Ask and You Will Receive

You may feel charismatic and expressive in your interactions with others today. You might find that you have an easy time communicating your ideas to others or persuading them to see your point of view regarding other topics. Since your communication style is so relaxed and open, you may want to give some thought to ways you can use this ability to further your goals. You might speak to your supervisor about a promotion at work, or share your thoughts about a business proposal with someone you’d like to partner with. Simply by taking the initiative to be bolder and more confident in your actions today, you might encourage others to embrace your ideas or align their efforts with yours.

By stepping out of our comfort zones and asking for what we want, we invite the universe to open lucrative opportunities for growth and advancement. Many of us hesitate to ask for what we want because we fear hearing the word no. If we pause to consider that our every action sends a clear message to the universe about what we expect, however, we will see the wisdom of being bolder in our actions rather than holding back in hesitation. By stepping forward with bold confidence and asking for what we want, the universe will respond by creating more opportunities for us to achieve. If you combine your expressive communication abilities with the willingness to be bold with your actions today, you can attract limitless opportunities to advance your goals.

Anthony Crecco
   The Crecco Companies
   www.CreccoRealEstate.com
   www.CreccoBordonaro.com

Posted via email from WESTCHESTER COUNTY DISTRESSED PROPERTY INFORMATION

HOW TO SELL A HOUSE THAT DIDN'T SELL

If your home has just come off the market and hasn't sold, don't be discouraged.  The reason it didn't sell may have nothing to do with your home or the market.  In reality, your home may have been one of the more desirable properties for sale. If your listing has expired and you still want results, before you put your home back on the market, take a step back and review your situation.

Q. Where should I begin?

A. Start by making a commitment to do what it takes to market your house to get it sold. With the right system, the home sale you want is still well within reach.

Q. Why didn't my home sell?

A. Review your previous selling plan and you'll discover that an expired listing usually reflects a problem in one or more of these four major areas:

1. Teamwork,

2. Pricing,

3. Condition of Your Home, and

4. Marketing.

4 IMPORTANT POINTS THAT WILL GET YOUR HOUSE SOLD

1. Teamwork.

Your home is a major financial investment, and your relationship with your Realtor® should be a full partnership where your needs and wishes are heard, and you receive detailed and dependable feedback on the progress of your sale.  Your agent has a responsibility to source this feedback from the agents who have shown your home, and to communicate this to you so together you can make the right decisions about what to do next.  How well did this occur the last time you had your home up for sale?

2. Pricing - Did price work for or against you?

The "right" price depends on market conditions, competition and the condition of your home. Pricing it too high is as dangerous as pricing it too low. If your home doesn't compare favorably with others in the price range you've set, you won't be taken seriously by prospects or agents.

You'll get the facts when you see the statistics!  To help you to establish a realistic selling price for your home, ask your agent to provide you with an up-to-date competitive market analysis to give you:

* a review of comparable homes recently sold or currently for

  sale,

* an idea of how long other homes have been listed, in order to

  calculate an average time in which a home can sell in today's

  market,

* a review of homes whose listings have expired, to understand

  what issues were at play.

Note:  There is no mention of how much you paid for your home or its improvements.  Like any other investment, the market value is determined by what a willing buyer will pay and a willing seller will accept.

3. Condition of Your Home - Show Case Quality!

Is your house someone else's idea of a dream home?  When buyers enter are they inspired?  Do they think, "I love this house!"

Remember, the decision to buy a home is based on emotion, not logic.

A house in move-in condition invites a sale.  You need to

consider:

*  fixing all the little squeaks and cracks

*  keeping it clean for all showings

*  making it uncluttered

*  brightening it up

*  what your home shows like from the street (concentrating on outside curb appeal)

Plus - Consider taking care of major items, such having your home painted. Offering an allowance to your prospective buyers, so they can have painting completed is not the same as having done it for them. Now, as they're trying to imagine what that new paint job will look like, they may also be discounting the price even further because of the less-than-perfect look of those walls.

Remember... A house that presents well, sells for the best price because it outshines the competition.  Ask your agent if they can arrange a no-obligation inspection of your home to help you assess the above.

