Agent Team Has Already Sold 100 Homes This Year!

"I am happy and proud to say we just closed our 100th property this year," shares REO Director Michael Ricks. "As you know, nothing happens by accident and Mike Haque and I wanted to say a big “thank you” for all the dedication, hard work and support we receive from our loan brokers, escrow officers, support staff, cooperating brokers and field services. We have an amazing team of professionals that we work with everyday that are the best at problem solving and focused on our mission of taking care of our buyers and sellers needs," he adds.

Michael explains, "We work meticulously and are diligent to make sure we put together deals that will close and appreciate your role in 'making it happen.' We do our best to make sure the communication is open, informative, honest, respectful, supportive and professional. Our biggest thrill is to take a sad little house and to help make it back into a happy home, what we all do by moving REO’s is a good for the communities and public we serve. Thank you very much again, your support means a lot!"

Thank you Mike and Mike for being of such service to our desert area home buyers and sellers. Congratulations on your amazing achievement.

To contact Windermere agents Michael Ricks or Mike Haque, visit www.DesertBankOwned.com.

No Payments For The Rest Of Your Life

What do a "Reverse Mortgage" and a "Paid up Life Insurance Policy" have in common? According to agent Bonnie Peabody, "You don't have to make payments on either for the rest of your life (if your are 62 or better)."

Bonnie offers Janet and Tom as an example. Both are 74 and they want to purchase another home after they sell the old family home up north. They agree on a sales price of $300,000 and want to keep some of the proceeds of the sale on their home in the bank. They do a reverse mortgage for $197,711. and put the remaining cash, $102,289, into their new home.

The couple now have NO monthly payments as long as they live in the house. This is without credit or income qualifications.

For further details you can contact Bonnie by visiting her website.

Top 10 Ways Staging Can Help You Sell Your Home For More

(Before and after photos above.)

1. Historically homes tend to sell in fewer days on the market when staged.

2. Homes generally sell for higher prices when they sell faster.

3. Professional staging accents the positive aspects of the home.

4. Negative elements can often be minimized or eliminated.

5. Staging leaves the impression that the home has been well-maintained.

6. It depersonalizes the residence, making it more inviting to a larger pool of potential buyers.People want to buy “their new home”, not someone else’s old home.

7. Eliminating clutter opens up the living spaces making them appear larger. A skilled designer knows just the right accessories to use to decorate and compliment for scale and style.

8. Specialized furnishing placement facilitates traffic flow and socializing areas.

9. Professional color analysis and consultation are keyed into current trends. Just as with clothing fashion, colors go out of vogue and need to be updated.

10. A staged property has the advantage over unfurnished homes since most buyers can not effectively visualize furnishings in an empty room. And, in this market, every advantage counts.

If you decide that Staging is the correct option for you, be sure to check around for the company that best suits your needs. Some stagers will only reorganize your own furnishings while others provide full decorating services and advise on everything from minor remodeling projects and paint color changes to even completely furnishing an empty residence.

The costs for Staging can vary from only a few hundred dollars for a simple redecorating plan that rearranges your own furnishings to a cost per square foot charge when staging the home with leased furniture and accessories. You can expect the square foot charges to be approximately $1.50 to $3.00 per foot of area.

Staging may also offer some tax advantages depending on your individual circumstances. The costs may be a tax deduction so check with your financial advisor to see if your property qualifies.

For more information on the benefits of staging you can contact me, John Kleppinger “The Staging Realtor” or www.raymondrobertdesigns.com.

Short Sale Or Foreclosure? How To Choose

Longtime resident and member of the Indian Wells Country Club, Realtor Anne Alexander is a Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) who offers the following tips to homeowners considering a Short Sale vs. a Foreclosure.

Most homeowners are not aware that a Short Sale has less serious consequences for the homeowner than a foreclosure.

For example, a homeowner who loses a home to Foreclosure is ineligible for a Fannie Mae backed mortgage for a period of 5 years as opposed to a Short Sale which makes them ineligible for only 2 years. Investors are ineligible for 7 years compared to 2 years.

In addition, a Foreclosure will typically lower your credit score anywhere from 250 to over 300 points and will affect your credit score for over 3 years. A Short Sale will typically lower your credit score as little as 50 points if all other payments are being made and will affect the homeowner for as little as 12 to 18 months.

Foreclosure remain as a public record on a person's credit history for 10 years or more. A Short Sale is not reported on a credit history. The loan is typically reported "paid in full, settled."

Homeowners (and many Realtors) do not understand Short Sales and are mainly interested in the consequences to their credit and their life.

We advise them to do a Short Sale ... IF THEY QUALIFY. It's not a "get out of my mortgage free card," though. A homeowner must be able to demonstrate a verifiable hardship such as a job loss, death in the family, mortgage rate adjusting to the point they cannot afford it, illness etc. But, there is no point in listing a home as a Short Sale if the bank will not agree to it. The homeowner CANNOT have assets that could be used to pay the mortgage.

Most problems with Short Sales stem from Realtors who are not familiar with them. For example, a smart Realtor will only present ONE offer to the bank – the highest and the best. You must present all the rest of the offers to the Seller but you present only ONE offer to the bank. You also need to present a COMPLETE package to the bank.

For additional information, you can contact Anne at www.thealexanderteam.net or email: thealexanderteam@windermere.com

The Summer Editon Of HOMES & LIFESTYLES Magazine Now Online

The Summer Editon of Windermere HOMES & Lifestyles magazine, featuring hundreds of homes for sale in all price ranges throughout the Coachella Valley, is now online.

Visit the ISSUU website and flip through the pages to find the home of your dreams.

The print version of the magazine will be on stands July 1st.