Posted by Annalisa Burgos | November 10, 2009
Think you’ve got what it takes to be a real estate expert in the media, or even HGTV?
Then join HGTV’s FrontDoor.com at the REALTORS® Conference in San Diego this weekend! Here’s how:
1. Attend the “Test Out Your On-Camera Presence” session
Saturday, 11/14, 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m., San Diego Convention Center, Room 28A
or
Sunday, 11/15, 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m., San Diego Convention Center, Room 28A
The host of HGTV’s Real Estate Intervention, Sabrina Soto, and Channing Dawson, one of the members of the founding executive team of HGTV, will show you:
* how to use video to enhance your brand and business
* the top 10 tips for boosting your on-camera appeal
Attendees will be part of a “studio audience” and a few lucky REALTORS® will be selected to work with Sabrina in an interactive home walk-through.
2. Shoot a 90-second screen test in HGTV’s FrontDoor booth #1916
Annalisa Burgos, FrontDoor’s editorial content guru, will be conducting screen tests in our booth #1916 on the convention floor. We’ll shoot a 90-second video of you reacting to a typical scenario from our HGTV shows. It’s not a lot of time, so you’re on the spot. See how fast you can think on your feet and offer valuable advice for our viewers!
We’ll select a few videos to highlight on HGTV’s FrontDoor.com.
So if you’ll be in San Diego, definitely stop by and say hello to your friends at HGTV’s FrontDoor.com. We look forward to seeing you there!
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | October 30, 2009
It’s hard enough to sell a house in this market, but try selling a haunted house! It’s a challenge but not impossible. HGTV’s FrontDoor offers tips and advice to get the job done.
If you’re a buyer looking for the ultimate bargain, a haunted house or other stigmatized property may be right for you — if you can deal with the home’s gruesome past or unexplainable issues.
If the idea of living in a haunted house scares you, there are plenty of haunted houses to visit. Whether it’s the creepy abandoned Victorian at the end of your block or the fancy haunted house attraction you pay to enter, be safe and have a happy Halloween!
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | October 30, 2009
For those of you who’ll be house hunting as well as trick-or-treating this Halloween weekend, your friends at FrontDoor.com have come up with some tips for foreclosure buyers. We call them:
And check out these other Halloween-themed homebuying and selling tips on FrontDoor.com:
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | October 16, 2009
HGTV’s FrontDoor.com is proud to welcome real estate open house listing site OpenHouse.com to the HGTV family!
On OpenHouse.com, you can find open house schedules and addresses and view hundreds of thousands of virtual home tours to enhance your house hunting experience.
Combine that with FrontDoor’s 4 million real estate listings and expert articles and videos and you’ve got all you need to take charge of your home search.
OpenHouse.com also offers homebuyers and sellers great insider tips and advice, including:
Read the news release here. And be sure to watch HGTV’s Open House Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET for more news!
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | October 7, 2009
The housing market can be very scary. Just ask any homebuyer or seller — a seemingly normal situation can easily turn into a nightmare.
In this month’s Top 10, read 10 hair-raising real estate horror stories, from showings gone awry to frightening HOAs to houses plagued with unwelcome guests and ghastly pasts.
Plus, get tips on how to avoid these nightmares and ensure your homebuying or selling experience is drama free.
Happy Halloween!
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | September 16, 2009
If you (or your spouse) haven’t owned real estate in the past three years and you’re in a good position to buy a home, it’s time to get your butt in gear!
The deadline to take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit for first-time buyers is midnight on Nov. 30, and that’s coming up sooner than you think.
READ: You have to close on the home purchase by Nov. 30.
The closing process has been known to take at least 30 days, and now with stricter lending standards and a more complicated appraisal process, delays can be expected. And tack on even more time if you’re dealing with a foreclosure or short sale.
So since you’re trying to close by Nov. 30, and Thanksgiving is the week before, plan to have a signed contract and begin the closing process no later than the end of October, unless you’re an all-cash buyer and don’t need financing.
And remember you don’t have to wait until you file your taxes to get your credit. Ask your mortgage broker or real estate professional about programs that will let you apply the credit to your closing costs now.
For most of the year, first time buyers looking for “bargains” (i.e. distress properties) were the main driver of home sales. Should that group go away with the end of the tax credit, the industry could be in for hard times in 2010.
That’s why the National Association of Realtors is lobbying to have Congress extend the credit and real estate agents are creating a sense of urgency (ex: Prudential Connecticut Realty countdown). And you’ve probably seen all the TV commercials encouraging people to buy.
So what are you waiting for?
Of course, if Congress decides to extend it, then all’s good. But with all the focus on healthcare reform, that’s no guarantee.
Posted by Annalisa Burgos | August 16, 2009
Everyone is so focused on home value these days that we forget that buying a home is really an emotional experience.
Sure staging and price play huge factors in whether we like a place, but house hunting is really about finding a house that fits your current lifestyle and aspirations. What really makes a homebuyer ultimately make an offer is feeling a personal connection to the place, not necessarily its price tag.
Ladies, think of it this way. They say when you’re shopping for a wedding dress, you’ll know when you find the one. It just fits. (And since 90 percent of real estate decisions are made by women, I figure you’d understand the analogy.)
This week, I talked to Eileen Imada and Walter Dixon, who just bought their first house in Newton, a suburb of Boston. After three years of looking for their “perfect” home, they learned a valuable lesson in determining home value and have a great tip for all you first-time buyers. Tune in for their full video on the FrontDoor Unlocked Vlog — coming soon!
Buying a home? Try these resources from FrontDoor.com:
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