Courtesy of Nestforlife.com

Free Guide for Buyers on Surviving Multiple Offers

from Nestforlife.com

Can’t get HGTV to come stage your home for the market? Have no fear! There are things you can do without spending a lot of money to make your home stand out and sell quicker. Consider the five Cs when putting your house on the market.

Curb Appeal – First impressions are lasting ones. What impression do buyers get when they pull up to your home? Make sure the lawn is freshly cut, shrubbery pruned, weeds pulled, and flowers planted to set the stage. Replace the dented mailbox, tarnished house numbers, and outdated light fixtures. Give the front door a fresh coat of paint and purchase a new welcome mat for the front porch.

Clean – Make sure everything is spic and span. You might need to hire a cleaning crew to come in and give your home a thorough cleaning, including the carpets. In fact, having a cleaning service return weekly while your home is on the market is a good insurance policy for the clean rule. Make sure your home smells fresh and there are no pet or food odors.

Clutter – There can’t be any! It may be necessary to rent storage pods while the house is on the market. The “50 percent rule” says eliminate the clutter in your home by at least half. De-personalize the house by removing political and religious items. Remove all personal photos. The buyer needs to be able to visualize the house as their home. They do not need to be distracted by your personal property.

Color – Neutral colors sell! If you use colors and styles buyers would never select, then they cannot imagine themselves living there. Convey an image of neutrality and quality. You don’t want the buyer to walk away from your home simply because of taste-specific colors. Paint the walls with soft beige and accessorize with small splashes of color.

Correct problems – Don’t give any cause for concern. Fix leaky faucets, broken tile and any other small items not functioning properly. Buyers assume if these minor things have not been maintained, then major problems could exist with the home. Don’t scare away the buyer. Paint the picture of perfection.

Think about model homes you have visited. First of all, they have curb appeal that makes you want to jump out of the car and go inside. Then, once in the home, it is clean, clutter-free, and color-neutral. You will not find broken items in the home. Everything works perfectly! You must have this “model-home mentality” when preparing your home for the market. It’s the small things that make the biggest difference.

Who needs HGTV when you have the five Cs? What are some of your best staging secrets?

By Scott Gibson

One reason I love living in Matthews is the strong community. Habitat for Humanity in Matthews is a beautiful microcosm of the community spirit in Matthews.

The non-profit organization provides an opportunity for various groups to work together and improve the living conditions of town residents.

If you enjoy golf, then you can get involved with the annual golf tournament in October.

Another way that the community helps with this effort is by donating to and buying from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. It is located in downtown Matthews right next to the Post Office. I frequently stop by to look for items for my sellers who need to update their homes and always find something worthwhile.

Interested in volunteering with Habitat for Humanity? My daughter Margaret worked at the Charles Street location for two years while she was in high school and loved the experience. Follow the instructions given on the Habitat website.

If you need a house but don’t plan to build it with Habitat for Humanity, you can fill out the home buyer’s wish list with Nestforlife, and a specialist will contact you to help you with your home search.

Some homeowners in NC found themselves susceptible to that situation. ‘America’s Builder’ D.R. Horton sold homes to buyers who did not know that the company had retained the mineral rights to the land under their homes. D.R. Horton is selling houses in the Charlotte area – see a map of their homes. If you purchased a home from this builder, you will be relieved to hear that DRH is returning your mineral rights to you. Though initially the company said that clients had to request the rights, DRH has given into demand and will automatically return these rights to clients, though it is not yet clear when this will go into effect.

To prevent future issues like this, North Carolina now requires residential sales contracts to include an ‘Oil and Gas Rights Disclosure’, which went into effect 1 October 2012. You can read statement from the General Assembly here.

Want more information? Get in touch! We’d love to hear from you.

Having a GREEN Nest can save you money, help the environment, and make your home a more desirable sell! Also, you can get a better mortgage — an Energy Efficient Mortgage — if your home qualifies.

What is your home’s HERS score?

The Home Energy Rating System (HERS) provides a standard comparison of energy efficiency for homes. This HERS index considers:

• insulation
• window efficiency
• wall-to-wall ratios
• heating/cooling system efficiency
• solar orientation
• water heating system

Free Home Energy Audit

Did you know that you can get a free home energy audit? Contact us, and we will let you know how!

Tax credits

You can receive tax credits of up to 30% of the cost of obtaining geothermal heat pumps, small wind turbines, and solar energy systems.

See Energy Star for more information.

Make your home greener!

•  Don’t turn on the heating/AC in unused portions of your home
• Check your insulation
• Make sure your windows and doors are sealed tightly
• Use energy efficient appliances
• Generate your own energy
• Maximize water efficiency
• Use drought-tolerant plants
• Utilize natural ventilation and sunlight to cool and heat your home as much as possible

Buying a new home? Charlotte Energy Star Builders:

Committed to 100% ENERGY STAR Homes Builders

Name		Builder Type	Partner Since	Homes Certified in the Charlotte area Oct 2011 – Sep 2012*	Homes Certified in the Charlotte area Total*	Homes Certified Grand Total*
M/I Homes – Charlotte 704-597-4575		Site-Built Homes, Developer	2007	298	931	933
KB Home – North Carolina 704-969-5730		Site-Built Homes	2008	38	277	1,252
NVR-Ryan Homes-CTN 704-875-9887		Site-Built Homes	2010	328	804	804
NVR-Ryan Homes-CTS 704-815-0190		Site-Built Homes	2010	217	589	589

[Energy Star]

It’s called the ‘Move Over Law’, and it is a protective measure for law enforcement officers. As of October 1 of this year, the law states that motorists have to change lanes or slow down when approaching any service vehicle with flashing lights – including police, medics, firetrucks, and maintenance crews.

To find out more, visit http://www.moveoveramerica.com/ .

Change lanes or slow down when you see flashing lights!

A ‘Not So Spooky’ Halloween Carnival will be held in downtown Matthews at Stumptown Park, 10/27/2012, 11 am – 2 pm. The Costume Parade theme is ‘Super Heroes’. Children under ten can participate in hay rides, tattoos, a pumpkin walk, golf, and more. Admission is free.   There is also a Haunted Trail at Squirrel Lake Park located at 1631 Pleasant Plains Rd. in Matthews.  The cost is $2 per person and is recommended for ages ten+.  Proceeds from the Haunted Trail will benefit Susan G Koman for the Cure.