List of 50

Debt problems can quickly snowball out of control. If you find that your debts have put you on the brink of bankruptcy, it is imperative that you take steps to manage your debt. To assist you in your quest, here are 50 ways to manage your debt and avoid bankruptcy.

1. Get to the Bottom of Your Debt Problem
Knowing how your debt became unmanageable is an important part of solving debt problems and avoiding bankruptcy. Perhaps you have problems sticking to a budget; maybe you have a shopping addiction or issues with irresponsible credit card use; the debt may be a result of job loss or another life changing event—whatever the issue is, you need to get to the bottom of it. This will enable you to come up with a solution that will bring more than just temporary relief.

2. Determine How Much You Owe
Before you can begin to manage debt or contemplate bankruptcy, you need to determine how much debt you have. This will involve gathering all of your credit card statements, loan agreements, and other outstanding bills. After adding up the total balances on each, you can begin to set feasible repayment goals and timelines.

3. Prioritize Your Debts
Before you begin paying anything you need to prioritize your debts. Items that will result in jail time or lawsuits should be paid first. Such items include court fines, traffic tickets, and child support. Secured debts should be paid second. These include your mortgage payment, auto installments, and loans that have been secured by one of your assets. Next on the list are the debts that have high interest rates or stiff non-payment penalties. Such debts may include student loans or credit cards.

4. Communicate With Your Creditors
If you are receiving calls or letters from credit card companies, financial institutions, or collection agencies, it is imperative that you respond. Burying your head in the sand will not make your debt problems go away. In fact, ignoring your debt may make a bad situation worse.

5. Request Write-Offs for Old Debts
In certain cases, you may be able to get old debts written off. Before paying anything, you should contact creditors or collection agencies that are listed on your credit report. Ask that they provide written proof that the debt exists. If they cannot provide you with the proof, you have the right to ask that the debt be written off and removed from your credit report.

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6. Settle Debts
If you can somehow manage to come up with a lump sum of money, you may be able to settle your debts for a portion of what you owe. In some cases, you can get creditors to write off as much as 60 percent of your debt if you agree to pay the remaining balance in a lump sum. If you don’t have a lump sum of cash to apply to your debts, you can still try to settle them through a repayment plan, but it may be hard to get creditors to agree to large debt reductions.

7. Get a Cash Advance to Pay Debts
Many credit cards allow cardholders to get a cash advance. If you have a significant amount of debt, you may want to consider getting an advance to pay some of it down. Borrowing more money to pay back the money you owe can be dangerous, but if you handle the situation carefully and responsibly, it will allow you to avoid bankruptcy.

8. Ask Your Creditor to Take Back the Debt
If your debt has been transferred to a collection agency, it may be difficult to negotiate for lower rates, better terms, or reduced balances. This is why it is a good idea to ask your creditor to take back the debt. The actual creditor will have much more leeway in negotiation than any collection agency.

9. Negotiate a Trade
While you will have a difficult time negotiating a trade with banks or credit card companies, you may be able to work something out with other creditors like appliance repair companies, plumbers, and other independent contractors. You can offer assets like used vehicles or you can offer to work off the debt through various services. If you are good at working on cars, if you run a daycare facility, or if you have some other useful service to provide you may be surprised at how willing your creditors are to deal.

10. Give Back the Collateral
If you have a secured debt that you want to get out of, you can offer to give the collateral to a creditor or collection agency. In some cases, your debt will be erased. In others, you may be required to pay the difference between what is owed and the value of the item. If the collateral isn’t that important to you and hasn’t depreciated in value by that much, this is one of the best ways to settle your debts.

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11. Contact a Lawyer
If your debt problems are the result of a bad loan or a credit scam, you may be able to seek out a judgment against the lender or creditor. This will usually involve getting a lawyer to assess the situation. A good lawyer will be able to tell you whether or not the law is on your side and will be able to help you get the retribution you deserve.

12. Oppose Lawsuits
If a creditor takes you to court, you need to oppose the lawsuit. If you fail to do this or fail to show up in court, the court will automatically issue a judgment against you. Once this has happened, your wages will most likely be garnished and it will be very difficult to get the judgment reversed.

13. Control Your Spending
You will never be able to pay down your debts if you do not control your current spending habits. If you are trying to practice good debt management, you need to set a strict budget and stick with it. The budget may be difficult to follow at first, but over time you will see the positive impact it has on your debt load.

14. Look for Ways to Save Money
Curbing your spending is important, but you must also look for ways that you can save money on a daily basis. This may mean clipping coupons, looking for lower insurance rates, or ordering the special instead of something off the menu. With every dime you spend, you need to ask yourself if there is a way to save money.

15. Start Using Debit Cards
If you shop frequently with cash or charge cards, you need to find a better way to track your expenditures. One of the best ways is through the use of a debit card. By using a debit card, you can easily monitor all of your spending activity using your monthly statement. You will also find yourself limiting small purchases and acting more responsible when you have a piece of plastic in your hand.

16. Quit Buying on Credit
If most of your debts consist of credit card debts, you need to quit buying on credit immediately. I will be almost impossible to pay down your credit card balances if you continue to add to them on a monthly basis. If necessary, hide the cards or cut them up so that you can easily resist the urge to buy on credit.

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17. Make More Than the Minimum Payment
Credit card companies structure their payments in a way that benefits them not the consumer. By making only the minimum payment, you fall right into their trap. You pay and pay, but never seem to make much of a dent in the balance. The reason is because you are paying mainly on the interest, not the principle. This puts money in your creditor’s pockets and leaves you struggling with what seems like a never ending debt. If at all possible, you must make more than the minimum payment. It’s the only way to pay off credit card debt in a timely manner.

