Per Curbed SF: Your Kid = Future Landlord?

Monday, June 30, 2008, by Sarah Hromack

Caught this one over at Curbed NYC, via Lost City— Telltale Signs That Your Child Will Grow Up to Be a Landlord : · Complains about the unions that make Lincoln Logs and Legos as being hopelessly corrupt. · Charges 50 cents more for their lemonade than kids at other stands do, due to “rising cooling costs.” · Keeps asking you when you’re going to stop renting and buy a home. · Knows how to use the word “flip” in a sentence. And our favorite reader response: “Those are just telltale signs that you raising a republican.” [Lost City via Curbed]

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I was browsing the internet today and found The Home Staging Cheat Sheet by US News & World Report that was an interview with one of my staging teacher, Barb Schwarz.

Barb listed out 6 points for sellers that can help them in a sluggish market:

1. Get them inside (curb appeal)
2. Pretend you are camping (clutter)
3. Balance hard & soft surfaces
4. Work in Ones or Threes
5. Decide from the doorway
6. Make your place Q-tip Clean

I want to especially highlight #1, 2, and 6. You only have ONE chance to make a great impression for your buyers, and Curb Appeal is very important. You want to give people a great impression that you have been taking care of your house. So if you see paint peeling off your exterior walls or unruly trees, it’s time to do something about it.

Do: Show a nicely maintained exterior. It gives people a great impression that you have been taking care of it and it’s nice to live in. (photo credit notnek)

Don’t: Show a haunted house (it’s only cool 1 day out of 365 days a year). A house that is ill-maintained on the outside gives people a bad feeling and impression when they first see the house. (photo credit mar52laine)

With #2, we are in the business of SELLING REAL ESTATE and that is your square (more…)

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(photo by j@son.)
I read this quote from Bill Lublin’s post (Can Foreclosure Kill?) on Agent Genius and felt very inspired by it.

Isn’t that what we all essentially do for our clients in real estate? We owe it to our customers to give them the best information possible. We be there for them when they are going through hard time, decisions and uncertainties. We are there to answer all their questions and be creative with difficulties.

Real estate can be rough. It can be a dog-eat-dog world. But it’s our job to be there for our clients and do everything we can to make sure they all get their happy endings Right?

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Ah, I just came across this: Home Sizes Shrink with Growing Concerns over the Economy and Energy Costs. There is also a press release released by American Institute of Architects.

From the Press Release:

“The recent weakness in the housing market forces households to be more sensitive to housing affordability concerns. Coupled with rising home energy costs, this encourages many to rethink their overall space needs,” said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “While smaller homes may be a short-term response to economic conditions, there are signs that we may be at the beginning of a longer cycle where house sizes stabilize or even decline.”

Baker continued, “With weak billings, inquiries for new projects and project backlogs, evidence suggests that the conditions in the residential market are not poised to improve anytime soon.”

Inman news disagrees. “But the latest government data on housing characteristics does not support the survey findings, as the average square footage of homes remains (more…)

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One of the groups that I am involved in is pow.wow: networking the power of fabulous women. Next Tuesday, we are having an event on this new and increasingly popular concept of doing business: GREEN.

(photo by Tomatoskin)

But what does it mean to be Green? Do you actually save money? Or it just makes you look good? Another way of marketing?

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I received this workshop notice from my Alumni program, should be an interesting workshop!

Discover Cal’s Spring 2008 Lecture Series

Discover Cal is a lecture series that brings the extraordinary experience of a UC Berkeley education to the extended Cal family. Lectures offer insights into new research and scholarship from Berkeley’s renowned faculty.

“How did the subprime problem become everyone’s problem?”

Join Professor John Quigley and Dr. Cynthia Kroll as they discuss the macro and area specific subprime issues affecting the mortgage industry and consumers alike.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa
Lafayette, CA

Wednesday, May 7, 2008
The Spinnaker
Sausalito, CA

Program for all events:
6 – 7 p.m. Reception with light fare and no-host bar
7 – 8:30 p.m. Lecture and Q & A
REGISTER NOW and learn more at http://discovercal.berkeley.edu

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This year marks the 40-year-anniversary of Fair Housing Month. On April 11, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act to secure the rights of individuals as part of a series of civil rights laws. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing. It’s a very important mark in U.S. history and furthers the civil movements to ensure everyone’s rights are equal and protected. No one shall feel discriminated or mistreated for the colors of their skins.

According to NAR:

The home seller, the home seeker, and the real estate professional all have rights and responsibilities under the law.

For the Home Seller
As a home seller or landlord you have a responsibility and a requirement under the law not to discriminate in the sale, rental and financing of property on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. You cannot instruct the licensed broker or salesperson acting as your agent to convey for you any limitations in the sale or rental because the real estate professional is also bound by law not to discriminate. Under the law, a home seller or landlord cannot establish discriminatory terms or conditions in the purchase or rental; deny that housing is available, or advertise that the property is available only to persons of a certain race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin.

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