1.Choose A Broker That Can Sell To find the best broker,determine which realtor dominates your market by "For Sale"signs and recommendations by neighbors. Then call the sales manager at the realty office and find out who are the top 10% agents as measured by sales. These agents generate 90% of revenues for an office. So they are most likely to sell your house at the best price. Before you commit to an agent make sure he or she has sold several homes in your neighborhood at attractive prices. Also, make sure that no more than 6 months had passed between the time the homes were listed and sold. Then make sure the agent has a marketing plan tailored to your home. 2. Offer A 2 Point Commission Bonus bringing the total commission to 8%. That way, the listing agent, your broker, and the selling agent, the buyer's broker, get an extra one-point incentive to focus on your property above anyone else's. Tell your agent to make sure the extra commission is clearly stated in the MLS listing - both under "commissions" and under "broker remarks". 3.Get Your Marketing Right Most home buyers start their search on the Internet. So make sure your agent lists your property on the seven biggest real estate sites which are Yahoo, Craigslist ,Trulia, Zillow, Homes.Com ,Realtor.Com and MLS. Only real estate agents can list homes on Homes.Com, Trulia, Realtor.Com and MLS. Ads range from free to $300+ for first page positions, slide shows and videos.
4. Brainstorm With Your Agent to come up with the single most important outstanding feature that makes your property different. It's called a USP or "unique marketing proposition". Then market the daylights out of it. Brainstorm further to come up with a list of special features like a fabulous view or a quiet street .It can be long or short. Then rank the items from most to least important. Then make sure all your advertising includes your USP and your home's special features. 5. Use Professional Photos Market research proves that photos influence buyers more than any other tool. Develop a virtual tour online like something you might see in a home magazine. Whether they're clearly visible or not, each photo or video should include a strongly worded caption that points out interesting details or features. Some agents will send out a professional photographer to take photos. If yours doesn't, you can hire your own for $100 to $500 depending where you live. 4. Clean Out Your Closets Neatness implies that you take care of things. Buyers may think that a messy closet means faulty wiring or plumbing. 5. Get Rid Of Clutter Every piece of junk reduces your homes value because buyers can't see past it. If necessary, rent storage space for a few months. Never underestimate how much a poor appearance will turn away potential buyers and diminish a sale. You want buyers to take a look and say, "Wow! I could move in here today!" 6.Let There Be Light Buyers want a bright house above all except location. So ditch the heavy drapes, have the house cleaned, wash the windows, and move furniture away from the windows. Then trim any outdoor plants blocking the sun. Paint the walls creamy white. And if possible, paint the outside of the house yellow. If you need to re-paint or change the siding of the house, make sure it's yellow. Yellow houses have the most curb appeal and sell faster than any other color. 7.Swipe And Deploy Attend an open house at a few new developments and take note on how the model homes are decorated. Then try to apply some of these latest decorating trends to your house on the cheap. 8. Price It Right The smartest strategy is to under price your house below market value. That's because buyers are looking for value when they buy. This also might force buyers into a bidding war over your house with one another. If you price high and then go low, buyers will sense your desperation and start making low ball offers. Calculate the average on the "comps" for your area and mark it down 10%. If market conditions are deteriorating rapidly, or if you're in a particular hurry, mark it down another 10%. 9. How To Handle Low Ball Bids In A Weak Market When you get low ball bids on your property, never say " NO" regardless of how ridiculous you may think they are. That's because your agent may be able to nurse the buyer along and warm him or her up to a price you may be able to live with. Also, it will be a learning experience. You and your agent will get a chance to get a sense of what a buyer's typical objections may be. Then you'll have a chance to try out some arguments to overcome the next buyer's objections. Based on what you and your agent learn, you can update your marketing materials on the web while your listing is relatively new. 10. Offer Incentives In a buyers market, new home builders will be handing out incentives like Halloween candy. So to sell a used home like yours, giving buyers a cash incentive will give you an unfair advantage over other sellers. Offer to pick up part or all of the closing costs. Then advertise this in advance and more people will want to see your property. You could also offer a decorating allowance of say 1% of the sale price. But do not make this known except to buyers who see the house. Otherwise, prospects may consider it as a sign that the home is not clean or needs work. 11. Hold The Paper First of all, one-fifth of all homes sold involve partial or seller financing. Second, buyers may not be able to qualify for a conventional mortgage because they may be self-employed or can't come up with 20% down. If you don't have a mortgage to pay off, and you aren't buying another house, or if you don't need the cash, this is a win-win for you and the buyer. You can charge 5% interest or more, and the collateral is a property you know and trust. The buyer gets to skip the hassle of applying for a mortgage, and saves on closing costs. The down payment also becomes negotiable. Plus you might be able to spread any capital gains you might owe over several years. Just make sure your agent or lawyer runs a credit check on the buyer and let your lawyer draw up a formal contract. Also, make sure your contract states the if the buyer falls behind on payments just one or two months,the buyer forfeits the down payment and you can take back the property.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Ten Keys To Happiness
Here are steps you must take if you want to be happy:
1. Find Something To Look Forward To - One study found that just thinking about watching your favorite movie will raise your endorphin levels by 27%.
