Inexpensive Improvements When Preparing Your Home for Sale – Part One

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Ruth Bethem

On January 6, I posted a blog article on your New Year’s Resolution for selling your home.  If you missed it, here’s the link, it was in two parts:  http://www.ruthbethem.com/blog/selling-your-home-part-one/2011/01/06/

Part of that was discussing that little inexpensive projects can really create a warm, welcoming atmosphere for prospective buyers.  I didn’t specifically talk too much on those items that put the shine on your home so today I’ve got a few ideas for you that may help.  Inexpensive but priceless! I’m not talking major renovations, it’s too late to do those anyway.  Let’s start with the curb appeal and move inside.  Remember you never get a second chance to make a first impression.  Oh, so true.  Especially in real estate.  Spruce up the front.  Cut back overgrown shrubs, pull weeds, place mulch that will give contrast to your home so it pops! Power wash the porch & deck or re-stain/repaint them.  Freshen up the trim paint, that helps to give a fresh look.  For our northern friends that have brick, sometimes you get mold in the grout.  Rent a power washer from your local hardware store to freshen it up.  Front door: Most important, do not overlook this.  Here, I’ll say it again:  Do not overlook the front door.  I have been with buyers that get really turned off by a front door in disrepair with chipped paint, brass that looks like it had been there since the Civil War, spider webs, bugs and hinges that creaked like the Herman Munster house, leaves that collect and swirl as you try to get through the front door.  If all your budget allows is for new handles, fixtures and a new front porch light, that is where you need to spend your money.  If you can afford a new front door, do it.  Ripped or torn screen door, again, really cheap to replace and you can do it yourself.  There’s no cost in labor when you do sweat equity, so get out and thin the herd of bushes.  Inside:  if you have a leaky, dripping faucet, FIX IT!  A buyer thinks that if you can’t take care of such a minor repair, you more than likely haven’t taken care of the major ones and they are out the door like Jack Flash.  Into the bath we go:  Update your lighting fixtures, you can get really reasonable ones at Lowe’s or Home Depot that won’t break the bank or your budget.  Same with your faucets.  There are great inexpensive styles that you can put in yourself.  Ladies, that means you too if you don’t have a handyman with a honey-do list.  Even check your local newspaper for garage sales or eBay or any online store like Overstock.  If your budget allows it, think of ripping out the old bathroom vanity and replace it with a pedestal sink.

For further information or any questions on Naples real estate please contact Ruth Bethem at Ruth@RuthBethem.com or direct at 239-777-7007 or toll free 877-777-7545.

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Naples, Florida Real Estate Overview for 2010

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Ruth Bethem

So, now we have a clean slate in which to start our Naples real estate market statistics again, just one of the beauties of having a new year.  That is why it’s on the top of my list of reasons that I have great anticipation and excitement when January rolls around.  Most people say that because the previous year was such a hotbed of negativity, or tragedy, a sluggish economy and even slower real estate market in some areas, they just want to end one year to start another.  But for us in this sweet seaside community of Naples, Florida, we were very fortunate to have such a great bevy of buyer and seller activity as depicted for you in this report.   The good news, NO, the GREAT NEWS, is that we had a 10% increase in closed sales from 2009.  We have reduced inventory AND we had significant increases in specific price points that had in previous years been, well, let’s just say this:  it was the opposite of activity that we’d experienced during the dotcom years of 2001-2005 when the 1-2 million dollar properties couldn’t be listed fast enough for the demand of buyers wanting to dive head first into Naples real estate.  So, again I say, what a wonderful opportunity to have a New Year.  A clean, pure canvas in which to paint a positive market with increases where they should be and decreases where they should be and not vice versa.  So, without further ado, I present to you our market overview report from our Naples Area Board of Realtors (NABOR).

2010 A TURNING POINT

NAPLES, Fla.-January 14, 2011- The year 2010 has shown healthy housing market gains in the Naples area according to the Naples Area Board of REALTORS® (NABOR), which tracks home listings and sales within Collier County (excluding Marco Island).

The annual statistics compiled by NABOR show increases in overall pending and closed sales, inventory declining and an increase in the median closed price.  “2010 was a strong year despite the unprecedented challenges we faced. The news of the oil spill in the Gulf, the bank freeze on foreclosed homes and the end of the homebuyer tax credit left many sitting on the fence due to uncertainty. In the face of those challenges, the market showed great resilience,” said Mike Hughes, Vice-President of Downing-Frye Realty.

Overall closed sales increased 10 percent to 7,840 sales in 2010 compared to 7,126 sales in 2009. “Closed sales in 2010 showed double-digit increases over the 2009 figures in every price category above $300,000,” said Jo Carter, President of Jo Carter & Associates.

