WASHINGTON POST

Woodbridge, Va.: Mr. Tallant, what is the first thing you notice when you enter a home?

Shane Tallant: Honestly...the first thing I notice is the smell. Your home must have a clean/fresh smell to grab my attention. Buyers are going to be turned off right from the start if your house doesn't have an inviting scent.

Bake cookies or put cinnamon sticks in the oven during your open house

Greenport, N.Y.: What is the single best renovation project in terms of bang for the buck?


Shane Tallant: Paint, paint paint!!!


Herndon, Va.: What do you think is the one thing that homeowners absolutely have to focus on to sell their home?


Shane Tallant: If its all you can do... KEEP IT CLEAN! Get rid of all the clutter and have it professionally cleaned prior to the open house.


Click Here for the article

Increase in sale prices - Baltimore Edition

Home sales in the Baltimore metro area rose in December, breaking a five-month streak of plummeting activity as buyers were enticed back into the market by competitive mortgage rates and prices.


But it is unclear whether the 8 percent increase in the number of homes sold last month signals a bottoming out of the struggling housing market. For all of 2010, the number of homes sold in the Baltimore region fell 3 percent from the year-earlier period, according to figures released Monday by the area's multiple-listing service.


Real estate experts attributed the bump-up in sales in December to a number of factors — increased confidence about the economic recovery, greater selection and pricing as inventory has piled up and low interest rates. Buyers raced to lock in more affordable mortgage loans before rates rise, as they are expected to do. Fixed rates on 30-year mortgages averaged 4.77 percent last week, near historic lows.


For more on this article visit here