When a house is listed in the market for sale, it should be sold for a reasonable price. When the house property is sold for a reasonable price, then only both the buyer and seller will fetch a profit. When the house property is listed for sale by the seller, he will assign a particular price consideration for the house property. This price consideration will assigned based on the value, rooms, alteration and market value of the house property. Though the seller assigns the price consideration for the house property, it is not possible to say that he fetch the same profit. Sometimes the seller may get more amount of profit or even less.

Mostly the seller will like to sell the house property on the price decided by him. The seller should try to satisfy the needs of the buyer by making any alteration and repairs in the house property. When the house property is listed to the buyer, the house should be presented in a proper manner, to make the buyer impressed. Necessary requirements should be made on the house property to increase the value of the house property in the market.

Presentation

The house property listed for sale should be presented properly and neatly. Presentation is the important denomination should be considered by the seller at the time of sale. The seller has to make proper arrangement for the saleable house. This application will help the seller to increase the value of the house property. Therefore, presentation is the important consideration in the increase of the value of the house property in the market.

Alteration and Maintenance

In the house property, the seller is to make appropriate alteration and repairs to increase the value of the house property. When the seller makes appropriate alteration in the house property, then he can increase the value of the house property as per the alteration. When the seller decided to list the house property in the market, at first the seller is to maintain the house property with proper alteration of roof, septic, floors, repairs of switches, electricity and other important appliances of the house property. So, the seller is to concentrate more on the alteration and maintenance to increase the value of the house property.

Interior Decoration

The interior decoration of the house property should be made promptly. Nowadays, most of the house buyers show more interest in making beautiful and lovely decoration in their houses. So, the seller is to make proper arrangement for the house property regarding interior decoration. Interior decoration is also the other important consideration to increase the value of the house property. Interior decoration should be made with the help of the experienced professional, to get best performance. When these decorations are made perfectly, the seller can increase the value of the house property.

Exterior Decoration

Not only interior decorations are important, but exterior decorations are also important. The seller should also concentrate more even on the exterior designing, so that the seller can increase the value of the house property. When these decorations are done perfectly, the seller can negotiate the transaction at a higher price. Therefore both interior and exterior decorations are the important consideration should be noted by the seller to increase the value of the house property at the time of sale.

Listing

The important consideration should be included in the value of the house property is listing. Listing of house property should be done properly in the market then only the seller can increase the value of the house property. When the seller decided to list the house property in the market, he should list the house with appropriate information relating to the house property. The details of house property stated should be true to the knowledge.

When the seller makes proper arrangement in the house property, then he can easily increase the value of the house property. The seller is to consider all the important factors to increase the value of the house property. The seller is to compare the value of the house property with the market price. He should also compare the house property with other properties in the location. The seller can try in every possible criterion to increase the value of the house property.

Ok folks, here it is, the down and dirty on how to sell your PA house yourself quickly and keep thousands in your pocket (by not paying real estate commissions!)

First and foremost, you’re probably wondering how the heck do I know what I’m talking about, right?

I’ve been investing in Pennsylvania real estate for 9 years now and I’ve invested in all different facets of real estate from buying and financing mobile homes to buying bank-owned properties and fixing them up and renting them out to just helping folks get rid of an ugly, fixer-upper house that they didn’t want. I’ve been a landlord (still am,) I’ve fixed and flipped properties (still do,) I’ve fixed and kept properties (still do,) and I’ve wholesaled properties (still do.)

Also, I’m a licensed real estate agent with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and I’ve been licensed for 5 years plus now with Keller Williams Realty Group (now located in Limerick, PA.) And I’m also a member of the National Association of Realtors, the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors and the Surban West Realtors Association. Sooooo that makes me, yep you guessed it, a Realtor as well (Didn’t know there was a difference between being a real estate agent and a Realtor, huh?)

Ok so now that all of that is out of the way, let me tell you how you can sell your Pennsylvania house yourself quickly and keep thousands of money in your pocket. I’m going to give you an outline to follow and if you follow it to the T, you should be alright!

Do Your Research About Your Homes Value
You need to find out what your house is worth so you can put a price tag on it. How can you find this out?

-Interview a handful of real estate agents (at least 3) and get Comps (Comparables of houses that have sold like yours) from them. Do not tell them what YOU think your house is worth, just let them do their thing and present you with their evidence of what they feel your house is worth.

-Check public records if you have online access or if you know how to do this at the courthouse yourself (or if you have a real estate agent friend that will allow you to look over their shoulder as they access their public records on the MLS.)

-Drive around your neighborhood and call on ALL of the for sale signs that you see. If they are having open houses too then GO TO THEM.

-Research your local papers classified section for houses for sale in your area. Call the numbers and get the facts on the house (remember, you’re comparing all of these houses to yours.)

-Hop on craigslist.org and reseach the real estate for sale ads there that are in your area. Alot of times folks will have pictures and even videos in here, so you can actually see the houses. If there isn’t much info then email or call the person who is selling their house.

-Go to Realtor.com and research houses that are for sale in your area. Again, if there isn’t much info, then call the agent up and ask for some info about the house.

-Check out zillow and cyberhomes and see what they come up with as values for your house. Also, the comps that they list, drive past the houses to compare at least the outside of your house and the sold house. (I wouldn’t put as much weight on these 2 sites, but there is definitely more information here for you.)

 Now, you should have a good idea of what you could sell your house for. By the way, when looking at public records, comps from agents and places like zillow and cyberhomes you only really want to look at sold houses within the past 6 months. Some folks will tell you to go back a year, but I think that’s even too far. Honestly, in this market, I’d say look at them in the past 3 months!

Ok so you have a value in mind. Well I need you to be honest with yourself about the value and how you came up with it, ok? Does the value indicate a house that is in pristine condition and your house isn’t that pristine? Does the value indicate a fixer-upper price and your house doesn’t need any work? Those are the things you have to think about when getting the comps from all of your resources above.

Make note of the condition and location of all of the comps that you get from your resources above then you have to HONESTLY compare it to your house. Honestly being the keyword here. If your house smells like dog, well admit that to yourself and know that it’s going to lower the price of your house. If your house is right next to an active railroad track, well don’t ignore the obvious and know that it will lower the price of your house as well. If your house is totally trashed and needs a lot of work, please, please, please don’t think that you are going to get maybe a couple thousand less than what a pristine house sold for. That is UNREALISTIC!

And always keep in mind the type of real estate market we are in. Right now at the writing of this blog posting, here in Pennsylvania we are in a BUYERS MARKET. Please recognize that and adjust your gameplan (and more importantly) your thinking accordingly. If you don’t adjust your gameplan and thinking accordingly, believe me your house will sit there and it will NOT sell (until you come to your senses.)

Market Your House Like Crazy
Your house being for sale at the prefect price doesn’t mean anything if nobody in the world knows that it’s for sale, does it?

So here’s what you need to do to market your house and to tell the entire world (or at least folks in the Pennsylvania area) that it’s for sale.

- Break out your digital camera, cell phone, disposable camera or what you have and take pics of your house. Outside front, back, side, yard, living room, dining room, kitchen, etc. you get the picture. If you have a video camera, you can do a walk-thru of your place with a video camera too. The pictures are a NECESSITY but the video is not. Upload them to your computer and resize them because you’re going to need them in future steps.

 - Place a for sale sign in your front yard and rear and side yards if you have them.  I get mine from banditsigns.com  Make sure you get the 18 x 24′s and make sure you pick up some metal stakes (get extra to use in the next step) so you can stick them into the ground. By the way, please do not under any circumstances forget to put your phone number on your signs when you get them home. (Sounds silly to say that doesn’t it? But some folks have done it.)

- Now here is a tactic that will get your phone to ring off the hook of potential buyers. You need to buy anywhere from 10 to 50 blank corrugated plastic signs (you can get these from banditsigns.com too.) They should be 18 x 12 in size and they can be any color you want, but white probably works the best and is the cheapest. After you get them home you’ll need to get a thick, black, permanent marker. When you have that you want to write in your own handwriting with the marker on the signs the following:

 3 bed/2 bath House Must Sell! Pottstown Area, 0k 610-555-1212

Of course, you’re going to change out the information above with your appropriate information for your home. If you house is a fixer upper try something like this:

3 bed/2 bath Needs Work! Must Sell Quickly. Area, Price, Phone Number

You can use any combination of wording, but make it seem URGENT that you need to sell. Now you need to place these signs all around your neighborhood. Put them at popular intersections, at popular stores (like Walmart, WaWa, etc.) and just put them in heavy traffic locations. You want extras because some of these will get taken down, some will blow away and some will just become dirty and ugly so you’ll want to replace them with fresh ones. I promise you that you will get calls.

 - Next you’re going to want to create what’s called a Postlet. Go to Postlets.com and create an account. It is free. You’ll want to create a postlet about your house. Post your pictures, list all of the features, write up a nice description. People want to know about square footage, school districts, beds and baths, taxes, etc. You can upgrade to Postlets Plus and this will allow you to post more pictures on your postlet and also allow you to post a video, but honestly, I don’t think it’s necessary. But it can only help you market your house.

