Staging Your Home to Sell or Lease Is A Must

Posted on January 15, 2012 by admin

STAGING YOUR HOME IS A MUST

The time has come to put your home on the market, hopefully for a quick sell. You do the necessary repairs, you find yourself a real estate agent you can work with and you sign the contract and you are ready to sell, right?

Not so fast! In case you haven’t noticed there are quite a few homes on the market right now and not all of them are selling quickly. These are down times for sellers in this market and many homes are sitting on the market for months without even entertaining an offer. With so many homes available for sale don’t you think it would be wise to do everything you can to make your home presentable?

Staging is one of those ways to make your home stand out in a crowded real estate market. Think in terms of what you do when you are searching for a job and you get your first job interview. You clean yourself up, put on your best “success” clothes, get a haircut, brush your teeth….in other words, you are staging yourself. Never underestimate the importance of appearance in selling a home. Just because all the repairs have been made does not mean your home is going to sell. Your home may even be priced for a quick sale and yet it will sit for months without serious offers. What you need to do….what you must do….is make your home stand out in the crowd, and staging is how you do that.

There are professional staging companies who will handle all of this for you; at SportsRelocation.com we are in contact with the best staging companies and they will be glad to take over and make your home a showcase. However, some homeowners prefer to do it themselves and for those of you who are willing to put in the time and effort this article is for you.

Staging the Outside: Have a good friend go outside with you; go stand on the curb and take a look at your home and property. Now, put yourself into the shoes of a prospective buyer. What do you see? If you were buying this house what do you see that turns you off? Is the paint chipped and peeling? Is the lawn unmowed and are the flowerbeds in need of weeding? Are the leaves spread all over the yard? Do the bushes need trimming? All of these things count when it comes to first impressions by buyers. If your home is not welcoming at first glance you may have lost a buyer before they ever walk into your home.

Staging the Porch and Entryway: Again, first impressions count! Clutter is your enemy, as are spider webs and toys left unattended. Spruce this area up because you want the prospective buyers to really want to enter that home.

Staging Livingroom and Family Room: If the house doesn’t feel warm and inviting then forget about trying to sell it. Buyers want warm fuzzies when they are in a house because they are envisioning their family in that house. Good vibes? Bad vibes? Warm colors are nice; get rid of clutter; get rid of knick knacks; start a fire in the fireplace; put pleasing scents in the house; candles are great; worn furniture needs to be removed.

Staging the Kitchen: One of the most important rooms in the house to buyers is the kitchen. Make it sparkle! Get rid of clutter; open curtains and polish chrome and stain cabinets and upgrade knobs and handles if the ones you currently have look worn. Set the table and add flowers! Buyers will envision themselves preparing meals and eating in there so it had better look inviting.

Staging the Bathroom: This is a deal-breaker so get on it! There is nothing worse than a bathroom that leaves you feeling gross. Scrub, scrub and then scrub some more. New shower curtains are a must, as is an attack on mold and stains and rust and whatever else would turn off a buyer.

Staging the Bedrooms: Comfort, comfort and more comfort. There should be lots of warm fuzzies in the bedroom. The beds should look inviting and plush and warm and capable of taking away stress. Limit furniture if possible so the bedrooms look larger. Paint walls a soft color; bedrooms are for relaxing in and not for being attacked by loud colors. Clean out those closets by limiting the clothes in them; organize the hanging clothes in the closet and get rid of knick knacks on the counters.

Here is the bottom line about staging: Once you and your friends take a look at your house, playing the part of a buyer, and once you have made an honest appraisal of what it will take to make the home attractive, you will have taken a large step towards selling your home. Remember, the competition is stiff out there and you are your home’s greatest advocate.

As always, if we at SportsRelocation.com can be of any assistance please give us a call.

Ikem Chukumerije specializes in luxury residential real estate in Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Rey, Playa Vista, Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, Beverly Hills, Hollywood Hills, Bel Air, Santa Monica, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Westwood, Brentwood, and West Hollywood. Contact Ikem at 323-350-8297 if you’re looking to buy or sell in these communities.

Questions To Ask Before Buying A Home I Los Angeles Luxury Real Estate

Posted on December 29, 2011 by admin

Recent research done by Pew Research Center Study on homeownership states that 81% of adults agree that “buying a home is the best long-term investment a person can make.” The study also found that “Americans still see homeownership as a core value and a key building block of being in the middle class and creating strong jobs in their communities.”

