Tips for Keeping Your House Running Smoothly!

Tips to Keep Your House Running Smoothly!

If you own a home, it is important to keep it in good working order! Home maintenance is the key to keeping your home safe and sturdy!

1) Clean your gutters! Leaf filled gutters cause water to go where it is not supposed to. If you don’t have gutters, now may be a good time to consider putting them on your home before the spring rains!

2) Check your exterior wood trim, if the paint is flaking or wood is exposed, it needs to be fixed! Exposed wood will absorb water and lead to wood rot. If the wood is soft then replace it.

3) Take a look at your roof, if you see loose or missing shingles or flashing that has been damaged, call a qualified roofer to take a look and make any necessary repairs.

4) Leaky faucets…inside or outside! Drippy leaking faucets can add to your water bill and cause additional damage if not taken care of promptly

.5) Replace your furnace filters. This needs to be done regularly to keep your heat and air running smoothly.

6) Keep your carpets cleaned, stretched and in good repair. Carpets that need stretched can be a trip hazard

.7) Clean your clothes dryer vent, this is an area that you don’t see and don’t think about but is a major cause of fires.

8) Check doors and windows for leaks. Caulk carefully applied can take care of a lot of these issues!

9) Bathrooms are another area in need of caulk! Replace cracked or missing caulk around tubs, toilets and sinks.

10) Vacuum your refrigerator! Clean around the condenser and compressor coils to help keep the fridge running efficiently.

Susie Genet

Realtor Associate

Chinowth & Cohen Realtors

918-809-8296

www.Tulsasrealestate.com

www.SusieGenet.com

The Heat is On! Summer home selling tips.

The heat this summer in Tulsa, OK (and many other parts of the country) has been record setting. If you are selling your home here are some tips to make your house the one that buyers will remember... no matter how hot it gets!

Of course, the number one tip is, keep it cool! If you have a showing scheduled for your home, make sure it is an oasis for the buyers. They will want to stay longer if it feels good!

Brighten it up! Summer is the time for bright touches of colors and lots of light, not the heavy dark colors and closed drapes associated with winter. Add some splashes of summer colors with pillows and accents and open the drapes.

Make sure that it smells fresh! A light citrus smells is perfect for summer.

Clean! Clean! and Clean some more! A clean decluttered home is what buyers want to see. Put away personal hygiene items in the bathrooms and be sure the kitchen is spotless.

Even if your yard is turning brown, be sure that the landscaping near the entry looks fresh and green! Buyers will remember that first impression... dead flowers in a pot are not inviting.

Emergency Homeowners Loan Program EHLP (ELPH is on the way!)

Facing foreclosure or falling behind in your payments? The Department of Housing & Urban Development has a new program that is designed to provide eligible homeowners with up to $50,000 in an interest free loan to be used to help catch up on past due payments, delinquent taxes, unpaid mortgage insurance, etc. According to the HUD website, the program is designed to assist homeowners who have lost at least 15% of their income due to job loss, decrease in wages, medical emergency or other factors due to the economy. Applicants needs to be at least 3 months behind in their payments and the mortgage must be on their primary residence. Other restrictions include income limits, mortgage cost burden, and the ability of the borrower to resume payments. More information on restrictions, application process and deadlines can be found at www.nw.org under the Foreclosure Resources tab. The website indicates that the preapplication process will end July 22.

Baby It's Cold Outside...

1. Don’t forget the curb appeal! Keep the leaves cleaned up, add a colorful wreath to the door and if it snows, don’t forget to shovel a nice wide path!
2. Turn on the lights and open the blinds, the more light the better. Make sure the windows are clean, though!
3. Keep it warm! Buyers will spend more time in a warm house than in a cold house.
4. Clean and clean some more. Fresh paint, clean carpets and a spotless house are a key to a good showing in any season.
5. Add some splashes of color to brighten up your home, bright colored pillows or festive décor will make your home stand out.
6. A closed up house, especially one with pets, can get a little smelly! Make sure that yours smells great when buyers are coming! Vanilla and cinnamon are wonderful welcoming smells for buyers and you can never beat the aroma of fresh baked cookies.

Buying A Short Sale

BUYING A SHORT SALE

If you are long on time and patience and are hoping to get a good deal on your home purchase, the short sale market may be right for you. A short sale is when the mortgage holder is accepting less than full payoff of their mortgage in exchange for releasing the lien. By purchasing a short sale, you may also be helping keep a troubled homeowner from facing foreclosure. There are some things to consider before entering this market:

Know your market: Not every short sale listing is a good deal. Some properties have been so overmortgaged that even at a lower price than what is owed on it, it is still overpriced. It is important to know the values in the area and the condition of the property.

Work with an experienced real estate agent: There are a lot of potential issues in trying to purchase a short sale and an experienced agent can help you navigate them. It is important to know how along in the foreclosure process the property is and whether or not there are additional liens or encumbrances on the property that might prevent the sale.

Be prepared to be patient: The banks have been working to streamline their short sale processes, but it may take 3-6 months (or longer) to successfully purhase a short sale, and some of them may go back to the bank or go to sheriff's sale before approval can be reached.

Benefits of a Short Sale

Benefits of a Short Sale

If you own a home and are falling behind in your payments, you may want to consider a short sale. A short sale is when a property is sold for less than what is owed on the mortgage and the lender accepts the lower amount as satisfaction of the mortgage.
Benefits to the seller include:
1. A short sale may not impact their credit score as much as a foreclosure.
2. Seller can continue to live in the home during the process
3. Morally, sellers are not walking away from a debt but attempting to pay off as much as possible
4. Realtor fees and closing fees are deducted from the payoff to the bank, seller does not incur these costs.
Benefits to the Lender include:
1. Lender may not have to go through a costly foreclosure process.
2. Lender does not have to incur the cost for listing and marketing the property.
3. Lender is able to remove a loan that is behind from their portfolio.
For more information, visit my website at www.tulsasrealestate.com.

Tax Credit Ended but the Good Deals Didn't!

Tax Credit Ended but the Good Deals Didn't!

If you missed out on the Homebuyers Tax Credit… all is not lost! The lower interest rates that are available now may make up for it! Information released from Freddie Mac for the week ending May 20, shows the 30 year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.84 % with a .7 discount point. This is down from the previous week's average of 4.93%. This is the lowest that the interest rate has been in 2010. Fifteen year mortgages are at 4.24 with .7 points.

If you are looking to buy or sell home in the Tulsa area, this is a great time to do it! Visit my website at www.tulsasrealestate.com.