18. Ask for a Lower Interest Rate
To make your debts easier to manage, you should ask your creditors for a lower interest rate. Most credit card companies and even some banks will be more than willing to lower your rate if you ask them to. If you do get someone who tells you no, don’t stop there. Instead, explain your situation and ask again. If that doesn’t work, call back another day and speak to someone else. Sometimes you can get further with one representative than you can with another.

19. Transfer Credit Card Balances
If you can’t get a lower interest rate on all of your credit cards, transferring credit card balances will probably be your second best option. You can either transfer balances to a current card that has a lower interest rate or open up a new credit card account.

20. Consolidate Your Credit Card Debt
If you are having a hard time making your credit card payments on time on a regular basis, you may want to think about consolidating your credit card debt. With a secure or unsecured debt consolidation loan, you could pay everything off and then make only one payment each month. In some cases, you will save on interest and in some cases you won’t. Either way, your monthly payment will probably be lower.

21. Negotiate a Workout Agreement
A non-bankruptcy workout agreement will allow you to accomplish almost the same thing you could with a Chapter 13 without actually having to file bankruptcy. When you negotiate a workout agreement with your creditors, you agree to pay back the debts you owe during a very specific time frame. In some cases, you may be able to negotiate with your creditors to get balances or interest rates lower. This makes a non-bankruptcy workout agreement an option that is definitely worth pursuing.

22. Bolster Your Income
If you have more money going out than you have coming in, it will be very difficult to stick to a budget, manage debt, or avoid bankruptcy. This is why it may be a good idea to find a way to bolster your current income. You could ask your current boss for a raise or more hours. You could also take on a second job or start a side business. Whatever you decide to do to get the money rolling in, make sure you put the extra you earn towards paying off your debts.

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23. Sell a Major Asset
If you want to get out of debt as fast as possible, you may want to consider selling a major asset. By selling a house, a car, or some other big ticket item, you could get yourself out of debt instantly. If not, you could at least be a little bit closer to repaying your debts completely. It should be noted however, that selling a major asset usually involves paying taxes on the profit you receive. It may be a good idea to figure this into the calculations when determining the price you will sell for.

24. Sell Unused Items
If you don’t have a major asset that you can part with, you can still sell some of the unused items that are just lying around your house taking up space. Using online auction sites like eBay and Amazon, you can sell old baseball cards or other collectible, books, movies, CDs, art, home accessories, clothes, and almost anything else imaginable. The amount you can get from auctions is usually double or triple what you can get at a pawn shop or garage sale. If you have enough stuff, you may be able to pay off your debts entirely.

25. Kick Your Bad Habits
If you have a smoking addiction, a shopping addiction, a gambling addiction, a drug addiction, or some other bad habit that is costing you money, you need to kick that habit to the curb. This type of behavior is harmful to not only your finances, but also to your physical well being.

26. Borrow From Family
If you have a family member or a generous friend who has the ability to help you get out of debt, it might be a good idea to borrow what you can from them. This will allow you to get the money you need without paying any interest. Family members also tend to be more flexible when it comes to repayment plans.

27. Utilize Employee Assistance Programs
There are many employers who offer Employee Assistance Programs (EAP). Plans may provide counseling, courses in debt management, and plans that allow you to borrow from future income. Companies who offer EAPs usually maintain strict confidentiality policies.

28. Contact a Government Agency
Although most government agencies are unable to help you with credit card debt, they can help you to make utility, rent, mortgage, and tax payments. You may also be able to sign up for food stamps, free daycare, unemployment, or one of the many other government benefits programs that are available. To find out what kind of programs are available in your state, contact your local human or family services agency.

29. Cash In On Your Retirement Plan
If you are really in a pickle, you may want to think about cashing in on your retirement or pension plan. The money you get could help you pay off your debts entirely and avoid bankruptcy proceedings. It should be noted however, that you may have to pay taxes or penalties when borrowing from certain plans.

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30. Cash In On Your Life Insurance Policy
Cash value life insurance policies are very common. If you have a cash value life insurance policy, you can borrow against the cash value to pay down your debts. Although it depends on the extent of your debt, in most cases you should be able to get enough to pay everything off at one time.

31. Sell Investments
If you have stocks or bonds outside of your retirement plan, you may want to consider selling some or all of these investments. Your best bet will be to sell the investments that won’t generate a huge tax bill, but will garner enough money to pay off a significant portion of your debt.

32. Dip Into Your Savings
If you have any savings at all, you should dip into it to pay off your debts. Doing so may seem like a bad idea and may even be heartbreaking depending on how long you have been saving and what you were saving for, but it will be more than worthwhile—especially if you can get rid of high interest debt or avoid bankruptcy.

33. Use Your Income Tax Refund
Income tax refunds can provide huge windfalls for taxpayers—especially for tax payers who have a low income or dependents. If you usually get an income tax refund, you should anticipate it before it comes and work out a payment plan with your creditor. If you put every penny you receive towards your debt, you can avoid filing bankruptcy, or at minimum, put it off a little longer.

34. Find More Affordable Housing
According to federal guidelines, you shouldn’t pay more than 30 percent of your gross income towards housing. If you are paying more than that, or even if you aren’t, you may want to think about finding more affordable housing. This may mean moving or taking on a temporary roommate. Any money you save will help you to put your debt behind you.

35. Get a Different Car
If you pay out money every month making auto loan or lease payments, you should probably consider getting a different car. If you buy a cheap car with no payments, you can eliminate one of your larger bills and save money on insurance at the same time. This might seem like a huge sacrifice, but it is actually a smart financial move. When you don’t pay cash for your car, you waste unnecessary money every month on a depreciating asset.

36. Get Help with Medical Bills
Medical bills can quickly become overwhelming, especially if you don’t have insurance. Fortunately, it is very easy to set up feasible repayment plans with most hospitals, health care clinics, and physician’s offices. Even if you can only pay $5 per month, a payment arrangement can almost always be made. You may even be able to get help with your medical bills through government or non-profit agencies. Another option is to ask to have your medical bills reduced. Many doctors and hospitals will be more than willing to accept only a portion of what you owe as long as you agree to pay.

