A MUCH BETTER VALUE WITHOUT SPENDING ONE EXTRA DIME

Most people, other than surgical specialists, would have a hard time performing a liver transplant. Most of us, with the exception of trained & experienced CPA's, would be at a loss in auditing the accounting books of a major business. Very few brave souls, save the elite of all basketball players, could keep pace with NBA players for an entire season. Relatively speaking, just a very tiny percent of the population could actually perform any of these tasks. Only those with some natural attributes, training, determination, and perserverance make it to the big stage of surgery, financial analysis of mega-companies, and even the National Basketball Association.

It is true that a considerable percentage of the population could attempt one or more of the skillful activities mentioned, but that is not the topic on which I want to write. Believe it or not, I am trying to make a point about the unknown value of a Realtor when you buy a house, condo, commercial property, or whatever. I think you will be glad you read this blog post.

Most Realtors fit in the following category: can't do the transplant thing, can't do the high stakes accounting deal, and the NBA is out of the question. However, those are not the talents that can benefit you in a real estate transaction. I know that I can reveal some added value that a Realtor brings to a real estate transaction WITHOUT giving old information a retread and selling it as a new tire (in the past a common practice of tire repair shops was putting a new tread on a used tire and sending the customer on her way. Hence the expression "re-tread"). If you keep reading the same old thing in Realtor articles on the net and in magazines, you might suspect that Realtors are stale, non-innovative, resting on their laurels, or something even worse: they take the public for granted. OF COURSE, THIS IS NOT THE CASE. Most are very knowledgeable about what they do and are willing to go the extra mile, if that's what it takes.

I want to list a few of the ways a Realtor can add value and, in turn, give you a tangible benefit, namely: savings in time (your time) and hopefully a savings in real dollars. Here we go. . .

1. Realtors add the crucial element of effective third party assistance. When brother and sister are fighting it takes a third party, in the form of a parent, to assess the situation and settle the differences. When a customer and the cashier are at odds about the expiration date of the 45 cent coupon, a store manager can save the day as a third party participant seeking one of those win-wins. With skillful care applied to a real estate sale, most impasses are negotiated to everyone's relative satisfaction with the help of a qualified third party, a Realtor.

2. Realtors add value by imparting wisdom with regard to inspections. Many home buyers experience the euphoria of getting a contract then are soon after deflated when the talk of inspections arises. Would you rather try to navigate through these waters with only your limited experience and your brother-in-law's advice or partner with a seasoned professional who is pulling for you to make it to closing but only if you understand and are comfortable with issues on the house's structure, systems, and the lot on which it is located. No good Realtor wants to proceed to closing unless you are well informed about the house that you are buying. Many times you discover that the house is imperfect, but not defective, and the Realtor can help you sort through those issues. The help offered by your Realtor at this point in the transaction is invaluable.

3. Value is greatly increased when you get more out of the transaction by expending less energy & time. Consider what your time is worth. Figure it some time. You may be worth more than you think! A Realtor knows the whole buying process from beginning to end and is aware of where you can save the most time. If representing a homebuyer, the Realtor can do a pile of the footwork for you (laws about Realtors responsibilities vary from state to state ) and add hours to your week. Just think, what if I approached you today and informed you that I would provide for you 20 hrs. of free time over the next 8 weeks. I could do some of the chores that you think only you can do and run some errands that you would normally handle. This is what a Realtor can do for most buyers. While pride prevents some from asking for help, you would be better served by letting a pro do what he or she does best and save you some valuable time. The Realtor can research data about school district boundaries, history of property appreciation in the area, zoning changes, the pricing history of a particular home, and many other time saving facts that literally give hours & hours back to you. Your Realtor can also save you time by offering lists of service providers who sell homeowner's insurance, paint, repair plumbing, have climate controlled storage units, re-pave driveways, and I could go on and on. The point is: the time invested in compiling lists of reputable vendors has already taken place so you don't have to spend hours trying to find individuals and companies to help you with your new home.

