Welcome

WELCOME to my blog page! If you have any questions concerning real estate, call me at 573-761-3485, or email me at hankvogt@yahoo.com , or visit my website at http://www.hankshouses.com/ . Thanks for stopping by, and come back often for information, tips, and news concerning the real estate market in Jefferson city!

Friday, June 5, 2009

6 Landscaping Tricks That Buyers Will Love

In today's market, sellers have to work harder to persuade buyers that their property is worth the bite. Landscape designer Michael Glassman has cooked up a recipe for guaranteed curb appeal.

1. Add splashes of color. With every changing season, a landscape should provide a new display of colors, textures, and fragrances. "It’s best to use one or two and repeat them," Glassman says. Example: white iceberg roses that bloom in spring, summer, and fall as a backdrop; in front, a contrasting punch of purple salvia or lavender that will flower at the same time; and as an accent, a crape myrtle tree that provides changing leaf colors in fall and interesting branches come winter.

2. Size trees and shrubs to scale. These should be planted in the right scale for the house so that they don’t block windows, doors, and other architectural features on the home’s facade. A large two-story house can handle a redwood, Chinese pistache, sycamore, or scarlet oak, but a one-story cottage is better paired with a flowering cherry, crabapple, or eastern redbud. Too many trees cast too much shadow and cause potential buyers to worry about maintenance and costs.

3. Maintain a perfect lawn. A velvety green lawn demonstrates tender loving care, so be sure sellers’ homes don’t have brown spots. Some rocks, pebbles, boulders, drought-tolerant plants, and ornamental grasses will generate more kudos, especially in drought areas.

4. Light up the outside. Good illumination allows buyers to see a home at night and adds drama. Sellers should use low-voltage lamps to highlight branches of specimen trees, a front door, walk, and corners of the house. But less is better. The yard shouldn’t resemble an airport runway.

5. Let them hear the water. The sound of water appeals to buyers, and you shouldn’t just reserve this for your backyard. A small fountain accented with rocks provides a pleasant gurgling sound, blocks street noise, and is affordable.

6. Use decorative architectural elements. A new mailbox, planted window boxes, and a low fence wrapped in potato vines add cachet, particularly during winter months when fewer plants blossom. Colors should complement the landscape and home. Just don’t overdo it: Too much can seem like kitschy lawn ornaments.

9 Easy Room Makeovers That Wow Buyers


A home has only one chance to make a first impression on potential buyers, and a poorly designed room can be a quick turnoff. Misplaced furniture, overwhelming paint colors, "busy" accessories, clutter, floral prints, and outdated fixtures are some of the most common problems in staging a home for sale. REALTOR® magazine asked readers to send in stories of how they took action against their home's trouble spots. View before and after photos of room transformations and borrow some ideas for sprucing up your own property here.

Tax Credit Can Be Used on Closing Costs

FHA-approved lenders received the go-ahead to develop bridge-loan products that enable first-time buyers to use the benefits of the federal tax credit upfront, according to eagerly awaited guidance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on so-called home buyer tax credit loans that was released today.

Under the guidance, FHA-approved lenders can develop bridge loans that home buyers can use to help cover their closing costs, buy down their interest rate, or put down more than the minimum 3.5 percent.

The loans can't be used to cover the minimum 3.5 percent, senior HUD officials told reporters on a conference call Friday morning.

Thus, buyers applying for FHA-backed financing with an FHA-approved lender that offers a bridge-loan program can get a bridge loan to bring down the upfront costs of buying a home significantly but would still have to come up with the minimum 3.5 percent downpayment.
Read more here...

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Jefferson City Area Board of Realtors Honor Society


13 local Realtors were awarded Honor Society status at the last General Membership meeting of the Jefferson City Area Board of Realtors. This honor is in recognition of a Realtor's participation in board activities such as, education, civic events, committees, volunteering, and over-all involvement in the board. This is the second year since its inception and I have been given the award both years. Once a member reaches 10 years in the honor society, they become lifetime members.

Jefferson City Realtors raising money for Council for Drug Free Youth


On May 2, 2009, the Jefferson City Area Board of REALTORS, Inc. held the 3rd Annual Cinco de Mayo 5K Run/Walk and 1 Mile Fun Walk. Thanks to the overwhelming support of our contributors and sponsors and the 100 runners and walkers, we raised over $3,012.13 for the Council for Drug Free Youth.
For complete list of sponsors, volunteers, race results and pics, click here

June - Home tip of the Month


Add some color!
Fresh paint in vibrant but neutral tones will give your rooms a clean updated look. Painting is one of the simplest, most cost effective improvements a homeowner can make.