4. Marketing Your Home To Sell!

One of the first steps in your marketing plan involves finding an agent who will best represent you.  When interviewing agents, test and compare their knowledge and ask each to demonstrate how they will market your home to buyers. Compare, too, how much money each spends on advertising the homes s/he lists, in what media (newspaper, magazine, etc.) and the effectiveness of one medium over the other.  Remember, it's not just how much they spend, but how they spend it.

Say goodbye to any real estate agents using old, traditional methods to sell your home because they don't work in today's market!  To be competitive in today's marketplace, agents who use new and innovative, non-traditional marketing approaches are the ones who are getting more homes sold fast and for top dollar.

EVERY SELLER CAN BOOST A PROPERTY'S EXPOSURE!

1. Make your house easy to show.

* Consider installing a lock box.

* Allow showing times that are convenient to buyers.

2. Use a "For Sale" sign, where permitted.

3. Create a Good First Impression by:

* depersonalizing furnishings and decor so prospects can

  visualize themselves in your home;

* emphasizing curb appeal;

* keeping large pets at a distance.

REMEMBER -  The next prospects who visit your home may be your buyers - be ready for them!

GET THE BEST RESULTS

To get the best results when selling your home, you need to team up with your agent to develop a powerful marketing plan that exposes your property to the widest possible pool of prospective buyers.

Not all agents are the same. The relationship between you and your agent can make the difference between selling your home fast, or not selling it all.

BUYERS ARE OUT THERE - AND THEY WILL COME!

Before you put your home back on the market, remember:

1. Effective communication is vital between you and your agent.

2. Price your home according to market conditions, competition

   and the condition of your house.

3. Be sure your house is in showcase, buyer ready-condition.

4. Have an innovative marketing plan firmly set in place.

 

THE CRECCO COMPANIES

Real Estate  Remodeling  Social Media

Anthony J Crecco

Short Sale and Loan Modification Expert

Thornwood NY  10594

914.449.6547

www.CreccoRealEstate.com

www.WestchesterCountyHomeNews.com

www.GetLoanModNow.com

www.InvestorSolutionsGroup.com

Your Home Sold Guaranteed or I will Buy it for Cash

SEARCH THE MLS LIKE AN AGENT

www.westchesterhomesearch.listingbook.com

 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/anthonycrecco

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/anthonycrecco

ActiveRain: http://activerain.com/blogs/ajc9761

You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/anthonycrecco

Posted via email from WESTCHESTER COUNTY DISTRESSED PROPERTY INFORMATION

Government Modification Program Has Helped 20 Percent of Eligible Borrowers

The Obama administration’s mortgage relief programs are beginning to pick up steam. After being widely criticized for its slow start, the modification portion of the Making Home Affordable program has now reached 20 percent of eligible homeowners, officials said Tuesday.

According to the Treasury’s monthly status report for the program, 650,994 active trial and permanent modifications are now underway. Another 268,971 offers for trial mod periods have been extended to troubled homeowners.

“The program is having a pronounced impact in areas particularly hard hit by the housing crisis,” Treasury Assistant Secretary Michael S. Barr said in a statement to the press. “We’re reaching borrowers at a larger scale than any other modification program to date, but there is still much more work to be done.”

Seventy-one servicers have signed agreements to modify loans under the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). In addition, roughly 2,300 lenders service loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, and are automatically able to participate in HAMP.

Saxon Mortgage Services and CitiMortgage lead the way in terms of the percentage of eligible loans with trial modifications started. Saxon has initiated trial mods on 35,027 mortgages – that’s 44 percent of its eligible loans. Citi has 88,968 trial mods on course, or 40 percent of its eligible home loans.

When you add up the number of active trial mods for each servicer, Bank of America takes the top spot with 136,994 modifications in the trial phase, but that equals only 14 percent of the lender’s eligible loans. J.P Morgan Chase runs a close second in terms of the total tally with 133,988, or 32 percent of its eligible mortgages. Wells Fargo ranks third, having initiated 93,652 trial mods on 29 percent of those eligible.

Tuesday’s MHA status report included a new data breakdown of state-specific trial modification numbers. Homeowners in the foreclosure-ravaged states of California and Florida have received the highest level of assistance under the government program.

Over 134,609 troubled borrowers in California are now in the modification trial phase. In Florida, 82,614 trial modifications are underway.