I will stop here for purposes of this blog post. Hopefully, you can see tangible benefits available to you when you employ the services of a Realtor for a real estate transaction, especially when buying a home. Will the Realtor get paid, and paid well for his or her efforts? Absolutely. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

Setting Ground Rules for Hiring Sub-Contractors, Part 2

Since my last blog post, I've given a lot of thought to the hiring a sub-contractor. I know, I know...like I said in the first post on this subject...I've opened the can of worms. :)

Click here to see Part 2 Video Podcast!

I've thought about all of the ground rules that it takes in just getting started with hiring a sub-contractor to assist you in some of the maintenance of your rental properties. And I have found that things are much easier for my company if you have all of your forms in place. First you want to start with a "General Information" Form. Get a form filled out by the sub-contractor that has them fill out their name, address, phone number and tax ID or social security number. At the end of the year, you will have to file a 1099 IRS tax form which will require a tax ID or social security number of the sub-contractor. It's good to know what this 1099 IRS form is and be prepared for it by getting the information before you write the first paycheck to the sub so that you're not trying to track down the information at the end of the year. In addition to getting the "General Info" form, you'll also want to get a copy of their drivers license, verifying that they are who they say they are. You'll also want to give the sub-contractor an "Expectations" form that they can sign off on. Our "expectations" form is a bullet pointed list of what we expect from them and what they can expect from us. I happy to give you a copy of the forms I use, just shoot me an e-mail requesting the forms and I'll get them right to you.

To avoid opening the can of worms (problems) with a sub-contractor, start by getting organized and having all of your paper work in place and setting the ground rules up front.

TO DO Checklist to Complete
Before You Write the Sub-Contractors First Paycheck:

---------------------------------------------

aGet a "General Information" Form filled out by the sub-contractor.

aGet a copy of the sub-contractor's drivers license.

aHave sub-contractor sign off on an "Expectations" form

aGet references from sub-contractor and check references before they begin work.

Opening the "Hiring-A-Sub-Contractor" Can of Worms

The best way to prevent yourself from getting taken by a sub-contractor is to plan ahead and get it all in writing ahead of time. I'm not talking about just getting the bid of what the sub is going to charge you, but the date that they will complete the project by, and also get all of their personal info so that you can reach them. You'll also need that information to file your taxes at the end of the year...but let's stick to one can of worms at a time! :)

See the video podcast here!

We had a bad sub-contractor experience this last weekend. We had a Tenant scheduled to move in to one of our properties on December 1st and a couple days prior to her moving in, we realized that the carpet in the property needed to be changed. So we hired a sub-contractor to do the job. And yeah, it's embarassing to admit...but we got took. He didn't finish the job, and we had to put the very unhappy Tenant (who came from out of state with a big truck and lots of family to help unload it in their new home) in a hotel room on the weekend due to our sub-contractor not completing the job as he had verbally promised us. If we had it in writing, we could always have that documentation if the situation ever got real sticky. Oh well, I guess it is a lesson learned at this point.

Although our situation wasn't the worst we've heard of or seen, it was still frustrating. You can't always tell when a sub-contractor is lying to you, but you can take precaution against it. We called a local flooring company and as we had expected, all of their carpet installers were booked. However, they were nice enough to give us a site of where we can find sub-contractor flooring installers. That was most helpful. We suggest doing a little research of your own...such as directly asking a sub-contractor for some references or checking your area Better Business Bureau, it can possibly save you a a hassle in the long run.

Over the next few video podcasts, we are going to go further in depth about hiring and dealing with sub-contractors. Please check back with us or feel free to e-mail us your questions.

Until next time...

National Association of REALTORS Annual Convention

Paul, Jessica and Jay attended the National Association of REALTORS annual convention in New Orleans that was held November 9-13, 2006. Almost 20,000 REALTORS from around the world attended this conference and expo. There were so many things going...the General Session had the guest speakers of the former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. It was standing room only, so we didn't get as many pics (or videos) as we had wanted. But the session was still very good. We visited the tradeshow floor and took many pictures of the different exhibitors and such. If you want to find out more about the trip and the things that were seen, e-mail us at: 417Dwellings@gmail.com. Let's just 2007 is going to be an awesome year!

The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread

Are we really that wonderful, and if so what makes us so wonderful? This may sound like we’re a little full of ourselves and that certainly isn’t my intention, but are we, as a company, really as wonderful as people claim we are?

