What is Real Estate

Writen by Peter Dobler

Of course you should. I practice this for quite a while and I never looked back. I think this is the perfect combination. You get the best of both worlds. Did you know that 90% of all millionaires made their fortune with real estate and 10% with the internet or the stock market? Well, this doesn't leave any room for the paycheck workers, doesn't it?

I once read a small phrase that totally changed my life "Trading hours for money doesn't bring you any wealth". This powerful phrase stuck with me ever since. Take a moment and think about this. We all do it by being employed by an employer we trade hours for money. How many hours per week can you trade without completely giving up your life? 60, 70 hours max. This doesn't leave much room for a family life or having some fun, doesn't it?

Well, enough of this depressing stuff. Let's talk about something fun. Did you know you can actually make money while you're sleeping? It is called residual income.

With your internet business you want to achieve residual income through selling membership subscriptions to any form of service that charges monthly dues. Typically you will receive your share of this as monthly installments. You do the work once and you get paid over and over again.

With real estate you achieve the same effect with rental properties. Although your involvement in the process is a little bit bigger, but it is still manageable. You have to collect the rent and making sure it is paid on time. On the other hand you have to pay all the bills like mortgage payments, insurance, taxes and sometimes utility bills. Depending on the type of lease agreement you have with the tenants.

This takes care of the residual income part. As a rule of thumb if your residual income covers your living expenses you're on your way to be successful. Now you can start doing the fun part with real estate. Not that there's anything wrong with being a landlord. I personally don't like this part of investing in real estate.

The fun part for me is to work deals with real estate. It could be buying an old property way below market, fix it up and sell it with a profit. Another method in dealing with real estate is called flipping. In this case I simply control the property through a contract and then assign the contract to another buyer. Of course I will collect a fee for my services. I prefer the second method because the least amount of money and work is involved. Fixing up properties can turn into a time and money consuming project.

The point I want to make is that you need to establish some sort of residual income to cover your basic living expenses in order to expand your business.

Of course you can do all of the things mentioned and still working full time. That's what most people are doing. However you have to decide if the extra income is worth the effort. You will need a lot of time to do both investing in real estate and running an internet business.

Visit my home business website and my real estate website to learn about effective systems to leverage both business models without completely giving up your life.

Peter Dobler is a 20+ year veteran in the IT business. He is an active Real Estate Investor and a successful Internet business owner. Learn more about real estate investments at http://www.doblerproperties.com or send a blank email to mailto:suncoastrenttoown@getresponse.com

Writen by Raynor James

It might surprise you, but Wisconsin is home to one of the highest rated and most in demand towns in the United States. More and more people are starting to realize the Dairy Land is a good place to live.

Wisconsin likes to promote itself as America's Dairy Land and it isn't far off. The state has a strong rural, farming influence. This leads to friendly people and communities living at a pace of life you will not find in more stressful states such as New York and California. Wisconsin, however, does hold a gem of a small city within its borders.

Madison is the capital of Wisconsin and home to the University of Wisconsin. A sleepy college town for years, Madison has long offered a great way of life. National publications started noticing it a few years back and it is regularly listed in top 10 rankings for desirable places to live in the United States. The reputation is well earned as Madison manages to have all the amenities of a large city while maintaining a small college town field. Madison gets a big thumbs up from us.

If you prefer living in larger cities, Milwaukee is as big as it gets in Wisconsin. It is located on the shores of Lake Michigan and is roughly 90 miles from Chicago, a city with which it maintain a natural rivalry and love-hate relationship. Over the last few years, the city has undergone major redevelopment and upgrades which is making it an attractive place to live after long periods of stagnation and decline.

The Wisconsin real estate market is vibrant and compares with any in the country. A single-family home in Madison will set you back roughly $160,000 while the same home in Milwaukee will run you roughly $110,000. Appreciation rates are a steady six to seven percent across the state.

All and all, Wisconsin offers a both a good place to raise a family and real estate market you can afford. The Dairy Land has never looked so good!

Raynor James is with the FSBO site - FSBOAmerica.org - homes for sale by owner. Find homes for sale or sell your own home with a free 1 month listing.

Writen by Tracey Meagher

Lying on the edge of Europe facing out to the Atlantic Ocean sits Ireland, one of Europe's smallest countries and often described as 'The Emerald Isle". A beautiful country characterised by vibrant, colourful cities and towns set amidst endless unspoilt green fields, Ireland is now officially the best place in the world to live. Combining increasing wealth with traditional values gives Ireland the conditions most likely to make its people happy, according to the Economist's quality of life assessment for 2005.

