The kids have gone to college or are making a living on their own. You have more room than you need in your home. Should you consider finding a smaller home? Here are some considerations before you make that decision.

• Where will you live? – If you are moving to a smaller home in the same area of the city, your tax savings may not change. Property tax rates may be based on the county you live in or the city. Check first to see what if any benefits you will get based on your geographic location.
• How is the housing market? – Right now, it is definitely a buyer’s market. Even if you find a smaller home, you can still enjoy many of the amenities you have now: large kitchen, walk-in closets, porch, and big back yard. Shop around for the most extras for your money.
• Lower mortgage payment – Who wouldn’t enjoy saving money? Check to see what the savings will be each month. If you can find a fixed rate mortgage with a low interest rate that costs you $200 to $300 less a month, you can use that sum for savings or put it towards a vacation.
• Loss of responsibility – This can be a good thing for those who are getting too old to want to mow the grass or worry about the general upkeep of a property, especially if it is large. Consider investing in a condo. Here, your dues go towards general maintenance so you don’t have to deal with it. For some, having one less thing to do is worth it.
• Will it sell? – This is a buyer’s market but you can sell your home and make a profit in many circumstances. Is your home fairly modern? Has it been kept up well? Is it in a good neighborhood? A home with attractive selling points won’t be such an albatross around your neck when and if you make the decision to downsize. Check with a broker first to see what the chances are that they can move your home.
• Lower utility bills – With less space, it will take less energy to heat and cool your home. This is prudent, especially if you have rooms that are not being used anymore because the kids have moved out. This is money you can put in the bank.

Are you looking to downsize your home? The first consideration many have is whether it makes good financial sense to do so. Use the points above to evaluate your position.

Feng Shui is about creating a pleasing and harmonious space that attracts positive energy. This energy or Chi comes in two flavors – good and bad. The goal is to create an environment that maximizes good Chi flow. In order to accomplish this goal, practitioners combine art and science in terms of placement.

Getting back to your house, if it is not selling, there may be an overabundance of bad Chi which is turning off potential buyers. You need to reverse that bad Chi and accentuate the positive Chi. Make sense? Good. Let’s continue.

The first thing you need to do is start on the outside of your home and inspect it close up and from a distance. Get a friend to join you so that both of you can compare notes on overall impressions. Is there anything outside that is a turn-off or may cause potential buyers to shy away? Excessive lawn art, landscaping that has not been weeded or the lack of any landscaping can be quite a turn-off. What you may consider precious in terms of your little lawn gnome may really turn off prospective buyers. Create a clean entrance leading to your home that looks inviting.

Keep in mind that good landscaping can increase curb appeal and the asking price of your home. Therefore, if you did not have landscaping before and you want to install it now in order to make your home more attractive for selling, consult with a professional. You cannot afford to waste your time on a potential mistake.

If you don’t really have a front lawn area to speak of, focus on your entry way to create a welcoming look. A well-lit entrance earns kudos and is a major part of Feng Shui. If your entry way is large, display a lush green plant near the entrance or some fresh flowers to brighten the area. Mirrors are a great idea for any hallways leading from the entrance into the home. Feng Shui mirrors help reflect any rushing energy coming from the outdoors and slow it down. However, you do not want to put a mirror just opposite of the front door as that will just bounce back any energy just entering the home, preventing any positive Chi from circulating.

Part of Feng Shui is about reducing the clutter in your life or what might be perceived as clutter by a prospective home buyer. Remove as many knick-knacks as possible and reduce the personal belongings to a bare minimum. By keeping your home looking as clutter-free as possible, the prospective home buyer can see what “could” be if they were to purchase your home. It’s all about the possibilities that the prospect perceives as they are viewing your home.

Dusting is important as well. Dust everything from the ceiling fan blades to the baseboards. Your home may be all about clean lines and less clutter, but if there are dust bunnies chasing your prospective home buyers around, that could be a big turn-off. The same thing applies to animals as well. Since they shed, you will want to clean up any errant fur and keep Fido or Snowball from meandering through your home when prospects are expected.

