There is something to be said about a neat and tidy house when you are sorting through house after house looking for the perfect home for you and your family. This is something that should be kept in mind when selling either a personal home or an investment property. There are a few other things you should keep in mind when it comes to selling real estate. One of those things is that staging sells homes.

Seriously, there is something cold about an empty house. It could be painted impeccably and meet every possible standard a family has and yet feel cold and anything but homey when walking through the home for a real estate tour or inspection. This can be easily overcome by contacting a local furniture rental store and picking out furniture that will match at least the primary rooms of the home in order to make the home appear leaved in and homelike.

The primary rooms that you will want to appear ‘lived in’ are the living room, dining room, master bedroom, and all bathrooms. These are the rooms that essentially sell homes and it is important to make them appear neat, orderly, and well cared for. If you have the funds for every room in the home then by all means do so. It is a huge selling point, particularly for those who are trying to sell homes quickly. If the home doesn’t sell after the first two weeks or month (you decide the time limit) then you may want to remove the ‘staging’ furniture in order to eliminate the expense. I would strongly encourage you to keep this furniture as long as the home is being shown fairly regularly though.

You will want to do so much more than simply putting furniture in the property you are trying to sell. You want to create an atmosphere or warmth and comfort. This means you want to have prints on the walls, mirrors, plants, and pillows. You do not have to purchase items particularly for this process. You can use things from your own home in order to establish this atmosphere of homelike comfort. Be sure not to use sentimental favorites or very valuable pieces, as not all people who will view the property being sold are honest. It’s a sad reality but something to consider all the same.

Other things that may help an empty home sell are scents. There is nothing quite like the smell of cookies in the oven or flowers in bloom to make a home feel ‘homey’. These scents can be easily accomplished with well placed scented candles, potpourri warmers, dry potpourri, fresh-cut flowers, and electric room air fresheners. There are few things that will turn off potential buyers more quickly than an overpowering fragrance however so keep this in mind when selecting the method of fragrance. Having some fragrance in the home also eliminates the problem of an empty house taking on the ‘empty house’ scent that so many do over time. In other words, this is yet another part of the staging process that works for many trying to sell homes.

The short answer to the question of whether or not staging sells real estate is “yes”. Staging a home can absolutely lead to a higher offer and a quicker sell, even in today’s sluggish market.

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Amazon is getting some flack after launching their new cloud player from guess who… The Record Labels! — and Dell said that the
tablet will tank in the business world while Google installs an ultra fast internet connection in Kansas City of all places! Great news for Kansas City home property values. Will somebody tell ATT to flip the switch on there 4G network…. Oh wait. There is no switch!

Listen now:

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EPISODE 1437

NEWS

Amazon faces backlash over music locker service
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/29/us-amazon-idUSTRE72S13H20110329
http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20110329/amazons-cloud-service-is-a-legal-b-illegal-c-probably-here-to-stay/

Dell says
iPad will tank in the business world
http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/30/6374858-dell-exec-says-ipad-will-tank-in-business-world

Microsoft strategy officer casts doubt on tablets
http://blogs.wsj.com/tech-europe/2011/03/30/microsoft-strategy-officer-casts-doubts-on-tablets/
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2038709/microsoft-predicts-demise-tablets

Microsoft Is Said to Plan Mobile Payments in New Phone Software
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-20048718-76.html?tag=cnetRiver

Google Reaches Agreement On FTC’s Accusations Of “Deceptive Privacy Practices” In Buzz Rollout
http://techcrunch.com/2011/03/30/google-reaches-agreement-on-ftcs-accusations-of-deceptive-privacy-practices-in-buzz-rollout/

And the winner of the Google ultra-fast Internet is …
http://mashable.com/2011/03/30/google-fiber-kansas-city/

Nintendo teases next gaming console, says it probably won’t be 3D
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/30/nintendo-teases-next-gaming-console-says-it-probably-wont-be-3/

India to oppose .XXX domain for porn sites
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-03-24/news/29181495_1_new-domain-internet-corporation-websites

Crackle Brings Ad-Supported Movies to Sony TVs, Roku Set-tops
http://gigaom.com/video/crackle-ad-supported-movies/
… Roku now for sale at Best Buy, btw