In July, the administration challenged servicers to ramp up the pace of modifications by mandating a minimum of 500,000 trial mods by November 1. Treasury’s latest report shows the industry has surpassed that goal by more than 150,000 by the November target.

Faith Schwartz, executive director of HOPE NOW, praised mortgage servicers for their “unprecedented efforts” to keep people in their homes. According to Schwartz, since the beginning of 2009, servicers have also offered additional workout solutions through repayment plans and modifications to over 2.3 million homeowners.

 

THE CRECCO COMPANIES

Real Estate  Remodeling  Social Media

Anthony J Crecco

Short Sale and Loan Modification Expert

Thornwood NY  10594

914.449.6547

www.CreccoRealEstate.com

www.WestchesterCountyHomeNews.com

www.GetLoanModNow.com

www.InvestorSolutionsGroup.com

Your Home Sold Guaranteed or I will Buy it for Cash

SEARCH THE MLS LIKE AN AGENT

www.westchesterhomesearch.listingbook.com

Posted via email from WESTCHESTER COUNTY DISTRESSED PROPERTY INFORMATION

Last Week in the News

The Institute for Supply Management reported the monthly index of manufacturing activity rose to 55.7 in October from 52.6 in September. It was the highest reading since April 2006 and well above the economic forecast of 53. A reading above 50 signals expansion.

The Commerce Department reported total construction spending rose 0.8% in September. Economists had expected a decrease of 0.2%. Private residential activity rose 3.9%, posting its best showing since July 2003.

The National Association of Realtors reported that its pending home sales index, a forward-looking indicator based on signed contracts, rose 6.1% to 110.1 in September, following a 6.4% increase in August. It was the eighth consecutive monthly increase and the highest reading since December 2006.

The Commerce Department reported factory orders rose 0.9% in September. The report reflected increased demand for both durable goods and non-durable goods. Bookings for heavy machinery jumped 7.9%, the largest gain since March 2008.

The U.S. non-manufacturing sector grew for a second consecutive month in October. The Institute for Supply Management reported the monthly index of non-manufacturing activity was 50.6 in October, slightly down from 50.9 in September. A reading above 50 signals expansion.

The Labor Department said that productivity jumped at an annual rate of 9.5% in the third quarter of 2009. The increase was the biggest quarterly gain since a 9.7% increase in the third quarter of 2003.

Initial claims for unemployment benefits fell by 20,000 to 512,000 in the week ending October 31. The figure was lower than the 523,000 that economists had forecast. Continuing claims for the week ending October 24 fell by 68,000 to 5.75 million.

Upcoming on the economic calendar are reports on international trade and consumer sentiment on November 13.

 

THE CRECCO COMPANIES

Real Estate  Remodeling  Social Media

Anthony J Crecco

Short Sale and Loan Modification Expert

Thornwood NY  10594

914.449.6547

 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/anthonycrecco

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/anthonycrecco

ActiveRain: http://activerain.com/blogs/ajc9761

You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/anthonycrecco

Posted via email from WESTCHESTER COUNTY DISTRESSED PROPERTY INFORMATION

Overcoming Common Foreclosure Fears

As foreclosure numbers continue to rise, you might be one of the many homeowners worried about losing your home. The truth is, foreclosure can be prevented, however, most homeowners are too confused or afraid to confront their mortgage problems and, therefore, neglect taking the necessary steps to potentially save their homes. As a member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, I have helped put many financially-challenged clients on the path toward avoiding foreclosure. The first and biggest step is always overcoming their fears.

Here are six of the most common foreclosure fears the Consumer Credit Counseling Service (www.cccsinc.org) encounters, along with the steps homeowners can take to overcome them and start taking action to save their homes.

Fear: Homeowners are afraid to let the mortgage company know they are having a problem because they think it will speed up the foreclosure process.

Contacting your lender must be the first step as it gives you a chance to explain why you have fallen behind on your payments and what steps you are taking to get back on track. Most lenders have a financial interest in keeping you in your home and may be willing to alter the terms of your loan or devise a repayment plan.

Fear: Homeowners believe that if their mortgage company has already turned them down for a loan modification, there is no point in contacting a counseling agency.

