR member benefit that entitles you to download free homeownership content in your consumer Web site, blog, or e-newsletter. HouseLogic is the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS’® no-topic-left-uncovered consumer website geared to helping home owners make smart decisions to maintain, protect, and increase the value of their home.
By G. M. Filisko, contributing writer, HouseLogic
Have you met your prospecting goals for the month? Drop in on potential clients and customers and encourage them to tackle minor but money-saving or big-impact home upgrades over Memorial Day weekend.
Show them how with the May “Weekend Warrior” bundle now available at the REALTOR® Content Resource, the new tool brought to you by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, where your NAR membership entitles you to download free homeownership content in your consumer Web site, blog, or e-newsletter.
The “Weekend Warrior” bundle includes tips on projects sellers can conquer in just a weekend like saving energy on water heaters. Here are just a few of the tips available now at the REALTOR® Content Resource:
Turn down the temperature. Many water heaters come from the factory with the temperature set needlessly high. For every 10 degrees sellers turn it down, they’ll save 3 percent to 5 percent on their bill, according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE). A setting between 120-140 degrees is plenty hot for most uses. But sellers shouldn’t go below 120 degrees, which could lead to the unsafe growth of bacteria inside the tank.
Install low-flow fixtures. One of the surest ways to cut hot water costs is to use less of it. According to ACEEE, a family of four uses 700 gallons of hot water per week. By installing low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators, which cost as little as $10-$20 each, sellers can cut hot water consumption by 25 percent to 60 percent. These devices are easy to install and will save 14,000 gallons of hot water annually, plus the energy it takes to heat it. By cutting water consumption in half, sellers will save more than $200 annually.
Demonstrate your knowledge as an expert on home value by using these tips to educate sellers about this relatively easy—but money-saving—upgrade to their home. If sellers have already made changes to their water heater, share tips on exterior lighting, inspecting and maintaining their garage, and fast gutter fixes, all of which are also part of the “Weekend Warrior” bundle.
The REALTOR® Content Resource, the new tool brought to you by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, is an exclusive, free benefit for NAR members. HouseLogic is the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS’® no-topic-left-uncovered consumer Web site geared to helping home owners make smart decisions to maintain, protect, and increase the value of their home.
Just-released, free customizable content widgets available at the REALTOR® Content Resource, powered by NAR’s consumer Web site HouseLogic, let you easily incorporate homeownership content into your Web site or blog.
Customize the size and shape of the widgets, and take advantage of hundreds of articles written by premier journalists on such topics as home improvement and maintenance, landscaping, pest control, energy efficiency, tax credits and deductions, finance, insurance, and building a community.
The widget content updates automatically in real time, so there’s no need to refresh or re-import it.
Choose from three widget sizes and display up to four articles at a time. With just a few keystrokes, you’ll have imported the content you need to show clients your mission is to help them protect their most important investment.
The REALTOR® Content Resource, powered by HouseLogic, is an exclusive, free benefit for NAR members. HouseLogic is the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS’® no-topic-left-uncovered consumer Web site geared to helping homeowners make smart decisions to maintain, protect, and increase the value of their home.
By G. M. Filisko, contributing writer, HouseLogic
When people question whether you’re old enough to have the expertise necessary to successfully represent them in a real estate transaction (We know you’re shocked!), prove you’re just as much of an expert on home values as any real estate vet: Just take advantage of the REALTOR® Content Resource, the new tool powered by HouseLogic where your NAR membership entitles you to download free homeownership content for your consumer Web site, blog, or e-newsletter.
Start with May’s “Weekend Warrior” bundle, just in time for the long Memorial Day weekend. Encourage buyers and sellers to take advantage of Memorial Day sales by picking up the materials they need to stop wasting standby power, or the $100 lost annually because of electronics’ standby settings. Among the tips you’ll get at the REALTOR® Content Resource:
Buy a portable energy meter. The first step in recovery is admitting there’s a problem. For $22-$100, your clients can buy a device to measure how much it costs to operate everything from their refrigerator to their computer on full blast and on standby. Big culprits: high-definition and standard cable TV boxes, computers, and VCRs. Continue reading »
By Erica Christoffer and Katie Tarbox, REALTOR® Magazine
The Young Professionals Network (YPN) had a lot to celebrate at their annual networking event this year, which was held at the chic pool deck of the Hotel Solamar and sponsored by NAR Community Affairs, HP, HouseLogic, and the Center for REALTOR® Technology.
More than 300 young professionals attended the event, which featured wine, mini-sliders, and sweet bites of dessert. Members of YPN, which is targeted to REALTORS® under the age of 40, came from across the country to share business ideas and optimistic predictions for 2010.
YPN manager Rob Reuter honored Minneapolis with the 2009 Chapter of the Year Award. Houston and Missouri were honorable mentions. Jared James, the Web Choice for REALTOR® Magazine’s 30 Under 30, was also acknowledged.
Additionally, winners of the Center for REALTOR® Technology (CRT) Spotlight Awards were recognized at the event. Tina Merrit, the director of training at Virginia-based firm Long and Foster, won her Spotlight Award in the category of Advocate. As the creator of Wolkia, a real estate technology resource, Merrit’s focus is education.
Ed DeRosa, director of technology at the Florida Association of REALTORS®, received the Spotlight Innovator award. DeRosa saved the association $150,000 through his video conferencing and webinar series initiative. Brandon Rodriguez, a practitioner in Dallas, Texas, was honored in the Pioneer category. He successfully created a virtual office that competes with the bigger firms in his market.
Taqi Rizvi, chief technology officer at the Houston Association of REALTORS®, won the Visionary award. He created one of the first MLS public Web sites in the country, HAR.com, and led a team to implement more than 100 practitioner and consumer tools.
Photos by Kevin Berne
Recent Comments