Life has enough stresses. Let’s keep your next home buying experience calm, cool, and collected. Easier said than done? Follow these simple steps and you could be sitting in your new dream home before you know it!

First, work with a real estate agent that you trust. You need to have faith in their abilities and experience. If you are constantly second guessing their advice, this will only add stress, not reduce it. You want to work with an agent that answers your phone calls/text messages and emails, and stays in touch the whole step of the way.

Homebuying is about decisions. There are large ones, like which home is right for you. And there are small ones, such as which home inspector to hire. The way to keep stress low is to make informed decisions and then let it go. Let it go? Don’t beat yourself up over what could have been or what you should have done. Hindsight is always 20/20.

There is no “perfect” house or deal. There will be things that don’t go as planned. Now is the time to focus on the good things about the move and the deal. Don’t get bogged down in the negatives. Buy a house that you love and that makes good financial sense.

Along that same line, remember the phrase, “too many cooks in the kitchen.” Yes, there are family members that have great advice to share. However, asking too many people for their opinions can distract your mind from your own wishes and wants. Be careful to keep the advice in moderation. This is your decision, after all.

And finally, plan ahead. It is tempting to channel Scarlett O’Hara and worry about things tomorrow, but time is of the essence when you’re buying. Deals can move quickly, and between hiring inspectors, getting appraisals, going on showings, and hiring movers — you don’t want to be weighed down with everything all at once.

The bottom line is this. Buying a home is a big responsibility. It takes time and it takes money. But the end result, owning a home that is a good fit for you, is always worth it. So take a deep breath, plan ahead, and don’t be too hard on yourself. Enjoy the ride!

I would love to help you find your dream home today!

Amanda V. Stepp
Broker Associate, REALTOR ®
ABR, e-PRO ®, GREEN, eCertified ®
Fine Homes International Specialistâ„ 
Certified Relocation Specialist
859-353-2853 Call/Text
859-623-6332 Fax
AmandaVStepp@ME.com
www.AmandaVStepp.com
2009 REALTOR of the Year!

Please call/email/text me with your home selling needs!
Amanda V. Stepp
Broker Associate
ABR, GRN, e-PRO, eCertified
Certified Relocation Specialist
859-353-2853
Amanda@YourHomeInKY.com
www.YourHomeInKY.com

Pricing your home right in the current real estate market.

Now more than ever pricing your home RIGHT is of utmost importance. With values falling up to 20% in some areas in the past 18 months, pricing your home competitively is the only way you will have a chance to stay a head of your competition; competition being other houses in the area comparable to yours. List too high and your home will sit on the market and may never sell or even worse sell for much less than you want it too.

Let™s discuss one of the 1st things a prospective seller says in defense of pricing a home higher than their Realtor recommends.

œBut we can always drop our price.

No you can™t. Well you œcan but most likely it will be too late. New listings get the most activity the  first 3 weeks of the on the market, after that the interest in the house levels off. It no longer  is considered  a new listing on the œhot sheet and just finds its way with the rest of the over priced listings in your town.

If you do not put your best foot forward (aggressive price) from the beginning then by the time you drop the price it will be too late, you will be œchasing the market. If your Realtor says you need to be $50,000 less and you disagree but finally after 1-3 months œgive in to his price recommendation it is actually too late. Now to be competitive with the other listings in the area you may need to be $75,000-$100,000 less than your current asking price.

Here is a good example. I had a seller call me after 6 months on the market with an agent and the agent was not able to sell the house. The asking price was $700,000. I came in and told the owners you can™t be a penny over $650,000. Of course they did not agree and thought I was crazy and refused to list it œthat low, and the lowest they would allow me to list it at was $675,000. After a few weeks on the market the activity  was minimal due to it being overpriced. I asked them every week to please let me drop the price.

After 3 months  my sellers  gave in and let me drop the price but I told them $650,000 is now too high. Of course I am the œcrazy one and they only let me drop it to $650,000. I told them it is too high and to drop to maybe $619,000 and hope to get $600,000. Well at $650,000 I brought them 3 offers at $600,000 and neither buyer was  willing to go higher. My sellers told me there was no way they would œsell their house for that low. I finally let the listing expire because my sellers were unrealistic and were more or less ensuring themselves to lose a lot of money.

They listed with another agent and 6 months later they sold¦ for¦ $550,000.

