I Need To Sell My House Fast! Out of Town Owner and Vacant homes too! Hollywood FL Pembroke Pines FL Miramar FL

It is very common these days for a homeowner to unexpectedly find themselves needing to sell their home fast. But, where do you start and how should you go about selling your home especially if you have recently said "I need to sell my home fast"? There are all sorts of reasons why someone would need to sell their house fast. You could be behind on payments, facing foreclosure, lost a job, vacant house how you got where you are isn’t particularly important. The important thing is how you should turn your debt into an asset by selling your home fast. By the time you`re thinking "I NEED to sell my house fast", it is probably too late for waiting around for a buyer either by listing with a realtor or "for sale by owner". You need to sell your house as fast as possible but what are your options? In most neighborhoods there are lots of homes are for sale and only a few buyers. Being in competition with all of the other sellers forces you to be creative in finding a way to you’re your house fast. To be successful in selling your house fast in a slow market you just have to be more creative at selling your house for sale. The number of houses being sold is way down, but houses ARE selling. Get your house ready to show inside and out then use a unique marketing message such as an auction that will encourage browsers to make an offer on pronto. Begin my making the outside of the house look clean and well taken care of. "Curb appeal" allows those looking to buy a house to assume that you have taken great care of the house. On the inside, fix all of those repairs that have been on your to do list, de-clutter, and make it nice and tidy. New paint and flooring always make the house cleaner and updated. Use a unique marketing technique such as an auction rather than waiting around for a buyer. Post a sign in your yard, put up road signs, take out ads in papers, and tell everyone you know that you are auctioning off your house. Explain to callers and others that are interested that you holding an open house/auction on Saturday and Sunday. Then let them outbid each other on Sunday night so you will get the highest price and a quick sale. This will encourage lots of people to show up to an open house and compel them to make an offer. A do it yourself auction sale requires time because your phone will ring off the hook and resources but it could sell your house fast. If you need to sell your house fast but aren’t interested or can’t spend the time and resources on prepping your house and hosting an auction you can always sell your house to a professional real estate investor. Not all investors are created equal so be sure to deal with a reputable, respectable and honest company such as www.SellFloridaHouseNow.com. or call 954 247 1353. Article written by John Davidson

Bankruptcy Leaves Many Homeowners and Investors Responsible for Empty Homes Pompano Beach FL Coral Springs FL Coconut Creek FL

If property owners, landlords and real estate investors believe they can file bankruptcy and leave their houses behind without a worry, they should think again. Bankruptcy will not let property owners off the hook for maintenance and other real estate liability. Another client base for real estate servicing businesses, like foreclosure cleaning businesses and lawn care companies, is fast-becoming homeowners like these -- those who have surrendered their houses via bankruptcy, but who have not yet been foreclosed on by their finance companies. Read on to find out more. Consequences for Homeowners and Investors Walking Away after Bankruptcy What are the consequences when a homeowner or landlord walks away after filing bankruptcy? The consequences can be new debt owed in the form of county fines for property neglect, and worse, new liability in the form of law suits if someone gets hurt on the property. The municipalities issuing property violation fines will fine the property owner of record listed with their county office. And until a foreclosure gets the owner's name off the record, the bankruptcy filer will still be on the hook. What Good is Bankruptcy if the Landlord or Homebuyer Still Owns the House after Bankruptcy Discharge A bankruptcy and successful discharge simply means that homeowner is relieved of having to pay the mortgage debt. It does not excuse them from property upkeep, taxes, homeowners' association fees, and similar responsibilities, for the house in question. (For more information, see http://www.foreclosure-cleanup-blog.com/?p=7369.) When the lender, finance company or mortgage company forecloses on the property, the homebuyer will no longer own the home. Client Source for Foreclosure Cleaning Business Owners Another client source for real estate service companies similar to foreclosure cleanup business services and yard and lawn maintenance companies is homebuyers and landlords who have (1) gone through a successfully discharged bankruptcy, but (2) have not gone through a successful foreclosure. Once property owners realize they are still the liable parties, they often move back in and live for free until the lender foreclosures. Or, they rent out their homes to cover property maintenance costs and to prevent vandalism, crime and damage that often occur as a result of a home sitting empty. The homeowners and landlords often seek to hire home maintenance and foreclosure cleaning business services for lawn care, home repair, debris and hauling, and similar foreclosure cleanup duties, to get their homes back in shape for move-in or for the rental market. Written by Cassandra Black. Sell your empty house to me. Call 954 247 1353 or click here

Vacant Homes Under Perform in the Marketplace 954 247 1353 Plantation FL Sunrise FL Davie FL

