Potential home-buyers often decide about their interest in a home within a few seconds.  This is usually based upon first impressions, especially impressions as they enter the home.  There are a few things that you can do to make a good first impression.If the carpets have stains or are worn, consider having them replaced.  Have the carpet professionally cleaned.Eliminate clutter.  Take a good look at your closets and remove 1/2 of their contents.  This will make the closets look larger.  Remove extra furniture and other items.  A home with fewer items looks larger.Remove all personal items and personal photos.  You want the homebuyers to picture themselves as owning the home.Terez B. HarrisKeller Williams Realty New Orleans504 975 1033TerezHarris@KW.comTerezSellsNolaHomes.com8601 Leak... 09/19/2015

Terez B. HarrisKeller Williams Realty New Orleans504 975 1033TerezHarris@KW.comTerezSellsNolaHomes.com8601 Leake Ave., New Orleans, La 70118    Free Reports:7 Seller Tips for 2015Smart Home Price Name Your Selling Price    Search the MLS! (multiple listing service)Search Terez's Active Listings! See what your neighbor's home sold for... See What Your Metairie Home is Worth!    Metairie For Sale By Owner?   New Orleans For Sale By Owner?      Terez B. Harris  Terez Harris NOLA Real Estate Group  504-297-2619  www.TerezHarris.comKeller Williams Realty New Orleans 8601 Leake Ave. New Orleans, LA 70118 504-862-0100Each office independently owned and operated. All brokers and agents licensed in the state of Louisiana. 09/19/2015

View Homes For Sale in MetairieView Homes For Sale in New Orleans   You’ve successfully located the home that fits your wish list! The listing agent says the home is in “great condition!” Financing is pretty much a done deal! Time to relax! Er—maybe not just yet. When you are buying a home, among the scores of thoughts that might be racing through your head (“Is this the best one for the money?” “Will everyone be comfortable in it?” “Will it be enough house over the long haul?”), one you definitely don’t need is “Will this house become a money pit?”  The home that looks perfect may well be exactly that—but if not, you certainly don’t want to find yourself pouring hard-earned dollars into repairs that become apparent only after you have signed. Surprises are fine for birthday parties, bu... 09/18/2015

View Homes For Sale in MetairieView Homes For Sale in New Orleans Even before you are presented with the sheaf of paperwork that accompanies the signing of your first mortgage, if you are a Metairie or New Orleans first-time home buyer, you will have already learned about closing costs—the fees and charges that pay for various parts of creating the mortgage loan. Included in closing costs are sums that can vary from inconsequential (chump change) to head-turners (“whaaaat th-?”). You’ll want to be prepared in advance for what the line items cover. That’s where the “Good Faith Estimate” comes in. It’s a detailed document that is issued in advance; it’s a heads-up that estimates closing costs you’ll pay when you buy your new Metairie or New Orleans home. The GFE varies considerably from o... 09/18/2015

 View Homes For Sale in MetairieView Homes For Sale in New Orleans When it comes to home sales, looks do matter.Once a home comes onto the market, how soon it moves can depend on its location, design, quality of construction—not to mention how well it’s been maintained, the neighborhood, school district…it’s the sum of at least a dozen contributing factors. But when it comes to Metairie and New Orleans home sales, looks now matter more than ever before. Making sure a home is camera-ready could well be the most important single thing a homeowner can do before listing a house for sale in Metairie or New Orleans this fall.It’s in the NumbersThe 2013 National Association of Realtors® survey found that a decisive 92% of all home buyers use the web to search for a home. That’s more than just ... 09/17/2015

 View Homes For Sale in MetairieView Homes For Sale in New Orleans  The asking price you set for your home significantly affects whether you will profit in the sale, how much you will profit and how long your home will sit on the market. Your real estate agent's knowledge of the overall market and what's selling - or not selling - will be invaluable in helping you determine the price. The objective is to find a price that the market will bear but won't leave money on the table. Here are some points to consider: Time. Time is not on your side when it comes to real estate. Although many factors influence the outcome, perhaps time is the biggest determinant in whether or not you see a profit and how much you profit. Studies show that the longer a house stays on the market, the less likely ... 09/17/2015

  Are you a full-time professional real estate agent? How long have you worked full time in real estate? How long have you been representing buyers? What professional designations do you have?Knowing whether or not your agent practices full time can help you determine potential scheduling conflicts and his or her commitment to your transaction. As with any profession, the number of years a person has been in the business does not necessarily reflect the level of service you can expect, but it is a good starting point for your discussion. The same issue can apply to professional designations. Do you have a personal assistant, team or staff to handle different parts of the purchase? What are their names and how will each of them help me in my transaction? How do I communicate with them?It... 09/16/2015

