Real Estate Information

This weekend is going to be a great weekend to get off that fence and out househunting.  That is why I wanted to tell you about this open house I am hosting this Saturday  March 6th, from 1-3.

This is a great home to consider.  And what I like about this property is that the seller understands that the house needs some work and that your offer will reflect the work needed and SHE IS FINE WITH THAT! Yeah, that's right.  She knows.  So......do me a favor  SPREAD THE WORD.  And come on over yourself.  Love to see you.

Oh, and if you are working with a realtor and they are unable to come, come anyway. Just log your name in with theirs and as always, we will honor them.

 The tax incentive, you know the one....up to $8000 for 1st time home buyers, is still in effect but time is running out. You need to be in contract soon. 

Visit our website for information and directions.... 156 Versailles Court, Frenchtown Woods, Newark, DE

Don't you hate it when you decide to sell and now you have to do all this work and spend a lot of money getting it ready?  With home values less than when where they were 2 years ago, it is difficult to put alot of money into getting the house ready to sell.  Face it especially in today's economy, homeowners NEED ways to improve, remodel, spruce up and stage their home for as little cost as possible.  Here are some little tips and ideas that I have found helped in bringing some new life to your home. 

1. Tidy up kitchen cabinets.

Potential buyers do open kitchen cabinets and look inside.  Try adding a rollout organizing trays so when buyers peek in, they feel like there’s lots of room for their stuff. I know when I am showing a home to buyers, they love pull outs in the kitchen cabinets.  It will bring a new life to your older cabinetry.

2.  Add or Replace Tile.

By retiling very inexpensively, you make a room look way cleaner that it was.  Stores like Lowes or Home Depot offer $1 to $2 tile. (sometimes less) Now you are paying for the low cost tiles and installation (if you are not a handy person).  Remember, very important, know if you are truly handy at installing tile. If you are not best to hire someone. Use this tip to install a new backsplash or replace a backsplash in the kitchen.  Again, my buyers, especially the experienced homebuyer, always love a backsplash. It is so ez to clean up and adds something to any kitchen area.  You can also add this tip for bathrooms.  However, word of caution, if your bathroom has old tile already, you may want to hire that job out.  It is a bear removing old tile (been there, done that and got the T-shirt!

3.  Add a breakfast bar.

When a wall separates a kitchen from a family room, suggest cutting out an opening to create a breakfast bar. Or in some homes, you may have a half wall or cutout already. Add a nice countertop and some chairs & wahlaa.  This can be done for as little as $500-600.

4.  Freshen up a bathroom without retiling.

With a dated bathroom, I recommend putting in a new medicine cabinet for $100 to $150, light fixtures for about $100, a faucet for $50 to $75, and a vanity for $200 to $300. Instead of replacing the tile, the existing grout can be lightly scraped and regrouted, which leaves a haze that can be buffed out and will make the tile look brand new. Also install glass shower doors. A French door adds a lot of panache and elegance for about  $250, and people will notice the door, not the tile. With all that, you’ve done a bathroom remodel for $1,000 to $2,000.

5. Freshen up the basement. 

If you have cement block or poured concrete walls in the basement, I suggest you have a contractor fill in cracks with hydraulic cement and then paint with waterproofing paint. Try adding a top coat to add color. You can also paint the basement floor with a good floor paint, which spiffs it up. The basement may not be finished, but it’s no longer a damp dungeon.

6.  Add a room.

Look for large spaces that can be enclosed to create a new bedroom for just the price of creating a wall. I know someone who closed off a half-wall to an office and added a door to the other side of the room, thus creating another bedroom. That $400 procedure, which took a contractor one day, netted about $40,000 in the sales price. 

7.  Spruce up cabinet fronts.

 Are your kitchen cabinets tired looking? Try reconditioning which is the least expensive move for under $1,000. If the wood is starting to look shabby from use or contaminants in the air, take out the nicks and scratches, recondition it with oil, and put new hardware on.  For $1,500 to $4,000, you can replace the cabinet doors and drawer fronts, and for $4,000 to $12,000, you can have all the cabinets refaced. With refacing, you can change the color of the cabinets by replacing the door and having a new skin put on the boxes. You could have oak cabinets today, cherry the next day.  Joe and I have totally replaced cabinets in our kitchens (Joe a handyman for sure) The cost of the cabinets with redesigning the kitchen to give us more counter and cabinet space, new counter tops included was about $3500-$4000. 

8 Replace light fixtures. 

In a foyer and in bathrooms and kitchens, replacing overhead light fixtures provides a lot of pop for a little money. If the kitchen has track lighting, have an electrician replace it with recessed canned lights on a dimmer switch to add ambience. It cost under $600. For about $700, you could have pendant lights installed over a kitchen island or peninsula. You will be surprised how it will modernize the kitchen.

