If it shows better, it will probably sell faster and maybe for more money. Once your home is on the market, it's time to look at it like a commodity and through the eyes of potential buyers. In all likelihood, you'll need to take care of these items eventually, so do them now to help it sell sooner.

1. Make repairs - it doesn't matter if it's been that way since you bought it. You need to fix it so that the buyer doesn't think that the rest of the house is about to fall apart.
2. Not too personal - you may have bought your home to express yourself but if the buyer can't see themselves in the home for all of your things, it's going to take longer to sell than you want.

Whether it’s adding a sunroom, refurbishing a bath, or modernizing your kitchen, remodeling projects can be fun and exciting and add comfort and value to your home. But, noted contractors at a home remodeling expo in California, costly planning or construction mistakes can cost you time, money, and satisfaction.

The experts advise avoiding these top five remodeling mistakes:

• Not getting a permit – A room added without a permit may not be counted as part of your total square footage when you sell. It may cost you a few bucks in the short run, but check with your city about zoning restrictions and necessary permits before you begin any project.
• Being too trendy – Home design trends go in and out of fashion. Today’s popular vessel sinks for example – the ones that sit on top of the bathroom counter like a salad bowl – could be out of favor down the line. Unless you love them unconditionally, err on the side of the more traditional when choosing colors, patterns and designs.

Common scents help sell houses. It's amazing how just a little bit of the right scent can make buyers feel more comfortable, at ease and make your house the one they want to make themselves at home in. I have seen buyer after buyer fall in love (and remember) a house because it brought the "right stuff" in the scent department.

On the flip side, just like certain scents cause feelings of calm and euphoria, other scents are a total turn off to potential homebuyers. I have smelled scents with buyers that earned houses names like the "pet house" or the "curry house" or even the "turtle house". This isn't a category you want your house to be in. So without further ado, it's time to smell what your house is cooking.

Is that a question you’ve ever asked yourself? Have you ever wondered why some real estate agents do well in today’s economy while others fail? There is a huge discrepancy right now between people who are failing and people who are succeeding.

Having been a real estate business coach for the past 14+ years I’ve had the privilege to observe how real estate agents function. And this experience has included new agents and seasoned agents, and the experience of watching them function through hard times and good times. In addition, I’ve even had the privilege to be able to participate in helping them to become successful.

Here’s the secret to what separates those who are doing well in today’s economy from those who are not. It’s one word and that word is fear. The not-so-successful real estate agents have fallen into a cycle of fear. Usually that pattern is established through incessant watching of the news, whether it’s reading a newspaper, or a magazine, or watching TV, or listening to the radio, the real estate agents who aren’t doing well are following the news much too closely, and what happens is that they become focused on gloom and doom.

Hilton Head Island Area Market Stats (MLS)*

• Closed Sales YTD: 218 (-0.9%)
• Pending Sales YTD: 297 (+23.8%)
• Median Price - Area wide YTD: +2.8%
• Average Price - Area wide YTD: -1.7%
• Median Price - Hilton Head Island Villas/Condos YTD: +45.9%
• Median Price - Hilton Head Island Detached Homes YTD: -5.5%
• Median Price - Mainland Detached & Villas/Condos YTD: +12.2%
• Housing Inventory: 2,388 Homes for Sale - 8.1 Months Supply (-32.9%, trending down)

      *Current as of January 2013. Next update for February to be released mid- to late-March

To see both reports in full, complete with graphs, click on

• Monthly Indicators
• Housing Supply Overview

Monthly Indicators

The idea of doing data analysis is about as exciting to some as renewing a driver's license. Sometimes watching monthly figures can feel like watching grass grow. Try to ignore the confusion of high school statistics class – those regressions and cotangents can't hurt you anymore. The number crunching is done for you, so let the trend be your friend. And for the first time since 2006, the numbers are largely positive. Let s look at the cheat sheet.

New Listings in the Hilton Head region decreased 10.9 percent to 440. Pending Sales were up 23.8 percent to 297. Inventory levels shrank 19.5 percent to 2,388 units.