Any real estate professional will tell you that an occupied home will sell 30-50 percent faster than a vacant house. Additionally, it will command a higher sales price, by 5-6 percent. Vacant homes tend to expose every little imperfection because the eye has no distractions. This can be a significant problem in all but the newest residences. A furnished or staged home appeals to the buyer's imagination. They can see what they would do with a room when given visual cues about its purpose. Also, curb appeal on an empty house can plummet rapidly if the property is not cared for appropriately. There are, of course, times when having an empty house on the market is unavoidable. Vacant Homes Can Be Costly to Maintain There are many ramifications to maintaining a vacant property for sale. Not only will you face dual mortgage payments and taxes, but the premiums on your homeowners insurance for the unoccupied house could well double. To the insurer, the risk profile of an unsupervised residential dwelling escalates dramatically due to the increased chance of vandalism and prolonged damage from malfunctioning home systems like the plumbing. Any leak from a broken pipe is bad, but three days of leakage generally trumps three hours. Consider Hiring a Caretaker One option is to engage the services of a caretaker. There are agencies that supply long-term house sitters for a fee, or sometimes no fee. There are actually people who live their lives as nomadic house sitters, moving from one property to another. They care for the home in exchange for a place to live for a few months. This arrangement allows the owner to avoid issues with tenants who are paying rent and may have an expected length of occupancy. A sitter can usually be out of a home in as little as 10 days after closing, but vacating a renter in a timely fashion is more difficult. Using the services of a paid or unpaid caretaker also resolves the escalated insurance issue and can provide much greater peace of mind for the owner, especially if that person is living in another town or state. Home Staging Can Speed the Sale of an Empty Property If you are not comfortable with the caretaker option, at the very least consider hiring a company to stage the home with furnishings and decor. Most buyers have an astonishingly poor imagination about how a home would look furnished and "lived in." Even minimal furniture and the suggestion of purpose or use for a given room or area can dramatically speed up the sale process. Maintain Curb Appeal at All Costs It is also well worth your while to pay a yard service to keep the grass mowed and the bushes trimmed. Homes located in areas where fire ants and other problem pests are prevalent should be sprayed regularly while they are on the market. No buyer is going to want a property with a visibly entrenched fire ant presence in the yard, plus the insects are attracted to wiring and electrical systems and can cause serious physical damage if left unchecked. It is also extremely important to keep swimming pools at vacant properties clean and well maintained. At one time a pool was a no-brainer in terms of enhancing a property's value. Now, many homeowners see a pool as a pit of added expenses and labor; something they just don't want to fool with. If they're wavering on the edge of that perception and step out in the backyard only to be confronted with a concrete swamp, they will beat a hasty retreat and take their checkbooks with them. Vacant Homes Create a Psychological Disadvantage The longer a home stays on the market, the more desperate the owner becomes to sell. This explains the price discrepancies in vacant houses. Never for a minute think that the prospective buyer, and especially his real estate agent, don't know that. They will, understandably, use that psychological advantage to negotiate a lower price -- especially when the house is obviously empty and has obviously been that way for quite some time. Although it may be unavoidable to put a vacant home on the market, there are things you can do to make it look occupied or to see that it is occupied until it sells. This will lower maintenance costs, especially where insurance is concerned, maintain the home's condition, and insulate the seller against the psychological disadvantage of apparent desperation during price negotiations. Anything spent in keeping the home looking "lived in" will be recouped both in terms of speed of sale and dollar amount received. Written by Darrell Self and Paul M. Marshall. Sell your vacant house. call 954 247 1353 or click here

Abandoned Properties: a New Opportunity 954 247 1353 SellFloridaHouseNow.com Sunrise FL Weston FL Davie FL

