1

3 Proactive Steps First-Time Homebuyers Should Consider

How to Choose the Perfect Neighborhood

6 Powerful Home-Staging

Secrets the Pros Use

First Time Home

Buyers Fulfill Dreams with

the Right Mortgage

What to Fix In and Outside Your House before Selling

HomeFitExercise the Best Ins and Outs of Home Ownership

The Magazine for Home Buyers and Sellers

March 2014

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Letter from the Editors In this issue, we will touch on a lot of consumer-oriented subjects regarding

the sale and purchase of real estate.

As the housing market continues to rebound, real estate agents and their

clients still face issues of financing, pricing and strategies for showing their

homes.

In this issue, we will cover details about how a buyer or seller should choose

a real estate agent to represent them and what questions should they ask

their potential agent to ensure they are both on the same page.

We will touch on how a first-time homebuyer can proactively prepare for

acquiring a mortgage to finance their starter home, the type of credit reports

needed, what factors affect their credit scores, what steps can they take

to repair their credit and if it needs to be repaired. Also, the documents

expected to gathered and presented to a loan officer.

For sellers, we’ll examine home improvements and decide which come

closest to paying for themselves, or if any of them do. We’ll also offer sellers

a list of repairs they should make before even considering putting their house

up for sale.

Finally, we’ll share some professional staging secrets with sellers that will

ensure that they’ll be able to show their properties in the best possible light.

We hope you find this issue as informative and fun to read as we did writing it.

Feel free to contact us if you have questions or would like your friends and

family added to our distribution list.

Tony MaciaszekLicensed Sales Agent631-428-5611Exit Realty Achieve

David BaileyMortgage BrokerNMLS # 3458631-767-8948The Mortgage Outlet

The Mortgage Outlet, NMLS # 36861 is a registered mortgage broker with the New York State Financial Department. All loans are arranged through third party providers.

Chris CapitelliAssociate BrokerExit Realty Achieve631-428-6733

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CONTENTS

6. How to Choose the Perfect Neighborhood

4. What to Fix In and Outside Your House before Selling

8. 3 Proactive Steps First-Time Homebuyers Should Consider

10. First Time Home Buyers Fulfill Dreams with the Right Mortgage

12. 6 Powerful Home-Staging Secrets the Pros Use

15. A Bit About Mold

14 Found the Perfect Home – But Furniture Won’t Fit!

This magazine is published monthly. Entire contents are copyright protected under law where applicable. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or use of content in

any manner without permission is strictly prohibited. All images are copyright protection of 123RF.com and its photographers.

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What to Fix In and Outside Your House before SellingIf you’ve decided to sell your house,

then the next step you need to

take is to make some necessary

improvements to its exterior and

interior.

Professional home stagers say this

is the only way to ensure that your

real estate agent will be able to

sell your property in a reasonable

amount of time for the price that

it’s worth. You’ll want to plan and

complete these improvements

before you list your home and you’ll

want to make them without going

overboard on spending.

First Things First

In real estate, as with so many

things in life, first impressions are

everything. That’s why the first thing

you should focus on improving

is how the outside of your house

looks, commonly known as curb

appeal. That’s because the exterior

of your property is the first thing a

potential buyer sees.

Cosmetic touches such as making

sure your lawn is mowed and your

shrubbery is trimmed are a must.

If your house has siding that is

weathered then you should invest in

getting it pressured washed. Some

companies advertise that they will

pressure wash any house for just

$199. Or if you want to save some

money and you have the time,

you could rent a pressure washer

yourself. It goes without saying

that if there is any siding missing, it

should also be replaced.

If you house doesn’t have siding and

it hasn’t been painted in a few years,

consider putting on a new coat or

two. This should include painting

your front and garage doors.

Inside Improvements Will Boost Its Value

Again, inside cosmetic

improvements can help you get

top dollar for your home. You

should focus on improving the first

impression a potential buyer gets

when they enter it. If the tile in your

foyer is dated or cracked, replace it.

