Five Steps To Selling Your House Quickly

Are you thinking about selling your home?  Do you need to sell it quickly.  Selling your home quickly can be done.  You just have to know how to go about doing it correctly.   Today we are going to talk about the best ways to get your home sold in record time.   Once you have finished reading this article, you will have some great tips on how to get this done.

Probably the most important thing you should know about selling your house quickly is to hire a qualified real estate agent.  Some homeowners try to cut corners and sell their house themselves; however, this is not the best route to go.  A realtor has access to state of the art tools and to the MLS system database in which only licensed realtors can utilize.

Finding just the right real estate agent is critical.  You will need to interview your prospective agent and ask them to show  you the homes that are comparable to yours that they have sold recently and how quickly they sold them.  You can also ask to contact the sellers with whom your prospective realtor has worked with to see if they were satisfied with the process.

Additionally, you should shop the area for other homes he is currently trying to sell.  Take some time to visit the realtor's office to see how many people are working and how you are treated.   Check their website to view their other listings and to see how professionally they handle their ads.   Request some copies of the flyers and advertising packets they have on their other listings to determine if they are of good quality and include all of the necessary detailed information needed to influence a sale.

Another factor in selling your house quickly is how easy you make it for potential buyers to view your home.   Be ready at a moment's notice to do a quick clean up and leave the house long enough  for the buyer to view your home, even if it's inconvenient for you.

Talk to your realtor about setting up an open house.  Ask them to send personalized invitations to all of their potential buyers and everyone on their mailing list.  Your realtor should be trying to do everything they can to create a buzz about your open house and to encourage a scenario of competition to encourage higher offers.

Sometimes offering your agent an incentive if they sell your house within a specific time frame will give them that little extra boost needed to get the job done more quickly.   However, you will need to check the laws in your State to determine what types of incentives they are allowed to accept.  Some States restrict the types and the amount of the incentives they are allowed to receive.

Your realtor will be familiar with many different ways to sell your home quickly.  And he will do everything in his power to make the process go as smooth as possible from start to finish

Do You Really Need A Home Inspection?

Buying a home can be a very exciting time, but get one thing wrong and it can turn your life upside down.   Performing a home inspection is one of those things that some buyers think they can forego.  However, the home inspection is a vital part of knowing that you are getting a quality home with as few defects as possible versus getting a money pit.

The only way to know if you are getting a good solid, quality home is through the home inspection report.  The home inspection report will help give you an accurate picture of the maintenance required to preserve the home, as well as, what may need to be repaired before you can move in.  Alternatively, it could give you an "out,"  without forfeiting your earnest money, if the inspector uncovers any major flaws in the home.

Always use a licensed home inspector and not your best friends cousin who is a handyman and thinks he is a home building specialist.  A licensed inspector is required to attend classes and pass a test before he is able to become licensed.

Generally, the home inspection only takes a few hours and will cost between  $200-$400 dollars.  The inspector will start by checking the physical  condition of the exterior by looking for cracks in the walls and any signs of water damage, etc.  He will then inspect the electrical, HVAC, plumbing, appliances, water heater and any other features of the home for damage or potential problems.

The home inspector will then report any visible defects; however, they usually don't notate the condition of things like buried pipes, etc.  Although, they will notate if they see any standing water in the yard  that could indicate an underground leak in one of the underground pipes.

The home inspection report will allow the buyer to request that the seller fix the items found on the inspection report before the sale of the home has been completed.   The seller, however, has the option of refusing the repair request and offering the home on an "as is" basis or lowering the price of the home to compensate for those repairs.   If the repairs discovered through the home inspection process are major, it's generally advisable that you walk away and find another more suitable home for you and your family.  Otherwise, you may be looking at bigger problems later on down the road as the problem grows.

If you don't want to start the entire home search over again from scratch, you could opt for a 203K loan or something similar to have those repairs fixed.   Talk to your realtor about what he recommends.  Your realtor may know of another property that would be perfect for you versus going through the time and hassle of any major repairs that are needed on the current home you are interested in.

