Home Showing Hints

Follow these following hints for successful home showings and the Realtors will love you:

Staging - Staging is simply preparing your home as if you were setting a stage for a play.  Make it feel very complete and comfortable for the buyer as they tour the property.


Descriptive Signing - Another specialty technique involves the use of small, professionally printed signs approximately two inches high and two to four inches wide.  The signs can be placed throughout the home pointing out specific highlights of the property.


Should You be there? - It is almost always best that a seller vacates the property when it is being shown.  Many potential buyers feel uncomfortable if the seller is in the home as a buyer will want to look at the property very carefully (ie. storage areas, closets, cabinets, under beds and in the garage).


Children and Pets - If children are present during the showing, you should make every effort to keep them out of certain areas of the home while those portions of the home are being shown.  Also, some buyers are allergic or afraid of pets.  It's a good idea to keep pets out of the home or caged during the showing.


Cards Left at Showings - It is very important for you to provide the listing agent with all of the business cards of agents which have been left each time the property has been shown. The listing agent should receive the information on the cards as soon as possible.  This will allow your agent to make contact with the buyer's agent and receive feedback on the showing. 

Linda Shank Broker Owner Linda Shank and Company is a 32 year real estate veteran in Phoenix's Southeast Valley.  Contact her at www.ISellAZSunshine.com 

Staging At Home 101 Part II

Removing clutter is only one aspect of getting a smaller home ready to sell---or just living contentedly in it.  Box up items you don't absolutely need (especially collections) as these tend to distract curious buyers.  Temporarily part with your modern abstract art or country-themed baskets of dried flowers.

Some big pieces of furniture won't fit in modestly sized homes.  Look at the scale of your furniture and don't forget depth.  Things can be a lot deeper than you realize and all of a sudden, there's no room to walk because that deep, comfy chair you love comes halfway out into the room.
Sellers remove furniture from rooms that feel overstuffed.  If you have a huge china cabinet in a small dining room remove it or at least take the Hutch off.  Otherwise, it's very distracting.

Chose your color palette carefully.  Bright, loud colors make a space feel smaller because they jump across the room at you.  You want the walls and your furniture to recede.  Don't be matchie matchie.  Eliminate the high contrasts....the same colors should move throughout the house.  Blend colors in more medium tones. Using the same color of carpet or the same hardwood throughout the home to maximizes your perception of space.

Linda Shank Broker Owner Linda Shank and Company is a 32 year real estate veteran in Phoenix's Southeast Valley.  Contact her at www.ISellAZSunshine.com

How To Pick Your Wine Like a Pro

First....Prepare, prepare, prepare!  Prior to tasting different wines make sure to avoid coffee, sodas or any other strongly flavored food or drinks!!!  Also avoid any heavy perfume or cologne---it can overpower the wine's aromatic features.  Pour the wine into a glass about 1/3 full and freely swirl to expose it to oxygen which opens up it's aromas and flavors.  Grasping the bowl of the glass can affect its temperature so hold the glass by the stem with your thumb and forefinger.

Second...The Eyes Have It! Color can tell you a lot about a wine.  Hold your glass at angle against a white background.  A young red wine may have deep dark purple colors while an older aged red wine will have brownish or brick colors.  A deep golden white wine may suggest barrel aging or an older wine.

Third...The Nose Knows! Grasp the stem of the glass base while keeping it on the table and give the glass a good swirl. Place your nose in the glass and deeply inhale a couple of whiffs.  You are identifying fruit characteristics...berry or stone fruit; earth...soil, mushrooms; vegetation...herbs, green veggies; nuts...almonds, walnuts; or wood influence...oak, smokiness. "Off" aromas of vinegar, wet paper or nail polish remover are signs that the wine has issues.

Fourth....Sip and Savor! When you sip it's important to let the wine reach all areas of your mouth.  Sweet, salty, sour and bitter taste elements are in different areas of the palate.  Assessing the levels of flavors, tannins, body and acidity should be your goal. Flavors should correspond with the aromas you've evaluated,  Does the flavor disappear quickly or linger?  Faint, rich or bold flavors??? Tannins are astringent and can dry your mouth and gums.  Body is the weight of the wine in your mouth.  Does the Acidity make the wine mouth watering?

Finally....Time to Make a Decision!  This is where your overall impressions come into play.  Think about the balance of acidity, tannin, fruit flavors...are they in balance?   Do any over power the others?  Does the wine feel rich or delicate?  Can you sense the quality?  Once, you've come up with your conclusions, it's purchase time!!  Cheers!!! 


Linda Shank Broker Owner Linda Shank and Company is a 32 year real estate veteran in Phoenix's Southeast Valley.  Contact her at www.ISellAZSunshine.com

FHA Requires Buyer and Seller Signatures to be Live---Not Computerized

In the age of technology, even a signature on a document can be added by a computer program.  HOWEVER, FHA along with many of the large investors requires that the signatures of both buyers and sellers on all initial and final documents such as the contract and final settlement statement be "LIVE" or "WET".  Please keep this requirement in mind, especially when you are dealing with corporate sellers in the case of REO properties.  If you know ahead of time that a live signature is needed, it can help prevent delays to the closing process.

 Information courtesy of Sherri Buttler, Sun American Mortgage, 480-467-1088, Mesa Arizona.