The kitchen gadgets and appliances should also be kept to a minimum. Too much stuff out on the counters, even if the kitchen is immaculate, can be distracting and look cluttered. And as most people have discovered about Feng Shui, clutter or the perception of clutter is a big no-no. The same principle applies to the bathrooms as well. Put your curling iron, hair dryer and hot rollers out of sight. Put your toiletries in the medicine cabinets or out of site. Invoke a spa type of feel in the bathroom so that prospective home buyers associate the room with relaxation and pampering.

One last trick is to use aromatherapy in your home in anticipation of prospective home buyers coming to walk through your home. The smell of cinnamon alludes to fresh baked goodies. Peppermint or citrus in a home office or family room appeals to the senses and is fresh and clean. Use vanilla or lavender in the bathrooms and master bedroom to simulate a calm and tranquil space.

By taking care of first impressions like landscaping and the front entrance, you have won half the battle in Feng Shui terms. The most important areas you really need to concentrate on are the master bedroom, bathrooms and kitchen. These are the primary concerns of home buyers. If they perceive that they could relax, eat and sleep well in these rooms, then you just might end up with a sold sign outside your home.

How to sell a timeshare is a question that is coming up quite often these days. One of the reasons is that many people are having financial difficulty during these bad economic times. In addition to that there are many people who bought timeshares thinking they would use it often, but then realize that they don’t have time for it anymore.

The timeshare market has really been hit hard during this economic downturn. Part of the problem was self-inflicted because just like the single family home real estate industry they overbuilt thinking that demand would continue going up and up. The timeshare market, unlike the single family home market is actually a pretty good model, though. Think about it. You build a cookie cutter; big complex … each unit costs relatively little to build as part of a whole … and the builder gets to sell it 100 times over … what a profit!

Now, the buyer has a problem on the flip side when trying to figure out how to sell a timeshare. Again, there are many reasons why a buyer would want to sell. But, the biggest problem is that they’re competing with the builders themselves. In a timeshare resale market, the builder has an advantage because they can discount pretty heavily. If you bought the timeshare at retail prices, say $40,000 for a two week stay, the builder can discount up to 50% and likely still make a profit. Why? Remember they can “sell” the same unit up to 100x or more!

So, how to sell a timeshare is a tough problem for a seller. The first key thing to do is to price your unit correctly. Look at several different resale websites to see how much others are reselling their units for. Keep in mind, even the unit owners are reselling their units. Many owner-sellers don’t want to take a hit in selling, so they keep the price at or around what they bought it for. This is not a good idea. People familiar with the timeshare resale market know where to go for discounted units.

Make sure you know all of the assets that your timeshare has to offer. For example one of the hot selling points for many timeshares is the ability to exchange your unit for “like” units in other parts of the world. How to sell a timeshare using your assets is best described like the following. You should know which exchange program you are in, if any. Check out what amenities you have in your complex. Do you have a pool, concierge or even a grocery store within the complex? And, is your unit deeded or not? Deeded is a big issue for those looking to pass it on to the next generation in perpetuity.

Now, if you’re looking to sell your timeshare quickly, you really should look at all options. There are companies will buy at a fixed price and they pay quickly. There are also companies who allow you to post your unit, but for a fee. Then it’s up to you to list, show, price, etc. But the headache of selling, paperwork, etc. is on you.

Oftentimes, the question of how to sell a timeshare is not as important as when to sell a timeshare. The best time to sell a timeshare is not when you are desperate nor when the market is flooded with timeshares. In either case, you’ll likely be selling a steep discount. Just keep some simple ideas in mind: research the timeshare resale market within your area, price your unit appropriately, perhaps even aggressively if you are in a hurry, look at all the amenities your unit / complex has to offer, and don’t be afraid to sell at a “loss” if you need to.

The St Joseph House Selling Kit has been around since the dawn of house selling. Saint Joseph is known as the patron saint of this industry. I don’t think that this is his official stature in the church, but practically every real estate agent and even home sellers have heard of this him.

One of the reasons St Joseph was chosen as the patron saint for anything related to real estate is because he was a carpenter. According to the stories he made sure that all around him were taken care of and were never wanting for housing.

