CHICAGO, October 06, 2008

Nearly 40 percent of Americans believe there is a shortage of available affordable housing, according to a recent National Association of Realtors® survey. To help combat this trend and promote more affordable housing solutions for the nation’s workforce, hundreds of housing advocates from across the country are coming together today for the first-ever conference on employer-assisted housing benefits.

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6 Reasons to Stage Your Home Prior to Letting Buyers See It
By Brandon Cornett

Why should I bother staging my home? What do I get back for all the time and effort I put in? This is one of the most common home staging questions among sellers, especially those who are selling in a seller’s market.

Here’s the bottom line: Staging your home can benefit you regardless of what type of real estate market you are in.

In a buyer’s market, you will need every advantage you can get in order to sell your home for a decent sale price, so it’s extra important to stage your home effectively. But even in a seller’s market staging can help you achieve a quick sale for the maximum sale price.

So no matter what kind of real estate market you are in, it’s always wise to stage your home for the market.

Here are some of the primary benefits you will get out of it:

Home Staging Benefits

• Forces you to organize and de-clutter. Clearing away shelves, closets and cabinets is a big part of the home staging process. It also helps with moving, because you’ll have to pack things away at some point anyway. So when you stage your home, you will also get a head start on packing to move.
• Forces you to think like a buyer. When you set out to stage your home for the market, you will be looking at the home as if you were a buyer. Adopting this perspective early on will help you in many ways when preparing your home for the market.
• Increases likelihood of a sale. When selling your home, you must do everything within your power to increase your chances of selling — and I mean everything. Professional home staging techniques can give you an extra edge in selling the home quickly.
• Reduces the home’s time on market. When you put in the extra effort to stage your home effectively, you will move closer to a quick sale. Anyone who has sold a home before can attest to the fact that the least time the home is on the market, the better. This is especially important if you will be paying two mortgages until the home sells (as is the case when you buy a new home before selling the old one).
• Helps justify the asking price. If you are in a seller’s market and you price your home correctly, you probably won’t have to haggle over the asking price. But in a market that leans toward the buyer, you need everything in your favor to justify the asking price. Proper home staging can help you justify the asking price by positioning the home more favorably in the buyer’s mind.
• Staging can be fun! It may sound like all work and no play at first. Granted, you will certainly be putting some elbow grease into the process. But staging a home can be a creative process as well, and many people find they enjoy it once they’ve begun.

More Staging Tips
For a room-by-room collection of home staging tips be sure to visit the author’s website and staging tutorial located at http://www.homebuyinginstitute.com/stagingArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brandon_Cornett
http://EzineArticles.com/?6-Reasons-to-Stage-Your-Home-Prior-to-Letting-Buyers-See-It&id=817792Bennington VT

Bennington VT

Washington, October 03, 2008

The following is a statement by National Association of Realtors® President Richard F. Gaylord:

“The National Association of Realtors® is truly relieved that members of the U.S. House of Representatives, like their counterparts in the Senate, were able to come together in a bipartisan effort to pass the Emergency Economic Stability Act of 2008. As we have been saying, this legislation is critical to stopping the economic turmoil that millions of Americans are facing. Today’s action will go a long way toward ending the current economic crisis crippling the housing and financial markets.

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WASHINGTON, October 02, 2008

The National Association of Realtors®  commends the U.S. Senate for passing the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. The Senate’s bold action will help the country emerge from the current credit crisis and put the economy back on its way to improved financial and housing stability.

“This far-reaching and meaningful legislation would go a long way in helping restore confidence in the nation’s financial system,” said NAR President Richard F. Gaylord. “Provisions in the bill would directly benefit Main Street by making financing more available. The legislation would not only help make home mortgages more available, which would help stabilize home sales and prices, but also help families who are trying to secure a car loan or borrow money to send their children to college. It would help protect Americans’ retirement savings and small businesses across the country.”

The act would require financial institutions to work with lenders and mortgage servicers to find ways to avoid foreclosures. It would also create a Troubled Asset Relief Program to purchase and guarantee the troubled assets from financial institutions that hold mortgages or mortgage-backed securities.

“If done right, the cost of such a plan will possibly be below the figures that have been widely reported,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “In fact there is a very good chance that taxpayers will reap a positive return on this investment over the long term.”

“By unclogging the financial pipeline, liquidity will be greatly improved and mortgages will become more accessible and affordable, allowing families who dream of owning a home to do so and at the same time help current owners keep the home they have,” Gaylord said.

“There will not be an economic recovery without a housing recovery, and this ambitious legislation is what our economy needs. We will work hard with the House of Representatives and the administration to ensure a quick and smooth enactment and implementation,” said Gaylord.

For more information, contact:

Mary Trupo 202/383-1007 mtrupo@realtors.org

Bennington VT, Press Release

WASHINGTON, October 01, 2008

The following is a statement by National Association of Realtors® President Richard F. Gaylord:

“The National Association of Realtors®, on behalf of its 1.2 million members, commends U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Steve Preston and the entire oversight board for quickly implementing the Hope for Homeowners Program. This program will permit families to refinance into safer, more affordable mortgages, in many cases helping those families avoid a devastating foreclosure. Hope for Homeowners will significantly contribute to stabilizing local home prices across the country. The program also protects the investment of the government and taxpayers by allowing them to share in the homeowner’s equity and appreciation.

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