Spring Cleaning Checklist

With spring selling season arriving, take the time now to polish your home to perfection.

1. Let the sun in. Make any room look brighter with clean blinds and windows. Mix a solution of one part white vinegar to eight parts water, plus a drop or two of liquid dishwashing liquid, for a green window cleaner. Spray on and wipe with newspaper to avoid streaks. (Washing on a cloudy day also reduces streaking.)

Showing tip: Replace heavy drapes with lightweight shears during warmer months to give a room a brighter, lighter feel for prospective buyers.

2. Sniff out smells. Check the drip tray underneath your refrigerator and wash out any standing water from defrosting. Remove inside odors by washing the inside of the fridge with a baking soda and water solution. Boil lemon juice in your microwave and add it to your dishwasher to eliminate bad smells. Also, put the lemon rinds down the disposal. Add activated charcoal in the fridge to keep odors at bay.

Showing tip: Make the fridge smell fresh instantly with cotton balls soaked in vanilla extract or orange juice.

3. Make your bed better. Vacuum mattresses and box springs, and then rotate and flip over. Do the same for removable furniture cushions. This is also a great time to wash or dry-clean the dust ruffle and mattress pad.

Showing tip: Add new loft to a lumpy comforter by having two people vigorously shake the quilt up and down to redistribute stuffing.

4. Clean those coils. Improve energy efficiency by vacuuming grates, coils, and condensers in your furnace, stove, and refrigerator (either underneath or in back). If a vacuum won’t reach, try a rag tied to a yardstick.

Showing tip: Shut some air conditioning vents on the first floor or basement so that more air will reach and cool the second floor. Reverse the process in winter for heat vents.

5. Wash the walls. Grease, smoke, and dust can adhere to walls and make even the best decorating look dingy. Wash walls using a general-purpose cleaner with hot water. Start at the top of the wall to avoid drips and in a corner so that you wash one wall at a time. Rinse the mop head frequently in clean water. And don’t press too hard because flat latex paint won’t absorb too much water.

Showing tip: Resist the temptation to spot-clean walls since it will make the rest of the wall look dingy.

If you have any questions, give me a call.

FHA Raised Their Limits!

Great news for people living in Salt Lake County, FHA raised their limits to $729,750!! That's HUGE.

This should dramatically increase activity in the $350,000-$750,000 range, and especially from $420,000 up, as people will not need Jumbo loans in this price range, and people with less than perfect credit can use the FHA program.

Give me a call so we can talk about what this means for you.

TIME Magazine report on Real Estate

Excerpt from TIME Magazine: February 2008. At last someone in the media who understands how real estate (and investing) works! This is not your typical "scary ski-is-falling" article, but finally a reporter uses reason and logic to analyze the buying and selling of real estate.

To read the artical, click here.

Top Way’s to Avoid Mortgage Fraud

Get a referral for real estate and mortgage professionals. Check the licenses of the industry professional with State, County or City regulatory agencies.

If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. An outrageous promise of extraordinary profit in a short period of time signals a problem.

Be wary of strangers and unsolicited contracts, as well as high-pressure sales techniques.

Look at written information to include recent comparable sales in the area, and other documents such as tax assessments to verify the value of the property.

Understand what you are signing and agreeing to – if you do not understand, re-read documents or seek assistance from an attorney.

Make sure the name on the application matches the name on your identification.

Know and understand the terms of your mortgage. Check your information against the information in the loan documents to ensure they are accurate and complete.

Never sign and loan documents that contain blanks – this leaves you vulnerable to fraud.