Does Your Home Smell? What To Do If It Does.

It's always a great day for a realtor when we sign up a new listing.  The creativity in marketing the property to other real estate agents, the excitement of finding the perfect buyer for the home, and the delight on the seller's faces as you present the purchase contract to them.  But what does a realtor do when they're on the initial listing appointment and the house smells?  When I mean smell, I don't mean the warm and cozy smell of chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven.  What I'm talking about are the not-so-pleasant-might-have-to-breathe-through-my-mouth-instead-of-my-nose smells.  So you might ask, if the home smelled that offensive, wouldn't the home owner know and get rid of it?  Well, not necessarily.  I grew up with my parents smoking in the home and whenever I complained about it, they didn't know what I was talking about.  Or, have you ever been on an elevator with a person who has a heavy dose of perfume or cologne on and it gives you a headache?  Well, homes are no different.  The people who live there may be aware but don't think it's a problem or they don't smell it at all.  

Odor is caused by bacteria that attaches to ceilings, walls, furniture, clothing, carpets, and draperies.  So the question is, do offensive odors affect the value of the home?  Absolutely!  According to the Chicago Tribune, smoking can reduce a home's resale value by 20%. I've seen articles that stated figures higher than that.   

According to a survey done by the housekeeping channel, the top five worst odors in a home are led by the smell of pet smells, tobacco, rotting garbage, mold, and body odor.  Thinking of selling your home and worried about odors?  Here's a list on how to remove odors and smells from your property:

• Pet smells - Bathe pets regularly and clean bedding, toys, and litter boxes often.  If you have cats, there's no worse feeling than buyers taking off their shoes to respect your home during a showing and then stepping on loose kitty litter on the floors.  If there are excessive pet stains in the carpet, you may need to hire a professional to replace the padding underneath the carpet as well as to treat or replace the subfloors.

• Tobacco- Upholstery cleaning, carpet cleaning, using hepa filters when vacuuming are  great options.  Don't forget the walls, it may help to repaint over the interiors as well as renting an ozone machine.  

• Garbage-Take out the trash more frequently and if the container smells, you may need to flex your muscles and scrub them.

• Mold-There is no word in the home selling business that kills real estate transactions faster than the word "Mold".  Actually, words like foundation problem and drainage issues are right up there but you get my point.  Moisture problems are very difficult as there may be different ways to remediate and get down to the source of the problem.  I recommend contacting mold remediations companies as well as structural engineers to find out your options for great solutions.  

• Body odor- Body odor is not easy to talk about but it can definitely be offensive to prospective buyers.  These rooms should be deep cleaned, shoe odor absorbers used, and dirty laundry removed and cleaned more often.  Don't forget your bedding, sofa's, and flooring.  Body odors could get trapped there as well.  

• Clean refrigerators often.

• Change air filters regularly.

• Do laundry regularly to avoid dirty clothing pileups.

• Use the fan over the stove when cooking.

• Avoid cooking strong-smelling foods like fish, broccoli, and garlic before showings.

Thinking of moving within this next year? Call now for a free home marketing consultation at (402) 707-7878

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• Call Heeran Workman at 402-318-7653 for a home buying or selling consultation or email heeran@heeranshometeam.com

By: Heeran Workman, MBA, Realtor - eXp Realty Omaha NE Real Estate

For Sale 16503 Camden Cir. Omaha NE near Stone Creek Golf Course Video Tour By Heeran Workman

Heeran Workman with REMAX PLATINUM is a top real estate agent serving the Omaha, NE Metro area and gives you a full tour of her listing at 16503 Camden Circle Omaha NE. Call Heeran at 402-318-7653 for more information about this listing or to set up a showing. Call or email for a complimentary home selling or buying consultation. Heeran has service offerings above and beyond what her competitors can provide. Visit her website at eXp Realtyhttp://www.HeeransHomeTeam.com Email her at Heeran@HeeransHomeTeam.com

By: Heeran Workman, MBA, Realtor - eXp Realty Omaha 

Benefits Of Winter Time Selling - Omaha NE Real Estate By Heeran Workman Realtor

TWO GREAT REASONS TO SELL RIGHT NOW INSTEAD OF WAITING UNTIL SPRING​​​

1. First, when it's cold outside, you'll have nothing but highly qualified motivated buyers in the marketplace. When the weather is warm during spring, summer, and fall, people love going out and viewing houses-whether they are ready to buy or not. Some are just browsing. You'll have a combination of buyers who are serious about purchasing mixed in with people who are just looking. The folks who are brave enough to get out there in the freezing cold weather are definitely serious​ buyers. So less traffic through your home, but every showing really counts. Buyers might be moving via a job relocation, needing to buy so that they don't have to sign another lease, or have personal reasons to buy RIGHT NOW!