In other words, despite the recent struggles in today’s economy, Americans consider owning a home still to be a part of the American Dream. Despite the fact that many people are hesitant to buy right now because of all the recent foreclosure news, there is no doubt that this is a great time to consider buying.

Freddie Mac just announced that the 30-year fixed loan interest rate matched the all-time lowest this month at 3.94%, and with mean prices down in most major markets this truly is a buyer’s market. Still, caution should be used if you are considering this major financial investment. Before beginning your real estate search ask yourself the following questions:

What is important to me? Do I want a home in a good school district? Near conveniences? With acreage? Near freeway access? Tree-lined streets? Do I want to do yardwork or is a condo a better option?
What can I afford? This of course depends on income, credit rating, monthly expenses, downpayment and interest rate.
Do I want a fixer-upper? Remember that a fixer-upper may mean a low sales price but it also means large repair investment. What kind of neighborhood do I want to live in? Is there a history of distressed sales in the neighborhood? There are few things worse than having a beautiful home in a horrible neighborhood, a black mark on your investment that you have no control over.
Choose a real estate agent. We all start out with a wish list; which items on the list can you do without? Which are deal-breakers? Discuss this with your real estate agent and let them find a home for you within your established parameters. And make sure you deal with an agent who is established in the area you wish to live in; in other words, make sure they have a solid track record in that area. Your real estate agent is working for you; it is in their best interest to do a good job for you; find one you are comfortable with and who comes highly recommended.

Good times to make a home-buying investment for sure but you still need to do your homework. Do not let the allure and excitement of buying a home make you forget to do your pre-buying footwork. With so many distressed properties, foreclosures and short sale properties on the market there is no reason in the world to rush into such a major decision.

My best word of advice: take your time, know exactly what you want and be prepared so that when you do find the home there are no nagging details that will slow up the final transaction. If I can be of any assistance please give me a call.

Should You Consider Listing Your Home During the Holidays?

Posted on November 22, 2011 by admin

As the holidays approach, I’m always asked the same questions:

Should we keep our property on the real estate market or take it off?
Do we list now, wait until after the first of the year, or hold off until spring?

In the past, conventional wisdom said you shouldn’t try to sell a home during the holidays. However, the old thinking doesn’t really apply any longer — thanks to the Internet and hectic lifestyles as well as traditional rules of supply and demand.

Whether to sell or not at the end of the year has to do with your particular situation and market. But in general, here’s some real estate advice about why you should consider listing your home during the holidays, or even in January.

SOURCE: © Royalty-Free/Corbis

Buyers are always looking for properties online

Historically, potential home buyers felt that the holidays were too hectic for home shopping. They were preoccupied with planning parties, cooking meals, buying presents or planning vacations. Going out with a real estate agent to look at properties conflicted with a busy holiday schedule. This made perfect sense — before the Internet, smart phones, and tablets came along.

In my opinion, traditional buying and selling seasons have evolved as a result of instant, ubiquitous access to property listings. Someone who is serious today about buying real estate is always looking. They may check out the latest listings on their Zillow iPad app before bed or while waiting for their kid’s soccer game to end.

Our hectic lifestyles also play a role. Often, serious buyers are working hard and not shifting into holiday mode until the last minute. Even during the holiday break, they’re squeezing in work. They’re already staying “on the grid,” so why not continue monitoring the real estate listings in their area too?

The inventory — and the competition — is usually lighter during the holidays

Despite our always-on access to property listings today, there’s still a lingering perception that the year-end holidays aren’t a good time to list a home. Similarly, if your property has been sitting on the market for months, conventional wisdom says to give it a rest during the holidays. Given these factors, we end up seeing the inventory for good homes tighten up this time of year. But buyers are still out there looking at real estate and no doubt wishing there were more properties available.

In fact, if I have a seller who has been talking about selling, is truly motivated, is flexible on timing, and has a home that truly sparkles, I often suggest they list right after Thanksgiving. There’s still a window of several weeks to get buyers into your home before the end of the year. And those buyers flipping through listings at their kid’s soccer game will be so excited to see something new and awesome hitting the market — especially if there’s a lack of good inventory in their area. Those motivated soccer moms and dads are the ones who’ll take the time to see your home, regardless of what the calendar says.

Home been on the market too long? This could be a great time to lower the price or change your strategy

If your property has been sitting on the market for months, most buyers and their agents will see it as stale or overpriced and disregard it — no matter how great it is or how light the competition currently is.