San Pedro Waterfront Enhancemenet

The San Pedro Waterfront Enhancements Project Consist of:

• The Improvement of existing and construction of new pedestrian walks and plazas (4 acres)
• Green Public Open Spaces (10 acres)
• Associated Parking (approx. 11 acres)
• Two upland pedestrian linkages
• Landscaping between port waterfront attractions
• Streetscape and street intersection improvements
• installation of a pedestrian rail crossing

Planning for the revitalization of San Pedro’s waterfront has been ongoing for many years. Most recently, LAHD has proposed the San Pedro Waterfront and Promenade Master Development Plan from the Bridge to the Breakwater (Bridge to Breakwater Plan), which the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners (Board) received for consideration in September 2004. The Bridge to Breakwater Plan encompasses 7 miles of San Pedro’s waterfront, from the Vincent Thomas Bridge to the Federal Breakwater at Cabrillo Beach.

The San Pedro Waterfront Enhancements Project is a continuation of LAHD’s effort to improve existing pedestrian corridors along the waterfront, increase waterfront access from upland areas, create more open space, and improve vehicular safety.

Downtown Plaza 
The overall goal of the improvements at the Downtown Plaza is to create a revitalized, attractive, and easily accessible pedestrian-oriented plaza in front of the Maritime Museum and to enhance the pedestrian connectivity throughout the area. The plaza would create a town-square feel in front of and adjacent to the Maritime Museum. Sidewalks would be widened by approximately 5 feet along Sampson Way between 5th Street and 7th Street. Existing pedestrian walkways in the downtown area would be improved with new concrete treatments, and the surrounding hardscape would be removed and replaced with new landscaping.
Other related improvements along the waters’ edge include replacing the existing railing and shrubs next to the waterline with a fence design that would reflect the character of the Port. A portion of the pathway in this area may be made of decomposed granite to enhance the attractiveness of the area and encourage foot
traffic to areas offering view opportunities. Additional project elements in this portion of the project area include painting the existing topsail building, upgrading portions of the surrounding fence, re-grading surrounding hardscape, and installing a graphic display.

Ports O’ Call 
Enhancements within and near the Ports O’ Call area are designed to improve  pedestrian access and the attractiveness of the area. One project element includes formalizing the existing trail near Bloch Field on the
bluff across 13th Street and Sampson Way, as well as expanding the existing park area at the south end of Ports O’ Call. All project components are intended to increase public access to the waterfront, Red Car lines, viewing opportunities, and passive recreation areas. Enhancements in this area would require the
relocation of 275 parking spaces from Ports O’ Call. Other project components in the Ports O’ Call Village area include the removal of the bus pad, undergrounding of existing overhead utility lines within the
Fishermen’s Park area, and removal of the low wall that surrounds the Ports O’ Call Village parking lot.

Approximately 2,275 parking spaces serve the Ports O’ Call area. A total of approximately 275 of these spaces would be relocated. Removal and relocation of parking is needed due to the realignment of Nagoya Way, the Fishermen’s Park expansion, and the extension of 13th Street through the Ports O’ Call parking
lot to Red Car Station No. 3. The parking spaces would be relocated to a currently dirt and gravel parking area at Sampson Way and 22nd Street that is used for event parking. The unimproved lot would be upgraded and would provide approximately 700 parking spaces. The additional 425 spaces included in the parking area would serve as available event parking and would accommodate Ports O’ Call patrons on weekends, when parking demand is high.

Paseo
The Paseo, a multi-surfaced pedestrian pathway, would be extended on the west side of the existing shops within Ports O’ Call Village. The Paseo would require removal of approximately 187,000 square feet of asphalt and concrete to a depth of 4 inches. Landscaping themes along the Paseo would be consistent with other Ports O’ Call Village improvements and other planting patterns along the promenade.

To facilitate the Paseo, Nagoya Way would be relocated and realigned 20 to 40 feet west into the existing parking lot. The street would be re-striped and would require the removal of approximately 75 parking spaces (the first portion of the 275 spaces to be relocated as noted above). The surface would not require
substantial grinding or repaving. Storm drains would be relocated to the new Nagoya Way and curbs may be replaced. The existing north restroom building would be remodeled and upgraded, and the southern restroom would be removed and replaced by four additional restroom buildings along the Paseo.

7 Steps to a Kitchen Color Scheme

Choosing from an infinite number of kitchen color schemes can be both exciting and daunting. How do you decide?

From a simple black and white kitchen to every other grouping of possible hues, picking the right combination will be easier if you follow our step-by-step guide.

There are seven essential steps to take when selecting colors for your kitchen remodel. While often helpful, it is not necessary to follow these steps in order.

1. Choosing cabinet colors: Kitchen cabinets typically take up 50% of your budget and occupy about 40% of the visual space in your kitchen. For these reasons, it's best to start out by choosing a cabinet color that fits your personality and your home's style before deciding the other colors in your kitchen.



