More on ICF Homes

People everywhere are raving about ICF homes… why? Once you have lived in an ICF home, you will undoubtedly never dream of going back to the flimsiness of a wood-framed house. The difference in quality is like comparing a Mercedes to a Kia. There are so many more reasons not to settle for just any home. You will enjoy: A high quality and energy efficient home. A sound resistant home. Lower utility bills. No drafts or cold spots. High fire resistance. Healthy air environment. Tornado resistance. No mold, rot or decay. Lower insurance premiums. Higher resale value than your neighbor's house. If you are interested in a beautiful ICF home in Nashville, please check out our link: www.nashvillesafehome.info God Bless Nick Woodard Realtor www.nickwoodard.com nwoodard2@hotmail.com 615.566.9839

Tornado Proof Homes

Many people are asking me more and more about ICF (Insulating Concrete Form) Homes. I have a beautiful Nashville ICF home that is superior quality to others in the area. Over the next few days, I will be blogging about some of the features of this home and some of the reasons ICF homes are superior to stick built homes. To take a look at this awesome tornado proof home in Nashville, visit www.nashvillesafehome.info I want my family to be safe in a tornado or severe weather!! Able to withstand 250-mile-an-hour winds and wind-borne debris, the storm resistance of ICF homes is the #1 draw for people in hurricane and tornado zones. ICF walls are reinforced concrete, which has an excellent record of surviving natural disasters. Surveys of damage from hurricanes and tornadoes confirmed that reinforced concrete survives high winds better than traditional wood-built homes. In many instances, standing ICF homes were surrounded by collapsed wood homes. www.nashvillesafehome.info Nick Woodard www.nickwoodard.com 615.566.9839 nick@nickwoodard.com

Selling your home in a cool market

SELLING YOUR HOME in a cooling market is stressful at best. A couple years ago, headlines screamed of bidding wars and of homes moving off the market within days. No more. Across the country, new home prices are now down slightly from one year ago. And many predict housing prices will fall farther before they're done.

So if you plan to sell your home in the near future, call a handyman to make sure everything is in working order. Then take a close look at your local real-estate market and find out what's selling, what's not and why. Finally, don't expect to get more for your house than your neighbor got a year ago. This is a different market, warns Nelson Zide, co-owner of ERA Key Realty Services in Framingham, Mass. Look at more recent sales data and price your home accordingly.

That said, can you still get a good price? You bet. Here are some more tips to help you get top dollar for your house.

Price, Price, Price
Selling a house is all about price. Ask too much, and you could get stuck with a home that languishes on the market. The longer it sits, the harder it is to unload. "The first question a buyer asks is how long the house has been on the market," says Pamela Liebman, chief executive of New York-based real-estate firm the Corcoran Group. "If it's been on a while, they ask what is wrong with the house."

Ironically, homeowners who ask more for their homes tend to get less in the end. According to Liebman, studies show that if you price your home properly it will sell faster and at a higher price than if the home was priced aggressively. "Overpricing leads to low bids," Liebman says. "Proper pricing leads to high bids."


So how do you set the right price? First, take a look at recent sales in your neighborhood. And don't forget to factor in the condition of your house. A home buyer in a more neutral market is still going to pay up for a new kitchen with Poggenpohl cabinets and a Sub-Zero Refrigerator. But if you failed to notice that Harvest Gold stoves and countertops went out of style with bell bottoms and love beads, you had better be prepared to drop your price by about as much as it would cost a new owner to renovate your relic.

Curb Appeal
First impressions are everything. The last thing you want is to turn off a potential buyer before he or she walks in the door. So make sure the house is painted, and call a landscaper to get your lawn in tip top shape. "If your grass isn't green, make it green," Liebman says. "If you have weeds, get rid of them. If the shrubs are overgrown, cut them." Even small, inexpensive potted flowers can make your home seem more inviting.

Renovations
Some renovations are worth an investment. An extra bathroom makes a home more saleable, says Jim Cory, senior editor at Remodeling Magazine. A few cans of paint and new carpeting could also provide a handsome return. An outdated eight-room home in South Philadelphia, for example, might go for roughly $130,000, says Cory. Pull the shag carpeting and wood paneling — a project that costs roughly $15,000 — and that same home could list for $180,000.