Paul had a prospective tenant call on Friday and tell him that she was interested in renting one of our properties. She already had seen the property and wanted to turn in her rental application to us on Saturday, but we are closed on Saturday. She did not want to leave her application in the mailbox over the weekend, due to the sensitive personal information required to complete our application, of which we don’t blame her. So Paul told her to call me when she was ready to leave her application in the box and we would go up to the office and pick it up so that it wasn’t left in the box over the weekend.

So on Saturday afternoon, I hadn’t heard from her but I had to go into the office. She hadn’t left her application in the box yet, so I got my work done and then left. Sure enough, she calls about 25 minutes after I had already the left the office and says that she is in town running some errands and will drop it off at the office later. Not wanting to fight Springfield traffic back to the office, I had asked her where she was in town and offered to meet her (thinking and hoping that it would be closer to where I was then for me to go back to the office!). We worked out the details and I met her where she was headed to her next errand. In the parking lot where I had met her, I stood there and talked to her for a few minutes about expediting her application to get her into the property quicker. She made an off-the-cuff comment to me about how we were so nice to deal with and that we were “wonderful” to take care of this for her. And she drove off happy and I drove off with a little more insight on someone who turned in an application and will make a great tenant.

So what makes us wonderful? I think it is our commitment to customer service. It is in black and white within our mission statement that we strive to make our client’s our number one priority.

Now we’re not perfect and we’ve made our fair share of mistakes. There may even be some people, tenants and clients alike, reading this blog that do not think that Dizmang Properties is such a great company. But we’re never going to get better without your help. We need to know you’re input, comments, suggestions and complaints. We always tell our Tenants at lease signings… “we can’t fix the things we don’t know about because you haven’t told us”.

We put our surveys online on our web site, you can post comments on this blog, or Paul’s blog or Jessica’s blog. Heck, we’ll even take your comments that aren’t related to our company in particular! What do you want in the ideal real estate agent or landlord?

In other words…what can we do that would make you think that our company is the best thing since sliced bread?

Real Estate Curve Ball

Video Taped on Tuesday, October 24, 2006 for Game 3 of Baseball World Series

This podcast has absolutely nothing to do with real estate or property management but all about the baseball world series. This is a very unbiased, neutral (go Cards!) video about how Paul is headed off to the world series with his good buddy. 10-4 Good Buddy on the tickets, nice work and truly appreciated! :)

NEW LISTING! 4BR, 2BA newer home in Nixa, MO

Paul Dizmang and Dizmang Associates has listed a newer home in Nixa, Missouri just south of Springfield. This beautiful 4 bedroom home is a rare find in this price range. Listed at $124,900, this home features a brick front, 2 car garage, 10' ceilings in the living room and a spacious kitchen/dining area. Click on the link to see more or go to www.getpaul.com for more information.

NEW LISTING! 3865 W. Ridgeway in Springfield, MO!

Paul Dizmang has done it again, listed another property. 3865 W. Ridgeway in Springfield, MO is a beautiful home with 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, 2 car garage, fenced backyard and many upgrades. You can always get more info by going to Paul's web site at www.getpaul.com.

Comparing Apples to Apples

It's amazing how often we see this logo and don't even think twice about it. Now do you know the difference between a REALTOR and a Real Estate Agent?

Let's compare apples to apples...REALTOR to Real Estate Agent...first of all REALTORS are associated with the National Association of REALTORS. This is a good thing because all REALTORS have to abide by a strict code of ethics. Therefore, you want a REALTOR to represent you in your real estate transaction because you know that they are held accountable to this code of ethics which includes how they should represent you, as their client.

So I'm sure you're thinking, how do I choose a REALTOR? Just because they are associated with the National Association of REALTORS, does that mean that they are a good REALTOR? No it does not necessarily mean that they will be a good agent for your real estate transaction. There are 9 Magical questions that you should ask when you are interviewing agents to assist you. Always ask these questions, whether you know the REALTOR really well (even if they're family) you should always ask them these 9 questions. If they don't answer these questions they way you want, then keep interviewing REALTORS until you find the one you want. If you'd like a hard copy of these 9 Magical questions e-mailed to you, then send me an e-mail request at 417Dwellings@gmail.com.

