To Feng Shui Or Not To Feng Shui

How to make your house stand out amongst the competition.

I recently heard the quote "You've got to do what it takes to get it done." This especially rings true in today's Real Estate market.If you are selling or want to sell your property, you have to do more than put a sign in your yard and have your property listed in the MLS. It takes some "thinking outside the box" to get your property sold. This is where staging comes in.

Once you decide to sell your house, the most critical step is preparing it to be put on the market. What you do or don't do prior to allowing your house to be shown to prospective buyers, can mean the difference between getting offers or not getting offers. Most people know what "staging" a property means. But I take it one step further and advise my clients to hire a Feng Shui Stager to evaluate their house.

Feng Shui is both an art and a science and uses visible and invisible forces to find maximum harmony and balance. A Feng Shui Stager may re-arrange furniture, add or take away color, move or remove figurines/artifacts, utilize chanting, numerology and other traditions to balance and harmonize your house, so when a buyer walks in they immediately feel they are in a "positive" home. Feng Shui practitioners can also utilize techniques to dissipate the negativity of financial woes, which is more relevant today than any other time in recent history.

Hiring a Feng Shui expert may cost a couple hundred dollars for an initial consultation and for a complete overhaul it is usually priced based on square footage, so it does mean an investment up front. But all things being equal, a staged house, especially one that has been staged using Feng Shui principles, will cause the property to sell faster and at a higher price than the "non-staged" competition. So when you are considering the question to feng shui or not to feng shui, I think you know the answer.

For more information on the Las Vegas Real Estate market, go to http://www.jennifermoranfoland.com

Buyers - Have You Seen Your Good Faith Estimate?

I feel the need to write an informational piece on the Good Faith Estimate because too many times buyers come to me with little or even worse, no knowledge of what one is and its importance in the Real Estate transaction.
In short, a GFE is a worksheet provided to the "would be" borrower by their lender/broker which outlines the fees associated with borrowing money, the monthly PIMI, their down payment and estimated prorations. It is used to inform the borrower of how much money they should expect to bring to the closing table.
When a borrower initially applies for a mortgage, they are to be provided with an estimated GFE. Once they get an accepted offer on a property and their lender/broker locks in their rate they should be provided with a Final GFE. It shouldn’t vary greatly from the estimated except where charges were based on a percentage of purchase price, the interest rate and of course fees associated directly with that particular property. This is a requirement and a critical tool for the buyer in the Real Estate transaction. As a REALTOR, I require a copy of the GFE upfront from my clients’ lender/broker so I can be confident I know how much money my client needs to close the transaction and to ensure the accuracy of the HUD-1.
Recently the RESPA Rules were reformed and these changes will be effective Jan. 1, 2010. That may seem a long way off but it’ll be here before you know it. Here are some of the changes that’ll apply if you decide to purchase Real Estate after 1/1/2010.
1. The new GFE will have a summary of key terms of the loan, an estimate of total settlement charges, and an estimate of total settlement costs.
2. Page 3 offers a comparison chart format so a lender/broker can present the borrower with additional loan options (this is not a requirement but as a borrower you can, and should, request it from your lender/broker)
3. Page 2 explains what settlement charges may vary in the HUD-1 and which ones cannot change.
4. The HUD-1 form is redesigned to have the same categories of loan information as the GFE form.
5. The HUD-1 has a table on page 3 that lists the settlement charges as they were on the GFE and as they are on the HUD-1 so that the borrower can easily compare the charges. (There are many other changes to the RESPA rules which can be found on HUD’s website.)
The long and short of it is if you are applying for a mortgage to buy real estate, make sure you receive your GFE from your broker/lender and that you fully understand the figures and how they apply to you and your transaction. If you have any questions regarding GFEs or other Real Estate matters, go to www.jennifermoranfoland.com or call me directly at 702-232-7721.