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 Your Home--How to Remove Oil Stains on a Garage Floor

You can remove most of an oil stain with elbow grease and scrubbing.  Start removing the surface oil by sprinkling some cat litter on it to soak it up.  Then clear away the cat litter and concentrate on the stain.  Make a paste of hot water and dry laundry or dishwasher detergent.  Use a stiff bristle scrub brush to scrub the area with the paste.  Hose the area and let it dry.  Another way is to use a product such as Spray 'n Wash on the stain along with the detergent and let it sit for 10 minutes.  If that doesn't do the job then spray on some oven cleaner.  Use just a small amount, wash it down thoroughly and keep children and pets away from it.



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

Staging At Home 101 Part I

Here's a good rule of thumb:  If you don't see it in a model home, then it shouldn't be in your house!
Hide photographs, dishrags, toiletries, garbage cans, newspapers, refrigerator magnets and other items in your home that personalize it.  If that seems a little too much then designate a special place for picture frames like the nightstands and try storing items like toothbrushes in cool leather containers with lids.  You MUST become a master of disguise.  


Furniture can qualify as clutter too so "edit" unnecessary pieces.  Or, rent nice pieces from a Home Stager for a monthly fee to create the look that you want.  Arrange it so there is a clear traffic pattern making it easy to walk from one room to another.


Stick with neutral palettes, painting walls white or warm beige, highlighting baseboards and molding with a slightly darker color than your base.  The ceiling should be the lightest shade which creates a feeling of height.  Use a bold accent color to draw the buyer's eye from one area of the home to another.


Highlight the home's selling points.  Place brightly colored candles on the fireplace mantle or bay windowsill, a bright new dish towel by the stainless steel appliances, a brightly colored bowl with fresh green apples or bright lemons on top of a granite island.  Complimentary colors attraction the buyer's attention too!!!

And, remember the first thing that a prospective buyer should see when they enter your home should be a "WOW" factor or the focal point!!! You need to have something that says "keep coming".


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 Conditions that will Require Automatic Repair for Existing Properties

*Inadequate access/egress from bedrooms to exterior of home
*Leaking or worn out roofs (if 3 or more layers of shingles on leaking or worn out roof, all existing shingles must be removed before re-roofing)
*Evidence of structural problems (such as foundation damage caused by excessive settlement)
*Defective paint surfaces in homes constructed pre-1978
*Defective exterior paint surfaces in homes constructed post-1978 where the finish is otherwise protected.

While not all inclusive, this should give you an idea what issues might concern an FHA appraiser doing an appraisal on your home.


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

Minor Property Conditions that FHA does NOT REQUIRE Automatic Repair

 *Missing Handrails

*Cracked or damaged doors exit doors that are otherwise operable

*Crack Window glass

*Defective paint surfaces in homes constructed post 1978

*Minor plumbing leaks (such as leaky faucets)

*Defective floor finish or covering (worn through the finish, badly soiled      carpeting

*Evidence of previous (non-active) Wood Destroying Insect/Organism damage where there is no evidence of non-repaired structural damage

*Rotten or worn out counter tops

*Damaged plaster, sheet-rock or other wall and ceiling materials in homes constructed post 1978

*Poor workmanship

*Trip hazards (cracked or partially heaving sidewalks, poorly installed 

carpeting)

*Crawl space with debris and trash

*Lack of an all weather driveway surface

While not all inclusive, this should give you an idea what issues might concern an FHA appraiser doing an appraisal on your home.

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

Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act

The Federal Protecting Tenants of Foreclosure Act enacted into law a little over a year ago trumps Arizona law by requiring purchasers of home from foreclosure sales to honor certain existing leases.  They must also provide a 90-day notice prior to suing for eviction.  

There are exceptions and qualifications purchasers should be aware of prior to buying a foreclosure property.  Purchasers who buy with the intent to occupy the home as their primary residence are not required to honor existing leases but still must give the tenant a 90-day notice to vacate before they can sue to evict the tenant.  


The law also does not apply to tenants or leases that are not bona fide.  To qualify under the law the foreclosed owner or his/her spouse, child or parent cannot be listed as the tenant.  Furthermore a lease must be the result of an arms-length transaction and the set rental rate cannot be substantially below fair market.  Lastly, the lease must have been signed prior to the foreclosure notice being recorded.

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