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37. Get a Voucher to Pay Taxes
There are many states that will provide vouchers to applicants that are seeking help with their property tax payments. To find out if a program exists in your area and to see if you are eligible for it, you should contact your local tax assessor.

38. Enter a Short Term Mortgage Repayment Plan
If you have fallen behind on your mortgage payments, but are only behind by a payment or two, most lenders will allow you to make up for the delinquency through a repayment plan. This may involve deferring payments, temporarily reducing payments, or suspending payments altogether.

39. Request a Mortgage Workout
If your debt problems are more than just a temporary situation, you can also request a “mortgage workout”. Mortgage workouts are agreements that you make with a lender to avoid foreclosure activity. The exact details of a mortgage workout will vary depending on your lender, the size of your loan and your financial situation, but common terms include extended terms, reduced payments, and short sale agreements.

40. Cancel Your Student Loans
Under certain circumstances, it is allowable to cancel federal student loans. If you are able to cancel your loan, it will wipe out your student loan debt completely as though it never existed. Circumstances that allow for this varies depending on the type of loan that you have. Before doing anything else, you should find out whether or not your student loans are eligible for cancellation.

41. Defer Student Loan Payments
If you can’t cancel your student loans, you may be able to defer your student loan payments. This won’t wipe out your student loan debt, but it will give you some time to get back on your feet and get other debts under control. If deferment isn’t an option, you can ask for forbearance. Interest will continue to accrue, but you will still be able to postpone your payments.

42. Refinance Student Loans
Sometimes all you need to make student loan payments more manageable is a student loan refinance. If you can lower your interest rate by a percentage point or two, it will automatically lower your monthly payment and free up extra cash.

43. Refinance Your Auto Loan
If your credit is still in decent shape, you will most likely have no problem getting approved for an auto refinance. You should also be able to get approved for a decent rate. To find out your savings potential, contact your current lender, as well as several other lenders for a refinance rate quote.

44. Get a Mortgage Refinance
Because rates are still at historical lows, now is a great time to consider a mortgage refinance. If you can switch to a fixed rate, get a lower rate, or extend your term, you stand to save a lot of money in the coming years. In the end, a mortgage refinance may prove to be one of the best things you did to permanently alter your debt situation.

45. Get a Home Equity Loan or Line of Credit
If you have equity built up in your home, you have cash just sitting there waiting to be plucked. A home equity loan or line of credit will help you tap into this equity. The money you get can be used in any way you see fit. And the best part is that in most cases, your loan interest will be tax deductible.

46. Get a Reverse Mortgage
If you are over the age of 62, you can get a reverse mortgage. Reverse mortgages allow you to borrow from your home’s value. So, if you have a home worth $100,000, you can borrow from the equity in one lump sum or have the bank pay you on a monthly basis. You will want to be very careful though, reverse mortgage can sometimes get seniors into trouble if they are taken out too early.

47. Consider Credit Counseling Services
A credit counseling service can be very helpful for people who are struggling with debt and need a little more time to pay it off and for those who are planning on filing bankruptcy but need to buy some time. Credit counseling professionals can act as an intermediary between you and your creditors, devising payment schedules and settling debts.

48. Consider Debt Negotiation Services
Debt negotiation services are very similar to credit counseling services, but they tend to be more aggressive and collect larger fees from their customers. If you are having trouble negotiating better terms with your creditors on your own, working with a debt negotiation service may be an option worth considering.

49. Join a Support Group
Debt problems are very common in our society. If you are struggling with debt, it is important to know that you are not alone. You can find support through groups online and within your local community. Support groups can offer an outlet for your stress and may prove to be very educational.

50. Stay Positive
Hovering on the brink of bankruptcy can be a stressful situation. At times, you may feel like giving up. It is very important that you resist this urge and stick with your debt management plan. By staying positive, you will greatly increase your chances of success.

In today’s competitive housing market, you need to be creative if you want to get a buyer’s attention. The following tips offer 50 different things you can do to sell your home quickly and for more money.

1. Time the Sale
Although it can vary by city and region, the peak home selling season usually begins in April. If you want your home in the running or if you would prefer to sell when there is less competing inventory on the market, you will need to time your sale carefully. To find the peak season for your area, you can search the Internet for statistics or contact a local real estate professional.

2. Prepare for the Sale
As soon as you begin thinking about selling your home, you should begin preparing for the sale. There are a lot of different things you will need to do. Being pressed for time could delay the sale of your home, or worse, lessen the profit you will make from it. At minimum, you should give yourself 90 days to make necessary preparations.

3. Meet with Several Realtors
The last thing you want to do when trying to sell your home is open up the yellow pages and pick a listing agent at random. You will be much better off meeting with several different real estate agents and listening to what they have to say. Even though you will only be choosing one professional to work with, you can glean a great deal of valuable information from these meetings.

4. Choose a Listing Agent with Experience
Choosing a listing agent who has experience with your market and your neighborhood is important. An experienced agent will be able to better answer any questions potential buyers have, and will know exactly what it takes to sell a house in your area. When interviewing agents, be sure that you ask how many homes they have listed in your market, as well as how many homes they have sold.

5. Understand Your Listing Contract Options
When you choose to use a real estate agent, you typically have several different listing contract options available to you. The most common include “Open Listings” and “Exclusive Rights to Sell”. Open listings are best for sellers who will be trying to bring in buyers on their own, because the agent will not receive the commission unless they are the ones who sell the house. Exclusive rights to sell contracts on the other hand give the real estate agent exclusive rights to the commission no matter how the house sells. The listing contract you choose should be based on how you want to sell the house and how much work you want the agent to do.

