Is It Your Time To Buy !

Many of my rental clients will often ask me for my advice when it comes to them renting or should they take the steps to purchase their first home. There are some specific questions you have to ask yourself when your deciding to rent or to buy. 

Do you have enough work history ? You don’t need to have worked at the same place but you will want to have worked steadily for about 2 years for most loans, if your applying with a co-signer than your work history can be a bit less if the other person has a good work history.

How is your credit ? The average credit score to be able to obtain a mortgage is about 625, running your own credit to make sure you don’t have too much outstanding debt is helpful and it can also help you correct any information that might not have updated on your report.

What kind of savings do you have ? There are costs that you will have to be able to meet to purchase starting with the down payment, and closing costs but you also home inspections and an attorney.

How much time do you have ? If your currently in a rental and your landlord is not open to you staying on a month-month basis you may not want to rush into a purchase because of those kinds of time constraints. 

Here is a great tool that Realtor.Com provides to help you decide if financially would be better suited to continue renting or making your first purchase ! Rent Vs Buy Calculator

There are also ways around the financing is some instances, there are options of grants, down payment assistance, flexible mortgage options that can put buyers in a perfect position to buy.

State/Town Grants - These are most common in Condo Developments where the State/Town is paying a large portion of the mortgage. 

Down Payment Assistance - There are some programs that will match what you are able to put down on a home, or larger programs that allow your down payment to come from your loan without paying interest on that down payment.

Mortgage Options - You have many different mortgage options you can add sellers concessions to help with closing costs, or choose a loan that is interest only, you also have mortgages that increase your payments as it progresses allowing you to pay more when you financially will be able to. 

Of course their are pro’s and con’s to both so here are a few that you should think about when your deciding which is a better fit for you ! 

Pro’s Of Buying
Creative Control - You won’t have the limitations of decor since it will be your own home to do what you would like. 
Investment - You are investing in your future with the current market conditions, buying will put you in a great position in the future.
Tax Breaks - You have the ability to take deductions that you ordinarily do not get simply just paying rent, even property tax has exemptions for just living in your home, and veterans as well. 

Pro’s Of Renting
Flexibility - You have the option to move around into different areas, this is important for those who maybe are thinking about switching jobs you can move where your work actually is, moving for those who own can be more difficult.
Less Maintenance - The responsibility of general maintenance in most cases does not fall on you, those details are handled by someone else.

Signature Premier Properties Hosts Freedom Mortgage (Continental Home Loans) Homebuyers Seminar on January 27th to review in detail the process of buying, and all the financing options that are available. All are welcome to attend this is event, and a detailed blog will follow to give everyone the additional details ! Be sure to check the event out on our Facebook page ! Home Buyers Seminar 

Did You Wait Too Long To List ?

Many homeowners are seeing the high activity of homes coming on the market and how they are immediately coming off the market, many with multiple offers of list price and in many cases higher. Those same homeowners are now wondering .... is it to late to list ?  This blog will help you get your home listed and what you should look for to be one of those "sold" homes !

Make Sure You Choose The Right Agent ! 

• This is always important but if when selling your home you need to also buy a home you will want to make sure that not only can your agent list your home but have the ability to work for you as a buyers agent.  
• If your looking into re-locating outside of the area than you will not only want a good agent but a good company with offices & locations outside of Long Island.  Always remember in real estate the "last name" of the company is what matters ! 

Make Sure Your Realistic ! 

• Before you put your home on the market, you should call a mortgage representative, once you know what you will be able to look for on the "buy side".  Just like inventory is low and your home well sell quickly if it is properly priced and marketed you will also be experiencing a very active competition of buyers ! 
• If all goes well you will be okay with the inventory and ok with the competition of buyers.  Next you need to have a time-frame for when you want to be in your new home ! This is where working with an agent for both to make it a seamless transaction is important.  If you have flexibility of time and are ok with a small relocation in between this is something you must share with your agent.  

Get Ready To Move ! 