9.  Tech up the Garage.

Think about replacing the garage door opener with a remote touchpad entry system. That costs about $425 and makes it look like a high-end system. If you do not have a garage door opener, by all means consider getting one installed.

These tips can add thousands of dollars to the value of your house when you sell.  If you are not selling, it will give you a new love for your home. 

Don't you hate it when you decide to sell and now you have to do all this work and spend a lot of money getting it ready?  With home values less than when where they were 2 years ago, it is difficult to put alot of money into getting the house ready to sell.  Face it especially in today's economy, homeowners NEED ways to improve, remodel, spruce up and stage their home for as little cost as possible.  Here are some little tips and ideas that I have found helped in bringing some new life to your home. 

1. Tidy up kitchen cabinets.

Potential buyers do open kitchen cabinets and look inside.  Try adding a rollout organizing trays so when buyers peek in, they feel like there’s lots of room for their stuff. I know when I am showing a home to buyers, they love pull outs in the kitchen cabinets.  It will bring a new life to your older cabinetry.

2.  Add or Replace Tile.

By retiling very inexpensively, you make a room look way cleaner that it was.  Stores like Lowes or Home Depot offer $1 to $2 tile. (sometimes less) Now you are paying for the low cost tiles and installation (if you are not a handy person).  Remember, very important, know if you are truly handy at installing tile. If you are not best to hire someone. Use this tip to install a new backsplash or replace a backsplash in the kitchen.  Again, my buyers, especially the experienced homebuyer, always love a backsplash. It is so ez to clean up and adds something to any kitchen area.  You can also add this tip for bathrooms.  However, word of caution, if your bathroom has old tile already, you may want to hire that job out.  It is a bear removing old tile (been there, done that and got the T-shirt!

3.  Add a breakfast bar.

When a wall separates a kitchen from a family room, suggest cutting out an opening to create a breakfast bar. Or in some homes, you may have a half wall or cutout already. Add a nice countertop and some chairs & wahlaa.  This can be done for as little as $500-600.

4.  Freshen up a bathroom without retiling.

With a dated bathroom, I recommend putting in a new medicine cabinet for $100 to $150, light fixtures for about $100, a faucet for $50 to $75, and a vanity for $200 to $300. Instead of replacing the tile, the existing grout can be lightly scraped and regrouted, which leaves a haze that can be buffed out and will make the tile look brand new. Also install glass shower doors. A French door adds a lot of panache and elegance for about  $250, and people will notice the door, not the tile. With all that, you’ve done a bathroom remodel for $1,000 to $2,000.

5. Freshen up the basement. 

If you have cement block or poured concrete walls in the basement, I suggest you have a contractor fill in cracks with hydraulic cement and then paint with waterproofing paint. Try adding a top coat to add color. You can also paint the basement floor with a good floor paint, which spiffs it up. The basement may not be finished, but it’s no longer a damp dungeon.

6.  Add a room.

Look for large spaces that can be enclosed to create a new bedroom for just the price of creating a wall. I know someone who closed off a half-wall to an office and added a door to the other side of the room, thus creating another bedroom. That $400 procedure, which took a contractor one day, netted about $40,000 in the sales price. 

7.  Spruce up cabinet fronts.

 Are your kitchen cabinets tired looking? Try reconditioning which is the least expensive move for under $1,000. If the wood is starting to look shabby from use or contaminants in the air, take out the nicks and scratches, recondition it with oil, and put new hardware on.  For $1,500 to $4,000, you can replace the cabinet doors and drawer fronts, and for $4,000 to $12,000, you can have all the cabinets refaced. With refacing, you can change the color of the cabinets by replacing the door and having a new skin put on the boxes. You could have oak cabinets today, cherry the next day.  Joe and I have totally replaced cabinets in our kitchens (Joe a handyman for sure) The cost of the cabinets with redesigning the kitchen to give us more counter and cabinet space, new counter tops included was about $3500-$4000. 

8 Replace light fixtures. 

In a foyer and in bathrooms and kitchens, replacing overhead light fixtures provides a lot of pop for a little money. If the kitchen has track lighting, have an electrician replace it with recessed canned lights on a dimmer switch to add ambience. It cost under $600. For about $700, you could have pendant lights installed over a kitchen island or peninsula. You will be surprised how it will modernize the kitchen.

9.  Tech up the Garage.

Think about replacing the garage door opener with a remote touchpad entry system. That costs about $425 and makes it look like a high-end system. If you do not have a garage door opener, by all means consider getting one installed.

