Hello its Barb Schlinker  This video is about how to prepare for your home inspection. Very Soon a team member will be reaching out to you to let you know the buyer will be coming over to do a home inspection. Don’t worry your house does not have to look show ready.  Here is a short list of tips that you can do to make it go well.
1) Most home inspections take about 3 hours.  And buyers and their agents would prefer that you did not attend the  Inspection however it is Your choice. or We will be happy to attend for you  to answer any questions.  Keep in mind in the state of Colorado, there is no licensing or certification requirement to be an inspector.  What this means is they could come up with things that are not valid.
a.These are the typical things they do:
i.Check out, plumbing, electrical, roof, furnace and AC, and all included appliances.  So that means you need to have those systems accessible to them.
ii.The most common items that get identified as “maintenance” are:
1.Clean and Service the Furnace – you can do this ahead of the inspection
2.Clean and Service the Fireplace – you can do this again as well
3.Double tapping – 2 wires into 1 circuit.  You can look at your electrical panel and see if that is an issue in advance
4.Missing outlet covers.
5.Light switches that don’t work
6.Sometimes they may pop circuits and not reset them, so watch out for those things after the inspection
7.Gutters extension
8.Peeling paint or exterior broken fence posts.
9.Old smoke Detectors
10.Carbon monoxide detectors.
iii.They may also check the following things:
1.Septic or Sewer, if you do not have a Sewer clean out, (most older homes would not) I’ve seen inspectors remove toilets to scope the sewer line.  To me this needs to be done with permission
2.They may test or Radon. Radon gas is the natural radiation that eminates from Granite decomposing.  About half the homes in the Colorado Springs are have higher radon levels.  Its up for debate as to whether it’s a health hazard.  The cost for the repair is about $1200.  This is something you can test for in advance.
3.Roof conditions, since we have lots of hail storms here are one of the most common and biggest ticket items.  We can provide some great trusted vendor contacts to check those things out for Free ahead of your inspection to give you peace of mind.
4.Gfci  Those are ground fault circuit interrupter outlets. those are electrical outlets that pop when you put in to high part of a blow dryer. outlets.  Some inspectors will try to impose todays building code on older homes. Don’t worry we will fight for you on these items.
2)Keep in mind the buyer is just trying to make sure the house they are buying is ok.  This is not their time to ask for upgrades etc.
Once the inspection is complete, we wait to hear from the buyer about the things they may request to be repaired.  It is NOT a to-do list. It’s a negotiation.  And that’s where we come in!
Please call us at 719 602 6200.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdhOuJaNakA

Even though Today's real estate market it is considered a “Seller’s Market” meaning there is low inventory, and the average days on market is 26 days, about 1/3 of the homes that do on the market do NOT sell in this current market. 
I’m Barb Schlinker of Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty and I specialize in helping home sellers sell fast and for top dollar. This video is about  Selling your house fast and what to do if your home is not selling.. Before I get started, at the end of this video I’ll be sharing with you how you can get a FREE Special On the 27 Tips to Sell Your Home FAST and for Top Dollar
i.If a home Seller finds themselves in that situation where the home is NOT selling there are things they can do to make it sell.  First analyze the current market.
i.How does it look online – photos
1.Is your Home Property Staged
2.Do the photos look great
ii.How does the home compare to other similarly priced homes
iii.Which homes have gone under contract since their home went on the market.
Why is the Marketing Exposure, especially on the Internet so Important?
2.98% of Home Buyer Search on line before they spend their homes. This a place where your home can be eliminated in less than 6 clicks of a mouse.
3.Take the time to Google your address and see what comes up?
4.Check out how it looks on all the big websites, Zillow, Realtor and Your agent’s site.
5.Does it have a Video – we do walk through videos for all of our listings – Google owns YouTube and likes video.  We have learned special search engine optimization techniques to get your home on Page 1 of Google with our videos.
6.Typically is a buyer likes the home’s pictures they drive by and then many of younger ones will Google it  Does it show up.
a.I’ve had many sellers tell me that when they had their home with another agent and they Googled it, old pictures and old prices show up.  The home does not look like that now.
b.We make sure your home shows up on many websites including Google with all the correct data and the best photos online.
What about the Price of the Home - Does that matter?
1)It does very much. Overpricing can be one of the issues why the house is not selling.
a.Buyers online searches are typically set up to be segmented in $50,000 increments.
b.If you price your home just above the $50,000 increment, your home may not even be seen by the buyers you seek!
Marketing really does matter!
If the home is marketed in the wrong place or in the wrong way it could impact the sale.
3)Recently I listed a home that has a 3 car garage.  But the former agent that listed it and did not sell it showed it as 2 car garage.  That’s a huge issue and it degraded the home’s value by putting the wrong data online.
4)What is being offered with the home that makes it unique?
a.Financing incentives like seller paid closing costs
b.     We had two listings in which part of the home was being rented as an Air BnB commanding as much as $4000 a month in income!  Yet their former agents did not mention that unique and special benefit in their marketing at all!
b.My team offers a proprietary negotiating strategy called a Reverse Offer
i.If a buyer seems to like the home and come back for a second showing
ii.We write an offer from the seller to the buyer...and it works!
c.We offer the buyer a Buy Back Guarantee to give them great confidence they have made the right choice.
1.Our offer is...'Love the Home You Buy or I’ll Buy it Back or Sell it For Free*!'
2.Agent selection really matters and you can find out more about this on my website.  
To find out more about how to sell a House Fast and What to Do if Your House is Not Selling...visit:
http://www.BarbHasTheBuyers.com
To order your Free Report visit:  http://.TipsToSellFast.com or call
with Barb call 719 602 6200.
3. To View video of this episode visit:<