- Now, you want to go to craigslist.org and post your house for sale there too. This is free also. You’re going to want to post in the portion of Craigslist that’s for your area. Most of you will be either posting in the Philadelphia section or the Reading section of craigslist. You then go to housing and real estate for sale. Follow the steps, it’s pretty easy. Also, there is a craigslist section in your Postlets, so you can merely click that link and copy and paste the code they give you into your craigslist post and a nice little ad will appear. Don’t forget that you’re craigslist ad is NOT posted until you get the email from them and publish it. That is the final step.

 Those few things should get your phone ringing, but since you are saving thousands by not using a real estate agent you should really market even more. So here are some extra things you can do that will cost some money.

 - Place a classified ad in your local paper. There are all kinds of papers that will work. You can place an ad in a daily paper, weekly paper, monthly paper, throw away papers like the Penny Pincher, etc. You can even try them all if you like. The smaller papers will be more cost effective. And keep in mind that you do not want to just run the ad for a day. That’s a waste of time and money. I suggest running it at least from Thursday to Monday for a month. See what kind of action you get and go from there. If you are under major budget constraints then you can work out a game plan that works with your pocket book. Generally, your ad will look something like this:

Downingtown, 3 bd/2 ba twin for sale by owner. New roof, central air. Must sell. 610-555-1212

Of course, insert the info that is appropriate to your home. You can even use the same type of ad that you handwrote on your blank corrugated plastic signs. Remember that with classified ads you are pretty much paying per word. One word of caution: don’t try to create crazy abbreviations for your ad so you can fit more words in. A lot of folks may not know what your abbreviation means so it may confuse them and keep them from calling. The classified ad rep from the paper will sometimes suggest abbreviations for words to make things fit, just be cautious that it is a standard abbreviation that most folks know what it means like br for bedrooms or ba for bathrooms. Don’t get fancy with abbreviations, trust me. 

- Post an ad on ForSaleByOwner.com (or any other type of FSBO site) They have all different pricing levels starting at .95 (which I don’t like because it’s a monthly fee) all the way up to an 9 one time fee. The basic plan is pretty decent, it gets you an unlimited listing on their site until it’s sold and an awesome thing about their ads is that you get a private voicemail system (so you don’t have to give out your home phone number!) Just so you know, the Gold package for a 9 one time fee is definitely worth checking out. It’s the cheapest of the packages that gets you listed on the MLS (multiple listing service, which is what all real estate agents use to list properties and find properties for their buyers) and on realtor.com Please keep in mind though, if you got with an MLS option, you are going to have to pay a commission to the agent that brings you a buyer (typically between 2 to 3%, but commissions are negotiable and you state when you pick your package the commission you are willing to pay.) Keep in mind, if you make the commission for the agent with a potential buyer they may not even show your house. So, personally, I’d stay within the 2 to 3% mark.

If you’re wondering do you have to list your property on the MLS for sale, the answer is no. I just want to make you aware that the MLS is what over 32,000 real estate professionals in this area use to view properties for sale. That’s a HUGE market that you’d be missing. But it’s ok, the basic package will at least get you in front of folks who are searching for a house to buy for themselves.

- This marketing method may be a little more than most of you want to get in to, but you can send out postcards to either folks in your area or to renters in your area.  At vistaprint.com you can get some free postcards and more for relatively cheap.

You’re going to most likely want to purchase a list of renters or homeowners in your area from a list broker (you can search on google or look in your phone book.) For homeowners in your area you can get their names and addresses from public records and that is free, especially if you go to the courthouse. Just get a simple House For Sale postcard or Why Rent When You Can Own Postcard? And send them out.

- A free alternative to use is the same kind of House for Sale or Why Rent When You Can Own ad for the postcard above but print it out and make flyers at home. (Btw, if you are savvy with your computer you can even print out postcards.) A flyer that I like to put together to hand out to the neighbors on the same block as a house I have for sale is the “Pick Your Own Neighbor” flyer. Folks love that and you never know? They could have a friend or family member that is looking to move into the neigborhood. Your general flyers you can post in laundromats, grocery stores, around rental apartments, etc.

- One last free marketing tip that I forgot to mention is word of mouth. Don’t forget to tell everyone you know that your house is for sale. You never know who knows someone that is looking to buy.

When You Get The Calls Coming In
A lot of folks are just gonna wanna know the price at first if you don’t have it listed already. Then they may want to set up an appointment to check the house out. If you’re not careful you could be wasting ALOT of time. Here’s what I do:

- First I tell interested folks to do a drive-by of the house. If they like it after driving by I tell them to call me back to set up an appointment.

- If they call me back to set up an appointment I ask them if they are pre-approved for a mortgage. If they say yes, I inform them that they must send me their pre-approval letter before I will set up an appointment to show them the inside of the home (be nice about this, not rude.) If they say no, then I tell them that they must be pre-approved before I will set up an appointment to show the inside of the home. I generally will refer them to a mortgage person or a small, local bank that I use. (You should do the same. Hook yourself up with a small, local bank in your area that will get people pre-approved to buy your house. You can do this with a mortgage person too, if you have one in mind.)

- If they pass all of the above then I will set up an appointment. PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS. These are strangers that you are letting into your home. Always have more than one adult home when having showings and it’s a good idea to have a sign-in sheet for folks to sign and you should make them even show their driver’s license or some form of i.d. I know that you may feel uneasy asking this stuff, but it’s for your own protection.

Word of Caution: If you ever, ever feel uneasy about someone that you are talking to on the phone, do not, under any circumstances let them into your home, especially when you are alone. Women..use that women’s intuition that you have. Fellas, use that gut feeling that you can get.
(This is probably the scariest part about selling your house yourself, in my opinion.)

- If folks are interested in your house then write up an agreement with them! (we’ll get into that in a few.)

- If they aren’t interested, ask them if they could give you some feedback so that you can improve your chances of selling your home. Tell them to be honest as you won’t be upset or take anything personally (and hold true to that!)

 When You Find A Qualified Buyer
After you find a qualified buyer you want to write up an agreement of sale. I’m going to assume that you don’t know anything about an agreement of sale or about how to fill one out. With that in mind, my advice is to then NOT DO IT.

- You should have a competent real estate attorney that you use to help you draw up an agreement of sale and that helps you with all of the rules and laws associated with selling your house (like fair housing laws, seller disclosure forms, etc.) The real estate attorney can even do the closing for you and your buyer (they will take care of EVERYTHING associated with getting your transaction done and getting you your check in your hand.)

- If you know how to fill out an agreement of sale then you should have a title company that you want to work with to get your transaction to the closing table and get your check in your hand. They can help you with any questions that you may have, but they may not be permitted to give you legal advice in regards to rules and laws regarding selling your house, but ask, because a lot of them have real estate lawyers within their company that will be happy to help.

 Now take you big check to the bank baby and you can now say “I can save tons of money on commissions because I can sell my house myself in Pennsylvania!”

MACRO-ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT 

The sluggish financial and economic progress of 2008, under the Koroma administration, nevertheless holds the possibility of strong and broad-based economic growth as the economy struggles to rebuild from the war years, together with moderate inflation levels. Over the medium term, any improvement in key sectors will offer hope that the economy will bottom out of aid dependency, given credible internal reform, strong policy-making and institutional investment. The country’s macroeconomic and financial policies devised and put to work within the context of the Poverty Reduction Growth Facility (PRGF) arrangement show the potential to accelerate trends that are promoting broad-based economic recovery.

The current democratic dispensation has created an enabling opportunity for the administration of Koroma to make a significant step in advancing economic and social development. Even better is the concept of “public value” and the “strategic triangle” approach adopted by the British international agency, Public Administration International, to have each Ministry and Department of the new administration in Sierra Leone to address and align questions of strategic goals and priorities in terms of public value outcomes to be achieved (Public Administration International). But the pervading deficiencies in the public administration are not a positive indication of good governance.

An aggressive effort, however, to involve the Diaspora resource in national development is gaining significance with the administration—a strategy likely to be more helpful. The current Diaspora engagement has opportunities to it for the economy and businesses. In addition, the PRGF recovery tool used by the Government of Sierra Leone—monetary and fiscal stimuli—will be relatively effective under the circumstances. This strategy of engaging the Diaspora has put the Koroma administration model of a free-market economy in the public interest.

With this new development in Sierra Leone’s political environment, the financial system is seen to be promising; and the regulatory framework, as having the potential to be fixed to curb widespread corruption. Now, searching for growth, the Koroma administration is opening up to ideas from the Diaspora to a degree that differentiates it from previous administrations. The government is turning a historic corner and heading into a period in which the role of the Diaspora will be formidable. The Office of Diaspora Affairs which has literally been recognized as an official agency of the government and is working “towards linking Sierra Leoneans from the Diaspora to different business opportunities, agencies, ministries, and departments in Sierra Leone” (Office of Diaspora Affairs) can be made to work better. The Office of Diaspora Affairs’ Diaspora Trust Fund, for instance, as a development vehicle for Diasporans to make an impact can be sufficiently used with specific terms of reference to mobilize Sierra Leoneans in the Diaspora to pool their remittances to buy into state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Sierra Leone that are slated for privatization.

As it is the case, President Koroma has been quite open-minded, as well as the appeal of his style of democracy, appears to be restorative. Although Sierra Leone is fortunate that her governance problems have now being assumed with the promise inherent in the election of this insurance broker as president, historical forces—and the endemic nature of corruption in society—will pose a serious threat to his presidency regardless.

