Friday, January 29, 2010

Contemporary Living on Lake Overholser


4 Bed 3.5 Bath 3 Car Garage 4,867 Sf with Pool - $559,000

Visit: www.4000Ramsey.com
for more professional photographs and Obeo Virtual Tours

Modern living in the Northwest Oklahoma City/Yukon area. This home was custom built in 1993 in gated Stonebridge Lake Estates. This home features beautiful lake views of Lake Overholser, walking distance to tennis courts, jogging trails, etc. Some of the features include: game room, exercise room, upper deck, wood floors, tile floors, open floor plan, updated paint, updated fixtures, remodeled master bathroom, etc. Please view Obeo Virtual Tours at www.4000Ramsey.com. Call Wyatt Poindexter for more information.

Wyatt Poindexter
Keller Williams Realty
www.WyattPoindexter.com
405-417-5466
wyatt@wyattpoindexter.com

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Inexpensive Ways to Prepare Your Home For Sale

First impressions are important when trying to sell your home. Extreme changes aren’t always necessary. There are simple steps you can take to prepare your house for the market while staying within a reasonable budget. The interior plays a big role, but don’t ignore exterior modifications, such as fresh light bulbs, an attractive mailbox and welcome mat, shiny doorknobs, colorful landscaping and window boxes, to name a few.

CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN: Take all personal items, such as pictures and trophies, and box them away. Buyers want to envision the house as their own.

Remove clutter, and clean. No one wants to see dirt on the baseboards, cluttered counters or a filthy microwave. Dust the ceiling fans and stair handrails; sweep, mop, clean the toilets, etc. Mow the lawn, edge it and sweep or consider power washing the driveway, front porch and the curb. Make your flowerbeds look neat and tidy. Consider adding hanging planters and fresh mulch outside, too.

WHAT’S THAT SMELL?: Smell is a huge factor. When you open the front door, what smell wafts out? Get someone not living in your house to give you an honest opinion. Put clutter into storage, not the garage. Add vanilla-scented candles in all the rooms. This scent isn’t too overpowering and is the most neutral. Go through every closet, cabinet and drawer and pack it up or move it out if you’re not using it. Ask your Realtor to walk through and give your home a once over.

TEND TO THE DETAILS: When I entered one woman’s house, it looked nice except that the carpet was awful and the tub was really stained. You can rent a carpet machine at the grocery store. The blinds are also a big thing to clean because they hide dirt. You want the windows to be open and plenty of light shining through or at least bright interior lighting. If you have a loaf of bread or brownies baking, it really helps offer a welcoming scent, too.

FIX ‘ER UP:

1. Paint interior and touch up exterior. All neutral colors.
2. Fix minor problems such as a sticking door, leaky faucets and broken/bent mini-blinds. We always figured when we were house hunting that if the small things weren’t tended to, the big stuff probably wasn’t maintained, either.
3. Be sure to take the trash out. Maybe I’m cynical, but when house hunting, the strong scents made me leery of what smells they were trying to mask.
4. Play music. We put on some smooth jazz.
5. Consider offering a one-year homeowners warranty. It’s a nice incentive for the buyers, especially if your home is older than 15 years.
6. Display new hand towels for the bathrooms and some houseplants or fresh flowers for around the house.
7. Remove anything that has strong connotations, such as hunting trophies, campaign signs or hot-rod posters. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State items also!
8. New light fixtures are a cheap update.
9. Have laundry baskets or boxes handy for an emergency showing. I kept them in the car, and, when I had a hectic day and wasn’t ready for a showing, we went around and tossed things into the baskets and loaded them into the car to be sorted out after the showing.
10. Even if you don’t include the fridge with the house, as a homebuyer, I always check the fridge. In my opinion, it is an honest evaluation of the care taken of the house. Clean the fridge!

www.WyattPoindexer.com

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Helpful Hints for the Oklahoma Winter Storm

Keep your headlights clear with car wax. Just wipe ordinary car wax on your headlights. It contains special water repellents that will prevent that messy mixture from accumulating on your lights; lasts 6 weeks.

Squeak-proof your wipers with rubbing alcohol. Wipe the wipers with a cloth saturated with rubbing alcohol or ammonia. This one trick can make badly streaking & squeaking wipers change to near perfect silence & clarity.

Ice-proof your windows with vinegar. Frost on it's way? Just fill a spray bottle with three parts vinegar to one part water & spritz it on all your windows at night. In the morning, they'll be clear of icy mess. Vinegar contains acetic acid, which raises the melting point of water, preventing water from freezing.

Prevent car doors from freezing shut with cooking spray. Spritz cooking oil on the rubber seals around car doors & rub it in with a paper towel. The cooking spray prevents water from melting into the rubber.

Fog-proof your windshield with shaving cream. Spray some shaving cream on the inside of your windshield & wipe if off with paper towels. Shaving cream has many of the same ingredients found in commercial defoggers.

De-ice your lock in seconds with hand sanitizer. Just put some hand sanitizer gel on the key & the lock & the problems solved.

Wyatt Poindexter
Keller Williams Realty
405-417-5466
www.WyattPoindexter.com