Home Seller Tips
Title Insurance

Ask for a discount!

When you purchased your home, part of your closing costs paid for a title insurance policy. Title insurance protects your investment in your home from hidden risks that can cause loss of title or create encumbrances on the property, such as:

* Forged deeds, releases or wills
* Mistakes in recording legal documents
* Liens for unpaid estate, inheritance, income or gifted taxes
* Fraud

Most title companies offer a discount off the standard premiums charged on title insurance policies. The discounts can average 20 to 60% but vary from state to state and from one insurer to another.

Discount rates are normally available only on refinancing, but in some areas they can be obtained on home sales when a title search was recently performed. This discount is called a reissue rate.

Some policies restrict the eligibility period to obtain reissue discounts while others maintain strict rules of proof of insurance. State laws in most cases regulate these rules and discounts, so you should ask what rules apply to their specific situation.

Wouldn’t you like to save money on one of the most costly items connected with selling your home? It cannot hurt to ask.

Many insurance companies will not disclose the existence of reissue rate discounts.

Make sure and ask for the reissue rate discount when buying, selling or refinancing.


Staging Your Home For Sale - Is It Worth The Investment?

For the past three months the average selling price of a staged home was 19% above the listing price while the unstaged home was only 15%. The 4% difference more than paid the staging cost.

Here are the ten secrets fo selling from Marelen Wharmby, a successful home stager:

• Freshen up the home by painting walls a light, neutral color, such as antique white. Lighter colors appeal to a wider range of buyers and make each room look larger.
  
  
• Take a close look at the floor coverings in each room. If you have hardwood floors under the carpet, you will always make money by removing it, even if the floor is not in perfect condition.
  
  
• Allow as much light as possible to enter the room. Open up or remove all draperies, blinds, shades or other window coverings.
  
  
• Removing the clutter of everyday life - all utilitarian items, stacks of paperworks, toiletries, kitchen utensils, electronic equipment and television sets.
  
  
• Remove furniture from each room that does not go with the decor, such as items that stand out too much and items that are worn or of an unappealing color.
  
  
• Place the remaining room furnishings in a way that makes best use of the character of the space. A room should be balanced so that people do not focus on one particular piece of furniture.
  
  
• Now that you've removed the clutter from your home, adding some nice but inexpensive accessories will greatly elevate the perceived value of the home.
  
  
• Clean, clean, clean. Every crevasse within the home should be spotless and gleaming. Even your normal weekly cleaning can not come close to the quality of clean you need.
  
  
• You can't over spend on fresh plants and orchids, elaborate floral arrangements and landscape plants. All these provide a strong addition to the ambience you want to create.
  
  
• Go on vacation! The houses that sell for much higher prices are homes that do not have the slightly disheveled look which comes with showering in the morning and cooking dinner in the evening. Being gone also will lower your level of stress and make the house easier to sell. Think of it this way: Your vacation will actually make you money.