According to NABOR President and Managing Broker of Prudential Florida Realty, Brenda Fioretti, “The most improved segment of our market is the $1 million and above price category. In the $1 million to $2 million price segment, pending sales increased 29 percent and closed sales increased 33 percent.”

The report provides annual comparisons of single-family home and condo sales (via the SunshineMLS), price ranges, geographic segmentation and includes an overall market summary. The statistics are presented in chart format, along with the following analysis:

Overall pending sales increased 4 percent with 9,318 contracts in 2010 compared to 8,933 contracts in 2009.

Single-family home sales increased 3 percent to 3,959 sales in 2010 compared to 3,847 sales in 2009.

Condo sales increased 18 percent to 3,881 sales in 2010 compared to 3,270 sales in 2009.

The median closed price increased 1 percent overall to $180,000 up from $179,000 in 2009. For properties over $300,000, the median closed price increased 4 percent to $544,000 up from $525,000 in 2009.

Home sales grew steadily in 2010 resulting in a decline in the months of inventory. “The level of housing inventory has decreased for the fourth consecutive year. This is helping to bring the market back into balance,” said Steve Barker, Managing Broker of Amerivest Realty.  To view the entire report, visit http://www.NaplesArea.com

For further information or any questions on Naples real estate please contact Ruth Bethem at Ruth@RuthBethem.com or direct at 239-777-7007 or toll free 877-777-7545.

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Getting Your Financial House in Order – Part Two

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Ruth Bethem

Yesterday, Part One of this book review on Ric Edelman’s book, The Truth about Money, was discussed but if you missed it, click here for yesterday’s Part One.

Personal finance is a meaty topic that could never be comprehensively covered in a pocket book, but this book’s user tools eliminate the daunting nature of the prospects of wading through such a tome, from its very first pages.

Edelman starts at the very beginning, with Part I, an “Introduction to Financial Planning,” which briefs readers on all the reasons they need to take financial planning very seriously, then covers obstacles to building wealth, explains taxes and inflation, sings the praises of compound interest, and explains the powerful reasons to stop procrastinating when it comes to saving and investing — quick like!

Parts II through VI offer even the totally uninitiated a basic, yet complete, education on traded assets, from the capital markets, to fixed-income investments (e.g., bonds and CDs) to equities (think: stocks) and packaged products (like mutual funds) — then helps readers understand and select the right investment strategy for them.

Next, Edelman zooms out a bit to provide a fire hose-force shower of individual financial strategies for a wide variety of financial challenges a reader might face across her lifespan, from job loss to funeral costs.

Part VIII is a deep dive into housing offering Edelman’s take on sound strategies for “Buying, Selling and Owning Homes.” Edelman’s BLT (Big Long-Term) mortgage strategy might be controversial to those who espouse achieving financial security by paying their homes off, but he does articulate a good argument for alternatively investing the cash to achieve higher returns than the interest saved by an early mortgage payoff. He also pushes readers into taking a long-term view of their mortgages and housing obligations, which is never a bad thing.

The other sections — “Tax Strategies,” “Retirement and Estate Planning,” “Insurance” and “Selecting a Financial Advisor” also all get appropriate shrift, so to speak.

To make a long story short (pun completely intended), this book is like a layperson’s version of the Physician’s Desk Reference for money matters. Yes, there’s a lot of Edelman’s professional opinions and strategies inside, but most of it is unobjectionable, and the bit of controversial material in there is in no way sleazy or even sales-y.

The vast majority of the book is simple education and Edelman’s blunt and occasionally entertaining admonitions to make the basic money moves that create financial security wealth, like planning, saving, investing and strategizing. Financial novices and money mavens alike will value this guide.

For further information or any questions on Naples real estate please contact Ruth Bethem at Ruth@RuthBethem.com or direct at 239-777-7007 or toll free 877-777-7545.

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Getting Your Financial House in Order – Part One

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Ruth Bethem

Preparing for a real estate purchase in Naples, or anywhere, requires goal setting and a bit of planning with the end game to get your finances in order.  Although I did not write the article below, I feel very strongly about this so I’m highlighting it and am giving credit to the author, Tara Nicolle Nelson, Inman News, who reviewed this book and it’s a great piece worthy of reading and passing on.  I was a product of the 70′s and the one class that wasn’t available was financial planning.  Like many things that weren’t “talked about” in the 70′s, fiscal responsibility was one of them.  It was a trial and error period and learn as you go.  But, living in the technology age, there isn’t one single reason why you can’t achieve financial success and stability if you just put realistic goals in front of you.  As they say about the elephant, one bite at a time.  Enjoy and I hope you get a few tips from this article and more importantly, the book by Ric Edelman, “The Truth about Money.” An investment that is essential for your personal success.

