Spotlight: Angel Flight West

 A cause close to my heart is Angel Flight West.  This nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization arranges free, non-emergency air transportation for people who need to access to health care and other critical services. Angel Flight West's volunteer pilots donate their time, talent, airplanes and fuel to make it happen.

My husband, Alan, joined Angel Flight West as a volunteer pilot in 1993 and went on to serve on the board for six years and as the Southern California Wing Leader for four years. I have also served on the board.  Alan is currently Angel Flight West's executive director.

Angel Flight West provides more than 4,000 flights each year in California and 13 other Western states. Besides flights to access health care, AFW arranges transportation for other needs as well -- individuals and families escaping domestic violence; injured military personnel taking part in therapeutic programs; prospective parents hoping to adopt a child; and flying youngsters and teens to special needs camps like those for burn survivors or kids with cancer.

And it's all free. Since the organization started in 1983, AFW has completed more than 50,000 flights -- flights for passengers like Michelle, who was a cancer patient. In a letter to the organization, she wrote, "

“Angel Flight West has helped to give me the one thing I’ve learned to cherish the most: time.  Time with friends, time to fight my disease, and most importantly, time with my three beautiful daughters.  One more hug, one more kiss, one more I love you Mommy.  I embrace each moment with appreciation and love in my heart for the wonderful people at Angel Flight West who helped give me . . . a little more time!"

For more information, please visit http://www.angelflightwest.org/

International Home Buying Activity in 2011

            Realtor.com the official website of the National Association of Realtors will soon go global.  They will feature listings from all over the world, translations for all listings in eight languages and currency and measurement conversion services. 

            According to NAR’s 2011 Profile of International Home Buying Activity, international buyers were responsible for 82 billion worth of purchases of US residential real estate, up from 66 billion the previous year.  Realtor.com president Errol Samuelson attributes it to the strength of the dollar and the value and desirability of US real estate.  Also homes in the US are viewed as secure long term investments as rentals or for the buyers own use. 

            Last year 62% of the foreign buyers paid cash, versus 8% of domestic buyers.   This makes the foreign transactions more streamlined and even more desirable, especially when so many domestic buyers are struggling at times to get financing.

            Realtor.com receives 900,000 hits from non US buyers each month and of the 82 billion in sales last year, 70 countries accounted for those sales.  This also means that there is a huge market sitting there for realtors, with 4-5 billion in commissions in the last 12 months alone.

I am currently updating my website in order to have a page dedicated to overseas buyers and ex-pats returning to the states.  Do you have any thoughts on information I should include?  What would you be looking for in a Realtor if buying in another country?

WHAT SHOULD YOU REALLY LOOK FOR IN YOUR NEXT REALTOR?

Here are reasons we heard from clients for selecting their last Realtor:

They sent me a calendar every year; he was my Uncle; the Realtor said they would reduce their fee; their kids went to school with mine; I met them at an open house and they seemed nice.

WHAT QUALITIES SHOULD THE REALTOR REALLY HAVE?

You are hiring an expert who will handle your largest asset. This Realtor should have qualities that will allow you to achieve your goals. The top goals are:  to minimize the work to get the home sold; to sell the home quickly; and, to sell for the most money in today’s market.

YEARS OF EXPERIENCE-This usually determines the agent’s knowledge of the real estate process and how to sell in different markets. This is a different market!

CREDENTIALS-what kind do they have? In any field, there is specialization. This shows an agent’s areas of special interest and additional training that will help you achieve a better result.

UNIQUE SELLING PLAN-In today’s market unique efforts must be made to sell homes quickly for top dollar. A defined plan that is special to this market is absolutely necessary.

RESULTS-The average Realtor sells 4 homes. You are not looking for an AVERAGE result. Your Realtor should give you their annual sales with the days it took to sell their homes, list price to sales price and references you can call to discuss their client’s happiness with the result.

Why Should You Be Loyal to Your Realtor?

Loyalty fosters better relationships.  A buyer can expect the maximum level of service from a Realtor who knows the byer is loyal.  A loyal buyer would be more inclined to hear about the “great deal” as soon as, or before, it hits the marketplace.  An aggressive Realtor will even do “targeted marketing” to individual homes in neighborhoods you are interested in to identify homes that may be going on the market.  Why?  Because there is much more motivation from the Realtor who knows that their efforts in finding you a home will result in a successful sale.  Additionally, it makes sense to work with only one Realtor because it saves you time and there is less chance for duplicated efforts.

Call the Jennie Manders Home Team and find out why they have earned the loyalty of their many clients.

WHY FIX IT UP IF YOU’RE JUST GOING TO SELL IT?

Would you put your car up for sale without a thorough wash and detail? Most homeowners mistakenly think buyers will be able to visualize themselves living in their home with their stuff. WRONG! 90% of buyers cannot see beyond what is there.

A move in condition home has a greater value to buyers and will sell at a higher price. “Today’s Market” and “HomeGain” (real estate research companies) say that homes that have been cleaned up, painted and updated allow the seller to realize a 100% or more return on the cost of any of those improvements. Guess which improvement is one of the tops in returning 586% of your investment?  STAGING

Today buyers are reluctant to purchase a neglected property because they must do costly repairs immediately.  Also, they do not have financial resources like equity lines any more to use to do this.

So if 94% of prepped/staged homes sell on average in 29 days or less when the average days on market for a home to sell is 90 and these homes sell on average for 7% more, what should you do?

Call the Jennie Manders Home Team to hear about the comprehensive program we have in place to make repairs, improvements and do staging cost effectively and without stress.

Top Markets for Real Estate Agents

The state of the housing market may seem glum to some out there.  However, there actually are real estate professionals working hard and doing a lot of real estate business.  On a national level, some real estate markets are seeing rising prices and strong local economies which have brought a high dollar volume in home sales in these areas according to Andrea V. Brambila of Inman News.   Brambila and Inman News studied many factors including total sales, median sales price, and real estate licensee data in metro areas across the U.S and came up with a  “top 10” list of areas where real estate professionals are succeeding in the highest number of sales and in some cases rising home values.  Of the top cities, nearly half are in the West and 9 of 10 are projected to see double digit population growth through the next 9 years.

So where is the real estate market taking off?  The top metro areas according to Inman News from number one area to 10 are: Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Wash.; Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas; Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, Colo.; Salt Lake City; San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas; Pittsburgh; Dallas-Plano-Irving, Texas; Kansas City Mo.-Kan.; Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas; and Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, Tenn.

The Top Improvements to Make Prior to Putting Your Home On the Market

How do you capture the attention of buyers who are looking at many homes and you want your home to be the “standout”, when they decide which home they want to buy? What features will buyers look at in your home that will differentiate it from the other homes they see?

Based on recent research and my 28 years of real estate experience, the top 4 improvements you can make to your home before selling to ensure that it is shown at its best, plus Guarantee that your home will sell faster and at a higher price are:

1. De-clutter and repurpose furniture

2. Re-landscaping the front yard including planting colorful flowers and putting bark in flower beds

3. Painting the exterior trim and interior

4. Staging the home

A staged home sells 80% more quickly than a non-staged home and for 7% more*.  These improvements are cost effective solutions that make your home “sale ready”. We have a team of experts who can cost effectively, quickly, and in a stress-free manner complete these items for you. We coordinate the entire process.

*Stats from Today’s Market