My Cat Owners Guide to Home Staging ~ realistic solutions for selling your home.   You will never see a HGTV “Home Staging with Cats” episode because of all the outraged cat lovers.  First off, I like cats so don’t shoot the messenger. 

Your number 1 goal is to sell your home in the least amount of time for the most amount of money, so take this home staging article seriously.  If you like being called “the cat lady” by your neighbors then this article will make little sense to you.

Change Your Thinking from Home Owner to Home Seller

Depersonalize the home and your cat is personal.  Prospective home buyers are consciously and subconsciously trying to picture your home as their home.  Professional Home Stagers mantra is “depersonalize the house”.  The more a home buyer can picture themself living there, the sooner you home will sell.  Your cats are a part of your family – not theirs. 

Cat Vacation?  Is your goal to be “under contract in 30 days”?  If yes, can you give your cat a 1 month vacation away from the home?  Didn’t Aunt Trudy take your cat that one time you went on vacation?

Minimize the fact that cats live in this ”home for sale”

Controlling Allergies. Allergy to cats is extremely common, occurring in up to 25 percent of people with allergies.    If a buyer tours your home and has an allergic or asthma reaction they will not buy your home. Get the carpets cleaned.  Vacuum often with HEPA vacuum filters. Change your A/C filters monthly using allergen grade filters.  Old Carpet? Replace common area carpets with hard surfaces - laminate, wood, tile.  Make a Table Tent: “All Carpets Will Be Professionally Steam Cleaned At Closing”.

Carpet & Pad Cat Urine Odor.  In my opinion, a buyer’s sense of smell is one of the strongest subconsious buying signals.  The cat urine smell in your carpet pad needs to be removed.  Petsmart sells Nature’s Miracle Just For Cats which has enzymes that remove the odor and stain.  It’s important to use a Natural Enzyme product designed to kill the bacteria in the cat urine.

Cat Box Location, Location, Location.  We don’t have basements so the best place to have a cat box is in the Utility Room. No buyer wants to see or smell a cat box in the living areas of the home.  Scoop it often.  Use a lid. Have the opening facing away from view.  Before showings turn on the exhaust fan.   If your cat can be trusted, before showings, put the litter box in the garage.  Do not have the litter box in the master bedroom or master bedroom closet.

Before showings put cat toys and food out of sight. 

Remove Visable Cat Hair.  That Pledge fabric sweeper hand tool is a wise investment for furniture. Swifter the hard flooring surfaces.

I hope this home sellers  “home staging & cats” guide has  helped you learn how to downplay the presence of your cat and think like a home buyer. 

Comments, tips, tricks, and success stories are always welcomed.

The 62 Suburb ranking is based on four factors: safety 25%, education 25%, housing values 25%, and ambiance 25%. The first three measures involve data and the objective analysis thereof; the fourth entails some subjectivity. The ambiance factor takes into account air quality, but it mostly reflects D magazine’s good taste.  

Here is a link to D Magazine’s article.

I am hosting a Keller Williams Realty - The Colony Texas

Legends Subdivision Open House Blitz  

Stop by!

5712 Bandera Drive

5521 Green Hollow Lane

5604 Sundance Drive

5610 Westwood Lane

5517 Mountain Valley Drive

5772 Crestwood Lane

6629 Oxford Lane

6345 Rolling Hill Road

5605 Big River Drive

5637 Big River Drive

Click Here for MLS Info about these Keller Williams Realty Open Houses!

Tip #1: Refresh the exterior
First impressions count when it comes to selling a home. Many buyers drive by your home before they ask the Realtor for an inside tour.  If you want more buyer showings: 

-Repair and/or replace bad trim, shutters, shingles, mailbox, window screens.  
-Fresh Paint – siding, trim and chimney siding if they are worn.
-Hose down the entry, siding, etc. (while you have the hose out – rinse the AC fins to lower your energy useage)
-Wash windows  – home inspectors sometimes think dirty windows are “fogged”.