Money matters rank at the very top of most Americans’ New Year’s resolutions lists. In fact, a recent poll conducted by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling found that reducing debt was the No. 1 resolution set by respondents — 69 percent said this was their top mission for 2011.

And when it comes to finances, people tend to set big, sweeping goals rather than to set a smaller list of easily attainable aims. Rather than “pay off Visa,” people tend to aim for “paying off their debt”; instead of “setting up auto deposit into savings account,” many resolve to “save and invest more.”

Many behavioral and finance experts point out that big, sweeping goals are less achievable. Nevertheless, at this time of massive money missions, it is perhaps appropriate that Barron’s financial adviser and radio personality Ric Edelman has just released the fourth edition of his big, sweeping title, “The Truth About Money.”

Now when I call this book big, I mean it is massive, in size, scope and substance. “The Truth About Money: 4th Edition” offers nearly 700 pages (no typo) of financial education in a comprehensive primer on topics ranging from financial planning, to investment vehicles, to real estate to estate planning.

Not only is this book massively long, readers will find it to be massively useful. Whether you are that person who either knows nothing about money matters and has decided to get in the know, or you are already money-savvy and looking for a comprehensive reference guide at your fingertips, this is your book.

Even the tables — yes, multiple tables — of contents are tailored to help you find what you need in this behemoth of a book, whether you know what you need or not! There’s one table organized to guide longtime lovers of earlier editions through all the new material in this edition, from a talk about timeshares to Edelman’s coverage of continuing care retirement communities. There’s another one that helps you find your way through the book on the basis of your life stage, financial situations and even demographics like gender and age.

Check tomorrow for Part II of Getting Your Financial House in Order.  For further information or any questions on Naples real estate please contact Ruth Bethem at Ruth@RuthBethem.com or direct at 239-777-7007 or toll free 877-777-7545.

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Naples Holocaust Museum & Curious George Exhibit

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Ruth Bethem

I thought this is very interesting and hope everyone gets an opportunity to enjoy it.

The Wartime Escape:  Margret and H.A. Rey’s Journey from France Opens

February 3 – March 10, 2011

Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Florida

The Wartime Escape:  Margret and H.A. Rey’s Journey from France is coming to the Holocaust Museum & Education Center of Southwest Florida.  More than three generations of Americans have grown up reading the stories of an irrepressible little brown monkey known in this country as “Curious George.” But few people know about the incredible journey made by his creators, Margret and H.A. Rey, to escape the Nazi invasion of Paris at the start of World War II. Stashing a few precious belongings and manuscripts in their knapsacks and the baskets of their bicycles, the Jewish couple fled Paris in June 1940, starting a five month odyssey by bike, train, and boat that would eventually bring them to American shores.

Beginning in the years prior to the war, The Wartime Escape explores the Rey’s early creative collaborations and traces how the story of George himself (originally titled The Adventures of Fifi) spanned the wartime period. The monkey emerged as a character in one of the Rey’s pre-World War II stories, and the manuscript that became Curious George was already in progress by 1939. However, wartime constraints on printing as well as the general turmoil of the period prevented the original contract from being fulfilled. When the Reys were forced to flee Paris along with thousands of other refugees in advance of the German occupation, the manuscript and illustrations for the book were among the few personal possessions that they managed to take with them. Escaping via Spain and Portugal, then across the Atlantic to Brazil, the Reys finally reached the United States in October 1940. A month later, they received a new contract from Houghton Mifflin for The Adventures of Fifi, later re-titled The Adventures of Curious George.

The exhibition features 27 framed art prints by artist Allan Drummond and supplemental archival images from the holdings of the DeGrummond Collection of Children’s Literature at the University of Southern Mississippi. The exhibition is based in part on the 2005 publication, The Journey that Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey, written by Louise Borden and illustrated by Allan Drummond (Houghton Mifflin Company, New York). The exhibition is organized and curated by Beth Seldin Dotan, Director of the Institute for Holocaust Education in Omaha, Nebraska

On Thursday, February 3 at 6:30 pm, Holocaust Museum is hosting a Members Preview & Reception.  Reservations are required no later than January 27th.  Family Days at the Museum will take place at 10:00 am on Saturday, February 12 and Sunday, March 6 for children ages 4 – 10. Admission is $5 per child with a limit of 20 children.   Reservations are required, no later than February 7th. Please call the Museum for more information regarding the exhibit and associated events.

The exhibition is toured by ExhibitsUSA, a national program of Mid-America Arts Alliance. ExhibitsUSA sends more than 20 exhibitions on tour to more than 100 small- and mid-sized communities every year. Mid-America is the oldest nonprofit regional arts organization in the United States. More information is available at www.maaa.org and www.eusa.org.

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