In that scenario, it’s time to take action, and the year-end holidays can be a golden opportunity to shift course. Making a dramatic price reduction or overcoming some major obstacle that has been preventing the sale might be just the right thing to do this time of year. If you had lower offers early on but you weren’t ready to accept them, or you keep hearing that there are issues with the way your property shows, this could be your chance to show the market you’re listening and serious about selling. The motivated buyers will notice you and take a look.

You even stand a chance of getting a sale closed before the end of the year; I’ve seen it happen. As always, before you make any big changes, talk it over with your real estate agent.

Don’t want to be bothered during the holidays? List your property in January

Admittedly, the thought of keeping the house clean, holding open houses, and vacating to accommodate last-minute showings during the holidays is a deal killer for some. If so, consider listing your property after New Year’s Day.

Traditionally, we don’t see much inventory coming on the market in January. It’s cold in most places, and many sellers prefer to wait until the spring, a more conventional time to sell. As a result, we don’t see much inventory in January. And yet, each January my phone rings with new buyers wanting to get into the market. Or I’ll hear from on-the-fence buyers who may have lost interest earlier in the year and are now suddenly motivated again.

There’s something about the beginning of a new year that galvanizes people. The motivation to buy could be due to year-end tax planning, with buyers seeing how much they owe and how owning a home could help. It could be because of New Year’s resolutions to finally stop spending money on rentals and invest in property. Maybe a rich relative gave them money for a down payment (wouldn’t that be nice?).

Whatever the motivation, for sellers it means one thing: There can be an increase in demand at a time when inventory is traditionally low — resulting in less competition from other sellers. If you’re motivated to sell your home, you’ll have an even more “captive” audience in January.

Author:Brendon DeSimone

HAFA MORTGAGE FORGIVENESS DEBT RELIEF ACT

Posted on November 16, 2011 by admin

Lenders will forgive the debt owed with no adverse consequences
CONNECT WITH A REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONAL TODAY TO SEE IF YOU QUALIFY!

FREE No Cost or Obligation!

HAFA – Short Sale Program Details

How Does a Short Sale Work?

Pre-Sale - The enclosed Agreement provides a list price for your Property, as well as the sales costs (broker commissions and closing costs) that may be deducted from the final sales price. You must list your Property (like any home sale) with a local real estate broker at the approved price.

Offer – When you receive an offer on your Property, we will submit your application which includes the following: (RASS) form 184A, signed purchase offer and evidence that the buyer has funds to purchase the Property, a lender that the buyer is approved for a mortgage loan. Within 10 days after application has been submitted your short sale transaction will be approved.
Other Liens – You must be able to provide the buyer of your Property with clear and marketable title. To start, determine if you have other loans, judgments, or liens secured by your Property, such as a home equity line of credit or a second mortgage. If there are such liens, we will negotiate with the lien holders to release them before the closing date. Hafa will allow up to 6% of the unpaid principal balance of each loan in order of priority (up to a total of $6,000) to be paid from the sale proceeds to help you obtain releases of any such liens. We will help to ensure other lien holders will agree to release you from all liability for the debt secured by their liens.
Closing – Once the sale of the Property closes, the lender will release our lien on your Property, and we will release you from any further obligation for the Loan. Plus, you will receive $3,000 to help pay some of your moving or other expenses.

An Interesting Look Behind L.A Real Estate Scene #SellingLA

Posted on November 13, 2011 by admin

Recently I had the opportunity for a cameo appearance in HGTV Selling L.A. and I wanted to share some thoughts with you about that program and about real estate in general in the Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Rey and Playa Vista area.

To watch the HGTV episode you can go to http://www.hgtv.com/video/going-the-extra-mile-video/index.html. I think the show accurately depicted the behind-the-scenes activity associated with listing and ultimately selling a home. You are shown the initial meeting with the sellers, the discussion of possible listing price and necessary staging to make the homes presentable, the open house for brokers, continued discussions with sellers about price adjustment and the joys and disappointments inherent when a serious buyer is found or when buyers are not found.

What I also really appreciated about the show was how the personal aspect of selling a home was brought to the surface. I know for me this is not just about business. Working closely with buyers or sellers becomes an emotional undertaking. Sellers have invested a great deal of time and effort into their homes and they inevitably attach those emotions to their idea of a reasonable selling price. Buyers, on the other hand, have a pretty clear picture of what they want and what they are willing to pay. This is a huge investment for them and they are understandably cautious and discriminating when looking for a home.

