Storm Lake Iowa Free Home Buyer Seminar

Now is a great time to start getting ready to buy or sell. We're having  free Buyer Educational Seminars in March, they'll be offered in both English and Spanish. We plan to have one of educational seminars at least 4 times a year. We will also be holding Free Seller Educational Seminars. Follow the link to get more information.From the number of Buyers we have looking I would say our market is ahead of schedule, by about a month and a half.

Less is More Interior Design COming Into It's Own Even in Storm Lake Iowa

According to Troy Beasley, of Beasley & Henley Interior Design in Winter Park, Fla. "People want the less cluttered look people see in magazines." as reported in by Jean Patteson in RISMEDIA June 25th, 2010. Even in rural Storm Lake Iowa we are seeing this reducing trend, people have always had problems seeing their things or themselves in someones space if the space wasn't pared down.


As a REALTOR I usually recommend sellers remove at least 30% of their things and sometimes 50% depending on the home. Homes are much easier to sell if they are sparsely furnished and staged prior to any pictures and any showings. Personally, I always feel 10 pounds lighter after purging closets of items I have never worn or will never wear again. I try to go through books, Christmas decorations, linens, cooking items, furniture, you name it at least annually. We almost all have too much stuff, and my mind set is if I haven't used it, worn it, looked at it, or read it within the last 12 months, someone else probably needs it more than I do. Go on my website http://www.weaverrealtors.com/ to find more information on how to get a property ready to sell.

Congratulations Joan Ballantyne on Receiving the L. Martin Lee Political Involvement Award

Joan Ballantyne Congratulations on Receiving the L. Martin Lee Political Involvement Award


According to the IOWA REALTOR BENCHMARK, Joan Ballantyne was awarded the L. Martin Political Involvement Award at the Convention by L. Martin Lee himself. The article mentions Joan's extensive service to the Association in the local, state and national levels. I would personally like to thank Joan for all her work and advice as a member of the United Counties Board of Realtors. Joan is a resource for issues and provides ideas and answers to relatively new Broker Owners like myself and to seasoned ones alike.

Joan, discovering your wisdom, your way with people and your understandings of how things work was a well spring and encouragement for me personally as a Broker Owner and Realtor. I can't speak for the entire board but I am in debt to you and admire your ability and wisdom in dealing with people, helping organizations function to the benefit of all members and to your willingness to step up and step in and to stay the course in the storms.

Thank you Joan

Sincerely

Georgia A. Weaver

Broker Owner

Weaver LLC Realtors

113 Main St., Suite 3

Alta, Iowa 51002

Another Storm Lake, Iowa Rural Property for Sale

6275 170th Avenue, Storm Lake, Iowa is a nice rural property with a 3 bedroom older home, lots of mature trees, fruit trees, perennial flowers, large outdoor entertaining space, a number of out buildings including a large barn with 3 separate areas (2 have concrete flooring and one has pea gravel). Check out the video of the home.
It is not too late to qualify for the first time home buyers tax credit, call me to take a look at this rural home.

This property is located in the Storm Lake Iowa area, just off Highway 7. Storm Lake Iowa is a great area that has a destination part, King's Pointe, a recreational lake, shopping, http://www.bvu.edu/, Buena Vista Regional Hospital, The Pilot Tribune newspaper and the Storm Lake Times Newspaper, a community calendar

Selling Your Home? See the Top 5 Wants Consumers Have in Kitchens

The kitchen is the heart of the home and many people are looking for open spaces that can be used for entertaining and cooking. How does your home compare with the top 5 items consumers want?

#1 Walk-in Pantry - 86%

#2 Kitchen Island - 80%

#3 Built-in Microwave - 72%

#4 Drinking Water Filtration - 69%

#5 Special Use Storage (custom-made for appliances) - 66%

If you are thinking of remodeling your kitchen keep these items in mind, especially #'s 1-3 for the Alta and Storm Lake Iowa area. I am working with a couple of new construction homes and we are working hard to get most consumers wants incorporated into the plans. We also look at a color scheme that evokes warmth and homey feelings. The kitchen and the bathrooms are the most expensive areas of your home to remodel so it pays to get it right the first time. If you are not buying or building new and would like some ideas give me a call, I do remodel properties and assist in staging homes prior to putting them on the market.

The keys to a desirable kitchen are ease of use, good quality cabinetry, flooring, appliances, counter tops, adequate storage, and a presentation of the space that allows the buyer to "see" themselves in the space cooking and entertaining.