6. Negotiate Commissions
Real estate agents don’t work for free. If they sell your home, they will be expecting a commission. The amount of commission they get will be agreed upon when you sign a listing contract, and can often vary depending on the market and region. Although most sellers don’t realize it, the amount of commission the real estate gets is negotiable. This doesn’t necessarily give you a license to take advantage of the real estate agent, but it does give you an opportunity to increase the amount of money that you take away from the table once the house has sold.

7. Offer the Agent Extra Incentive
Although the agent should be dedicated to selling your home as quickly as possible and for as much money as possible automatically, it doesn’t hurt to offer them some additional incentive. You can offer an increased commission or a bonus if the home sells for a certain amount of money in a specific amount of time.

8. Get a Lockbox
When agents write up a listing contract, they ask sellers whether or not a lockbox will be available at the home. If you want to increase your chances of selling as fast as possible, you will want to say yes to this question. A lockbox gives agents access to your house key, as well as the ability to show your home anytime a buyer wants to see it. With a lockbox, you guarantee that you don’t miss out on any opportunities for potential buyers to see your home.

9. Hire a Real Estate Lawyer
If you have decided to forgo the help of a real estate agent and sell the home on your own, you may want to consider hiring the services of a real estate lawyer. These legal professionals can help you draw up paperwork, analyze offers, and act as an escrow agent. You will also have the confidence that comes with knowing someone is working for you with your best interests in mind.

10. Analyze the Market
There is a lot of unsold inventory that you will be required to compete with when selling your home, making it imperative that you know the local market. If possible, find out what types of homes buyers are looking for, the average age of buyers in your neighborhood, how long homes take to sell, and how much they eventually sell for. This will allow you to stage your home appropriately and develop selling expectations.

11. Price Your Home to Sell
While you may want to get as much money as possible out of your home sale, you will stand little chance of selling quickly or even selling at all if the home is overpriced. This is why it is essential that you know your market before setting a price. The more knowledge you can obtain from neighbors who have recently sold, listing agents, and other resources like the Internet, the better off you will be.

12. Get a Home Inspection
Although most buyers will want their own home inspection, you can save yourself from any unexpected and unpleasant surprises by getting your own home inspection prior to putting your house on the market. A qualified and competent home inspector can look everything over and let you know if there are any potential problems that you should worry about.

13. Get a Termite Inspection
In some states, lenders require a termite inspection before the home sale can conclude. If you live in a state where termite inspections are common, you can complete this step as soon as you put your home on the market to save time later on.

14. Think Like a Buyer
Before doing anything else, you will want to walk through and around your home. As you are doing this, think like a buyer and make a list of anything that might need to be changed. Because it can sometimes be hard to be objective when it comes to your own house, you may want to have a trusted (and blunt) friend, family member, or real estate agent accompany you on the walkthrough.

15. Make Necessary Repairs
You should always try to repair any minor or major flaws prior to selling your home. Minor things include loose doorknobs, squeaky hinges, and crooked light fixtures. Major things include foundation problems, a leaky roof, and damaged siding or windows. Buyers may not notice every repair you make, but they will notice every repair you didn’t make.

16. Replace Leaking Fixtures and Pipes
Buyers will be instantly turned off by faucets that leak and pipes that drip. By updating fixtures and pipes, and repairing any damage that may have been caused, you give the buyer one less thing to complain about and one more reason to buy the house.

17. Consider Remodeling
A newly remodeled kitchen or bath could add thousands to the value of your home. In many cases, homeowners who perform a smart remodel can make their money back times three. If you can afford to do it and have the time, you may want to consider remodeling to boost the amount of money you get from your home’s sale.

18. Clean Thoroughly
If you are trying to sell your home for top dollar, everything needs to shine. Before showing the house, take time to clean everything from the bathrooms and living spaces to windows and appliances. If you don’t have the time to do it yourself, hire someone to come in for an overhaul and then once a week to freshen things up.

19. Remove the Clutter
The number one rule of home selling is to remove any and all clutter. Stacked books, kid’s toys, and everything else that does not compliment the style of a room needs to be packed away, removed, or hidden from view. If necessary, rent a storage unit. The less clutter you have out, the easier it will be for the buyer to look at the actual item they are buying: the house.

20. Remove Personal Items
Buyers want to see a home they are viewing as their home. They may have a hard time doing this if you have too many personal items, such as pictures, trophies, collectibles, and signs around the house indicating that it is your home. It may be difficult to de-personalize your home, especially if you are still living there, but it is a necessary step to optimize selling potential.

21. Make Your Home Odor Free
When a buyer enters your home, every major sense will come into play. If you have pets, smoke, or cook odorous foods frequently, you will want to take steps to remove any and all odors before a buyer enters. This may mean cleaning or freshening carpets and drapery or deodorizing the kitchen with an exhaust fan and an open box of baking soda. If necessary, you can also use candles or wax burners to infuse good, homey smells into an area.

22. Make it Light and Bright
Lighting is one of the most important aspects of interior decorating. Unfortunately, it is often one of the most overlooked aspects of home selling. If you want buyers to notice the finer details in your home, you will need to make sure each room is light and bright. If you can’t get enough natural light from the windows, consider adding recessed lights, scones, antique table lamps, and other attractive sources of artificial light.

23. Clean the Carpet
If you have carpet with a stain or two, you need to rent a carpet cleaner or have the carpet cleaned by a professional. By cleaning the carpet, you can significantly improve the look of a room and let the buyer concentrate on something besides the fact that they will have to clean or replace the carpet themselves before moving in.

24. Arrange Furniture for Optimal Effect
Although you may like having your recliner situated right in front of the television, it may not provide the best look for the room. You should always arrange furniture for optimal effect. You want the rooms to look spacious and open. You also want to be able to create a smooth traffic flow within a room and from room to room.

