10 Things You Might Not Know About Louisville

How To Price Your House To Sell!

By Christianne Child

Price is probably the most important factor in selling your house. In fact, the price of your home will determine if people will actually consider buying your home or not. If you price your home too high, you will turn away a number of prospective buyers. If you price your home too low, simply to get people to look at your home, you may lose out financially. How do you set a price that is fair to you but that won’t turn off prospective buyers?

Here are some tips that will be helpful to you as you seek to find the perfect price!

There is a difference between the asking price(or listing price) and the sale price of the home. Realize that very few people ever get the price that they ask for their home. If it is a seller’s market, chances are that you may be offered a price that is very close to the listing price.

If it is a buyer’s market, or if there are more homes available than the number of people looking to buy homes, you may get some very low offers. Therefore, you may want to list the home accordingly. The price of your real estate assessment may or may not help. The assessment is usually used to determine the amount of taxes that you will pay, not the listing price or market value of your home.

Check to see the listing price of homes that are similar to your home. One of the best ways to determine the list price of your home, as well as the market value of your home, is to check around. You can look in the real estate section of your newspaper or look online for this information.

First, find a home that is similar to your home in a location close to your location. The home should include similar amenities and have the same number of baths and bedrooms. Then, note how much the listing price of the home is. You may also want to check properties that have sold to see what the actual selling price was.

This method is incredibly helpful when trying to determine listing prices. Ask for the advice of an experienced real estate professional. Getting the advice of a realtor is the best way to figure out the proper price for your home. A good realtor will be able to accurately determine the market value of your home and also predict the amount of money that you may receive for selling your home.

In addition, the realtor can also make suggestions as far as improvements which may enable you to list your home at a higher price.

Get an appraisal. This is a good idea even if you have a realtor. In fact, many real estate professionals will suggest that you get an appraisal when selling your home, just to make sure that the listing price is accurate.

Consider modifying the listing price if necessary. If your house has been on the market for awhile and you have not had any offers, you may want to think about reducing the listing price of your home slightly. This can generate interest in your home and may also lead to a sale!

Talk to your realtor. He or she can suggest a good strategy and offer tips to help you sell your home at the best possible price.

If you’d like our free opinion-of-value report of your home, just send us an email with your home address to info@traditionslouisville.com

Frozen Pipe Prevention – How to Keep Your Pipes From Freezing

By Sarah Mundy

The winter months can be a worrying time for landlords. As the temperature starts to dip thoughts of damage caused by weather related flooding in rented properties particularly caused by frozen pipes bursting can all to often become a reality.

Burst pipes can become a big financial burden that could have been avoided if both the tenant and landlord had taken some simple precautions to winter proof the property. Damages can and often do run into the thousands. These expenses can be for things such as pipe repair work, collapsed ceilings, soggy carpets, damaged appliances and arranging alternative accommodation for tenants.

The landlord could prevent the risk of burst pipes and flooding by ensuring all pipes are adequately insulated. As well as preventing heat loss, lagging of hot water pipes and tanks can prevent pipes from freezing. Don’t forget to check that overflow pipes are connected correctly and not blocked. Blockages can result in major build ups which can cause burst pipes. Should the tenant wish to leave the property unoccupied for a period of time, they will be expected to keep the heating on low. This maybe a cause of financial concern for a tenant. If you have done all you can to make the property as energy efficient as possible, the tenant is maybe more inclined to follow these instructions as the heat will be kept in the property.

Improvements you may think about would include better insulation. This will keep the property warm and dry, importantly keeping bills low for the tenant and making the property more attractive to let in the future. Lofts should ideally be insulated to a minimum depth of 270mm to prevent heat loss through the roof. Cavity wall and floor insulation should be installed to keep heat inside. Draft proofing the property is also excellent. This can be done by ensuring all gaps between the skirting boards and floorboards are filled and that the windows are double glazed.

Once the landlord has done all they can to ensure the property is winter proof it is essential to remind the tenants of required precautions to be taken to protect the property from the results of freezing. It can be pointed out to the tenants that these precautions could save them from possible costly damage. In a recent case, where adequate precautions were not taken, there was a resultant damage in excess of �20,000 in a property where pipes had frozen and then burst causing extensive flooding. Over the holiday period, many tenants will wish to go away and visit relatives and friends. Should tenants intend to be away from the property for longer than 24 hours during the winter period (December to April), it would be prudent to ask them to observe some simple precautions. For most properties it will be necessary to:

Keep the central heating on a low or normal setting to maintain a temperature of between 55/60 degrees F and leave the trap door to the roof space open; OR

Turn off the water supply, and shut down and drain any central heating boiler and associated pipework. To do this, you will need to ensure the tenants knows how to turn off the water supply at the main stopcock. They would then need to open all taps, hot and cold, to drain water from roof storage tank and pipes. Circulating water central heating systems will also need to be drained (and refilled on return before re-starting).

Should the worst happen and damage is caused to the property, the issue of who will be liable for the cost of repair will become paramount. Should the landlord try to claim that it was the tenants inactions that caused the pipes to burst, they will need to be able to comprehensively show that they have taken all reasonable steps to ensure the tenant knew their responsibilities and that they had received instructions on how to reasonably carry out the precautions required. For instance the tenant should have been shown where the water stop cock is located and how to turn it off. Be given manuals detailing how the heating system works to enable them to control the temperature. It would also be wise for the tenancy agreement to contain a clause obliging the tenant to ensure the heating is left on in the property during cold weather or if the property is left unoccupied for the prevention of burst pipes. The tenant would have a duty to take reasonable care to safeguard the property from damage. It would also be sensible to give notices to the tenant instructing them what to do if they leave the property unoccupied. It maybe wise to send the notice several weeks prior to the winter months and again at the start of the colder period. The notice could also be sent in more than one format, such as a copy in the post and one via e-mail. This will make it harder for the tenant to claim non receipt should a situation arise.

The landlord would also need to have proof of the condition of the property prior to any damage caused. This should preferably be in the form of a professional inventory and schedule of condition, to include clear photographs. The inventory and schedule of condition should be signed and dated by the tenant as proof that they accept that the inventory records a true relection of the condition of the property and its contents.

A further precaution could be taken in the form of landlords insurance. This would hopefully cover the cost of damages in the event of a claim. Whilst you cannot force a tenant to take out insurance it would be prudent to suggest that they look into this option to protect themselves in the event of a claim.

If a claim is made or should a dispute arise over the cost of damage incurred you will need to keep all invoices for works done to repair the property. It would be wise to obtain more than one quote for any repairs. If items need replacing again like for like quotes should be provided.

Cheltenham Lettings Agent for Flats, Houses and Apartments to rent in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

Visit our web site at http://www.brookeshall.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sarah_Mundy
http://EzineArticles.com/?Frozen-Pipe-Prevention—How-to-Keep-Your-Pipes-From-Freezing&id=8146785