However, don’t improve something

that is in fair shape but just needs

to be scrubbed. For example,

sometimes bathtub faucets can

be spotted, dull and grimy. That’s

the time to clean and polish them,

resurrecting their original shine and

beauty.

As with the exterior of your home,

a coat or two of paint can cover

up blemishes and accentuate the

architectural lines of your dwelling.

It’s not unusual for those putting

their homes up for sale to have

second thoughts after sprucing the

old place up!

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Super Clean Bathrooms and Kitchens

Cleanliness is something a potential

buyer will see, smell and notice

throughout your home, but

especially in the bathrooms and

kitchen. As a result, home staging

experts recommend thoroughly

cleaning your entire house, but

cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms

with bleach. They also suggest

fixing any dripping faucets because

they are a major turn off to potential

buyers. So do repair them if you

have this problem. Sadly, it’s often

such little things that can kill a sale.

Say Goodbye to Clutter

Finally, improving the appearance

of your home so it will show at

its best can sometimes be an

exercise in subtraction rather than

addition. Staging professionals say

clutter is the No. 1 reason potential

homebuyers reject some of the

most pristine properties they’re

shown. Clutter is insidious because

it happens slowly over the years

and finally forces home sellers to

remove or pare down some of

their favorite pieces of furniture and

decorations. It also forces them

to get rid of the junk that’s been

accumulating over the years in their

garages, basements and especially

their closets. But get rid of it you

must, if you hope to sell your house

for a high-market price.

If you follow these suggestions,

experts say you can expect your

property to stand out from the rest,

sell at a good price -- and do so in a

reasonable period of time!

1. Go stand on the street to see

what clients see when driving up

to the house. Be aware that any

negative impressions they get

outside the house (landscaping not

maintained or non-existent, peeling

paint, etc.) is just going to make

them think that the house itself

has not been well taken care of.

So even if you have spent the time

and money to fix up the interior, it

would all be wasted if the clients get

a bad first impression as they drive

up to the house.

2. Next, step outside your front

door and close the door; then

stand on the stoop and look

around for 5 minutes. While the

real estate agent is searching for

keys and trying to open the door,

the clients are standing behind and

looking around. So what are they

seeing? Dead plants, old Halloween

decorations in the middle of

January, cobwebs?

It’s definitely worth it to take some

time and clean it up. Want to go

a step further? Try a new coat of

paint or some new furniture or

accessories.

3 Tips to Get You Started with the Outside of Your Home

3. Don’t forget the backyard.

While that might not be part of the

potential buyers’ first impression,

you still should make sure it’s in

the best condition possible. Pull

up weeds, water plants, do some

sweeping (if that’s applicable) and

maybe purchase new furniture or

accessories (plant pots, bird houses,

etc.).

And the biggest tip of all? Imagine

yourself as a potential buyer looking

at your property for the first time.

What impressions are you getting?

Would YOU buy your house? What

would you like to see changed

before you put an offer on your

house?

Proper staging helps you sell

your house in a shorter time and

potentially at the price you want.

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How to Choose the Perfect NeighborhoodWhether you’re a first-time

homebuyer or getting ready to

sell your house and upgrade to a

larger property, choosing the right

neighborhood to move into should

be your first consideration.

While different people may seek

various amenities and aesthetics as

part of their neighborhood search,

there are certain factors everyone

should consider before making a

final decision on where to move.

Important Factors

Before you move into a particular

locale, you should check the crime

stats of the neighborhood. This

can be done online using various

websites that breakdown this critical

information by zip code. In some

jurisdictions, local police stations

can give you this data. Suffice it to

say, even if a neighborhood looks

beautiful on the outside and there

are plenty of houses to choose

from, if you find that burglaries and

car theft is skyrocketing there, it’s

time to move on.

If you have children, or are planning

to, the quality of a prospective

neighborhood’s schools should

be a major factor in making your

choice. You can contact the local

school board in the neighborhood’s

jurisdiction and obtain the latest

stats on how the average student

in the neighborhood scores on

national proficiency tests. You can

then compare them to scores

of students in other areas. This

stat often mirrors the quality and

effectiveness of education available

in a particular neighborhood.