25. Install Closet Organizers
Today’s buyers want walk-in closets and storage space. Pre-built closet organizers are an especially hot selling feature and a small investment that will make you money ten times over. The most popular places for organizers include bedroom closets, kitchen pantries, laundry rooms, and mudrooms.

26. Knock Down a Wall or Two
An open floor plan is a highly coveted feature among homebuyers. If your home does not currently have an open floor plan, you may want to consider knocking down a wall or two. Good choices include walls between kitchens and dining rooms, family rooms, or living rooms. By removing walls and creating open spaces, you could increase your selling price by as much as $10,000 to $20,000.

27. Add Style to Small Spaces
Small rooms aren’t normally attractive to homebuyers. If you aren’t able to change the floor plan, you can make buyers forget how small a space is by distracting them with style. By making rooms with limited space appear stylish, cozy, or even cute, you can eliminate terms like small and cramped from a buyer’s mind and increase your chance of a higher offer.

28. Spruce Up Extensions of the House
Porches, patios, decks, balconies, tool sheds, and garages are all extensions of the house. These areas should also be as clean and uncluttered as possible. Sprucing up could involve hiding unattractive and smelly trashcans, organizing items like lawnmowers and yard tools to give the impression of spaciousness, and emphasizing areas with lawn furniture, lighting, and tasteful accents.

29. Add Landscaping
To make a dynamite impression, your yard should be as nice as or nicer than your neighbors’. If necessary, add inexpensive bushes or flowers to your landscaping design. If your grass looks unhealthy, lay sod or reseed quickly. The nicer your yard looks, the more impressed buyers will be.

30. Light a Fire in the Fireplace
Fireplaces are nice selling features and should be showcased every time a potential buyer will be looking at the home. Before the buyer enters, arrange items on the mantel and around the fireplace itself. Then light a nice, cheery fire that will burn for several hours. Although this might seem like a small and insignificant touch, it will provide the type of ambience that makes a buyer fall in love with a house.

31. Keep the Temperature Comfortable
Whether it is the cold of winter or the heat of summer creeping in, you will want to combat the elements and keep the temperature comfortable when potential buyers come calling. If it is too hot or too cold, the buyer may think that there is something wrong with the home’s heating or cooling system. An uncomfortable temperature can also make them worry that the house itself is too drafty or not well-ventilated.

32. Give Your House Curb Appeal
The term “curb appeal” refers to the first impression buyers get when seeing your home for the first time. A well mowed lawn, a clean and tidy area by the front door, a nice walkway, and good lighting are all ways to give your home the curb appeal it needs to make a good impression.

33. Look for Hidden Selling Points
Your home may have special selling points that you have never considered. To give your real estate agent extra ammunition for potential buyers, try to look for hidden selling points that only you know about. For example, if your home is energy efficient and requires only a minimal amount of money each month to pay for utilities, it would be a great selling point that the agent may not think to mention.

34. Consider Hiring a Professional Stager
When it comes to making a sale, buyer impression is everything. If you don’t have the time or the skills needed to properly stage your home for a showing, you may want to consider hiring a professional stager to do it for you. These real estate experts know what buyers want to see, and more importantly, what buyers don’t want to see.

35. Hire an Organizer
If you don’t want to hire a professional stager, but need a little help in the organization department, you can hire a professional organizer to prepare your home. An organizer will be able to put things away properly and showcase your storage space. They will also be able to do something about the clutter that tends to turn homebuyers away in droves.

36. Hire a Photographer
Many buyers begin their search online or by looking at pictures that real estate agents have sent to them via email. If you want your home to be one of the first that a buyer sees, you may want to consider hiring a professional photographer to take shots of the outside of the house and the best rooms inside the house.

37. Have Several Open Houses
Open houses are a traditional and effective way to sell a home. By staging an open house or two, you can get a whole group of buyers and buyer’s agents in on one day. Having several different people looking at the house at one time could bring in multiple offers and a higher selling price.

38. Leave the House During a Showing
Unless it is unavoidable, you should not be present during a showing. Potential buyers may feel like they are intruding if you are home, and as a result, may not get a proper look at the place. If you are present during a showing, do your best to stay quiet and out of the way.

39. Be Prepared for Unexpected Requests
More and more frequently, buyers are requesting that specific items or perks be included in a sale. Often times, willingness to satisfy these requests can make or break a sale. It may be a good idea to decide in advance what you will and won’t be willing to sell or offer with the house.

40. Sell the Home with a Warranty
Home warranties can be purchased by sellers for minimal fees. Selling your home with a one year warranty can make your home very attractive to buyers, especially if you have older appliances or an outdated heating system. And because this warranty can be purchased at closing, you aren’t out any money if the home doesn’t sell immediately.

41. Be Willing to Negotiate with Buyers
The offers you receive from buyers may be well below the asking price of the home. Instead of responding to an insulting offer with a flat out refusal, negotiate. You don’t have to drop the price significantly, but you can come down by $1,000 and give the buyer another opportunity to evaluate the offer.

42. Pay Discount Points for the Buyer
If you don’t want to come down on the price, there are other things you can do to sweeten the deal for the buyer. One thing in particular involves paying discount points on the buyer’s home loan. A few thousand dollars out of your pocket can lower the buyer’s interest rate and make them eligible for a nice tax deduction. In this scenario, everyone wins because you get your asking price and the buyer gets lower mortgage payments through the life of their loan.

43. Pay the Buyer’s Closing Costs
Homebuyers, especially those making a large down payment, often have a difficult time paying closing costs on their home loan. If you want to give the buyer an extra incentive to purchase your home, you could offer to pay the buyer’s closing costs. On average, it costs between $2,000 and $4,000 to close on a home loan. While this may mean an additional out of pocket expense from you, it could be all the incentive a buyer needs to choose your home over another.

44. Offer the Buyer Extra Incentives
Homebuilders who want to unload inventory quickly offer special incentives to attract and sway buyers. These incentives include everything from offers to pay condo fees to cash rebates paid out after purchase. You can use similar marketing gimmicks to get buyers excited about your home.