Crippled Phones Reveal ATT Isn’t Ready for 4G
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/03/att-crippled-4g/#

Verizon’s spring portfolio leaked: DROID Charge, Incredible 2, Galaxy S 2 in tow
http://www.bgr.com/2011/03/30/verizons-spring-portfolio-leaked-droid-charge-incredible-2-galaxy-s-2-in-tow/

Quick Hits

iPad 2 gets wireless 1080p mirroring, fattens up in the process (video)
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/30/ipad-2-gets-wireless-1080p-mirroring-fattens-up-in-the-process/

Verizon to install 100 gigabit network in U.S.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-20048718-76.html

Windows Phone 7 Predicted To Beat
Apple iPhone
http://www.informationweek.com/news/personal-tech/smart-phones/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=229400529

Let There Be Monetization: Android’s In App Billing Is Out to Consumers
http://www.insidemobileapps.com/2011/03/29/android-in-app-billing/

Science News

California Healthcare Provider Wants Illness-Predicting Algorithm
http://science.slashdot.org/story/11/03/30/0340216/California-Healthcare-Provider-Wants-Illness-Predicting-Algorithm

NASA snaps first image from Mercury orbit
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-20048490-76.html

Journey planned to the center of the Earth
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-20048489-76.html#ixzz1I6I0XNXe

Happy Ending

Star Wars Blu-ray release date set for September 16, 2011
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/30/star-wars-blu-ray-release-date-set-for-september-16-2011/#

How fast is the Internet at Google? Mind blowing.
http://thenextweb.com/shareables/2011/03/29/how-fast-is-the-internet-at-google-mind-blowing/

A Snake Escapes the Bronx Zoo and Appears on Twitter

VOICEMAIL

Do I need a license to listen to BOL through my headphones?

EMAILS

Hey Buzz Crew,

As someone who sells phones from multiple carriers, none of which are the iPhone, may I just say this to Molly: THANK YOU! You have no idea how frustrating it is to have people laugh or completely ignore you when you say “”No, but I do have plenty of Android phones, which are just as good if not better than iPhones””. While this has gotten better over the last few years, there are still people who have had so much Kool Aid that the mention of anything else is unthinkable. Even when I showcase all the benefits, get the people to agree with what I’m saying, and then ask “”So, do you think Android might be for you?””, I get the robo-sheep answer “”I don’t care. I want iPhone 4?”. Ok, so that may be a little hyperbolic, but lets just say that that video struck a cord with every single person who sells phones.

Love the showmance!

Travis in Orlando

PS. Don’t sell yourselves short. I know I love it when you guys go off the rails, and I guarantee I’m not alone. It might not make great tech reporting, but it’s a lot of fun to listen to!

—–

BOL crew,

I know you have a lot of overseas listeners like myself so I thought you might want to pass along this experience to your listeners. This is a copy of the email I just sent to Amazon.com’s customer service:

Yesterday I was overjoyed about your cloud drive. I’m a Naval Officer stationed with NATO in Naples, Italy. I then saw your offer to get storage increased to 20 GB with the purchase of an Mp3 album for your store so I bought two albums and listened at my desk in my office through your cloud player all afternoon…great!

Then I went home and uploaded about 1 GB of music from my home computer so I can listen at work through the cloud player.

This morning, I opened up the cloud player to listen to music at my desk and it said, “”Sorry, this product is intended for US Customers only.””

Please refund my money for the two MP3 albums I downloaded to the cloud drive yesterday. They have not been downloaded off the cloud drive.

I wonder if Apple and Google will have the same restrictions.

Keep up the great work!

Tim Smith
Commander, US Navy

—–

Hey BOLers,

Following up on the last email… CNN posted an article about the below patent reform: http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/30/technology/patent_reform/index.htm?iid=RNM Two quotes:

The bills would help to alleviate much of the pressure on the USPTO by allowing the organization to set and keep its own fees. If reform passes, the patent office has suggested that it would raise fees for more complex patents and lower fees for simpler patents. Right now, Congress allocates the office’s annual budget, and also determines what fees it can charge.

Kappos estimates that change would bring in an additional $300 million, which the USPTO could use to staff up and invest in much-needed IT resources.