The tradition of burying a St Joseph statue in the back yard started because during times of economic hardship, people turn to something more spiritual. So, turning to religion makes a lot of sense. And, burying a statue of St Joseph gives great comfort to many homeowners who need to sell, especially during these tough economic times.

There are many types of St Joseph House Selling Kits, including just the statue, some come with manuals, and others too with a few other options. But, probably the best is a simple statue with a little prayer to go along with it.

The best way to use the St Joseph House Selling Kit is to bury the statue upside down near the “For Sale” sign. If that is not possible, bury the statue in the back yard or even in a flower pot. Then say the prayer that was included in the kit.

There are many stories of the success of the St Joseph kit from all around the world. Many sellers don’t necessarily start out believing in the kit, but there have been stories reported in USA Today, local newspapers and many other community articles. One report even stated that the owners had three real estate agents, dropped their price at least three times and waited for over a year to sell. It was not until they buried a St Joseph statue did they finally find success.

There are also stories that St Joseph is supposed to help keep appliances from breaking down. I suppose if you maintain the thought of “anything real estate related”; it would sort of make sense. That certainly would be a great side benefit of honoring this patron saint in this way.

Regardless of whether you believe in a St Joseph House Selling Kit or not, at least one can feel that every idea is well worth the effort. And, for the cost of these items, it’s nowhere near what you end up paying out in other fees. Let’s put it this way, how can it hurt?

During tough economic times there are many reasons why homeowners want to sell a home fast. You may want to sell fast in order to keep from going into foreclosure and maintain your good credit rating. On the other hand, you may also believe that there are upcoming events which will make it difficult for you to stay in your home, for example losing your job, a long-term illness or being furloughed (which is an all too common occurrence right now).

First off, there are plenty of companies out there right now looking for deals. They have already done their homework; know the markets and the values of properties. They’ve also calculated how much they can pay in order to turn a profit. And, the beauty of these companies or individuals is that they pay cash. This means that you don’t have to wait for them to get bank approval. The best thing about these companies is that in order to get started they basically only need to know the property address.

Regardless of what the reasons, in order to sell a home fast, you should keep some basic things in mind. The first thing to consider is any issues with the title on your property. Clear title is probably one of the first things a new buyer or investor is concerned about. For example, if you owe back taxes or there are city or other types of liens on your property, this will surely give new buyers pause for concern. Clearing up liens makes it easier for the new buyer to not worry about paying them after he / she takes over the property.

The next big item to help sell a home fast is to really check out deferred maintenance. Have you taken care of your property? Is the roof in really bad shape or does a toilet need to be repaired? Many sellers who try to get out of a property fast are already in a bad position financially. So, they decide not to put any money into a property to fix it up. Any new buyer or investor will surely consider the cost of fixing a property before they make an offer. Some tricks would be to make simple, cosmetic repairs so at least the property “shows” well.

Who pays for what? There are many fees on a check off list, including title insurance, transfer fees, appraisal and more. Think about which ones you might be able to absorb before putting your house on the market. The reason is simple. The quicker you can make these decisions, the faster you’ll come to an agreement on the sale of your property.

Here’s a unique option to sell a home fast. If you are deep in financial difficulty (this holds true for both homeowners and investors), consider deeding it back to the bank. This is called a “deed in lieu.” It means that you want the bank to take it back (debts and all) in lieu of foreclosing on you. It may not be as fast as you’d want, but it hopefully keeps you from having to worry about finding a buyer.

Price is not always the only factor in trying to sell a home fast. It is just one factor. It is still true that location, location, location is important. However, there are plenty of examples of investors scooping up properties in bad locations, but have tenants in them already. And, if they are Section 8 tenants, it could be a marriage made in heaven. Section 8 is a government backed program that pays you, the landlord, come rain or shine, their portion of the rent.

No matter what your reason for wanting to sell a home fast, there are ways to make the sale go faster and plenty of buyers looking for the right deal. You need to make the decision to “fish or cut bait” as they say. This is often not an easy decision, but once you do, the rest becomes a whole lot easier.