Add to this its longstanding reputation for a green and clean environment and Ireland has become a very desirable place to live in. Already 60,000 Americans have claimed a piece of Irish soil as their own, planning to live out their days in the Celtic gem and many of our Europeans neighbours are following suit.

Ireland's desirability comes at a cost. Increasing wealth, resulting from the Celtic Tiger boom years has pushed property prices up to one of the highest levels in Europe. Consequently, property in Ireland is not cheap. A recent International Monetary Fund study revealed that Irish house prices are overvalued by 10-20%. It's almost impossible to find a house in Dublin, the city's capital for under €200,000 and anything that becomes available for less tends to be the size of a shoebox or in typically undesirable locations. Move out to the suburbs and you can expect to pay anything up to €600,000 for a mediocre 1970's style home lacking in any great character or charm. Buying a character home dating between the 1850's and 1950's in Dublin and you can expect to pay anything between €600,000 and €1.5 million. New homes tend to be the cheapest to buy, averaging around €300,000.

The demand is fuelled further by an increasing interest by the Irish themselves in property investment. The uncertainty following 9/11 has led many to see property investment as a more reliable alternative or supplement to the pension fund! One third of all mortgage lending by Irish financial institutions funds people investing in the buy-to-let sector. There is much speculation about how long the investor buzz can be sustained and how much further prices can rise. Will the market collapse or will Ireland become an exclusive property market, similar to Jersey in the Channel Islands, where properties under the €1 million mark are the exception?

All indications suggest that Ireland will continue to sustain growth in the property market. However, the intrepid investor or buyers seeking a new home in Ireland may want to consider carefully how and where to invest in the Irish property market. While rental yeilds have fallen to under three percent, Ireland has experienced the biggest property price increase in the EU, with a 187% increase over the period between 1997 and 2004. Whether rental yeilds recover or not, investors find excellent returns in capital appreciation alone?

So, it may not be possible to buy at the prices that attracted thousands of Americans to the Irish shores in the 80's. It is still possible to find good value property, capable of yielding reasonable rental returns and appreciating steadily over time.

Tracey Meagher owns and maintains PropertyAuthors.com, a website offering free property investment ebooks and articles. A full detailed version of this article is available at the PropertyAuthors website. She also runs many property newsdesks, including Property Newsdesk Central and Eastern Europe and Property Newsdesk Bulgaria

Writen by Donna Robinson

A "subject-to" offer simply means that the buyer is willing to purchase a piece of property "subject-to" some specific circumstance. Usually that circumstance will be the sellers existing mortgage. It can also be a variety of other things. One of the most common "subject-to" clauses in real estate contracts is "subject-to" buyers inspection. But for real estate investors, the most common use of the term "subject-to" is in relation to purchasing a property "subject-to" the sellers existing mortgage. This means that at closing, the property is titled in your name, but the loan is still in the sellers name. Therefore, you are buying the property "subject-to" the sellers existing mortgage payments.

What are the advantages of "subject-to"?

The most common advantage is the idea that you are buying without the need to qualify for a new loan. When you purchase a property "subject-to" the existing mortgage, the seller is basically agreeing to allow you to take possession of their property, and pay their existing mortgage payments. Since you are not qualifying for a new loan, and the existing loan is in the sellers name, it is the sellers credit that is at risk, not yours. This means that you are buying without having to worry about having good credit.

Why would a seller agree to allow you to take over a loan that is in their name?

There is definitely some risk involved for a seller who agrees to sell a property "subject-to" the existing mortgage. For one thing, if the buyer decides to walk away from the deal, or fails to make those mortgage payments, the seller is the one who will suffer. A sellers credit rating could be ruined by a buyer who fails to make the mortgage payments on time. Therefore, most sellers are very reluctant to agree to "subject-to" terms unless they are highly motivated to do so.

Seller motivation is the most common reason a seller will agree to this type of arrangement. There is usually some extreme circumstance or personal issue that is forcing the seller to do something they might not ordinarily do. This is why we often say that you are looking for motivated sellers, rather than houses, especially when it comes to creative financing options.

I once did a "subject-to" deal with a seller who was getting married and moving out of state. She had been trying to sell her property for several months, with no takers. It was in a great area, in a nicer neighborhood, but the house needed some updating and the colors were rather drab inside.

