First the interest rate drop.  Interest rates have dropped considerably in the last week and a half with the 30 year fixed rate mortgage falling from 6.20% to just 5.60%.  A more than welcome decrease.  Interest rates do continue to be very volitale.  This article on the CNBC website provides more details on the volitility.  FHA financing is the new trend in home mortages.  I will provide an update and more information on this in the next few days.

And what a little bit of paint can do for the appearance of a home listed for sale.  Especially in today’s real estate market, anything that can be done to make your home show better an dbe more appealing should be done. The freshness of a new coat of paint both visually and in the fresh smell when you walk in the door are hard to deny.  This is a great home in West Chester, Ohio, listed for $165,000 and is now freshly painted throughout most of the interior.  Click here to checkit out.

Living Room before:

Living Room after:

Lower Level Family Room before:

Lower Level Family Room after:

And finally… I saw this video on Seth Godin’s blog this week and had to pass it on:

Your comments and questions are always welcome!

My Newest Listing…

8894 Steeplechase Way

West Chester, Ohio 45069

Lakota Schools

$200,000  - Four Bedrooms - Two Full Baths, One Half Bath

This is a beautiful, move in ready home in Saratoga Farms:

• Bright, Open Floor Plan
• Warm,Inviting Family Room w/ Fireplace
• Formal Living and Dining Rooms
• Large Kitchen Features New Hardwood Floors, Breakfast Nook & Island
• Terrific Luxury Master Suite w/ Adjoining Garden Bath & Huge Walk-In Closet
• Many Updates Including New Exterior Doors (08) & Windows (07)
• One Year Home Warranty
• Close To Schools, Shopping, Dining & Expressways!

To see more information on this home including many more photos and a virtual tour click here

Moving to West Chester or Liberty Township, Ohio?  Request our Relocation Packet  It’s full of information about our area!

Are these really secrets?  No, but they are certainly the keys to selling a home in this market!

Secret #1:

Your home must standout!  The condition of your home must be great, (good doesn’t cut it).  The decor must be tasteful, it must be clean and fresh.  Your home must be updated;  for example, new countertops and appliances in the kitchen, new carpet, maybe a new or re-finished deck, etc.  Spring is coming, (I think), so look at the front of your home.  Is it clean, freshly mulched, no weeds, etc.?  

Need more information on this, email me and I will send you my checklist, "20 Steps To Help You Sell Your Home".   Have questions call me.

There are so many homes for sale right now that the homes that are cluttered, dark and out-dated are being and will continue to be overlooked by today’s buyers.  And, these homes will continue to sit on the market for sale.

Secret #2:

Your home must be priced right!  The price of your home must be great, (good doesn’t cut it).  "Trying a little higher price" on your home for a while has never been a good strategy, now in this real estate market in West Chester and Liberty Township, Ohio it is a really bad strategy.  The homes that are selling are priced agressively.  This may be hard for some homeowners to accept, but it is the truth!

So…  these aren’t really secrets, but they are the answers to the question "What will it take to get my home sold in this market in West Chester and Liberty Township, Ohio?".

Wondering what your home is worth?   Click here to find out!

Your comments and questions are always welcome!

FHA loan limits are moving higher as part of the Economic Stimulus package that President Bush signed into law this past week.  Why should this matter and how will it impact the West Chester and Liberty Township, Ohio real estate market?  Great question!

1.)  The higher loan limits when they are published by HUD will allow a significantly higher number of buyers to qualify for an FHA loan, which has less stringent qualifying criteria and lower down payment requirements. 

2.) This change in the loan limits may open up some additional avenues for buyers to obtain financing, which will certainly impact our West Chester and Liberty Township real estate market.  Many borrowers, in particular first time home buyers, have felt that they may not be able to get a mortgage loan due to all of the recent news and talk about the sub prime mortgage mess.

The National Association Of Realtors has developed an "estimated" amount of the new loans.  These are only estimates at this time.  HUD has 30 days to publish the new loan limits.  The estimated FHA loan limit for West Chester and Liberty Township, Ohio are $337,500, which is a significant increase from the old limit of $256,500.

