When In Doubt Throw It Out

Do you ever have the feeling your being over run by clutter? I know the feeling. Most of us don’t know where to start. Hopefully this system will work for you without buying all the fancy organizing tools, shelves and gadgets. Take one hour and you will find out you can become organized!

Things you will need to declutter: 3 boxes or large trash bags, sticky labels, & black sharpie marker.

First, start out with a room and focus on only that room. We can easily get side tracked and create a monster.

Label your boxes or bags. Mark them with KEEP, GIVE AWAY and THROW AWAY.

Next only empty out as much as you can sort through in an hour. Don’t overwhelm yourself.

Then, start with large items that will help you feel like you are accomplishing organizing your room. Look at each item and say “Do I need this” “Are you functional?” “Do I display you?” If not, pitch it or give it away.

Remember don’t keep things out of guilt and clothes that don’t fit thinking you will get in that size again. The local thrift store would love to have all your old treasures!

FHA 203(k) RENOVATION MORTGAGE

Are you interested in buying a fixer-upper, but don't have the cash to remodel it? Or maybe you have saved money for remodeling and you've found your diamond in the rough, but your lender won't allow you to buy it because the house isn't considered habitable without toilets.
There are several properties on the market right now that weren't maintained by former owners, were treated poorly by renters or were foreclosed homes that were deliberately destroyed by their previous owners . Shouldn't there be a way for someone like you to fix up these neighborhood eyesores, bring them back to life, and make it your dream home all at the same time?

There is, and it's brought to you by the federal government. The Federal Housing Administration's rehab loan product, the FHA 203(k) loan, was designed for individuals who want to rehabilitate or repair a damaged home so they can live in it as their primary residence. These loans are endorsed by the government to encourage lenders to offer what would otherwise be considered a risky loan product. The 203(k) loan allows you to buy and renovate your home with one loan by spreading the cost of the renovation ($5,000 minimum; $35,000 maximum) throughout the entire mortgage term.

Homeowners can use renovation-mortgage money for allowable purposes that improves the property. This may include fundamental improvements that make the home safer, such as a new roof, plumbing or electrical work or repairing a foundation. You can also use the funds to invest in energy efficiency, installing more insulation and energy-saving appliances and fixtures. Also, you can use the loan to improve the appearance of your home through landscaping, siding, exterior lighting, kitchen and bath improvements, and cosmetic upgrades such as new flooring.

This loan follows the standard FHA guidelines and qualifications, so if you think that this product sounds like something you would be interested in, contact THE BUTLER TEAM today.

Let us help you, along with one of our preferred Lenders, find that "diamond in the rough"

Penny Jungers-Gilmore

BUYERS SPECAILIST

THE BUTLER TEAM

Pet Lovers Dilemma

Being in the real estate business for over 18 years, I thought this would be a great topic to write about.  The dreaded pet odors in a home. No matter how well trained a pet, there are times when they may not have total control over itself resulting in an accident.  While the accident can be easily cleaned up, sometimes the smell of urine remains in the carpet of flooring. Here are the four best pet odor removal options to help homeowners.

Get a good bacterial digester from your local janitorial supply store. Once sprayed on the flooring, the enzyme starts to eat at the bacteria and you do not have to rinse.  The use of bleach is great on concrete or tile.  Spray on and rinse but it is not advisable to leave on too long.  Boric acid is another great cleaner.  Make a paste, coat on area that your pet has soiled, allow to stand for a few minutes and then use a scrub brush to clean and rinse.  Lastly the old fashion remedy of cider vinegar.  Vinegar is a great neutralizer and bactericide.  It can be used in concentrated from, however it is best used mixed with water.

While it may seem like a tough job to eliminate pet odors, it can be done.  So enjoy your pets and happy house selling!

Tomi Miller-Troupe
Buyers Specialist
The Butler Team

We think we are ready to buy…everyone tells us the time is right!

So, you “think” it might be the right time to realize your family’s dream and throw those rental receipts to the wind. You have worked hard to build your credit, saved for a down payment and you are ready to take advantage of today’s market and enticing interest rates. YOU are in the driver’s seat! Yeah…..

Okay, let’s get in, buckle up and hold on for the ride. You and hubby make a concerted effort at every opportunity to surf the net, scan your local home magazines and even ride the roads checking out your favorite neighborhoods. Hubby is up for the challenge and is a master at spotting the real estate AND for sale by owner signs. From a mile away, he can spot them and zoom in on them in record time. You pride yourself in your organizational skills and make intricate notes of every home on the market within a 15 mile radius (when hubby will slow down long enough for you to get the address). You know the location, you research the net and find the price and particulars. Call the owner…or Realtor….and wait. You leave countless messages and wait for return calls. What? Is everyone on vacation, too busy to return my call? Yes, success at last! A week later, an agent calls me. Which property was that? Oh drat! Sold, pending, withdrawn, multiple offers…what is a short sale!?! Well, can you…will you help me to…am I pre-approved….well, how do I…...hello, hello….?

There is a better way. You were right, this IS the right time to realize your family’s dream. You need only find a Realtor committed to you. What works for you may not work for everyone, but your loyalty to the right Realtor can mean all the difference. Choose a seasoned Realtor, make the call and be committed . I can assure you, the true professional will welcome your questions and assist you in realizing your dream….from start to finish! Give us a call and realize your dream.