œBuyers  are always going to bid lower

Yes and No. A competent buyers agent knows the market and when a house comes on the market at a very good price the agent educates their buyer on current listed and sold properties and more so than not the offers come in VERY close to asking price. I saw a house that was GROSSLY over priced, about $150,000 over priced then one day the agent drops it $150,000 to $425,000. My buyer saw it and was impressed and felt it was worth every penny of the asking price. The agent just dropped the price the day we saw it (I told her about it as soon as I saw the new price), my buyer was unsure about what to offer and we discussed the comparable homes in the area and we offered asking price. Of course it was accepted and my buyers were more than happy.

Another reason why thinking you can œalways lower the price or œbuyers are always going to bid lower is wrong is that you push yourself out of the market with an over priced listing. SERIOUS buyers  these days know that prices are down, they know sellers have dropped prices a lot, buyers are NOT searching for houses that are $50,000-$75,000 higher than a number they can afford like they used to do years ago. Buyers looking for a $400,000 house are not searching much higher, maybe $425,000 and under and MAYBE (rare) as high as $450,000 but chances are they are not. So when you price your $400,000 house at say $440,000 you just made your home INVISIBLE to buyers because they do not know it exists when they search online for homes. Price it at say $415,000 and you expose your home to a large pool of buyers and your chances of getting a good bid on your home has drastically increased.

I had a seller who did not let me list his home at the price I told him, the price was $850,000 (down from $969,000 from his previous agent who was not able to sell it) and I said we need to be around $800,000-$810,000 and he only let me drop the  price  to $839,000. After 3 weeks my seller was fed up and I was even more fed up and pleaded with him to let me drop the price before it is too late. I asked him what is his bottom line and he said $800,000 give or take a few thousand.   Well we priced it at $800,000 even after my seller said œbut people are going to bid lower, of course the uneducated buyer will but not the educated buyer.

Within 24 hours we had THREE OFFERS. One for $700,000, one for $750,000 and one for $790,000 and we settled at $798,000!! The buyer who bid the $790,000 knew the market and knew the price was good and she also said this œI never knew this house was even on the market until the  price was at $800,000 and I would have never seen it if you did not drop the price.

Another example happened when I  went on a listing appointment and the price I have the seller was $550,000. I stressed not a dollar higher is this unstable market. I did not get the listing and 2 weeks later I see his house listed at $750,000!!! To make this story very short, he is now on his THIRD real estate agent and his current price is $450,000.

Agents do NOT waste their time showing overpriced houses.

When an agent sees a listing that is obviously overpriced they are not going to waste their time showing it especially when their buyer tells them it is just way too out of their price range. An agent is not going to show a listing like that and then lose creditably with their buyers and waste their buyers time driving around showing homes that are not what they are looking for.

The old vs the new real estate market.

When the market was œhot from around 2002-2005 agents would look at what sold and  then  list homes  around 5-10% more than the recent comparable sales.Now we look at what just sold and price it LESS than or at the price the most recent comparable™s sold for. Any other way and a seller will chase the market and lose money like the seller above who listed at $750,000 and is now at $450,000.

The moral of the story is listen to your Realtor™s price recommendation and price your home inline with the competition or even lower and NEVER ever choose your agent just  based on the  PRICE they tell you. If that was the case then I would just go around telling sellers what they WANT to hear and not what they NEED to hear and give them all over priced values. Some agents love to throw out a very high number in order to œsteal the listing and get the listing over the other agents who interviewed with the seller. Avoid this unethical agents.

My job as a Realtor in regards to seller clients is not to just sell your home but to sell your home for TOP DOLLAR and in the SHORTEST amount of time. More importantly to make sure you do not get less than you should and an over priced listing is a perfect recipe for loss.    If a competent Realtor comes up with a value on your home and you want to  list higher than they say because œpeople are always going to bid lower, you probably just killed your chances of not only getting a bid near the value the Realtor came up with but any chance of selling your home at all.

This article was written by Mike Trinch.com

Amanda V. Stepp
Broker Associate, Apprentice Auctioneer, REALTOR ®
ABR, e-PRO ®, GREEN, eCertified ®
Certified Relocation Specialist
859-353-2853 Call/Text
859-623-6332 Fax
AmandaVStepp@ME.com
www.AmandaVStepp.com
2009 REALTOR of the Year!
Prudential Don Foster Realtors
920 Barnes Mill Road, Suite A
Richmond, KY 40475

A sale can be made or lost as a direct result of your home’s curb appeal. When it comes to selling your home, the first impression is probably the most important impression. If the outside of the property doesn™t create interest or appear well-maintained, a buyer may choose to not even come inside the home. Here are five ways to create curb appeal.