Tip #2: Spruce up the lawn and landscape
Home buyers associate the condition of your lawn and landscaping with the condition of your home’s interior. By improving the outside, you affect buyers’ impression of the entire property. The best ways to enhance the yard include:
-Mowing and edging the lawn.
-Seeding, fertilizing and weeding the lawn.
-Water appropriately and deeply.
-Trimming trees, shrubs and hedges – especially any that touch the roof or the siding.
-Weeding and mulching plant beds.  A couple bags of fresh mulch by the front door!
-Removing trash.

Tip #3: Create an inviting entrance
The front door to your home should invite buyers to enter. The best ways to improve your entry include:
-Painting / staining the front door if it is worn.  Complement the exterior.
-Cleaning the door knocker, locks and handles. If replacing locks – get rekeyable kind.
-Repairing the screen door, the doorbell, porch lights and house numbers.
-Placing a new welcome mat by the entry if yours is worn.

Tip #4: Reduce clutter and furniture
A buyer cannot envision living in your home without seeing it. A home filled with clutter or even too much furniture distracts buyers from seeing how they can utilize the space your home offers. If you have limited storage space, you may want to consider renting a temporary storage unit to place items you wish to keep.

The best ways to declutter your home include:
-Holding a garage sale.
-Removing clutter such as books, magazines, toys, tools, supplies and unused items from counter tops, open shelves, storage closets.
-Storing out-of-season clothing and shoes out of sight to make bedroom closets seem roomier.
-Purge the pantry.  Get rid of that expired food.
-Putting away your personal photographs. Let buyers see themselves in your home.
-De-personalize rooms as much as you can.

Tip #5: Clean, clean, clean
The cleanliness of your home influences a buyer’s perception of its condition. The appearance of the kitchen and bathrooms will play a considerable role in a buyer’s decision process, so pay particular attention to these areas. The best ways to improve these areas include:
-Cleaning windows, fixtures, hardware, ceiling fans, vent covers and appliances.
-Cleaning carpets, area rugs and draperies.
-Cleaning inside the refrigerator, the stove and all cabinets.
-Removing stains from carpets, floors, counters, sinks, baths, tile, walls and grout.
-Eliminating house odors, especially if you have pets.
-Considering air fresheners but don’t overwhelm the buyers nose.

Tip #6: Make minor repairs
The small stuff does count, especially with first-time home buyers. Focus on the minor repairs that will make your home visually appealing. The best ways to improve your home include:
-Repairing ceilings and wall cracks.
-Repairing faucets, banisters, handrails, cabinets, drawers, doors, floors and tile.
-Caulking and grouting tubs, showers, sinks and tile.
-Adding fresh neutral paint to ceilings, walls, trim, doors and cabinets.
-Tightening door handles, drawer pulls, light switches and electrical plates.
-Lubricating door hinges and locks.

Tip #7: Showcase the kitchen
The heart of any home is the kitchen. If you are going to spend any money on renovations, this is the one area where you will see the greatest return. Even with a modest budget, focusing on a few key areas can make a great difference in getting the asking price for your property. The best ways to showcase the kitchen include:
-Replacing worn laminate counter tops.
-Installing a new sink or sink faucet if yours are worn.
-Removing outdated wallpaper.  I have yet to tour a buyer who likes the wallpaper.

Tip #8: Stage furniture
Furniture placement can enhance the space of your home while giving buyers an idea of how to best utilize the space with their own belongings. Take some time to rethink how different areas in your house could be used.
Tip #9: Light up the house
Create a sense of openness and cheerfulness in your home through its lighting. To improve the lighting try:
-Turn on lights  & opening shades before showings to brighten rooms.
-Installing brighter light bulbs in rooms that tend to be dark – CFL (twisty light bulbs).

My guess is you have heard most of this before – perhaps on a home show.  It’s important for home sellers to think like prospective buyers.   Regards – Mark Hitz, The Colony Texas Realtor

• 1 Foreclosure in Stewart Peninsula subdivision –  $222,500; 3,125  sqft; 4/3;  days on market: 5
• 1 Foreclosure in The Legends subdivision – $199,900; 3,012 sqft; 4/3; days on market: 49 
•  1 Foreclosure in Northpointe subdivision – $134,900; 1,831 sqft; 4/2; days on market: 6
• 5 Foreclosures in original Colony subdivisions - $129,900 to $99,900; 1,953 to 1,379 sqft; 4/2 to 3/2.  Days on market: 11 – 44.  