2. Infuse Positivity Into Your Surroundings - Another study showed spending 20 minutes outside in good weather will improve your mood and memory.
3. Exercise More - More powerful than antidepressants, even walking is a good way way to improve your mood and your brain.
4. Use Your Strengths - If you don't know what they are, find out for free at http://www.viasurvey.com/
5. Encourage Others - Studies show that teams and improved 31% with encouraging managers Employees don't quit companies, they quit supervisors.
6. Change Your Performance To Change Your Mind - Henry Ford said, "If you think you can or if you think you can't, you're right." When facing a difficult challenge, focus on why you will succeed rather than why you may fail. People with a "fixed mindset" will always be less successful than those with a "growth mindset."
7. Commit Conscious Acts Of Kindness - Be gracious in traffic or in line and let people in. Then see how you feel.
8. View failure As Opportunity - Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times before he got the light bulb right.
9. Overcome Inertia - Use the 20 second rule to break bad habits. For instance, if you think you watch too much TV, take the batteries out of your remote. The next time you click on the TV, you can read a book or start an important project.
10. Make A Social Investment - A lack of meaningful social contact can add 30 points to your blood pressure. Studies show that a bond between a manager and employees is the prime predictor of both daily productivity and the length of time people stay at their jobs.
1. Find Something To Look Forward To - One study found that just thinking about watching your favorite movie will raise your endorphin levels by 27%.
2. Infuse Positivity Into Your Surroundings - Another study showed spending 20 minutes outside in good weather will improve your mood and memory.
3. Exercise More - More powerful than antidepressants, even walking is a good way way to improve your mood and your brain.
4. Use Your Strengths - If you don't know what they are, find out for free at http://www.viasurvey.com/
5. Encourage Others - Studies show that teams and improved 31% with encouraging managers Employees don't quit companies, they quit supervisors.
6. Change Your Performance To Change Your Mind - Henry Ford said, "If you think you can or if you think you can't, you're right." When facing a difficult challenge, focus on why you will succeed rather than why you may fail. People with a "fixed mindset" will always be less successful than those with a "growth mindset."
7. Commit Conscious Acts Of Kindness - Be gracious in traffic or in line and let people in. Then see how you feel.
8. View failure As Opportunity - Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times before he got the light bulb right.
9. Overcome Inertia - Use the 20 second rule to break bad habits. For instance, if you think you watch too much TV, take the batteries out of your remote. The next time you click on the TV, you can read a book or start an important project.
10. Make A Social Investment - A lack of meaningful social contact can add 30 points to your blood pressure. Studies show that a bond between a manager and employees is the prime predictor of both daily productivity and the length of time people stay at their jobs.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
25 Fun Facts China Doesn't Want You To Know
#1 The U.S. trade deficit with China increased by 26 percent during 2010.
#2 Since China entered the WTO in 2001, the U.S. trade deficit with
China has grown by an average of 18% per year.
#3 The United States has now had a negative trade balance every single
year since 1976.
#4 The U.S. trade deficit with China during August was more than
4,600 times larger than the U.S. trade deficit with China was for the
entire year of 1985.
#5 According to a new report from the Economic Policy Institute,
between 2001 and 2008 lost 2.4 million jobs due to the growing trade
deficit with China. Every single state in America experienced a net
job loss due to our trade deficit with China during this time period.
#6 China is now the number one producer in the world of wind and solar
power.
#7 Back in 1970, 25 percent of all jobs in the United States were
manufacturing jobs. Today, only 9 percent of the jobs in the United
States are manufacturing jobs.
#8 China now possesses the fastest supercomputer on the entire globe.
#9 Back in 1998, the United States had 25 percent of the world's
high-tech export market and China had just 10 percent. Ten years
later, the United States had less than 15 percent and China's share
had soared to 20 percent.
#10 China now has the world's fastest train and the world's biggest
high-speed rail network.
#11 The United States has lost a staggering 32 percent of its
manufacturing jobs since the year 2000.
#12 The United States had been the leading consumer of energy on the
globe for about 100 years, but this past summer China took over the
number one spot.
#13 China has accumulated the largest stockpile of foreign currency
reserves on the entire globe - $2.85 trillion.
#14 American companies keep handing Chinese companies our most
advanced technology. Just consider the following example that was
just reportedin the New York Times. G.E., in the partnership with a
state-owned Chinese company, will be sharing its most sophisticated
airplane electronics, including some of the same technology used in
Boeing's new state-of-the-art 787 Dreamliner.