Monthly Mortgage Payment Calculator    Terez B. HarrisKeller Williams Realty New Orleans504 975 1033TerezHarris@KW.comTerezSellsNolaHomes.com8601 Leake Ave., New Orleans, La 70118    Free Reports:7 Seller Tips for 2015Smart Home Price Name Your Selling Price    Search the MLS! (multiple listing service)Search Terez's Active Listings! See what your neighbor's home sold for... See What Your Metairie Home is Worth!    Metairie For Sale By Owner?   New Orleans For Sale By Owner?      Terez B. Harris  Terez Harris NOLA Real Estate Group  504-297-2619  www.TerezHarris.comKeller Williams Realty New Orleans 8601 Leake Ave. New Orleans, LA 70118 504-862-0100Each office independently owned and operated. All brokers and agents licensed in the state of Louisiana.  09/16/2015

 If you are at all typical, you probably won’t put even minimal thought into planning for selling your Metairie home until there’s a good reason to do so. One of the best parts of being a homeowner is the comfort you feel from having a stable home base. For a lot of us, thinking about selling your home (and then finding another; then moving) produces the opposite reaction. If we don’t have to start planning for migrating the whole household, we’d just rather not, thank you very much. In truth, doing this theoretically-only kind of thinking won’t be so disquieting. Since an actual sale and move is nowhere on the horizon, thinking about how you would prepare isn’t nearly as stressful as the real thing. And there are a couple of practical reasons why it can be worthwhile:REASON 1: When it ... 09/15/2015

A lot of what Metairie readers and TV viewers see and hear can leave them with the definite impression that the nation is headed for rough sledding. Most of us do understand that the “news” is selected to get our attention…and that often results in a steady stream of headline-grabbing accidents, malfeasances, and international catastrophes of every stripe.It could make anyone feel pessimistic about the future. When it comes to how we plan for our own personal prospects, issues like a rising national debt and stymied income levels could lead any Metairie resident to envision a future of gradually diminishing living standards. When people fear a storm coming, they prepare. Pull in their horns. Cut back. Economize.But apparently if our futures are to bring the kind of storm clouds hinted a... 09/15/2015

 When you have a Metairie luxury residence ready put on the market, you are about to enter a specialized area of the real estate realm. The luxury home market is, as the name implies, other than ordinary—and so are some of the ways to effectively navigate through it.First off, we have to recognize the importance of the fact that the pool of prospective buyers is a good deal smaller than that for a standard home. By the National Association of Realtor®s’ assessment, it comprises only about 8% of the buying public. This speck of a target audience might seem to create a discouraging marketing handicap—but it’s balanced by the fact that these well-heeled buyers are only attracted to about 8% of the homes presented in the Metairie listings. These buyers have more defined objectives than most... 09/14/2015

                     Ever since the real estate world turned the corner and plunged full bore into the virtual world of home computers, cell phones and iPads, Metairie home buyers and sellers have benefitted greatly. There had been an issue about the fate of the once closely-held and jealously-guarded Secrets of the Kingdom—“the listings.” The Metairie listings are the compilation of current details about homes that are up for sale in Metairie. There is no single national clearing house for U.S. listings. They are run regionally at local and state levels. But in just about every part of the country, being in possession of the latest listings book was a necessity for real estate professionals.                   As computers and then dial-up modem connectivity put real estate offices in t... 09/14/2015

Frank Rubi Real Estate, LLC Great Louisiana HomesGreater New Orleans | Baton Rouge   Metairie | Kenner | Northshore   Residential Market Report Metairie, La 70006  The Year To Year comparison show a 60% Increase in Listings. Year to date shows an increase of 106% in new listings. The 70006 zip code which includes Pontchartrain Garden and Pontchartrain Shores ofMetarie is Red Hot.August 2015New Listings:  16 Home Sold: 17Average Price: 290KDay on Market: 71August 2014New Listings: 10Home Sold: 15Average Price: 239KDays on Market: 41 2015 Year to Date:New Listings: 167Home Sold: 105Average Price: 254kDays on Market: 63     Looking for a new home. Work with a Realtor who can get the new listings information in your hand fast. Homes for Sale in Metairie and Kenner, LA. which are priced righ... 09/14/2015

  As your Local Realtor, and lifetime Metairie resident, I'd like to share with you a few of my picks for  "My Favorites of Metairie"   Favorite Italian Food:     Vincent's Italian Cuisine 4411 Chastant St, Metairie, LA 70006(504) 885-2984       Favorite Dermatologist: Bopp Dermatology & Facial Plastic Surgery3421 N Causeway Blvd #102, Metairie, LA 70002(504) 455-9933Favorite Tax Attorney: John Zamora III4420 Conlin St # 101, Metairie, LA 70006(504) 455-4294Favorite Heart Doctor: Cardiovascular Specialists Inc Dr. Lois Mailander4224 Houma Blvd. #500, Metairie, LA 70006(504) 455-0842                                                    Terez B. Harris Keller Williams Realty New Orleans 504 975 1033 TerezHarris@KW.com TerezSellsNolaHomes.com 8601 Leake Ave., New Orleans, La 70118   http://t... 09/08/2015