For most people it is uncomfortable for anyone to fire anyone for any reason.  I know it takes a lot of courage to decide to make a change.  But, if the agent you selected is not getting the results or not performing to their agreement, its OK to do this, whether you are still in an agreement or not.

I’ve seen many reasons people change agents, but the biggest two are:
Home Not Selling
This could be a lot of things…Pricing, Photos, Staging, Marketing
Agent not communicating
I had a call from a home seller that said the showings suddenly stopped for the past month.  It turns out the previous agent let his listing expire and it was off the internet!
I had another listing that asked to speak with his agent, scheduled a meeting then the agent decided to go show a buyer some other homes and did not show up for the meeting.  When they called me to help them with their home sale, they told me they relied on what the “AGENT” said and priced the home based on the agent’s advice. 
Not only was the price too high but one of the key benefits of owning that property, that it commanded over $4000 per month in income, was marketed at all anywhere!  Now I have it sold for just that reason!
We value our clients business so much that we offer 6 Satisfaction Guarantees and a Cancellation Guarantee.  We do this because our goal is to help more families buy and sell homes so we can give back to Veterans.
We don’t want to be about just a sale .We want to make a difference in people’s lives and serve them for years to come
Our 6 Satisfaction Guarantees include the following:
2)We want to earn your business and if we make a mistake we will honor it with a discount.
a.Communication Guarantee – update you weekly – we over do this
b.Honest Promises Guarantee – detailed Professional Service Agreement in writing
c.Reality based Selling Price Range – along with our Guaranteed Sale
d.Reality Based timetable – give you realistic time table on everything and when it will sell
e.Honest Presentation of Experience and Track Record – if not we will donate $5000 to your charity.
f.Qualified Buyers Guarantee
i.Sellers are typically shocked to find out many agent show houses to unqualified buyers just to get a chance to meet a potential client.  We call it pop tarting.
ii.We guarantee the buyers we are showing have been pre qualified with a lender and have the ability to buy your home.
So, if you decided to change real estate agents how is that done?
First, the state agreements already have a cancellation clause built in to them, if the seller does not think the agent has performed as promised.
What is odd about those agreements is there is NOTHING in them about all the things the agent will do to sell their home, including marketing.  The agreement is focused on mostly what the Seller MUST and MUST not do.
We offer as an addendum a Professional Service Agreement where we put in writing exactly all the work we will do to get their home sold.
If the Seller wants to make a change, they need to talk to their agent about cancelling their agreement.
I’ve seen some agents make Senior Citizens come in a sign a form that says any agent that showed it, if they come back and buy that home, the first agent is also owed a commission.
I have seen some very angry home sellers at getting pushed into signing those forms.
We would NEVER do that to our clients.
For us, we want clients that are so happy with our services they tell everyone!
If you like this video please click on the Bell to get notification of my latest videos about real estate and subscribe to my channel.  I’d love to read your comments. Thank you for watching!
If you would like to receive your FREE Report on How to Sell your Home Fast and Top Dollar visit: www.TipsToSellFast.com or call 719 602 6200
https://www.you

