Step 1: The Big Clear Out.

This sounds like an obvious step, but from my experience, it’s overlooked all to often. An opportunity has arisen at this point where you can get rid of a quantity of rubbish and open up a little valuable room, and lessen your workload on removal day. This is especially significant if your move is over a long distance, or if there’s going to be a storage phase during your moving out and moving in days. Remember, the higher the volume of goods to be moved, followed by the more packing equipment, men , time, bigger vehicle and bigger storeroom unit necessary. It all has a knock on effect, so strip your house down to the essentials and save your time and money. Take a good long look at your furniture, and ask yourself if you really would like to shell out to have that weary old rec-room couch taken to your brand new address. Are your beds or mattresses due for replacement? Do you really need to keep all those back issues of your favourite magazines? A clever suggestion is to ask yourself when was the last time you used that thing, and force yourself to throw it away. Use it or lose it. Get this step best by being as merciless as you can, and you’re on your way to a much smoother and much cheaper move. I like to think of it this way; if I haven’t used it in a year then I don’t need it!

Step 2: The Non Essentials

We all get those items which we can’t be parted from, such as personal photo albums, ornaments and trinkets, artwork, and of course our clothes and cookware, but a large amount of us it can be packed, weeks in advance of moving date without impacting on our lives. If you can cut down to manage on the bare essentials, and box up the remainder ahead of time, you’ll suddenly hit upon that the workload on moving day is now down to a much more convenient level. If you can get this stage done before you call in the moving companies for quotes, it follows that you can expect the prices to be much more reasonable. The agent from the moving company will respond far more favourably to a tidy organised household, than he would to a jumbled house with a mountain of graft to get through. So get ahead of time and box up the things you can manage without. Don’t be concerned too much as regards what goes away on this stage, as you can leave your boxes unsealed in case you need to search out that special pair of shoes or your kids other toys. Stack your packed boxes to the wall in each room, ready to seal them up right before moving day.

Step 3: The Night Before

Relax. With steps one and two prepared you’ve already prepared much better than the majority. You can award yourself a pat on the back at this moment and know that your moving day is going to plan. Now, all that needs to be done is to place everything in your essentials collection which is no longer wanted into the unsealed boxes. You’ll need fresh clothes, wash kit, a couple of towels and the breakfast items for the morning, but everything else can go away. My own reminder is to keep the coffee pot out and a number of mugs and teaspoons, milk and sugar. We all like a mid-morning break on the day and it’s so much nicer to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. Especially vital at this point, is that you get a fair night’s sleep. Moving day is a long day so catch your rest and wake up refreshed and energised ready to rock and roll.

Step 4: Get up and go off!

If your movers are coming by 8am, it follows that you’ll need to be up, washed, dressed and fed earlier than they arrive. Then you’ve got to get the breakfast dishes washed dried and packed, get the wash kit away, but leave a towel and a little soap in the bathroom. Strip your beds down and box up the sheets, pillows and duvets. Seal up all the boxes which have been left unsealed up to this moment and presto, you’re prepared. When the movers arrive, they can move straight to work lifting boxes off to the van while you polish off a small amount of last small tasks. Once your boxes and furniture are moved out, you’ve got to turn out the lights, lock up, hand over the keys and get after that truck.

Hopefully right now you’re looking forwards to moving. If you take my advice and abide by the plan then you to will be able to sleep well the night beforehand and meet your movers with a smile. Moving day can be a very exciting day especially for the kids, so If you take the time to get it all organized you can avoid the moving day stresses and look forward to moving into your new home.

Warmest regards from me, and let me know how it went.

Buyer must adopt a proactive approach in preventing mortgage rejections. You must remember that you have to take the necessary steps even if you haven’t had the experience yet of being turned down by your lenders as such unfortunate events will reflect on your Beacon score and make it worse once it eventually happens.

In order to avoid this from happening, it is incumbent upon you to learn and understand how the assessment of your mortgage application is done and find out the major reasons why lending companies turn down mortgage applications.

Mortgage companies adopt their respective lending policies when assessing mortgage loan applications. You must do some research on the evaluation procedure and policies adopted by these lending companies. You can also seek the advice of mortgage brokers in order to have a clear understanding at how the processing is done and determine how you can approach the application process.

There are four major concerns that you need to take into account before you start filing your loan application. These are:

1. Beacon score;

2. Current debt load;

3. Monthly income; and

4. Liquidity

These four concerns are actually the main references of lending companies in assessing loan applications and it is crucial that you do the following before you submit your loan application with your lender.

Improve your Beacon Score

Before you even think about buying your dream home, the first thing that you must accomplish is to determine where you stand as a borrower. Submit your request for a credit report from credit reporting bureaus. If, in your assessment, your credit score is low then you must exert all efforts to improve it.