2. The "Other" sellers are taking their homes off the market. That's right! Everything, especially real estate is highly affected by supply and demand. The sellers who tried and failed to sell this spring, summer, and early fall are tired and need a break. They are tired from getting the house cleaned for each showing, tired of people walking through their houses with no contracts, and just plain tired of real estate. So they decide to wait until next spring when other sellers decide to do the same thing. Wintertime sellers have very little competition.

HOW TO GET THE HOUSE READY FOR WINTER-TIME SELLING
​
1. Keep the walkways and driveways cleared of ice and snow-If people can't easily get to the door, they will not want to go in.

2. Stage the home to make it warm and inviting-For example, place a cozy throw over a chair and turn the fireplace on. Make sure you raise the thermostat up. If the buyers' teeth are chattering while touring the home, it's not a good thing.

3. Try to encourage showings during daylight hours- It gets too dark, too fast. Make sure you have lighting, especially outside lighting on so that buyers can get a good look.

4. Nice aroma never hurts- The smell of warm cookies or cinnamon rolls bring nothing but good memories this time of year.

5. Place a "Thank You For Removing Your Shoes" sign on your door. Buyers and buyer's agents should use common sense to do this anyways, but they don't always do that. Heeran's Home Team will place a sign on the door for you.

6. Spring, summer, fall, or winter, utilize other common sense rules to get the house ready for showings - For example, no smoking inside the house, de-clutter, put away personalized photos, clean the home, kennel pets during showings, remove pet odor smell, and please have the house vacant during showings. Buyers are not comfortable with sellers staring them down while they are trying to tour the home.

Thinking of selling between now and next spring? Call now for a free home marketing consultation at 402-318-SOLD (7653)

by Heeran Workman, MBA, MSITM, CLHMS, Realtor

Want to set up a home buying or selling consultation?  http://bit.ly/2ifOQ9v
Want to sell For Sale By Owner?   http://bit.ly/2gP7MM2
Want to find out what your home is worth?  http://bit.ly/2yYEvZU
Like us on Facebook  http://bit.ly/2xzgvIX
Check out our Zillow Reviews  http://bit.ly/2hozDTW
Follow us on Twitter http://bit.ly/2ihJNph
Go to our website http://bit.ly/2zk87BB

Call Heeran Workman at 402-318-7653 for a home buying or selling consultation or email heeran@heeranshometeam.com

By: Heeran Workman, MBA, Realtor - REMAX PLATINUM Omaha 

How's The Omaha NE Metro Real Estate Market - Jan-Aug 2017

Omaha Metro - How's the Market?

By: Heeran Workman, MBA, Realtor - eXp Realty Omaha 

(402) 318-SOLD (7653)

Public Service Announcement About Craigslist Rental Scams In Omaha Nebraska Metro Area

Welcome to Heeran’s Home Team Video blog!  We are here to keep you informed with tips, education, and information about pertinent real estate matters.

During my years of working in the Omaha Metro real estate market, I’ve had many calls from unsuspecting people to verify that the rental ad that I put in Craigslist is legitimate.  My answer has always been “no.”  These are the folks who actually took the time to research the home and realized from my website that I was the listing agent.  But what about the countless others who didn’t do their research.  They are sending private confidential information about themselves including date of birth, social security numbers, phone numbers, and email addresses to these crooks.  People are also sending them application fees, security deposits, etc via cashier’s checks and wire transfers of which they will never see one penny back.  For some reason, this year the calls have multiplied.  It takes just as much effort to do good in this world as it does for bad.  Are there no other ways to earn a clean living versus scamming people out of their hard earned money? 

I’m writing this blog as a public service announcement.  Please share with everyone you know.  It’s unbelievable how legitimate these scammed ads sound.  There is no reason why these scammers would continue to put out these fake ads week after week if they didn’t work.  There are people all over the country including our friends and family here in Nebraska who are wiring and mailing cashier’s checks to these low lifes.  Below are some tips on how to avoid these phony “House For Rent” or “Apartment For Rent” ads.

