HOW TO SELL YOUR HOME FOR TOP DOLLAR. If you are thinking about selling your house or condo, this is the best time of year to do so. However, a successful home sale requires preparation and planning.
 
 The first step is to get your residence into near “model home” condition. That means cleaning, repairing and painting. But don’t go overboard with renovations. Let your buyers remodel to their taste. Most home improvements rarely bring in as much in additional sales price as they cost.
 
 However, modest-cost cosmetic improvements usually pay off. Profitable examples include fresh paint inside and outside (paint is the most profitable dollar-for-dollar improvement you can make), new light fixtures, new floor coverings (if needed) such as wall-to-wall carpets, and outdoor landscaping spruce-up.
 
 THE BEST WAYS TO DETERMINE YOUR HOME’S MARKET VALUE. Home sales prices depend on recent sales prices of nearby comparable residences within the last few months. A good place to start is on the Internet to determine your home’s approximate market value.
 
 A brand-new Internet Web site that provides free “guesstimates” of home values is www.Zillow.com. When I checked my home, I was amazed to see an aerial photo of my house, including the lot boundaries. The Zillow estimate of my home’s market value was remarkably accurate. However, this remarkable new Web site doesn’t yet cover the entire nation.Another free Internet home-value-estimate Web sites include www.REALTOR.com  This Web site will often refer you to a local realty agent.
 
 After you have had fun with the Internet estimates of your home’s market value, if you are a serious home seller, the best way to obtain a more accurate market value estimate is to interview at least three successful local real estate sales agents.
 
 Even if you are thinking about selling your home alone (known as “FSBO - For Sale By Owner” or “fizzbo”) the agents you interview won’t mind giving you their listing presentations. The reason is they know most “for sale by owners” give up and list with a professional agent within 30 to 60 days.
 
 KEY QUESTIONS TO THE LISTING AGENT YOU INTERVIEW. The reason it is so important to interview your local agents is to understand their sales ability and their CMAs (comparative market analysis) of your home’s market value.
 
 The interview, including the agent’s inspection of your home, should take about an hour. This will be time well spent.
 
 The reason is that the agent should prepare a written CMA showing the agent’s estimate of your home’s market value. The CMA will include recent sales prices of comparable nearby homes, the asking prices of neighborhood homes now listed for sale (your competition), a list of recently expired nearby listings which didn’t sell, and the agent’s estimate of your home’s market value.
 
 In addition to receiving each interviewed agent’s CMA, here is a list of key questions to ask each agent (the best agents anticipate these questions as part of their listing presentations):
 
 1.) What are the names, addresses, and phones of your five most recent home sales listings?
 Before you decide to list with one of the agents interviewed, be sure to phone those recent sellers to ask, “Were you in any way unhappy with your listing agent?” and, “Would you list another home for sale with the same agent?”
 
 2.) How long have you been selling homes in this area? Do you sell real estate full-time? What professional courses and designations have you completed?
 
 Some agents will resent these questions, realizing you are a well-educated home seller. But the best agents will have anticipated these important questions.
 
 Occasionally, you will find a successful part-time agent who comes highly recommended by recent home sellers. Or you might encounter a promising new licensee who has lots of time to devote to selling your home listing.
 
 3.) What is your marketing plan for my home? The best agents will have anticipated this question by providing a written marketing plan as part of their listing presentation.
 
 Each written marketing plan should include at a minimum a) a weekday open house tour for all MLS (multiple listing service) member local agents, b) Internet promotion on the agent’s personal Web site and at www.REALTOR.com  (where 76 percent of today’s home buyers begin their search), c) brochures (ask to see samples of the agent’s past brochures for other listings).
 
 4.) How many listings do you have now? What are their addresses? Do you have an office assistant? What percentage of your listings didn’t sell last year? What day of the week do you take off and who covers for you when you are gone? Are you planning any vacations during the next three months?
 
 If the agent you are considering has too many listings, he or she might not be able to devote enough time to your home sale. Watch out for “numbers agents” who take many listings, have several assistants, but sell a low percentage of their listings. However, consider it a bonus if two agents work as a “team” to handle a large percentage of their listings.
 
 Having an office assistant is another bonus to free the agent’s time for sales while the assistant handles the details such as arranging inspections, appraisals, and sales closings.
 
 5.) What sales commission do you charge for a home like mine?
 
 If the listing commission is competitive, this is not the time to cut the agent’s commission and incentive to get your home sold. Presuming the agent’s references and success record are satisfactory, a sales commission up to 8 percent could be acceptable.
 
 The most important part of the sales commission is the portion that will go to the buyer’s agent. To illustrate, if your home sale listing offers only a 2.5 percent commission to the buyer’s agent, but other local listings offer a 3.5 percent commission, agents representing buyers are likely to show those homes before yours.
 
 Courtney Silverman advertises her listings extensively on http://www.realtor.com/ .  This allows for maximum exposure of your property to the the buyer population. Contact Courtney Silverman with The Keyes Company / Realtors for to understand how she works to get your property sold.
 
 

What you can do?
Review your Escrow Account Statement:
Did your lender or loan servicer:
Forget to pay your taxes? 
Pay your taxes late? 
Charge the late fees/penalties to your escrow account? 
 
If so, complain directly to your lender or loan servicer and ask for a refund of the late fees.  Some questions and answers: 
 
Question 1: What’s the law require? 
Answer: Section 6(g) of RESPA requires loan servicers to pay taxes, insurance and other escrow account charges on time to avoid late fees or penalties. (Section 6(g) is found at: 12 U.S.C. 2605(g).) HUD interprets Section 6 (g) of RESPA to require lenders to pay borrowers’ tax bills on time so long as the homeowners were current in their mortgage payments. If the lender pays the tax bill late and the homeowner is current in making the mortgage payment, HUD would consider the lender responsible for any penalty or late charge, barring any justifiable excuse. 
 