Karel Cain/Renee Butler Team

Why Buy???

The question is why not! I am writing this to educate the people who could potentially be buyers! Most are unaware of the type of programs that are out there that can get you into a home as close to no money out of pocket as possible! There are FHA bond programs that help low income families get into homes which is a phenomenal program! There is also a USDA loan which specific rural areas qualify under. Lastly there is the good old FHA loan. You can get into a home with as low as 3.5% of the purchase price down. There are other tactics as agents that we can use to your benefit as a buyer.  Now answer me, where can you get into a place for that kind of money and invest in yourself?? Quit making other people rich and start investing in you and your family! We all have to live somewhere right?! So call the Renee Butler Team!

Lindsey Krombach
Buyers Specialist
Renee Butler Team 

Four Easy Ways to Boost Your Homes Showings

Q: We have not had a showing in almost a month. Any suggestions how to get more showings? I thought of offering to pay closing costs, lowering the price or offering a flooring allowance. --Frustrated seller

A: All of the above. But in a different order of priority. And that's not all!

One thing that virtually never changes about real estate is this: When a listing won't sell and isn't even getting any showings, a price reduction is the single tweak a seller can make that wields the most potential to get buyers interested and get the home closer to being sold. Is it that buyers are greedy? Not necessarily -- several things make this so.

First: the realities of how buyers search for homes. Well, over 90 percent of buyers look for homes, first, on the Web. As such, they are forced to enter some basic search parameters, which normally include a range of bedrooms, a range of bathrooms, a price range, and an area (city/state or ZIP code). If your home's list price does not fall within a given buyer's price parameters, that buyer will never see your home's listing.

Second: the realities of house hunting. The buyers who aren't coming to see your home are going to look at listings of other homes in your neighborhood, and they're going to see the other homes in town with similar prices and features. And then they'll compare them all. If yours is smaller, less upgraded or not as attractive as other homes at the same price, or is priced higher than really similar homes, buyers will take a pass.

Third: Other than their own space and location needs, buyers have very few reasons to feel urgency to buy on today's market. The buyers that are out there are primarily buying now to take advantage of affordability -- i.e., they want a great deal. So, overpriced homes are an A-class turnoff.
In fact, buyers who may see your overpriced home online, and like it, will actually wait to allow the market to educate you into reducing the price, rather than taking on the unpleasant and often impossible task of convincing a seller of their home's true market value.

While being educated by the market, to a seller, sounds terrible, it's worse for your home to be lagging and you not taking the lesson away. Clearly, my top-line advice is to lower your price, below a $25,000, $50,000 or $100,000 cutoff, so that your home falls within buyers' search parameters.

Buyer incentives, like closing-cost credits, can also help distinguish your home from the competition, but they are not likely to dramatically increase showings of a home no one is currently coming to see, unless you're going from zero credit offered to a full 6 percent, which might not be necessary.

If you can reduce the price and offer a bonus or commission increase to the buyer's broker or agent, you will reposition your home, and a buyer's incentive offering won't hurt your case, either.

Instead of offering a flooring credit, though, I'd rather see you consider replacing the flooring that is in bad shape. I'm not big on sellers doing much costly repair work these days, but floors are a massive surface in a home -- replacing them can create an entirely different experience for those who do come see your home, and it can be done cost-effectively.

Marketing your price-reduced homes as having new floors vs. having a flooring allowance (which implies that it has old, dirty or otherwise undesirable floors) might be the better boost to viewings.

The more viewings you get, the more likely you are to get your home sold.

Hows, Whys, and Whats of Real Estate

Wow! I’ve lived my life and Real Estate career of 30 years and never Blogged but, it is our future and I am all about advancing into adventures unknown-Here we go-please enjoy the journey with me…

In my opinion this is Thee year! The “pivotal” year, such as 2005 was, but I was behind the market, as a lot of people were. Being from the “show me State of Missouri”, I have been shown from 4^th quarter of 2005 until about 2^nd quarter 2007 what it was really about,  And I had missed it! I was too busy to take the time to analysis the statistics and prepare for what we were all about to embark upon. I learned!!! Now, this year is the year to prepare for the next 10 years of our Real Estate Industry. And that is what my Team is doing!

Could one ask? How, why, what, where, when and who? Yes, we all should be asking any Real Estate Professional exactly that before engaging. How is the market changing, Why in Polk County, What can I do as a Buyer or Seller to trump the advantage before we miss it again. Where is all this happening; Nationally, Florida, Polk County, even Winter Haven? When is it going to make a difference in my life, Who is going to make the difference, of course, that would be you!

I personally am excited for Polk County! In my wildest dreams, would I ever have thought children 2 to 10 years old would be my new boss? Never! Legoland is bringing such a new dimension to our Polk County, that I have found it is difficult for some to even grasp! But, my friend, hold on for the ride, because this is going to be an exciting adventure for all of us! (Especially 2-10 yrs) We have so many growth opportunities that the employment will change our real estate world forever.

So join us this year being on the cusp of the cutting edge of pioneering and evolutionizing our new Real Estate World!

Renee Butler