45. Compare Offers Carefully
If you get more than one offer on your home, you will want to compare these offers carefully before making a decision. Keep in mind that purchase price isn’t everything. Other items to consider include the buyers’ financial qualifications, contingencies within the purchase agreement, and clauses that favor the buyer.

46. Be Honest in Your Disclosure
When selling a property, you are required to disclose any potential flaws associated with the property. If you are not honest in your disclosure or if you try to hide things from the buyer, you could end up losing the sale, or worse, losing money in court after a sale goes through. If you are unsure about what needs to be disclosed, speak with a real estate lawyer who is familiar with the disclosure laws in your state.

47. Stage Your Home for the Appraisal
Buyers will be required to get an appraisal before they can be issued a home loan. You should stage your home for this appraisal just like you would for a showing. The more money the house is appraised for, the more likely the borrower will be to get approved for the loan and go through with the purchase.

48. Get More Exposure
If you have done everything you could to sell your home and you still haven’t achieved a sale, you might not be getting the kind of exposure you need. If people don’t know that your house is for sale, you have little chance of selling it in a timely fashion. If you have a real estate agent, make sure they are actively trying to sell the home. If you are working without an agent, advertise everywhere you can and then have an open house to attract potential buyers.

49. Use Feedback to Make Improvements
If you are getting potential buyers but no offers, you will need to find out what the problem is. It might be the price, it might be the layout of the home, and it might be the size of the yard. Whatever the common complaint is, you can use it to your advantage and make the desired improvements. The feedback you receive may turn out to be just what you need to sell on your terms.

50. Add a Fresh Coat of Paint
A fresh coat of paint can work wonders on everything from walls and ceilings to fences and shutters. Because painting is so inexpensive, it is one of the best ways to improve offers without spending a lot of money upfront. Just remember to keep things light and neutral. Some buyers shy away from bright, bold, or dark colors.

Before buying a home, there are many different things that must be evaluated in relation to the property. Here is a checklist of 50 items about your new home in particular that are worth evaluating before you buy.

1. Your Ability to Get a Loan
Before finding your dream home and getting too far into the home evaluation, you will want to find out how much you can afford. One of the best ways to do this is by obtaining a pre-approval. This pre-approval will give you the confidence you need to take the process a step further. It will also make you seem like a more attractive buyer in the eyes of a seller.

2. Your Need for a Lawyer
Some states require homebuyers to have an attorney who can assist in the legal aspects of a home purchase, and some states don’t. One of your first steps in the home buying process should be determining whether or not you are going to need a lawyer.

3. The Disclosure Statement
Home sellers are required to provide you with an official Disclosure Statement if you are preparing to buy their home. This statement must include any known defects that the house has, as well as information about easements or special assessments on the property. Make sure you carefully look over the Disclosure Statement and evaluate the information you find.

4. The Home Inspection
Home inspections are essential in this day and age. No matter how clean or how new a home might seem, there is no telling what could be lurking behind walls, in attics, or within the crawlspace. This is why you need a qualified home inspector to look for anything that may become a problem after you buy the home. An inspector can make recommendations about needed repairs or provide you with a guarantee and the confidence you need to make a purchase decision.

5. The Age of the Home
When purchasing a home, it is important to consider the year in which the home was built. Older homes may be less energy efficient than their newer counterparts, and may also come with problems like lead paint, asbestos, and outdated plumbing systems. At the same time, older homes are usually less expensive to buy and pay taxes on. Oftentimes, homebuyers just need to decide whether they want to spend extra money initially to purchase the home or later on if and when repairs become necessary.

6. The Builder’s Reputation
A home is only as good as the builder who constructed it. If you have made the decision to purchase a new home, checking out the builder’s reputation is strongly recommended. You can either ask the builder for a list of customers or speak with others in the neighborhood that are currently living in houses the builder has constructed.

7. Structure
A home inspection will play a big part in helping you determine the soundness of a structure, but you should also be sure to take a look at things for yourself. Items that you should pay particularly close attention to are the foundation of the home, ceilings, walls, beams, and rafters. If you notice any cracks or other signs of deterioration it could be a sign of poor construction or excess settling.

8. The Size
Size matters, especially when it comes to homes. You will want to carefully evaluate the size of everything from the bedrooms and bathrooms to the yard outside. If the home can’t accommodate your current or future needs, you will need to determine whether or not it can be remodeled to do so.

9. The Lot
If you will be buying a mobile, manufactured, or modular home straight from the manufacturer, it is a good idea to make sure you have a place to put it before closing on the deal. Keep in mind that evaluating the lots you find is just like evaluating properties with existing homes. The important thing is that you take your time and find just the right place.

10. The Location
Location, location, location. You hear real estate agents talking about it all the time. The reason is because location is essential when it comes to resale value. Homes on corner lots are often worth more, as are homes in gated communities. Homes that are located across the street from power plants, cemeteries, and strip clubs on the other hand, can sometimes have a low resale value. Before purchasing a home, look around and think like a real estate agent.

11. Parking
In some sites, parking is a huge issue. If your home has no driveway, a shared driveway, or lacks access to a parking garage, you may have a difficult time finding a place to park while living in the home and an even more difficult time selling the home later on.

12. Traffic Volume
If the home is not located in a quiet suburb or out in the country, you may want to evaluate the volume of traffic that will be passing by the house each day. For example, is the home located on a busy highway or on a city street? What about near the airport or train tracks? A high volume of traffic may be extremely annoying as time goes by.

13. Hidden Costs
Beware of hidden costs. When living in a subdivision or gated community, you may be subject to homeowner’s association fees or other mandatory fees that the real estate agent or builder forgot to mention initially. These fees can really add up and may undermine your investment. To protect yourself, ask specific questions about the fees you may or may not be required to pay if you decide to buy the home.

