5 Tips for Selling a Vacant Home

RISMEDIA, April 8, 2008-This spring, as it becomes a popular time for homeowners to begin preparing their homes for sale, Showhomes encourages them to do some essential steps to make sure the most important first step takes place: buyers make the decision to view the home.

“Many people think all they have to do is make sure the inside of their home is clean, but it really goes far beyond that when it comes to making sure your home looks its best so that buyers will take a look,” said Thomas Scott, vice president of Operations for Showhomes Franchise Corporation. “That is why we have released five essential tips that can help local residents stay on the right track when preparing their homes for a sale.”

Scott reveals five tips for selling a vacant home:

1. Curb Appeal - the better the curb appeal of your home is, the more attractive it is to prospective buyers.

- Trim overgrown bushes, weed beds and add a fresh layer of mulch
- Clean your front door and repaint if needed
- Add a fresh doormat
- Keep grass cut, edged and blown
- Plant some color in the beds to add contrast

2. Cleaning - for most buyers, dirt equals stress and the last thing most buyers want is more stress in their lives.

- Pressure-wash the driveway and sidewalks.
- Clean windows inside and out
- Pressure wash decks and patios

3. Paint - the condition and color of the paint can make a huge difference in how buyers react to your home. Select light neutrals - creamy kakis, pearly grays or soft greens.

4. Replace Worn Carpet - Dirty carpet is unsanitary and nobody will be able to overlook your worn carpet. Replace the top layer with inexpensive neutral colored carpet and you will always recoup the investment.

5. Stage your home - Buyers who look at vacant homes only see floors, walls and ceilings. With nothing else to look at, they focus on flaws. Because of this, vacant houses are very vulnerable to low-ball offers and often sell for 15-20 percent below list price.

For more information, please visit www.showhomes.com.

An Easier Way of Doing Business in Real Estate

By David Bradley

RISMEDIA, April 8, 2008-To Broker/Owner Larry Sanders and the home-buying customers of RE/MAX Platinum in the Houston suburb of Tomball, Texas, Val Tiemann appears to be just another member of the Platinum team who makes the purchase and loan process go smoothly.

However, there is one small difference: Tiemann is a mortgage loan officer with Bank of America, who just happens to have a desk in both of RE/MAX Platinum’s offices.

Sanders wouldn’t have things any other way, because his clients and agents get the type of service that differentiates his company in tough market conditions. RE/MAX Platinum has an Alliance relationship with Bank of America. When firms have these relationships with the bank, Bank of America mortgage loan officers use partner offices as their home base every day.

“Val really takes care of business, and that’s what makes it so great,” says Sanders. “Her instant availability and the help she offers our customers, makes it very easy for us to do business.”

Sanders, who has had an alliance relationship with Bank of America for several years, also credits innovative loan programs-such as No Fee Mortgage PLUS-as differentiators in the mortgage marketplace. He says Bank of America “has all the loan programs that take care of our clients” and he points specifically to No Fee Mortgage PLUS-which has eliminated virtually all typical closing fees as a real value in the marketplace.

“Bank of America has loan programs most other lenders just don’t have,” adds Sanders. “Show me another lender that has a no-fee loan? That’s why we like Bank of America.” No Fee Mortgage PLUS also includes an on-time guarantee that the loan will close in 25 days or less.

The ability to place loan officers directly in real estate offices is a definite plus, according to Sanders. When his agents have questions, they simply walk over to Tiemann’s desk for answers. It eliminates travel and phone time, which gives RE/MAX Platinum customers the best degree of service. Buyers, he says, see Tiemann as part of his team.

Tiemann says her accessibility to agents and their customers is a tremendous advantage.

“The biggest thing is being in the office with the right products and building the relationship with Realtors who see you as another member of the team,” says Tiemann. “It is a competitive advantage in this market because they can concentrate on real estate, knowing Bank of America will get the job done.”

Even if market conditions were great, Sanders doesn’t hesitate to say he would still work closely with Bank of America. “When you have a relationship with the top lender in the U.S., and a great on-site resource like Val, what better team can you have?”

David Bradley is with Consumer Real Estate Communications at Bank of America.

For more information, please visit http://www.bankofamerica.com. Credit and collateral are subject to approval. Terms and conditions apply. Bank of America is an Equal Housing Lender.

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