1.    Check your credit. There is no bad surprise worse than a bad credit surprise. Okay, maybe there is one thing worse – a credit surprise you receive while you’re in the midst of trying to buy a home!

2.    Do your research.  The more rapidly the real estate market changes, the more it behooves smart buyers to study up before they jump in. 

• Get a Real Estate and Mortgage professional.
• Find our more about Short sales and REOs.
• What you get for the money. Online house hunting is a powerful tool – especially when it’s cold and wet! But there comes a point in your house hunt where you’ve got to just get out into the actual physical homes you’re seeing online in order to get a strong, accurate sense of what home features.

3.    Fluff up your cash cushion.  No matter how much you’ve saved, you’ll find that you could use more once you activate your home buying action plan.

4.    Shed some stuff.  Sell it. Donate it.

5.    Sit very, very still.  Sometimes, the best way to further our goals is to stop tripping ourselves up.  

 And go to www.MarinaJacobsonHomes.com

Click Here to Contact Me

Market Watch

$6,500 Tax Credit For Current Home Owners Eligible for homes with purchase agreements written by April 30, 2010, and that close between November 7, 2009 and June 30, 2010. Qualified home buyers must have lived in their current home for 5 consecutive years of the last 8 years.

Maximum purchase price of the home is $800,000 • Single filers who earn up to $125,000 are eligible for the total credit amount. Partial credit can be granted for incomes up to $145,000. • Joint filers who earn up to $225,000 are eligible for the total credit amount. Partial credit can be granted for incomes up to $245,000.

To buy or sell a home go to www.MarinaJacobsonHomes.com

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Special Reports for Sellers and Buyers

See what it takes to buy or sell a home

The Approach
The first few seconds, when your Realtor drives up to the house with a potential buyer can literally make or break a sale. Make certain that the first things to come into view the lawn, the sidewalk, the landscaping are neat and attractive. In cold weather, the walkways should be clear of snow and ice.

The Entry
The front entry area and front door should be warm and inviting. The area should be swept clean, and the door itself should be in good repair (painted, if necessary). A seasonally decorative touch, such as a wreath during the holiday season can set the proper inviting tone.

The View
Windows should be clean and sparkling in order to maximize the light entering the home and to provide an inviting scene from the exterior. Keep curtains and window coverings open whenever possible to achieve a bright, open effect.

The Surroundings
Faded or worn paint or papers on the walls and ceilings can create a drab effect throughout the interior and will leave an impression in the buyer’s mind that is hard to erase. Spruce up, paint up, and touch up.

The Furnishings
A cluttered look makes every room seem smaller than it really is. Remove extra furnishings wherever possible to give your home a clean, simple appearance. Remember, the buyer is trying to visualize how their furniture will fit in the home. Make it as easy as possible.

Storage
One of the first things a typical buyer looks for is adequate closet and storage space. Maximize the size of your closets by removing excess items and neatly arranging those items that remain.

Bathrooms and Kitchen
These areas should be clean and spotless. No matter how relaxed a housekeeper the buyers may be in their present home, they will invariably downgrade the desirability of a home if the kitchen and baths are less than spotless. Make sure everything shines!

Fix The Little Things
Loose door knobs, doors that don’t close all the way, screens off the track, and cracked window panes are all a part of everyday life except when you’re selling your house. Little things undone can suggest neglect to a fussy buyer. For top dollar, it’s smart to fix these items.

Shed Light On Dark Areas
Whenever possible, make sure the lamps are turned on in areas of the house that appear dark. Also, turn on lights in the basement, attic, and other areas the buyer will want to see. Once the above items have been addressed, leave the selling to the agent. Agents know what your house has to offer and what these particular buyers are looking for. Agents also know how to sell. We recommend that seller’s excuse themselves during showings so that prospective buyers feel comfortable expressing themselves.

In the past few weeks, agents say an undeniable scent of sales is in the air, and data released Thursday gave credibility to their talk.

March sales of previously owned single-family homes and condominiums in Illinois posted their second consecutive month-over-month gain, and for the first time since June, the statewide median price for a home rose from the prior month.
Suburban counties seeing among the largest month-over-month sales increases were Lake County, 65 percent; Kendall County, 51 percent; and Cook County, 38 percent.

Realty agents are taking pains to not get too giddy. After all, that 38 percent one-month gain in sales in Cook County translated to 2,409 properties sold. In March 2008, 3,432 homes sold in Cook County.