Paint and polish. A fresh coat of paint breathes new life into a tired-looking home. If your home looks dull or suffers from peeling, cracked or chipped surfaces, a paint job is a great investment. Polish the doorknocker and mail slot on the front door, as well as any light fixtures by the entry. Re-condition your deck. Consider renting a power washer to clean dirt and mildew from the wood, and then apply an all-weather sealer or stain.

Manicure the grounds. Mow and edge the grass, and trim the trees and bushes. Also, clear away dead leaves and flowers, and mulch and weed the beds. Check to see that tree branches are not touching the home’s roof or outer walls. Add some color to your landscape by planting annuals and placing planters of flowers in strategic spots. You can even spruce up the property by hanging flowering baskets. Add flowering plants in the back yard, too.

Make needed repairs. See if anything is unhinged, loose or just an eyesore. Fix everything including broken fencing, windows and screens. Make sure winter™s cold weather didn™t leave any gutters sagging or loose. Replace any missing shingles from the roof. Try the doorbell. Check stairs and railings. Test doors for squeaks and rusted hinges. Don’t forget to take a critical look at the property at night. Make sure the lights work, and replace dim and burned-out bulbs.

Unclutter. Tidy up the deck, patio and back yard. Rearrange the outdoor furniture to look inviting.   Put away gardening tools and toys. Clean up the barbecue area. Eliminate any “evidence” of pets, and restrict them to the back yard when showing the home. Move extra vehicles from the view of passersby.

Clean. Clean the windows, inside and out, wash down the walks and driveway, and hose down the siding. Clean outdoor furniture and cushions. Check for oil spots on cement surfaces, especially the garage floor.

The old saying about making a good first impression couldn’t be truer than when you are selling your home. Even the smallest enhancements can make a big difference in creating love at first sight for buyers.

For many of you that know me very well, know I love volunteering and helping others. I’ve always ‘joked’ that someday I want to marry a rich man so I don’t have to work and can donate my time all day! Animals are my number one category I lvoe to help but Special Olympics and children in need come in a very close second. I am always praying to God and trying to come up with ways I can help others that are less blessed than I.

Starting this week, I am going to donate $100.00 of every closing check I receive (buyers or sellers) to the charity of their choice! I plan to write a personal check to whom ever my clients wish and give it to them at the closing table. (Or mail it for them!) Last Sunday in church, God gave me this idea- well actually he had in the Bible about ‘giving a tenth of everything’ to Him. So I figured a hundred dollars to many different chairties throughout the year would be good too!

In Central Kentucky, we have 2 MLSs that many of us belong to in attempts to gain as much exposure for our listings as possible. Most people in Lexington, do not know we have our own “medium” sized board here in Madison County. Currently we have 203 primary members, which KAR considers medium sized- obviously LBAR is “large” sized by KAR standards.

Madison County Board of Realtors
Lexington Bluegrass Association of Realtors.

As you all know, my grandmother/partner and I co-list all of our listings. For the past 2 years though, our listings were just posted under her name on LBAR. The MLS system that LBAR uses, Rapattoni, has not been compatible with Apple computers until just recently! Since I can now access and utilize LBAR, I decided to join as my secondary board. Now all of our listings are under both of our names. LBAR has a lot to offer and I am really excited about being able to use the MLS on my MacBook Air.

SEE ALL MY LISTINGS!

VIEW MY PROFILE!

The House of Blythewood
Constructed in 1840 by Colonel James Blythe from bricks made by hand on the property. There have been a total of five owners of the property, and it was most recently purchased by Dr. Herndon and Nita Agee in 1990 at auction. The architect is believed to be Matthew Kennedy. This home has been immaculately and completely restored to its original grandeur by its current owners. It was sold to the newest owners, Dr. and Dr. Sutton of Tennessee on March 30th 2010.