With that boost, Kappos thinks the USPTO could halve its backlog to 350,000 applications. That’s the ideal inventory level, he said, since it would give each patent examiner enough work to stay busy, but also ensure that most patents get approved within a year of submission.

A more controversial part of both bills would transition U.S. patent law from a “”first to invent”” to a “”first to file”” system. That would give the patent to the first applicant, rather than the first inventor. It’s the standard most of the rest of the world uses, since it prevents inventors from coming out of the woodwork and and laying claim to a patent.

Those in opposition to the bill claim that a first to file system would harm independent inventors. They say it would force inventors to race to the patent office to beat mega corporations — with significantly more legal and RD muscle — to the punch. Currently, inventors are shielded by the first to invent rule, which lets them disclose their inventions to potential investors without the fear that one of them will spill the beans.

But an analysis by the USPTO concluded that of the last 3 million patent filings, only one was from an independent inventor who would have been harmed in that manner if a first to file rule were in place at the time.

By contrast, in that same batch of filings the office found 10 independent investors who filed first but were attacked afterward by large entities claiming to be the first to invent — and all 10 of the big companies won.

Just keeping y’all in the loop. Seems like a very interesting thing to affect the world of tech.

Keep on buzzing!

Mo Vij
(The Boys From Boston)” Obv don’t have to read all of this. Just wanted to point people to the article.

—–

http://bol.cnet.com, 800-616-2638 (CNET), buzz@cnet.com

Follow us on Twitter: @mollywood @brian_tong @stephenbeacham

Scott Bagnall, a township assessor and attorney, is good at listening. It’s his job at the Niles Township Tax Assessor’s Office, one of the 30 such offices around Cook County.

For instance, he listened intently when a resident came into his office a few years ago wondering why he was paying 27 percent more on his home property taxes than his neighbor was on a similar house three doors down on Jarvis Avenue in Lincolnwood. Both homes were assessed at similar values of $124,000 and $127,000, yet the man in Bagnall’s office was looking at an extra $1,200 in taxes.

Bagnall’s answer: It came down to exemptions. The neighbor had applied for and received an exemption for Cook County residents who have occupied their homes for 10 continual years.

Exemptions, which are discounts on your assessed property value, are the only tools to lower your property tax bill once your assessed value has been fixed. Residents can try to lower their assessed value by appealing the number set by the Cook County Assessor’s Office.

Aside from religious, charitable or educational organizations, no business property can qualify for exemptions; instead, they are reserved for homeowners. Unlike Cook County’s decision to be the only county in the state that doesn’t use the same flat tax rate, all Illinois residents can use exemptions.. You can access a list of exemptions from the Illinois Department of Revenue’s website.

How Cook County’s assessment process impacts exemptions

Yet unlike township assessors elsewhere around the state, Cook County’s township assessors cannot determine the value of properties in their own towns. Instead the Cook County Tax Assessor’s Office decides property values for everyone from its seat in downtown Chicago.

The end result, according to Bagnall, is a lot of appeals and exemptions on property value assessments, and lot of complaining at the local level. Decisions for all 1.8 million “parcels” (i.e. pieces of property) in the county are made in the county offices in downtown Chicago, which can be far from the actual property and its reality.

“People come into the township office and complain. Then we help them file for exemptions and appeals,” said Bagnall, who said that the complexity of the system in Cook County is exacerbated by confusing exemptions, of which there are at least nine for homeowners.

“The assessed value of property can be tinkered with through exemptions, which takes it farther away from the actual real estate value of the property,” said Bagnall. This, of course, leads to less tax revenue for local taxing bodies, such as schools, parks and libraries. Check back with Patch tomorrow on how those taxing bodies work to collect as much in taxes as they believe they deserve.

Exemption backlog in the county assessor’s office

According to Maura Kownacki, spokesperson for Cook County Assessor’s Office, about 300 people work for the assessor in various departments. They determine how much your property is worth, taking into account variables like your property’s age, the number of bathrooms in your house, and how much the house across the street costs. On your property tax bill, this is the “property value” of your home or business, or the closest thing to the market value of your property.