This is the aspect of real estate that I have so enjoyed over the years. As a real estate broker in the Marina Del Rey area, as well as all of the L.A. Westside, I have had the opportunity over the years to meet some incredible people from all walks of life. For me, real estate is about people, not property. The better I can get to know my client the better chance I have of helping them attain their dreams and that, ultimately, is our goal.

If you are interested in buying or selling a home in the Marina Del Rey, Playa Del Rey, or Playa Vista area please give me a call. Let’s sit down and discuss your goals and dreams. We will get to know each other, establish a bond and understanding, and then I will call upon my years of experience and make it happen.

In the Midst of Lawsuits, Rihanna Quietly Lists Home

Posted on November 10, 2011 by admin

Source: IMDb

Apparently, an umbrella wasn’t enough to cover the reported leaks in Rihanna’s home.

According to Real Estalker, the Barbados-born singer is ready to get rid of her modern mansion and has officially listed the property as a short sale for $4.5 million.

Although she bought the home for $6.9 million, apparently she doesn’t mind losing a few million. After all, the singer is hoping to recoup some costs through a lawsuit she has already filed against the builder, previous owner, home inspector and real estate agents involved in the sale.

Rihanna claims that the home was poorly constructed and has had numerous of water leaks causing serious damage. She, and her legal team believe that the previous owner knew about the defects when Rihanna bought the property in 2009. If Rihanna did, in fact, perform due diligence in purchasing the property and existing problems were not disclosed, then, in the state of California as in many other states, she would have a case.

Although the home was previously described as a “stunning, brand new development” when Rihanna purchased it, the new listing doesn’t hide the property’s current description:

Home is a MAJOR fixer with EXTENSIVE water intrusion (but not limited to) roof, windows, doors and balconies. There is EXTENSIVE damage from moisture AND water intrusion. The home is being sold strictly AS-IS and will be subject to a short-sale.”

The 8-bedroom, 10-bathroom home backs up to undeveloped property on a hill overlooking Los Angeles. High-end amenities include a sauna and steam room, library, gourmet kitchen, enormous master suite and private home theater– although whether any of those features are salvageable remains to be seen.

With Rihanna’s current success — the Grammy award-winning singer has achieved “twenty Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles” — she probably won’t have any trouble picking up a new celeb-worthy piece of real estate.

Insider’s Guide to Success with Short Sales

Posted on October 29, 2011 by admin

Many real estate agents steer their clients away from a short sale because they think they take too long, that their commissions will be lowered, or simply because they don’t know a lot about the process and what it takes to get a short sale completed successfully.

There are multiple steps involved in a short sale. If you’re a buyer or seller today, it’s helpful to understand the entire process from the inside out. Here are 10 things you should know about short sales.

What exactly is a short sale?

A short sale isn’t a foreclosure, and the property may not be anywhere near the process of being foreclosed upon. In a short sale, the seller needs to sell their home for a variety of reasons — job transfer, divorce, lost job, inability to make payments, and so on. The current market value of their property is less than what they owe the bank because its value has declined; the seller took out additional loans against the property; or both.

To complete the sale, the seller needs to go to their mortgage lender and ask permission for the bank to take less than they are owed — to get “shorted,” in other words.

In my experience, most banks actually want to work with the seller and approve the sale, as opposed to having to foreclose on the property. If the seller falls behind on their payments and the property heads for foreclosure, the bank ends up owning the property. This forces the bank to be in the business of owning real estate, which isn’t what it’s set up to do, and that costs them time and money.

The bank’s perspective

Imagine if you were owed money by someone and they came to you and asked to pay you back less. You wouldn’t be too happy about it and would only go along with it kicking and screaming, right? Well, the same is true with lenders when a customer needs to sell their property in a short sale. They don’t want to lose money, and they’re going to make sure that a short sale is the best of the worst-case scenarios they’re facing. In doing so, the banks have processes and procedures in place, some more bureaucratic than others. They’ll want a review of the seller’s finances, to be certain they truly can’t afford the payments and that their reason for selling is legitimate.

What does the bank want to see?

In order to decide whether you want to take this financial hit, the bank will require the seller to complete a short sale package, much like a loan pre-approval package when you purchase a home. The package includes (but isn’t limited to): a financial worksheet completed by the seller; the past few months bank statements; last two years tax returns; the last few pay stubs; copies of equity/brokerage accounts; and a hardship letter laying out the seller’s case for the short sale.