2. Choosing appliance colors: Your cabinetry order cannot be finalized until you know which appliances you intend to buy. As focal points, your sink and appliances can have a big impact on your kitchen color scheme.



3. Choosing countertop colors: Your kitchen countertops are close to eye level and will occupy a large portion of your visual space. Be sure to bring a sample of your cabinetry color to help you choose a coordinating countertop color.



4. Choosing flooring colors: When selecting a kitchen floor color, be sure it coordinates well with the cabinets, countertops, and appliances, as well as with the floors in adjoining rooms.



5. Choosing a backsplash color: By now your kitchen color scheme is nearly complete. There are many backsplash options that can either coordinate or clash with your color scheme, so if you need extra help, don't hesitate to enlist the services of a designer when selecting a backsplash.



6. Choosing a wall color: Often the forgotten backdrop to an overall color scheme, your walls can still play a vital role. While the walls are often obscured by cabinets, pick a color that balances well with the floors, cabinets, and backsplash.



7. Choosing hardware colors: Your faucets and cabinet handles are installed later, after the cabinets and granite have been completed. While it is common to coordinate the faucets and handles colors, it is not required.

Read more: http://www.kitchen-design-ideas.org/kitchen-color-schemes.html#ixzz2c5JUj39a

How To Properly Maintain Your Deck All Year Around

Having a deck or installing a new one can increase the value of your home and will give you about a 77% return on your investment when it comes time to sell.   So it's important that you take the time necessary  to properly care for your deck all year around.

Here is a deck maintenance schedule you should adhere to in order to protect your investment.

If you have a wood deck, you should clean and seal it once every year.  If you have a vinyl deck, you should clean it once every year.  Make sure you cover your plants, bushes or any foliage you have with plastic sheets before you begin.

Spring:
• Wash your deck to remove any mold and debris that has gotten into the wood.  You will  need to scrape out the debris between the boards as well.  For a wood deck you can use any general deck cleaner or if you prefer, you can use a half bleach and half water solution .   If you have a vinyl deck, you will need to purchase a deck cleaner that is specifically designed to clean composite materials.  Then use a soft brush to gently scrub it clean; however,  you should never powerwash a vinyl deck as you may damage the material and void the warranty.
• Seal your wood deck if it needs it.  You can test your deck using water to see if it needs to be resealed or not.  Hose your deck down with water and if the water beads up you don't need to seal it.  If the water soaks into the wood, it's time to reseal.
Summer:
• Inspect your deck visually to check for potential hazards.  Check for loose boards and if you can access the underbelly of your deck, check the posts, joists and beams for rot or structural damage.  Additionally, you should check for any potential pest problems and address them if needed.

Fall:
• Look for any nails that have started to come up.  If the nail is only slightly raised, just hammer it back down.  However, if it has raised substantially, you should pull out the nail and then re-install a screw that is longer than the nail you just removed.
• Trim any bushes or foliage away from your deck to help prevent rotting.  You should also move around any pots, chairs and tables you have on your deck to help prevent discoloration.
You should sweep your deck periodically to remove any debris that has piled up around the area.

I hope you have found this information helpful.  If you are thinking about buying or selling a home, call your realtor, he would be more than happy to help you with the entire buying and selling process from start to finish.

Real Estate benefits eyed amid tax reform

The home-mortgage interest deduction is among the possible targets for cuts. Since Congress has taken off on its annual summer recess, you might assume that nothing is happening on Capitol Hill that could affect the taxes you pay on your home. Quite the reverse.

Staff members of the house and Senate tax-writing committees are busy putting together legislative drafts that may determine the fate of real estates most prized tax benefits --first and second home mortgage interest deductions, property tax write-offs, capital gains, exclusions and others.

Both committees chairmen have promised major tax reform proposals this fall. They've been evaluating deductions, credits, and loopholes in terms of revenue costs and economic benefits, including the $70-billion+ yearly expense of the mortgage interest write off. The process that underway represents the most serious effort to simplify and reorganize federal tax law since the Tax Reform Act of 1986.

On the Senate side, Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) asked colleagues in both parties to submit recommendations on which tax preferences should be preserved, starting from a "blank slate" where all current benefits are eliminated. To provide senators political cover and deniability, the committee put all recommendations under a 50-year top-secret classification, and restricted access to them to just 10 staff members.