Many homeowners are turned down for a loan modification because the information they provide to their lender indicates that their expenses exceed their income or that they have not provided accurate documentation and information about their loan. A housing counselor may be able to suggest alternatives that better suit your current financial situation or help you make adjustments that make you a better candidate for a loan modification with your lender.

Fear: Homeowners fear being judged by others for seeking help.

These are challenging financial times. While it may feel like you are the only one struggling, the reality is that many of your friends and neighbors are also finding it difficult to stay afloat.

Fear: Homeowners think it is better to use all of their financial resources before seeking help.

Many homeowners try to ride out the financial storm, using their savings and depleting their retirement accounts before seeking help. By the time they do seek help, they are in an even more desperate financial situation and they have spent the resources that may have given them more options in dealing with their mortgage crisis.

Fear: Homeowners facing foreclosure fear that their situation is hopeless.

While for some, seeking help may mean saving their home, it is inevitable that some homeowners will end up in foreclosure. A certified housing counselor or real estate professional can help homeowners work through the foreclosure and build a new path for long-term financial success.

Fear: Companies claiming they can save your home charge large, up-front fees.

You can receive counseling from a reputable, nonprofit housing counseling agency at no charge. While there are unscrupulous businesses looking to take advantage of homeowners, there are also many HUD-approved housing counseling agencies that offer help for struggling consumers.

Please don’t let fear stand in the way of saving your home. Feel free to e-mail me
Anthony Crecco
   The Crecco Companies
   www.CreccoRealEstate.com
   www.CreccoBordonaro.com

Posted via email from WESTCHESTER COUNTY DISTRESSED PROPERTY INFORMATION

Stretching Wider

You may feel proud about receiving recognition for your work today, and this could give you an extra dose of confidence regarding your accomplishments. A great way to make the most of your confidence is to think about ways you might strive for bigger and better achievements. You might want to spend some time thinking about the things you are capable of and then stretch that vision to include you growing beyond your self-imposed limits. If there are activities you have wanted to attempt but have hesitated trying until now, you can give yourself a strong pep talk and begin taking action today. Likewise, you can approach your existing activities with the same confident mind-set. Giving a stronger effort will yield bigger results.

When we allow ourselves to feel proud of our achievements, we gain the confidence to reach a bit higher with our aspirations. Many of us tend to limit our goals because we don’t believe we are capable of achieving more. When we do accomplish something that makes us feel proud, our eyes are opened to the realm of possibilities available to us, and we suddenly begin to question what else we can do. As we stretch beyond self-imposed limits and take on greater challenges, our confidence grows. Eventually we develop the courage to step farther outside our comfort zones and accomplish more than we initially believed possible. Taking pride in your accomplishments today will open your mind to a new realm of possibilities.

Anthony Crecco
   The Crecco Companies
   www.CreccoRealEstate.com
   www.CreccoBordonaro.com

Posted via email from WESTCHESTER COUNTY DISTRESSED PROPERTY INFORMATION

Homebuyer Tax Credit Extended! Signed Into Law November 6, 2009

_______________________________

President Obama has signed legislation to extend the Homebuyer Tax Credit. Passage of the bill was widely anticipated to further spur economic recovery in the housing sector, as more buyers are now eligible for tax breaks under the new law. The $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit was originally set to expire on November 30.

In addition to offering the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit, the new law also allows a $6,500 credit for repeat or move-up homebuyers who have lived in their primary residence for five years or more.

The tax credits are available to buyers who sign purchase agreements on a new or existing primary residence between December 1, 2009, and April 30, 2010. Buyers would have until June 30 to close on their new homes.

There is an $800,000 price limit on all homes eligible for the credit. The income limits for all buyers are now $125,000 per year for individuals and $225,000 for married couples. Under the old program, the limits were $75,000 and $150,000 respectively. The first-time homebuyer credit is also available to those who have not owned a home in the previous three years. The credit does not have to be repaid unless the home is sold or ceases to be the primary residence within three years.

Anthony Crecco
   The Crecco Companies
   www.CreccoRealEstate.com
   www.CreccoBordonaro.com

Posted via email from WESTCHESTER COUNTY DISTRESSED PROPERTY INFORMATION