Click on the logo to see my video podcast on this. Or for more information you can always go to my web site at www.getpaul.com to see what I offer for you as your REALTOR.

Until next time...

New Listing! Exquisite 4BR in Ozark, MO!

Paul Dizmang listed a new property last week at $299,900. It's beautiful and it's in Ozark, the address is 2108 N. 9th Street. Built in 2002, and inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, this beautiful home features many quality upgrades like a floor to ceiling curved glass block that graces the entry way of this home. I've added some pictures here and you can go to www.getpaul.com if you want more information.

Blogging Tomato Comments

I read many blogs every day, especially ones related to the real estate industry.

(Click here to see my video on this!)

Yeah…I know what you’re thinking…duh Paul…you’re a REALTOR, of course you read about your industry. Now chances are, there are a lot of you out there that subscribe to my podcast that are REALTORS yourself, so I feel the need to point out one particular blog that I have really enjoyed reading.

The Real Estate Tomato. Wow, great information. I encourage all of you REALTORS out there to check it out.

But how this relates to everyone else out there that doesn’t care for blogs that cater specifically to REALTORS, is that their latest post questioning if “Big Brother” is dead involves everyone…REALTORS, Buyers, Sellers, Owners, Tenants and Investors and it involves you too.

In the world of blogging & wikipedia entries, everyone works together to bring their videos, their pictures from their camera phones, and their own comments on blog posts to form a real and true picture of how something really is. When I post my listings or available rentals online, on my blog or on this video podcast, I can only hope that my audience will participate in its description and perception.

Not too long ago, I learned a lot when I came across a Tenant’s blog (who now rents from me) who posted his impressions of meeting me for the first time. He claimed that I was an “über-apologetic Realtor that showed up in all his sock-less glory”. OK, I admit I was late, and yes I felt bad about that and I feel that it’s only right to treat people with respect and apologize for rude behavior. Secondly…it was in the summer time, who wears socks in the summer time?! Among those simple comments, he also gave his impression of the rental house that I was offering. Ouch! The one thing that I didn’t want to be was a slumlord and he was describing my house as it was…disgusting...slum-like. This is huge for me, because I then got the property cleaned up as best I could and turned around and rented it. I wouldn’t have known it without his raw and candid comments regarding my rental properties. So…those of you creative writers out there looking for an outlet to put your writing skills to the test…post a comment on my blog. You can get there by going to www.getpaul.com and clicking on “blog”. I’m looking for real people to post real comments. And who knows…if you’re any good at it, I might contact you and talk to you about hiring you as a free-lance writer for some of my upcoming projects. So let me know what you’ve got and here’s some ideas to get you started:

1) Do you think that I should take my real estate knowledge of specializing in investing and managing rental properties and create some sort of “how-to” seminar?

2) What is your first impression of Dizmang Properties (if you have dealt with us directly) or what are your first thoughts of property management in particular?

3) Considering that I am the only video podcaster that I can find in my area doing real estate video podcasts, do you think I should offer some sort of “how-to” seminar or instruction for other REALTORS?

4) What features do you like/not like about our new web site at www.getpaul.com? How can we make it better?

I thank all of you who have voted for me at Podcast Alley, posted comments on my blog or even just viewed my videos on YouTube and those who have given me the appropriate star count for my videos. You’ve made me realize what my business has to offer and what it truly is. You can help me out by going to my web site at www.getpaul.com and you can find direct links to my blog, my videos and even Podcast Alley where you can vote for my podcast. Thanks for subscribing and stay tuned…I’ve got lots more to say about the real estate and property management industry and it only gets more exciting from here on out.

Until next time...

That's Hot!

Dizmang Associates Real Estate has launched their new web site! Don't miss it! Go to www.getpaul.com because it's hot & sizzlin'!

Hide & Seek!

Ever feel like you’re playing Hide-N-Seek with your real estate agent??
My buyer’s agent, Jay Reasor, wrote the following and did his own video podcast on finding the right real estate agent. Check it out and let me know what you think. --Paul Dizmang

Today I’m going to help you find the right Buyer’s Agent by looking into 3 specific areas:

First…we’ll discuss the internet with all of the traffic & congestion and it’s impact on your search for the right agent.