Kownacki then explained that the “very big issue right now” for newly elected Assessor Joseph Berrios, her boss, is a change to a tax exemption for seniors. State legislators in Springfield altered the “senior freeze” exemption for Cook County, requiring seniors to reapply every year for the exemption awarded for their age.

“We’re doing our best to get the word out and working closely with state legislators to change the law back,” said Kownacki, who fears the day seniors open up their bills and their eyes go wide.

“The basis of the property tax equation is assessment, but there are a lot of other factors involved,” said Kownacki. “The property tax system has to be reformed,” she said, referring to the many actors involved in determining tax bills, and the backlog in paperwork that ensues with exemptions.

In a December 2010 report on Cook County’s property tax system, The Civic Federation, a non-partisan government research organization, said this about exemptions, as they function with Cook’s “classified” system of taxation: “The current system of Cook County-administered relief creates an additional layer of application paperwork and audit procedures.”

It then went on to suggest a reduction in exemptions and even a change in the system altogether to “end the Cook County exception and make legal assessment levels consistent statewide.”

Paying for the “pie”

Ultimately, these exemptions add up, and this means more of the tax burden for those who do not qualify, or don’t try to qualify, for exemptions. By Cook County’s count for city and suburban properties in the tax year 2009, $26 billion in assessed value was removed from the final tax bills through exemptions. That’s a lot of paperwork and a lot of lost revenue.

But while paper can be recycled, the tax levied to public bodies such as schools or libraries still must be paid, as part of the overall “pie” of tax burden. According to Cook County Assessor’s Office Spokesperson Kownacki, about 60 percent of the tax bill goes to schools, many of which have received referendums from voters for higher taxes.

“The state is not fulfilling its obligation to fund education, and so it’s placed on the shoulders of taxpayers, with higher tax rates,” she said. When your next-door neighbor files for an exemption and contributes less to the overall tax bill for Cook County taxing bodies, less goes into the tax burden pie.

The lesson: Do your homework and file for any exemptions you can. Compare your property value with the people next door, and make sure your assessed value is not more than that of the people across the street for the same-sized house.

“The process to appeal is a lot more transparent than it used to be,” said Kownacki, who has worked at the office for 20 years. To find comparables, the property tax values are all listed online.

And consider stopping by your township tax assessor’s office before your property bill arrives to check on your property’s assessed value.

As Dan Patlak, a Cook County Board of Review Commissioner, put it, “It’s a confusing system, and even if you didn’t like it before, when it is confusing, it brings automatic unhappiness…unless you have someone to help you.”

Manawatu has found its Young Farmer of the Year. He will be one of the seven regional contest winners who will fight it out to be top dog in the grand final. JILL GALLOWAY talked to him at the Hukanui dairy farm he manages.

The Young Farmers finals are not only about brawn, but also about brains.

Cam Brown won prizes when he came top in the regional Young Farmers contest.

Just as importantly, he says, the prizes open the right doors, such as those of landowners, farmers and bank managers.

He was one of eight contesting the Taranaki, Horowhenua, Rangitikei, Manawatu regional final, with the winner going into the grand final, which is televised.

The winner will take home prizes worth $62,000, including a quad bike, cash and fertiliser – and the coveted cloak of knowledge.

Cam Brown and his wife, Anna, are lower-order sharemilkers from Hukanui, which is halfway between Pahiatua and Eketahuna.

Mr Brown took first place in the regional final, in a closely fought contest with the eventual runner-up, James Christensen.

Both Mr Christensen and Mr Brown had been in the regional finals previously. Neither appeared rattled by the constant pressure of the regional final. They went point for point until the final buzzer round.

Mr and Mrs Brown farm 460 milking cows. They have 200 young stock and 50 carry-over cows. It is a self-contained enterprise on the property.

Something of a perfectionist, Mr Brown has good-looking cows. The farm dog, Muess (pronounced Moose) and the pet dog, Sioux, also look great.

The Browns have two full-time workers on the property.

After working for a few months in Palmerston North, entailing 45 minutes travel each way, Mrs Brown has found full-time life on the farm much to her liking, and now works on the property. The couple’s first baby is due in a few months.

The property on which they are variable-order sharemilking is largely flat, but has some hills, which are used to help raise young replacements. The calves are kept in a shed near the dairy.