These tips can add thousands of dollars to the value of your house when you sell.  If you are not selling, it will give you a new love for your home. 

Don't you hate it when you decide to sell and now you have to do all this work and spend a lot of money getting it ready?  With home values less than when where they were 2 years ago, it is difficult to put alot of money into getting the house ready to sell.  Face it especially in today's economy, homeowners NEED ways to improve, remodel, spruce up and stage their home for as little cost as possible.  Here are some little tips and ideas that I have found helped in bringing some new life to your home. 

1. Tidy up kitchen cabinets.

Potential buyers do open kitchen cabinets and look inside.  Try adding a rollout organizing trays so when buyers peek in, they feel like there’s lots of room for their stuff. I know when I am showing a home to buyers, they love pull outs in the kitchen cabinets.  It will bring a new life to your older cabinetry.

2.  Add or Replace Tile.

By retiling very inexpensively, you make a room look way cleaner that it was.  Stores like Lowes or Home Depot offer $1 to $2 tile. (sometimes less) Now you are paying for the low cost tiles and installation (if you are not a handy person).  Remember, very important, know if you are truly handy at installing tile. If you are not best to hire someone. Use this tip to install a new backsplash or replace a backsplash in the kitchen.  Again, my buyers, especially the experienced homebuyer, always love a backsplash. It is so ez to clean up and adds something to any kitchen area.  You can also add this tip for bathrooms.  However, word of caution, if your bathroom has old tile already, you may want to hire that job out.  It is a bear removing old tile (been there, done that and got the T-shirt!

3.  Add a breakfast bar.

When a wall separates a kitchen from a family room, suggest cutting out an opening to create a breakfast bar. Or in some homes, you may have a half wall or cutout already. Add a nice countertop and some chairs & wahlaa.  This can be done for as little as $500-600.

4.  Freshen up a bathroom without retiling.

With a dated bathroom, I recommend putting in a new medicine cabinet for $100 to $150, light fixtures for about $100, a faucet for $50 to $75, and a vanity for $200 to $300. Instead of replacing the tile, the existing grout can be lightly scraped and regrouted, which leaves a haze that can be buffed out and will make the tile look brand new. Also install glass shower doors. A French door adds a lot of panache and elegance for about  $250, and people will notice the door, not the tile. With all that, you’ve done a bathroom remodel for $1,000 to $2,000.

5. Freshen up the basement. 

If you have cement block or poured concrete walls in the basement, I suggest you have a contractor fill in cracks with hydraulic cement and then paint with waterproofing paint. Try adding a top coat to add color. You can also paint the basement floor with a good floor paint, which spiffs it up. The basement may not be finished, but it’s no longer a damp dungeon.

6.  Add a room.

Look for large spaces that can be enclosed to create a new bedroom for just the price of creating a wall. I know someone who closed off a half-wall to an office and added a door to the other side of the room, thus creating another bedroom. That $400 procedure, which took a contractor one day, netted about $40,000 in the sales price. 

7.  Spruce up cabinet fronts.

 Are your kitchen cabinets tired looking? Try reconditioning which is the least expensive move for under $1,000. If the wood is starting to look shabby from use or contaminants in the air, take out the nicks and scratches, recondition it with oil, and put new hardware on.  For $1,500 to $4,000, you can replace the cabinet doors and drawer fronts, and for $4,000 to $12,000, you can have all the cabinets refaced. With refacing, you can change the color of the cabinets by replacing the door and having a new skin put on the boxes. You could have oak cabinets today, cherry the next day.  Joe and I have totally replaced cabinets in our kitchens (Joe a handyman for sure) The cost of the cabinets with redesigning the kitchen to give us more counter and cabinet space, new counter tops included was about $3500-$4000. 

8 Replace light fixtures. 

In a foyer and in bathrooms and kitchens, replacing overhead light fixtures provides a lot of pop for a little money. If the kitchen has track lighting, have an electrician replace it with recessed canned lights on a dimmer switch to add ambience. It cost under $600. For about $700, you could have pendant lights installed over a kitchen island or peninsula. You will be surprised how it will modernize the kitchen.

9.  Tech up the Garage.

Think about replacing the garage door opener with a remote touchpad entry system. That costs about $425 and makes it look like a high-end system. If you do not have a garage door opener, by all means consider getting one installed.

These tips can add thousands of dollars to the value of your house when you sell.  If you are not selling, it will give you a new love for your home. 

• Tired of Paying Rent?
• Wondering if You Qualify to Buy a Home?
• Want to Know if You Can Afford to Buy a Home?
• Come Learn the Whole Process from Start to Finish!!!
• Get $8,000 NOW!