Indeed, the macroeconomic outlook is promising. The country shows the promise to benefit economically from the PRGF arrangement but only with unwavering commitment by the APC administration. The real estate sector is a growth market in Sierra Leone if given the attention it deserves. The export markets have the potential to grow as well and the overall growth rate of the tourism market and the service industry can also do very well with good governance. But the country is still rather stressed by unwilling cabinet ministers and public servants.

The balance of payments with higher merchandize imports is seemingly showing an increase accounted for mainly by an increase in imports of machinery and transport equipment, chemicals and manufactured goods; and mineral fuel and lubricants constituting the largest share of total imports look encouraging. Exports growth shows potential with diamond and gold exports forming by far the largest share of total exports. This relatively promising balance of payments position gives the country the opportunity to solidify its strategic advantages as the government struggles to rebuild. At the same time, this PRGF arrangement and the growing balance of payments may lead to a stable economy. Corruption minefields may be diminished, which may quicken the growth of the economy. And it is likely that, with Koroma less distracted by a corrupt cabinet, his administration will see more clearly than its predecessor that strengthening the economy by addressing corruption head on should become his government’s most important good governance strategy. The administration should now truly show commitment to lead efforts to improve Sierra Leone’s Human Development Index rating and expand the benefits of sound economic management to be felt at the household level in the form of improved income and job prospects as well as improved basic services that support the growth and productivity of the informal sector on which 80% of the active working population survive.

UNDERUTILIZED HOUSING MARKET SECTOR

Sierra Leoneans are squeezed by a confluence of pressures, especially those with low incomes and uncertain formal access to secure land. There are images of famished existence seen in many places. Kroo Bay, for instance,is one of Sierra Leone’s largest informal settlements, with an estimated population of about 10,000 inhabitants. It is also the most impoverished and neglected area, with no supply of drinkable water, no electricity and lacking all public services. Kroo Bay is part of the urban core, located on the coastline in central Freetown. Informal settlements are also present in the Bormeh, Government Wharf and Susan’s Bay easements and on both private and public lands. The characteristics of these settlements share common features that are more evident in some areas than others. They are located on marginal land (including under bridges and flyovers) with poor drainage and extremely poor housing conditions with few foundations, makeshift roofs and impermanent building materials.

The government has a lot of work to do to make the housing sector in Sierra Leone viable. The country’s housing market crisis portends a combination of a much disorganized land tenure system and poorly developed mortgage market. The disorganized land tenure system reflects the Ministry of Land’s overly corrupt handling of land estates. The poorly developed mortgage market reflects, among other factors, a weakness in housing and nonresidential construction in Sierra Leone. Policy makers apparently lack appreciation for a stable mortgage market and has not created the enabling environment to encourage banks to reform bank business models and practices to accommodate the intricacies of commercial and mortgage banking. But it is obvious that access to land and housing for most Sierra Leoneans is still tantamount to the ultimate form of social security. It is for this reason that most urban and rural Sierra Leoneans would sell their houses only under the direst of circumstances, and they are generally comfortable with customary ownership of land. In reality, widely shared social values affect attitudes towards the marketability of land and housing.

Escalating prices on land with legitimate titles on the one hand, and multiple disputed sales of land with phony titles on the other, are especially inconvenient risks, especially in urban areas. A general lack of security, whether social, legal, or economic, is inimical to financing housing, and land problems in Sierra Leone represent the highest risk to the development of a vibrant housing system. Land banking by developing an integrated management information system with detailed property information for property development is essentially one critical response to the current inefficient land management system. Fundamentally, this requires also a sophisticated construction management and loan product development program in place.

Sierra Leone does not have a source of home loan money. Even though the Sierra Leone Housing Corporation (SALHOC) as a parastatal (semi official) body that “follows government housing policies is designed to create partnerships with the private sector, NGOs and the public sector to make housing services accessible to all sectors of society, particularly the poor” (Report on Country of Return Information), it does not have a matured mortgage operation that provides borrowers with major mortgage loans.

Facing the underutilized housing market in Sierra Leone, the government can act responsibly by promoting the growth of home ownership and facilitating the provision of a secondary mortgage market. This is how Fannie Mae succeeded to help millions of Americans achieve the dream of home ownership. A secondary mortgage market exists in the buying and selling of a mortgage from one lender to another. A bank or mortgage company that provides a loan turns around and sells that mortgage to the government parastatal that has to be properly set up to handle such purchases. This frees up their cash to make another mortgage loan. And the cycle of growth is expanded and sustained in this manner. The idea and concept worked for Fannie Mae, SALHOC can therefore adapt some features of the Fannie Mae concept to set up its mortgage operation in Sierra Leone as a privately held, stock ownership company that will promote the growth of the housing industry by making it possible for many low-to-middle income Sierra Leoneans to own homes. Investors, especially Sierra Leoneans at home and in the Diaspora can purchase stock in the Sierra Leone Housing Corporation, and this will not only increase their own wealth, but will also help to fund the home ownership possibilities for a new generation of Sierra Leoneans. Through the issuance of mortgage backed securities, for instance, the reformed Sierra Leone Housing Corporation can guarantee investors a return on their investment, and at the same time, providing a source of funding for issuing further mortgages. This provides the nation’s lenders with a steady stream of cash to continue to make mortgages available to the consumer thus supporting a steady and continual cycle of growth.

With a sustained flood of mortgage money, there will be a growth in residential and commercial real estate. Most Sierra Leoneans are squeezed by a variety of pressures, especially low income individuals and those with uncertain access to secure land. Urbanization has been a contributing factor to poor housing with more than 60% of communities in metropolitan Freetown, for instance, living in informal housing. There is sufficient evidence, however, to suggest that communities are able to become sufficiently organized to drive settlement upgrading in partnership with government and the private sector.

ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE OF SIERRA LEONE’S ECONOMIC POLITICS 

It is increasingly evident that the government has to work to stave off a sustained slump in Sierra Leone’s economy. The healing wounds of war are still being used by politicians to justify Sierra Leone’s rating in the Index of Economic Freedom which remains significantly below the world average in seven areas. The judicial system is riddled with corruption (as is virtually all of the civil service). The labor market is highly inflexible and Sierra Leone is one of the world’s least free. Liberalization of the trade regime is progressing, but import taxes and fees, non-transparent regulations, inefficient customs implementation, inadequate infrastructure, and corruption add to the cost of trade. Sierra Leone has relatively high tax rates. The budget deficit has been somewhat reduced, but better spending management is needed as reiterated by the president himself that “it is no secret that due to … poor management of national resources, Sierra Leone has lagged behind in the areas of social and economic development” (Sierra Leone Web).

Inflation is high, averaging 10.6 percent between 2004 and 2006. Unstable prices explain most of the monetary freedom score. Corruption is perceived as pervasive. Sierra Leone ranks 142nd out of 163 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index for 2006. International companies cite corruption in all branches of government as an obstacle to investment. Official corruption is exacerbated by low civil service salaries and a lack of accountability. Inflexible employment regulations hinder overall productivity growth and employment opportunities. Sierra Leone’s labor freedom is among the world’s 20 lowest. (Source: 2008 Index of Economic Freedom).

The Koroma administration has a responsibility to clear up the clouds of economic gloom and despair which have gathered over Sierra Leone’s economy for decades. The administration has to propel the engines that could pull the nation out of her chronic gloom. Even though some fear the worst: that “the real GDP growth for Sierra Leone is forecast to slow from an estimated 6% in 2008 to 4.8% in 2009, as post-war recovery tails off and the global financial crisis reduces demand for Sierra Leone’s exports” (Economist Intelligence Unit) as reported by the Economist Intelligence Unit, a division of London’s Economist Group; all is not lost.

The pessimism may be overdone. Sierra Leone is still one of the most resourceful parts of the world in terms of natural abundance. Even though the country faces such daunting economic difficulties that do not seem to go away, Koroma only has to prove the pessimists who see the regime change as all mouth and no trousers—that much of it made up by old budget commitments, double-counting and empty promises—wrong. He has to prove that it was not mainly propaganda; and to convince Sierra Leone’s own people and the outside world that his government is serious about stimulating development and is ready to take radical steps to spend infrastructure money and providing a decent social safety net for Sierra Leoneans, especially in housing, education and health care.

FINANCIAL SECTOR AND THE HOUSING MARKET 

Sierra Leone’s financial sector holds promise for reaching broader and deeper into the housing market. The vast majority of Sierra Leoneans evidently do not have access to asset-backed finance or mortgage finance, but low and moderate income households are beginning to participate broadly in the maturation of the microfinance industry. The (PRSF), initiated in 2002, is one indication of the commitment of the government, the Bank of Sierra Leone, and the donor community to support financial sector development. The PRGF project was undertaken primarily to support concessional lending practices and debt relief under the joint Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. The targets and policy conditions in a PRGF-supported program are drawn from the country’s PRSP.  “Key policy measures and structural reforms aimed at poverty reduction and growth are identified and prioritized during the PRSP process” (IMF).

