arroyo grande real estate

sudoadmin
Февраль 10, 2012

CENTURY 21 Real Estate is the top real estate brand in America

PARSIPPANY, N.J. 02-06-2012 —

Century 21 Real Estate LLC, the franchisor of the world’s largest real estate sales organization, announced that it has maintained its industry leadership position in brand awareness for the 11th consecutive year. In a study conducted by Millward Brown, a leading global market research organization, the CENTURY 21® brand achieved 95 percent name recognition, the highest consumer awareness level when compared to other real estate brands.

“We are proud of the fact that the CENTURY 21 brand continues to rank highest in consumer brand recognition year after year,” said Bev Thorne, chief marketing officer, Century 21 Real Estate LLC. “Our innovative marketing is designed to keep the CENTURY 21 brand name top-of-mind by providing home buyers and sellers with the information they want, when they want it and how they want it. To ensure our continued leadership, our market messaging is both online and in traditional broadcast media. We’re also in many new venues from mobile apps for all smart phones, to customized Facebook business pages as well as the Super Bowl.”

Other key findings of the Millward Brown study:

· As in previous years, consumers continued to identify the CENTURY 21 brand as “the most recognized name in real estate.” The nearest competitor trailed by a substantial seven (7) percentage points.

· CENTURY 21 Real Estate continues to remain one of the top recommended agencies in “Likelihood to Recommend” and “Consideration” for future real estate transactions among active real estate consumers.
On Feb. 5, 2012, CENTURY 21 Real Estate enhanced its industry-leading brand awareness with the airing of its first-ever Super Bowl ad on NBC. The company also aired 16 pre-game ads and sponsored the 3:30-4:00 p.m. block of the Super Bowl pre-game show.

Millward Brown Study Methodology
Source: 2011 Ad Tracking Study. The survey results are based on 1,200 online interviews with a national random sample of adults (ages 18+) who are equal decision makers and who have bought or sold a home within the past two years or plan to purchase or sell a home within the next two years. Brand awareness questions are based on a sample of 1,200 respondents at a 90% confidence level with a margin of error is +/- 2.4%. The study was conducted between September 12 and November 20, 2011 by Millward Brown, a leading global market research organization.

О сайте Century 21 Real Estate LLC
Century 21 Real Estate LLC (CENTURY21.com) is the franchisor of the world’s largest residential real estate sales organization, providing comprehensive training and marketing support for the CENTURY 21 System. The System is comprised of more than 7,600 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 71 countries and territories worldwide. Century 21 Real Estate LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Corporation, a global provider of real estate and relocation services.

© 2012 Century 21 Real Estate LLC. CENTURY 21® Is A Registered Trademark Licensed To Century 21 Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each CENTURY 21 Office is Independently Owned and Operated.

По ссылкеsudoadmin
На сайтеФевраль 10, 2012

sudoadmin
Октябрь 28, 2011

5 Home Buyer Tips

When lenders take over a home through foreclosure, they want to sell it as quickly as possible. Since lenders aren’t in the real estate business, they turn to real estate brokers for help marketing their properties. Century 21 Hometown supports lenders and home buyers in transactions every week. Buying a foreclosed home service can be a bargain, but it can also be a problem-filled process. Here are five tips to help you buy smart.

1. Choose a foreclosure sale expert. Lenders rarely sell their own foreclosures directly to consumers. They list them with real estate brokers like Century 21 Hometown. You can work with one of our real estate агенты who sells foreclosed homes for lenders, or have a Century 21 Hometwon buyer’s agent find foreclosure properties for you. To locate a foreclosure sales specialist, call local any of our 14 offices and ask о foreclosed properties for sale – or do a search here on our website.

Either way, ask the Century 21 Hometown real estate professional which lenders’ homes they’ve sold, how many buyers they’ve represented in a foreclosed property purchase, how many of those sales they closed last year, and who they legally represent.

If the agent represents the lender, don’t reveal anything to her that you don’t want the lender to know, like whether you’re willing to spend more than you offer for a house.

