Featured House of the Week: Beautiful Historic Van Ness Boulevard Home

English Cottage on Historic Van Ness Blvd.

2634 N. Van Ness Blvd.

OPEN HOUSE THIS SUNDAY

1:00 TO 4:00 P.M.

Traditional Sale $399,000

3,000+ Square Feet / 4 Bedrooms / 3 Baths

Traditional Sale: English cottage on historic Van Ness Ave. Inside you'll find a spacious floorplan, including formal living & dining rooms, a huge downstairs master suite with a large adjoining bath, featuring your own spa tub. This home boasts such custom features as decorator colors, crown moldings, arched doorways, in wall mounted speakers, French doors, stained glass, hardwood floors, and a large gourmet kitchen. Outside you'll find a nicely planned outdoor living area including ozone purified salt water pool, built in BBQ, and beautiful landscaping.

Incredible dining room -- perfect for entertaining and the holidays!

Stainless appliances including a gourmet gas range and beautiful white cabinetry.

Family room is warm and inviting for everyday living.

The backyard is landscaped with designer concrete touches and an incredible pool and built in BBQ.

This house won't last...make an appointment for a viewing today, or come by the open house this Sunday!

The Joe Sciarrone Group

269.9413

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Photo From: 

http://activerain.com/michelleminch

Staging Your Home

If you are considering putting your home on the market, staging your home will set it apart from your competition.  Why?  Home staging is about illusions.  It produces the thought of a potential buyer to think, “I could live here”.  Staging your home is beyond decorating and cleaning.  It's about perfecting the art of creating moods.  Staging makes your house look bigger, brighter, cleaner, warmer, more loving and, best of all; it makes home buyers want to buy it.

Contrary to what you might think, it's about more than preparing your house for sale.   Staging is what you do AFTER you've cleaned, de-cluttered, painted, made minor repairs; it's all about setting the stage for your home’s sale.

http://www.designspongeonline.com/ (Before + After)

Staging your home goes beyond the norm.  It's about adding the little details: the props, lighting and, for simplicity, a stunning showing. The Joe Sciarrone Group can help…we have a professional stager on our team, and include a FREE one hour consultation when you list your home with our team.

Photo From:  http://www.restorationhardware.com/

Secrets of Professional Stagers

Professional stagers are highly skilled artists. Their work sells homes…period.  They can take a blank slate and create an inviting and appealing home, ready for a prompt and attractive sale.  Stagers possess the skills of a top-level designer and they create dramatic scenery that appeals to all five senses.  Here are some of their secrets:

·         Arrange select pieces of furniture in an appealing grouping.  Make sure you can easily walk around the furniture and the room, and if the room has a fireplace, make it the focal point.

·         Showcase a generous usage of soft fabrics with pillows, a throw, and curtains.

·         Display unusual accessories in units of 1, 3 or 5 and keep personal pictures to a minimum.  Group items by color, shape, texture, or another unifying element.

·         Use window coverings with simple lines and keep draperies clean and neat.

·         Add unique elements to shelving, bookcases and fireplace mantels, which draw attention to predetermined areas.  An accent paint color, large mirror or piece of art all work beautifully.

What Accessories Does a Stager Use?

Stagers bring in a vast array of items to spruce up the house. Here is a small sampling of items professional stagers often use to create appeal in each room. How they are utilized is limited only by the creativity and vision of the stager.

·         Mirrors:  Always a great way to bring attention to a mantle, entry, or hall niche

·         Plants and Fresh Flowers:  Orchids are always beautiful and last several weeks when cared for

·         Silk Flowers:  Use sparingly and tastefully

·         Floor & Table Lamps:  Lighting is essential to a well staged home

·         Area and Throw Rugs:  Define your furniture grouping with a rug and NEVER push your furniture up against the walls.

·         Small Love Seats:  Look great in any room

·         Ottomans look cozy and inviting to prospective buyers

·         Afghans:  A seasonal touch of color

·         Pillows:  Soft fabrics bring warmth and color

·         Inflatable Queen-Size Beds:  They look amazing when made properly

·         Baskets:  Everyone loves organization, and space.  Eliminate clutter and use baskets to organize any room

·         Plastic Tables & Chairs:  An inexpensive alternative when you don’t have furniture.  Use as accents and cover with fabric tablecloths and chair covers

Bathroom Staging Photos From:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/736387/staged-bathrooms-don-t-need-much-

Professional Staging Tricks & Tips

Kitchen

·         Apply orange oil to cabinets that appear dry, which will renew their original luster

·         Use fresh fruit in the kitchen.  Put out a large bowl of fruit such as polished apples, bright oranges, and luscious grapes

·         Arrange a colorful or seasonal cookbook on the counter, or a large interesting canister with coffee, beans, or grains

·         Make sure your kitchen nook table is size appropriate

·         At a minimum make sure the cabinetry hardware is up to date and polished

http://activerain.com/blogsview/1250509/kitchen-staging-makes-a-world-of-difference

Bathrooms

·         Towels neatly folded, rolled in a basket, or hung on updated towel bars

·         Have sleek, modern fixtures

·         Scented soaps collected in a simple glass jar or basket

·         Bath salts, candles and oils at the tub

·         NEVER – leave your daily essentials on the counter including:  toothpaste, shaving cream, medications, deodorants, etc.  Make sure counters are de-cluttered and clean.