There is apparent need for improved housing conditions in Sierra Leone, especially for lower income Sierra Leoneans. There are potentials for the sector if the government could commission the Sierra Leone Housing Corporation and interested investors with substantial microfinance experience to assess trends in public and private sector delivery of affordable housing in the country and to make strategic recommendations for tangible, replicable and sustainable interventions that would enhance the amelioration of housing conditions for the majority of Sierra Leoneans. A technical assessment to broadly examine the trends, risks and opportunities to meet the critical challenge of affordable housing in Sierra Leone is critical at this point in time. The specific objectives for such an assessment is to:

* analyze the strategies, experience and roles (public and private) for the delivery of affordable housing in Sierra Leone;

* determine the main reasons for any constraints in the delivery of affordable housing solutions (including costs, appropriate construction approaches and materials, finance and land);

* understand the extent and the characteristics of the potential market for affordable housing in Sierra Leone; and

* recommend tangible strategies to the Government of Sierra Leone and other potential key players to meet current demand for affordable housing, focusing on the appropriate housing typologies, financing, and the legal and regulatory framework.

The government should be open-minded in terms of understanding of the optimal factors that comprise an “enabling environment” in which a vibrant and equitable housing sector may develop. A stable macro-economic and political environment in which low and moderate income people are able to create effective demand for housing finance and other inputs into the housing improvement process is a necessary condition for such an enabling environment. The right policies to ensure efficient and equitable land markets will promote a sense of security for all sectors of society and therefore spur household investment. Such supportive legal and regulatory frameworks will also promote broad community and private sector participation in housing development and upgrading processes.

The way out of the current economic woes of Sierra Leone is to have a macroeconomic policy designed to accelerate the process of growth and transformation of the economy under competitive conditions. A stable political environment has already been created with the successful democratic dispensation of 2007. In spite of some economic risks due to increases in oil prices, Sierra Leone possesses the potential for a stable macro-economic and socio-political environment under which an affordable housing sector could take off. The government only has to embark on a comprehensive macroeconomic stability strategy. The main thrust is to create wealth and reduce poverty as defined in the government’s PRSP, which was introduced to ensure the country benefited from debt cancellation. The PRSP supposed to be a demonstration of the government’s long-term commitment to reduce poverty and enhance economic and social growth in both rural and urban communities. Therefore, a developer-driven and household-led incremental housing or community-led settlement upgrading should be aligned with this strategy which seeks to protect the vulnerable segments of society. Improving public expenditure managementandfiscal resources mobilization; and pursuing price and exchange rate stability are measures needing to be put in place by the government. The administration has to keep trends in the key economic parameters stable in order to grow the economy and to keep fiscal position in line with budget projections and revenue generation by the responsible agencies.

The bottom line is that the economy has to create jobs in order for people to afford a range of housing opportunities. Positively, Sierra Leone’s major exports of bauxite, diamond and gold enjoyed favorable prices in 2007 and 2008 which, together with inflows from both foreign donors and private remittances, have helped to improve the country’s import cover and reduced exchange rate volatility. The impact of remittances is equally phenomenal. Official private remittances are growing according to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report on remittances (IMF).  Even though, therefore, Sierra Leone’s financial system has been a shadow of itself for many decades and the depreciation of the Leone has been dramatic, the potentials for growth exist. There are possibilities of investment opportunities with predictable inflation, exchange and interest rates to impact the housing market in Sierra Leone.

Reducing inflation to single digits thus has to be one of the corner stones of the present government. For this to happen, Koroma and his government must seriously commit to creating a dynamic private sector to fuel economic growth and improve people’s living standards. This commitment should be expressed in terms of closer collaboration and partnership with the private sector and the privatization of many state-owned enterprises (including the Sierra Leone Housing Corporation (SALHOC), the Sierra Leone Airport Authority, the Sierra Leone Telecommunications Company (SLTC), the Sierra Leone State Lottery Company, the Guma Valley Water Company Limited, the National Power Authority, the Sierra Leone Ports Authority, Sierra Leone Postal Services, the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank (SLCB), the National Insurance Company (NIC), the Rokel Commercial Bank (RCB), and the Sierra Leone Road Transport Corporation (SLRTC). In line with this vision, the mandate of the Sierra Leone Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SLIEPA), which now replaces SLEDIC, in addition to providing a range of services that aim at assisting exporters to source market and penetrate overseas markets, should be expanded to facilitate the development and growth of a competitive and vibrant private sector and also to help reduce the cost of doing business in Sierra Leone.

The land ownership system in Sierra Leone which is governed by a complex operation of customary, statutory, and common law also needs to be given considerable attention. Corruption and landdisputes, especially involving public lands in urbanizing areas, have been experiencedby significant majorities. The lack of uniformity, complex codes,administrative requirements, and the dualism in land tenure is a risk to an effective housing finance market due to the uncertainties and litigation potential. What could be an interesting response to the current inefficient land management system is to manage a comprehensive land banking system for an efficiently coordinated property development program. It is not clear at this time what the relationship is or will be between the government’s inventory-taking exercise and the current land banking efforts. Asignificant development within such a program is the National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT) and its underlying interests in the country’s housing sector.

The National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT) is a quasi-public entity involved in the government’s inventory-taking exercise and the current land banking efforts.  ”It is a Statutory Public Trust set up by the National Social Security and Insurance Trust Act No. 5 of 2001 to administer Sierra Leone’s National Pension Scheme. The trust was established to provide retirement and other benefits to meet the contingency needs of workers and their dependants” (NASSIT). It is the sole legally authorized institution that manages a pension scheme for workers in Sierra Leone, in accordance with Act No. 5 of 2001, which requires Sierra Leonean employees of companies operating in Sierra Leone to be members of the scheme. In addition, to collection of contributions (30% of the insured’s average earnings for the first 15 years of coverage, plus 2% of the insured’s average earnings for each additional 12-month period) and administration of benefits. It also manages the assets of the scheme.  These assets include real property of various forms, including the development of a housing stock of formal rental units in the country in a joint venture with the American firm ‘Regimanuel Gray Constructors’ which has a plan of investing over 50 Million US Dollars in the country’s housing market in five years.

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS 

One is tempted to deliver a whole host of recommendations for improving affordable housing policy and processes in Sierra Leone. A policy that stimulates more innovative and more intensive use of land in or nearby urban centers or in built-up environments can help the housing market in Sierra Leone. The national housing market should be understood and analyzed according to various market segments to enable more people to benefit from housing investment, whether personal or institutional.  A developer-driven housing conventional strategy for the supply of separate and semi-detached housing can be geared toward the formally employed professionals—a segment that could be served rather efficiently by the real estate development industry and the commercial banks, with mortgage finance. The majority of Sierra Leoneans are building, extending and improving their houses as circumstances and household resources warrant. Financing incremental housing may therefore be facilitated through forging a link with commercial banks.

The government should also facilitate informal settlement upgrading for areas like Kroo Bay, Bormeh, Susan’s Bay, and Government Wharf by the different groups that reside there with technical support from specialists in this field. Such a decision will release an enormous amount of good will. The ensuing results will be striking.  The country needs a well managed settlement upgrading and “de-densification” or resettlement of families program.

Wholesale financing arrangement between mainstream commercial banks and other qualifying private institutions that will ensure sustained funding for the market segment of incremental housing is also strategic. Such an arrangement takes advantage of the proportional benefits of each level in the finance system as well as the strengths of government. Market-related interest rates that will be charged at both the wholesale and retail levels, and accompanied by sound financial and risk management, will permit the possibility of an enabling financial sector integration. The use of market-related interest rates will enable the wholesale operation to gear additional private savings from other private institutions and develop a sound secondary market. Likewise, more low-income households will have the opportunity to establish sound, transferable credit histories and become repeat borrowers.

Also, a privatized Sierra Leone Housing Corporation can be very instrumental in institutionalizing the modern mortgage system in Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone Housing Corporation can be transformed to a leading home loan supplier in lending to underserved populations in Sierra Leone. If done well, the reengineered Corporation can be a darling of socially responsible investing with lending policies that should not be a barrier to home ownership in Sierra Leone.

The problem, however, of urban households lacking sustainable access to finance and appropriate financial arrangements to improve their housing and shelter-related environments cannot be ignored. Because many households are generally financially challenged, lending institutions must understand that this incipient market is high risk. Taking on greater risk may therefore require wholesale financial institutions to undertake sophisticated risk management practices and investment strategies to protect stock holders and end-user clients.

Do you have a home in Lawrenceville Georgia you need to sell quickly?

Have you been searching the Internet looking for a way to someone to buy your Lawrenceville house fast or some way to sell your house in Lawrenceville Georgia fast? Many sellers need to sell their house fast, but don’t know where to turn. Luckily you’ve found the right “We Buy Houses Blog” to sell your house in 7 days or less! WeBuyHouses.net is your number one source for buying houses in Lawrenceville Georgia for fast cash or by taking over your existing mortgage payments. We can help you sell your house fast by buying your house fast!

How to Sell Your Lawrenceville Georgia House Faster Than Ever! (How it works) Once you’ve completed our Seller Questionnaire providing your contact information and telling us about your Lawrenceville house for sale, one of our professional home buyers will contact you by phone or email about buying your home. If your home meets our purchase criteria, we’ll schedule an appointment to come out and see your house and make you one or more offers to buy your house on the spot! It’s that simple.