Education Budget

You can also get an idea of

the quality of education in a

neighborhood by comparing the

budget allotted by local officials to

the area compared to other areas.

Another source of information is the

education section of community

newspapers covering the

neighborhood. It wouldn’t hurt to

look them up online and even give

the education reporter a call. You’d

be surprised how many of them will

be glad to give you their opinions

of the state of education in the area

they cover. Finally, you can contact

the local Parent Teacher Association

(PTA) and get both the pros and

cons of the education system in the

area. Members of this organization

also can tell you if the schools

have sufficient room, or if they are

overcrowded.

Traffic and Future Development

When choosing a new

neighborhood, quality-of-life

issues such as traffic and potential

crowding have become important

factors in making a decision. Let’s

face it, no matter how pristine a

neighborhood is, if you have to sit

in gridlock for a significant amount

of time before you can reach your

front door, it might not be the

area for you. The easiest way to

discover the traffic volume in a

neighborhood is to get in your car

and drive around it at peak morning

and evening rush hours. If it’s easy

to drive from place to place, then

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you have a winner. If not, then

you might decide to cross the

neighborhood off your list.

If a neighborhood you’re interested

in is already fairly built out, it makes

sense to research whether there are

any major development projects

in the wings. This can be done by

visiting the local planning board’s

website, or visit in person. Although

it’s not a given that all proposed

developments will be approved, a

majority of them do make it from

the drawing board to completion.

So, if you are considering a

neighborhood that is in store for

major development in the next

couple of years, you really need to

weigh this factor in your decision.

Proximity to Schools, Stores, Hospitals and More

Another important consideration

in choosing a neighborhood is

the proximity of your new home

to schools, hospitals, stores, parks

and airports. If you have a family

member who is disabled or sick,

it makes no sense moving into a

neighborhood that is far from the

best medical facilities. If you are

an avid runner you probably want

to choose a neighborhood that

is close to a park with a running

trail. While some neighborhood

associations take pride in the fact

they’ve managed to block zoning

changes that would allow a local

convenience store, if you like to

grab a hot coffee everyday on the

way to work, then you have to

take this into consideration before

buying a home in a neighborhood

that bans stores.

Rising Property Values

Finally, before you choose a

neighborhood to move to, you

should also examine whether the

property values are trending up or

down. You can easily check recent

property sales online to find this out,

or call your real estate agent and

have her run the numbers. This is an

important factor in case you decide

to sell the property in a few years.

The point is to take your time

and carefully research each

neighborhood on your list of

perfect neighborhoods until you

find the one that most closely fits

your needs.

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3 Proactive Steps First-Time Homebuyers Should ConsiderThere are specific steps a first-

time homebuyer can take before

entering the real estate market

that will greatly improve his or her

chances of getting financing and

being able to purchase a starter

home.

Here are three proactive steps

you should consider taking before

you contact a real estate agent or

mortgage broker:

1. Check your credit score - If there is a single factor that can

help or hurt your foray into the

world of financing a new home

it is your credit score, according

to mortgage-finance experts. So,

if you want a good idea of what

your chances are of obtaining such

financing, you should first order a

credit report from each of the three

credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian

and Transunion. Just use one of

the many online credit monitoring

companies that provide the reports,

as well as your current credit score

for a small fee.

2. Begin reviewing and repairing your credit - Once you get the reports you

should carefully examine them to

make sure there are no mistakes.

If there are any errors, you should

contact the credit bureaus and take

the necessary steps to have them

corrected. You should also look for

any unpaid or collection accounts.

If there are any unpaid or collection

accounts you should settle them

immediately, or set up some sort

of payment plan. At the very least,

this will show that are willing to pay

your debts.