Additionally, the bank will want to see a purchase agreement, proof of buyer financing, authorization to speak to a third party (namely the listing agent) as well as a HUD-1 — a closing/settlement statement that lays out the finances of the sale. Finally, the bank wants to have the property appraised to confirm that they are receiving the most money for the home.

Short sale review process

Nearly every bank has a team of “negotiators” who are assigned to review each short sale application and make a decision. It’s rare that they will accept the short sale package as is. More likely, they’ll ask for a number of things including a counter offer to the purchase price and a reduction in fees/closing costs. If they lower the listing agent’s commission, it’s almost always reduced below 6 percent (but rarely below 5 percent). Often, the bank will ask the seller to make a financial contribution in order for them to approve the sale. This is generally OK with the seller, and often the seller can agree to a payment plan. Everything is a negotiation here, and the listing agent is generally the one negotiating with the bank on behalf of the seller.

The seller is often required to miss a payment

Many banks will require the seller to miss a payment in order to process the short sale. In essence, the bank is rejecting the short sale and telling the seller to come back and reapply after they’ve gotten behind in their payments. This happens all the time. If you’re a seller with perfect credit but circumstances require you to sell the property as a short sale, the bank wants you to pay for it by negatively affecting your credit with a 30-, 60-, or 90-day late payment.

This is the most troubling, misunderstood, and backwards part of a short sale and part of the reason why they take so long. This will likely set the seller and the potential buyer back by at least 30 days, and the buyer often walks away, sometimes after waiting 60 days.

If you want to avoid this roadblock, start missing your payments as soon as you know a short sale is inevitable. Yes, you heard me right: I’ve literally advised sellers to stop making their mortgage payments.

Facing up against a foreclosure

This is where things get messy and timing is everything.

If you miss your payments for 90 days, a notice of default is filed and the foreclosure process begins. The foreclosure department is likely a completely different arm of the bank and does not always have any knowledge of the short sale offer. Sometimes, they’ll work hand-in-hand to delay the foreclosure if a short sale application is in. But, many times, especially if they are so disconnected, the foreclosure department simply forges ahead. I have heard horror stories about a full price short sale offer on the table, yet the bank forecloses.

Have your ducks in a row before going on the market

Prior to listing the property in a short sale, request a copy of the short sale package from the lender. Start with the customer service telephone number; they can usually get you in touch with the loss mitigation department. Find out what’s required to complete a short sale and get everything that the bank needs up front.

A good real estate agent will have every single piece of information available and ready to send to the bank before they list the property. Once an offer is received, they can add the purchase agreement and the closing statement to the package. Short sales take a long time when the seller or real estate agent have an offer but don’t have any of the paperwork ready to send to the bank.

If you’re a potential short sale buyer, ask the listing agent if they’ve made contact with the bank. Have they received the short sale package? If so, are the seller’s documents ready to be submitted? If the answers to these questions are no, or are received with a blank stare, chances are you’re going down a long and rocky road.

Additional places the short sale gets hung up

The banks require a lot of paperwork in order to present the short sale to the negotiator. If they don’t have an absolutely complete package, they won’t send it on. This means that if you’re missing one document or one bank statement has the wrong date, there will be a hold up.

Also, even though it’s 2011, many banks require the packages to be faxed into their system. This means lost pages or missing documents. And the bank, as busy as it is, isn’t likely to call you and tell you what you’re missing. So the listing agent or the seller needs to stay on top of the bank.

Once the package (sometimes 185 pages) is faxed in, a call should be made confirming the fax was received. Within a few days, another call should be made to ensure the package has been assigned to a processor. The processor’s job is to provide the negotiator with everything needed for review. Check with the processor, to see if they’re missing anything and if not, how long it will take to be assigned to a negotiator. Most banks will tell you five, 10, or 21 days. Staying on top of the bank will help speed up the process. As the saying goes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Final step is getting the approval

The waiting game begins once the file is complete and is on the desk of the negotiator. At this point, there is nothing you can do but wait for their decision/negotiation. Once the approval and all the negotiating has been completed, the regular sale/escrow process begins. Be aware that the bank prefers these to be “as-is,” so there won’t be room to add fees, request credits or adjustments. Having said that, I once went back to a short sale lender and requested (and received) a $20K reduction in purchase price due to some serious termite issues that were uncovered during the property inspection.

Advice to buyers, sellers and agents

Whatever role you’re playing in the short sale drama, be patient but persistent. I’ve seen short sales approved in less than 30 days, others in nine months. It all depends on the bank, the seller and the listing agent.

