This is an article written by my daughter, Katherine Harder…………..

It’s a tough housing market out there, and sellers need to think strategically. These are useful tips for every homeowner to help make that sale a reality in 2010.

                      1. The first, and most important, is to enlist the help of a tried and true professional. Real Estate agents will take a cut of your sales price, usually 6% of the final purchase amount, with half going to the buyer’s agent and half to the seller’s agent. While this can seem expensive, your agent has many avenues to appropriately advertise your home that you will not be able to access without their assistance. A good Real Estate agent guarantees your visibility on the market. The same good agent will also be invested in ensuring your home gets sold, as agents are not paid until the deal closes and funds. They also have connections with other agents, investors (who can be potential buyers) and loan personnel. These are the individuals who have the power to create deals or save ones that are faltering. The great news about the 6% is that it is usually the same for even the best agent – meaning if you shop around you can get the best agent in your area for the same price as any other agent.

                      2. The second most vital step you can take to assure a quick sale in 2010: price your home according to its current value in the appraisal presented to you by your agent. Your agent will use the recent sales prices in your neighborhood for similar homes to give you a realistic picture of your home’s worth. Do not be tempted to try to price high “just in case.” If you fall outside of your neighborhood’s average price bracket, many potential buyers will not even bother with seeing your home.

                      3. Do your best to get your home on the market as early as possible. The first-time homebuyer tax credit extension expires at the end of April, and with its cessation might come a notable decrease in the number of buyers in the marketplace.

                      4. However, do make sure your home is ready to be shown. You will most likely get the most traffic in the first couple of weeks your home is for sale, and many will not come back if the home looks like it needs work, even if repairs are promised, unless the price is rock-bottom.

                      5. De-personalize your domicile. Remove personal belongings like family photographs, bric-a-brac, or other individual artifacts. Buyers want to see themselves in the home, not you.

6. De-clutter, and this often includes removing some furniture. Show off the space inside and the wonderful details of your home, not the things you have inside of it.

7. Make the house sparkle, and keep even hidden spaces clean. Buyers will open up cabinet and closet doors and make judgments about how well you care for the home based on the state of things therein.

                      8. Remove pets and other potential allergens. If a buyer is allergic to something inside of your home, they will never step inside and be able to fall in love with it.

                      9. Make sure your agent is utilizing the web in the marketing of your home. An ever-increasing number of home searches are taking place on the internet, and your home should be featured on prominent websites such as Realtor.com with the maximum amount of details and photos allowed.

                      10. Think positively! Don™t worry: your home will sell in 2010 if it™s priced well and looks its best!

One of my most important goals this year is to find a way to donate some of my time to help others¦¦..I have been looking at several different organizations and it finally occurred to me that the best volunteer work I can do in today™s economy is to use my knowledge and experience to help families that are afraid of losing their homes because they have lost their jobs, gotten divorced, had their hours cut back, have medical bills, etc.

Below is a summary of how we became experienced in this and what the process entails¦.it does not cost the homeowner any money.

In October 2008 David (my real estate partner and husband) attended a real estate continuing education class at a title company¦¦we did not expect to learn anything from the class and just hoped we™d be able to stay awake¦.as many times, that is what happens since the classes sometimes are just the same information we have already heard.

We were amazed at what the instructor was suggesting¦¦he had a legal way to help homeowners sell their homes and not pay off the mortgage in full¦¦..We looked around the class and noticed that everyone else was asleep¦¦or reading their emails or doing other work¦..after a few hours we had our notepads filled up¦.at the end of the class the instructor offered a workbook with access to almost every major bank in the country and the banks direct lines, fax numbers and forms required for a homeowner to request their bank to lower their payoff.  Amazingly, no one else paid the $400 for the workbook¦..we could not believe it was only $400¦..and we immediately went back to our offices and made appointments with 2 homeowners whose homes we had for sale that owed more than their homes were worth.

The first family had been trying to sell their home for over 8 months¦.all the offers had come in at $20,000 below what they owed¦..the wife had transferred with a government job to Washington and had been staying with relatives¦.the husband had been living in San Antonio with the kids as he had lost his job in the last 6 months and they could only pay for one home (what most of us hope to do¦..not many people we know can pay for 2 homes).  They gathered the required paperwork (bank statements, tax returns, etc) and we sat down and filled out the paperwork¦..in the end it was a stack of almost 80 pages (sometimes there are more)¦I faxed the paperwork to their bank and devoted 5 hours a week to calling the bank to see when we could be assigned to a home retention representative¦.the homeowner also called 5 hours a week¦..and eventually, we got permission from their mortgage company to reduce the payoff by $20,000¦.and the home sold¦.Dad and kids moved to Washington and both husband and wife cried with relief when the keys were given to us to give to the new buyers.

The second family owed more than $75,000 over what the value of their home was.   The husband had accepted a job with the FBI in another state¦.the wife followed and they rented a small apartment while they waited for their home in San Antonio to sell.   Via email we helped them put together their package to the mortgage company¦..it did take 4 months but we were able to get the bank to agree to sell the home for $75,000 less than owed so they could sell the house.   It required (and always does) both of us and the homeowners calling the lender (in some periods, daily)¦but the end result was they got permission to have the balance reduced and the home sold.

In 2009 we were referred 8 other families or individuals that owed more on their homes then they were worth¦..and we successfully sold those homes for them.   In addition, two of our past clients called to sell¦.both had income cuts that were not allowing them to keep their mortgage payments timely¦and we were able to successfully help them negotiate a lower payment with their bank so they could stay in their homes.

Even if they are a week from foreclosure we can help them in most cases¦¦ ¦.they do not have to file bankruptcy to qualify (that costs money and if you are broke, money is something you do not have)¦.and from a credit issue, most of the time they can buy a home within 2 years if they chose to¦..We have the knowledge (and almost every lenders paperwork) to assist them in making sure they apply for help from their lenders with the correct paperwork, attach the correct documentation to get the reduction approved, help them write their letter to state their case so it has the best chance of being approved, etc.   It is a tedious and time consuming process but the end result has made it very rewarding.  

It does not cost the homeowner money (if anyone suggests that they need to run)¦.if selling the home is the only solution the bank will pay for the commission¦¦it just takes time and proper documentation.

I do have a very powerful designation (Certified Default Resolution Specialist), training and experience in helping these homeowners.

I™ve just sold a property at 1220 Golden Pond in San Antonio. Come and visit my site to see other properties in that area. If you are interested in looking for or selling your home, please Contact Me.

I™ve just sold a Single-family property at 9615 Copper Spring in Converse. Come and visit my site to see other properties in that area. If you are interested in looking for or selling your home, please Contact Me.

I™ve just sold a Single-family property at 531 Breathless View in San Antonio. Come and visit my site to see other properties in that area. If you are interested in looking for or selling your home, please Contact Me.

Check out this new Single-family property that I just posted on my Web site. It is at 531 Breathless View in San Antonio. This Single-family property has 4 bedrooms and 2 baths.

I™ve just sold a property at 1211 Canyon Park Dr in San Antonio. Come and visit my site to see other properties in that area. If you are interested in looking for or selling your home, please Contact Me.

Check out this new Single-family property that I just posted on my Web site. It is at 9615 Copper Spring in Converse. This Single-family property has 4 bedrooms and 2 baths.

I™ve just sold a property at 26143 Wood Chuck in San Antonio. Come and visit my site to see other properties in that area. If you are interested in looking for or selling your home, please Contact Me.

Interested in buying or selling  in the  Canyon Lake area? Be sure to check out my recent Canyon Lake sold properties, as well as the acreage I currently have on the market in Mystic Shores – after you read this article, of course!