Realtors & Homeowners – Get a First Line of Defense with a Held Harmless Membership Shield

A really good friend of mine asked that I spread the word around about this company and she stands by them. So I am reposting it here and will be checking it out myself.

You can find the orginial post on her site GoListing.com or by clicking here

by golisting

 

February 2, 2010

 

Florida Asbestos Awareness, Green Alternatives & Healthy Tips

                Florida Asbestos Awareness, Green Alternatives & Healthy Tips

 

 

When embarking in the home buying process, there are many things to consider. Many new homes may need to be remodeled or repaired. Many homes may need inspections, repairs or renovations, especially in areas that are susceptible to natural disasters. Having the assistance of an experienced and reliable Coral Springs, FL real estate agent can make this process easy and stress free.

 

It is important to take note of the consequences of older building materials whose qualities not only harm the environment, but can create health concerns. Building green will have profound impacts in many facets of life. The adaption of green building and alternative energy solutions will play an important role in the transformation to a healthier and sustainable world.

 

Asbestos

 

Highly utilized more than a century ago, asbestos is a fibrous mineral that was used heavily in building and construction applications. Its flame resistant and highly durable qualities made it an ideal choice for manufacturers. Asbestos normally appeared as insulation for piping, roofing, siding and flooring in homes. Many homes or buildings built prior to 1980 may still contain asbestos materials. This fact should not make you overly worried because exposure to asbestos can be easily avoidable by taking simple precautions.

 

Healthy Tips

 

It must be noted that not all asbestos poses health risks. Asbestos that is disturbed or damaged due to age is known as “friable” asbestos. This is a concern because its toxic fibers can easily circulate and become inhaled. If any suspected asbestos is located, the best advice is to leave it alone. If you are having home renovations, performed, do not panic. Again, asbestos that is left un-disturbed will normally pose no threat.

 

If asbestos needs to be removed, it should be performed by licensed abatement contractors. These contractors are trained in the handling and disposal of asbestos in public facilities and homes.

 

The inhalation of airborne asbestos fibers can result in the development of related illnesses such as asbestosis and mesothelioma. Diagnosis by doctors has been a difficult task because symptoms are so similar to other, less serious conditions. Mesothelioma compensation has become tough to predict for victims and their families because diagnosis can take 20-50 years. For this reason, many people refer to it as a silent killer.

Florida Going GREEN

Implementing green methods of building can have positive environmental, health and economic benefits. These include:

-          Conservation of natural resources

-          Enhance air quality and protect ecosystems

-          Energy sustainability

-          Increase property value

-          Improve quality of life

-          Improvement of pulmonary and cardiac health

-          Reduce waste

Environmental efficiency is on the rise because of technology and green sustainable methods progressing rapidly.  Not only will these methods produce a healthier lifestyle, it will save you money! The Department of Energy concluded that cooling and heating counts for up to 50-70 percent of all energy used in the average home in the U.S. In today’s state, this philosophy can also save natural resources.

Environmentally sustainable insulations are made from recycled materials including cellulose, polyurethane foam and cotton fiber.  Cotton fiber is made from recycled batted material and treated to be fireproof. A water based spray polyurethane foam, lcynene features no toxic components. The implementation of these eco-friendly products can reduce annual energy costs in the household by 25 percent annually.

Questions on Short Sales…..

I often run into people who ask me about short sales. So I have listed here a couple of them. This was a converstation back and forth with a potential Short Sale Seller who had some questions.

She is out of the city, up in Tampa and has a home here in Sunrise. So this is how it went.

Question: If you can give me some direction on what needs to take place for a short sale to be approved, I would appreciate it.  Do I have to be late on the payments before they will short sale it or can I put it on the market now while it is still current?

Answer: First question is, Do you own another property? We can list it now, but with a short sale you have to give your financial information to the bank. That means they will need a copy of your bank statements and your paystubs.

We need to write up a hardship letter, which means that you have to explain why you can no longer pay your mortgage. Basically you will explain you were relocated to another part of the state and you can no longer afford the home.

The whole process can take time. The one I just closed on was listed early in the year, I would say March, got a contract 2 weeks before the bank was going to foreclose on it in June.

We just closed on it 3 months later. So this will take patience. You will need to sign an Auth form which gives me the right to speak on your behalf with the bank. I will let them know that you have listed the house for sale as a short sale and that we are working to get it sold.

Once an offer comes in I send it with all the buyers info and at the same time your finances with the listing contract, bank statements, pay stubs and last 2 W2’s and the hardship letter.

