In order to get the most interest and the best possible return on your property investment you will need to prepare your home to be shown to potential home buyers. There are many ways that you can do this, but the important thing to remember is that creating a warm and homey environment will increase your homes appeal to potential buyers. This can be done very simply and with a very small investment. You want to make your home more appealing and not spend a lot of money doing it. If you spend a lot of money to get your home ready for sale then what you recoup in the purchase price then it won’t do you any good.

Add Some Space

While you can’t physically add more space to your home, you can make it appear larger and roomier than it is. By removing excess furniture and belongings you will help to create the illusion that you have more room. Houses that are jammed packed full of furniture, belongings, pictures, artwork, things hanging on the wall, papers and clutter appear to be much smaller and confined than they actually are. Clear out the clutter and all of your excess belongings to help your home feel larger and more appealing. It would be a good idea to look into renting a storage space to place your belongings in until you sell your home. This can have the double advantage of not only helping your home to look more spacious, but you will also be well on your way to packing up and being ready to move.

Remember that first impressions are very important. You want your prospective home buyer to walk into your home and be amazed at the beauty and space that you have to offer. In the next installment we will continue to look at ways to make your property more appealing to buyers.

Property Options Australia
Property Options Blog © 2006 - 2009

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When you are trying to save extra money for a new home there are a few practical things that you can do to help make your budget work better and also help your money stretch further.

• Make out a menu for your weekly meals. This will help with your planning and alleviate the need to order out because you don’t know what to make for supper. Having a menu also helps with planning what groceries to buy and cuts back on spending.

• When you go grocery shopping make a list of what you need, based on your weekly menu, and only buy those things. Look through the sales flyers prior to making your menu and base your menu selection on items that are on sale to save even more money. Avoid making impulse purchases and buying things that are unnecessary. Stick to your list.

• Never go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. This will cause you to buy more than what you actually need and blow our food budget for the week.

• Determine what you can do without. Do you have a gym membership that you never use? Cancel it. Eat out at restaurants a lot? Cut back. Every dime that you save can be put into your savings account to go towards your dream home. Have a goal and keep your eye on the prize.

• Also cut back on expensive things such as cigarettes and alcohol. Not only will this be good for your heath, but it will save you a lot of money. A good idea is to take all the money that you would have spent on cigarettes or alcohol and put that directly into an account. That way you can see just how fast that money adds up.

• If you can find a high interest savings account, put your money into it and leave it alone.

Sean Rasmussen
Property Options Australia
Property Options Blog © 2006 - 2009

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When you are trying to save money for a new home or property the best thing that you can do is put yourself on a budget and stick with it. If you are ever going to be able to save money you will need to do this.

The Master List

There are a few different things that you will need to consider when making out a budget. Start by listing the following things:

• List your income - make a list of all the income that you get in a month. This should include your salary, any interests or dividends from shares, disability money, child support, spousal support or anything else that brings money into your home.

• List your unavoidable expenses - this would be things like rent, car payments, spousal support, child support, insurance, loans, and other things that can not be negotiated. This is a list of all the expenses that you can count on having to pay every month.

• List your avoidable, or disposable expenses - this is a list of expenses that you have some control over such as clothing, food, entertainment, cosmetics, eating out, and gifts given.

• Make a list to see what is left over.

Financial Clarity

By making the preceding lists it will help you to see what your spending habits are and determine where you can make some changes and where you can scale back a bit in order to save even more money. The value of making a budget and sticking with it will be seen when you are able to save more money and get the house of your dreams as a result. This exercise can also help you to save up for other important things, such as college expenses, vacation money or even a new car.

Sean Rasmussen
Property Options Australia
Property Options Blog © 2006 - 2009

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In the last installment we looked at putting an offer on a home and getting a counter offer. Now you have a decision to make.

What To Do When A Counter Offer Is Made

If you have been handed a counter offer to your original offer you have a couple of choices as to what you can do. You can either accept the offer and move into the next stage of purchasing your home. Or you can reject their offer and look for a different home. Or you can counter their offer and continue to negotiate until you all come to an agreeable decision.

Making An Offer Stick

Some people will look at the price of a house and offer some ridiculously low figure, well below what the seller is asking. The theory is that the lower you go the more room you will have for negotiating later. In theory this may seem like a good idea, but it can backfire on you pretty quickly. If you offer an amount that is a lot less than the asking price you risk alienating the sellers. Then they will be less likely to work with you and come to an agreeable figure.

Put Your Best Foot Forward

The best idea, if you are really interested in a home, is to make a reasonable and fair offer based on what you feel the property is worth. This will help the negotiations to move quicker and more smoothly. Also if you really like a home and want to buy it, but put in a lowball offer, there is always the chance that another buyer will come along and put in a higher offer. The seller will take the higher offer and you will lose the house.

Sean Rasmussen
Property Options Australia
Property Options Blog © 2006 - 2008

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