From there I want to explain how to navigate your way through the internet traffic in the most efficient way.

Finally, I’ll give you some fundamental steps in choosing an agent and then arriving at your destination safely and sanely.

Wading through the barrage of real estate related information on the web can be overwhelming. On real estate web sites you’ll see countless agents on countless web sites. You’ll also encounter links galore and you are left to wonder…“Who can I trust?”

In spite of the information overload, 70% of consumers still search the internet before buying a house that is good for them. I think this is a great idea. I’m just surprised that it’s not a 100%.

My suggestion for navigating through the maze of information is to take the most direct route, saving you time & frustration. The place to start is a trust-worthy site like http://www.realtor.com/ so you can search for a home to your liking among the 2 million listed for sale on this site. Also check out great local sites, like the new and improved http://www.getpaul.com/, that are full of useful information.

One clue to finding the right agent is to see if his, or her, name keeps surfacing when you search. If this is the case, you may have found an agent who knows the area very well and one who has earned the trust of local home owners.

Now go to that agent’s personal web site and see what you think. It’s also a good idea to visit 1 or 2 other sites of agents who have homes listed where you are considering moving to. Be careful to distinguish the difference between an agent that is paying a lot for ads or ad placement vs. one who is prominent in the market.

After e-mail correspondence, or preferably phone calls, you can narrow your search to one agent. Ask lots of questions…treat it like an interview.

Once you’ve selected your agent, stick with the agent all of the way through the purchase of your new home.

Put the REALTOR to work for you by allowing him, or her to represent you and you alone. You’ll be glad you did!
E-mail me your specific questions at 417Dwellings@gmail.com or comment on our blog post.

So Long from Jay Reasor!

Vote for the Boss' Kid!

This is Paul & Brooke's 13-year old son, Alex...he does his own podcast for (417) Dwellings and in this episode, he encourages you to go to www.podcastalley.com and vote for the (417) Dwellings podcast series.

Looks and acts just like his Dad, doesn't he?!? :)

Click on the picture to download Alex's podcast!

Until next time...

Now Taking Applications!

Thanks to "Latisha" who left a comment on Podcast Alley for me requesting information on how to process an application for rent.

Finding a Tenant for your investment property should be handled with great care. You do not want a “blind-date” experience with your Tenant. This means that you need to know as much as you possibly can about a potential Tenant before you even show them the property.

That’s right…before you show them the property.

When a prospective Tenant calls, you need to have your questions ready. I suggest having an actual written down script so that you do not forget to ask all of the questions.

Question #1: Always ask for a first name, last name, and phone number of the person calling. Never agree to show a home without this information.

Question #2+: Ask all of the “W” questions---who, what, where, when & why…
2a) Who…will be living in the property?(Is it you, a spouse, the kids?)
2b) What…kind of pets do you have?
2c) Where…do you work? (Do they have a stable job?)
2d) When…do you need possession of the property?
2e) Why…are you moving from your current place? And can I talk to your current landlord?
2f) How…do you plan to pay for the first month’s rent & security deposit? Cash, check or payments?

Question #3: Have you (the tenant) driven by to the see the property? (We always require prospective tenants to drive by the property 1st to make sure that they are interested in the property…if you don’t you will have lots of “no-shows”)

If a prospective Tenant seems hesitant or unsure of their answers, then take it as a red flag to ask more questions. If you are still not satisfied with their answers after probing further…remember you have the right to say NO and not show them the property.

So if you feel uncomfortable…don’t do it.

Now if a Tenant answers your up front questions with confidence…you’ve shown the property to them and they are interested in applying for the property, what do you do then?

First…have the potential Tenant fill out an application. Prepare an application asking specific questions like social security numbers, birthdates, and always get a middle initial of the full name to make sure that you have got the right person when verifying. The more info you can get from a potential tenant, the better off you’ll be in case you ever have to go to court for an eviction or file for garnishment of wages.

TIP: When taking a Tenant to court, the Sheriff will require a birthdate & social security number to verify that they are serving the right person. So you need to have that information.

