Venice Area Homes Blog

The FBI has verified, on their web site, that there is a "Jury Duty Scam". This is a phone related scam, so if you know anyone who doesn't use the Internet, especially older people, you should make sure they do not become a victim. The caller claims to be a court officer, and then accuses the victim of missing a jury duty appointment. After the victim is sufficiently worried about failing to report for jury duty, the caller then suggests that they verify if they have the correct person. It is at that point that they ask for ss number, birth date, and sometimes even credit information.

The caller works the conversation into a threat of a fine that can be paid over the phone by a credit card. What is amazing is that this has been going on in some form since early 2005! If you have one of these calls, or know someone who has, one thing to do is *69 after you hang up. This will give you the phone number that the call was made from.  Then contact the FBI and report the incident.

You can also use *57 which records the phone call at the phone company as a "call trace". One web site says: "When you activate the Call Trace code (*57) immediately following the harassing call, the caller's phone number is recorded by the phone company."  But *57 doesn't give you the phone number. The phone company has to get an authorization form before the harasser's phone number can be turned over to law enforcement and there may be a fee. Some phone companies charge you each time you use Call Trace and others have a monthly charge for an unlimited number of traces.

If the phone number is blocked, tracing the call may help the FBI or other law enforcement agencies gather enough information to go after the schemers even from the perspective of "Do Not Call" fines and penalties, especially if your phone is on the DNC list. In any case, don't get your identity stolen this way. Tell someone who might be a victim to be careful, too.

Heath Coker, Owner of Cape Group Real Estate
www.CapeGroup.com / capegroup@capegroup.com
508-548-8888  Licensed in MA
Its a beautiful day on Cape Cod!
@CapeGroup

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If you have owned your own home for more than 5 years you MUST read this.

Yesterday the Senate agreed to extend the first time home buyers tax credit AND added to offer a reduced credit to qualified repeat buyers.

IF YOU MISSED OUT ON THE LAST TAX CREDIT, now is the time to act. The current program will end April 30.

For EXISTING HOMEOWNERS, if you have owned your home for more than 5 years, this new program would give you a $6,500 tax credit to repeat buyers. Would this motivate you enought to move?

Tell us what YOU would do with an $8,000 tax credit or the $6,500 one. There are a number of homeowners who we helped get into the current program which expires at the end of November.

If you would like to learn more about how to take advantage of these programs before the go away forever, give us a call/text of email.

Deb & Ray Gravelle
TEAM UP - Moving in the Right Direction
RE/MAX Home Team Realty
(509) 771-9099 or (509) 771-0027
Debra@MoveInMosesLake.com
Free updated listings: www.ServingMosesLake.com                                                                                                                                        

“Cherished Family Memories Reluctantly For Sale To Highest Bidder…
and we do mean high so don’t offend us with a lowball offer.”

I see this ad all the time; in community newspapers and magazines, print, online and in my email. I see it every time I pull up the day’s New Listings in MLS.

You’re kidding…no one would ever run such an ad, would they? Guess again; this is exactly what a seller is saying when s/he decides to ask their real estate agent to “just try it” and put an overpriced home on the market to see if anyone is willing to pay. (Never mind whether or not a lender is willing to lend money to a buyer to overpay for your home but that’s another discussion…)

We all think we are capable of being perfectly objective when it comes to selling our homes. “I know it’s just a house,’ we tell ourselves, “an investment, bricks and mortar, ‘a house’ not a home.” But the problem is that, for you, it is a home.

When you start to ‘de-clutter’ as your agent suggested, you find memories; in the closets, in the attic and under the beds. Memories in your families cherished collections, your children’s school art and your kitchen junk drawer. The pantry holds the ingredients for your loved ones favorite recipes and the walls hold family portraits and local artwork purchased on family vacations and outings.

You start to think about all the good times you’ve had in the kitchen during holidays, family evenings spent in the living room, putting the kids to bed in the bedrooms decorated to reflect their favorite things, the backyard parties with neighbors and friends and the satisfaction of completing a do it yourself project in the garage. You know how much a new family is going to enjoy doing those same things in your beloved home. Someone will appreciate how valuable it is, right? Then there’s the new flooring, the updated bathrooms, the new HVAC system and isn’t your lawn beautiful and well cared for? Surely the next owners will want to keep the custom made draperies that match the Pottery Barn paint in the Dining Room. You’ll leave them; for a price. The washer and dryer are only two years old; a great deal and you’ll throw those in; with the right offer.

Folks, you have long since passed the point of even being capable of objectivity. Loss of objectivity is the first step down the short road to unreasonable pricing. But can’t we just try it? Surely you, my faithful and capable real estate agent, can make them see how valuable all this stuff is? That is your job isn’t it?

My job, dear seller, is to help you understand the realities of the market and to offer up my years of experience to help you prepare your home to appeal to the largest segment of qualified buyers out there and this includes proper pricing. Then I will market it in such a way as to get those buyers through the door so they can see for themselves what a great home you are selling; maybe even get them to imagine all the great memories they can create there so that we can begin to strategically negotiate the selling price. Don’t think for one minute that your offering price is not part of the strategy or the appeal.

Your best buyer may not even get a chance to see your home if their agent tells them it is overpriced. Nobody has the time to be the guinea pig who teachs a seller that their pricing strategy is in need of some serious review. “Make us an offer”, you say, “we’ll be reasonable.” But the buyer has moved on. They are busy preparing an offer on your neighbors’ home. You see your neighbors finally decided that they really want to get on with it, no more trying; they’ve opted for doing. They just dropped their asking price by $20,000 and the buyers can’t wait to get started negotiating for their new home. They’ll be moved in before Christmas and already creating their own memories just about the time you call your agent to say “Let’s price it where you originally suggested…it’s time for us to move on.”

SarahGray Lamm is a licensed, full time, residential real estate Broker in the Raleigh Durham area of North Carolina. She specializes in serving the real estate needs of home sellers and home buyers in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Durham and Northern Chatham County.

With over 60,000 hours of experience in North Carolina real estate, SarahGray is proudly associated with Allen Tate Realtors, the Carolinas largest independent real estate company. With exceptional relationships all over the Carolinas and the U.S., SarahGray is able to connect you with other professionals in all areas who will make your home buying or home selling experience the best you have ever had!

Use of content from the AgentOutlier blog without the express permission of the owner is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Friday's Fotos - Autumn...

Throughout time, Autumn has often been denoted as  a time of change. Whether you are in the autumn of your life, or the seasonal equinox; autumn has several meanings. To me, Autumn is a time when the summer foliage pulls off its mask and the radiant hues burst forth in a  of mix of vibrant and subtitle colors that the masters wished they could capture. Colors that only the Creator's pallet can generate.

Autumn is a disquieting time when the cycles of life and death, intermingle. For all that composes, decomposes. Only to start the cycle of life anew in the spring☺☺☺

  

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