• Any good agent will want to move quickly, but be sure not to forget that you still must be providing buyers with a complete listing ! Your listing is the groundwork for a successful sale and without it you will not see the results that you may be expecting.  You can find a full blog dedicated on what goes into a full listing here ! 
• Normally we tell homeowners that de-cluttering is a good idea, but with inventory moving quickly I suggest rather than decluttering you begin your move.  Many people do not want to pack twice looking into storage units or pods for items you know you will not need during the summer season can often time help sellers who want to make a quick transition.  
• You should also prepare yourself for showings and open houses.  Make sure you find a realtor that you are comfortable with being in your home.  This will help make all those calls easier simply by you not having to be home for all of them ! You will also be spending a lot of time finding your new home so you will have the ability to have the time for shopping rather than showing ! 

If you are still considering selling your home than take the first step and have a Comparative Market Analysis done on your home ! This is the first step and if you choose a Full Service Brokerage than it is still possible than come the fall you can be in your dream home ! 

Set Your Home Up For Success With Power Pricing !

The inventory has been much lower than expected and going into the full spring season we are slowly starting to see homes come back onto the market.  Many of these homes are taking advantage of a strategy that Coldwell Banker Residential has created an entire marketing plan for called "Power Pricing".  This blog will discuss how you go about find the right price for this strategy and what the benefits are ! 

Creating Your "Power Price" 

• As with any sale you will of course be provided a complete CMA for your home.  You will receive the range where you home falls based on the comparable homes selling price.  This will normally be a $10,000 - $15,000 range of numbers depending on the area sometimes it can be a bit more on higher end homes.  
• You will also look at the homes that are on the market but with a bit more detail.  Power pricing  is very much about being better than your competition.  In a perfect market all the homes will be priced within 1% - 2% of one another in which case power pricing would be from 3% - 5% under their values.  In a case where there is a larger range of pricing than looking at detailed views of each, and putting your home in price range where you are able to see the value in your home vs theirs is really where you want your home to be priced, but never where your home has less value.  

Creating Your Power Price Listing - The power pricing strategy is not all about the price, you can price it incredibly aggressive but if it is hard to show, or does not have a complete listing you will not see the results that it can offer. 

•  Make sure your listing is full with complete photos of all the rooms in the home, also include information in the description that buyers look for.  Ex: Taxes W/Star, Upgrades Not Visible Like Sprinkler Systems, Age Of Appliances & Structures 
• Pictures, pictures & more pictures ! This is extremely important, you want to show every room that is in your home.  Any room left out can make a buyer think "that's why the price is so low".  Make sure that the pictures are not only there but are of good quality ! Take the time to de-clutter and ask your Realtor if they have some staging tips that they think might enhance your home.  
• Your home is going to begin to have a lot of "traffic" through those doors which can make homeowners apprehensive.  The traffic is the entire point to "power pricing" if your not able to accommodate the showings than having your Realtor accompany with a key, or convenient open houses are key ! 

Put Your Home & Town On Display ! 

• When Coldwell Banker created the power pricing strategy we wanted to make sure that it was obvious to the buyers.  Additional advertising is given to these listings to make sure they got the exposure.  Also making sure your listing is branded with not only the power pricing information, but your realtors information is another key aspect, your realtors job is to make sure those buyers get in to see that home  ! 
• You want to make the buyers viewing memorable, and in most cases the homes large amount of showings will often have potential buyers meeting in the driveway but you must make sure that you make it more than that.  Making sure that they are getting all the information they might need/want gets to them quickly will make them comfortable coming in with a higher price, and quickly ! This includes information about the school district, transportation, or even day cares in the area.  For this I have created a buyers packet which includes all the information in a town newsletter.  

The benefits of power pricing are all in the numbers these home almost always sell for full price, if not above within 30 - 45 days.  The most important advice I give to my homeowners that are deciding to use this method is that they can always say no ! Their inevitably will be buyers that are not up to date on the area or are not using a Realtor, these buyers might still come in lower than the asking price.  In any real estate negotiation you have the right to simply say no.  Never let the fear of low offers scare you off from aggressively marketing your home to the serious buyers who want your home ! 

National Open House Weekend 2015 !

The spring weather has finally arrived and it is just time for National Open House weekend ! Whether your home is listed with a Realtor or if you have decided you are doing FSBO this is a weekend to take advantage.  This blog will be dedicated to making your home stand out and getting the buyers to stay at your open house !

Signage ! 