And if you’re the potential buyer, try not to get too attached to a short-sale property. If you don’t get a sense that the listing agent is familiar with the process, or if you realize the agent and seller don’t have their ducks in a row, you may need to walk away — no matter how good of a deal the short sale is.

Author:Brendon DeSimone

How to Get an Offer on Your Home

Posted on October 7, 2011 by admin

There’s no doubting the fact that the Los Angeles Real Estate market is competitive. But if you are trying to sell your home, don’t despair. Take a deep breath and follow a few simple steps that will make it much easier for you to get an offer on your home.

1. Price it right. Get a professional appraisal before you list your home.

2. Prepare for visitors. Get your house market ready at least two weeks before you begin showing it. This means staging, as well as making any repairs that are noticeable. For more tips see

3. Be flexible about showings. Having your home on the market often requires accommodating last minute showings. But the more flexible you can be about letting people see your home, the sooner you’ll find a buyer.

4. Anticipate the offers. Decide in advance what price and terms you’ll find acceptable.

5. Listen to the market. If your home has been on the market for more than 30 days and you’ve had good traffic without an offer, you should be prepared to lower your asking price. The longer you wait to lower the price, the longer you’ll wait to sell and the lower potential price you may be forced to accept.

Selling Your Los Angeles Home – Los Angeles Real Estate

Posted on October 7, 2011 by admin

You have a home to sell.

You want that home sold quickly, at the highest possible price and with the fewest potential problems.

My 20-Point Marketing Plan reflects how today’s buyer shops for, and purchases, homes in Los Angeles. We’ve seen firsthand what appeals to buyers – and what can cause deals to fall apart. As a result, we take a slightly different approach to marketing your home. Our strategies and tactics are time-tested, employing technology when it’s appropriate, but never forgetting the benefit of the hands-on involvement of a skilled broker. And the results speak for themselves; I have closed 100% of my listing since 2008 and 80% of my listings over my career – twice the market average.

Here’s what I’ll do for you:

1. Professional Appraisal

Before we list your home, I highly recommend having it professionally appraised. Pricing your home correctly is the most important part of a successful marketing campaign. There are four major benefits to having a pre-listing appraisal:

First, you receive an unbiased opinion of the true market value of your home. This is critical and protects you from agents trying to “buy your listing” by telling you a higher price than can be achieved.
Second, knowing the market value of your home enables you to recognize reasonable offers and terms.
Third, any potential buyer is going to obtain an appraisal. If their appraisal is lower than the contract sales price, you may be required to drop your price further - after you have negotiated contract terms that are now no longer attractive to you.
Last, with a recent appraisal in hand, I have enabled sellers to counter a lower buyers’ appraisal – often saving the seller tens of thousands of dollars.

Also, when you list and close with Ikem Chukumerije, he’ll reimburse the cost of the appraisal at closing.

2. Home Staging

Staging is not decorating. Decorating is designed to appeal to the owner of the home while staging is designed to appeal to the buyer of the home. Staged homes photograph better, show better and sell faster than non-staged homes. We will suggest changes, when necessary, to enhance each room in your home for maximum buyer appeal.

3. Professional Photography

90% of home buyers now use the internet at some point in their search. Professional photos will capture, and hold, their attention much better than poorly taken images. We have made a significant investment in professional-grade cameras, lenses, photo editing software and training to produce the best photos of your home. You are assured that the pictures of your home will make a very positive, lasting impression.

4. Custom Video Tours

The photos we take of your property, along with photos of the neighborhood amenities, are used to create a professional-quality video of your home. The video is shared on my YouTube Channel, on social media sites and is embedded into your property detail page on our web site.

5. Pre-Listing Home Inspection

We also highly recommend having your home pre-inspected before listing it. This enables you to identify and correct any potential problems before a prospective buyer sees them. Additionally, in the Los Angeles real estate market, after a buyer negotiates a price for your home, he or she begins their due diligence – appraisals, inspections, etc. If their inspector finds costly repairs, the price of those repairs reduces the negotiated price you had previously agreed to. A pre-listing inspection eliminates, or at the very least reduces, the likelihood of this happening.

And when you list and close with Ikem Chukumerije, he will pay for the inspection as well!