A copy of your credit report will

also show all of the credit you

have available in relation to your

credit lines. This is something

lenders consider carefully before

making a loan. It’s known as your

credit utilization rate. For example,

if you have total credit availability

on your credit cards of $30,000

and you owe $20,000, then your

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credit utilization rate is 67 percent.

This rate has a great effect on your

overall credit score. The lower the

percentage, the higher your credit

score will be, vice versa.

According to industry experts, a

good credit utilization rate for a

first-time homebuyer is less than 33

percent. If your rate is higher than

this, you will have to make a serious

effort to pay off as much debt as

possible and satisfy any unsettled

notes. On average, it takes about

six months to improve your credit

score.

3. Get your documentation in order. As we mentioned,

today more than ever, mortgage

companies by law are requiring

documentation of a potential

borrower’s income and taxes. The

day of the so-called no-doc loan,

where no such documentation

was required, is gone. In general, a

mortgage lender will ask a first-time

homebuyer to produce two recent

pay stubs and the last two year’s W2

forms in order to apply for a loan. In

addition, the lender will require the

applicant to provide two months of

bank statements.

The exception to this rule is the

documentation lenders require

of first-time homebuyers who are

self-employed or are in commission

sales. If you fall into one of these

categories, you should be prepared

to produce up to three to four years

of W2s. Lenders are looking for

steady income and to make sure

your last two years or earnings were

not an anomaly.

While taking these steps may seem

like a lot of work, getting your credit

score, working to improve it and

gathering your documentation will

greatly increase your chances of

acquiring a mortgage for your first

home when you are ready to buy.

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First Time Home Buyers Fulfill Dreams with the Right Mortgage

When it comes to mortgages, it’s

important to find the right loan

officer.

You want to work with someone

who can find the type of mortgage

that is right for you and your family,

whether you’re seeking to buy

a new home or refinance your

existing home.

The right loan officer takes pride

regarding their customer service

so your experience will be more

personalized.

What if Your Credit is Less than Ideal?

Before you go to a lender, you

should check your credit rating.

Federal law requires that each of

the three major credit reporting

agencies provide you with a free

annual credit report.

Reviewing these reports will not

only provide you with your credit

rating, but will alert you to any

misinformation or errors contained

in your report.

Bad credit mortgages come with

higher interest rates so it pays to

clean up your credit before actually

buying a home.

A good loan officer will offer credit

improvement ideas, or refer you

to a service to help you repair your

credit prior to obtaining a loan.

This may involve setting up

payment plans to existing creditors,

challenging bad reports that are on

your record in error, and so forth.

Having someone to help you

navigate through the maze of credit

reporting is extremely useful even if

your credit isn’t pristine so you can

still apply for a mortgage.

Fulfilling Your Dreams

With the right mortgage, first time

home buyers can truly own a piece

of the American dream.

It’s enormously satisfying to pay a

mortgage payment instead of rent

every month, knowing that you’re

slowly and surely building equity.

That equity lays a foundation for

your financial future and that of

your children too giving you peace

of mind.

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10 Tips to Buy Real Estate without Breaking Your Budget

1. Get pre-approved for your home loan

2. Explore creative financing options

3. Sell your existing home first

4. Look for vacant real estate

5. Consider cosmetic fixers

6. Buy a major remodel project

7. Don’t discount bank foreclosures

8. Buy land with a manufactured home

9. Purchase an older, smaller home

10. Buy the cheapest house in the best neighborhood

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6 Powerful Home-Staging Secrets the Pros UseThe art of staging a home so it will

have the most appeal to potential

buyers is something anyone can do,

if they just follow the example of

professional decorators.

Here are six staging secrets that you

can use to make your house stand

out and capture the attention of

potential buyers:

1. Dress up your porch - Whether you have a large porch

or just a few steps in front of your

house, adding a new doormat and

a few exotic flowers or plants can

help make your home stand out.

A nice porch can come alive with

just a couple of pieces of outside

furniture, while a few strategically

placed solar lights on either side

of your walkway will do much

to make your house sparkle as

will porch lights kept on when a

potential buyer drives by at dust or

at dawn.