Original Construction
o       Foundation- Faced-limestone with lime-mortar six feet below soil line and thirty-two inches thick.
o       Walls- Solid hand-made brick are 3-5 bricks thick on the front and 2-3 brick thick on the sides, end and cross walls between rooms.
o       Floor Joist- Hand-hewn from conifer (ca. 3-4 inches thick by 14 inches).
o       Floors- 1.5 inch select tongue and grove ash downstairs and tongue and grove conifer upstairs.
o       Rafters- Hand hewn (4 by 6 inches) fastened with oak wooden pegs and hand-made nails.
o       Roof- Original split oak shake, replaced with sawed shake, that was replaced with standing seam metal roof (ca. 1890). New 1 by 12 inch sheathing was installed during the 1991-94 restorations when fiberglass shingles were installed.
o       Walls- Split hickory lathe were plastered with lime, hair (horse or pig), and sand mix in the original construction. Harris used sawed lathe with the lime, hair, and sand mortar changes he made (ca. 1890). Agee applied ½ inch drywall board to ceilings in some rooms that were in good condition. Plaster and lathe were removed and drywall board was applied in rooms where ceilings were lowered and where plaster was missing or in bad condition.
o       Wood Work- Trim, windows, doors: original doors and trim were clear heart poplar (green wood). Doors were made with four and five raised panels with wooden pins through the mortise and tendons. J.D. Harris replaced some of the doors with 9 foot high and 2 inch thick ornate pine- raised panel doors.

Floor Plan
Original construction had stairs from the present dining room (south-west corner) to the second floor room; also a set of stairs lead from the present downstairs bath to the hall above. During the Harris modification, the dining room stairs were eliminated and only the front stairs were used. The north stairs from the bath were closed off and made to enter the room that was added to the rear of the bath area.

Modifications to the Main Structure: 1874-1905
J.D. Harris lowered windows on the first floor, making them 130 inches (nearly 11 feet) tall. Tall double doors with sidelights replaced the original single-door, arched entrance. The heavy glass panes are etched with the initials JDH. The ornamental cast and wrought iron ornamental porch with hand rails over porch. Porch floor beams were hand hewn and covered with quarter-sawed cedar and in need of replacement. Interior doors were replaced with taller ornate two-inch thick doors. A round window was added to the dining closet. Elaborately carved fireplace mantles took the place of those in the dining room and present kitchen. Marbleized cast iron mantles with geometric designs were set around the fireplaces of the two front rooms. The rear porch (west) was added (ca. 1890). C.C. Coy installed a bath on the second floor (ca. 1932) creating an entrance door where there had been a window in the stairway of the original construction.   The north and west rooms constructed of hand-made brick were added after the original construction.

Agee Restoration: January 1991- November 1994
Paint on woodwork and doors was stripped and sanded to silk smooth finished before painting with premium primer and paint. 150-year-old cherry and walnut lumber that floored the attic was dressed and used to panel the family room with raised panel cabinets and window wells. Raised panel window wells were installed in the family room, first floor bedroom (formerly a slave quarter) and upstairs north bedroom. The water lines throughout the house were replaced with rigid copper system so that all water above the basement could be drained to outlets in the basement. New plumbing fixtures were also installed. The walls in all rooms north of the dining room were insulated with R-19 fiberglass. All ceilings have R-33 insulation. Floors have R-19 insulations.

o       Heat and Cooling: The house is served by three ultra-high-efficiency heat pumps with three zones. There is redundant baseboard heating systems in the front baths. Ceiling fans (Hunter brand) were installed in most rooms.
o       Kitchen: The kitchen is equipped with extra- tall, solid- hickory cabinets, built-in dishwasher and disposal, commercial grade (21 cu. ft.) Subzero refrigerator and Subzero freezer. Refinished 1.5-inch-thick tongue and grove floors are in the kitchen and dining rooms.
o       Bathrooms: All baths are insulated and vented with new fixtures.
o       Mirrors: The gold mirrors were restored with new gold foil. The French Provencal mirror in the dining room did not need restoring.
o       Chandeliers and Brass Light Fixtures: The Backrack chandelier (from the Belknap mansion in Louisville) in the dining room was cleaned. The brass light fixtures in other rooms were dismantled, polished and refinished, rewired and installed.
o       Porches: New porch floors of tongue and groove poplar were laid on the east porches. Treated support beams were laid where needed on the lower porch. A front porch of select, quarter- sawed, tongue and groove fir supported by a framework of treated board was installed. All hand shaped stone steps were leveled and reset.
o       Sidewalk: Wide concrete sidewalks were laid with four flowerbeds.
o       Garage: A new two-car garage (29.5 ft. by 26 ft.) was added to the original construction with floored loft.
o       Sun Porch: An insulated sun porch with Thermopane windows and glass was added to the northeast end of the house.
o       Ice Houses: The ice houses were restored with a tool and lawn mower storage on the north side. A flower potting shed was added to the south side of #1 ice house. A stone walkway was added to #2 ice house and a suspended floor was installed to make a workshop-hobby shop. Electric lights were supplied to the ice houses as well.
o       Peacock House: This building was constructed with a log base on a stone foundation with a clay floor.
o       Carriage House: The carriage house was constructed with sawed lumber, which indication a later construction (ca. 1900).

