ThUrsday, April 7, 2011 N/Warren Town and County News Page Eleven
Two Words For Those Trying To Sell
Their Homes: Be Creative
(NAPS)--If you're still hav-
ing trouble selling your
house, it may be time to
think outside the box.
We're not talking about
renting out your property
until the market improves--
something even Treasury
Secretary Tim Geithne2' was
reportedly forced to do more
than a year ago when there
were no takers for the five-
bedroom Tudor in upscale
Larchmont, N.Y., that he'd
paid $1.602 million for in
2004. Although, if you ab-
solutely need to relocate for
job reasons, say, that could
be one way to go.
No, we're talking creative
ways that Bankrate.com and
others say help "stressed-out
sellers'--sound familiar?
make their homes stand out
from all the others on the
market. Read on for some tips:
• Sweeten the Deal. In
an effort to weed out sketchy
borrowers, the Federal
Housing Administration,
which backs the bulk of all
new mortgages these days,
recently lowered the ceiling
on the monetary "concessions"
sellers can offer buyers to
help cover expenses like loan
fees and closing costs. But
that doesn't mean you can't
try sealing the deal by throw-
mg in a 3-D TV...Or a coun-
try club haembership...Or a
car, ~ la the Prius that one
real-estate agent justified to
CNN by saying: "In this mar-
ket, you have to learn to do
things differently."
• Go VhraL "The Internet
has essentially leveled the
playing field across the real-
estate market," proclaims
ForSaleByOwner.com's Greg
Healy. True. But don't limit
your thinking to just eBay or
Craig's List" If a You~lbe video
of a cat bouncing off a mirroi-
can garner gazillions of views
across the world, surely you
can think of some novel way
to show offyour home's assets.
• "Gift Box"Your Roof.
One of the questions that
potential buyers routinely
ask, according to Market
Watch.corn, is how old is the
Selling your house these
days req uires some inge-
nuity, but it can be done.
roof?. One nice touch is to pre-
sent your documentation tied
in a bow with a box of choco-
late-covered strawberries.
That's assuming, of course,
your roof is new and attrac-
tive enough to have even got-
ten you to the walk-through
stage. If not, and you want to
replace it with one that prac-
tically screams "curb appeal,"
check out GAF's Lifetime
Designer Shingles Value
Collection at www.gaf.com.
These shingles from North
America's largest roofing man-
ufacturer are designed to add
style to your home---at a very
affordable price. (Strawberry-
Boxing Alert: All the company's
laminated shingles now come
with a lifetime limited war-
ranty that's transferable to
new owners, which can be
another powerful selling point.)
• Enlist Your Neigh-
bors, Sure, some would help
spread the word out of the
kindness of their hearts. But
human nature being what it
is, offering a $200 gift card
to anyone who brings you a
real, live serious buyer can
work wonders.
Oh, and for those ques-
tioning whether any of this
works, the award for the
"Most Out-of-the-Box Think-
ing" goes to Bob and Ricki
Husick of Wexford, Pa. They
gained international atten-
tion a while back after adver-
tising that the buyer of their
two-story Colonial would
receive the full purchase price
back after they die.
The house, originally listed
for $399,999, sold soon after
for $377,000. Not bad, these
days.
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION
CITY OF CUMMING
Regular Council Meeting 03/28/2011
i__ ] (NAPS)----M ons of Amer-
icans could eat better and pay
• " " less if they turned to the
Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP)--
a government benefit that can
help older Americans make
ends meet You can get started
by visiting AARP's Benefits
QuickLINK Web site at
www.aarp.org/snap.
.. l&l
* * * Products Association's Pets chapters. ...
Westinghouse Solar offers Add Life campaign, third-, * * * For a delicious chopped
innovative solar power sys- fourth- and fi/~-grade stu- Victims'famih'es of S/ll and Cobb salad, try Panera
terns that feature built-in tech- dents were invited to write support groups that initiated Bread's version, made with
nology and provide efficiency and submit a unique and cre- the National Day of Service all-natural antibiotic-free pep-
and reliability. To arrange a ative poem about their pets. and Remembrance find thatper mustard chicken, Apple-
free, on-site solar evaluation For more information, visit giving back through service is wood-smoked bacon, hard-
of your home from a qualified www.petsaddlife.org, a fulfilling way to honor their boiled eggs, and crumbled
solar representative, visit * * * lost loved ones. 9/11 volunteer Gorgonzola, served on a bed
www.westinghousesolar.com. Progressive auto insurance opportunities can be found at of crisp romaine lettuce.
• * * offers discounts for good stu- www.911dayofsexvice.org and
For most skin types, dent drivers, paying your httpY/serve.gov.
The Regular City Council Meeting'of the Cumming City Council was held at
Cumming City Hall 649 N. 44~ St. on Monday, March 14.2011. The Meeting was
called to Order at 7:00 P.M. by Mayor Tom Becker
Present at Roll Call: Skip Shelley, Anita Enos. Ed Harkin. Jeff Miller and Dave
Chelsvig.
Motion by Shelley, Seconded by Enos to Approve Agenda as Amended. Re-
moved Resolution 2011-17 Approved 5-0
PUBLIC COMMENT
Brad Brown 3036 Cumming Avenue Shoulders on G-14 Need to be Rocked
ACTION ITEMS
Resolution 2011-16 Approving and Authorizing Execution of an Agreement for
Dust Suppression of Public Gravel Streets for the City of Cumming Approved 5-
0
CONSENT ITEMS: Motion by Shelley, Seconded by Chelsvig to Approve the
Minutes for March 14, 2011 Regular Council Meeting, March 28, 2011, Financial
Transaction Register, Approving Membership of Iowa Good Roads Association,
Spring IMFOA Conference, Iowa Municipal Professionals Institute July 2011 Ap-
proved 5-0
Expenditures:
DISCUSSION ITEMS NO ACTION TAKEN
NEXT MEETING AT CITY HALL April 11,2011
Motion by Shelley, Seconded by Harkin to Adjourn
at 7:47 P.M. Approved 5-0
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