Interest rates have moved higher in the last couple of weeks.  Just three weeks ago a 30 fixed rate loan was 5.49% with no points and as of Friday it was now 5.80% with no points.  Ouch!  Will the rates go lower again?  It is so hard to say if rates will go up or if they will go down and if someone tells you they do know the answer, proceed with caution.  My sense is that we are in a range for rates that we will probably stay in for a while.  With rates moving slightly lower and then back up slightly higher.  There is no doubt in my mind though, at some point, there will be people saying they wished they hadn’t waited so long and missed out on the opportunity to get a 5.5% or so interest rate.

Your comments and thoughts are always welcome!

My Newest Listing…

8111 Tollbridge Court

West Chester, Ohio 45069

Lakota Schools

$229,900  - Three Bedrooms - Two Full Baths, One Half Bath

Don’t Wait To See This Home:

• Beautiful, Open Floor Plan
• Vaulted Great Room Features Gas Fireplace
• Vaulted Dining Room w/ Hardwood Floors
• Large Kitchen Features Hardwood Floors, Breakfast Nook & Island
• First Floor Master Suite w/ Adjoining Luxury Bath
• Terrific, Sought After Cul-de-Sac Street (Tollbridge Court)
• One Year Home Warranty
• Close To Schools, Shopping, Dining & Expressways!

To see more information on this home including many more photos and a virtual tour click here

If you’re planning to put your home on the market in time for spring, now’s the time to get it ready to show.

But wait, it’s still a buyer’s market. What can you do to catch the buyer’s eye and get them to make an offer?

It’s going to take more than a fresh coat of paint and a new welcome mat. A buyer’s market raises the stakes, and you’ll find you need to do a lot more work on your home than you think, if you want to get the highest price possible.

You’ve heard that you should clean, paint and repair, but that may not be enough. If your home is cluttered and in disrepair, buyers won’t pay top dollar.

Knowing how buyers reason should help you pick which updates are most likely to help you sell your home.

Let’s take the most basic selling suggestions and explore why these are such important mantras.

The supply of homes for sale in West Chester and Liberty Township increased again.

As of the beginning of February the selection of homes for sale in West Chester rose 5.91% when compared to the beginning of January 2008 and a whopping 15.41% when compared to the same time in 2007.

The story is much the same in Liberty Township with the number of homes for sale increasing 6.99% as of the beginning of February when compared to the beginning of January 2008.  The percentage increase of 10.25% when compared to the beginning of February 2007 is more favorable than the West Chester increase.

The selection of homes to buy right now is terrific if you are thinking of buying.  Get out and take a look at the opportunities that are out there right now.

Interest rates are hovering around 5.50% right now for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage, which are much lower than they were just a few months ago

Opportunities for first time homebuyers are particularly good right now, especially when you consider the great rates and downpayment options provided by the FHA Loan program.

I would love to hear your thoughts!

This post is a little bit about a number of things…

First interest rates;  today a 30 year fixed rate mortgage is 5.49% compared to 5.95% just over two weeks ago (and a full 1.00% below what it was 18 months ago).  As I have said many times recently, and yes I probably do sound like a broken record, these rates are unbelievable.

I spent the weekend showing homes and made several observations to share as I went around this weekend.  There are a large number of vacant homes and condos for sale right now (motivated sellers).  And this should come as no surprise, the builders are very aggressive and very motivated right now.  There are lots of incentives out there and not all are advertised.  If you are thinking about new construction whether it’s building or simply buying a market home, it is a great time to do so.

A buyer asked me the other day;  "How will I know when the housing market has bottomed?"   My answer:  You won’t.  The only sure way to know that the market has bottomed out is when it’s on the way back up, and if it’s on the way up, it’s too late.  What I do know is the market has dipped and we are at the bottom of that curve.  It’s okay to buy down here.

Finally in the last two weeks there have been 116 new listings come on the market in West Chester and Liberty Township, Ohio and there have been 41 pending sales in that time.  So things are selling and we are continuing to see a great deal of new listings.