The staff at CENTURY 21 Advance Realty in Medford enjoys Halloween and preparing for the little visitors every year!    Staff members and their children dress up and greet the many visitors who come out for the annual Medford Chamber of Commerce event which took place on Friday, October 30th this year!    Pictured is Karin "our friendly witch!

To all of our clients, past, present and future, our staff and friends, Happy New Year from CENTURY 21 Advance Realty!

I want to submit an offer on a home---how long do I give the seller to respond?

When submitting an offer to purchase a home, its customary to give the seller some time to respond.  In a regular transaction, 24 hours should be sufficient.  If submitting an offer on a bank-owned property or on a short-sale property, more time may be needed (usually the listing agent will make a note in the listing stating that extended response time is needed).

The seller may respond any time within that 24-hour period.  They can do one of three things:

• Accept your offer!
• Flat-out refuse your offer
• Counter your offer

If they accept your offer as submitted, please make sure you receive the signed offer back from the seller as soon as possible.

Or if they counter your offer, the time frame of 24 hours is no longer in effectthe seller has refused your initial offer but is countering back to you .could be price or terms or both.  Any other offers coming in may be entertained by the seller during your negotiations with each otheryou could lose the home When you receive the sellers counter, you may accept or counter backat that time putting a time frame again on the offer. And rememberthe seller has every right to accept another offer during these negotiationscant stress that strongly enough!

The bottom line: a home is not considered "pending" or "under agreement" until final agreed upon offer is signed by both the buyer and seller.

by Jeannie McClean

WHAT, WHERE, AND HOW - these are the three key words when you're buying your next Massachusetts home.

WHAT - style home do I want? Make a wish list of all thats important to you in a new home, keeping in mind that you may not get absolutely everything you want... but it helps to have a plan.

WHERE?    You need to decide what city or town you would like to live in.  A good idea is to go online,  collect pertinent data about the areas youre interested inmaybe visit a few open houses.  This will help you decide whether you like the location and also you can check out the different style of homes. You can check out homes by town here.

HOW?    Most important question!  You want to know how much you can affordbest way to do this is to get in touch with a reputable lenderfind out about the different types of loans, first-time buyer opportunities, etc.  The lender will also provide you with a pre-approval letter (recommended when submitting an offer on a home).

And this is where a good real estate agent is necessary!

Choose an agent youre comfortable withthis agent will quickly learn your likes, dislikes, enroll you in a Multiple listing program where you will get a list of all properties coming on the market on a daily basis, and can also put you in touch with a few lenders to obtain your pre-approval. Contact Century 21 Advance today to find the agent for you!

     By: Jeannie McClean

Are you about to sell your home? Here are our 9 top tips for getting the most value out of your home:

• Clean, organize and neutralize your space.   Unclutter every room in your house to make it look bigger and cleaner.   Buyers need to be able to envision their own belongings in the home,  so remove excessive family photos, trinkets and personal effects.   Space is one of the top selling points for a home, so by removing clutter and extra furniture, etc., you maximize the spaciousness

• Get your landscaping in order.    Your lawn should be groomed, power wash the driveway and paths.  Adding flower boxes and pots underneath windows and along the front; repair any cement damage and discard any old yard furniture.     A first impression is important.    Make sure the walkway leading to the front door is as attractive as can be; and of course, be sure the front door is freshly painted and decorated.

• Clean the carpeting, polish the hardwood floors and allow sunshine to pour through the windows to avoid a dark looking house.   You might want to repaint rooms that have dark walls and freshen other rooms with neutral paint.

• The kitchen is often the room that buyers gravitate towards first, and an updated kitchen can help sell your home.   You do not have to remodel your kitchen to give it a new look.   Updating appliances to current standards and replacing cabinet doors and hardware can make a big impact if you are able to.

• Make your bathroom shine.    Be sure personal toiletries are put away, counters are clear and the sink(s) and tub and shower areas sparkle

• Store and organize.  The appearance of ample storage space is a plus, especially when it comes to garages, the basement and closets.

• Lighting.  Be sure the outdoor light fixtures throw ample light.   Be sure there are ample light fixtures and lamps indoors.   Buyers preview homes at night too, so increase the wattage of your light bulbs.

• Homebuyers are swayed by their senses.   Be sure your home smells fresh.    Eliminate pet and harsh cleaning odors, musty smells in the basement and last nights cooking odors.

• Be sure all valuables are stored in in a safe place.    Do not leave jewelry, money or prescription medications lying around for obvious reasons.   A few buyers may not be honest.    This is not the time to have medications in unlocked medicine cabinets either.   Buyers open closet and cabinet doors, so why make them privy to the types of medications or jewelry you have?

The staff at CENTURY 21 Advance Realty is pleased to welcome you to our newly designed websit at www.c21advance.com. Our goal is to have a site that is full of useful content, and that is also easy to navigate. We hope that our site conveys what sets our office apart from other real estate companies and also shows you that we are the "go to" office to help you with your real estate needs. Sellers - feel free to contact us for our offered "free market analysis". We have experienced agents who would be immediately available to prepare a marketing plan for you. Buyers - we hope you find the easy access to information about properties for sale very helpful and we invite you to use our website and contact us if you would like advice or representation by one of our professional agents.