• With so many open houses you may think your Realtor might not need as much in the way of signs but it actually means the opposite ! I suggest discussing what strategy your Realtor plans on taking BEFORE the open house weekend.  If you are doing FSBO than you will want to make sure whichever main road is nearest to you has visible signs directing the buyers not only into your area but make sure the sign will get them to your home ! 
• Speak with your Realtor see if they have any sign riders that will have the day & hours of your open house.  This is a great way to market you home if you are not having your open house on a Saturday because it will give your home the added exposure that buyers might notice while they are at another open house in your area.  
• Another great piece of exposure is social networking - share your open house with friends & family.  This is a tool that you can use whether you have a Realtor or you are doing FSBO.  This is free advertisement and you never know who is looking to buy a house until they see yours ! 

Give Them The Information ! 

• Buyers will be seeing a lot of homes this weekend, you want to make your memorable not only in their mind but also in the paperwork.  Personally I always have "Buyer Packets" it not only contains information about the house but also the community information like entertainment & school information, a small informational packet about buying, and things like Home Warranty information.  This helps buyers remember all that your community & home offers ! 
• If you are doing FSBO than this information is the most important - give them the information but do not hover over them ! Buyers generally feel they are imposing when a homeowner is their during a showing, so you do not want them to feel free to stay and walk around since not only are you their for a showing but you are who they will be negotiating with ! 
• Also giving buyers options on what information they would like to take is often helpful. With so many open houses it gets them to stand still take a breathe and peruse what they would like to take rather than be shoved another hi-lite sheet and dragged around the house for a quick tour before the next buyer walks in.  

Refreshments & Food 

• Many homeowners will bake before/during an open house to give the buyers a nice aroma, but on a weekend like this I suggest my homeowners do NOT.  First for safety reasons with so many buyers and children attending open houses a hot stove, or the temptation of a toddler and fresh baked cookies can spell disaster.  Simple solution is to open up those windows or get a scented wax tea light - it gives you the smell without the risk ! 
• Just because fresh baked goods are out - I will often bring small bottles of water and chips for buyers to take.  There is never any harm in offering the buyers something that they can take on the road or while they are walking around your home with no risk of making a mess ! 

Turn On The Charm ! 

• I recently wrote a blog about getting your home ready for the spring selling season, this is the weekend you want to make sure you take those tips and use them ! Make your outdoor area as welcoming as your indoor area, lighten up the curtains and put out some colorful potted plans for curb appeal ! You can find the full blog on Staging Your Home For The Spring Here. 

Staging Your Home For Spring - It's Almost That Time !

It's Spring ! It may not feel like spring just yet, but mother nature will be getting with the program in the next few days bringing us some warmer weather! All those homeowners who have their homes on the market, and those who are getting ready to make their debut here are a few tips to get your home ready for the spring rush of buyers !

Update Your Pictures - If your home was listed in the winter you will want to update the pictures this way it showcases your homes spring look ! This is not only important to keep your listing from looking outdated, but if your anything like me I love my outdoor space and buyers should get the opportunity to see it too !

Create Your Outdoor Space - Having an inviting outdoor space whether it is a inviting front porch, or a great entertaining space in your backyard can really set you apart from your competition.  Here are a few quick tips for creating that space !

• Decks/Porches/Railings always look a bit nicer with a fresh coat of paint or a good power washing ! 
• Inexpensive solar lighting to help light walk-ways not only make things safer, but also gives you great curb appeal ! 
• Brightly colored potted plants add to your curb appeal, and the best part is even someone without a green thumb can maintain these with very little work ! 
• Update your outdoor furniture, if your moving into your new home and were going to upgrade this furniture this season take the time and do it now. Since it will be going with you to your new home it will help showoff what that space offer to your buyers ! 

Lighten Things Up - Many people enjoy switching out their winter attire when the spring arrives you should do the same for your home !  Many people overlook the fact that we tend to use darker heavier fabric on things like our bedding and curtains so giving your home a new "wardrobe" for the spring is a great idea ! 

• Sheer curtains will allow the extra day-light to stream into your home, which tends to also make your room look larger and more inviting.  Sheer curtains are also a great alternative for those who have large sliding doors, it allows you to keep your privacy but let the buyers see the outdoor space combined with indoor space ! 
• Removing your darker colored linens (ex:bedding, throw pillows, blankets) also work wonders for changing the feeling or the atmosphere of a room, and again these items are coming with you to your new home ! 

