The sales associates of Pru Carolinas/Pru YSU/Pru Yost & Little concluded their October Food Drive to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina and the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC by collecting monetary and canned good donations that will provide 24,335 meals.

 Our sales associates have organized a bi-annual food drive for the past two years to help the significant number of families who are food insecure across North Carolina. Donations are collected through office fundraisers and donations from clients, sales associates and staff. Canned goods and monetary donations are accepted at all of the Pru Carolinas/Pru YSU/Pru Yost & Little offices throughout NC during the month of October.

 “Our sales associates demonstrated their tremendous generosity and connection with the communities they serve by helping to make these significant contributions to our local food banks,” says Tommy Camp, President & CEO. “We look forward to continuing our year-round food collection next April when we will once again dedicate the entire month to collecting donations.”

 During their 2012 food drive focus, our sales associates received donations that will provide a total of 50,645 meals for the year. Such a wonderful accomplishment!

10. Outdated shag carpet, printed wallpaper and bold paint colors. Choosing to not upgrade the interior of your home is a major weak spot for future offers. If you aren’t in the position to upgrade your home, be prepared to offer a decorative allowance or to drop the price accordingly.

9. Difficult to show. Always ensure that your home is in showing condition so that you can give the go ahead at a moment’s notice. Using a centralized showing service would also ensure that you can respond as quickly as possible to a request for showing. Remember, if your house isn’t being viewed by anyone, you won’t be selling it anytime soon.

8. Seller interference. Enlist the help of a real estate agent.  We tend to think that our homes are the most beautiful and want to overshare our opinions with those who come for a showing. Let your real estate agent do their job and take a back seat during this critical part of the selling process.

7. Smell.  If you smoke or own animals, you need to make sure that your home is thoroughly cleaned before a showing. Tobacco smoke sticks to furniture, tapestry and paint. So repaint your home, clean the drapes and get the carpets and furniture cleaned. No matter how gorgeous your home is, if it smells like Fluffy or a cigar shop, you won’t be getting any offers.

6. Clutter. Not all of us can be perfectly clean and organized, but if you are showing your home then you need to try your best. Removing clutter from the main living areas can open up a home and improve the cleanliness factor. When someone views a home they want to be able to picture themselves living there, so the less of your personal belongings filing up the office and the breakfast nook, the better.

5. No curb appeal.  First impressions are the most important part of relationship building and that holds true for real estate. If someone isn’t attracted to the outside of a home, what is going to convince them to see the inside? Make sure you spend that extra time and money to trim the bushes, plant some flowers and power wash the front porch. That extra time spent is worth so much more than your home sitting on the market for extra days. You never get a second first impression.

4. Dirt. It should go without saying that if your home is dirty, it won’t be appealing. It doesn’t have to be sterile, but the home should never show remnants of this morning’s breakfast and yesterday’s muddy soccer cleats. Having to keep your home in tip top shape for showings is a huge inconvenience, but the less time your home is on the market the less time you have to spend cleaning every day.

3. Disrepair. Your home should be in sound condition, if not for safety then for appearance. Anything that you try to let slide during the selling process will more than likely be found during the final inspection, so save you and your future home buyers some headaches and take the time to ensure that all necessary repairs have been made.

2. Location. Unfortunately, we aren’t all able to live in gated communities or out in the peaceful country. But if your home is in a high traffic/high crime area, don’t price it like it is in a Green Acres. Be realistic to the location and desire of your home so you can price accordingly.

1. Price. Keep up with current market trends in your area so that you don’t shoot yourself in the foot with a bad price. Get a conservative appraisal instead of pricing with high hopes. No one will ever buy their dream home if the price isn’t right.

As the winter months are fast approaching and we start to slow down for hibernation, our thoughts about what the garden will look like in the spring and summer completely evaporate. We can't bear spending a chilly 40 degree morning replanting shrubs and summer foliage.

But, it doesn't have to be that hard!

If you plant these flowering trees before the weather months set it, your spring and summer gardens will be thanking you.

As a first-time real estate buyer, you probably have no idea how the overall purchasing process works or how to make sure you’re making a smart decision to purchase. And you’ll probably be very surprised to learn how much work it really is just to buy a home. To get you started in the right direction, and this is just a start, here are a few tips that you should consider.

via www.foxnews.com

Taking advantage of the real estate market? If you are thinking about making your first home purchase, read through these suggestions to make sure you are as prepared as you should be come closing day.