The collapsing real estate market is creating some exciting new opportunities in real estate for savvy investors not afraid to capitalize on a new opportunity. When real estate was hot and the market was rising, and interest rates were stable, millions of Americans opted to roll the dice on adjustable-rate mortgages. Now the market has tanked, and so many have lost their bet, rates are resetting and hundreds of thousands of mortgages are in jeopardy. A lot of these property owners have become subprime risks, and as a result are unable to refinance. Facing payments they can't make, some are simply walking away from their properties. This is bad for the homeowner, but for investors it's an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When I mention the phrase "walking away from their property", I literally mean homeowners are abandoning their property. When abandoned property is mentioned, the mental image that comes to mind is typically a dump somewhere in the ghetto, with boarded up windows, and junk strewn about the yard. This is a classic example of an abandoned property, but it's also somewhat antiquated. In 2007, an abandoned property can be a half million dollar home in a very good neighborhood. If the owners can't make payments, rather than face the indignity or the embarrassment of foreclosure, many of them pack their belongings into a U-Haul truck and drive away hoping to avoid the problem altogether. The home owner then mails the keys to the bank. Banks call this "Jingle Mail". As a savvy real estate investor, you can cash in on this opportunity by locating a well-qualified abandoned property, tracking down the owner, and convincing them to sell to you. It's not as difficult as it seems. The best place to locate abandoned property that might fit your investment criteria is in middle or upper middle class neighborhoods. Good signs of abandonment are properties that are obviously vacant, as well as overgrown with weeds or covered with unshoveled snow. These properties may have newspapers piled up on the porch, and may be showing some signs of distress. If you simply drive your target neighborhoods you'll locate possible abandoned properties. You won't know for sure it's been abandoned until you investigate the property a little more closely. A good place to start is with the next-door neighbor. When you approach the neighbor, be certain to point out that you're a real estate investor and that you're possibly interested in purchasing the property. A little questioning at this point will tell you whether the property might be worth your time, as well as your effort, in tracking down the owner and trying to purchase it. While there are a rising number of abandoned properties, it can sometimes be a bit of a challenge locating the owner. These properties lend themselves very well toward creative financing techniques because the owners are extremely distressed from a financial standpoint. In situations where the owner has simply walked away from the property, monthly mortgage payments are coming due like clockwork on the first of every month, and whether they're aware of it or not, the owner is still on the hook. In addition, property taxes and insurance premiums still have to be paid. Long story short, this property is a major headache for the owner. If the owners aren't making their payments, eventually the bank is going to foreclose on the property, and take it back as an REO. If this happens, a major headache for the property owner becomes an Excedrin headache for the bank. Your greatest potential for large profits is before the bank forecloses, so you want to reach the owner before the bank does. Last month I told you about the opportunity abandoned property can represent as a new investment strategy. Knowing that these properties exist is only half the battle, especially if you don't have a clue as to how to go about locating the owner. While the owner's can sometimes be difficult to locate, if you're willing to put on a detective's hat, you can usually locate them fairly easily. Once you have located your target property, take a walk around the yard and look for any clues that may have been left behind by the owner. Many times the yard will become overgrown and you may discover a for-sale sign lying in the yard with a telephone number on it. You might also look in the window next to the front door for legal notices. Another strategy you can use is to speak with the next-door neighbor. Explain to them that you are a real estate investor that is possibly interested in purchasing the property. Ask if they happen to know how you might be able to go about getting hold of the owner. If you have a business card, give it to them, because this can build credibility for you. They may not know how to reach the owner of the property, but a lot of them know much more than they're willing to tell you. By leaving your card you give them a means of reaching you at some point in the future if they discover the whereabouts of the owner, or later learn how to reach them. In addition, if they do know where the owner is, they may not want to tell you for fear of violating a friend's trust. If they have your card, they have ample opportunity to contact the owner of the abandoned property to let them know that someone is trying to reach them. You may wonder why a neighbor might be secretive about the actual location of the owner. It's really simple: if the owner has walked away from their property, they know that the bank will eventually be trying to reach them. Furthermore, they may be experiencing other financial difficulties as well. If this is the case, the neighbor may just be trying to protect them from bill collectors or process servers. In any event, by leaving your card you do make it available for the owner to reach you. If your efforts to reach of the owner through the next-door neighbor or other nearby neighbors don't yield results, you can always venture a trip to the county courthouse for a manual records search. This can be somewhat time-consuming, but when you're done, you will have the name of the owner. With this information in hand there are a couple of other strategies you could implement. The first is to go online to www.reversephonedirectory.com and fill in the information that you do know. It'll cost you a few dollars, but it may very quickly yield results in the form of a telephone number you can use to contact the owner of the abandoned property. If that resource fails to pay dividends, there are other resources online as well. A simple Google search may tell you what you need to know. Another way you can try to reach the owner of the abandoned property is by putting the power of the US Postal Service to work for you. Simply address an envelope to the owner of the abandoned property and mark the front of the envelope "Address Correction Requested". Once you've ensured that you've put your return address on the envelope, mail it. When the Postal Service sees that you're requesting an address correction, they'll send you a postcard with the owner's updated address if they have one on file. These strategies aren't guaranteed to locate the owner of every abandoned property, but they'll usually yield results more than 90% of the time. Once you locate the owner and make contact with them, you can present a creative offer that will not only solve the owner's problem, but will help you to expand the size of your own real estate empire. You can utilize traditional or creative investment strategies at this point. Because the owner has his back against a wall, he's usually willing to entertain any idea that will solve his problem, especially if you can help his problem go away with minimal pain.. Writtten by Copyright (c) 2008 Michel Lautensack If you need to sell your vacant empty abandoned property call 954 247 1353 or click here

