Does your home ‘Bow-Wow from the road?

A Realtor friend used to categorize homes on the market with different labels. Occasionally a photo wasn’t yet available and if she had previewed the house she would pick a category to let me know what the house looked like. One of her categories was: ‘Bow-Wow’ from the Road. I knew not to show that house until the owners cleaned it up….if ever they did. Truly, there is nothing less inviting than a shabby, run down lawn.

There are many reasons lawns and homes fall into distress. You want your home to stand out against those homes.

One of my sellers would let their shrubs grow up to the tops of the windows in the summer to provide shade from the heat of the sun.

Before the house went on the market, he cut those shrubs down to normal height to put his home in the best marketing position. The shrubs instantly became an asset rather than a distraction.

It’s important to show your home without distractions. Anything that distracts a potential Buyer causes them to make judgments about you and how you care for the rest of the home. You are in control of those judgments by NOT doing certain things.

Here are a few things to keep in mind so you don’t turn off buyers before they even get out of the car. Many buyers will look at a house and say, no, I don’t even want to go in. We want your home to invite them inside.

DON’T:

Allow a potential sale to be nixed from the road!

· Over grown shrubs should be trimmed, grass edged and Green in warm weather.

· Walkways should be clean and clear of clippings and debris.

· Porches should be kept CLEAN!

· Doors should be CLEAN!

· Windows CLEAN!

It was once pretty, but after a harsh summer and wind and recent rains, this porch falls into the ‘Bow-Wow’ category. Sadly, it is the first thing that greets the potential buyer.

And, the last thing they see after viewing the home.

It’s the little things that make you home stand out. Give the hopeful New Home Owner a reason to smile right up front. And you will be on your way to Your next home!

I live in North Texas with the nicest man on earth, 3 spoiled cats and lots to talk about! Real Estate and Saving Money is my passion. I am polishing an E-Book on Ways to Save Your Money the Simple Way! It’s due out in November. Take a look at my blog: thecottagerose.blogspot.com where I talk about everything and nothing. And be sure to join me at my Favorite Place Blissfully Domestic, where we can further discuss separating the Bow-Wow from the House!

For months now, I have been listening to Dave Ramsey’s talk show on our local radio station. His plan for financial freedom sounded so doable and really intrigued me.

The problem was, trying to explain it to my husband. It would all get lost in translation and he was never in the car at the time of Dave’s radio show. So, needless to say, I was beyond thrilled when our church announced that it was offering Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University.

I am loving the idea of being debt free and not having to worry about emergencies. When you have some money saved up and set aside, suddenly emergencies aren’t… and those potential stresses just aren’t there any longer…

Sound good to you?

This isn’t a get rich quick infomercial. It is a plan that requires commitment for the long haul. But the rewards will be huge for our families.

Karla an editor for Blissfully Domestic and also blogs at Looking Towards Heaven.

(this post was originally published on 9/14/08)

When you buy stock though an online program (or even through a broker), one of the most important questions you need to know the answer to is if you want to place a Limit Order or a Market Order. Your decision could be the difference between owning the stock and not owning the stock. Or owning the stock for the price you wanted to pay….and owning a stock at a price you didn’t choose….

Market Order

When you place a market order, you’re basically handing the final price over to the broker. If you choose to buy when a stock is at $50.00 but you place a market order, don’t be surprised if you find out you bought your stock at $55.00. It means “Buy it now! I don’t care if it turns out to be a little more expensive…I trust you Mr. Computer Broker Man somewhere on the other end of the line!”

Pros: If you want to own the stock as soon as possible because you think something is going to happen or the stock isn’t going to be available anymore.

Cons: It’s not a smart way to trade. You could pay more than the stock is worth and have no way of saying, “Hey, you can’t do that!” It’s rare that the price jumps dramatically, but it can happen.

Limit Orders

When you place a Limit Order, you say what you are going to pay for the stock. If you place an order for $50.00 and when you click “buy” the price has gone up to $50.01 - your order just doesn’t go through. When and if the price falls back down to $50.00, your order will automatically go through. A limit order usually stays in effect for 60 days or until it is cancelled. In most cases you don’t pay the trading fee unless you actually make the trade, so you’re not out any money.

Pros: Save money and don’t get fleeced by a lazy stockbroker that gives someone else too much money for your stock.

Cons: If you want to own the stock right this very second, a limit order could have you worrying and wondering if the stock price will drop back down.

Unless you’re messing around with some serious daytrading, it’s best to stick with limit orders. They carry less risk of you spending more money than you can afford.

My first two trades were market trades and on one I paid almost twice the price of the stock when I wanted to buy it. Today I made a limit order trade and it did not go through by the close of the market. It’s a little nerve wracking having an open order out there, but I don’t want to pay more than the price I saw when I made the order…I’d rather wait.

Jennifer Gniadecki is a freelance writer in love with finances and investing.Links to her blogs as well as her portfolio can be found on her web-site!

Image Source: linder6580

You can begin teaching your children about investing as young as six, or even younger if you keep it simple.

The best way to do this is, you guessed it, buy them a share of stock.

The key to keeping interest high is to buy them stock they are interested in. Here are some examples:

• Disney (DIS)
• McDonalds (MCD)
• Gap (GPS)
• Kohl’s (KSS)
• Gymboree (GYMB)

Look at the things you do with your child and what your child enjoys to pick a stock. A child is much more likely to get excited about McDonald’s stock than in a million shares of something they have never heard of. 

Remember: You are not buying your child a share of stock to make them rich. Consider it an inexpensive class on teaching your child to invest. My daughter’s dance class is $50/month - for one month’s worth of ballet, I can teach her something that she will use the rest of her life.

Gas prices are just gross, the cost of milk is ridiculous, and the prices of food? Do not get me started! Let’s face it; the cost of EVERYTHING in general has gone up dramatically in recent months. It’s no wonder there seems to be a lot of talk about budgeting these days. If you don’t already have a budget, it can seem like a daunting task to create one. However, creating a budget is easy and will only require an hour or two of your time.

1.Round up your most recent statements: bank/credit card/loan statements, pay stubs, investment accounts, recent utility/insurance bills.

2. Make note of all your sources of income. Record this total income as a monthly amount.

3. Create a list of monthly expenses. Be sure to remember the little things like your morning coffee or bank fees.

4. Create two categories for your expenses: fixed and variable. Expenses like your rent/mortgage are a fixed; they don’t/won’t change from month to month. Variable expenses are those which fluctuate month to month like groceries, gas, and eating out.

5. Add up your total monthly income and expenses.

6. Make adjustments where necessary. If your income is greater than your expense, decide where you can invest the extra money. If expenses are greater than your income, it is time to see where changes can be made: take an honest look at your variable expenses and see which ones can be reduced.

7. Review your budget on a regular basis. This helps you know if you are staying on track.

Here are some useful resources/tools that can help you get started:

weekly spending worksheet

monthly budget work sheet
Quicken Online Edition – Try it out for free!

Mint (a free online resource which tracks where your money goes)

Jennifer is a wife, mother of three and full time student. She can be found taking a break on her blog, I Call Times! where she rambles on about her kids, her life and her adventures as she tries to fit it all in and have fun  along the way.