2. Be ready for complications. In some states like California, the former owner of a foreclosed home can challenge the foreclosure in court, even after you’ve closed the sale. Ask your agent to recommend a real estate attorney who has negotiated with lenders selling foreclosed homes and has defended legal challenges to foreclosures.

Have your attorney explain your state’s foreclosure process and your risks in purchasing a foreclosed home. Set aside as much as $5,000 to cover potential legal fees.

3. Work with your agent to set a price. Ask your real estate agent to show you closed sales of comparable homes, which you can use to set your price. Start with an amount well under market value because the lender may be in a hurry to get rid of the home.

4. Get your financing in order. Many mortgage market players, such as Fannie Mae, require buyers to submit financing preapproval letters with a purchase offer. They’ll also reject all contingencies. Since most foreclosed homes are vacant, closings can be quick. Make sure you have the cash you’ll need to close your purchase.

5. Expect an as-is sale. Most homeowners stopped maintaining their home long before they could no longer make mortgage payments. Be sure to have enough money left after the sale to make at least minor, and sometimes substantive, repairs.

Although lenders may do minor cosmetic repairs to make foreclosed homes more marketable, they won’t give you credits for repair costs (or make additional repairs) because they’ve already factored the property’s condition into their asking price.

Lenders will also require that you purchase the home “as is,” which means in its current condition. Protect yourself by ordering a home inspection to uncover the true condition of the property, getting a pest inspection, and purchasing a home warranty.

Be sure you also do all the environmental testing that’s common to your region to find hazards such as radon, mold, lead-based paint, or underground storage tanks.

По ссылкеsudoadmin
На сайтеОктябрь 28, 2011

sudoadmin
Октябрь 28, 2011

Looking to hire an inspector?

10 Ways to Prepare for a Главная Inspection

1. Clean debris from gutters and roof

2. Caulk around windows and doors

3. Seal asphalt driveway

4. Clean HVAC filters

5. Seal basement walls

6. Clean the chimney

7. Replace burned out light bulbs

8. Have all documentation on hand for recent repairs and inspections

9. Remove firewood from contact with the house

10. Clear access to attic, crawl space, and garage

СОВЕТ: Encourage sellers to resist the impulse to make quick, cheap repairs before an inspection. You may raise a question that produces undue concern with the buyers. —Gloria Isackson, The Real Estate Professional, Wellesley Publishing,May/June 2000

The 10 Most Common Главная Inspection Problems

1. Faulty wiring—open junction boxes, amperage mismatches, no wire nuts on wires.

The cure: Fix junction boxes; upgrade to at least 100 amps.

2. Poor grading and drainage—spongy soil around the foundation, signs of leaking in basement.

The cure: Regrade so that grounds slopes away from house for 10 feet; remove porous material around foundation.

3. Faulty gutters—clogged or bent gutters, water not channeled away from house.

The cure: Preventive maintenance; gutters of adequate size, splash pans to divert run-off.

4. Basement dampness—water stains, powdery residue on walls, mold or mildew.

The cure: Repair gutters to channel water away from house; apply waterproof coatings to basement.

5. Roof problems—brittle or curled shingles; broken or missing flashings.

The cure: Apply new shingle, or tear off if needed (usually after three re-roofs ); replacing flashings, especially around chimneys and other protrusions.

6. Foundation flaws—cracks in foundation, sloping floors, sticking doors or windows.

The cure: Fill cracks with silicon caulking or epoxy; apply waterproof coating to exterior.

7. Poor upkeep—needs repainting, worn carpeting, cracked driveway.

The cure: Give the house a minor facelift.

8. Faulty plumbing—inadequate water pressure, slow drains, signs of leaks on ceilings.

The cure: Clean and rout drains; reseat toilet with new wax ring, repair leaks.

9. Poor ventilation—extreme heat in attic, vapor condensation.

The cure: Ensure that roof soffits are not blocked; install additional roof vents; vent bathroom and kitchen fans outside.

