10 Low Cost Staging Tips

10 low-cost home staging tips – PLUS 6 ways to boost your smartphone's battery life Research shows that staged homes sell quicker. You don't need to hire a professional stager, though; just get a second opinion of your work from a friend with a good eye for how things look. Here are 10 self-staging tips: 1. Freshen the Paint. Put a fresh coat of paint on walls and trim. Use neutral colors and think about painting the exterior too if you think it needs it. 2. Fill Empty Wall Space. Bare walls make your home feel cold. Put up framed artwork, mirrors or photography. Be creative -- hang plates, driftwood or interesting found objects! 3. Treat the TV like Art. A flat-screen TV on the wall can be a piece of art. Connect it to a DVD player or computer and play a silent slide show of scenes from nature. Remove TVs from bedrooms. 4. Furnish All Rooms. Buyers have trouble seeing themselves living in a space that's empty. Don't use a lot of furniture and avoid bold patterns. Add pillows and throws for pops of color. 5. Install Window Treatments. Blank windows feel sterile. Put up a simple curtain rod and solid color drapes for a cozy feeling and a nicely framed view outside. 6. Tidy Up the Bookshelves. Get rid of clutter on shelves and remove book jackets to create a decorative focal point. 7. Add Flowers. Fresh-cut flowers and plants add life. Avoid using pastic flowers and trees-- they look dated. 8. Make Bedrooms Gender-neutral. Keep colors neutral, with simple white bedding for a fresh look. 9. De-clutter everywhere. Remove personal items from rooms -- family photos, collectibles, mail, magazines, and toys. Tidy up closets. In the kitchen, take small appliances off counter tops; organize food and dishes in cupboards. 10. Keep Up the Yard. Make sure your yard looks neat and well taken care of. Cut the grass before the buyer visits.

Dallas-area home prices head sharply higher in latest Case-Shiller index By STEVE BROWN STEVE BROWN The Dallas Morning News Real Estate Editor stevebrown@dallasnews.com Published: 31 July 2012 08:34 AM Dallas-area home prices jumped by almost 4 percent in the latest national home price measure. It was the greatest rise in local home prices in more than two years in the closely-watched Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Home Price Index. And Dallas' 3.8 percent gain in May from a year earlier was one of the largest such increases in Case-Shiller's comparison of 20 major U.S. home markets. Nationwide prices were still slightly negative on an annual basis but up 2.2 percent in May from April, according to the report released Tuesday. “With May’s data, we saw a continuing trend of rising home prices for the spring,” S&P's David M. Blitzer said in the report. "However, we need to remember that spring and early summer are seasonally strong buying months so this trend must continue throughout the summer and into the fall. "The housing market seems to be stabilizing, but we are definitely in a wait-and-see mode for the next few months.” May was the third month in a row for year-over-year gains in Dallas-area home prices in the Case-Shiller study. And it was only the second time since the recession and housing crash that the local price increase was so high. The last time was in January 2010 when prices were up 4.1 percent from year earlier levels. Twelve of the 20 major U.S. home markets Case-Shiller tracks for its monthly report showed year-over-year gains in May. The largest annual increases where in Phoenix, 11.5 percent; Minneapolis, 4.7 percent, and Dallas' 3.8 percent. The steepest declines in prices were in Atlanta, 14.5 percent, and Las Vegas, 3.2 percent. Shiller’s index tracks over time the prices of specific single-family homes in each metropolitan area. The index survey does not include condominiums and townhouses. It only covers preowned properties — no new construction. The North Texas home market has seen a significant turnaround in 2012 after more than four years of declines. Preowned home sales in the area were 14 percent higher in the first half of the year compared with 2011 levels. And median home resale prices are so far 7 percent ahead of last year, according to data from real estate agents' multiple listing service. In some neighborhoods, houses are selling for more than asking price with multiple offers, according to agents.

Moving to Hawaii with Pets? Animal Quarantine Information | Hawaii Life

Moving to Hawaii with Pets? Animal Quarantine Information | Hawaii Life

Buyers consider the benefits of a 15 Year mortgage

Benefits of 15-year mortgage hard to beat Why those lured by smaller payments on 30-year loan should reconsider By Jack Guttentag, Monday, April 30, 2012. Inman News® The case for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages has never been stronger because, in the post-crisis market, the rate advantage over the 30-year has never been larger. The rate advantage is about 0.875 percent, whereas prior to the crisis, it was 0.375 percent to 0.5 percent. Consider two $100,000 loans, one a 15-year at 3.125 percent and the other a 30-year at 4 percent. The respective payments are $696.61 and 477.42. After 15 years, the borrower with the 15-year loan has paid $39,454 more but is out of debt whereas the borrower with the 30-year loan still owes $64,543. But there is a counterargument. A disciplined borrower can choose the 30-year loan and invest the difference in payment between the 30- and the 15-year loans, in that way offsetting the higher interest rate on the 30-year loan. Some financial planners recommend this approach to their clients as part of a program to build wealth faster. The challenge in making such a program work is that the rate of return on the invested cash flow must exceed the rate on the 30-year loan by an amount that depends on how much higher the 30-year rate is than the 15-year rate.

Colleyville Luxury Homes

Colleyville Luxury Homes Colleyville is nestled in the middle of the DFW Metroplex boasting great schools and community feel

	RE/MAX Premier Properties Kim Raine  Colleyville Luxury Homes 214 675 9436 (Cellular) 972 403 2040 (AccessLine) http://www.kimraine.com	RE/MAX Premier Properties 2100 Dallas Parkway, Suite 102 Plano, TX 75093
Information herein deemed reliable but not guaranteed		©2012 Imprev, Inc.

Luxury Frisco Homes

Frisco Texas Luxury Homes Frisco is a wonderfully planned growing city located north of Dallas Texas.

	RE/MAX Premier Properties Kim Raine  Frisco Luxury Homes 214 675 9436 (Cellular) 972 403 2040 (AccessLine) http://www.kimraine.com	RE/MAX Premier Properties 2100 Dallas Parkway, Suite 102 Plano, TX 75093
Information herein deemed reliable but not guaranteed		©2012 Imprev, Inc.