The Colony Texas Current Foreclosure Real Estate Market Take Aways:

• Active Foreclosure Homes For Sale represent less than 4% of the market.  Individual Owned Homes 96%.
• Foreclosures are not sitting stagnant.  Active home days on market range from 5 to 49 days.
• Home buyers need to act promptly when they find a foreclosure they want.
• Foreclosure homes are not adversely affecting The Colony real estate market.

Be notified by e-mail when Foreclosure homes are just listed in the MLS.  Let me know and I will set up a custom search that will notify you so you don’t miss the chance to buy. The best foreclosure deals do not last long. Call me to set up your foreclosure homes notification. No cost, no obligation, no spam.

Quick Facts: The Colony Texas YTD Homes Sold

5 Relocation Company Homes Sold

57 Foreclosures / REO / Bank Owned Homes Sold

195 Individual Owner Home Sold

 There are different types of Foreclosures.  HUD homes, Fannie May, REO and Bank Owned Properties are most common.  Requirements for submitting an offer vary, including earnest money and contracts.   Most all foreclosures are “AS IS”  and the condition varies.  Always understand the contract before you sign.

Contact me if you are considering buying a foreclosure and have questions.

Mark Hitz,  The Colony Realtor

www.SoldOnTheColony.com

Many first-time buyers want to own a home and can afford to own a home, but they’re worried that The Colony Texas Real Estate Market may decline and the home won’t be worth what they paid for it. However, short-term future value should not matter if the other circumstances are good.

Here are 9 points first-time buyers should consider:

-You’re not an investor buying a home to flip.  You are buying to own a home to live in and enjoy. If the home falls in market value a little, so what? You aren’t planning to sell in the next year.
-Money paid for a leased home  buys a house for someone else to own.
-Rents often rise. A fixed home loan does not.
-Many homes for sale in The Colony Texas are now so inexpensive that first-time buyers may be able to make their payments and set aside a few dollars for maintenance for less than their current rent.
-Interest rates are still low, making inexpensive Fox &  Jacob homes even more affordable.
-With interest rates so low, paying a few extra dollars per month on a 30-year mortgage could mean a first-time buyer could own the house free and clear within 20 years.
-Hesitation could cost big dollars. Just a 1% rise in interest rates could add several hundred dollars per year to even a moderately-priced home. And interest rates have to rise sooner or later – we are at a 40 year low.
-This tide will turn, and homes will appreciating in value. That trend has already begun in some Colony markets and will in others over time.  Just like the stock market – buy low.
-Over time, first-time buyers will be earning more (hopefully) while their fixed home loan will remain stable.

I hope these points provided you food for thought.  Home ownership is a responsibility.  If you have questions about The Colony Texas real estate market, neighborhoods or homes for sale, just give me a call.

1. Avoid heat build-up in your home – The best way to keep your home cool is to keep the heat out. This can be done by closing the drapes on windows facing the sun. Solar screens and insulating film are also popular options which add to the value of you home.   
2. Use ceiling fans to cool your home – Instead of automatically turning down the air conditioner on hot days, try cooling your home with ceiling fans. Circulating air can make your home feel cool and comfortable in a much more efficient way than air conditioning.
3. Keep air conditioning efficient and to a minimum – When you do have to use air conditioning, there are ways to make it more efficient. First of all, install a programable thermostat which will save you money year round. Turn up the temperature setting on your air conditioner by a couple of degrees. Most people keep the temperature setting lower than it needs to be, hence using more energy than is needed to keep your home cool. It is recommended that you keep the temperature at about 25° C (77° F).  By coupling minimum air conditioning with reducing the amount of heat entering your home, you can keep it cool without using excess energy. When you leave your house turn the temperature setting up a few more degrees while you’re gone to about 28° C (82° F). Also, remember to regularly clean the outside a/c fins with a garden hose – it’s a fun chore for the kids and will make your system run less.
4. Make sure your home isn’t losing cool air – By weather-stripping and caulking around windows, doors and electrical outlets on outer walls, you can prevent losing cool air from your home and prevent hot air from getting in. Improve your home’s insulation on outer walls, again to keep cool air in, and hot air out. Install storm doors for the same reasons if your home doesn’t already have them. If you have a fireplace, keep the flue closed. These provide an extra barrier against the escape of cool air. All of these options will make cooling your home more efficient and will save you money on your energy bill.
5. Select energy-efficient cooling systems – If you’re in the market for a new cooling system, there are many new technologies that are much more efficient than older versions. As with other appliances, you should look for the Energy Star logo and compare the amount of electricity each uses.  
6. Use the coolest parts of your home – On hot days, parts of your house will naturally stay cooler than others. One way you can reduce the amount of energy used to cool your home is to do more in cooler areas of your home. This way, you won’t have to use energy to stay cool.

