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Real Estate

Library Online Resources | Library Materials | Websites | Social | Mobile

If you are viewing the Virtual Gallery from home, you will need your Orange County resident library card to access some of the resources.

Tips for Selling Your Home

Depersonalization

"The number one rule of home staging is to depersonalize. If you do nothing else, you absolutely need to pack away anything that makes the house 'yours' as opposed to theirs. Your family photos may be precious to you, but to a buyer, they're clutter. Clear off counters and shelves, pack away books and take down photos off the walls."
— From Buy-and-sell-house-fast.com

Staging & Decorating: Let these ideas for decorating your home inspire you in your efforts to sell your home.

Showing the House

"When you know someone is coming by to tour your home, turn on all the indoor and outdoor lights – even during the day. At night, a lit house gives a 'homey' impression when viewed from the street. During the daytime, turning on the lights prevents harsh shadows from sunlight and it brightens up any dim areas. Your house looks more homey and cheerful with the lights on."
— From realestateabc.com

Lighting: Try these ideas for simple lighting suggestions.

Windows & Doors

"The windows on your house are the soul to your house. They are the 1st thing that some one looks at when they are looking to purchase your home. What do your windows say about you? Are your curtains warm and inviting, does the sun shine through bringing in the warmth with it? Can you pull shades down to bring privacy to your rooms?"

"Choosing the right type of window treatments is important for the whole look and feel of your room."
— From Home Staging Redesigns

Home Maintenance: Renovate your property, and improve the market value of your house.

Walls & Painting

"You should always have freshly painted or touched up walls when you are trying to sell your home anyway so this is also the time to change the color to appeal to the greatest number of people that you can.”
— From www.ehow.com

Painting: Need to repaint your house? Use these titles for tips.

Carpeting & Flooring

"Cush-up the carpeting - Don’t replace the carpet on the cheap. Invest in the BEST padding you can find. Buyers will in most cases have to remove their shoes when walking through your home. In their stocking-feet, they will feel the difference!"
— From From Real Estate Ezine @rticles

Flooring Maintenance and Repair: Learn how to make basic repairs to your home.

Keep the House Free of Clutter

"One thing you should not overlook as you search for decorating ideas is to de-clutter your house. Through day-to-day living, it is too easy to let things accumulate. Eliminate those piles and you'll be surprised at how different it can make a room look."

"Use these simple and inexpensive decorating ideas, and you can give any room a fresh, new look."
— From From RealEstate.com

Organizing and Cleaning: Unclutter your home, and unclutter your life.

Buying a New Home

"The trick in buying real estate is to view all decisions with both a logical perspective and an emotional perspective. If a situation presents itself that requires a trade-off, decide on whether there is a huge conflict or a small one. Logic should win the big conflicts, but emotion should always be a factor, even winning the small ones."

"You will find yourself owning a warm, happy, safe home – and an investment for the future at a price you are willing to pay."
— From From realestateabc.com

Mortgage Loans: Use these resources to get the best interest rate for your home.

Real Estate License

"Every state (and the District of Columbia) requires that real estate agents and brokers be licensed. For the general license, most states require agents to be at least 18 years old, have between 30 and 90 hours of classroom training, and pass a written examination on real estate fundamentals and relevant state laws."
— From Ferguson's Career Guidance Center

Real Estate Careers: Learn how to sell homes.

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Library Online Resources

Gardening Virtual Gallery »

To improve curb appeal and make the most of your yard, visit this OCLS created Virtual Gallery. Find materials, recommended websites, online resources, and more all chosen with the special gardening needs of Florida's weather and soil needs in mind.

General OneFile »

Find articles, tips, and information on DIY projects from this great resource. Two good titles for the home improvement warrior are The Family Handyman and Custom Builder magazine.

LearningExpress Library »

If you wonder what it takes to be a realtor, try a sample Real Estate practice test in this database.   There are many other career based exams, along with online career preparation, and vital information for a wide variety of occupations. Visit the Jobs & Careers module now!

NetLinks »

Use this virtual library of web links to find community information on Living in Orange County and Orlando or consumer information about Real Estate and Buying/Selling a Home.

Orlando Sentinel »

This useful resource provides full-text coverage for the Central Florida region of the state. Search or browse through articles from 1985 to the present.

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Websites

Annual Credit Report »

Get your free credit report from this website, recognized as the only official free credit report website on the Web by the Office of the Florida Attorney General. These credit-file disclosures are free once every 12 months from each of the nationwide consumer credit reporting companies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You may want to request one from each company every four months to stay safe throughout the year.

Domania »

Take advantage of this useful database of over 27 million home purchase price records. You can search a property by location, price, or estimate your home value. The website also contains helpful tools such as calculators, articles, and guides. (Free registration is required to access several features.)

Federal Citizen Information
Center »

For over 40 years, this trusted source has answered questions and produced brochures on a variety of consumer topics and government services. Their publications and guides are available by mail or online. Be sure to look over the housing related resources available free of charge.

Google Maps »

It's simple to use, just type in an address and hit "search maps." To get a close up view of a site, use the street view feature available in many areas to take a virtual tour of the neighborhood.

RentoMeter »

This useful mashup can help you determine how much rental properties are in any area. Find out if you are paying too much in rent!

Zillow »

Founded in 2005, this online real estate database contains over 100 million properties for sale, rent, or not on the market. The website also has articles, tools, and information on homes, real estate, and mortgages. Use the "zestimates" or appraisals that the website generates as a starting point for your research.

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Library Materials

Books

Buying a Home »

If you are in the housing market, pick up a few books to help you make an educated decision. There are books on many topics, one is sure to fit your needs.

DIY - Home Repair »

Browse this list to learn how to do home repair projects yourself and save money.

Fictional Real Estate Stories »

If you need a rest from all your house hunting, curl up with a good fiction real estate themed book. The Library has lots to choose from, so find the house of your dreams, at least in a book!

Interior Decoration »

The Library has a huge selection of books on a wide variety of architectural styles, news, and trends. This list contains just the newest titles, so be sure to do a complete search in our library catalog to find exactly what you need.

Selling your Home »

These materials include a variety of tips on preparing your home for the market. Topics include strategies, cost-effective renovation projects, how to motivate buyers, and more. Grab a free book from the library to improve your profits today!

DVDs

Home Improvement DVDs »

With a wealth of information on decorating and home repair, these DVDs will get you started in no time!

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Social

Bloomberg Businessweek: Hot Property Mortgage Blog »

Produced by Bloomberg BusinessWeek editors, this blog chronicles the lending trends and political issues of the real estate market.

Overseas Property Blog »

This is a blog dedicated to tracking the latest updates from the most authoritative and relevant news sources concerning global real estate markets.

Real Estate Today Radio »

Listen to this free weekly radio podcast with host Gil Gross, that features strategies, topics, and trends in today's real estate market. You can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes or RSS.

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Mobile

To fully access this content, you may need the latest version of iTunes. Download iTunes for free now!

Mortgage Calculator Pro

At $.99, this useful application may be just what you need! It has a large keyboard to help calculate and organize your mortgage information, including extra fees such as HOA or insurance. It also contains an amortization table.
iTunes | Website

Real Estate Search Applications

There are many applications available on the market today but these two are not only free, but have great ratings from current users. Decide for yourself which is best for you. Both applications are available for multiple mobile devices.

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