News, Photos & Up-Comming Events of the CENTURY 21 Adams & Barnes Sales & Marketing Team

Monday, August 30, 2010

The CENTURY 21® System Offers Training for Associates at All Levels

In an ever-changing real estate market, it is critical to be ahead of the most current industry trends and what it takes to be competitive. The CENTURY 21® System has one of the best training teams in the industry, as evidenced by our 2009 Training Magazine’s Top 125 award.What could be better than being part of a company that has award winning training for sales associates? The answer is simple, being part of a brand that offers affordable award-winning training for sales associates.

REO, Short Sales, Blogging, Social Networking – just a handful of buzz words being tossed around in real estate these days, important buzz words that have real estate professionals’ heads spinning. The CENTURY 21 training organization stays up-to-date on what is going on in the industry, and then creates useful training programs on current topics, designed specifically to help our agents be among the most knowledgeable professionals in the industry.

Take a look at this list of training topics available at no cost to all CENTURY 21 Agents:+

Attitude: Persevere and Stay on Track, Contact Management Made Easy, Social Networking, Developing an Online Business Plan, Blogging for Online Visibility, REO and Short Sales Overview, Going Green, Anatomy of a House, Staying in Touch With Clients, How to Have an Open HouseWhether you are new to the real estate industry or a seasoned veteran, there is always something new for you to learn. Our training department has created a curriculum designed to offer something for everyone, regardless of experience level.This curriculum can be broken down into four categories:

Sales Skills – including the popular CREATE 21® Golden Edition program, Capitalizing on Market Dynamics, the Success Series, and a compilation of many live, online free training classes.

Coaching and Accountability – consists of our Productivity Enhancement Program (PEP) with a web-based reporting dashboard and participation of the sales manager.

Niche Markets & Specializations – learn how to grow your business and expand your knowledge with programs focused on CENTURY 21 Fine Homes & Estates®, New Home Sales, Mature Moves and Commercial Brokerage.

Designations –Perception is everything! If you want to be perceived as an expert, pursue a designation or certification. We have many to choose from. Courses such as CENTURY 21 Global Referral Network Sales Associate and Accredited Buyer’s Representative (ABR®) are available.

Of course we are just scratching the surface of what is available to all CENTURY 21 System Sales Associates. We have an Online Resource Library with dozens of topics, including How To’s, Agent Scripts, and Agent Tools. by Design, Marketing Yourself as a Real Estate Expert, and More!

9 Tips to Stage Your Home On the Cheap

As a seller, you want your home to look its best for every showing. But you don’t have to hire a professional
stager to get your home ready.

Here are some inexpensive things you can do to help your home make a great first impression:

  1. Get rid of the clutter. Cleaning and de-cluttering always rank near the top of suggested home
    improvements for sellers. In fact, 99% of real estate agents recommend that their clients do so,
    according to HomeGain.com. So go through your stuff and get rid of what you don’t need—or box it up
    and put it in storage.
  2. Rearrange your furniture to create easy walkways. Remove excess furniture to make rooms seems
    larger.
  3. Remove photos. They personalize your space, but they may also make it more difficult for potential
    buyers to visualize themselves living in your home.
  4. Make the space smell nice by using air fresheners or baking cookies before showings.
  5. Make sure everything is clean—floors, bathrooms, kitchens. Nothing turns off a buyer faster than grime.
  6. Consider paint. Paint is an inexpensive way to freshen up both the interior and exterior of a home. Try
    to keep colors neutral.
  7. Don’t forget curb appeal. Lawns should be cut, hedges should be trimmed and beds should be free of
    weeds. Plant some flowers to brighten the exterior and give it a warm feeling.
  8. Open blinds and curtains to allow lots of natural light in, and turn on lights when buyers are expected.
  9. Start packing up clothes and linens to make closets look larger.
Interested in selling your home or learning more about staging? Give our CENTURY 21 Adams & Barnes offices a call today at 626.358.1858 or 626.963.7621.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Do You Need A Home Warranty?

When Lisa Santucci moved from Kansas to Florida last December, she was happy to learn that her 16-year-old home carried a warranty. “We felt like it was an incentive for us to purchase,” she says. “We were new to the area, and we wanted to be sure that if something did go wrong, we had something to fall back on.”

Santucci hasn’t had to use her warranty yet. But she says she has peace of mind knowing it’s there.

A home warranty is a renewable service contract that covers the repair or replacement of many of the most frequently occurring breakdowns of home system components and appliances, according to Heather Wilson, a spokeswoman for American Home Shield, one of the nation’s largest home warranty sellers. These breakdowns are usually not covered by homeowners insurance.

According to the Service Contract Industry Council, home warranty sales increased in 2009. Many sellers added home warranties to help distinguish their properties from others on the market, and many buyers insisted on a warranty before completing their purchase, the SCIC said.

Items covered by a typical home warranty include major systems such as the HVAC and plumbing, as well as appliances. Some warranties offer additional coverage for pools, spas, extra air conditioners, etc. The average cost of a home warranty is $300 to $500, Wilson said. It must be renewed annually.

Home warranties can provide both financial and emotional security for buyers of existing homes. But they may not be necessary for every purchase. New homes, for example, carry a homeowners warranty directly from the builder. In addition, home warranties are limited in scope. Buyers need to read their contract carefully to understand what the warranty covers and does not cover.

Want to learn more about home warranties? Give our CENTURY 21 Adams & Barnes offices a call today.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Remodeling Projects That Will Improve Your Home’s Bottom Line

Which remodeling projects give you the best bang for your buck? All projects are not created equal; some will add to your home’s resale value while, surprisingly, others may not.

Remodeling magazine recently released its annual Cost vs. Value Report, which compares construction costs for popular remodeling projects to the share of those costs recovered at resale.

Since 2005, the improvements that have yielded the greatest amount of cost recouped have been exterior projects, such as door and siding replacements and wood deck additions. This year, on a national level, exterior projects account for seven of the top 10 spots in terms of cost recouped. A steel entry replacement door that costs an average of $1,172, for example, added $1,470 to the sales price of a typical house, or 128.9 percent of cost recouped. A wood deck addition recouped 80.6 percent of costs on resale.

The reason exterior projects have such a good return on investment: Curb appeal. These projects improve a home’s curb appeal, helping it make a better impression on potential buyers. They also cost less than many other projects, so the return is better.

Other midrange projects that return a high percent of costs on resale include:

  • Attic Bedroom - 83%
  • Vinyl siding replacement (79.9%)
  • Minor kitchen remodel (78.3%)
  • Basement remodel (75.4%)
  • Major kitchen remodel, Two-story addition( 72.1%)
  • Home office remodel (48.1%).
Regionally, cities in the Pacific states of Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington outperformed the rest of the nation in terms of remodeling costs recouped upon resale.

Before you embark on a remodeling project, consult with a reputable local remodeling firm about construction costs—and call our CENTURY 21 offices today to speak with an agent who can tell you about home prices in the area.

About CENTURY 21 Adams & Barnes

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Monrovia, California, United States