February 2011 Sales Promotion

February 2011 Sales Promotion

Our new mobile app!

Stay up to date on the newest homes to it the market anytime via our new mobile app. Just type in the following address into your browser.

http://wbxapp.com/dfw-real-estate

Or scan this barcode with your smartphone. If your smartphone is able to read QR codes, you can use this barcode to go to our mobile app. More about QR codes

New Facebook Page

Keep up to date with the latest homes for sale & real estate information at

facebook.com/CarrascoRealEstate

Making Your Home Picture Perfect

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, in real estate, that picture's worth translates to dollars and then, if it's an excellent picture, you can add another zero to that number. That's why helping us get the right photos of your home are critical.

Before having Carrasco Real Estate photograph or, in some cases, videotaped, your home you'll want to make sure that it's in the best possible shape. But what exactly does that mean?

Getting your home ready for a photo shoot is not quite the same as getting it ready to have dinner guests. Yes, there's the same cleaning rituals such as dusting, and picking up items lying around the house. But making a home picture perfect is about creating an atmosphere that's welcoming, interesting, and even beckoning viewers and then allowing us to capture it with our lens.

How is that done? For starters we'll use the right equipment to get the job done. Wide angle lens to make the home look larger and show off adjacent rooms in a single photo are one good method. Early morning and late afternoon photo shoots make use of the best lighting times in the day.

Before the shoot you'll want to add some props and take away the clutter. These should be your top priorities.

Let's start with empty rooms. Showing an empty house isn't ideal for in-person visits or pictures. Why? You can't get a feel for how to use the space and when you see an empty room in a picture and it's hard to grasp its size. The Wall Street Journal suggests bringing in props such as furniture (even just a chair and small table) that will help give the viewer a sense of scale.

If at all possible, rent, borrow some furniture to have at least a few objects in the room. You don't need as many pieces of furniture as you would have if you're living in the home, just some nice tables, lamps, and chairs to create a homey mood.

Kitchen comfort. Here's where you get to have some fun. Think of yourself as a set designer. Your job is to look closely at your kitchen and tuck away all the unnecessary objects. If you leave out an appliance (maybe a good-looking stainless steel one) hide the cord. The appliance isn't there for use–it's just a prop.

Now, add some other props–a basket of colorful fruit in a clear glass bowl (nothing too distracting). A plate of cheese and bread with a wine bottle nearby helps set a scene to make the viewer feel welcome.

When it comes to the exterior of your home, put away those unsightly garbage cans, the seasonal decorations, and those "no soliciting" signs.

Remember, you're making your home not only picture-perfect but model-home perfect too... and that could just be priceless.

Best Black Friday Deals? A New Home...

With all the deals going on we didn't want you to miss out on local home builders & their Black Friday Deals. It is usually big retailers offering flat-screen TV's and high-tech appliances that consumers covet. But this year local new home builders are getting in on the Black Friday action!

Search the MLS or Local Builder Inventory Now.

This holiday season is also the perfect time to start house-hunting. With the winter selling lull just around the corner, now is the perfect time to consider buying a home. Homes are much less expensive this time of year.

Contact us to learn more about the 3 BEST FREE BLACK FRIDAY INCENTIVES offered from local home builders & why buying real estate might be the best investment for you and your family this holiday season.

*Only 1 Incentive Coupon applicable per home. Incentives are not available with any other incentives or offers

Energy Effcient Homes?

Poll: Nine in 10 U.S. Homeowners Concerned About Home Energy Efficiency

Home energy efficiency is valued by the vast majority of American homeowners, with 89 percent of national survey respondents indicating that making their home more energy efficient is important to them personally.

Key findings from the September 2010 national survey include:

* Less than one in three homeowners believe their homes are "very" energy efficient
* While the majority reported knowing "a lot" about how to make their homes energy efficient, they mistakenly identified "older windows" as the top energy-loss culprit
* 90% said it is important to have a professional energy auditor who is "certified by an independent national organization"

"These findings are a call to action to the industry to help consumers tap into the true value of an independent energy audit," said Steve Baden, executive director, RESNET. "While the benefits of window replacement are obvious, it is often a less visible and less expensive repair – for example, sealing cracks around air conditioning and heating ducts – that can significantly improve a home's energy efficiency and cut homeowners' utility bills."

D.C.-based Clarus Research Group, a Qorvis company, conducted a market survey of 800 U.S. homeowners(1) on behalf of RESNET, an industry leader in the energy efficiency marketplace. The sample was defined as adults over 21 years of age who currently own a home or plan to purchase one within the next year. The survey was conducted by Ron Faucheux, Ph.D., president of Clarus and a nationally recognized research and polling expert.

Key among other survey findings:

* 86% of homeowners would trust an energy audit performed by someone who was "certified by an independent national organization" over someone who was not
* 80% of those surveyed said that if they were in the market to buy a home, an energy audit conducted by an "unbiased professional" would be important to them

Poll from RISMEDIA