I know that it seems like a lot of information, but once you sign the Auth form I take it from there. You dont have to give me that stuff now, but once the offer comes you need to be able to give it to me within a day or so. This way the faster you get it to me the faster I can send it to the bank.

If this helps you in any way or if you have any other questions let me know.

Question:  I am in the process of trying to purchase a house here now.  Will that help or hurt?

Answer: You should be able to purchase now, but you might get hit with a 1099 later on for the difference in the amount in the short sale.

Say you owe $250 and we sell it for $150, you may get hit with a 1099 for the 100,000 difference that we were short. Now I am not sure if you will get it or not. Mainly the inverstors have been getting the 1099’s, but I would suggest you check with a Tax Attorney so know for sure.
Jeannette

“This information is provided as a guide for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be tax, financial, or legal advice. It is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Please consult with your own attorney, tax advisor and/or accountant for specific advice.”

Short Sale offer Accepted!

I have a lisitng in Sunrise, Fl. I have been working dilegently for this listing. Owners got caught up in an ARM loan. They didn’t realize what type a loan it was really since the mortgage broker didn’t expain to them exactly how it worked.

Now here we are, 3 years later and they are stuck like a rock. We got an offer a couple of days prior to the foreclosure sale date back in June and I was able to put off the foreclosure while we worked on the offer.

Then of course the buyers back out as we got an approval, now put the home back on the market at the approved price of $145,000.  This was a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath with a huge yard. Updated Kitchen and bathrooms.  I received about 10 calls in 1 day to see the home and got an offer the same night at the approved priced!

Sent over the new buyers offer to the bank and got the approval letter from them within the day… The buyers are set to close on Sept 18 and looks like they will close sooner!

Are you finding it hard to pay your mortgage? Are you falling behind and need to sell? Call me and I will do my best to get your home sold as a short sale.

Jeannette

Tips to help sell your home

You are looking to sell your home. But what makes yours better then the next home on your block? It has the same layout, same amount of bedrooms, you both have a 2 car garage and a pool?

Answer? One is prepared to sell and the other isn’t. What do you mean? Well let’s put it this way~ There are a number of things you should do to get your house ready to get it sold and keep it that way when its listed?

What are those things? Well let’s go down the list…

Curb appeal~ When a buyer drives up, you want them to see a well landscaped yard, clean. Now I am not telling you that you need to go out and buy flowers and all, but keep it nice and clean and cut.

Your Floors~ Make sure that if you have carpet that you get them steam cleaned to get out the dirt. Not new carpet since the buyer might changed them anyways.

Lighting~ If you live in a gated free neighborhood, leave your lights on outside so if buyers are driving by the can see the house.

Doors~ Now this one will cost you a little. If you can replace your front door with a glass panel window to let some light in would be great. But you don’t have to. This adds more light coming in through the house.

Kitchens~ Ladies you know this one. Its number one on the list for ladies. Make sure the kitchen is clean, counters are cleared, no dishes in the sink.

Bathrooms~ This comes in second, So make sure this is also in top condition. Put some nice towels out.

Closets~ Make sure they are not cluttered with stuff. It makes the house look like you don’t have enough storage in the house.

Clutter~ This is the number one thing that can turn a buyer off. If the house has too much stuff in it, you can’t see the house itself. Getting most of the clutter out can be the selling point. What do you do with all the extra stuff? Well will you be taking it with you to the new home? Do you need it? If not, plan a garage sale. You will be surprise what you can make with all that stuff. Its what I call FREE MONEY. Stuff you haven’t used in ages and didn’t plan on using. Plus look at it this way. Less stuff to pack when I sell your home!

Pictures~ OK this is a touchy one. Taking some of your pictures down. Now this is if your wall is just covered in pictures. Some buyers get distracted, they are looking at your pictures instead of your house. So take some down and rearrange the ones you leave up.

Paint~ A fresh coat of paint can do wonders to a house. But neutral colors, nothing bold or bright. Warm neutral beige or off white, cream even.

Most of this list will not cost you money. Painting can run about $100 dollars, 25 dollars a room. And you can paint it yourself. The door will run you the most. And the garage sale will bring in money, so in fact it might even balance out.

But in the long run, it will get your house sold first, fast and even for more than you expected.

So Good Luck and it would be my pleasure to list your home!

Jeannette Neerpat
9000 Sheridan Street
Pembroke Pines, Fl 33024
www.Neerpat.com

Would you like a Free Market Analysis? Visit www.Neerpat.com or call 954-993-4104.

Using Checklists with Listings

When I get a listing there are some many things to keep track of, and sometimes certain things can get overlooked.

Last year a friend and I made a list to use with our listings and till this day I am still using it. This check list is in every file.