2. Make your house spotless but lived-in – While it’s critical

to keep your house super clean

and spotless when it’s being

shown, you don’t want it to appear

sterile or unpopulated. After all,

a house is a place where people

live. Professionals use a few fresh

flowers in vases or a basket of

produce to make a house look lived

in. A few lemons on a cutting board

in the kitchen is also not a bad idea.

3. Stylize your plain dining room table – A bare dining room

table is a little like a black hole. It

is unfriendly and tends to suck the

positive energy out of anyone who

passes by it. The pros say decorating

such a table with an assortment of

small colorful arrangements will

breathe life into an otherwise dreary

dining chamber.

4. Closets wide open – Professionals say you should open

your closets wide, that is, after you

have thoroughly cleaned them and

removed any clutter. By doing so,

you create a feeling of spaciousness

and you’re declaring affirmatively

that there is a great deal of closet

space in this home!

5. Install a pedestal sink to create the illusion of more space - If you have a tiny bathroom

that’s cramped and makes you

want to scream, imagine the effect

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it might have on a potential buyer.

One possible and inexpensive fix

the pros use is to remove the big,

old sink in your tiny bathroom and

replace it with a small pedestal sink

and decorate it with a few red roses.

The result is the optical illusion of

much space and style, transforming

the bathroom from a liability to an

asset.

6. Use art to draw people in – Unfortunately, many prospective

homebuyers tour a house with

blinders on. It’s almost as though

they have tunnel vision. How in the

world can you get them to explore

the entire depth and breadth of your

home? Professional stagers use a

piece of artwork hanging at the top

of the stairs, or a colorful vase near

the back of the house to catch the

eye of prospective buyers. Such

a strategy gets them to view the

house in its blissful totality, rather

than segmenting it into little chucks.

Busting the Myth That Home Improvements Pay For ThemselvesFor years, homeowners cherished

and embraced the myth that

expensive renovations and

improvements to their homes were

great investments that would more

than pay for themselves in the long

run by adding to the overall value

of their properties when they were

sold some day in the near future.

Many major home improvement

contracts have been signed and

justified by this financial myth.

Remodeling and Improvements Equals Poor Return According to Remodeling Magazine,

over the last decade, payback on

the average remodeling job has

fallen from 82 percent in 2003 to 57

percent in 2013.

* Here are the payback percentages

on some popular home

improvements:

Garage doors only paid back 71.9

percent of their cost when the

house was sold.

Steel Entry doors only paid back 73

percent of their initial cost.

Built-in, back-up power generators

only returned 47.5 percent of their

cost at the sale of a property.

Popular additions such as a sun

room only returned 45.9 percent of

their original cost.

*Remodeling Magazine

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Found the Perfect Home – But Furniture Won’t Fit!You’ve been looking for a home and

you’ve found one that feels almost

perfect. The location is convenient

and you can picture your family

living here happily. However, there’s

a problem. One or more pieces of

furniture you’ve had for years just

will not fit. Do you buy the home

anyway, or keep looking?

Move It?

Suppose the piece of furniture that

won’t fit is a tall chest-on-chest

that’s always been in your bedroom.

Could you use it in another room?

Might it be handsome and useful

in the living room or dining room?

(Rooms downstairs often have taller

ceilings than rooms upstairs.) Could

it store games, videos, tablecloths

and place mats, and silverware in its

new location?

If that thought process takes care

of the chest, but you’re left without

enough storage in the bedroom,

what then? Is there a smaller chest

of drawers that was used in your old

guest room that would fit in your

bedroom? What about putting an

inexpensive chest of drawers into

your walk-in closet?

Give It Away?

Maybe the problem is that you have

a bed that’s too large for any of the

bedrooms in the “almost perfect”

house. Is it a Sheraton tall post

field bed with canopy or a massive

Victorian piece that’s been in the

family for generations?

Do you love it, or might another

family member with larger rooms

and taller ceilings be very excited to

get it?

Sell It?

