Humboldt County Real Estate Blog

New new new! Where else are you going to find a home that has a new kitchen, new wiring, new plumbing, new roof and more! Zoned neighborhood commercial, this home will be the perfect place for an office. Near hospital, care home and counseling center. Has been rented in the past. Check it out! Agent Remarks: There are a couple of large rooms and some new windows that have glass to filter out some road noise. Age and square foot are approximate

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I dare you to go ahead and answer your phone when your mortgage lender calls! Here's why.

1. They really need to know if you still live in your home

2. They would like to work out some sort of loan modification with you

3. They really do not want to foreclose on you!

A couple of weeks ago, I sat with one of my long time clients who was going though some tough times. He called me to sell his house because he was going to lose it. His wife left him and he got laid off from his job. He fell 6 months behind and couldn't see himself suffering any more.

Since he has been a long time client, I took a step back and talked to him a little more about his situation. I found out he just accepted another job that's paying him twice as much.

We sat down and mapped out his finances and he cut out a lot of fluff and doodads. He canceled his premium channels on his cable bill, decided to sell his truck and drive the car to work everyday, he had several products he ordered from home shopping network and was on the auto pay system to which he canceled. We found about $1100 more money for him to work with per month!

I grabbed his mortgage statement and started dialing. Of course, once I entered his info through the automated system, it sent me to the loss mitigation department where a live person answered the phone. Since I couldn;t talk to them about his situation, he HAD to talk to them. He explained his situation and about 10 minutes later, he was smiling after he hung up the phone.

I asked him what happened and he said," After I explained to them what happened and told them about my new job and new income source, they said they are going to send out a loan modification packet and all I have to do is sign it and send them what I can to pay down some of the past debt, and I can stay!"

So, 3 weeks later, he receives his packet, sends in a little money and he is on his way to a fresh start! His payments have gone down slightly and he is now current on his mortgagee.

I went to his house to sell it. I didn't get the sale, but I did get a great cheerleader and most of all, a great friend.

so go ahead and answer your phone, I dare ya! 

Preparing Your House on a Moment's Notice

 Follow these quick tips to ready your home for its best showing when you have 30 or fewer minutes' notice.

 Start where the potential buyers will start:

þ Make sure that the front door presents well. Sweep steps, if needed.

þ Pick up any out-of-place objects and store them away quickly.

 Head inside:

þ Open window treatments and turn on lights.

þ Put any dirty dishes into the dishwasher.

þ Make the beds.

þ Put any dirty laundry inside the washing machine.

 If you still have time:

þ Run a quick vacuum and/or sweeper to give carpets and floors a fresh look.

þ Wipe down counters and tabletops.

þ Warm some vanilla on the stove to give the house a welcoming scent.

 While we would all like to have our houses in showroom condition 24 hours a day, we also know that we live in them. Do your best to present your house in its best light AND make sure that every potential buyer has an opportunity to view it-accommodate all showings possible.