6. Custom Web Site

Now that your home is priced correctly, looks fantastic and we have great photos, let’s show it off! Ordinary agents are limited to the company-provided web sites that pull smaller photos and cryptic information from the Multiple Listing Service. With Ikem Chukumerije, you get a WordPress-based web site with virtually no limitations. It includes highly-descriptive text, full-screen photos, floor plans, video, maps, school and neighborhood information and more. Exactly what buyers are looking for!

7. Strategic Online Placement

Because we never know where your buyer is coming from, we have to be everywhere. Your home is featured on hundreds of the top national and international real estate web sites as well as more than 40,000 agent web sites.

Your listing promoted on thousands of web sites

8. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Having a great web site for your property does no good if potential buyers can’t find it. By utilizing a WordPress-based web site, we are able to dramatically increase the visibility of your home on the major search engines, including Google, Bing and Yahoo. As a result, you get substantially increased exposure for your home compared to homes listed with other companies.

9. Custom Mobile Web Site

Over 50 million Americans now use a “smart phone” and the numbers are growing wildly. We will create a web site for your home that can be easily accessed using any web-enabled cell phone, providing potential buyers with immediate information about your home, including photos, descriptions, links to the full web site and more. The instructions are prominently displayed on your yard sign.

Most importantly, we receive an instant alert, with the potential buyers cell phone number, enabling us to follow up immediately. This is a tremendous advantage over paper flyers!

10. Social Media Marketing

Social media is one of the fastest growing marketing tools in business, gaining hundreds of thousands of new users every day. Over 80% of American adults are now using social media. Ikem Chukumerije maintains an active social media presence on Facebook, the dominant social media site, where we enjoy hundreds of fans. We keep our fans updated on the latest in Los Angeles real estate news and have actually sold homes as a result!

11. Ikem Chukumerije – Million Dollar Living web site

Ikem Chukumerije has the only web site focusing exclusively on Los Angeles real estate. Our technology partners are constantly working to improve our rankings in the internet search engines when potential buyers search for Los Angeles real estate. And we’ve made it easy for potential buyers to view neighborhood profiles, school information, area amenities, attractions and businesses, and view full-screen photos and videos of your home.

12. Direct Mail

Professionally-produced postcards are mailed to hundreds of homes in your area, letting your neighbors know about your home. Since they already live in the area, they know the benefits and may be looking to move-up, downsize, or have friends looking for a home. Based on the unique features of your home, we will also identify potential buyer profiles, such as empty-nesters, young families, high-net worth individuals or investors and market to these groups with targeted mailings.

13. Agent Marketing

90% of all Los Angeles real estate sales are co-brokered, meaning there is a listing agent representing the seller – and a selling agent representing the buyer. I know, it’s confusing. We use agent open houses, email flyers, and good old-fashioned networking to ensure the agent community is fully aware of your home.

14. Open Houses

The truth is, there is a very limited window of opportunity when they benefit the seller. After it’s just been listed your home is new, it’s exciting. People want to see it. That’s precisely why it has to be priced correctly and look great. You’ll never get more showings than during the first few weeks you put your home on the market. Those first few weeks create the most favorable opportunity for successful open houses. After that, the agent is using your open house to try to meet buyers – buyers that will buy somebody else’s house, not yours.

15. Market Statistics and Reports

Prepared monthly, we evaluate the listing and sales activity and reveal trends in the local market. When these trends impact your property, we’ll let you know – along with a planned course of action so that you stay ahead of the market – not trailing along behind it. You can subscribe to our reports (link) and receive monthly updates in your email inbox.

16. Respond to all Buyer and Broker Inquiries, Schedule Showings and Obtain Feedback

We highly recommend the use of a lockbox when marketing your home. Many agents will by-pass a home if scheduling a showing cannot be worked into their, or their clients’, schedule. We insist on advance notice of all showings so that, unless your home is vacant, you have plenty of time to prepare. After the showing, we obtain feedback on whether your home fits the needs of the prospective buyer and if an offer is forthcoming.

17. Negotiate Offers

Once an offer has been received, we will review it with you and suggest terms for a counteroffer. We are also big believers in getting all parties together as quickly as possible to discuss and resolve any issues face-to-face. Our experience has shown that this usually results in a faster, less antagonistic, path to a successful compromise.

18. Attend Home Inspections

Once your home is under contract, the buyer will schedule his or her own home inspection. I will attend the inspection and compare the inspectors comments to our pre-listing inspection. If inspector points out a potential code violation, I will ask him to cite the code so that it can be verified. If there are additional repairs that must be made I will coordinate obtaining the necessary bids from qualified contractors.