On the House side, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) instructed staff to move ahead with drafts during the recess, allowing the committee to consider a final tax reform bill in October. That would tee up the legislation for a possible full House floor vote.

So what's really on the chopping block? Is there a possibility that as part of a comprehensive tax reform bill, preferences for homeownership could be reduced or phased out?

Here's a quick overview: The House bill under construction seeks to reduce individual and corporate marginal tax rates across the board. Camp has said he wants to clear out deductions, exclusions and other longtime tax code subsidies enough to lower individual taxes to a top marginal rate of 25%, down from the current 39.6%. He also wants to eliminate the alternative minimum tax and slash corporate tax rates.

The problem, though, is that lowering tax rates to these levels would cost trillions of dollars in lost revenue over the coming decade and would only be partially paid for by eliminating or cutting the vast majority of current tax preferences, including for homeowners. Lowering the top marginal rate for individuals to 28% — instead of the proposed 25% — would help, some analysts say, but still might not close the lost-revenue gap.

Another complication: Major tax benefits that have been in existence for decades, such as the mortgage interest and property tax deductions, are so welded into the system that eliminating them, or sharply reducing them, would send shock waves throughout the national economy.

The Tax Foundation, a Washington think tank that describes itself as nonpartisan, released a study at the end of July projecting that an elimination of the mortgage interest write-off would cut the gross domestic product by $254 billion based on incomes in 2012, and would result in the loss of 659,000 jobs. In a separate study, the Tax Foundation projected that elimination of homeowner property tax deductions would lower GDP by $94 billion and trigger the loss of 216,000 jobs.

Findings such as these lead housing proponents to believe that neither the House nor the Senate bill can afford to make drastic reductions to long-standing homeowner tax benefits. Jerry Howard, chief executive of the National Assn. of Home Builders, said in an interview that the Tax Foundation's study "helps drive home the points we've been making [on Capitol Hill] about the value and importance of housing incentives" to the entire economy.

Other industry analysts aren't so sure. Not only did the Ways and Means Committee hear a panel of prominent economists slam the housing write-offs as inefficient and heavily tilted to benefit higher-income taxpayers, they note, but Camp's own make-or-break income tax cut targets could take precedence over retaining current deductions. On top of that, Democrats in the Senate want to raise revenue through tax reform, not cut it.

If that's the case, something's got to give. And that might require lower write-offs for housing — unpalatable politically as they may be a year before congressional elections. Whether tax reform legislation that does that could pass either house, however — in a year where Republicans and Democrats can't even pass a budget to fund the government — is much in doubt.

Housing inventory crunch seems to be easing up

A home is sold in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles-Long Beach market inventory climbed 7.8% from June and was 6.8% higher than July 2012, according to data from Realtor.com. (Reed Saxon / Associated Press / August 15, 2012)

The persistent inventory crunch helping boost home prices rapidly higher may be fading, according to a new report.

The nation saw a 5.2% decline in inventory last month — the second straight month of single-digit yearly drops, according to a Realtor.com report released Tuesday. In May, inventory fell 10% over the year. 

“Dramatic national year-over-year inventory declines have evaporated,” Move Inc., which operates Realtor.com, said in a news release.

The number of listings rose 1.4% from June — the fifth consecutive monthly rise. Last year, inventory declined from June to July. 

In some markets, the number of homes listed for sale has started to increase compared with last year. Twenty-five markets posted yearly inventory gains of 1% or more last month. Only seven markets saw such growth in April.

Tight inventory, investor demand and historically low interest rates have helped boost prices lately — especially in markets such as Los Angeles and Phoenix that fell hard during the bust.

Those price increases could be spurring more home owners to list their houses for sale — a decision many economists say should help moderate fast-rising home values.

The Los Angeles-Long Beach market inventory climbed 7.8% from June and was 6.8% higher than July 2012, according to data from Realtor.com. The median list price in the L.A. region was $440,000 in July, basically flat from June, but 29.4% higher than last year.

In Riverside and San Bernardino counties, inventory rose 3.2% over the month and jumped 26% from last year — the largest yearly gain in the country. The median list price in the Inland Empire was  $252,200 in July, nearly 1% more than June and 23% more than July 2012.

Inventory in Orange County rose 8.4% last month, but still remains 2.3% below last year. List prices there rose 34% over the year and 1.8% from June to hit $575,000.

Nationwide, the median list price was $199,900 in July, a 5.3% rise from last year and flat from June.

LA Times

By Andrew Khouri