Who we are. WeBuyHouses.net a group of professional home buyers in Lawrenceville Georgia and around the country that specializes in purchasing houses quickly for all cash or on other creative terms. We are not real estate agents who want to list and sell your home for a commission, so there is never any broker fees or real estate commissions. All you have to do is tell us about your Lawrenceville home for sale so we can possibly buy it. That’s how simple it really is!

We can save you time and money. We know that selling your home can be an expensive, time consuming and complicated process. We understand your situation. If you need to sell your Lawrenceville Georgia home fast, we are your number one solution. Our local, professional home buyers can buy your house in 7 days or less once you’ve notified us of the Lawrenceville home you have for sale. We can pay all cash, take over your payments or lease-purchase your house immediately! We will handle all of the paperwork, make all the arrangements and close within a few days if necessary. You’ll get a quick sale with no hassles, so you can put your house selling worries behind you once and for all. There will be no more stress and no more home selling headaches.

We buy houses in Lawrenceville Georgia. We also buy homes in Snellville, Stone Mountain, Dacula, Buford, Sugar Hill, Cumming, Suwanee, Duluth, Norcross and other surrounding areas. We also buy houses in cities and towns across Georgia such as Atlanta, Augusta, Macon, Savannah, Valdosta, Gainesville, Athens and we want to buy your Georgia house too!

We buy houses in Lawrenceville Georgia in all shapes and sizes. We purchase all types of property, whether it’s a new house, an old house, a big house, a small house, a pretty house, an ugly house or a house needing major repairs… We like to buy them all. We buy as many houses as we can in Georgia and are always looking for more houses to buy.

We buy houses in Lawrenceville Georgia in any situation. If you are selling your Lawrenceville Georgia house due to divorce, illness, unemployment, relocation, behind on payments, bankruptcy or foreclosure, we’d like to help you find a solution that fits your unique home selling situation. We specialize in finding creative solutions to tough real estate problems that Realtors and other home buyers won’t touch.

We are your best solution to sell your home fast. If you’ve tried to sell your Lawrenceville Georgia home for sale by owner and failed or you have listed your house with a real estate agent who was unable to sell your home, we are your best solution to get your home sold quickly. Sell your house to us in 7 days or less and avoid all the hassles and uncertainties of trying to sell your home yourself or through a real estate agent.

We are your ideal home buyer. If you sell your home to us, you won’t have to continue searching for the perfect buyer while you wait, month after month to sell your house. You won’t have to continue having open houses and showing your home to unqualified strangers who waste your time and scare the dog. You can sell your house in Lawrenceville Georgia in 7 days or less and move on with your life!

Sell your house in Lawrenceville Georgia in 7 days or less! To sell your Lawrenceville Georgia house quickly, please complete our confidential Home Seller Questionnaire on our website at WeBuyHouses.net or call 888-765-3461 to speak to a live representative. Tell us all about your Lawrenceville home for sale, how we can reach you and one of our knowledgeable house buyers will contact you ASAP about buying your house fast.

Choose the best offer to sell your house fast. If your Lawrenceville Georgia house qualifies for our purchase program, one of our professional house buyers will schedule an appointment to come visit your house, take some photos and make you one or more custom offers to buy your home quickly so you can sell your house fast! We are confident that you will like one of our offers. If not, you are under no obligation to sell your home to us.

We are ready to buy your Lawrenceville Georgia house today! Our home buyers are ready, willing and able to buy your house and help you through the entire home selling process. All you need to do now is call 888-765-3461 or visit our website at www.WeBuyHouses.net to complete our confidential Seller Questionnaire and one of our local home buyers will contact you about buying your house fast. Why wait another minute to sell your Lawrenceville Georgia house when you can sell your house to us today?

Do you have a home in Sugar Hill Georgia you need to sell quickly?

Have you been searching the Internet looking for a way to someone to buy your Sugar Hill house fast or some way to sell your house in Sugar Hill Georgia fast? Many sellers need to sell their house fast, but don’t know where to turn. Luckily you’ve found the right “We Buy Houses” site to sell your house in 7 days or less! WeBuyHouses.net is your number one source for buying houses in Sugar Hill Georgia for fast cash or by taking over your existing mortgage payments. We can help you sell your house fast by buying your house fast!

How to Sell Your Sugar Hill Georgia House Faster Than Ever! (How it works) Once you’ve completed our Seller Questionnaire providing your contact information and telling us about your Sugar Hill house for sale, one of our professional home buyers will contact you by phone or email about buying your home. If your home meets our purchase criteria, we’ll schedule an appointment to come out and see your house and make you one or more offers to buy your house on the spot! It’s that simple.

Who we are. WeBuyHouses.net a group of professional home buyers in Sugar Hill Georgia and around the country that specializes in purchasing houses quickly for all cash or on other creative terms. We are not real estate agents who want to list and sell your home for a commission, so there is never any broker fees or real estate commissions. All you have to do is tell us about your Sugar Hill home for sale so we can possibly buy it. That’s how simple it really is!

We can save you time and money. We know that selling your home can be an expensive, time consuming and complicated process. We understand your situation. If you need to sell your Sugar Hill Georgia home fast, we are your number one solution. Our local, professional home buyers can buy your house in 7 days or less once you’ve notified us of the Sugar Hill home you have for sale. We can pay all cash, take over your payments or lease-purchase your house immediately! We will handle all of the paperwork, make all the arrangements and close within a few days if necessary. You’ll get a quick sale with no hassles, so you can put your house selling worries behind you once and for all. There will be no more stress and no more home selling headaches.

We buy houses in Sugar Hill Georgia. We also buy homes in Buford, Cumming, Suwanee, Duluth, Dacula, Norcross, Lawrenceville, Snellville, Stone Mountain, Lake Lanier and other surrounding areas. We also buy houses in cities and towns across Georgia such as Atlanta, Gainesville, Athens, Augusta, Macon, Savannah, Valdosta, Tifton and we want to buy your Georgia house too!

We buy houses in Sugar Hill Georgia in all shapes and sizes. We purchase all types of property, whether it’s a new house, an old house, a big house, a small house, a pretty house, an ugly house or a house needing major repairs… We like to buy them all. We buy as many houses as we can in Georgia and are always looking for more houses to buy.

We buy houses in Sugar Hill Georgia in any situation. If you are selling your Sugar Hill Georgia house due to divorce, illness, unemployment, relocation, behind on payments, bankruptcy or foreclosure, we’d like to help you find a solution that fits your unique home selling situation. We specialize in finding creative solutions to tough real estate problems that Realtors and other home buyers won’t touch.

We are your best solution to sell your home fast. If you’ve tried to sell your Sugar Hill Georgia home for sale by owner and failed or you have listed your house with a real estate agent who was unable to sell your home, we are your best solution to get your home sold quickly. Sell your house to us in 7 days or less and avoid all the hassles and uncertainties of trying to sell your home yourself or through a real estate agent.

We are your ideal home buyer. If you sell your home to us, you won’t have to continue searching for the perfect buyer while you wait, month after month to sell your house. You won’t have to continue having open houses and showing your home to unqualified strangers who waste your time and scare the dog. You can sell your house in Sugar Hill Georgia in 7 days or less and move on with your life!

Sell your house in Sugar Hill Georgia in 7 days or less! To sell your Sugar Hill Georgia house quickly, please complete our confidential Home Seller Questionnaire on our website at WeBuyHouses.net or call 888-765-3461 to speak to a live representative. Tell us all about your Sugar Hill home for sale, how we can reach you and one of our knowledgeable house buyers will contact you ASAP about buying your house fast.

Choose the best offer to sell your house fast. If your Sugar Hill Georgia house qualifies for our purchase program, one of our professional house buyers will schedule an appointment to come visit your house, take some photos and make you one or more custom offers to buy your home quickly so you can sell your house fast! We are confident that you will like one of our offers. If not, you are under no obligation to sell your home to us.

We are ready to buy your Sugar Hill Georgia house today! Our home buyers are ready, willing and able to buy your house and help you through the entire home selling process. All you need to do now is call 888-765-3461 or visit our website at www.WeBuyHouses.net to complete our confidential Seller Questionnaire and one of our local home buyers will contact you about buying your house fast. Why wait another minute to sell your Sugar Hill Georgia house when you can sell your house to us today?

Do you have a home in Suwanee Georgia you need to sell quickly?

Have you been searching the Internet looking for a way to someone to buy your Suwanee house fast or some way to sell your house in Suwanee Georgia fast? Many sellers need to sell their house fast, but don’t know where to turn. Luckily you’ve found the right “We Buy Houses Article” to sell your house in 7 days or less! WeBuyHouses.net is your number one source for buying houses in Suwanee Georgia for fast cash or by taking over your existing mortgage payments. We can help you sell your house fast by buying your house fast!

How to Sell Your Suwanee Georgia House Faster Than Ever! Once you’ve completed our Seller Questionnaire providing your contact information and telling us about your Suwanee house for sale, one of our professional home buyers will contact you by phone or email about buying your home. If your home meets our purchase criteria, we’ll schedule an appointment to come out and see your house and make you one or more offers to buy your house on the spot! It’s that simple.

Who we are. WeBuyHouses.net a group of professional home buyers in Suwanee Georgia and around the country that specializes in purchasing houses quickly for all cash or on other creative terms. We are not real estate agents who want to list and sell your home for a commission, so there is never any broker fees or real estate commissions. All you have to do is tell us about your Suwanee home for sale so we can possibly buy it. That’s how simple it really is!