New Income Property For Sale in Storm Lake, Iowa

Check out my new listing, commercial property located on Lake Ave. in Storm Lake, Iowa. Great income and an increase in income potential is very real. Established reatil store on main level, 2 apartments on second level, and a full basement. The second level could be expanded into 3 possibly 4 apartments for an increase in income. Go to http://www.slrealtycheck.com/listings.html to see it as a featured property. Call me for a tour and for additional information. 712-574-5426.

How Green are You?

Green living is happening all over, we are a little slower here in Storm Lake and Alta Iowa but I am beginning to see some progress. Lots of people are very interested in saving money and the environment.

Check out the Green Links for just about everything:
There's sure to be at least a few that will be helpful, if you have favorites of your own please share them here too!

Green Business Guide - http://www.business.gov/guides/environment/
Best Green Blogs - http://www.bestgreenblogs.com/category/green-guides/
Green Auto Guide - http://www.cars.com/go/crp/buyingGuides/green/index.jsp
Save Gas Now - http://beyondoil.nrdc.org/fuel/gasprices
How to Reduce Your Energy Consumption - http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/genergy.asp
Energy Efficient Appliances - http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/fappl.asp
Recycling 101 - http://www.nrdc.org/cities/recycling/gsteps.asp
7 Steps for Creating Eco-Fabulous Interiors - http://www.nrdc.org/cities/living/gdesign.asp
Consumer Guide to Water Water Purifiers - http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/gfilters.asp
How to Go Green Bathroom Renovation - http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/bathroom-renovation/index.html
How to Go Green Home Renovation - http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/home-renovation/index.html
Green Natural Skin Care - http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/natural-skin-care/index.html
Green Cleaning - http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/green-cleaning/index.html
Green Lighting - http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/green-lighting/index.html
Pellet Stoves - http://planetgreen.discovery.com/buying-guides/green-pellet-stoves.html
Consumer Reports Green Choices - http://www.greenerchoices.org/pcategories.cfm?pcat=appliances
EcoBroker - http://www.ecobroker.com/

One big way to be green - blog, it saves a lot of trees!

I am also interested in green alternatives to weed control, we bought an acerage this year and it has an abundance of weeks. I would rather not use nasty chemicals because I do have a large garden.

Lustron - Rare Architectural Example in My Backyard

I came across this interesting home when I moved to Alta and once I became a REALTOR I found another one in Storm Lake. While doing some research for a very special Italianate home (which is a sub class of Victorian architecture) I saw a picture of one of these homes. The homes are called Lustron homes they are made out of steel, everything is steel - even the walls on the inside. Is that cool or what?? They are prefab homes built in 1949 and 1950 and I found out there are a number of them where I live (Midwest) and now I am sharing them with you! If you would like to learn more check out the book Lustron: The History of a Postwar Prefabricated Housing Experiment (McFarland & Co., 2001).

Here is a link to find out more online - The Midwest Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation has created a Web site, http://www.lustronpreservation.org/, for more. Stay tuned for more pictures and more info.

Staged to Sell - In a Tough Market it's Essential

According to a survey completed by StagedHomes.com, homes that were staged sold for an average of 6.9% more than ones that weren't. That survey was completed before the foreclosure crunch began. In my opinion, it is much more important now to stage all homes, because there are fewer buyers (due to increased difficulty in attaining a mortgage) the number of homes on the market has increased. It's the old rule of supply and demand.

In our local area - Storm Lake Iowa, there are several options to staging a home. Your Realtor should know a lot about staging and either be able to assist you or put you in contact with people and companies who stage. Stagers in Storm Lake Iowa include possibly your Realtor, Elements, and the new Furniture and Flooring store close to Hwy 71. Prices vary greatly so first talk to your Realtor, staging must be complete prior to having the property listed and pictures taken.

Remember over 80% of ALL buyers go on-line to check out houses before they contact a Realtor to see any thing. Never allow a Realtor to list your home without having pictures to be put online. A property on the mls without a picture could cost you a buyer.


because -

Poor Pictures Online = High Days on the Market

With over 82% of all prospective home buyers looking at homes online before they contact a Realtor your pictures are vital to get people interested in touring your house. An old saying about curb appeal also applies to web picture appeal - Buyers have to stop at the house before you can get them in the house, it is the same with your property on line. If you have no inside pictures, clutter every where, a picture of the bathroom showing an open toilet and a shower curtain, a kitchen with dirty dishes in the sink, pictures with all the curtains/blinds closed (no one wants to buy a dark house) you are batting zero! If your home is listed get online www.stormlakemls.com and look at the pictures and the descriptions of the pictures - what there are no descriptions? Make a phone call and get that fixed asap.
When you are deciding to list your home some things are a lot more important than others when choosing a realtor to represent and sell your property. You are not hiring a Realtor to list your property, you are hiring them to SELL your property and great pictures are an absolute must!