10. Defective heating—cracks in the heat exchanger or water tank; carbon monoxide leaks.

The cure: Reseal chimney flues; replace sacrificial anode in water heater.

СОВЕТ: Покупатели can get extra protection and piece of mind by purchasing a home warranty insurance policy. Such policies may also be a way for sellers to protect themselves from post-sale claims by buyers for defects undetected in home inspections.

СОВЕТ: Between 84 percent and 86 percent of buyers requested a home inspection before making a purchase, according to the National Association of Главная Inspectors

По ссылкеsudoadmin
На сайтеОктябрь 28, 2011

sudoadmin
Октябрь 28, 2011

Five ways to instantly add curb appeal to your home

Дома

WASH THE HOUSE

Before you scrape any paint or plant more azaleas, wash the dirt, mildew, and general grunge off the outside of your house. REALTORS® say washing a house can add $10,000 to $15,000 to the sale prices of some houses.

A bucket of soapy water and a long-handled, soft-bristled brush can remove the dust and dirt that have splashed onto your wood, vinyl, metal, stucco, brick, and fiber cement siding. Power washers (rental: $75 per day) can reveal the true color of your flagstone walkways.

Wash your windows inside and out, swipe cobwebs from eaves, and hose down downspouts. Don’t forget your garage door, which was once bright white. If you can’t spray off the dirt, scrub it off with a solution of 1/2 cup trisodium phosphate—TSP, available at grocery stores, hardware stores, and home improvement centers—dissolved in 1 gallon of water.

You and a friend can make your house sparkle in a few weekends. A professional cleaning crew will cost hundreds—depending on the size of the house and number of windows—but will finish in a couple of days.

CHECK AND CLEAN THE ROOF

The condition of your roof is one of the first things buyers notice and appraisers assess. Missing, curled, or faded shingles add nothing to the look or value of your house. If your neighbors have maintained or replaced their roofs, yours will look especially shabby.

You can pay for roof repairs now, or pay for them later in a lower appraisal; appraisers will mark down the value by the cost of the repair. According to Remodeling Magazine’s 2011-2012 Cost vs. Value Report, the average cost of a new asphalt shingle roof is о $21,200.

Some tired roofs look a lot better after you remove 25 years of dirt, moss, lichens, and algae. Don’t try cleaning your roof yourself: call a professional with the right tools and technique to clean it without damaging it. A 2,000 sq. ft. roof will take a day and $400 to $600 to clean professionally.

CLEAN THE YARD

A well-manicured lawn, fresh mulch, and pruned shrubs boost the curb appeal of any home.

Replace overgrown bushes with leafy plants and colorful annuals. Surround bushes and trees with dark or reddish-brown bark mulch, which gives a rich feel to the yard. Put a crisp edge on garden beds, pull weeds and invasive vines, and plant a few geraniums in pots.

Green up your grass with lawn food and water. Cover bare spots with seeds and sod, get rid of crab grass, and mow regularly.

ADD COLOR THAT POPS

Even a little color attracts and pleases the eye of would-be buyers.

Plant a tulip border in the fall that will bloom in the spring. Dig a flowerbed by the mailbox and plant some pansies. Place a brightly colored bench or Adirondack chair on the front porch. Get a little daring, and paint the front door red or blue.

These colorful touches won’t add to the value of our house: appraisers don’t give you extra points for a blue bench. But beautiful colors enhance curb appeal and help your house to sell faster.

FIX EVERYTHING IN SIGHT

Nothing looks worse from the curb—and sets off subconscious alarms—like hanging gutters, missing bricks from the front steps, or peeling paint. Not only can these deferred maintenance items damage your home, but they can decrease the value of your house by 10%.

Here are some maintenance chores that will dramatically help the look of your house.

Refasten sagging gutters.

Repoint bricks that have lost their mortar.

Reseal cracked asphalt.

Straighten shutters.

Replace cracked windows.

По ссылкеsudoadmin
На сайтеОктябрь 28, 2011