Give Your Home A Spring Cleaning - This is the perfect time of year to make any of those minor repairs or changes to your home, if your anything like me the last thing you want to do in the winter is pull out the paint, or spend hours cleaning when you can't open up the windows.  Any home can show a bit better with only a days worth of work ! 

• Touch up your paint - white moldings often change color a bit a fresh coat of white high gloss paint give the room a fresh/clean feel ! 
• Letting the air in is of course important so your home doesn't feel stuff, but don't forget cleaning those windows can really showcase a picture or bay window ! 
• The best part of spring is obviously the fresh air and flowers, but you want to be careful because of allergies during this time of year.  Burning a light scented candle before your home is shown is always a nice idea especially if you have pets ! 
• A fresh coat of paint on your front door, new house numbers, or replacing broken window screens is another great way to increase your curb appeal.  

If your unsure what you should be doing to stage your home for the (hopefully) nearing spring season, take the time to call your Realtor.  Many times we will see things that could be improved simply with a bit of re-arranging or much simpler fixes than you may think ! 

Why Does It Take An Agent Time To Make My Appointments !

One of the very first discussions I have with all my buyers after we have agreed that I will be representing them is the general rules for scheduling showings.  This blog will give you an idea of how and why it is not always that simple to get into listings and what you should be expecting !

Why Do I Have To Go To Open Houses Without My Agent ! 

• The first reason is because although we work for buyers, we also work for sellers and they are at the same time.  We must send our buyers to open houses, because we also need to hold our open houses for our listings.  The windows of time for open houses are often similar if not at the same time so do not take this personally, go armed with your Realtors cards and if you do like the home your agent should make a 2nd appointment to accompany you for another look ! 
• There are also times where if a listing is a bit difficult to show the listing Realtor may have more open houses rather than private showings.  This is something that neither the listing agent or your realtor has control over - it is decided by the homeowners and how/when they want their home shown.  

I Saw A Home Driving Home And I Want To See It Tonight ! 

• If the home is vacant this is rarely an issue, but try and be realistic their might be a conflict in schedule.  Often times our week is booked solid by Tuesday or Wednesday filled with buyer and appointment at our own listings.  Generally if your working with a good agent they will call you to see what day/time that week you would like to go and look at homes this way the time is booked for as many homes you would like to see including those that might come onto the market during that week ! 
• Homeowners & agents that need to be their to accompany also play a big part in that availability of seeing a home. Homeowners imparticular will normally ask that you give them a reasonable amount of time to "prepare" for their home to be shown.  Your agent will be able to see this if the listing agent has it noted on MLS simply by pulling the listing information.  

My Agent Says That Their Are No Interior Showings ! 

• This may seem a bit ridiculous, who would buy a house if they can't see the inside of it ! This is more common than you might think - income properties are the most common occurrence because the house is not owner occupied and is rented out - they will not want their tenants disturbed unless the buyer has a proven interest in the home.   
• Also sometimes in the case of short sale/foreclosure because the tenants are protected by law that if they have a lease that although the house can be sold their lease is still in affect.  Commonly with those cases once the lease is up and the tenant vacates the home will than be able to be shown.  
• This is also common when your agent is calling on a listing that is an exclusive listing from another company.  Ordinarily you would not be able to be get access to these listings but when their is a buyer broker contract in place it does open that inventory up to you.  Keep in mind many homes that are being held on exclusive will normally have a reason for this, such as work going on in the home or in the case of an estate sale they might be getting the executor in place.  

Keep in mind when you are out their looking for a home that there unfortunately are some homes that are just a bit more difficult than others to see.  The general rule to have successful showings is to give your agent notice, and in turn they will be able to make arrangements for each one of those homes and you will have a nice day of home shopping  ! 

What Tenants Should Know & Expect During The Sale Of A Home

For many renters selling a home isn't something they need to think about, but what about when your the tenant in a property that is being sold.  Often times it is hard because you are not told what you should expect to have happen and what rights you have.  This blog will help clarify what your responsibility and rights are through-out the process.

Do You Stay Or Do You Go ? 

• If you are currently still in a lease on the property, by law you are allowed to occupy the apartment until the lease expires.  After the housing market crashed, many tenants found themselves paying rent to an owner who did not keep up with payment to the bank leaving the tenant in a home the bank would no longer allow them to live in.  This was the reason legislation was passed to protect tenants from these potential issues.  
• If you are NOT in a lease than you are not legally entitled to stay, which may not be a bad thing.  Once the potential buyer has gone to contract on the home I will normally reach out to the tenant so that both the "soon to be landlord" and tenant can meet.  Just like when you rented the apartment you may decide that it will not be the right fit for you anymore.  This will allow you time to decide without having a closing date looming in front of you.  