Time was running out. The wedding was only weeks away, and the seller was planning to take up residence with her new husband in his house. Because of this she was motivated to sell the property any way she could.

She accepted our offer to buy her property subject-to the existing mortgage, for two years. That meant that we had two years to get new financing and pay her off. She understood the risk to her credit and was concerned, but we were able to produce references and other documentation that made her feel comfortable doing this deal with us. Had she not been in the position she was in, she likely would never have agreed to accept a sale that would leave the mortgage in her name, so motivation was the primary factor in this deal.

We updated the house, and sold it a few months later to a buyer who was able to qualify for their own mortgage, so the seller got her money about a year and a half earlier than expected. We had planned to lease/option the property to a buyer if necessary, then help them get qualified for a new loan. As it happened, we did not need to do the lease/option to get a buyer. Of course, we did spend some money fixing the property up first. This helped us find a qualified buyer faster than anticipated.

The "subject-to" arrangement allowed the seller to solve her immediate problem. It also allowed us to buy the property without having to qualify for a new loan. Everyone was happy.

Another time, I did a deal with an investor who sold to us "subject-to" an existing mortgage on a multi-unit property. He was motivated to get out from under the payments on this property due to some other financial problems he was having.

When writing "subject-to" offers, you need to get the seller to provide you with a copy of the current mortgage terms. You will want to include these terms in your offer, so that they are spelled out to the letter.

For example: "Offer price $125,000 dollars, subject-to existing mortgage payoff of $95,780, with payments of $789 per month, principal and interest, (the sellers current payment) interest rate 6.5%, for 24 months. After 24 months, buyer will obtain new financing and payoff existing mortgage balance. Buyer also agrees to pay seller $5000 cash at this time".

So we are going to carry this note for up to two years, and when we either sell or get new financing, we will pay off the sellers existing loan, and we will owe the seller an additional $5000 in cash. 24 months is used in this example, but of course, your terms and time frame will vary with each deal.

You can put in any terms you and the seller agree to. It just depends on the situation and the level of seller motivation. Just keep it legal and moral. You can't enforce terms in a contract that are in violation of existing laws, or attempt to circumvent legal procedures that are required by law.

If the sellers payment also includes an amount for taxes and insurance, you would want to specify that too. You want to be sure you clearly document the exact terms of the existing mortgage. You will usually need your own insurance in your name, since you are the title holder of record, even if the mortgage is in the sellers name. Discuss this with your closing attorney to be sure you handle this correctly.

The payment and interest rate are taken directly from the sellers existing loan terms. You are merely documenting them in the offer, so that you are clear on how much you are paying each month. If there are additional arrangements, such as a second mortgage, or other terms you and the seller agree to, you should make sure that they are also clearly documented in the offer.

Writing a good offer is really just a matter of making sure every specific detail of your agreement is stated in terms that are clear. Should you ever wind up in court over contract, a crucial issue will be the clarity of the terms in the agreement.

You may want to have your attorney review the terms of an offer before you and the seller sign it, to insure things are correctly stated. It is pretty basic stuff, but if you need advice, get it BEFORE the seller accepts your offer. Don't risk making a mistake if you are not sure how to word your offer. This article is not intended to be a substitute for legal advice.

As with any deal where you are taking over the payments, you want to be sure that your exit strategy will work with this existing mortgage. For example, if you agree to buy a property subject-to an existing payment of $925 per month, and hold it for rental, be sure the rent will be higher than the payment and expenses. This sounds like a no-brainer, but sometimes people get so caught up in the idea of buying property without having to qualify, that they forget to make sure that the numbers make sense.

If you are paying $925, but the property will only rent for $875, that ain't such a great deal is it? Just because you can buy a property "subject-to" does not mean you should. Make sure the numbers work for the exit strategy you intend to use. If you are going to fix and resell, you should check comps and be sure you can sell for an amount that is higher than the payoff on the existing loan. Don't forget to include all of your anticipated expenses.

You should have at least $10K or more left as profit. Most professionals like to see more than $10K. Some have a minimum $20K profit margin, simply because you can always incur more expenses than expected. Extra profit margin in the deal helps guard against losses.

Your offer price plus all repairs and expenses should not exceed 80% of what you know the property is worth. (Note I did not say what you "think" the property is worth) You must double check and be absolutely as sure as you can be. Pay for an appraisal if you must, but the ARV has to be right. I have suffered the consequences of that myself. It is an easy mistake to make, even when you THINK you know.