  In case you set your alarm clock to go off when it was time to buy a home, that clang you may be hearing from somewhere in the distance could be it (figuratively speaking, of course). The reason has to do with the direction of Metairie mortgage rates (among others).Now, I realize this could come across a little bit like Aesop’s boy who cried ‘Wolf’ since a year and a half ago the experts were unanimous in predicting that mortgage rates would rise throughout 2014 (to at least 5%, if I remember correctly). And not only did they not jump—after a short rise, they actually fell!The experts were wrong. To the extent I agreed with their call, I was, too—but at least I wasn’t lonely. And I also try to be clear that predicting the future of any financial movement is never a sure thing. The sam... 07/07/2015

Frank Rubi Real Estate, LLC Search New Orleans Real Estate.com504-319-9696 For the Client who Wants to Know is this Really A Good Deal In terms of purchasing real estate foreclosures on auction, or in pre-foreclosure, the investor also needs to know how to calculate potential profit if he is going to be reselling the real estate to make a profit. Start with the amount that you know the property can be sold for once it is fixed and placed on the market. Deduct any costs that you will have to contend with such as repairs, holding costs, insurance, taxes and loan repayments. Liens and judgments over the property will also have to be paid, and fortunately the investor is often able to negotiate discounts with lien holders. This method of investing is a great deal more complex than buying re... 06/18/2015

Market Report Zip Code 70006Frank Rubi Real Estate, LLCThis is a year to year approach on activity in the 70006 Zip Code, Metairie, La. Residential Market Report     NEW LISTINGS HOME SOLD AVG PRICE DAY ON MARKET 5/1/2015 22 13 255K 55 5/1/2014 12 12 252K 84                       CONDO MARKET REPORT         NEW LISTINGS CONDO SOLD AVG PRICE DAY ON MARKET 5/1/2015 2 1 82K 20 5/1/2014 5 2 93K 48  Looking for a new home. Work with a Realtor who can get the new listings information in your hand fast. Homes for Sale in Metairie and Kenner, LA. which are priced right do not last long. You have to work with a Realtor who will put you in the forefront so you don't miss your new home. Click here for listing information to be sent to you the instance it hits the market. There is no Cost for this ... 06/11/2015

Metairie, La | Homes for Sale | Making Homes More Inviting for BuyersFrank Rubi Real Estate, LLCSearch New Orleans Real Estate.comHomes near and in Metairie | KennerWhen deciding on a Metairie | Kenner Real Estate Broker to sell your Metairie Home consider the Buyers. Buyers are plentiful in Metairie. Interest rates and insurance rates are affordable in our market. How do you have your Metairie Home stand a part, a fresh coat of paint.  A simple inexpensive way to make your home more inviting to buyers. Homes for sale in Metairie are selling for more with simple upgrade.   The most important issue is the color chose. What color to chose? Here some consideration: Use of the room The design of the room Texture of the wall Consideration of Painting the Ceiling Technique use to paint: Strip... 06/04/2015

    May 4th, 2015  It was only a few years ago that the last thing a prospective Metairie home buyer had to worry about was being outbid. Those were the days when the bottom seemed to be falling out of the Metairie home sales. Anyone brave enough to be looking to buy at a time when the real estate market was frightening most folks away was not only plucky—they were also alone. Sellers who had to move no matter what found themselves forced to accept offers that they knew were well below their property’s true utilitarian value. The only saving grace was that those same sellers could turn around and buy in their new community at the same kind of crazy discount. That, as they say, was then—and this is now. As the real estate market in Metairie continues to revive, sellers’ mindsets have ret... 05/04/2015

  Why Buyers Resist those Metairie For Sale by Owner Signs April 20th, 2015 Let’s start out by agreeing that a “For Sale by Owner” sign on a Metairie fence does have a certain appeal. It summons up mental images of a simple, direct relationship: no middle men, just straight talk and fair dealing with the One in Charge! And in fact, in many walks of life, dealing directly with the owner can be a plus. When you’re recommending a retail outlet to friends, telling them that you know the owner strengthens your endorsement.So when you cruise by a sign announcing a Metairie For Sale by Owner property—a “FSBO”—you wouldn’t be alone if you were tempted to walk up and knock on the door. Buying a home directly from its owner should be a way to purchase a house at the lowest possible price, what wi... 04/23/2015