Short Sales and Realtors

I don't know about you but as short sales become more prevelant I find myself being asked questions I can't answer. As a Realtor I needed to know more about short sales and I came across this excellent article from one of the blogs I frequent - By Elizabeth Weintraub, on About.com. It spells out how financial organizations see a short sale and gives some really good advice when you end up working with one of these homes. Even after reading this article tread very carefully, this could be a potential mine field legally. We are not seeing a huge amount of these but the number of foreclosures is rising slowly.

Elizabeth's article http://homebuying.about.com/b/2008/06/02/will-a-short-sale-ruin-my-credit.htm

Will a Short Sale Ruin My Credit - In a Word YES

I came across this excellent article by one of my favorite bloggers- Elizabeth Weintraub, on About.com. This is a really important and potentially dangerous type of transaction for Realtors. If you want to be up to date follow the link and tread carefully it is dangerous out there nowdays!

Our area is seeing foreclosures slowly creep up but our market is still very solid here in Storm Lake and Alta Iowa.

New 1031 Exchange Ruling on Vacation Homes

The IRS issued a ruling that will determine how vacation homes can be qualified as investment property in a 1031 exchange.

1031 exchanges are a marvelous tool for real estate investors, check out the link to see how this works with a vacation home. There has always been a problem with the determination of vacation homes as personal or investment property. Now we have very clear rules including ownership for at least 2 years. Also to qualify as investment property, ie be considered in a 1031 exchange the property must be rented at fair market rent for at least 14 days in each 12 month period. There are also strict rules for the owner's use and it goes without saying document everything or don't even try an exchange. To find out more check out the link

1031 Exchange is fascinating and seems complicated but there are a professionals who work in this field and make it a lot easier. This is a tool every Realtor should have in their arsenal.

Housing Trends from the Iowa Realtors Association - Mid-Year Report

According to the Iowa Realtors Association the Storm Lake Board is up considerably over 2006.
The Median Price for 2006 was - $69,500
The Median Price for 2007 is - $88,800
That's an increase of 28%

Days on Market have increased
DOM in 2006 at midyear - 86
DOM in 2007 at midyear - 118
That's an increase of 37%

What do those numbers mean?

1) Local real estate is appreciating in general - that's a good thing
2) DOM is also increasing, that may not be a good thing, it means properties are staying on the market longer - possibly a reflection of the Doom Sayers in the national market. It could also be an indication that properties are being priced higher than the market will bear. I will look into the number of properties by percent that had price reductions before selling in 2007 as compared to 2006.

On our Wednesday MLS tours I have been disappointed to see an increasing number of unrealistically priced homes. This is a disservice to the client (Seller), it also goes against the Realtor's code of ethics that we are all bound by if we use the term Realtor behind our name.

If you want to sell a property, you contact a Realtor and they don't do a CMA prior to listing your home - RUN! This analysis is one tool that helps you price your home correctly. A CMA is a report that will show what the market will bear (in other words what you will most probably sell your property for). A CMA is also used with Buyers, it is how a Realtor best represents a Buyer - it is a report that will show what the market has paid for similar properties. This tells your Buyers whether they are offering a realistic amount. Not that they don't trust you or anything - give them the facts to backup your opinions.

Anti-Predatory Lending Bill Passes - Good or Bad?

Click on the title to read my opinion and please comment on how we can fix this broken system.

New Realtor! Bonnie Lewis

Announcing Bonnie Lewis - the newest Real Estate Specialists of Storm lake Inc. member. Bonnie has been a Realtor for years, has previous banking experience, and is an active member of the Aurelia community. Her banking experience adds valuable skills to our team.

Previously, an agent with Northwest Realty of Cherokee, Bonnie is a great addition. Bonnie is a strong Christian, and a people person with an obvious drive to make people happy and to do her best. Her family, like mine is spread out over this big beautiful country.

Please email Bonnie and welcome her to the Storm Lake, Alta and Aurelia market! Bonnie welcome aboard, I see great things in the future for you.

Georgia A. Weaver Broker/Associate, BS, GRI