Question 2: If I paid my mortgage on time, why was my lender late in making my tax payment? 
Answer: Mistakes happen for any number of reasons.  Most late payments are due to computer glitches, or may occur when loans are being transferred from one servicer to another or when lenders merge. Most lenders do not routinely pay tax bills late. Many lenders get a computer “tape” from the taxing authority for all borrowers who owe taxes in that jurisdiction and sometimes names and bills are left off the tape by mistake. Some lenders expect homeowners to forward the tax bills and some homeowners may not do so timely. 
 
Question 3: How can I check to see that I haven’t been charged for my lender’s mistake? 
Answer: RESPA requires your lender to send you an Annual Escrow Account Statement. Compare your Annual Escrow Account Statement with your tax bill. If you did not receive a bill from your county, city, or other taxing authority, you can ask the taxing authority what you owed in taxes for the time in question. You will need to check both to make sure that the amount the lender paid from your escrow account matches your tax bill. If the amount the lender paid from your escrow account is more than your tax bill, that difference may be a penalty or late fee. 
 
Question 4: What can I do to get a refund? 
Answer: In a written letter (not a phone call), ask your lender for an explanation and refund if the lender was at fault for paying the tax bill late. Your written letter should be labeled a “qualified written request under Section 6 of RESPA.” You may follow the Sample Complaint to Lender format for complaints. 
 
Please send HUD a copy of your “qualified written request.” That way we can better monitor lenders for compliance with this law. Our address is: 
Office of RESPA and Interstate Land Sales 
Office of Housing, Room 9154 
US Department of Housing and Urban Development # 451
Seventh Street, SW
Washington, DC 20410 
 
Question 5: What can HUD do to help? 
Answer: HUD has started a broad review of the practices of the largest loan servicers in the country. Unfortunately, HUD may not be able to get involved in every dispute that occurs between a homeowner and a loan servicer over escrow charges. By following these instructions, homeowners can help themselves get refunds directly from their lenders. By sending copies of your complaints to HUD, you will help us identify the worst offenders so that we may take appropriate action against companies that are doing the greatest harm.
Find out more about homeowner associations in Weston, FL

Do You Have Enough Insurance Coverage?

Your home consists of more than just your house. Homeowner’s insurance allows you to protect every part of your home. Home insurance coverage is an important purchase. Too little coverage could spell financial ruin for you if disaster strikes. Even if you think your coverage is adequate, it is important to keep in mind that insurers have made major changes to what risks are covered and the costs required to insure against them.

To make sure you have the right home insurance coverage at the right price, shop and compare at least once a year. If you haven’t updated your coverage recently, you could be underinsured. The costs of rebuilding your home typically increase from year to year. The amount of homeowner’s insurance coverage you have now may not cover the cost to rebuild your home at today’s prices.  If you’ve done any remodeling, replaced your roof, bought new furniture or new electronic equipment, you’ll need to update your homeowner’s insurance coverage to cover these additional items. Shop around to make sure the coverage you end up with is the best value for your home insurance dollars-and is the best coverage to protect your home and everything in it. 

The South Florida Water Management District recently gave the city a $1 million boost to upgrade its two oldest water pump stations.  Built in the 1970s, the city’s two pumps are functional but have deteriorated.
 
The South Florida Water Management District oversees the water resources in Florida’s southern half, consisting of 16 counties from Orlando to the Keys.  The District is giving out $26 million for community projects this year.
 
State Representative, Franklin Sands and state Senator Nan Rich worked with the district to help secure funds through the state Legislature for the Bonaventure Development District’s two stations, which control storm water and avoid flooding to that area of Weston.  Weston is the sole recipient in Broward County, according to the water management district.

The Bermuda High, an area of high pressure in the Atlantic, does not extend as far west as it did last year. That means storms likely would be steered around its edge to the north of South Florida.  So far, this pattern has held for eight weeks, and it is common for these type of patterns to go on for two to three months. Everybody here in Weston FL will be grateful for a mild season.  This will stabilize property values.

Concerned about getting hurricane insurance in Weston FL?  The 2006 hurricane season will be a make-it-or-break-it year for homeowners insurance in Florida.  Florida’s building codes have improved to tough standards and have held up to the storms over the last two years.  Florida’s insurance system has been able to pay claims and provide insurance.  But, by the end of 2006, private insurance companies may be on their way out of insuring against hurricanes in Florida. 

Florida’s current insurance model is a mix of private sector insurance companies, state created Citizens Property insurance and a state fund to help insurers pay for catastrophes. The current Florida Market Share By Exposure is as follows: State Farm has 21.1%, Citizens has 13.8%, Allstate has 4.4%, Nationwide has 4.0%, USAA has 3.9%, Atlantic Preferred has 1.9%,Florida Preferred has 2.1%, American Strategic has 1.9%, Liberty Mutual has 2.7% and First Floridian has 1.9%. (Source: Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, Q4 2005)

Private companies have left the market, stopped selling policies or have gone out of business because hurricane losses have made it impossible for many insurers to get reinsurance. With nowhere else to go, Floridians are turning to Citizens.  According to the chairman of Citizens, Bruce Douglas, there will be a growth from 830,000 policies in April 2006 to 1 million by July 1, 2006, making Citizensthe state’s largest insurer. Douglas says “This is the opposite of our goal… …We want to be the smallest and the non-existent. If you want to enjoy the benefits of living in Florida, you’re going to have to pay for the drewbacks - that’s hurricanes. I think 2006 is going to be the watershed or bellwether year,” Douglas says. “It’s very omportant the insurance industry doesn’t get clobbered again in 2006.”

New homeowners in Weston Florida can purchase Citizens insurance from their local insurance agent.