Reduce your Debt Load

This task is pretty straightforward. If you are currently being burdened by a number of loans and debts, then you may be tagged by lenders as a poor credit risk. Before you formally apply for a mortgage, you must have to pay up and settle some of your existing debts.

Improve your Paying Capacity

You have to do some serious and top-to-bottom house cleaning by establishing a realistic monthly budget to demonstrate your capacity to pay your monthly obligations. It is crucial that you stay within this budget range for a sufficient time frame before submitting your loan application.

Save Up for the Down Payment

The last item that you must look into before you can finally visit and talk to your lender is the budget needed for the down payment. In which case, you must make sure that you already have the funds available to make the down payment when you formally submit your mortgage application. Specifically, the amount on hand must be at least 5% of the value of the real estate property that you are intending to purchase.

If so, you are like many Milton homeowners who, in the chaos of preparing their home for sale have simply neglected to consider the outside of their home. Many of these homeowners have also moved out of their home during this process, thereby ignoring their home’s curb appeal. It is important to understand that keeping your home in a presentable condition involves more than just mowing the lawn. You must lure your buyers in and make your Irving home as pristine and attractive as possible; and that includes perfecting your home’s curb appeal.

Consider setting aside time each week to care for your home’s exterior. If you are simply too busy or unable to do so, consider hiring a gardener or lawn service to take care of it for you. A gardener or lawn service is almost always well worth the expense, as it will certainly translate into a quicker sale and more activity.

So, what does perfecting your Milton’s home curb appeal entail? You can increase your home’s curb appeal by:

1. Cleaning up the yard and removing any debris on a weekly basis. This may mean removing leaves, branches and removing dead flowers from your plants and flower beds.
2. Increasing your home’s safety and esthetics by installing landscaping lighting. Luckily, landscape lighting is economical, cost effective and easy and safe to install. Light up your walkway, your flower beds and your front entry. Consider adding drama to dark corners by adding up lights. Up lights cast shadows against your home’s landscaping and façade, thereby adding drama and interest to your home during the evening hours.
3. Increasing your home’s safety by addressing any problems with the driveway, sidewalk, or front porch. In particular, make sure your driveway is free of cracks or uneven spots, and that your walkway and front porch are well-lit. In addition, you may want to consider adding a handrail or other type of support to your steps.
4. Trimming branches and cutting back overgrown plants and trees. In particular, take a look at your home from the curb and assess whether your low-hanging branches are obstructing the view of your Irving home from the street. If the job is small you should have no difficulty tackling a quick pruning project. If, however, you have large trees that need attention, you should probably call in a professional tree trimmer to take over.
5. Decorating and adding finishing touches. The best way to instantly increase your home’s curb appeal is to make it feel more welcoming. You can easily accomplish this by adding a seasonal wreath to the door, by placing colourful annuals next to the front door and by giving your mailbox a fresh coat of paint. Often times, it’s all about the details when speaking of curb appeal.

To book a viewing of this home or for more information please visit http://www.domenicmanchisi.com

Being in the real estate industry for over 10 years, I have successfully assisted numerous clients sell their home, in the Milton and surrounding areas.

Over the years, I have offered advice and shared my in-depth knowledge of the real estate market. I have helped new home owners, second home owners as well as; first time home buyers and so forth.

Throughout this time, I’ve had the privilege of listening to my clients, their concerns and aspirations for their future.  I can sympathize with my client’s emotions and each step that encompasses the buying and selling process. It has been my experience, the more I listen to my client’s needs and expectations, the better I can adjust my marketing strategies and customer relations.

Whether you’re in need of buying or selling your home, or know someone who is, my team and I are here to answer any questions you may have. I am confident in our ability to provide you with the best possible services using our innovative technologies and top-notch customer care services.

To speak with myself or a member from my team, simply visit us online at http://www.domenicmanchisi.com or call directly at 905 878 9100/905 875 4594.

To learn more about Milton, Ontario, give us a call at 905-875-4594 or email the Manchisi Home Selling Team at domenic@domenicmanchisi.com

While looking on the internet over the weekend, I came across an interesting article on Canadian homeownership trends.

The article is based on the 2006 Canadian census, here are some interesting points.

·         More than 2/3 of Canadian households own their home.

·         Between 2001 and 2006, homeownership rose for all income groups

·         More than half of lone-parent households headed by women owned their own home

·         Condominiums have become increasingly popular in recent years

·         Head of the household is 25 to 34, 46.9% were homeowners with mortgages

·         35 to 44 age group, 58.2% were homeowners with mortgages

·         45 to 54 age group with mortgages dropped 49.8% as mortgages were paid off

·         Starting at age 55 mortgage-free homeownership was most common

·         Immigrants to Canada generally become homeowners, by the time they have been here 6 to 10 years, 66.7% are homeowners.

To read the full article visit Realty Times. For help with all your real estate needs, contact us today, we would be happy to assist you!  Domenic Manchisi