How Vacant Homes Hurt My Property Value 954 247 1353 SellFloridaHouseNow.com Weston FL Davie FL Sunrise FL

You may just think of the vacant home as an eyesore, but did you know that it can cause even more problems then just not being nice to look at. In this article we will look at a few ways that vacant homes can hurt you and your neighborhood and some things you can do to counteract the problem. Low Appraisals If you are going to be selling your home you could well be surprised at how much lower your property value is because of the foreclosed property in your area. If you only have a small number of foreclosures in your area the appraiser will be able to compare your home with other homes that are in good standing. Sadly when there are a lot of foreclosures and short sales in your neighborhood the price of those homes will effect the price of your home in a harmful way. Worse yet, if you have a lot of foreclosed and vacant homes you will not only have the problem of lower property value but also the perceived value of the home due to a lower desirability of the entire neighborhood. Also if you find a buyer that is interested in your home they may have a hard time getting a federally secured loan if there are a lot of foreclosures where the current homeowner's have failed to pay HOA fees. You may still have problems even if you are getting your loan without federal funding. Vacant homes invite pests. Uncared for homes become a playground for pests. When the yard is not trimmed or the structure of the home is not maintained, your new neighbors may be termites, mosquitoes, and spiders. Damaged wood can be a nice feeding ground for termites and standing pools of water becomes a breeding ground for all manners of flies and pests. This can spread throughout your own neighborhood costing a fortune in pest control measures. Vacant Homes invite Crime. On top of the pest concerns, vacant homes are prime targets for arson and vandalism. With a higher crime rate in your neighborhood, your homeowner's insurance and homeowner's association fees may increase. Municipal money is wasted. If the pest and crime becomes a very big issue it will also start to cost tax payer money to try to control the problems. This means that money that would otherwise be used for school systems, parks, and other safety measures it will instead have to spend that money to take care of the problems associated with vacant homes. Things You Can Do As we have shown in this article vacant homes can be much more then a simple eyesore to the neighborhood and can actually reduce the value of your home. There are luckily a few things that you can do in order to counteract these problems. The first thing to do is make sure that you let the local authorities know that a house has been abandoned. In some areas there are laws that will require the bank to maintain the home. You can also call the bank yourself and let them know that the house has an overgrown lawn and that no one is living in it. If your neighborhood does not have these types of laws you may want to bring it up to local officials. You can also start a vacant property registration to keep track of contact information on who owns the homes in your area. If you know that a bank is not taking care of their responsibility you might want to consider making a public notice in the local newspaper and some banks will take care of these issues to minimize negative publicity. You could also get with some of your neighbors to take turns mowing the lawn and parking vehicles in front to make the home not look vacant. You can find companies that buy houses that will find the property interesting and be interested in buying the home. Written by Melissa Gifford. Sell your vacant abandoned house to me. 954 247 1353 or click here

Vacant Homes - 5 Tips to Cure the Most Costly Problems of Vacant Houses Ft Lauderdale FL Hollywood FL Sunrise FL