There are many ways to cut your a/c bills and make your Colony Texas home more energy efficient.  I would like to hear your comments on solutions you have used.  Please share your knowledge by commenting.

Here are a few of my virtual tours:

$103,900 home for sale in The Colony Texas: http://www.propertypanorama.com/tour.asp?id=112256

$159,000 home for sale in The Colony Texas: http://www.propertypanorama.com/tour.asp?id=101550

$186,000 home for sale in The Colony Texas: http://www.propertypanorama.com/tour.asp?id=111308

Throughout this blog, when I say “lender” this means the current owner / sellers mortgage lender. 

A short sale has become a common situation in the Real Estate market. For buyers who have been hearing the term “short sale” and don’t quite understand what it means, a short sale is a legal lender approved solution designed to assist a home owner who is financially strapped to get out from under their mortgage debt.

A short sale is negotiated through the owners lender where by the lender agrees to take less than what home owner owes on the property.

A quick example of a short sale would be if a home owner owes $200,000 on their current mortgage and their home is only worth $180,000. The lender in this example would agree to take a short fall of $20,000 at closing.  However, many Realtors will list The Colony home for sale well below market value to attract buyers offers.   So in this example, the $180,000 home may be listed for sale at $160,000.   Now the lender is looking at taking a short fall of $40,000 if they agree to the contract.  Understand that the lender is not required to agree to the $160,000 list price.

Short sale contacts  take time.  You, the home buyer who chooses to put an offer in on a short sale needs to have patience and not have a quick time deadline on when you have to close.   If you have to buy a home in under 60 days, then I recommend avoiding short sale homes.   If you are easily frustrated, avoid short sales.

If you want to consider buying a short sale home, then we need to sit down and go over the Texas Short Sale Addendum to the contract so you understand exactly what may occur.  

How short sales are handled varies from lender to lender.  Some lenders will only look at one offer at a time.  Some lenders look at multiple buyers offers and pick one.  

 Short sales can go smoothly.  I recently helped buyers purchase a short sale home that closed in under 60 days.

Short sales can fall apart.  Last year I had a client under contract on a short sale and theirs was the best offer. Patiently waiting for the lender to respond.  45 days later we were informed that a “significantly higher offer” came in and the lender bumped us.  We started the home search process over and ended up buying a HUD foreclosure they liked even better.   

If you are looking at homes for sale in The Colony Texas and want to know which homes are short sales, foreclosures, bank owned properties and homes being sold by home owners; allow me to set up a custom search gateway for you in the MLS. 

Let me know how I can help you find the right place to call home.

If you are considering removing the wallpaper, check out the steam drywall removing tools you can rent – like from Home Depot or Lowes.

If removing the wallpaper causes the drywall paper to be torn, skip trowel texture seems to be a popular fix. 

Don’t know what Skip Trowel Texture is?  Simply Google it and look at the images.   Watered down drywall mud and a trowel!

Just remember, in 10 years, Skip Trowel Texture will probably be “out of style” and who knows, maybe wallpaper will be having a come back!

As long as olive colored toilets stay out of style forever. : )

Enjoy your home projects!