Showings & Open Houses:

• These 2 things will have to happen, you should discuss with your landlord having a meeting with all parties including the listing agent to set up a schedule and open communication to make sure that everyone is on the same page.  If you have a specific showing schedule that is established from the very beginning of the process it will make things much more predictable and easier to deal with.  
• Open houses are often a difficult idea for a renter, you are not given much choice on allowing people to go through your home and it may feel a bit like an invasion of privacy.  This is a risk all renters take when they move into a home that is either an investment property or in someone else's home.  That being said, the open communication and scheduling will help ease this tension - some homeowners will decide that they do not want their tenant disturbed with an open house but that is ultimately a discussion that must be decided on between landlord and tenant - the Realtor must abide by your landlord.  

Where Does Your Security Go?

• This is another important reason to meet with the soon to be landlord. If you decide that you will be staying as the tenant than your security deposit will need to be given from your original landlord to your new landlord.  
• If you will be vacating the apartment than your security deposit will legally need to be provided to you by the original landlord. If their was repairs needed than they will need to provide you with the documentation and the remainder of the security - same as if the home was still under their ownership.  

Who Works For Who ? 

• The listing agent works for the landlord, unfortunately the agent must follow the direction of the landlord in regards to showings, open houses and information provided to buyers.  Although you may want the listing agent to do things in a particular way if the agent is being directed by the landlord that is ultimately who they need to follow direction from.  
• If you feel that the process will be too much the agent can work for you as well by helping you to move out of your current location.  Their is no form of dual agency if you will be going into another rental home.  If you have decided to go into a purchase than you can still use the agent but you will want to fill out a Buyer Broker contract to keep all information about the motivation for a quick move confidential from all other sellers.  

Commissions And What Buyers & Sellers Should Both Know !

I have written many blogs about why you should be using a Full Service Real Estate Brokerage for the services they are able to offer is so important.  Commission is always a top  reason for why homeowners may list their home with a company and buyers opt to not use a Buyer Broker.  I wanted to take the time to explain the pro's and con's and really break down who actually decides on the commission and ways to make sure you only pay what you are comfortable to the agent who works for you.  

Sellers: You Will Always Get What You Pay For

• When your interviewing don't ask about the agents commission until the very end of the presentation.  Review what they agent will be doing, and make sure you ask the most important question: What will they be doing that another agent won't be able to offer you to get your home sold ! Often times you will begin to tune out the agent if you do not like the answer on commission, but you should always make the decision based on the work the agent will put into your home.  

• If your list your home with a discount brokerage they will often "discount" the commission on the selling agents end of the deal, and many homeowners aren't aware that they are actually in charge of who gets what percentage.  This is very important because most listings on MLS offer out between 2.5% and up on selling agent commission if your home is only offering 1% - 2% you are less likely to get showings by agents other than your listing agent.  

• When you are working with a Full Service Brokerage you will also have something that other homes will not, and that is protection to hold your agent accountable.  Specializing in expired listings I hear all the time that the agent didn't do what they said they were going to, and unfortunately working at a discount the homeowners had no recourse.  ALL Full Service Brokerages will have a part of the contract apart from the listing itself that will be their guarantee listing all things they will be doing, and allow for release of the listing if the services are not being performed.  

• My friends uncles wife is an agent, she will do it at a discount because we are so close ! How many times I have seen friendships torn apart and families at battle all because they mixed their "business" with their personal life.  Not only the fact that some hurdles can cause a bigger issue when you use this method of choosing an agent, as a homeowner you will be less likely to hold the agent accountable.  You need someone one step removed from the situation to make sure you are looking at things from a reasonable perspective not only about pricing but even things like staging can become a bit awkward for everyone involved.  

Buyers: You Can See 20 Or 200

• The myth that has been depicted on Reality TV has led to so many misconceptions about home purchasing.  I have never in my entire career seen a buyer look at 3 homes and choose 1 but that is not to say that you need to see 200 either.  If your working with a buyer broker you will have someone who can look thru listings and have them immediately filtered for you.  How many homes you will see really does come down to what kind of home your looking for but usually between 10-20 is a safe number to figure.  