We can save you time and money. We know that selling your home can be an expensive, time consuming and complicated process. We understand your situation. If you need to sell your Suwanee Georgia home fast, we are your number one solution. Our local, professional home buyers can buy your house in 7 days or less once you’ve notified us of the Suwanee home you have for sale. We can pay all cash, take over your payments or lease-purchase your house immediately! We will handle all of the paperwork, make all the arrangements and close within a few days if necessary. You’ll get a quick sale with no hassles, so you can put your house selling worries behind you once and for all. There will be no more stress and no more home selling headaches.

We buy houses in Suwanee Georgia. We also buy homes in Cumming, Duluth, Dacula, Sugar Hill, Flowery Branch, Auburn, Braselton, Norcross, Lawrenceville, Alpharetta, Douglasville and other surrounding areas. We also buy houses in cities and towns across Georgia such as Atlanta, Savannah, Valdosta, Gainesville, Athens, Augusta, Macon and we want to buy your Georgia house too!

We buy houses in Suwanee Georgia in all shapes and sizes. We purchase all types of property, whether it’s a new house, an old house, a big house, a small house, a pretty house, an ugly house or a house needing major repairs… We like to buy them all. We buy as many houses as we can in Georgia and are always looking for more houses to buy.

We buy houses in Suwanee Georgia in any situation. If you are selling your Suwanee Georgia house due to divorce, illness, unemployment, relocation, behind on payments, bankruptcy or foreclosure, we’d like to help you find a solution that fits your unique home selling situation. We specialize in finding creative solutions to tough real estate problems that Realtors and other home buyers won’t touch.

We are your best solution to sell your home fast. If you’ve tried to sell your Suwanee Georgia home for sale by owner and failed or you have listed your house with a real estate agent who was unable to sell your home, we are your best solution to get your home sold quickly. Sell your house to us in 7 days or less and avoid all the hassles and uncertainties of trying to sell your home yourself or through a real estate agent.

We are your ideal home buyer. If you sell your home to us, you won’t have to continue searching for the perfect buyer while you wait, month after month to sell your house. You won’t have to continue having open houses and showing your home to unqualified strangers who waste your time and scare the dog. You can sell your house in Suwanee Georgia in 7 days or less and move on with your life!

Sell your house in Suwanee Georgia in 7 days or less! To sell your Suwanee Georgia house quickly, please complete our confidential Home Seller Questionnaire on our website at www.WeBuyHouses.net or call 888-765-3461 to speak to a live representative. Tell us all about your Suwanee home for sale, how we can reach you and one of our knowledgeable house buyers will contact you ASAP about buying your house fast.

Choose the best offer to sell your house fast. If your Suwanee Georgia house qualifies for our purchase program, one of our professional house buyers will schedule an appointment to come visit your house, take some photos and make you one or more custom offers to buy your home quickly so you can sell your house fast! We are confident that you will like one of our offers. If not, you are under no obligation to sell your home to us.

We are ready to buy your Suwanee Georgia house today! Our home buyers are ready, willing and able to buy your house and help you through the entire home selling process. All you need to do now is call 888-765-3461 or visit our website at www.WeBuyHouses.net to complete our confidential Seller Questionnaire and one of our local home buyers will contact you about buying your house fast. Why wait another minute to sell your Suwanee Georgia house when you can sell your house to us today?

Everyone has heard the news on the current deteriorating state of the economy, the severe credit crisis and the declining housing market. Fox, CNN, MSNBC, other news outlets and even the President remind us of our pain daily. The peoples fears and perception have not become reality. Home foreclosures are at an all time high even in my neighborhood in Buford Georgia with many more foreclosures likely to come. The unemployment rate in Georgia is growing daily and is the highest it has been in many years. Housing resale values are at all time lows with no end in sight. Even the banks are going bankrupt as are many Americans who no longer qualify for credit.

Because of the recent credit crisis, many people don’t qualify for a new loan to buy a house right now, despite the incredibly low housing prices. Many home sellers can’t sell their unwanted houses because they owe more than their house is worth because of the falling house prices. Many sellers can’t even rent their houses our for enough to cover their mortgage payments, taxes and insurance resulting in severe negative cash flow that bleeds then dry month after month. To make matters worse, many tenants end up trashing the house when they move out making it even more difficult and expensive to sell. If they list their house with a real estate agent, their house will likely sit on the market for a long, long time waiting to sell since the buyers seem to have magically disappeared. Even if the house does finally sell one day at a greatly reduced price to get it sold, the owner has to pay a 6% real estate commission plus the majority of the closing costs. This often results in the seller writing a big, fat check at the closing table to finally get their house sold.

So what are my options to sell my Buford Georgia house fast in this depressed economy and housing market when many folks can’t get a loan? By trial and error, I discovered the following 3 alternatives to try to sell my Buford home quickly…

I tried to sell my house in Buford “For Sale by Owner” aka “FSBO”.

At first, selling my house by myself sounded easy enough, but it soon became my worst nightmare. At first I didn’t know how to attract buyers that might be interested in purchasing a home in Buford Georgia. The for sale by owner sign in the yard wasn’t working. I ended up spending a fortune placing classifieds in the local paper which resulted in few potential buyers. Those that did respond wanted to see my house at all different hours of the day or night. I was afraid to say no in fear of losing a potential buyer. I would have to keep my house clean and all picked up, only to have them not show up to see my house. Other times I had some pretty scary people show up with their 5 kids in tow, trampling through my home. I never did find my ideal buyer. Even if I did, I had no idea how to get them qualified, how to handle all the purchase and sale paperwork or how to get the house closed. I said “There has to be a better way to sell my home!” and I was determined to find it.

I listed my house for sale with a local Buford real estate agent.

When I listed my house with a local Buford Georgia real estate agent, I thought they were all the same and they would be able to sell my house quickly. I called an agent from a local, seemingly reputable, real estate agency and made an appointment to have an agent come out and see me. The agent sounded like she really knew what she was talking about and got me really excited about the prospect of selling my home quickly. She said she would list my house in the MLS, on dozens of real estate sites throughout Georgia, advertise my house in the local paper and other print publications, do multiple open houses, put out signs, balloons, flyers in an information box and went on and on about how she could sell my home and still get top dollar. How could I refuse? I didn’t. I listed my house and waited, and waited and waited. The agent put the house in the MLS, put a sign in the yard along with a dozen flyers in the information box and disappeared never to be seen again. She not only refused to return my calls, but did no perceivable advertising, no open houses, no showings, no more flyers, no more nothing! Six months later I still had no buyers and apparently no agent. I ended up hiring 2 more agents with the same dismal results. Meanwhile my house in Buford Georgia had not only decreased in value because it would not sell for the list price, which had been reduced repeatedly, but also because of all the other listed houses and foreclosures on the market in my area of Buford. At this point, I was all out of ideas and praying for solution. About that time, someone at my church told me about WeBuyHouses.net.

I contacted a local, professional home buyer from Buford Georgia.

My friend from church told me that she had similar problems selling her Buford house, but that she had contacted a local professional home buyer who bought her house in under a week! What? Is this possible? Could I sell my Buford Georgia house in 7 days or less too? She said their are professional home buyers out there, also known as “real estate investors”, who buy and sell real estate for investment purposes. You’ve probably seen their “We Buy Houses” advertisements around town but never gave them much thought. These are people who buy houses professionally and are always actively looking for more houses to buy. She gave me their phone number and web address (Toll free number: 888-765-3461, website: www.WeBuyHouses.net) and I contacted them ASAP. A local Buford home buyer from the called me and said that if my house qualified and if I was flexible on price or terms, that they may be able to buy my house in the next 7 days or less. They said depending on my situation that they may be able to pay all cash, pay some cash now and some cash later or take over your mortgage payments giving me immediate debt relief. At this point I was definitely flexible and had nothing to lose by scheduling an appointment for them to come see my home and possibly enable me to sell my Buford Georgia house fast!

So I scheduled the appointment with the Buford home buyer and he came out and inspected my home. He said it was just what they were looking for and that he had several buyers looking for a similar home. I was ecstatic! He made me several offers to buy my house as promised. I chose the offer that best suited my needs and we scheduled a closing the following week with a local real estate closing attorney. It was that fast and that simple to finally sell my house in Buford! I still can’t get over it. After waiting two years trying to sell my house on my own and through a licensed agent, I was able to sell my house in less than 7 days to a local professional home buying company!

Do you have a home in the Hattiesburg Mississippi area you need to sell quickly?

Is your house 100% financed with no equity? Are you behind on your mortgage payments or about to be? Is your house in foreclosure? Did your real estate listing expire before your agent was able to get your house sold? Are you selling your home in Hattiesburg Mississippi due to a divorce, illness, job loss or the death of a loved one? Have you moved without selling your house in Hattiesburg Mississippi first? Does your home need extensive repairs? Is your house vacant? Are you making two payments you can’t afford and need immediate debt relief?