Use 80% LTV as a general benchmark to judge your deal numbers. If total cost is above 80% of the after repair value, the deal gets less and less do-able. At 80% of ARV, the cash flow is generally positive and there is enough margin to produce at least a 10K profit. The farther below 80% you can get, the better. This is a good rule of thumb for those who are buying to hold for rental or retail. It gets more difficult to break even if you get too far above 80% of ARV.

Closing a subject-to deal is like closing any other deal. Paperwork will usually include a document that the seller will sign, which will be sent to their mortgage company. It will notify the lender that the seller is now assigning management of this property to "xxx management company". It will also direct the lender to send all correspondence related to this property to the management company address. This may vary in your state. Discuss the details with a competent closing attorney.

There is a long standing argument about whether "subject-to" deals trigger the "due on sale" clause commonly found in virtually all mortgages these days. This due on sale clause says that the lender can call the loan due if they find that the title of the property has changed hands without their knowledge. There are many people on both sides of this argument, but to be honest, this is a change of title without the lenders direct knowledge, and in my opinion, this does give the lender the right to invoke the due on sale clause. If the lender did call the loan due, you would have to be prepared to sell or put other financing in place.

I have knowledge of many such deals, where there was no issue with the due on sale clause. But more recently, I have seen a few lenders taking a harder line and threatening to call some loans in.

If the numbers are good enough, I would do a subject-to deal any time. As long as I have enough equity in the property, I feel that the deal is worth doing. And being able to buy without qualifying is a nice benefit.

Donna Robinson is a real estate investor, author, and consultant located in Atlanta Georgia. You may read more of her articles on her website at http://www.RealEstateInvestorHelp.com or you may contact her by email at drobinson@reihelp.com or call 404 542-9903.

Writen by Pat Hicks

This article is designed to address what I consider the really "big ticket" items that simply cannot be ignored by either buyers or sellers. These are things that, in my opinion, simply must be done to even start the process of putting a house on the market to sell or to initiate the purchase of a home.

For most of us our homes are the biggest asset we will ever have. Increasingly, it is the one asset by which we have accumulated equity or "wealth" of any significance and by which we can borrow against to restructure debt, use as collateral for lines of credit and even draw on for a retirement fund. Consequently, when we purchase or sell our home it is often now much more than just providing for, or changing the roof over our heads.

Throw into the mix the emotional component of the "home is where the heart is" and you have an extremely complex and layered investment. It is rare the individual that sees the rooms of a house only as a structure rather than the nursery they will bring home their first born, the first place they can call their own where they will entertain friends and family, the "nest" where they will begin a marriage, the room where grandmother will have her own space and be close by to care for, the place where a son or daughter will remember a childhood and yes, the place where sometimes people gather around a bedside to say good bye.

When faced with the sometimes daunting, sometimes exhilarating, sometimes scary, sometimes frustrating task of a home purchase or sale it is often helpful to have a plan of action; a set of goals; a blue print (no pun intended) as it were for navigating the process of purchasing or selling a home. To that end, the following attempts to provide knowledge, advice and guidance gathered and compiled from many professionals, with years of experience.

So, let us begin. Some of it may be repetitious to you as you may already be aware of, or have the knowledge of, the information provided. But, taken as a whole, the intent is to provide a complete picture for a fairly wide spectrum of individual experiences that addresses, at some point, an issue or point of view not only relevant to the reader, but valuable to them as well. It is quite possible, actually probable, that just one point, of and by itself from the list provided here will save you thousands of dollars and/or momentous heartache.

Number 4 – Arrange Your Personal Financial Information in Advance

Raise your hand if you have had to qualify for a home loan before. For those who have their hands raised, you already know the drill and how impersonal, probing and detailed it can become. You have found your dream home, you envision holidays, birthdays, weddings, hopes, dreams, family, friends, love and happiness. Then the screech and collision of qualifying for a home loan meets the dream. A little advance preparation will do wonders for getting one ready for the reality of what to face as well as smooth the process for all parties concerned.

The list provided below is what I recommend first time or anytime buyers to prepare in advance of looking for a home and certainly in advance of talking to a mortgage broker. This information combined with your credit scores and reports, puts you in a distinct advantage when discussing loan packages available, requirements necessary to complete a loan package and time savings if critical to the completion of the purchase. In addition, and maybe even most importantly, having prepared all of this in advance creates the accurate perception by your team of professionals representing you, that you are serious about purchasing a home. I will assure you, commissioned professionals get real serious with people that make their jobs easier and don't waste their time.