Why do buyers typically look at 12 or more websites searching for homes?  Because they are afraid of missing out on the perfect home!  According to industry experts… national websites are NOT their best options…including…Zillow & Realtor.com. 
 I’m Barb Schlinker with Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty and we help buyers find the perfect home. At the end of this video I’ll share how home buyers can get insider access to all the homes in their criteria from all the real estate companies, even homes they cannot find online.Here are the 5 worst places to search for homes are:
1. Zillow: Did you know Zillow will not indicate that homes offered for sale - have accepted a contract usually meaning they are highly unlikely to be available for buyers searching.
2. Realtor.com: Both Realtor.com and Zillow have every address in the country on their site yet most are NOT for sale…if you read the fine print.  How does that help buyers!
3 Foreclosure Sites:Most home owners facing foreclosure do not want to speak with anyone.  Although they could represent good deals, most owners in this situation are trying to work it out…all the way until it forecloses.  Homes going through the foreclosure process  do not come available until the note holder (bank that forecloses) re-sells them months later.
4.Experts: Agents who call themselves “Area Experts” are just claiming they know the area because they may have had 1 sale there or they have driven through the area.
2)So What ARE the best sources for home buyers?
1. Multiple Listing Services Sites  show homes that are listed by real estate agents &  they must indicate whether or not the homes are actually for sale.
2.But you can save yourself a lot of time if you meet with a Great Real estate Agent that not only knows the market but will go and FIND you the home.
i.Did you know that as many as 30% of homes sold never go on the MLS. 
ii.Yet, a majority of real estate agents shun the idea of reaching out to people who want to sell there homes like FSBO and Expired listings because they are not trained on how to negotiate their own commission!Talk about missing out on the perfect home!
What would the buyers say if they knew that most agents only give them access to homes they already have access to.  How is that a value to home buyers?
3)When You Become a VIP Buyer with our team here is what your will receive…
1.Insider access to ALL THE HOMES in your criteria from all the real estate companies
2.Access to homes just like you are working directly with the Listing Agent
3.Access to homes NOT online
4.And once we find you a home we will work very hard to GET YOU THE HOME
i.Recently we had a buyer who made 4 offers on one of our listings.  That buyer did not have competition and offered $10,000 over asking price. But the other agent failed to get the buyer because they advised their client NOT to agree to the sellers counter proposal which only specified how the home would be cleaned.  How is that helping a home buyer?  To date no other home like that has gone on the market and some other buyer got that home!
ii.We would never let our own opinions about real estate get in the way of helping the buyer get the home!  But unfortunately these things happens too often because the agent thinks they know best!
4)Here is what we provide our VIP Buyers..
1.Help them find the best financing
2.Recommend great vendors, like inspectors & home warranty companies
3.Help negotiate to get them the best home
4.Tell them what to watch out for when shopping for a home  Most buyer have no idea what things in a home are…normal wear & tear, or a problem that needs to be solved. 
5)To Become a VIP buyer and get access to all the homes in this Hot Market where inventory is low visit:
1.www.BarbHasTheHomes.com 
2. Call me at 719 602 6200

What are the rules when selling a home with a septic system?

• El Paso County and most counties in the area, except Teller county, require the septic system be inspected, brought up to code and cleaned if full prior to sale.
• That requires an application for a Transfer Acceptance Document
• In most cases it runs home sellers between $500-$750 to get that done plus the $55 transfer fee with the counter.
• That assumes all is well with the system.  

What problems could arise with a septic system?

• The most common is the access to the tanks has to have risers on them that go above ground for easy access.
• If the leach field is not working properly, that is when things can get really expensive.
  • Sometimes it is a small repair
  • In most cases it requires an entirely new leach field and here is what has to happen before that...
    • A soils test must be conducted and that takes at least 3-5 weeks
    • If the soil requires and engineered system, the engineering work could take 1-2 months.
    • Once the county gets the application, the county will, at times, put new requirements to upgrading the system causes more expenses.
  • On two occasions in the past several months, I've had home sellers that were required to set aside over $35,000 to repair the septic system at closing..
  • Then when the engineer report came back, the original estimate was doubled, leaving the home seller short with the 1 and 1/2 times the cost they put aside for the repair.
• My advice for home sellers with septic systems is to have it inspected before you put your home on the market.