These problems, especially foreclosure, are problems that home owners face every day in today’s competitive selling market. The current deteriorating state of the economy is everywhere in the news. Fox, CNN, MSNBC, other news outlets and the President remind us of our pain daily. Home foreclosures are at an all time high even here in Hattiesburg Mississippi with many more foreclosures likely to come. The unemployment rate in Mississippi is growing and is the highest it has been in many years. Housing resale values are at all time lows with no end in sight and with the current credit crisis many of your potential buyers can’t even qualify for a new loan.

So what do you do when you find yourself in one of these ugly situations & need to sell your Hattiesburg Mississippi home Fast? Do you wait and wait and wait for a real estate agent to sell your home or try to sell your house yourself? If you don’t have much equity in your Hattiesburg Mississippi house, your home selling options are even more limited. You may have to write a big check to cover any negative equity, closing costs, taxes and real estate commissions. If you try to sell your house yourself you can spend a lot of money on classified ads that result in few potential buyers and you’ll have to deal with people traipsing through your house at all hours of the day and night. And if you can find an ideal buyer you’ll have to get them qualified and handle all the purchase and sale paperwork and get the housed closed. If you don’t have the cash or the patience, what are your options to sell your home quickly?

Sell Your Hattiesburg Mississippi House Fast! If you’ve been searching the Internet looking for someone to buy your Hattiesbug house fast or some way to sell your house in Hattiesburg Mississippi fast, you’ve found your way to the right article to sell your house fast, many times in 7 days or less! MSHomeSolutions.com is your number one source for buying houses in Hattiesburg Mississippi and throughout the Pinebelt.

How to Sell Your Hattiesburg Mississippi House Faster Than Ever! Once you’ve completed our Seller Questionnaire providing your contact information and telling us about your Hattiesburg house for sale, one of our professional home buyers will contact you by phone or email about buying your home. If your home meets our purchase criteria, we’ll schedule an appointment to come out and see your house and make you one or more offers to buy your house on the spot! It’s that simple.

Who We Are. MSHomeSolutions is a group of professional home buyers in Hattiesburg Mississippi and throughout the Pinebelt that specializes in purchasing houses quickly for all cash or on other creative terms. We are not real estate agents who want to list and sell your home for a commission, so there are never any broker fees or real estate commissions. All you have to do is tell us about your Hattiesburg home for sale so we can possibly buy it. That’s how simple it really is! AND we are also specialists in working with home owners in foreclosure. We can help you SAVE YOUR HOME from foreclosure or we can buy it even if there’s no equity.

We buy houses throughout the Hattiesburg Mississippi area. We also buy houses in Petal, Purvis, Oak Grove, throughout the Pinebelt in Forrest and Lamar counties, and across Mississippi and we want to buy your Mississippi house.

We can save you time and money. We know that selling your home can be an expensive, time consuming and complicated process. We understand your situation. If you need to sell your Hattiesburg Mississippi home fast, we are your number one solution. Our local, professional home buyers can buy your house in 7 days or less once you’ve notified us of the Hattiesburg home you have for sale. We can pay all cash, take over your payments, lease-purchase your house, or come up with a custom solution to suit your needs immediately! We will handle all of the paperwork, make all the arrangements and close within a few days if necessary. You’ll get a quick sale with no hassles, so you can put your house selling worries behind you once and for all. There will be no more stress and no more home selling headaches.

We buy houses in Hattiesburg Mississippi in all shapes and sizes and in all price ranges. We purchase all types of property and in all price ranges, whether it’s a new house, an old house, a big house, a small house, a pretty house, an ugly house or a house needing major repairs… We like to buy them all. We buy as many houses as we can in Mississippi and are always looking for more houses to buy.

We buy houses in Hattiesburg Mississippi in any situation. Whether you’re selling you Hattiesburg Mississippi house due to divorce, illness, unemployment, relocation, behind on payments, bankruptcy or foreclosure, we’d like to help you find a solution that fits your unique home selling situation. We specialize in finding creative solutions to tough real estate problems that Realtors and other home buyers won’t touch.

MSHomeSolutions.com is your best solution to sell your home fast. If you’ve tried to sell your Hattiesburg Mississippi home for sale by owner and failed or you have listed your house with a real estate agent who was unable to sell your home, we are your best solution to get your home sold quickly. Sell your house to us and avoid all the hassles and uncertainties of trying to sell your home yourself or through a real estate agent.

We are your ideal home buyer. If you sell your home to us, you won’t have to continue searching for the perfect buyer while you wait, month after month to sell your house. You won’t have to continue having open houses and showing your home to unqualified strangers who waste your time and scare the dog. You can sell your house in Hattiesburg Mississippi, often in 7 days or less and move on with your life!

Sell your house in Hattiesburg Mississippi in as little as 7 days! To sell your Hattiesburg Mississippi house quickly, please complete our confidential Home Seller Questionnaire on our website at www.MSHomeSolutions.com or call 601-544-9400. Tell us all about your Mississippi home for sale, how we can reach you and one of our knowledgeable house buyers will contact you ASAP about buying your house fast.

We are ready to buy your Hattiesburg Mississippi house today! Our home buyers are ready to help you through the entire home selling process. All you need to do now is call 601-544-9400 or visit our website at www.MSHomeSolutions.com to complete our confidential Seller Questionnaire and one of our local home buyers will contact you about buying your house fast. Why wait another minute to sell your Hattiesburg Mississippi house when you can sell your house to us today?

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Here is the list of top amazing luxury rentals in and around Lamu Island. It is the perfect place for your dream holiday.

Alice House – seafront house in Lamu stone town

Alice house is the luxury houses sits almost on the harbour front of Lamu. The house had been carefully restored and designed with carved balconies and plastered in the traditional Neru style. It has two double bedrooms with king sized Zanzibari beds, each with en-suite bathroom and bath tub. It is suitable for up to 4 people can stay. Jacuzzi spa also added for your relaxation.

Apendalo House – Private luxury house in Lamu stone town

The Apendalo house is the attractive and spacious new town house in lamu stone town was built by a highly experienced local contractor. The Apendalo house enjoys far-reaching views across both the town and the waterfront, and the open third-floor roof terrace is a lovely, romantic place on which to relax, enjoy the sea breezes and watch the passing parade of dhows in the Lamu Channel.

Baobob House – Beachfront House in Manda Beach

Baobob House is the beachfront property for a peaceful vacation surrounded by nature. The house is decorated with Swahili chairs, local kikoi’s are used for pillow covers and the whole house breathes a simple, elegant, beach atmosphere. It is suitable for up to 6 people can stay.

Baytulkher House – Luxurious house for rental in Lamu stone town

The luxurious house Baytulkher is nestled in the conservation area of old Lamu town. It is built in the traditional Swahili style with Penthouse/Honeymoon thatched rooftop suite with 360 degree island views. “House of Blessings” mean for Baytulkher, is ideally situated close to all the main attractions of Lamu Town, the museums and the seafront.

Champali Camp – Beachfront camp in Kiwaiyu Island

Champali Camp is a beautiful, eco-friendly Bush home on Kiwaiyu Island, in the heart of the Kiunga Marine National Reserve in northern Kenya. Situated on tranquil mangrove coast and the camp are self-catering, but well staffed with a good local cook. There are no hosts, so you are invited to treat the place as your own with the help and guidance of the Champali team.

Cicada House – Beachfront house in Shela

Cicada is ideally located, on the beachfront of Shela, nested in a tropical garden. You can enjoy the sea view from breakfast to sundown from your living area, and also from your bed, you can view the fishermen at sunrise, to the peaceable dhows at sunset. Suitable for up to 6 people can stay.

Makubwa House  – Classic house in Lamu Stone Town

Makubwa house, the classical house in lamu stone town, Stately Patrician Home is available for rental. The house is featured with two separate bedrooms. Suitable for 4 people can stay.

Mwenye Amin  – Old Luxurious House

In the heart of the old town, Mwenye Amin house once belonged to the Al-Bakry family, one of Lamu’s influential lineages. The house is thought to be over 250 years old.  It is named after the late mzee Mwenye Amin, a well respected elder and devout Muslim. The simple design of the house is enriched by features such as carved wooden doors and ornamental niches. This house is suitable for up to 6 people can stay.

Penny house – luxury House in old Stone Town

The house is a typically restored 400 year old house in the Old Stone Town part of Lamu. It has a beautiful courtyard with tiny plunge pool, and several other terraces on which to enjoy a sundowner. The house has 3 large bedrooms, one of them opening onto a large roof terrace, and all beautifully decorated with hand chosen antiques from India, Zanzibar and Lamu itself. Suitable for up to 6 people can stay.

Pool House – Private Home in Lamu stone town

The Pool House is situated in the old part of Lamu town, can comfortably accommodate groups of 6 people and is ideal for two couples or family with children. It has also gained a reputation as a romantic honeymoon retreat. A spacious dining room is at the center of the house, seating up to 12 people with rugs and antique furnishings, leading to a veranda overlooking the pool.

Salama house – Luxury beach house in Lamu stone town

In the historical area of Lamu, facing the ocean, Salama house is a 300 year old Swahili mansion, skilfully renovated and ideally located in Mkomani area – the Old Stone town of Lamu. The house is meticulously restored and tastefully decorated. A romantic sunset cruise and combined it with a memorable dinner under the stars.