1. Deals sound too good to be true-If you know that a certain type of house or neighborhood should go for $1,295 per month and there’s an ad for a home that will rent for $895 per month, it may be a scam.  This is how the scammers lure prospective renters to open up their wallet and provide private/confidential information. If it’s too good to be true, then it probably is.
2. Too many upfront requests-The necessity to wire  money upfront is a red flag.  In addition, if they ask you for too much of your personal information upfront especially if it’s required before you even get to see the property, that is also a red flag.
3. Do an onsite tour of the property-Never send money to anyone for a property you haven’t seen in person.  If you can’t be there, ask a trusted friend or family member who can.  You’ll want to verify that what was advertised is truly what is being offered.  Deal with local people that you can meet in person and ask to see their identification. 
4. Look for suspicious looking ads-Are there many misspellings in the ad?  Do you see references to other countries?  Do you see words like “Sir” “Madam”?  These are all red flags.
5. Do your research on the owner-Go to the register of deeds website for the county where the property is located at and type in the address.  You can quickly find the name of the actual owner and then look for their phone numbers in the public records.  http://www.Zabasearch.com or http://dexknows.whitepages.comare a couple sites you can go to.  Then call the owner to see if they are truly renting their homes.
6. Weird Story-You may read a long winded story about why the property is for rent.  Maybe it states that the owner has some emergency and needs to rent the property asap.  Maybe it states that it’s owned by someone out of state and the home is “bleeding” them and they really need to rent it for whatever they can get.  Weird Story=Red Flag.
7. Pay it forward-If you do see an ad and you determine it is a scam, help the other prospective renters by marking it as prohibited on Craigslist.  You’ll see the “prohibited” checkbox next to the reply button.  Protect yourself-protect your family and friends.  

There are many legitimate house and apartment for rent ads in Craigslist.  Unfortunately, there are many scams out there as well so please be careful.  If you are interested in renting a home, please call (402) 318-SOLD (7653) and I will get you in touch with reputable property management companies as well as real estate landlords who have homes for rent or rent to own.  To prevent at least one person in your network who may become a victim, share this post. 

If you or someone you know are thinking about buying, selling, or building a home in the Omaha Metro area, call (402) 318-SOLD for a free consultation. Take care and have a great week.

Thinking of Selling Your Home?  Click Here To Find Out What Your Home Is Worth

By: Heeran Workman, MBA, Realtor - eXp Realty Omaha 

Why Homebuyers Need To Act Now - National Association Of Realtors

Why Homebuyers Need to Act Now

DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2015

Home buyers need to move fast if they want to spend less, notes Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at realtor.com® in commentary at the site.

“Delayed purchases will only result in higher monthly mortgage payments as prices and rates rise,” Smoke writes. Realtor.com® is forecasting that affordability may decline as much as 10 percent over the year.

The Federal Reserve continues to remind the financial markets that it plans to raise its target federal funds rate this year, which will cause mortgage rates to rise. Many economists are predicting 30-year fixed-rate mortgages to average near 5 percent by the end of the year.  

For now, mortgage rates are near historical lows for homebuyers and home owners who can take advantage. Freddie Mac reported last week that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.66 percent (last year at this time it averaged 4.32 percent), and 15-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 2.98 percent (a year ago, it averaged 3.40 percent). 

“Right now, the Fed is using the word ‘patient’ to describe its approach to picking the time to raise the target rate,” Smoke notes. “However, when the Fed ‘loses patience,’ rates will go up at least 20 to 40 basis points in anticipation of the target rate officially going up. … So, buyers beware: The clock on these low mortgage rates may be ticking.”

Source: “2015: Buy Now, Before the Fed’s Patience Ends,” realtor.com® (Jan. 30, 2015)

By: Heeran Workman, MBA, Realtor - eXp Realty Omaha 

Pocket Listings - Homes That Are For Sale But Not Available On The Market

What is a Pocket Listing?

A Pocket Listing a property that is available for sale but not listed on the Omaha Multiple Listing Service (MLS).  Why do pocket listings exist and how does a buyer find them?

Pocket listings exist when:

1.  A Realtor has signed up the listing paperwork to sell a home but the home is not on the market yet. For example, a seller may decide to hire Heeran's Home Team to sell their home and sign all of the listing paperwork, but the home is not on the market yet.  Those homes are in "Pre-Marketing" status and when we come across buyers who would be a right fit for those pocket listings, we let them know about it now but it's not available to the public yet.

2.  Sometimes a homeowner may hire an agent to sell their home privately.  They may not want their neighbors to know that their home is for sale or they may have other personal reasons.  They will ask their agent to refrain from listing the home on the Omaha MLS.

3.  A homeowner may be interested in selling their home in the upcoming months but not quite ready to pull the trigger to hire an agent.  They will ask Realtors that in the meantime if they come across a buyer who would be a great fit to sell their home to, to let them know.

How Do I Find Pocket Listings For Sale?

1.  Call every Omaha Metro Area Realtor and ask if they have Pocket Listings that fit your needs.

2.  Call Heeran's Home Team at (402) 707-7878 and let us know the type of home you are looking for and we will send out an email blast to the entire agent community looking for your perfect home!  This is by far the EASIEST option.  This is a FREE service to you!


By: Heeran Workman, MBA, Realtor - eXp Realty Omaha NE