• You don't need to play phone tag with agents, every agent hears how that other agent didn't call the buyer back.  When you have a buyers agent it is almost like you having an assistant you have someone there to do all the legwork for you! They will call and make the appointments, they will check status, and you will have a buffer at open houses.  

• Most of my buyers come to me because of my designations as a Certified Buyers Agent, this is something that all buyers should be looking for.  There are a lot of things that a Buyers Agents can do that a Brokers Agent is not able to.  How the offer is presented, what information is relayed to the seller from financial information to the reasons for the move are all things that are determined by the agency.  If you are not working with someone who is well versed in the law they will not always have the knowledge to know what they can do differently to help their buyers ! 

• This is the best reason to use a Buyers Agent, but often overlooked.  Your paying for it whether you use it or not ! All sellers are aware that 95% of the time the agent who sells it is not the listing agent which is why their is commission offered to the other agent.  Now if your paying for something why wouldn't you take advantage of it and make your life and process easier ! 

• The famous last reason, the listing agent will get me a better deal ! I've spoken to buyers after they use this theory and they always feel the complete opposite after the fact, because of course the agent wants to sell their own listing BUT at what cost.  NYS Disclosure is very clear if the listing agent is working for the sellers and not you than their job is to get you the home at the HIGHEST possible price ! 

Whether you are a buyer or a seller the most important part of being comfortable with the agent and the commission is to have open communication.  If you have a set plan of how your going to get your home sold or home found and purchased than knowing your getting the job done correctly will always be worth paying that little bit more in commission.  The reality is most commission objections are normally only over minimal amounts of commission of only 1% - 2%.  This is money that will be lost if your home sits on the market without selling because you will be keeping it for 6 months or longer than expected ! 

Energy Saving Tips !

In today's economy we are all trying to find ways to save a little where we can so I decided to write a blog about some simple tips to save some money on your heating bills. 

 These are all low or no cost ways so it is great for those who are not looking to invest in a whole new heating system because they are selling the home  or perhaps just renting ! 


Give Your Room A New Look


•  Many people switch curtains come the winter time to a heavier fabric, which is obviously a good idea you should also take advantage of the daylight sun still being able to provide some heat.  I will give you a quick example, I have very large windows and doors in my home specifically from my dining room into my living room.  Instead of putting 4 heavy panels on each I use 2 on each end, and leave sheers on the middle which allows the heat from the sun to get into these rooms during the daytime. 
• Another easy way is to move around your furniture, instead of just pulling the furniture a few inches away from the radiators or vents spend the time and rearrange the space. Actually moving the large furniture like sofas or beds that are nearby allow the heat to radiate freely and remember this is only temporary so it may not work all year round but this is temporary !   
• If your home has bare floors like wood or tile, invest in a few throw rugs to put down they can add a bit of style and they help make things a little bit cozier if you decide to keep your thermostat at a lower temperature ! 
• Light a fire ! Well if you don't have an actual fireplace that can be a bit hard to do but there are some great inexpensive faux fireplaces that take up little space, but can produce a great amount of heat if one room just gets a bit chilly ! The other great thing is that they don't require a complicated installation and you can take them with you onto your next home.   There are a variety of kinds from ones that look similar to a flat screen TV complete with crackling wood sounds & remote to large wooden ones with mantles ! 

Give Your Heating System A Once Over

• One of the most overlooked parts of your heating system is often the air filter, it is a good thing to change periodically and if your in a rental most landlords will be happy to either allow you to change it or do it themselves.  You should also take a look around and make sure there are no leaks where the joints are meeting this is something that is very important for those who have forced hot air/CAC units that run through attics and basements.  
• Change out your thermostat to a programmable one or even a simple upgrade to a digital can help you be aware of how high your heat actually is.  I am very guilty of getting a bit chilly and turning up my thermostat and going just a little bit farther than I thought because I have the older "dial" thermostat.  The newer digital thermostats can also be programmable so the heat will go up once it is closer to the time when you will actually be using it.  
• Check what temperature your hot water heater, often times we don't even realize what this is set at but 120 degrees is the best place for it to be.  Look at the average temperature you keep your thermostat on, if you lower it 1 degree it can save you between 1% - 3% less fuel, as well as heating costs.  Another way is to actually leave your heat on one temperature lowering your heat drastically when your not home and than hiking it back up can often times cost more because of how high you raise it to "get rid of the chill" 

Garage Sales Made Easy !