• Last two years of tax returns.

• Financial statement prepared by an accountant if possible.

• If renting, copy of lease and twelve months of cancelled checks showing rent payments on time.

• Copies of last two months utility bills. • Photocopies of drivers license and social security card.

• The final purchase contract for the house (if applicable).

• If you're self-employed, the mortgage company may require your personal and business tax returns for the previous two years and your company's year-to-date Profit and Loss statement.

• Divorce settlement papers, if applicable.

• Updated account statements for listed assets in the application that may have changed in value.

• Information about debts or credit report items that may have been delinquent or not accurate.

• Evidence of your mortgage payments, such as canceled checks.

• An irrevocable gift letter if you are receiving a monetary gift from a relative.

• Your bank account numbers and the address of your bank branch, along with checking and savings account statements for the previous 2-3 months.

• Last two pay stubs, W2 withholding forms, tax returns for two years, or other proof of employment and income verification.

• Credit card bills for the past few billing periods, or canceled checks for rent or utility bill payments, to show payment history and amount of revolving debt.

• Information on other consumer debt such as car loans, furniture loans, student loans and retail credit cards.

Organize and place all of this information in a three ring binder with labeled dividers. Make three copies, one for your mortgage broker and two additional copies, one for yourself and one extra in case it is needed (which more than likely will happen).

Number 5 – Common Sense Do's and Don'ts For Both Buyers and Sellers

Often, common sense is just not that common. It seems to me, one would want to make the best impression on strangers coming into your home even if they aren't coming to give you thousands of dollars in exchange for it. I guess sometimes life gets us going round and round so fast, we forget the obvious. To that end, the following is a compilation of good sound advice to spruce up your home when putting it on the market. You can use some of it before Aunt Ethel comes over as well.

• If you are buying a house, for goodness sakes don't go out and purchase a car or any other big ticket item right before after applying for a loan. This includes applying for credit cards and making credit card purchases. If you have to buy something on a credit card make sure it is less than 30% of the available credit.

• If you are selling a home do clean it up. Slap a coat of off-white paint on the walls, shine the bathroom fixtures, clean the carpet, replace a cat box so that it doesn't smell, oil the windows and doors so they open easily without creaking, clean the windows, polish the door knobs. Do remove all the appliances and anything else from the kitchen counter to show off the counter space. Do remove all clutter from shelves, closets and store rooms.

• When pricing your house for sale, don't price it too high. Yes, you can always come down but by that time your buyers may have bought something else. Besides, lowering the price significantly signals desperation or that something is keeping this property from selling.

• Do plant some flowers in the front if at all possible or get potted flowering plants to spruce of the front when selling. Make the front door look as fresh and new as possible. If need be, paint the front door, definitely shine up the door hardware, clean the back yard and do anything possible to make the yard look neat and clean like racking leaves and mowing the grass. Put a plush new door mat at the front door. You can always take it with you but it helps give a good first impression. And, put the toilet seat down!

(Due to space limitations, this is an exert from The Top Five Things You Need to Know if You Are Buying or Selling a Home. If you would like the complete article, please go to our site and we will immediately email you a free copy.)

Pat Hicks is the Managing Partner for http://www.Iwantafreecreditreport.com , a web site providing online shopping, reviews of and links to some of the top web based credit reporting sites.

Writen by David McGuire

It's possible. Your first home could be your dream home. But, for most folks, the first home is a starter home. Starter home implies that you are not going to spend the rest of your life in that home. It implies that you plan on selling that home, probably sooner than later, and buying another home. Perhaps, bigger, more expensive, and with a larger back yard. And guess what? You are going to want to sell that starter home for a much as you can. So, where am I leading you, where is this road going?

Let me start with a few overused, but true, expressions. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. One man's trash is another man's treasure. Not everyone has the same taste in decorating as you do. That last one is a real shock, huh!

Neutral is a good thing in starter homes. Neutral doesn't offend a buyer coming through the front door the first time. Neutral doesn't scare a buyer. Neutral doesn't have to be changed because someone else can't stomach it. Neutral sells because it is safe. Let's say buyer x likes blue and buyer y likes yellow and buyer z likes green and your living room is blaze orange with magenta moldings because that's what you like. You might have a "first impression" problem! Now before you protest, read on...

