http://bham.homeownerspitstop.com Professional Industry Tips Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:32:16 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I hear this all time. "I don't think my  house needs staging.  Just get people in the door; it will sell itself"  This kind of thinking won't get your house sold! Why? Staging is Marketing.  I'll say it again.  Staging is Marketing.  Staging is the EMOTIONAL hook that get's buyers excited about your property.   Staging is about ... http://bham.homeownerspitstop.com/2009/03/why-do-i-need-to-stage-my-house-will-sell-itself/ Many Realtors and Mortgage brokers have written articles on short sales and foreclosures.  One point the haven't touched on is what is necessary to prepare a foreclosed home for inspection.  When banks own  the home they often (usually) have them winterized and often allow propane tanks to empty.  Other utilities ... http://bham.homeownerspitstop.com/2009/03/foreclosure-inspections/ Why do home inspectors enter attics?  There are many things for the inspector to check in the attic including ventilation, insulation, wiring, plumbing pipes, termination of bathroom vent fans, moisture levels and the picture shown below.       No ClearanceThis photo shows a B-vent pipe (in this instance, a chimney for a free ... http://bham.homeownerspitstop.com/2009/02/another-potential-fire/ Are the mortgage interest rates near historical lows? Could today’s rates be close the lowest that any of us have ever seen? Guess what, they are. What can this ... http://bham.homeownerspitstop.com/2009/02/when-is-it-time-to-refinance-your-home-mortgage-or-are-the-mortgae-rates-ripe-for-a-refinance/ This post is about solid fuel burning appliances and potential chimney fires.  Solid fuel appliances are usually wood burning fireplaces or stoves, including inserts.  The chimney serving these appliances should be cleaned every year.  The picture below shows a chimney with major creosote buildup.  The very next fire in the ... http://bham.homeownerspitstop.com/2009/02/fire-waiting-to-happen/ There has been a lot of controversy regarding composition wood fiber siding. Many brands of this type of siding by different manufacturers are known to deteriorate and/or fail prematurely due to moisture penetration. Failure is typically visible in the form of swelling, cracking and delamination, especially at the bottom edges. Class ... http://bham.homeownerspitstop.com/2009/02/composition-siding-lp-and-others/ Short Sales have been made to seem like a really good thing. They help the seller out of a financial bind. They enable a Buyer to get a good deal on a home. They enable Realtors to sell a home that would otherwise not be saleable. ... http://bham.homeownerspitstop.com/2009/02/short-sales-what-they-mean-to-your-credit-as-a-seller/ I have done a few blogs on this site about various things that are found on home inspections.  This one is structural.  We inspectors spend a lot of time in crawl spaces, looking at many things.  One common one is caused by plumbers and HVAC technicians.  This isn't to badmouth them.  ... http://bham.homeownerspitstop.com/2009/02/no-support/ You bought a property and you are going to Rent it to some Tenant. This is what we in The Industry call a non-owner occupied property. You are now a Landlord, a Small Business Owner and need to treat the property as a Business Owner. The insurance you need for this ... http://bham.homeownerspitstop.com/2009/02/insurance-101-the-learning-curve-series-landlord-policy/ Think of Insurance as a pool of money that is available to scoop up if certain events occur. Those Events or Perils are in an agreement called the Insurance Policy. The Insurance Policy is a Ccontract that is unilateral (one sided) and is written by the Insurance Company. You the Insured ... http://bham.homeownerspitstop.com/2009/02/insurance-101-the-learning-curve-series-what-is-insurance-anyway/