The other important thing to include in your application form is an “authorization statement” that authorizes you to legally request and obtain information from creditors and previous landlords. If you’d like an example of my rental application then e-mail me at 417Dwellings@gmail.com and I will send you an example of the application that we use. Understand that you need to check with your state laws to make sure that you are complying with the questions you are asking.

Once you have an application filled out by the potential tenant, then you should have a simple checklist established for processing the application. Typically what we do is start by contacting the current & previous landlords of the tenant.

Remember specific questions are key: Ask the landlord questions like...
1) Did this tenant have a signed lease agreement with you?
2) How long have they rented from you?
3) Did they pay their rent on time? If not…how many times have they been late?
4) Does the tenant have pets?
5) What kind of condition have they left the property in?
6) Would you rent to them again?

Then thank the landlord profusely for taking the time to answer your questions. Other landlords are your allies…not competition.

TIP: Make sure you are really talking to their landlord or owner of the home. We have had prospective tenants use their friends to give them landlord references.

Once you have satisfactory questions answered by the previous landlord…then continue processing the application by a couple of simple steps:

1) Search the tax records to see if the Landlord you just talked to was the actual owner of the property or not.

2) Search your county’s court records. Most counties have a web site that is open to public access that allows you to search parties by name. This is a good way to find out if a potential tenant has been in court for any reason. Pay careful attention to cases the Tenant has been involved in with drug possessions or court ordered evictions with other landlords.

3) Verify the Tenant’s employment by calling their work supervisor. Take it as a good sign that when a Tenant has been at their job for over 2 years…it usually means the Tenant is established and will have some stability in your rental property. And…it also means that you can easily garnish their wages if they owe you rent! :)

4) If you still have your doubts about a particular tenant, then run a credit check. You can usually contact a credit bureau to do this, but understand that there is a fee attached that you must pay. One thing to remember about credit reports, just because they have bad, or no, credit does not make a person a bad tenant. We, as a property management firm, usually rely on the court record docket sheets more than a credit report.

Last…always trust your “gut” instinct. If you have done your homework, it is very likely that you will have great tenants, and a very pleasant experience.

Click on the picture above to download my video podcast on this topic.
Until Next Time…

Pet Friendly Rental Properties

As a Landlord, have you ever rented to a Tenant that had pets and only later you discovered that it was a disaster, because the pets tore up your beloved investment rental property? Let me guess, you're to the point now that you no longer rent to Tenants with pets because you don't want to have to deal with their messy pets.

As a Landlord myself, I have been down this road many times and I have also learned from the experience. Click on the picture with the kitty and see my video podcast that I did on this subject. Isn't the kitty cute?!? :) I have learned that you must set a standard as there are pros and cons to allowing pets in your rental properties.

The first standard is that I go ahead and allow pets with conditions. I will only authorize pets that are domestic animals such as dogs or cats. There is a restriction on the type of dog as I do not allow any kind of vicious type dog like pit bulls or rottweilers. I also do not allow any kind of farm animals like horses or cows, circus animals like tigers or monkeys, or reptiles such as snakes or alligators, and the like. I think you can see my point here, right?

Secondly, I require a pet FEE. This fee is somewhere between $250-$350 depending on the number of animals or the type. Please note that this is a FEE, not a deposit. The difference being that the FEE is non-refundable and is only for the privilege of having the pet. It does not cover damages that the pet does to the property. I also write into my lease agreement that the Tenant is required to have the carpets cleaned upon vacating the premises and must repair any damage that the pet has caused.

The pro of allowing pets in your rentals properties is simple. You can usually rent your vacant property faster. In our city of Springfield, MO, we're one of the very few management companies that allow pets in our rental properties. We have the mindset that not all Tenants that have pets are bad Tenants. We have actually got a lot of really good Tenants who have pets and have taken very good care of our properties. They were unable to rent any other properties because most other property management firms wouldn't allow their pets.

Now of course, this isn't always true, and chances are you will have an experience that doesn't turn out so great with pets. (knock on wood). However, you can also make an extra money with a pet fee and still have a good tenant, a good pet and everything be fine upon the Tenant vacating the premises. It's a trade-off, but it is one that has worked well for me.

Let me know your Tenant's With Pets Horror Stories. Let's at the very least have a good laugh at them. Or if you have tips to share with us and our readers about having pets in rentals, let us know.