#15 All of this new wealth has enabled China to dramatically upgrade
and modernize their military forces. For example, China has actually
developed a missile system that can destroy a U.S. aircraft carrier
nearly 2,000 miles out to sea.
#16 China is now the number one supplier of components that are
critical to the operation of U.S. defense systems.
#17 Since 2001, over 42,000 U.S.factories have closed down for good.
#18 Wealthy Chinese companies are now gobbling up U.S. businesses and
U.S. infrastructure at a staggering pace.
#19 As of the end of 2009, less than 12 million Americans worked in
manufacturing. The last time that less than 12 million Americans were
employed in manufacturing was in 1941.
#20 The United States has 10 percent fewer "middle class jobs" than it
did just ten years ago.
#21 According to Stanford University economics professor Ed Lazear, if
the U.S. economy and the Chinese economy continue to grow at current
rates, the average Chinese citizen will be wealthier than the average
American citizen in just 30 years.
#22 Nobel economist Robert W. Fogel of the University of Chicago is
projecting that the Chinese economy will be three times larger than
the U.S. economy by the year 2040 if current trends continue.
#23 According to one recent study, China could become the global
leader in patent filings by next year.
#24 Today, China controls over 90 percent of the total global supply
of rare earth elements.
#25 According to one shocking new poll, 47 percent of Americans
believe that China is the number one economic power in the world.
Only 31 percent of those responding to the survey indicated that they
believe that the United States is still the number one economic power.
#2 Since China entered the WTO in 2001, the U.S. trade deficit with
China has grown by an average of 18% per year.
#3 The United States has now had a negative trade balance every single
year since 1976.
#4 The U.S. trade deficit with China during August was more than
4,600 times larger than the U.S. trade deficit with China was for the
entire year of 1985.
#5 According to a new report from the Economic Policy Institute,
between 2001 and 2008 lost 2.4 million jobs due to the growing trade
deficit with China. Every single state in America experienced a net
job loss due to our trade deficit with China during this time period.
#6 China is now the number one producer in the world of wind and solar
power.
#7 Back in 1970, 25 percent of all jobs in the United States were
manufacturing jobs. Today, only 9 percent of the jobs in the United
States are manufacturing jobs.
#8 China now possesses the fastest supercomputer on the entire globe.
#9 Back in 1998, the United States had 25 percent of the world's
high-tech export market and China had just 10 percent. Ten years
later, the United States had less than 15 percent and China's share
had soared to 20 percent.
#10 China now has the world's fastest train and the world's biggest
high-speed rail network.
#11 The United States has lost a staggering 32 percent of its
manufacturing jobs since the year 2000.
#12 The United States had been the leading consumer of energy on the
globe for about 100 years, but this past summer China took over the
number one spot.
#13 China has accumulated the largest stockpile of foreign currency
reserves on the entire globe - $2.85 trillion.
#14 American companies keep handing Chinese companies our most
advanced technology. Just consider the following example that was
just reportedin the New York Times. G.E., in the partnership with a
state-owned Chinese company, will be sharing its most sophisticated
airplane electronics, including some of the same technology used in
Boeing's new state-of-the-art 787 Dreamliner.
#15 All of this new wealth has enabled China to dramatically upgrade
and modernize their military forces. For example, China has actually
developed a missile system that can destroy a U.S. aircraft carrier
nearly 2,000 miles out to sea.
#16 China is now the number one supplier of components that are
critical to the operation of U.S. defense systems.
#17 Since 2001, over 42,000 U.S.factories have closed down for good.
#18 Wealthy Chinese companies are now gobbling up U.S. businesses and
U.S. infrastructure at a staggering pace.
#19 As of the end of 2009, less than 12 million Americans worked in
manufacturing. The last time that less than 12 million Americans were
employed in manufacturing was in 1941.
#20 The United States has 10 percent fewer "middle class jobs" than it
did just ten years ago.
#21 According to Stanford University economics professor Ed Lazear, if
the U.S. economy and the Chinese economy continue to grow at current
rates, the average Chinese citizen will be wealthier than the average
American citizen in just 30 years.
#22 Nobel economist Robert W. Fogel of the University of Chicago is
projecting that the Chinese economy will be three times larger than
the U.S. economy by the year 2040 if current trends continue.
#23 According to one recent study, China could become the global
leader in patent filings by next year.
#24 Today, China controls over 90 percent of the total global supply
of rare earth elements.
#25 According to one shocking new poll, 47 percent of Americans
believe that China is the number one economic power in the world.
Only 31 percent of those responding to the survey indicated that they
believe that the United States is still the number one economic power.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)