You're about to say that, even though you are not going to live in this starter home forever, you still want it to be you and not 40 shades of white. After all, it is your home. Now, after you move in, you're going to clean up, fix up and, most likely, do some remodeling. These are the things that will make it feel like your home and add to the re-sale value.

But, let's do some common sense compromising. Let's keep all the moldings neutral. Let's also keep the floorings, counter tops, vanities and fixtures neutral. Use restraint, too, if you wallpaper. These are things not easily or inexpensively replaced. Buyers look at that fact. Wall paint is a wild card. It can go either way. Some buyers don't care what color the walls are. They don't mind repainting. Other buyers look at the same walls and see work and/or expense.

We now have a vanilla house. It's time to put your decorator hat on and start to add you to the house. A great place to begin is with window treatments. Not just with the texture, color or pattern, but with the actual design.

The possibilities are almost endless. Neutral walls can be brought to life with paintings, tapestries, or stylistic décor items. You are limited only by your imagination. Proper furniture can add not only color, but a dynamic and a depth from its very design. Neutral bathrooms can come alive with towels and shower treatments that are you! And lastly, lightening can strengthen and accent any room to maximize its overall appeal. Give much attention to lighting. It sells.

See, neutral isn't bad all the time. Your starter house can look like you, feel like you, be you, and also be very appealing to a potential buyer that wants a "move-in" home. Make your house their house and it will sell faster and probably for more money. Everyone wins!

Whether you're looking for Flower Mound, Texas homes for sale or house shopping elsewhere in Dallas / Fort Worth, Dallas Realtor David McGuire can help.

Writen by Jeanette Joy Fisher

Lighting is the most important detail of interior Design Psychology for selling houses. Lighting influences a prospective buyer's feelings within a space more than any other interior design element. Therefore, it's worthwhile to give extra thought to lighting when selling your home.

Consider your selling season and local climate when choosing light bulbs and staging the natural daylight inside your home. Both factors will relate to your overall lighting design plan. Try to envision your final product as either a cooling desert oasis or a warm, sheltering refuge.

Selling Season

Calculate the time you'll need to get your home ready for sale, and then add on a few extra days for unexpected delays. Estimate your selling season, which is the time of year you'll be marketing your home, since this timeframe will establish the basis for your decorating choices and help you plan your lighting scheme.

Natural Day Light and Seasonal Lighting Patterns

Nature's natural daylight influences your selling season; people feel most comfortable in homes where the lighting mimics the natural outdoor setting. But natural daylight also changes the appearance of colors inside your house.

Northern light, mostly cool or downright cold, shines directly into your space for a limited time during the middle of summer. Warm colors, such as red, yellow or orange, counter the coolness of that light, and blues or greens make the room appear even cooler.

On the other hand, Southern light is warm and sunny, so you can get away with darker colors to create feelings of coziness and intimacy. Make south-facing rooms feel summery all year long with sea blues and greens.

Eastern light changes throughout the day. East-facing rooms have sunny mornings and muted mid-days, with no direct afternoon sunlight. Since most buyers preview homes later in the day, use warmer accents to counter the afternoon dreariness.

Western light provides late afternoon and evening sun, and your color choices depend on the selling season. Use neutrals or cool colors in western rooms to suggest relief from the heat, or use warm colors to enhance feelings of escape from the harsh outdoors.

Let the Sun Shine In

Because buyers feel happier in rooms with plenty of natural daylight, pull back all window coverings when you show your home. Closed-up houses feel stagnant and dark, which stifles the buyers' desire to look at your home for any length of time. For summer heat, light-filtering window treatments work better than room-darkening, heavy window dressings.

To enhance natural daylight, add daylight-mimicking light bulbs. Turn on all the lights when showing your home in the winter, and double check the feelings generated by the lighting in the summer. You can add blue or cold white light bulbs for feelings of coolness. Dimmer rooms give buyers feelings of refreshment on hot days.

Because lighting affects the way buyers will feel in your home more than any other design detail, you should consider the lighting in your home carefully before beginning to show it to prospective buyers. A little extra time and effort will net you more money at closing, and will sell your home faster.

(c) Copyright 2004, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars, Joy to the Home, and other books teaches Real Estate Investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports, newsletters, and sales flyer template, see http://www.doghousetodollhousefordollars.com/pages/5/index.htm