Fix Everything
Make sure everything works. Have an inspector assess everything from your water heater and furnace to your central air conditioning system. "If there are any doubts about the mechanical functions, a buyer will walk," Remodeling Magazine's Cory says.

Even minor repairs are crucial. Hire a contractor to go through your home with a fine-toothed comb. Make sure the gutters are cleaned and the tub has new grout and caulk in the joints. Every window must slide open, and kitchen cabinets should open with ease. And don't forget to paint over ugly water stains. If you don't, a potential buyer could see it as a warning sign of a larger issue.

If you're inclined to leave your home as is, prepare to drop your asking price. "I hate to say it, but price cures everything," says Era Key Realty's Zide. Historically, buyers negotiate two dollars for every dollar of reported deficiencies, according to home-inspection company HouseMaster.

Additional Tips
There's some basic advice that's worth repeating. Keep your home as clean and as pristine as possible. This means cleaning out your closets and getting rid of excess clutter and furniture. You want your home to look as spacious as possible. The Corcoran Group's Liebman even suggests fresh flowers. "Baking cookies could be a bit silly and obvious," she says.

How long will all this take? Give yourself a good six months. It takes time to plan, and then to coordinate projects with a contractor or handyman. Just know that the hassle will be worth it. With a little hard work, you can get the best price for your home in any market.

Nick Woodard
Keller William Realty Franklin,TN
www.nickwoodard.com

The Current Nashville Housing Market

Okay, a little view point from the streets. Being a realtor out on the streets and seeing everything that is going on from day to day my opinion on the housing market is quite a bit different than what you see on MSNBC. Is the market slow??? Compared to last year, maybe. But last year was a banner year, one for the record books. If we have a thriving market that sets records for sales, listings, and new homes, than ultimately the following year you could expect it to slow down a little bit. At least that tends to be the natural process.

In the Nashville Real Estate market, I am seeing a multitude of different situations. More listings on the market. Yes it is true, we have more listings and inventory on the market than we would like. This means two things; more room to negotiate as a buyer and more to choose from. This time last year, if you were a buyer in the Nashville market you found something that was interesting to you and you jumped on it. You presented a strong offer and made up your mind then and there that this house was the house for you. Now with there being more homes on the market, there is more competition for your business. Sellers are more likely to be reasonable about their pricing structure and more inclined to work with and negotiate with qualified buyers. Plus, this gives you as the buyer more time to think it over, pray about, and take your time on the purchase of your home.

Another issue that helps you the qualified buyer is this; the mortgage industry. With all of the problems being seen in the mortgage world, truly qualified buyers are like gold. When you find one as a seller, you hang on to it. There is nothing in the world more frustrating to a seller than tying up their property in escrow only to have the buyer's loan fall apart at the last minute. It waste time and money for everyone. So when a "good" buyer with a strong loan comes around, sellers will do whatever it takes to keep them around. That is a big plus for the buyer. And usually results in a better deal.

For my sellers, things have changed. The days of putting a sign in your yard and putting fliers out front are over. It takes a strong marketing campaign to bring traffic to your house. The number one thing and by far most important avenue for selling your house these days is the internet. Research from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) tell us that 85% of all home buyers in the market do their own searching on the internet, most of them even before calling a realtor to assist them. That means you have to have a very strong presence on the world wide web. Your realtor should be very tech saavy and know how to reach the target market for your home. For an example, refer to my website and look at my listings. http://www.nickwoodard.com/
To sell your home, the potential buyer needs to know what it feels like to live in your home before ever stepping foot in it. That is why I have embedded a video stream tour of the property directly on my website. Buyers that are looking in the area can click on your listing and have a video tour of your home to see what it looks like and how it feels to actually be inside your property without ever leaving their couch. The more information and "feeling" you can give your potential customer, the better chance you have of them setting up a showing to come and see your home.

If you have any questions or would like to speak with me about my marketing ideas for listing your home in and around the Nashville area, please give me a call. I would love to help. Buyers, it's a great time to start looking. Rates are going to be going up in the future and there are plenty of options out there. Call me if you would like to take a look at a few. In the mean time, take a look at http://www.nickwoodard.com/ and do some looking around for yourself. I hope that this blog has been educational and can be a source of help to you and your family.

Thanks for stopping by, may God bless you today and always!

God Bless,

Nick Woodard
Keller Williams Realty
615-566-9839
nick@nickwoodard.com