Here is a glimpse of what the list looks like.

listing-checklist

Take a look and see all the different task we need to follow as we handle the sale of your home.

Jeannette Neerpat
9000 Sheridan Street
Pembroke Pines, Fl 33024
www.Neerpat.com

Would you like a Free Market Analysis? Visit www.Neerpat.com or call 954-993-4104.

What do I need to give for Short Sale?

Seller’s I get this question all the time…. What do I need to provide for a short sale? You see when we list your house for a Short Sale there are things we need to provide the bank when an offer comes through.

Many sellers are reluctant to provide this. There comments, Why do I need to give that for? Well the bank needs to see that there is real hardship. Loss of work, loss of income and so on. So what do you need to give?

• Signed a dated Financial worksheet
• Signed a dated Hardship letter (why you were unable to pay your mortgage)
• Last 2 months of your bank statements
• Last 2 paystubs
• Letter authorizing the REALTOR access to information on the account. Must be dated and include the last 4 digits of your Social Security number, your loan number and your complete address.

Now the rest will be from the REALTOR, and that is usually given when an offer is presented.

I know that this seems like a lot and when I meet with Potential Short Sale sellers and I take the listing, I usually try to let you know I will need this information as soon as I get an offer and sometimes I try to submit this info to the bank ahead of time.

This way the wait is less when the offer is presented. Hope this gives you a heads up.

Jeannette Neerpat
9000 Sheridan Street
Pembroke Pines, Fl 33024
www.Neerpat.com

Would you like a Free Market Analysis? Visit www.Neerpat.com or call 954-993-4104.

Sellers do you allow a Lockbox?

Sellers do you allow your agent to put a lockbox on your door? There are several types of lockboxs. One of the boxes I use is called the Supra IBox.

One of the things I really like about this is that when an agent shows your listings, I can tell when they went, how long they were there for. We have a log in and I can keep track of those agents. Not only that I can send them emails for feedback.

Now this was  box I use to use. It was great when I first started Real Estate and was on a budget. Problem was I could never tell if the agent showed up. Giving a call the next day to find out that they ran into a problem and couldnt make it. Not that there is anything wrong with this box. I may a few still. But slowly been changing them out.

Not only that, having a lockbox on your door makes selling your house faster and easier. Agents are willing to show your house faster when there is a lockbox on the door. They call ahead of time and give a time for showing. Usually during the day. If you are working and there is no lockbox then that means they have to delay when they can show.

You want us to sell your house? Then this is one of the tools we use….

Jeannette Neerpat
9000 Sheridan Street
Pembroke Pines, Fl 33024
www.Neerpat.com

Would you like a Free Market Analysis? Visit www.Neerpat.com or call 954-993-4104.

How long will my house be in Pre – Foreclosure?

This can be pretty tricky? This is different from state to state, even here in Florida. Just because the lender has the right to start foreclosure proceedings doesn’t always mean that they do it. Sometime the bank tries to talk with the homeowner and see if they can work something out.

For the lender that do start the foreclosure process, they send you what is called a Breach Letter. This states that you have Breached your agreement to pay your mortgage to them on a timely manner. You have 30 days to respond to that letter.

When the 30 days are up and you haven’t contacted the bank (mortgage holder) they send your file to the Foreclosing Attorney to begin the process on you. This to can take some time. The banks don’t always send the file to the attorneys for months.

Once the Attorney has the file. They have to file a Lis-Pendens, Which means notice of pending action. Once this is filed it can take anywhere from 3 t0 6 months or even sometimes longer.

Jeannette Neerpat
9000 Sheridan Street
Pembroke Pines, Fl 33024
www.Neerpat.com

Would you like a Free Market Analysis? Visit www.Neerpat.com or call 954-993-4104.

What is a Pre-Foreclosure?

A Pre-Forclosure is nothing more than what it says. It’s when a property becomes delinquent and is heading down the path to be forclosed on by the mortgage holder (bank).

Anytime a home owner becomes delinquent on their mortgage, and the delinquency becomes more than 90 days behind, that’s when the bank can legally begin to start the foreclosure process.

The entire time between the 90 days and the day the property goes to the foreclosure auction at the courthouse steps is considered the Pre-Forclosure stage.

When you are looking at homes in the comment sections you will either see Pre- Forclosure or Short Sale. This is basically the same thing, just said in 2 different ways.

Are you looking to sell your home as a short sale? Call me to see if you qualify as a short sale seller.

Jeannette Neerpat
9000 Sheridan Street
Pembroke Pines, Fl 33024
www.Neerpat.com

Would you like a Free Market Analysis? Visit www.Neerpat.com or call 954-993-4104.

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