Real estate agents often talk to homeowners about clearing out some of their belongings from their home before putting it on the market, and many people will decide to try the yard sale route.  This sometimes works great, but alot of people who decide to go that route are often disappointed by the outcome selling things for $1 or $2 after spending the better part of their day pulling things out than having to put it back into their house.  Some homeowners, including myself don't even get to that point I've been planning my garage sale for the past 5 years !

Trust me I can understand why it is such a daunting task, and because of some much needed renovations to my home and a "suggestion" from my contractor I was put in a position that either A. this garage sale I'd been planning needed to happen or B. My garbage men and neighbors were about to hit the jackpot!

I still couldn't see myself spending a week pulling everything I didn't want out to get prepared for the garage sale, and than spend an entire day trying to sell it with my son underfoot. I looked into the Ebay store route but it still involved packing it all up in my car and taking it to the store for them to sell it.  Even doing normal Ebay, than I would be going out and having to ship and weigh everything and than pay for it to be advertised on the site whether it sold or not.

After a bit of brainstorming, I realized that I could have a "Virtual Garage Sale" with a little bit of help of Facebook, Craigslist, & EBay.  It would be a garage sale everyday for as long as I wanted, plus it would cost me minimal time and effort plus I would sell alot more in 3 months than doing a 1 day garage sale.

Here are the steps to making your "Virtual Garage Sale" successful !

•  The first step is of course deciding where your storage area for your items will be.  If your like me there is not 1 area of the house to put everything you don't want or need anymore and be able to navigate thru it on a daily basis, I unfortunately do not have a basement.  If you are lucky enough to have one than that will usually make your life a bit easier.  I borrowed some fold out tables from friends and families and decided to set shop up in my garage lining the garage walls with the tables.  
• The next step is deciding what you are going to sell in order to make the most of your time, you don't necessarily want to put 50 different items online because maintaining the ad can become time consuming and you will stop keeping up with it because it will become tiresome.   Instead you will want to consider starting with something like 10 ads with 3 or 4 different categories, or think about grouping them so they cross advertise one another.   If your selling things like DVD's your best bet will be to sell them in bulk, putting up the full list of what you have available and sell them in lots of 5 letting the buyers choose which 5.       
• You will want to decide what the best kind of site you want to advertise on.  An Online Ebay Store was a bit much for me to undertake, so I opted for the Craigslist route.    When you use Ebay you will need to decide if you want someone to be able bid or buy immediately with their Buy It Now feature, you will also need to set up a PayPal Account in order to receive payment.  Ebay also allow you to re-list without having to redo the entire ad week after week, but they do charge you to advertise on their website whether the items sells or not. 
• Another option is Craigslist, which is the route which I chose because I was more comfortable not having to be responsibility of making sure the items got delivered.  The upside to Craigslist is the fact that you are not charged per ad, but the downside is you will get quite a few bogus buyers who have no intention of buying.  This site also allows you to simple renew your ad with one simple click, bringing you back up to the top of the list.  
• You will want to share what your selling, you never know who knows someone looking for items for cheap.  I created an entire facebook album where I have what I am selling, and I have sold a few things to friends of friends because of it. 
• Once you have your area set up, and your ads are running you simply sit back and collect your profits ! Because your only running a handful of ads, after you have items sold simply put up whatever you would like to sell next.   

Now, there is some safety & privacy precautions you will want to take if your using Craigslist, which is usually best for large or heavy items.  

• Never believe anyone who offers you a money order because they are "out of the country" or "buying for a relative", they are scams ! 
• Never allow someone to go into your home when they come to pick up the item unless it is absolutely necessary .  
• Always have someone in the house with you, or offer to meet them in an area that you know during the daytime! 
• Do not put your actual home address in the "location" area, just put the town, and never give them your home phone number always use your cell ! 

I've been doing my Virtual Garage Sale, via CraigsList for about 2 weeks and I've sold about $200 worth of items with less than 3 hours worth of work to get it done, and the only reason it took that long was because I had alot of small items I need to sort and group before posting my ads.  I've sold things from an old microwave for $10 to $75 for a old video game system ! Happy Selling !