Until next time...

Falling In Love with Real Estate

Okay, I know it's been awhile since I have blogged. You know how it goes...life happens and things get crazy. Thanks for keeping up with me, though. :)

Check out my podcast about "falling in love with real estate". You may "LOVE" a property, but use your head when planning on purchasing it...meaning...don't go with your heart. Do the research and learn what the property's value is, not what you think it's worth because you just "LOVE" the property.

Blog me with your questions...I'm happy to help.

Until next time...

On Vacation!

I am so sorry for the delay in podcasts and blog posts, I have been cruising the Carribean and enjoying some time off with my family.

Click on my fun little umbrella drink to see my podcast on how you can make investing in real estate work send you on a vacation! :)

Can I Take It With Me??

Fixtures - do they stay or go? Did you know that when you sell your home, anything that is attached to the house itself must stay with the property. That means...anything that is attached, screwed in, taped down, glued to or some way wired into the house, then it stays with the property.

Now I know this gets a little technical, but when a seller goes to move out of a property that you are buying, wouldn't you expect that the curtain rods, light fixtures, mirrors and kitchen cabinets would be there when you went to move in?? Of course you would! However, if you moved in and the kitchen cabinets weren't there, then it would need to refer to the listing and sales contracts. If the kitchen cabinets, for example, were not "reserved" in the contracts, then they must stay with the home since they are attached (screwed into) the walls of the home. An example of something "reserved" in a contract would be something like curtains and curtain rods. As the seller, you must specify in the contract that these items will be reserved if you want to keep them, otherwise they must stay with the home. However, if the curtain rod brackets are screwed into the walls, but the rod itself that is holding up the curtains is only "laying" in the curtain rod brackets, then the Seller does not have to leave the actual curtain rod and curtains that are not screwed into the wall, only the brackets. My advice to you (if you are doing this) is to remember to reserve the curtain rod brackets too, otherwise you may have a problem hanging your beloved curtains in your new house! :)

In the video podcast episode I did on this, I mentioned a story about my sister who moved into a house and the bathroom mirrors were gone! Well, technically the seller could take the mirrors because the mirrors themselves were only "hung" on the screws that were bolted into the walls. So the sellers were only responsible for leaving the screws & bolts, not the mirrors. If you want to check out the podcast episode, you can check it out by clicking on the picture above. Or you can subscribe to my podcast series "(417) Dwellings!" in iTunes.

I want to know your stories of moving in and out and leaving things behind or taking them with you. Of course, if you have any questions or want further clarification, I can do that for you too. But I can't help if you don't ask, so comment here and I'll help you out in anyway I can.

Until next time...

POOLS!

Pools, good thing or not?

This video podcast, in my opinion, wasn't filmed very well. (No offense to my video producer!). It was filmed at a pool that was not full yet and it really needed to be cleaned up. But it got my point across about pools. I'm curious to know what you think, did you watch the video?

The biggest piece of advice I can give about pools to anyone who is considering selling your home is this: Don't put in a pool just to get your home sold faster. Yes, 'tis the season for pools and everyone loves the idea of a pool, but no buyers wants to pay you the same amount of money that you put into installing the pool. Now, if you're going to stay in the home for awhile and you want a pool, then great! Put in the pool and invite me over for a summer time pool party! :) If you and your family will enjoy the pool, then put one in. I don't want to discourage you from having a pool, I only want you to be prepared for the fact that you probably won't get out of it what you put into it. Therefore, it is not a smart idea for you to put the money into a pool if you plan on turning around and selling your house because most buyers won't pay you that much more for your house.

Tell me what you think...Imagine that there are 2 identical houses for sale next door to each other...one has a pool and one doesn't have a pool. The one house that has a pool is priced $20,000 more than the one that doesn't have the pool. The only difference in these two houses for sale is a pool. Keep in mind, you're living in Springfield, Missouri so you can only use the pool for approximately 4-5 months out of the year. Now which house would you buy, the one with the sparkling pool or the one that has no pool and is $20,000 cheaper? Now I wanna know your opinion...comment on this post.

Until next time...

P.S. Yeah Doc, that's your pool in the picture!