Maybe the offending piece of

furniture has monetary value, but

has no sentimental value. Why not

just sell it? There’s no need to buy

a house based on where it’ll fit, is

there?

Evaluate and Decide

Don’t turn down the idea of

purchasing a home you’d really

enjoy simply because some of your

furniture won’t fit.

Ask yourself questions about the

possibilities. When you come up

with answers you like, you’ve made

your decision.

Who knows, another family

member or a stranger shopping for

a special piece of furniture could be

delighted with your decision, too!

15

A Bit About MoldThere are a number of little things

to look out for when purchasing

a new home. Normally things to

consider include location, wiring,

the condition of the house, and

several other factors.

One of these factors is mold. There

are different types of mold that can

occur in a home and lead not only

to structural damage, but some

health concerns too. Mold can be

difficult to find in homes as it grows

exclusively in dark and moist areas

that are usually hidden somewhere

in structural areas, like attics and

basements. By the time mold shows

up in actual living areas, chances are

that it is all throughout the home.

Another concern is if a home

has ever flooded and was not

completely or properly cleaned

afterward. Leaky plumbing and

basement crawlspaces are other

likely candidates. Mold can be a

difficult thing to completely get

rid of as the only thing it needs

to continue growing is organic

material such as wood and

moisture. Both of these items are

abundant in most homes.

Usually moisture finds its way into a

home through faulty or leaky roofs

and foundations. Both areas should

be checked by an experienced

mold inspector on a fairly regular

basis if there is any worry of mold

beginning to grow, or if there has

been mold in the past.

Mold can be an expensive problem.

Be proactive about searching for it

so you save money in the long run.

Best House Color to SellWhen you go to social events, do

you make an effort to snazzy up?

Of course you do. Attraction is a key

factor in forming relationships and

the same applies to your house.

When you put the house on the

market, you need to make it look

good for the dates with potential

buyers. The color of your house can

make all the difference.

First, there is no absolutely correct

answer to the best color! Instead,

the decision depends on the

makeup of your home and the

surrounding landscape.

Let’s take a closer look: 1. Whatever color you choose,

make sure it doesn’t clash with the

other homes in the neighborhood.

An otherwise appropriate color

could end up making your house an

eye-sore.

2. The Roof. What color is the roof

on your home? If it is a red tile roof,

off-whites are probably going to be

the better choice than dark green.

Unless you are going to invest

money in a new roof, make sure the

paint color doesn’t clash with it.

3. Highlights. If there is a particular

part of your house that should be

emphasized, used light colored

paint around it to draw attention.

4. Hide It! Conversely, if there

are parts of the house that are

mundane, use darker colors to draw

attention away from them.

5. On large flat surfaces, such as

the side of a garage, keep in mind

the color you choose will have a

washed out appearance.

Now we get to the fun part. After

considering the above issues, make

a preliminary list of colors and buy

small cans of each color. In a private

area of the house, start applying

samples strokes a couple feet long

and a foot or so wide.

Try to paint examples in shaded

areas and those exposed to the sun.

Do not immediately judge the

results of your experiments. Instead,

wait a few hours for the paint to dry

and then start comparing.

Dry paint takes on a very different

appearance than when it is wet.

Once the paint is dry, take a long

look at each sample. You will

typically find the colors look much

different. You may find one color is

perfect or you may find something

a little different would be best.

Either way, you’ll have come up

with the best house color to sell

your home.

Opening Doors...

...Making the Dream of Home Ownership a Reality

Call and Let Us Help Make Your Dream Come True!

Tony MaciaszekLicensed Sales AgentExit Realty Achieve631-428-5611

David BaileyMortgage Broker, NMLS # 3458The Mortgage Outlet631-767-8948

The Mortgage Outlet, NMLS # 36861, is a registered mortgage broker NYS Financial Department. All loans arranged through third party providers. Office located a 280 W. Main St, Sayville NY 11782

Chris CapitelliAssociate BrokerExit Realty Achieve631-428-6733