19. Flexible Commissions

Ordinary agents charge you the same fee regardless of how your home sells, even if you find the buyer! Our flexible commission structure puts you in control. Here’s how it works:

4% if we find the buyer, write the contract and manage the sale through closing. There is no other agent involved.
2% if you find the buyer and there is no other agent involved. We write the contract and manage the sale through to closing.
6% if another agent represents the buyer. We split our fee 50/50 with the buyers’ agent.
0% if you find the buyer and there is no other agent involved. You don’t want our assistance.

If you are buying and selling a home, you can save even more through our Client Rewards program. Give Ikem Chukumerije a call at (323) 350-8297 for details.

20. A Cancel Anytime Policy

We’d rather work to earn your business every day. Ordinary agents lock you in for three to six months and if you’re unhappy, the most their company will do is reassign your listing to another agent at their firm. You may be asking, “why should they be afraid to allow us cancel if we’re dissatisfied?” Our thoughts exactly. We are confident we can provide you with a superior experience. If we fail to do so, we don’t deserve your business. It’s that simple.

5 Staging Tricks for a Quick Sale – Los Angeles Luxury Real Estate

Posted on October 7, 2011 by admin

This real estate slump is a real drag, especially if you’re trying to sell your abode. So stage your pad to beat out the competition and draw in more prospective buyers. Most buyers have a hard time looking past pink walls and green shag carpet, so do the legwork for them and present their “new home” on a silver platter. If done smartly, the money spent staging will be repaid tenfold in the house sale — and you keep all the hot accessories for yourself afterward (or unload them on Craigslist).

Here are some tips I used when staging my San Francisco condo. This unit sold within a month and a half for just below asking price. The exact same (unstaged) unit, located one floor down, never even got an offer. So there you have it.

1. Clear it all out. I mean it, girlfriend, move every single thing out of your place. That goes for your beloved troll doll collection, leopard skin rug and the couch that your mom claims you were born on. As sentimental as these things might seem to you, buyers want to be able to imagine themselves in your space; seeing clothes in the closet, family photos and random tchotchkes prevents them from doing so. Then put back only necessary furniture, keeping in mind that you want the space to look BIG, CLEAN, SPACIOUS and UNCLUTTERED. This isn’t supposed to be a functional room. Nope. As I did in this living area (pictured above), you can lose the TV, stereo, side tables and ottomans if it creates more room.

2. Freshen up the style. You may be a diehard Shabby Chic follower, but even Rachel Ashwell would agree that not everyone is. Aim for a style that most buyers would like, even if it’s not your cup of tea. Furnishings that seem homey and comforting — yet fresh and contemporary — give an aura that your home is updated and well-cared-for. Neutrals work best; just add colorful touches here and there. For this office (above), I used a bright rug to punch in some color and pattern to an otherwise boxy white room. The clear console stands in for a desk. (If buyers saw my real desk stacked with papers and dirty coffee mugs, they’d run for the hills). Curtains hide the closet doors and soften the hard walls. Stick-on mirrors from IKEA reflect light and space.

3. Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who’s the fairest one of all? Your room, that’s who. Use mirrors liberally to make your area look bigger, lighter, brighter, and encourage sunlight to bounce all over the walls. In this small dining area (above), the mirror even adds color by reflecting the painting that’s hanging in the living area. How’s that for working double duty?

4. Don’t forget the details. Set the table. It’s easy to do and makes a big impact. Buyers walk in and instantly feel welcome, as if they’re coming over for dinner. Light clean and unscented candles, place plush towels and fancy soap in the bathrooms, a breakfast tray on the bed, and a pretty book on the coffee table. If all goes as planned, they’ll want to stay over forever.

5. Play with texture. Wallpaper, pillows, rugs, blankets, baskets, and other tactile accessories can play up texture in a room. It’s an easy way for anyone, even my colorblind husband, to add warmth to a blah room. Try grass cloth wallpaper on plain walls that need a little oomph, such as in this master bedroom (right), where buyers expect to see a little more luxury and style.

Photos: Contemporary Space Design by San Francisco photographer Eva

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Ikem Chukumerije DRE# 01751046 represents Buyers and Sellers in all luxury real estate communities including Beverly Hills, Marina Del Rey, Malibu, Los Angeles, Bel Air, Santa Monica, Westwood, Brentwood, Venice, Hollywood Hills, West Hollywood, Pacific Palisades, and Manhattan Beach. Contact us at 323-350-8297 about buying or selling real estate in these areas.