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Selling The Deal As Important As Selling The House
Seller
markets creep up on you. They don't just suddenly happen from
one month to another. As a local economy strengthens, jobs are
created bringing in workers, which creates a demand for more
homes. As one builder told me, "Homes are where the jobs go at
night."
Buyer markets on the other hand, can materialize suddenly,
like a really bad cold in the morning or the obnoxious
brother-in-law at your front door. All it can take is a couple
of stories in the local media about some sort of slow down or a
possible factory closing and suddenly, buyers don't want to buy
anymore. As the economy slows, people lose jobs and start moving
elsewhere. With no one moving into town, those houses can sit on
the market a long time.
This economic climate creates a glut of homes, which means
you've moved into a buyers market. Buyers are in control and get
prices lowered, lots of seller subsidies and even some extra
perks and cash.
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Think Green: Trees a
Big
Plus For Your Home
As
you embark on your house-hunting ventures, chances are the
contenders canopied by mature trees will make the top of your
list. Or, if you're buying a new home, you're probably anxious
to get those trees planted to reap the awards in the years
ahead.
The benefits of trees are numerous. They increase property
values, sometimes as much as 20 percent, according to the
National Arbor Day Foundation. On average, trees add between 5
to 7 percent to the value of the property - the U.S. Forest
Service says the added value results in an extra $5,000 per lot.
Trees also help cool your home. The USFS says trees that
are placed strategically around buildings can reduce air
conditioning needs by 30 percent and can save 20 to 50 percent
in energy used to heat a home.
Growing Greener Cities, A Tree Planting Handbook (Global
Releaf, Living Plant Press, Los Angeles, 1992), says the average
base value for a tree with a 10-inch diameter (measured 4.5 feet
from the ground) is $1,729. A tree with a 30-inch diameter has
an average base value of $15,554. The values are adjusted based
on species, location in relation to the house, and condition.
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One
of the most common reasons to buy a home is to accommodate
your growing family. Perhaps you want to live in a
neighborhood with better schools and more services, or maybe
you need a bigger house as the two of you turns into three
and then four. 
Your
offer has been accepted and, like 77 percent of American homebuyers,
you've heeded your agent's advice to hire a professional home
inspector to examine the home you hope to purchase. But once the
inspector has done the job and issued a report, what's your job? 