The owner has the land and the cows, with the farm under the Browns’ management. The couple provide staff and motorbikes, and pay shed expenses.

Their next aim is 50:50 sharemilking, which will probably mean moving.

Mr Brown will soon start to prepare for the Young Farmers contest grand final, which is in Masterton from June 29 to July 2.

“My strong point is the practical tasks,” he says.

He came first in the practicals of the regional final.

“There were modules on forestry, working a digger and laying water pipes, fertiliser, tractors for feeding out, stock judging and animal health.”

A farmer for 10 years, Mr Brown completed a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in business at Massey University and contract fencing.

“The regional finals contest was all day,” he says.

“It started with a breakfast. Then there was a technical challenge for an hour.

“It was in two sections and one was set by the bank and the other part was about understanding the Young Farmers organisation.”

Then there was the practical aspect of seven modules and the head-to-head physical challenge, as well as agri-sports.

Later in the evening, each of the eight contestants had to give a speech.

So it was a hard day. Expect more of the same when it comes to the grand final.

Part of his readiness for that is to talk to previous finalists to get the lay of the land.

Chris Will was the region’s representative last year, and the year before. David Skiffington was runner-up the first time he entered, and won the second year he was in the grand final.

Mr Brown says he will talk to both of them, they and other people being willing to help him.

He says he will need to be mentally and physically fit. The final is over three big days.

It involves presenting a marketing strategy, working through a farm’s financial report, speeches, not to mention the physical modules and head-to-head challenge.

“Probably my weakest area is the technical side.”

He says winning the regional final meant getting some great prizes, worth about $11,000, including the practical prizes.

Contestants can go to the grand final twice only, and the cut-off age is 31.

Usually, the final is a mix of first and second-time contestants.

“The first year David Skiffington went in, he came second. In fact, it was a draw, but they went back to the practical and the other guy won. So I don’t think being a first-timer in the contest necessarily works against you.”

With the final in Masterton, Mr Brown will have a strong group of supporters there. They’ll cheer him on every step of the way.

“I think that aspect of having a good support crew around you means a lot.”

– Manawatu Standard

Sponsored links

There are many questions that should be asked before embarking upon a career of real estate investment. The first and foremost question however should be whether or not you are truly committed to making real estate work for you. This is not a business for the faint of heart. In order to truly turn a profit you must be at times ruthless when dealing with buyers and sellers but ethical to a fault when it comes to the work that must often be done in order to get a property in sellable condition.

The reason a serious commitment is needed in order to make real estate work for you is simple. There will be ups and downs along the way. The stock market experiences rises and falls on a regular basis. Just as you cannot dump all of your stock over one bad day the same holds true even more so in the realm of real estate investing. Property values in general rise gradually over time. This means that even if the values in a community falter chances are that they will eventually recover.

Those who bank on the slow and steady growth in the value are referred to as buy and hold investors. These investors are truly committed to their investment. Some of them elect to hold the property as a vacation property while others opt to earn an income on the property by renting it out to other families or vacationers, whatever their choice may be.

This is a great way for many people to enjoy the luxury of a vacation property without absorbing all of the expenses involved in owning a vacation property as the rentals will help compensate some of the costs when the owners (investors) are not in residence. This is a fairly common practice in high demand tourist areas in which people often enjoy vacationing. These types of investors are what some people refer to as serious real estate investors though all real estate investors need to take their purchases seriously.

Those who own rental properties must also be committed to making their investments work for them. Rental properties are not a ‘hands off’ type of investment, as they will need to be maintained in order to remain in demand by tenants. You must also make constant efforts to keep these properties managed and filled along with remaining certain that you are collecting your rent each month and that the properties aren’t falling into a state of disrepair or abuse by tenants.

Many investors retain the services of property management agencies in order to handle the minutia of month-to-month details and collections. This is a great idea whether you have one lone rental property or a vast portfolio of rental properties. Even better however, is the fact that if you keep your rental properties in reasonable repair throughout the years they can become liquid assets in time. In other words, they may actually pay for themselves a few times over if you invest for the long-term rather than focusing on the moment.

No matter what type of real estate investment you intend to have it is important that you are prepared to make the commitment to profit or profitability that is necessary in order for your venture to be deemed a success.

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