14. The Indoor Environment
There could be chemicals and other unhealthy pollutants already within the indoor environment of the home. Examples include carbon monoxide, radon, asbestos, and the presence of lead. While some of these items may be checked for in a home inspection, others may not be. This is why it is a good idea to contact the local extension office or county Health Department for more information on testing.

15. The Outdoor Environment
Just like the indoor environment, the outdoor environment could be fraught with unseen perils. There are many different companies who can offer you detailed reports on natural and environmental hazards that may be located under or around the home. Items subject to investigation include soil, underlying earthquake faults, and neighboring plants and factories that may be polluting the area.

16. Damage from Pests
Some lenders may automatically require a termite or pest inspection. Others may not. Either way, you might want to think about calling in a pest control professional to perform a formal inspection, especially if you see evidence of wood being damaged by termites, beetles, or carpenter ants.

17. Water Quality
Not every home draws water from a city water system. Some homes have individual wells. In cases such as these, it is a good idea to find out the depth of the well—the deeper the better. You may also want to consider having the water checked by your county’s Health Department. They will be able to assess the quality and determine whether or not it is safe to drink.

18. Sewage Disposal
While it may not be the most fun item to think about when evaluating your home, knowing how the sewage is disposed is important. Some homes, especially those within urban areas, will be connected to a city sewage disposal system. Others will utilize a septic tank. If the home does not have a city sewer system, ask questions about the age of the septic tank and the frequency of disposals in recent years. You can also check for potential problems by looking to see how well the toilet flushes and how fast the sinks drain.

19. Energy Efficiency
With energy costs on the rise, the energy efficiency factor of a home has become more important than ever before. This is why you want to carefully evaluate the amount of insulation a home has, as well as the efficiency rating of the current heating and cooling systems. If the home isn’t as energy efficient as you would like it to be, you can get an Energy Efficient Mortgage or get estimates on how much it will cost you to make the desired upgrades.

20. Electrical Systems
An electrician should be called in to examine the wiring, outlets, and grounds before you buy the home, especially if you will be purchasing an older home. Your home inspector may look the system over as well, but will almost always recommend additional checks by a licensed electrician if there are any doubts or potential problems.

21. Heating and Cooling Systems
Like electrical systems, heating and cooling systems may also be analyzed in an official home inspection. If they are not, it is recommended that you call in a qualified HVAC professional to evaluate the state of the current system and estimate the cost of necessary upgrades.

22. Plumbing Systems
The age of a plumbing system is as important as how well it is currently functioning. If the home still contains galvanized pipes, you may have to re-plumb the entire house someday. Oftentimes with galvanized pipes, you are forced to replace all of the pipes when one pipe goes bad.

23. Crawl space Clearance
Before buying a house, you will want to make sure there is a basement, or at minimum, adequate clearance within the crawlspace for inspections and repairs. If there is not, you could run into serious and expensive problems in the future.

24. Surrounding Trees
Trees can be a beautiful addition to any yard. Unfortunately, they can also encroach upon the roof and foundation of your home, and be costly to remove or trim. When walking around the home, pay special attention to where trees are planted, where root systems are located, and how the trees branch out above and around the home.

25. The Likelihood of Ground Water Damage
The placement of your home and property is very important. If you are located at the bottom of a hill or in another low spot where water is more apt to run towards your home rather than away from it, drainage problems are likely to occur. Because most standard homeowner’s insurance policies do not cover ground water damage, these drainage problems have the potential to become very costly.

26. The Likelihood of Natural Disasters
Natural disasters can happen to anyone at anytime, but some areas are more likely to be struck by hurricanes, tornados, floods, and earthquakes than others. Before buying a home, you might want to find out if it is located on a flood plain or in an area commonly referred to as Tornado Alley.

27. Estimated Repair Costs
If a personal or professional inspection of the home found that repairs will be necessary immediately or within the first few years, you will want to get several different estimates to determine exactly how much these repairs will cost you. Keep in mind that after purchasing the home you may be on a more restricted budget than you are now.

28. Estimated Remodeling Costs
Perhaps the home only has two bedrooms and you want three. Or perhaps you are hoping to someday remodel the bathroom to get it a little closer to what you think an ideal bathroom should look like. Whatever the case may be, you should carefully evaluate the estimated costs of remodeling to make sure it is within the realms of your budget.

29. Your Need for a Home Warranty
If you are concerned about the possibility of unexpected repairs, you have the option of purchasing a home warranty. This warranty will cover all or most of the repair costs for a specific period of time, usually one to two years. Although not every new homeowner needs a home warranty, it may prove to be a wise decision for some.

30. Building Reports
Before remodeling our adding outside items like fences and sheds, homeowners are required to get building or other types of permits. Unfortunately, not all homeowners do this and unknowingly break building codes and rules as a result. During the evaluation of a home, you should check building reports and obtain copies of permits that are currently on file.

31. Local Zoning Laws
Zoning laws are a local issue and tend to vary significantly depending on the village, town, city, township, or county that the home is located in. Before assuming that you can remodel or put an addition on the home, learn as much as you can about the laws in the area.

32. Local Building Codes
Like zoning laws, building codes can vary significantly from area to area. Before purchasing a home, you should make sure it is up to code. If it isn’t you may not be able to live in the home, or worse, it could be condemned. Hiring a professional home inspector will prove to be very helpful when it comes to determining whether or not the home complies with local building regulations.

33. The Tax Bill
Owning a home means that you are subject to property taxes. The amount you are required to pay will depend heavily upon the location, as well as the home’s age and value. To learn more about your potential tax bill, you can speak with the seller’s real estate agent or the local assessor’s office.

34. The Title
To protect yourself from legal claims and other future problems, you will want to perform a title search on the property before any money changes hands. A title company can perform the search and check for liens, pending legal actions, zoning ordinances, and others restrictions on the current title.

