Staging! How to Make the Perfect Bed

If you're like me, no matter how hard I try I can't get the bed to look like they do in the magazines and showrooms.  Here's a nice little clip that demonstrates how to make the perfect bed.  I'm going to try it and I hope you will to.  Having a beautifully made bed is important for photo day and showings when you house is on the market.

Good Morning Rochester

I love it when I'm in the newspaper and it's not the obit page.  Enjoy this beautiful autumn day.

And an update on my story earlier this week about the family moving back home!  We got another offer that is coming together nicely so my open house is canceled!  YAY!

2.785% For 30 YR FHA Fixed Loan! Unbelievable!

I saw a couple of posts on Facebook today saying that interest rates for a fixed 30 year FHA mortgage hit 2.785%.  This is so unbelievable that I didn't believe it until I made a few phone calls to confirm it.

For months, I've been bragging about my 3.25% mortgage and I needed to do a 10 year mortgage to get this rate.  Today's deal blows that out of the water.

So my friends, if you're on the fence about buying, now is a great time.  If you're on the fence about selling, these low, low rates will make it a great time to sell.  And if you're on the fence about staying put, consider refinancing.

I'm taking new clients now, so don't hesitate to call.  756-7457 is my office number.

Mary Shelsby
ReMax Realty Group

Moving Back Home

The Democrat and Chronicle has featured several articles about young professionals that have gone on to bigger and hopefully better places only to move back to sweet ol' Rochester.   But I have a less happy tale to tell.

About 60 days ago we received a full price offer on my lovely colonial located in the quaint village of Wyoming.   Because Wyoming is such a small community, the sellers got to meet the buyers and everybody was excited about the anticipated closing date.

About 3 or 4 weeks ago, the sellers knocked on the door of the buyers to see if they wanted their lawnmower and some furniture.  Although they were pretty certain they were home (this is just down the street from where the sellers live)but no one would answer the door.

That weekend the sellers rented a u-haul and moved out about half of their furnishings.  The next weekend they finished the job.    Since this family has three small children under the age of 4 and both parents work full time, it was not an easy endeavor.

Long story short, it took lots of phone calls to the buyer's agent, the buyer's attorney and even the buyer's loan officer but it eventually became apparent that the buyer's didn't have the money necessary to close.   Without a doubt, that was a disappointment.  But what is infuriating is that everyone on the buyer's side knew this and didn't tell the seller's side until the day of the scheduled closing.   And so my sellers are moving back home.

This is a lovely home, 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths.  It will be open this Sunday, October 30th, 1 till 4 pm which just happens to be the Appleumpkin Fall Arts and Craft Festival.  The address is 60 Main Street and the price is $99,900.  Here is a slide show about the property.  http://www.photoshow.com/maker/share/Pv7Uw3zx

Real Estate in the Netherlands

I spent the day yesterday with a delightful couple considering relocating from the Netherlands to Rochester, NY.  We spent the day visiting Fairport and Canandaigua and next week we will be viewing properties in Irondequoit, Rochester and Brighton.

I couldn't resist the urge to ask about how houses in Rochester differ from those in the Netherlands and was quite interested in their answers.  They live near the coast and the area is quite densely populated.  As a result, much of the housing is row houses.  They live in a modern house, built in the 1980's, yet one of the most striking differences is it was built with no closets.  Most clothing is stored in armories and other furniture  and when new clothing is purchased, old clothing is given away.  Basically, Europeans just don't have as much 'stuff' as Americans.

While my clients are looking for an attractive and well maintained home, their interest is all about the view.  In the Netherlands, there are miles and miles bicycle and walking paths and lots of parks and gardens.  As they looked at houses in the Rochester area, they went from room to room to look out the windows and take in the view.  So far, their most favorable reaction was to a condo along the Erie Canal but we'll see what next week brings.

In the Netherlands, the housing market is still suffering from the 2008 global mortgage meltdown and house prices are again dropping after a modest increase in 2010.  They were delighted to see how strong the Rochester market is.