Selling Your House - $100,000 Pets
by: Raynor James
Is your pet worth $100,000? It may be if you don?t make accommodations for it when selling your home.
A Hundred Thousand Dollar Pet?
A house I?d seen with a potential buyer in an attractive neighborhood built around two lakes sold for $100,000 less than was typical for the neighborhood. Do you know what caused it to sell for that much less? A pet. Actually, two pets.
I can hear you thinking, ?How can that be? Surely she doesn?t know what she?s talking about this time. How could two pets reduce the sales price of a home by $100,000? Is that even possible?? I understand your skepticism, but it?s true. Let me tell you how I know.
When I made the appointment for the potential buyer to look at the house, I wasn?t told about the presence of pets. We arrived at the house, knocked on the door, and when no one answered our knock, I got out my electronic key to open the box containing a key for brokers to use. While I was doing this, we began to hear some loud barking from large dog or dogs inside the house. The buyer said she did not want to go into the house with ?dogs on the loose.? I have to admit I wasn?t thrilled with the idea either, so we went on to the next house she was considering.
She asked me if we could see that house the next day sans pets. I called and made arrangements.
The next day we looked at a two story, 5 bedroom, house with a fully finished, walkout basement that supposedly didn?t have pets. It was a nice house, but the whole house smelled strongly of pet odors. The furniture in the basement was shredded ? truly not too strong a word to use. I?ve never seen furniture in worse shape. The front of the house was nicely landscaped. The back of the house was a disaster. The door frames and exterior doors were scratched and gnawed. The lawn had beaten paths and patches. There wasn?t a flower or a shrub to be seen. The ?buyer? couldn?t get away fast enough.
I later found out the owner of the house had a German Shepherd. The second ?dog? was a wolf and shepherd mix. The house stayed on the market longer than typical, the price was reduced several times and the final sales price was $100,000 below what was typical for the neighborhood. Now you tell me, what cost that seller $100,000?
Don?t misunderstand, I know pets are wonderful. Over time my husband and I have enjoyed living with a German Shepherd, two Siamese cats, assorted adopted stray cats, fancy guppies, gold fish, koi, and various sorts of wounded critters our two sons brought home.
Pets enrich your life. They don?t enrich the sales price of your home. Take the right steps though, and they won?t rob you of any of your equity.
About The Author
Raynor James is with http://www.fsboamerica.org - providing homes for sale by owner, "FSBO", properties. Are you thinking, "Should I sell my home?" Visit http://www.fsboamerica.org/seller.cfm to sell your home sale for free for one month.
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10 Spring Decorating Ideas To Bring Your Home Back To Life!
10 Spring Decorating Ideas To Bring Your Home Back To Life!
by: Michael Holland
Not all home decorating ideas require a heavy investment of time and money. If you're looking for a few affordable home interior decorating ideas to freshen up a room over a weekend, try these ten:
1. Rearrange The Furniture- Pull your furniture away from the walls. Try positioning it at intriguing angles. For example, a sofa arranged diagonally across a narrow living room will make the room look wider.
2. Group Figurines- Pull out your favorite collectibles. Show off your personality. Find a display area and group related objects together, in sets of three or five. Try and vary the shapes.
3. Add A Throw Or Afghan- Similar to decorative pillows, throws and afghans add texture to your furniture. They come in all kinds of natural and man made fabrics. Find a pattern and style that you like.
4. Paint A Wall- Paint one wall your favorite color and...
10 Spring Decorating Ideas To Bring Your Home Back To Life!
Childrens furniture > 10 Spring Decorating Ideas To Bring Your Home Back To Life!
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by: Bob Benson
You?ve just moved into a new house and suddenly the comfy old furniture you?ve cherished for years?okay, decades ? just doesn?t seem to work any more. Do you give up the comfy old stuff for new furniture? The truth is that you don?t have to choose. You can buy new furniture that is comfortable if you know how to shop.
Start with the living room. If you?ve had your couch, loveseat, or sectional for more than 10 years, chances are you need to rethink your furniture needs. Do you have a small child now who has trouble getting on or off of a couch that didn?t seem too wide when you bought it? Is your sofa apartment-sized to fit into your first place, but it seems out of proportion now in your new home? Take size and width of seating into consideration when buying. And the only way to know if it?s comfortable is to sit on it. If you plan to nap on your couch, lay on it right in the furniture showroom...
New Furniture Can be Comfy Too
Childrens furniture > New Furniture Can be Comfy Too
Add to Your Home's Living and Entertaining Space Without Costly Construction and Renovation
Add to Your Home's Living and Entertaining Space Without Costly Construction and Renovation
by: Jayson Gerth
With more and more homeowners trying to maximize their home?s living space, it is no wonder home construction and renovation companies are recording record profits. But by assessing what you have and with a little creativity, new living and entertaining spaces can be had without spending thousands of dollars.
Late winter and early spring are great times to assess how space is used in your home. Often, decks and patios go unused or underused. Places you wouldn?t normally think of for use in entertaining ? flat, shady spots in the yard, for example ? may also lie empty. Many times, there are ways you can create ?backyard retreats? in these underused areas without much trouble or cost, and truly bring the ?indoors-out.?
One such way of designing your new patio, deck, or garden living space is with a furniture grouping that matches aesthetically....
Add to Your Home's Living and Entertaining Space Without Costly Construction and Renovation
Childrens furniture > Add to Your Home's Living and Entertaining Space Without Costly Construction and Renovation