The Yard

·         For patios and decks, bring in plants and potted flowers

·         Mulch boosts curb appeal

·         Yellow flowers are the most appealing color to brighten the flowerbeds

·         A new entry mat at your front door is a MUST

Photo From:  http://malcolmxpark.org/?m=200804&paged=2

Statistics show that staging a home properly reduces the homes time on the market and justifies your realtors recommended asking price.   If you are interested in staging your home, contact The Joe Sciarrone Group...we can help.

Joe Sciarrone Group

559-269-9413

joe@londonproperties.com



“Should I consider a short sale for my house?” is a question more and more homeowners are asking today.

Every household across the nation has felt the impact of the economy.  Many hard working dedicated Americans have lost jobs, taken pay-cuts, or accepted reduced work hours, causing increased financial stress at home.  The possibility of facing foreclosure is scary, and navigating the process of a loan modification, short sale, or foreclosure can be difficult and confusing.  The Joe Sciarrone Group can help determine what your options are, and walk you through the process. 

What is a Short Sale?
A short sale by occurs when a property is sold and the lender agrees to accept a discounted payoff, meaning the lender will release the lien that is secured to the property upon receipt of less money than is actually owed.

When lenders accept a short sale, they are accepting to take the loss of the difference between the homes’s selling price and what is currently owed.  For example: If the unpaid balance of a loan is, $150,000 and a property sells for $130,000, under a short sale the lender might accept $130,000 as payment in full and is “shorted” $20,000.  In the past, homeowner’s were taxed on this difference; however a current moratorium avoids taxation. 

If the HAMP legislation cannot provide relief for you through loan modification, a short sale might be right for you.  Recent reports show that between 85% and 97% of all loan modifications are either denied or never see completion.  If bankruptcy or foreclosure options are undesirable because of the amount of damage to your credit score; a short sale may be your answer…

If you’re considering a short sale, or have applied for a loan modification, the following steps will help you though the process:

1.   Contact The Joe Sciarrone Group.  Find out if you’re a candidate for selling your home via the Short Sale process.  We are highly knowledgeable and will help you determine if a short sale is right for you.  Don’t fall for a scam…You should NEVER pay for loan modification help.  (Please refer to the HAMP legislation for more information.)

2.   Contact Your Lender.  Typically you have to talk to someone in the “loss mitigation” department; however it may take several calls before you actually speak to someone who can help you.  Have account numbers ready and be patient.

3.   Submit a Letter of Authorization.  The lender will not disclose any of your information without authorization.  If you’re working with a Realtor, a lawyer, or title company, you will receive better cooperation if the lender has authorization to speak to those parties regarding your loan. 

4.   Preliminary Net Sheet.   This is an estimated closing statement showing the expected sales price, unpaid loan balance, outstanding payments due and late fees, and real estate commissions.  If your net to seller shows money to seller at closing, you do not need to do a short sale. 

5.   Hardship Letter.  This is a letter you provide to your lender explaining how you got into the financial bind you’re currently in.  Typical examples are loss of a job, substantial medical bills, death in the family, etc.   

6.   Proof of Income and Assets.  You must be truthful and disclose any assets.  Lenders will want to know if you have savings accounts, money market accounts, stocks or bonds, negotiable instruments, cash or other real estate or anything of tangible value. Lenders are not in the charity business and often require assurance that the debtor cannot pay back any of the debt that it is forgiven. They will also want proof of income via recent pay stubs.

7.   Copies of Bank Statements.  Lenders will need these once the process is started.  If they show large transfers or withdrawals, those will need to be explained.  Plan to provide your last 3 months of statements at a minimum.

8.   Comparative Market Analysis.  There are many declining markets based on the current economy.  And this can be part of the reason you cannot sell your home for enough money to pay off your mortgage.  We can provide this information for you, showing comparable active, pending and homes recently sold. 

9.   Purchase Agreement & Listing Agreement.  The lender will require copies of this documentation and must approve the selling price.  We will act on your behalf as the mediator between your lender and the buyer’s agent.  Be prepared for the lender to negotiate.

Please keep in mind your credit score will be affected by a short sale.  On average your score can be reduced approximately 90 points, vs. a foreclosure which is around 150.  

There is not now, nor has there ever been, anything any one person can do to change the facts of life.  Certainly not facts like mortgage interest rates will rise while property values decline, credit card rates will continue to go higher even when you have a good credit history and even the best workers will lose their jobs if their company closes in these uncertain economic times.

If you have any questions, or would like to discuss the option of selling your home as a short sale, please contact the Joe Sciarrone Group!  We’re here to help…