 Join us at the

 Christiana Hilton Hotel  100 Continental Drive - Newark, DE  

Saturday - January 23rd from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.  

Saturday - January 23rd from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

 LEARN HOW TO:

•  Take advantage of record low interest rates!
• Take advantage of special First Time Homebuyer Programs
• Buy NOW with as little as $500 down!
• Speak to credit correction specialists that can correct and/or clean up smeared credit!
• Find out from a tax advantage why it makes sense to OWN rather than rent!
• Learn how to get $8,000 from IRS for buying a home by June 30, 2010
• Get Pre-Approved to Buy a Home at the Seminar
• Receive Free Credit Report & Free Audio CD - Home Buying 101

YOU MUST REGISTER.... REGISTER NOW!  

Call Carol or Joe Daniels at  

1-800-882-5883 ext 101 to reserve or  

EMAIL Carol@CreativeChoiceRealty.com

Ok, everyoneis hearing more and more about buying HUD homes.  Is it done the same way as buying any other home?  NO.  Let's talk about placing an offer on a HUD home.  As you may know, a HUD home is a foreclosed property and the HUD stands for HOusing and Urban Development.  These homes are bid via an electronic bidding system.  Electronic bidding allows brokers, like myself, the ability to submit bids for buyers electronically viaa computer or touch tone phone. The electronic bids are stored in the computer and at the appropriate time, the computer will automatically perform the calculations to determinethe apparent highest NET OFFER. HUD's Management and Marketing Contractors will confirm the winning bid and notify the Selling Broker to submit a signed sales contract.  

Now that is the technical terms and format for submitting an offer.  Of course there are tasks you, as a buyer, need to do to prepare yourself to place an offer.  You need to be pre-qualified by a HUD qualified lender.  Not all lenders are accepted by HUD so you need to work with a qualified lender according to HUD guidelines.  You need to place your offer through a HUD broker.  Not all realtors are HUD  brokers so it is best to find a HUD  broker you are comfortable working with.  Make certain that the professional you work with also can assist you should you decide not to buy through the HUD process. HUD homes allow you to have inspections however they are for your information only. So be prepared NOT to have repairs or adjustments negotiated.  Remember, we are submitting an offer to a computer so there is no negotiating. 

If you would like more information on HUD Properties or are interested in buying a HUD home or Bank owned property, Carol Daniels@Creative Choice Realty is a HUD Broker.  I would be happy to assist you.  HUD Homes and bank owned properties are homes definitely worth considering when buying a home.  You can reach Carol at 302-684-5904. 

Our latest listing is now available for quick delivery.  Seller continues to improve on this home as it is marketed.  New 2nd floor bathroom, updated bedroom 2, new windows, new shutters coming and some flowers in the front coming soon.    Dover Air Force Base, Dover Downs, Delaware Tech, and Delaware State University all closeby. Rt 1, 13, 113 all closeby making for ez commute.  About 40 minutes to the Delaware beaches.  About 40 minutes to downtown Wilmington.  Spread the word!  Our sellers appreciate it and so do we.

As your Delaware Broker for HUD Foreclosures, I have designed a "dedicated" area on our Creative Choice Realty website for your convenience.  Click here, Delaware Foreclosures, you can leasurely search Delaware's most compreshensive list of foreclosed homes.  If you find a home you want to see or want to bid on, just contact me at my email carol@creativechoicerealty or call me at 302-684-5904.  Homeownship is alive and well and yes, Creative Choice Realty brings Choices to Buyers as well as Sellers!  Check it out! Your next home could be on this list. 

If you are visiting our website, CreativeChoiceRealty.com, click on Featured Properties, then click Delaware Foreclosures.  Or just click the link provided above.

"There is a time to let things happen and a time to make things happen"  .....Hugh Prather

We all had fun letting things happen the past several years, haven't we. I know I did.  Well, now is the time to "buck up" and make things happen.

Let's share our ideas with each other!  Visit my blog at http://www.thedanielsteam.com/blog and share 3 things you plan to do to make things happen in your real estate business.  No matter how insignificant you think it is, believe me IT IS NOT.  Doing something is better than nothing. 

If you are serious about your business, you will take this message seriously.  I look forward to your ideas.  Look for mine.

Carol Succarotte Daniels of The Daniels Team at Creative Choice Realty has been approved as a HUD Broker for the State of Delaware.  Buying a HUD property is done through an online bidding process.  This must be done through an approved HUD broker.  I am now available to offer this service for you.  For a list of HUD properties, to bid on a HUD property, always feel free to contact me.  My email is carol@creativechoicerealty.com.