What about sewer lines, why are they an issue with a home sale?

• Many agents are bringing a sewer scope person with them to the home inspection.
• If the home does not have a sewer clean out, I've seen inspectors pull off toilets and forget to replace the seal.  We have to watch what they are doing, in most cases.
• If the sewer line is fractured or clogged, the may request a repair.  Those repairs could run between $3000 to $10,000
• On two occasions, I have home buyers request a sewer line repair that was located way out in the middle of the street.  I recommended the seller decline those requests and have them contact the city.

Its not a bad idea to ask a contractor to come out and scope the sewer line before you go on the market.  We do not typically see issue with newer homes but often we will in older homes.
To contact Barb Schlinker of Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty Colorado call 719 602 6200.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOCfwGUlvag&t=21s

What to Expect during Closing Day on a House for Sellers

Q.  How should home sellers prepare for closing day on a house?

• ·       Move – most buyers want possession on closing day unless otherwise negotiated
• ·        Inspection Repairs done and receipts provided
• ·        Gather: keys, remotes for garage door openers, mail box keys, garage door keypad code, Security system code, house manuals
• ·        Any special instructions on how systems work is a very nice touch

Q. Who attends the closing?

• ·        Your Agent
• ·        Title Closer – in CO we don’t use attorneys to close typically
• ·        All parties that are on the deed, unless you have a power of attorney for them.
• ·        Buyers and sellers can close together. Sometimes that is good and sometimes not
• ·        We typically set up a time for the seller to sign ahead of the closing & title will prepare an Agent Authorization for me to sign for anything like minor changes that do not affect the contract, eg invoices that come in, last minute things the buyer’s lender requests.

Q. We are here talking with Barb Schlinker of Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty, you can reach Barb at 719 301 3900 or visit www.BarbHasTheBuyers.com.  

 Barb:  What Should a Seller Bring to Closing?

• ·  Photo id that indicates their name is the same as it is on the recorded Deed.
• · Some sellers bring in keys, remotes, etc if they have not left it at the house.
  • Checking account information for all home sellers

Q. What is the Seller has Already moved out of state,do they have to come back?

• ·  No, title can mail out a closing package for the seller to sign and have notarized for the closing

Q. When does the seller receive their funds?

•  This is a table funding state, meaning all money must be there on the day of closing
• ·Title can provide the seller their funds via a check or a wire
•   If they choose a check, many banks will hold on to their funds for as many as 10 days to ensure it clears before releasing the money – especially large amounts
• ·Typically if a wire:  Closing is complete before 2pm, seller will receive that day
•   Closing complete after 2pm, seller will receive the next business day

1)     How much money should a buy have saved up to purchase a home?

a.      There are down payment assistance programs where a buyer can get a grant for their down payment and purchase with only $1000 out of pocket.  However,  they will still need about $300 for an inspection.

b.      For most buyers they will need the following:

•   Earnest Money Deposit – Typically 1% of the Purchase price but it is Negotiable
•  Money for an Inspection – Typically $300, sometimes $500 if they have to check out a well or sewer scope.
• Down Payment – could be anywhere from ZERO to 20% down
•  Loan Closing Costs – Those run about 1-2% of the Loan amount
•  These can be negotiated as a part of the loan as a seller expense
• Buyers can raise the sales price and have seller pay their closing costs, but really it’s the buyer in the form of a price higher than asking price.
• Moving Expenses

     What does an agent do with regard to NEGOTIATIONS?

a. You are an attorney so I know you understand the meaning of Fiduciary.  It means put the needs of their clients ahead of their own.

b.      #5 Things agents should  NEGOTIATE FOR THE BUYERs:

1. Initial contract negotiations

2.  Inspection items

3. Appraisal objections (if any)

c.       Some agents take this word ‘fiduciary” WAY TOO FAR, so much so they try to derail the contract at every step of the way, without regard to whether the buyer wants it or not.

f.        On our team we make sure we first consult with our buyers and what THEY want with regard to negotiations.  We are not trying to TALK THEM OUT OF BUYING THE HOUSE.  

g.      With new construction, we attend the difference phases and meetings the builders set up.  This is one of the largest investments in their lives and we are getting paid to help them make this investment. Its important to our team to support our clients and their needs in every way.

