Asifa Zia -The Realtor YOU want

Being prepared financially and mentally are key from  daveramsey.com As the number of foreclosures in your area grows, you may feel the urge to jump into real estate as part of your investment strategy. Real estate investments done right   can   give you higher returns than mutual funds, but they require a lot more time and trouble. Be sure you’re prepared financially   and   mentally before plunking down your cash. Financially, you should: Be debt-free Have a full emergency fund of 3–6 months of expenses Be investing 15% into retirement accounts, such as 401(k)s and/or IRAs Have cash to fund your real estate deals Mentally, you need to: Educate yourself about the foreclosure process Understand your real estate market Be patient about finding good deals What’s A “Good Deal?” In real estate, money is made at the buy. You can consider it a good deal if you  get it for 80% of market value  minus the cost of repairs. For example, let’s say you find a forec

Here's what good staging is not: ripping every last bit of personality out of a home before showing it to buyers. JULY 2014 | BY  MELISSA DITTMANN TRACEY The devotion to sparse decor and neutral color palettes—once iron-clad truisms of “proper” staging—is giving way to a livelier vision encompassing more trendy, inviting interiors and exteriors that are intended to make a listing more marketable. More in  All About the House Houses With a Past Inside New Construction Building for the Future Market a Smart Home Smartly Video: Detailing Your Listing's History Infographic: How Old Are They Now? As stagers reject stripped-down, beige-heavy stylings that are as boring as they are forgettable, they’re replacing them with designs that complement a home’s architecture and price point and present a lifestyle that buyers will want to buy into. That means bolder color pops—yes, even this year’s Pantone color of the year, the purplish-pink radiant orchid; trendy

When errors are made, owners have more options than they may realize. JULY 2014 | BY  MEG WHITE The clean sheen of a brand-new house is calming, but it can give buyers a false sense of security. Buyer’s remorse takes on a whole new quality when a just-completed foundation cracks or when water is pouring in through a brand-new roof. Denver attorney Mari Perczak, a construction defect specialist with the Burg Simpson law firm, sees all kinds of defects in new construction. And with building activity picking up, mistakes are likely to increase as new tradespeople learn the ropes, she says. One piece of advice that can help: Tell new-home buyers to identify who’s responsible for the construction. “Consider asking for the insurance information for the general contractor,” she says. That can be helpful in the event of defects. In Perczak’s view, the biggest risk new-home owners face is running out of time to address problems. The statute of limitations on claims for defect