Other Points of Interests:
And old millstone serves as a sitting bench under a cedar tree in front of the west porch. The hand-made stone steps, used by the ladies to enter buggies, are located in the east yard in front of the east porch. The two stone bridges are located just past the entrance with the waterfall below the entrance bridge. The lower bridge was used by the small-gauge railroad that ran parallel to Peytontown Road in front of the house. The Harris Station stop of the railroad connecting Richmond to the Queen and Crescent Line at Stanford was in front of Blythewood. A huge poplar tree, like the one by the stream on the east side, stood in the front yard near the Harris station. A severe windstorm blew the tree down in 1933. It measured 21 feet around and was 134 feet tall. The yard is graced by many species of trees, shrubs and flowers including huge hollies, poplars, sugar maples, spruces and others.

495 Caleast Road, Richmond, KY 40475
Sold by the Connie Lawson & Amanda V. Stepp Team
Prudential Don Foster Realtors
www.YourHomeInKY.com

Dear First Time Home Buying Fence Sitters,

Almost one year ago, I closed on my first piece of real estate. I purchased a duplex in Richmond, Kentucky and immediately moved into one side. I collected rent from my tenant all year. My PITI payment (principle, interest, taxes and insurance) was roughly $300 short after my tenant paid her rent payment. I closed on April 17, 2009 so I had already filed my taxes for that previous year. As February rolled around, I visited my accountant and brought her a copy of my HUD-1 Settlement Statement from my closing.

Exactly to the day, 6 weeks after I had my yearly visit with Sharon (my accountant), I walked to the mail box on Monday, March, 30th, 2010 at 5:30PM.

And there IT was! I didn’t actually believe it would really happen to me! My tax refund check from the Federal Government. I almost feel guilty since the government is in trillions of dollars of debt but hey I’m gonna cash it as fast as I can anyways!

There are 30 days left to get an accepted contract on an owner occupied dwelling if you have never owned a home before. Please let me help you obtain the American Dream and get a check for $8,000.

Visit www.IRS.gov to learn more about the tax credit and if your income and status qualify.

My First Home!

Every chance I get, I attend social media and real estate marketing classes. Most of the time I don’t learn anything new. Recently, I’ve been hearing more and more about video tours to help market listings. I’ve been doing professional virtual tours on listings for a couple years but only recently have I ventured into the video arena! My first one was pretty scary but I think I am getting better. I am fortunate enough to have an Apple computer which comes equipped with iMovie- software that makes it virtually idiot proof to make and edit video clips. I take short clips of the properties as if I were walking through it in person then upload them to my computer. Once on my computer, I can add the audio and comment on the house. Sellers so far seem to like it- haven’t gotten any feedback yet from buyers though. What do you think?

6. Less competition is a GREAT thing. In 2000 there were 750,000 Realtors nationwide, in 2006 (œThe Good Times) there were 1,600,000 Realtors and in 2009 there are 950,000 Realtors. This means more business for me! The brokers and agents still in this business are tough and smart.

7. Brian Buffini says in 18 months there will be a housing shortage. Enough said!!!!

8. 2009- 47% First Time Home Buyers. 2010- 51% First Time Home Buyers.   Are you marketing to these people? Are you communicating the way they prefer? Are you providing them with the answers these young people need? If not, still with another generation and leave the Gen Y-ers for moi!

9. And by the way, Gen Y = 80 million home buyers. I plan to sell them all in Richmond, Kentucky their first home and their investment properties. Heck, I™ll even property manage them!

10. Know you are the best real estate professional there ever was. If I don™t have the confidence that I can and have proven success from my experience that I can help someone buy or sell real estate, then I™ve got problems. I originally experienced caution because of my age. To fix this problem, I spend thousands of dollars investing in my real estate continuing education by obtaining every designation I could and now receiving my broker™s license. With my experiences in the past three years (thanks to my Granny!) and my extensive education, I am 110% confident in my real estate business and what I offer my buyers and sellers. It took me a lot of ups and downs to get this far but I feel amazing now that I am here- mentally.