Sprucing up the home for sale? Don’t forget the garage

Realty Times’s latest edition contains some hints about one overlooked part of the home- the garage.

“They’re for more than parking cars, stacking boxes, and holding trash bins. The garage can help sell your home if you stage it right. Most homeowners might think of staging their kitchens and bedrooms, but the garage is a feature that is playing an increasingly important role.”

To increase the appeal of your home here are some garage related tips:

• Entice buyers with a garage that is organized, kept up and shows off its most important features. 
• Use walls and ceilings for storage. Consider having one or two loft-type storage areas built into the garage.
• Next, add lighting. It’s relatively inexpensive, but it makes a huge difference in increasing a garage’s appeal. Replacing the single center bulb with a strip of lighting is a fantastic way to spark a buyer’s interest.
• You might also consider coating your floor. A concrete floor in the garage can show off the wrong things, such as those icky, ugly oil stains.
• Make sure your garage door and opener are working quietly. The first automatic garage door openers became commercially used back in the 1950s and if you're is an original, it's time to upgrade!
• Next, finish your walls and ceilings. Many garages are not finished, but if you put up wall board you can complete the look of the garage. Finished sells better.
• Finally, add a coat of fresh paint.

When it comes to selling, a garage should be spacious, organized, and a place where buyers can imagine easily storing their own stuff!

 Read The Garage Can Help Sell Your Home by Phoebe Chongchua.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Vested Title Inc.

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-808-6130 - Fax 201-656-4506

E-mail vti@vested.com - www.vested.com

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Is that the best mortgage you can get?

The New York Times suggests vetting the lender when you buy a home.

“BEFORE buying a house, borrowers will undoubtedly do a thorough check of the property, examining its structural soundness and the surrounding neighborhood, among other things; they will research the best type of loan, comparing interest rates, terms and fees. But not all borrowers do due diligence on their lenders.”

“Ferreting out good information is not that easy. For one thing, different kinds of lenders are held to different rules, licenses and disclosure requirements. Some states, like New York and New Jersey, require mortgage brokers to complete criminal background checks through the state police.”

 So what to do? According to industry experts they

“suggest that borrowers focus more on the individual who would be their mortgage broker, loan officer or loan originator. Among the questions borrowers should be asking them: How long have they been in the field? How well or promptly do they answer questions? Do they want to know the borrower’s financial goals? A look at their work experience and background on their LinkedIn profile may also be helpful.”

What should you look for?

• are good listeners, and helpful with personal-finance questions.
• size might be one factor. whether a blemish on a firm’s record, say a large number of foreclosures or a class-action lawsuit settled three years ago, will dissuade you from cultivating a helpful relationship.
• governmental and quasi-governmental sites may be helpful.

A minefield? Maybe. Read the full article to learn more

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Vested Title Inc.

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-808-6130 - Fax 201-656-4506

E-mail vti@vested.com - www.vested.com

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Saving money on NY's mortgage tax

A client posed a question yesterday-

"I have a borrower who is trying to save money on a refinance in Manhattan, any ideas?"

"Sure," I said, "use a CEMA."

CEMA is shorthand for Consolidation, Extension and Modification Agreement. It helps to save mortgage tax because the original mortgage being paid-off is assigned to the new lender instead of being satisfied. The mortgage tax is paid only on the amount of the loan being given by the new lender. The two mortgages are "consolidated" into one by the CEMA.

The New York Times has an interesting article on the money saving aspects of a CEMA transaction. Read it here.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Vested Title Inc.

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-808-6130 - Fax 201-656-4506

E-mail vti@vested.com - www.vested.com

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