You have transferred across country, your home is on the market but not getting very many showings, weeks go by before anyone visits the property. A potential disaster is waiting to happen. Your vacant home, vacant rental units, unused vacation and second homes are where major problems can easily occur when no one is checking. Here are 5 problems that can be avoided if you or your agent pays attention. 1. Winter Time Disasters - A home that is in areas of freezing weather without being used are sitting ducks for water damage from frozen bursting pipes. Having a plumbing contractor winterize the property is the best solution. They will turn off the water supply drain water from all pipes and flush an antifreeze mixture into the drain traps and lines. If your property will be occasionally used during the winter months turn off the main water supply and set the thermostat to 55 degrees. Burst pipes and water leaks in vacant house can cause 10's of thousands of dollars in damage that your insurance may not pay and they also may drop the policy on a vacant house. 2. Break-ins - Vacant homes are a great place for trouble makers to stay out of the weather. The potential for fires and vandalism is much greater in vacant homes. Last week I was showing a vacant foreclosure to an investor as we entered the front door we heard a lot of noise coming from the back of the house we quickly went back outside just in time to see two people running through the rear yard away from the house. A weekly check of the property to make sure the doors and widows are locked or secured can prevent this from happening. 3. Insects and Critters - Squirrels raccoons and bats can make their way in down through the chimney or in to the attic with no one in the house to disturb them they can cause serious damage to insulation, walls and carpets. These animals can also bring in insects such as fleas. The family dogs and cats can leave fleas. When a family moves out with their dog the flea eggs remain in the carpets and will continue to grow and produce more eggs the fleas can infest the house just waiting for the new tenants or owners to move in. Maintenance programs and quarterly interior and exterior insect treatments will help stop this problem. 4. Overgrown Trees, Grass & Shrubs - Landscaping overgrown, trees, shrubs not trimmed can cause unforeseen problems. Covers up evidence of break-ins, actually attracts crime. Large shrubs can damage the home by holding moisture in the ground and against the walls great for termites. Overgrown landscaping can cause problems with rain gutters and downspouts leaves and sticks just naturally get in gutters. Can cause winter ice problems for the roof and overflowing down the exterior walls or back over into soffits. Not to mention the lost curb appeal for new buyers or tenants. Creating and maintaining good curb appeal will prevent problem your landscape can cause. 5. General Maintenance - more sales and rentals are lost because of the overall lack of maintenance of properties. The costs associated a leaking toilet or dripping faucet can be measured in dollars but the broken window, light bulbs missing or not working dirty kitchen and bathrooms the doors that don't work rotted wood and missing shingles can take thousands from your income or sales price. Contracting with a maintenance company can keep your property in good presentable condition and can put money back in your pocket. Weekly inspections by your agent or a property manager is a must if your home is for sale and vacant. Make arrangements with your agent either to inspect the property of have a maintenance company do the inspection and complete repairs as needed. The most efficient way to operate your vacation rental or second home is to work with a property manager who will do weekly inspections as a normal course of business and make necessary repairs. Written by Bill Carey. Sell your vacant home to me! call 954 247 1353 or click here

Can Bankruptcy Save My House? 954 247 1353 SellFloridaHouseNow.com Southwest Ranches FL Davie FL Weston FL

The filing of bankruptcy activates the automatic stay which prevents all creditors from any action to gather their claim including foreclosure. Can Bankruptcy Save My House? A creditor secured by the house can find relief from the stay to complete the foreclosure if there is danger that the secured claim will become larger than the value of the security during the bankruptcy. Since the creditor's lien is not removed by the bankruptcy, Chapter 7 provides temporary relief from foreclosure, but no lasting solution. If you are among the record number of under pressure families who face increasing mortgage payments on a home where much of the value has already gone, you may be running out of options. Most banks are not eager to renegotiate rates or extend loans, opting instead to foreclose on properties. Can Bankruptcy Save My House? If you are about to lose your home through foreclosure, filing bankruptcy can seem enticing. As soon as you file bankruptcy, your lender will suspend foreclosure proceedings temporarily. Your lender's attorneys will then present the court that your lender has a security interest in your home. The bankruptcy court will likely let your lender to continue foreclosure. Although you may maintain your home for a few months more, the consequences of filing bankruptcy and home foreclosures can cause long term financial suffering. Legal proceedings such as bankruptcy and foreclosure remain on your credit history for ten years. Although it may be possible to get credit within that time, it will likely cost more in interest rates and additional charges. It is possible to qualify for a mortgage loan right after your bankruptcy has been discharged or your property seized, however, the terms are usually so adverse that few borrowers actually obtain one. The rising use of credit reporting and scoring by employers, insurance companies, and other entities can reduce your options if you have a foreclosure and/or bankruptcy on your credit record. We know your house is important to you and your family. We also want you to create good economic decisions. Your bankruptcy lawyer will discuss the costs and benefits of home ownership with you. Your bankruptcy attorney will also help you decide whether it is the best decision for you and your family to try to stay your home. And if this is your choice, your bankruptcy attorney will help you craft the best plan to give you the best chance of winning the battle to save your home from foreclosure. If losing your home is pending then you may be considering bankruptcy as a way to absolve all of your debts and start with a clean slate. However, there are many negative phases to filing for bankruptcy. Any credit cards that are included in your bankruptcy claim will no longer be applicable. Any cars that are in the claim will be retrieved. You will be dispossessed from your home if the mortgage is included. Your credit will be totally ruined and a bankruptcy will remain on your record for ten years that is three years longer than a foreclosure. Therefore bankruptcy should be your very last choice if it is at all avoidable. But you do not need an attorney to file bankruptcy. It could cost you a lot of money. You can always hire a bankruptcy petition preparer to prepare your petition. They only charge less, they are authorized to do it and the end result is the same. by Steve Young. Sell your house to me. Call 954 247 1353 or click here!