5)     What are some things you find that help buyers through the process?

•  Keep in mind that people are going through a tremendous amount of stress and try to make the process as well planned out and smooth. Eg:
•  Help coordinate getting their funds the right way at closing.  (who is the check made out to) Communicating the purpose of the walk through.
• The final walk through is not a new inspection, the contract says:
  •  Should any Inclusion or service (including utilities and communication services), system, component or fixture of the Property (collectively Service) (e.g., heating or plumbing), fail or be damaged between the date of this Contract and Closing or possession, whichever is earlier, then Seller is liable for the repair or replacement
  •  Walk Through: Buyer, upon reasonable notice, has the right to walk through the Property prior to Closing to verify that the physical condition of the Property and Inclusions complies with this Contract.
•     Give Buyer Information about Transferring Utilities
• Most of all, make the closing a happy occasion, its a huge event for home buyers and very exciting and fun. 

What are some money saving tips for the winter?
Switch out traditional incandescent bulbs for LED bulbs.

• Traditional bulbs cost $180 per bulb for electrical service over the life of the bulb.
• LED bulbs cost $40 per bulb for electrical service over the life of the bulb.
• Savings by switching to LED is about $120 for service

Heating: Changing out the furnace filter monthly in the winter will extend the life of the furnace.
2) Water Heaters - typically last 6-8 years now.

• Tankless water heaters cost 6-8 times more than traditional water heaters.
• When you go on vacation turn down the temperature to 'vacation' settings.

3) Windows and door sealing

• Either hire a handyman to seal the doors and windows or
• FREE Videos on You Tube. Go to You Tube and search DIY (Do it Yourself videos)

4) Winterize the Sprinkler system in the fall

• If not done properly many sprinkler heads and the plumbing associated with the sprinkler systems often have freeze breaks during the winter.

5) Make sure your garden hose is not connected to the hose bibs in the winter.

• Frozen hose bibs are a common source of freeze breaks during the winter months.

How to Anticipate an Appraisal Challenge?

• If you are fortunate enough to receive multiple offers on your home, you should be consulting with you agent about recent similar sales.
• As long as you have at least 1 similar sale you have a great chance of the appraisal price matching your sales price.

What do home sellers want out of their real estate agents?

• Home sellers want a good buyer that pays a fair price and closes on time without too much trouble
• Home sellers want to sell their home in a specific time frame. This take a consultation with a great agent that knows the market and can share with the seller the timeline of what to expect as far as how long it will take to sell their home and when they can expect it to close and they receive the money from the sale.

Are staging services something home sellers want?

• Yes, we find very few sellers are ready for pictures and many need guidance on what to do to get ready to sell.
• We include a professional interior designer that helps home sellers with their existing furniture and artwork to present the home in the best light.
• If the home is vacant we often will virtually stage the home that looks great and it looks real in photos.

What do home sellers want in negotiating the sale?

• Most home sellers want to know that you are fighting to their needs and not just interested in getting to closing.
• The skill of negotiating is one that is often not trained very well in the industry. We train our team every week on negotiating and being an advocate for our sellers.

How do home sellers get in touch with you?  
They can visit our website:  http://www.BarbHasTheBuyers.com or call us at 719 301 3900.

It's time for home seller tips by Barb. Many home sellers will ask me which home improvements will make them the most amount of money when they sell their homes that is inexpensive. I'm Barb Schlinker with Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty Colorado. And I help people sell their homes fast and for top dollar. And at the end of this video I'll be sharing with you how you can get a free report on the 27 Tips to sell your home fast and for top dollar, here are the 3 Top Tips that you should consider that are inexpensive. Number 1, paint. Please paint over all of the dramatic paint colors. Neutral is always best, Number 2, replace those heavy drapes with light sheers or blinds, you know, that actually makes your home look bigger. And the number 3 tip is to consult with a professional. You know, we offer a free, no-obligation consultation as well as a visit with our professional interior designer to give you tips on what to do and what not to do to get your home ready for sale. So as promised to receive your free report on the 27 tips to sell your home fast and for top dollar visit www.TipsToSellFast.com or call me, I'm Barb at (719) 301-1802