Samaki house – unique Swahili Mansion house in Lamu stone town

Samaki House is a lovingly restored 300yr Arab Merchants Mansion – a beautiful and outstanding relic from, when Lamu Town served as a wintering point for Arab trading Dhows. Here you can enjoy spectacular sunrises/sunsets, watch the activities of the town start for the day or fold up for the evening in a unique and luxurious ambiance. The location is remarkable; you will be living through the unique experience of life in the heart of the old town.

Siani farm – Luxury Farm House in Lamu

Siani farm is set in a 12 acre plantation of centenary mango and coconut trees. The property is bordered by 300 meters shore line, with a little beach, ideal for swimming. The main house offers 2 double and 2 single rooms, tastefully decorated by a famous interior designer, with antiques collected all over the world.

The Fort – Beachfront Private houses

The Fort at Shela stands alone in the sand dunes. Beyond the Fort are 14 kilometres of deserted beach. Extremely private, it is the last house on the sea front before the next village on the island, Kipungani, 3 hours walk away. The Fort has very high ceilings, a large open interior courtyard with a swimming pool at its centre and several lounging areas. Suitable for up to 14 people can stay.

Umma House – Luxury house rental in Lamu stone town

Umma House is a tasteful fusion of the new and the old typical Swahili architecture is combined with modern additions. The house is featured with carved wooden entrance door opens into an interior courtyard, where there is a dining area and swimming pool with bar, framed by a wall of traditional zidakas (decorative plaster niches typical of Swahili architecture). The terrace which overlooks the swimming pool is a perfect place for reading, relaxing or taking a siesta, cooled by ceiling fans. Up to 6 people can stay.

As a senior surrounded by High School, my grandpa say that he could lose the house if I am put on his insurance.?
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Average cost for house insurance for a trailer? (VA)?
My husband and I have been renting for years and are looking to purchase a single-wide trailer as a starter home. We’re looking at 2009 models beneath ,000. I’ve googled myself to death and can’t find an idea of what our monthly insurance cost would be. Just a rough estimate would be…

Bankruptcy and house insurance contained by the uk ?
I am filing for bankruptcy because i cannot rate the rate of debt i have, i was wondering what would transpire to my house insurance policy, is there a company that accepts bankrupt ? Legal and General I believe are easy on this. Always disclose the matter and see an…

Basement flooded at the house we rent. I do not enjoy renters insurance – Landlord responsible surrounded by anyway?
Our basement flooded last Monday when the storms hit the east coast. We be getting ready to move (for May) so I had the majority of my belongings busy in the corner of the basement. Half is ruined. Our tenant called to…

BEST HOME INSURANCE for a town house surrounded by allwntown Pa surrounded by the USA?
What would be a good home insurance for my town house in allentown PA.. i am looking for something virtuous and affordable ANY IDEAS homeinsurance.awardspace.us – try this one. I just get home insurance from them. As I know they provide such a service. I…

Buying a house within Florida… to buy or not to buy? Taxes, Insurance… HELP!?
My husband and I are are tired of renting, however we want to find a house that we absolutely adore especially since the market is the method it is… we have lots to choose from. We can’t spend a lot, and would approaching to buy a first…

Buying house next to no planning consent2 pvc window, bein offered indemnity insurance but wot does this miserable?
The building regulations of 2002 state that you need consent 4rm council to put new window in, these windows be put in in 2004, but they don’t appear to hold the consent, or certificate 4rm windsow fitters. We are bein offered indemnity…

Calif. burned down houses-with the financial crisis-can the insurance companies wages up ?
I know of alot of Katrina victims that still have NOT got one cent from their insurance companies ! The Insurance companies will retribution up, and then raise the prices on adjectives of their policies to get the money back.

Can a home insurance company increase the amount of insurance on your house minus your request?
Of course when the amount of insurance in increased, the insurance premium also increases. I have lone 5,000 left on the mortgage and insurance company has increased the insurance to cover a helpfulness of 5,000. Real estate value of the home is 0,000. My credit…

Can an house insurance company drop you if you are have a dispute beside a neighbor?
A friend of mine is having major problems near a neighbor. She was on the phone with her house insurance agent and she truly told the women about her neighbor and said if her house burns down they should look at the neighbor for setting…

Can an Insurance Co be expected to foot to remove a branch from my tree that threatens my house if it falls?
We are dealing with household insurance. An arborist’s report says the branch is a threat. The branch’s integrity be damaged by a lower branch falling off surrounded by a recent storm and damaging the trunk of the tree. Yes…

Can an insurance company drop a policy if your house is too weak?
Yes, they can cancel the policy if the houses condition does not touch their requirements. They expect the house to be kept up, new roof, etc. You may have trouble getting coverage elsewhere as capably if the house is in poor condition. Most likely…

Can an insurance drop my parents because i live surrounded by in that house?
No. But they can drop your parents if THEY don’t live in the house, assuming we’re talking going on for homeowners insurance. If it’s their house, and they don’t live there, it’s not owner occupied. You don’t count, as you don’t own the…

Can anyone recommend a house insurance?
Im about to become a foster carer and need adjectives inclusive house insurance any suggestions please? Google moneysupermarket.com and it will give a list of good’ns Do you mean you will be a foster parent? If you own a home you should have homeowners insurance. If you rent you…

Can anyone recommend a well-mannered merit house insurance?
i need insurance mainly for 2 plasma tvs,dvd recorder (cost me lb2200) In my experience National Farmers Union is the best I hold ever seen. They will insure your car, your house, your pets, your combined combine, what ever, and you don’t have to be a farmer. Not with the sole purpose are…

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My Dad’s house just caught on fire yesterday and nearly burned down. I in recent times want to make sure we handle everything correctly – as not a soul in our family have ever dealt with anything resembling this… Are there any…

Can go insurance for someone be used for paying past its sell-by date someone else’s house?
Life Insurance benefits are remunerated to a beneficiary that the policy owner designates and they can then do what they wish to beside those proceeds. If the beneficiary is a trust money will be distributed as prescribed by the trust document and administered by…

Can huricane or twine insurance be found surrounded by florida and how much will it cost to insure a 400000 house?
I’ll contribute you a better idea. I live in a townhouse community contained by Rockledge, FL. We have our own voluntary association. We have a once a month running fee of 5!! This is a deal. Our fees include prairie…

Can I build a moat around my house or would that be an insurance liability?
Go for it, when it’s done noone can mess with you. ahhh…that would put you contained by flood zone and they might also consider it a pool so you’d have to put one of those fences around it….nah…don’t do it hm,maybe,but the Gecko lizard…

Can I claim a broken toe stale my own house insurance?
I was getting something out of the kitchen cupboard and knocked over a huge cooking dish, it landed on my big toe and broke the toe. Can I claim off my own insurance? We enjoy fully comp cover but i dunno ifhiscan be done? Not unless your toe…

Can i claim a nick ipod on my house insurance?
My ipod was thieved out of my house,would i be capable of claim it back on my house insurance? you could you would need a police report and would own to pay your home insurance deductible by that time you could just buy a hot one Do you mean it…

Can I claim bad my house insurance for a topical intermediate heat?
Boiler is finished and emerson heater needs replaceing . Can I claim rotten house insurance for work to be done. Not under a normal house insurance policy – unless the boiler/ immersion heating system were damaged by an ‘insured peril’. Insurance is NOT a keep contract. Source(s):…

Can I claim for a runner on house insurance due to a hot coal stale the fire spat onto floor.?
Unfortunately, they are going to say no. I tried the same piece last winter, and they came out to my house to check out the spot, and fixed that it would not be covered. The insurance company is going to…

Can I claim for moist on House Insurance?
We have had a survey carried out on the house and we want lb3000 pounds worth of work carrying out – Damp Proof Course and Re-plastering. However, in the report they have explained that the street at the side of the house (which belongs to the Council) is too high and has cause…

Can i claim on insurance for a leak boiler what have made adjectives the rear side of the house sodden? and a.?
leak in the bedroom ceiling which have made a right mess of the carpet? and the leak of the boiler the kitchen will inevitability redecorating and to be dried out…. we have both contence / building insurance…

Can I claim on my house insurance if..?
I think I have a slow seep in my boiler system and my water is not heat properly. I have been contained by my house for 2 years and the boiler was here when we moved in. The previous owner advise us that she had it serviced every year and we have and…

Can i claim past its sell-by date my house insurance if my key hold gone missing?
Im a council tennant, not quite sure if i can get the locks changed for free. I will find out tomorrow, however call for to know whether if i have to pay, can i claim stale my house insurance. Will i need any…

Can i claim rotten my house hold insurance for a whiplash injury?
recently i had an misfortune in my car but sadly my car insurance does not let me claim for any injuries to myself can i claim for injuries sustained contained by the accident through my house hold insurance ? I don’t think so but you might want to check…

Can I claim rotten my house insurance for a toilet and a shower?
My kids have managed to break the toilet bowl and the shower tray surrounded by our main bathroom.I know that the shower tray replacement involves re tiling as we had to draw from it done in the en suite and it proved quite expensive.I don’t typically like to…

Can I claim this on my house insurance?
My 4 year old TV blew up last hours of darkness! It had been working fine near no problems then suddenly, BANG! a big blue light and a puff of smoke? Is this classed as wear and split or can it be claimed? Thanks in advance. Although they are unlikely to come and…

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