35. The Title Insurance Policy
After a title search has been performed, the title company will provide your lender with a title insurance policy. It should be noted that this policy protects only the lender—not you. This is why it is often recommended that homebuyers secure their own title insurance policy as an added measure of protection.

36. Homeowner’s Insurance Costs
Some homes cost more to insure than others, especially homes that are near water or in known earthquake zones. Before buying a home, you should find out how much it will cost to insure it. You can get free policy quotes online or from your current insurance agent.

37. The Survey
Although this step is not always required by a lender, it may not be a bad idea to have the property surveyed anyway before making the actual purchase. If the survey indicates that your potential neighbors have put up a fence or garage on the property you will be purchasing, you could have a legal battle on your hands, or at best, an uncomfortable situation if you ever ask the neighbor to get their stuff off your property.

38. The Appraisal
Lenders almost always require an appraisal before any money changes hands. An appraisal is an evaluation of the property’s market value and is performed by a licensed appraiser. After evaluating the property, the appraiser will give both you and the lender a written copy of the assessment. Be sure to look your copy over carefully and make note of any problems the appraiser might have pointed out.

39. The Market’s Appreciation Rate
The national housing market has recently had its fair share of ups and downs. If you are buying the home as an investment, or if you have any intention of selling the home within a year or two, you will want to carefully evaluate the market in which the home is located. If the home appreciation values have been consistent, you can probably buy with confidence. If not, you may want to think carefully before signing on the dotted line. Keep in mind however, that markets can turn quickly. An example of this could be seen recently in the Florida area. Between 2004 and 2005, the average Florida home appreciated in value by 40 percent. The next year, the market switched and values dropped by 8 percent.

40. The Value of Neighboring Homes
As important as the state of the area’s housing market is, the value of neighboring homes may be even more important. This is why it is a good idea to evaluate the prices of other homes that are for sale in the immediate neighborhood. Essentially, you want to make sure you are paying the going rate. If it seems you are overpaying, there had better be a very good reason as to why.

41. The Local Government
Checking out the current tax and value assessments of a property is all well and good, but it gives you no idea of what might occur in the future. This is why you may want to take things a step further and investigate the way the local government handles money and how they plan to handle it in the future. For example, you may want to find out whether or not there are any special assessments being planned or a tax hike expected in the near future. Such changes can significantly impact the taxes you pay, as well as the future value of your property.

42. The Proximity to Your Workplace
When evaluating a home, it is a good idea to find out how close the home is to your workplace. If you plan on keeping your job and your home for years to come, the commute will be something you need to deal with on a daily basis.

43. The Quality of Schools
If you have children, are thinking of having children, or hope to resell the home within a few years, the quality of schools within your district will prove to be very important. In the best case scenario, there will be several different schools or at least one very good school within close proximity to the home.

44. Resources in the Community
Although most potential homebuyers think to look for good schools and homes that will be in close proximity to their work, they forget to evaluate the resources that will be available to them in the community. Some of the most important things to look for include fire departments, police departments, hospitals, physician and dental offices, food stores, department stores, banks, libraries, restaurants, public transportation, and sources of recreation.

45. The Safety of the Neighborhood
Safety is important. If you live in a bad neighborhood, you are more likely to be the victim of burglary or a violent crime. One of the best ways to determine how safe the neighborhood is involves speaking to those who currently live in the neighborhood. Try to ask the real estate agent, as well as several different people who live nearby about recent crimes. You can also try calling the local police department for statistics.

46. The Amount of Time the Home Has Been For Sale
You should always find out how long a home has been on the market as part of your evaluation. This will give you an idea of how eager the seller may be to get off the property, and an idea of how large your initial offer should be. If the home has only been for sale for three months, the seller may not be as likely to deal as a seller who had been trying to get rid of a property for three years.

47. The Deposit
If you will be putting an offer in on the home, you may be asked to come up with a deposit or earnest money. The size of this deposit isn’t set in stone and should be carefully evaluated. While you want to make the amount high enough so that the seller knows you are serious, you don’t want to put down an unnecessarily large deposit. If you decide to back out of the deal, you may have to forfeit some or all of this earnest money.

48. Contingencies
When you make an official offer on a home, a contract will be drawn up. Before the contract can be considered binding, both you and the seller must meet any contingencies (conditions) that have been noted in the contract. You should carefully evaluate any conditions that you need to set as a buyer and any conditions the seller has noted prior to adding your signature.

49. Expense Sharing
Before the date of settlement, you will need to reach an agreement with the seller in regards to shared expenses. Specific expenses to discuss may include condominium or home association fees, taxes, and utility charges. Unless you agree otherwise, you should not be responsible for any bills incurred before you take possession of the home.

50. The Final Walk Through
Prior to closing, you will probably be given the opportunity to do a final walk through of the home. If you get the chance, take it. During the final walk through, you can check to make sure that any agreed upon repairs have been made. You can also make sure that items you agreed to purchase in conjunction with the home, such as furniture or appliances, have not been removed.

There may be ways that you can put hundreds of dollars back into your bank account each month, just by eliminating small things that you may not even realize you are paying so much for.

1. Before making a purchase, ask yourself, “Is this necessary?”

Frivolous spending on non-essentials increase debt and deplete your disposable income. Shop smart and place your extra cash into a savings account.

2. Get rid of call waiting, call forwarding, or automatic voicemail

Ever since the introduction of the cellular phone, some household receive few calls on the landline phone. If you seldom receive incoming calls on your house phone, cancel services such as call waiting or call forwarding.

3. Replace the cellular phone with a pre-paid mobile phone

Exceeding your allotted free minutes will increase your total cellular phone bill. If unable to control your rising bill, switch to a pre-paid phone plan.

4. Cancel your landline phone and use your cellular phone

Because