Many people are trying to go smaller with their home choices these days. Small homes cost less in general to buy, cost less to heat and cost less to maintain and are easier to maintain. They work for this type of economy where every penny counts. Maybe you are looking for smaller homes for some of your clients. Take a look at this:

300 sq ft
7 ft wide
1 bedroom
Built in 1912
Location: Toronto, Canada

Maybe this is too small? Toronto's Little House, as it is known, is a great conversation piece, if nothing else. This home is actually quite popular and each time it comes on the market it is flooded with people wanting to see inside. This tiny house is not on the market right now. It is undergoing some improvements and will be back on the market in March of 2010. Keep an eye out for it!

PHOTO CREDIT: http://awackyworld.com/

The current state of the economy is not bad for everyone. Some industries are actually making out on the deal, while the average American is left suffering. Before you feel sorry for the banks in the current mortgage crisis, watch this...

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As an agent you have probably done many open houses. You have probably walked people through homes before. Most agents go through this regular tasks without any incident. However, sometimes an agent runs across something that makes them wonder if they will ever sell this home.

You may have worked with run down properties, rehabs or other homes where something was not in perfect order, but what would you do if you had to sell a home that is quite possibly an Indian burial grounds? That would be a tough task.

A real estate agent in Louisiana came across that exact situation. She was showing a home and came across bones in the basement. Over 100 bones, to be exact. Forensic investigators determined that the bones were probably Native American. The previous homeowners had been collecting them. They would come across them while doing yard work and simply piled them up ion the basement. That is where the real estate agent and perspective homeowners found them.

Imagine trying to explain that to home buyers!

Most home buyers know when buying a home that they will need to purchase homeowners insurance to help protect their new asset. There is something you may want to warn new homeowners about, though. Not all damages will be covered under a homeowners insurance policy.

If you are selling in a rural area with a lot of cows, then listen up because you should be warning homeowners against damage that is not covered – “acts of cow”.

That's right. A homeowner in Tennessee recently found out that his homeowners policy did not cover damage done by a cow. A neighbor had cows in a nearby pasture and the fence came close to homeowners property. A mischievous cow would lean through the fence and get to the home. The cow managed to ruin screens, crack glass and even pull down a gutter. The cow did all this with his tongue.

So, just take this warning and be sure if you sell a house near a cow pasture that the new homeowners get insurance that offers protection against “acts of cow”.

Any little oddity in a piece of real estate can make it very hard to move in today's tough market. For many people, the mere mention that a house could be haunted will make them turn around and walk out the door without a second thought. Many times, no matter what you do, shaking the haunted house label can be difficult. Real estate history is littered with tales of houses that have sat on the market for months, even years because they were labeled as haunted. If you happen to be unlucky enough to come across a haunted house that you have to try to sell, here are some tips on making the task a little easier.

Tip #1: Check state laws

Some states have laws about disclosing whether a house is haunted or if someone has died or was murdered on the property. Other states have no such laws. If word hasn't gotten out about the haunting of the house and there is no law saying you must disclose such information then you may be better off informing the sellers to keep that bit of information under wraps.

Tip #2: Do damage control

In some cases, there is no stopping rumors about a house. You have to deal with them head on if you ever want a chance to move this house. With some people it will be no problem because some people simply do not believe in ghosts and hauntings. There are many people that do, though. One great way to dispel rumors is to hold various open houses and to get people in the house, looking around. Once there have been many successful showings where no ghostly activity was reported, the rumors will quickly fade away on their own.

Tip #3: Get a professional opinion

In almost every state there are professional ghost hunters. If all else fails, call them in. Have them look over the home and determine if it is haunted. If they think this could be a real case of a haunting then have them help you get rid of the ghosts or spirits and cleanse the home.

You may not believe in ghosts or think there is such a thing as a haunted house, but many people do believe and having a house labeled as haunted can be very bad. You could have trouble even getting anyone interested in buying the home or have to drop the price really low just to get it to sell. Use the tips above and see if that will help make selling that haunted house a little easier.





Clipart From http://www.webweaver.nu

Yeah, the market is sure not the best these days, but you are probably selling nice, normal homes. How much harder do you think things would get if you were trying to sell some of the strangest houses on the market. These are not your average family homes. There are floating homes, homes that are built like a castle and homes with all sorts of interesting features, from ice cream parlors to bowling alleys.

Most of the strange homes on the market were once the idea of the original owner. They were eccentric ideas that catered to the owner's preferences and desires. For some reason, though, the owner decided that the home no longer met their needs and put it on the market. Now some lucky or unlucky agent, depending on how you look at it, has the job of trying to sell this odd property to someone else.

Selling a unique piece of real estate is certainly a challenge in any market, but in this market it is almost impossible. Most custom built homes sell for much higher prices than your average home. In a market where everyone is trying to get the lowest price possible and home buyers are sticking with only practical styles of homes, selling a home that boosts an elevator, an amphitheater or a secret tunnel entrance is not easy.

So, when you are having a really bad day and feel like you haven't sold a thing for weeks, just think about those poor agents who are struggling to sell impossible property in a hard market. That will probably make you feel a little better about your situation.


Clipart From http://www.realtyclipart.com/