Prices rallied higher. The Median Sales Price increased 2.8 percent to $245,500. Days on Market was down 5.5 percent to 127 days. Absorption rates improved as Months Supply of Inventory was down 32.9 percent to 8.1 months.

It's important to watch the economy, since job growth directly fuels home purchases and since the housing industry generates jobs. The economy has added about 6.1 million jobs over the past 35 months, a sluggish but encouraging trend. Interest rates are slowly moving higher in some regions, though the affordability picture remains extremely attractive.

House Supply Overview

The first month of 2013 looks very similar to 2012, as most metrics continue to indicate market recovery. For the 12-month period spanning February 2012 through January 2013, Pending Sales in the Hilton Head region were up 19.9 percent overall. The price range with the largest gain in sales was the $100,001 to $225,000 range, where they increased 29.1 percent.

The overall Median Sales Price was down 1.3 percent to $227,082. The property type with the largest price gain was the Condo segment, where prices increased 16.5 percent to $162,000. The price range that tended to sell the quickest was the $100,000 and Below range at 88 days; the price range that tended to sell the slowest was the $650,001 and Above range at 187 days.

Market-wide, inventory levels were down 19.5 percent. The property type that lost the least inventory was the Single-Family segment, where it decreased 17.7 percent. That amounts to 7.8 months supply for SingleFamily homes and 8.8 months supply for Condos.

To see both reports in full, complete with graphs, click on

• Monthly Indicators
• Housing Supply Overview

(All data provided by Multiple Listing Service of Hilton Head Island - powered by 10K Research and Marketing and sponsored by the South Carolina Association of REALTORS.)

From homes to cabins to dormitories—and everything in between—re-purposed shipping containers, or ISBUs (Intermodal Steel Building Units) are making their mark on the residential real estate sector, blurring the lines between two very distinct industries as one’s trash becomes the other’s treasure. Originally built to transport goods, the average life of a shipping container is now being extended, thanks to environmentally conscious consumers, builders, designers and a host of other real estate professionals who see their potential when it comes to building homes.

“While the number of ISBUs available for construction isn’t nearly as high as the media began reporting in 2006-7, various shipping companies ‘retire’ and sell older units about every 5-7 years,” says Barry Naef, managing director of the ISBU Association. Conceived in 2006 and officially functioning by 2007, the ISBU Association was created to inform, educate, promote and protect. Naef goes on to say that the maximum number of ISBUs in North America rarely exceeds 10,000 within a given month.

The advantages that come with incorporating container technology into the home construction process are numerous. According to Naef, ISBU modules can be up to 25 percent less expensive than conventional construction. However, he goes on to say that the biggest factors driving consumers toward ISBU module homes are the strength, longevity and speed of construction. In addition, the fact that they can be re-purposed or recycled can’t be overlooked either.

A: There are a few things to consider, including cost, individual needs, and what will add value down the road. Also important: your emotional attachment to the existing home.

As designer and builder Philip S. Wenz, the author of Adding to a House: Planning, Design & Construction, notes, an addition is much cheaper than building a new home and can offer a “new” home without the heartache of moving.

Other considerations:

Originally The Mall at Shelter Cove Opened in 1988. Which featured two Belk Stores and a vacant anchor last occupied by Off Fifth – an outlet store owned by Saks Fifth Avenue

Every year, our politicians talk about the need to simplify the tax code and every year, they make it more complex.

The average taxpayer will spend an estimated 23 hours completing their return this year. Eighty percent of taxpayers will hire someone to do the work, or buy tax software, even though 64 percent of taxpayers don’t owe anything.

There are six definitions of a child; more than a dozen educational credits, and 16 different types of tax-favored savings plans. That may seem daunting, but with some basic knowledge and planning, you can avoid costly mistakes.

Here is a list of the seven common mistakes and missed deductions to help you prepare your 2012 tax return.

1. Charitable deductions - cash. Did you make a contribution to charity last year? The IRS is cracking down on bogus deductions, so be sure to follow the donation tax rules. One of the most important rules is that you give to a charity with an IRS tax-exempt status. Don’t forget to take the mileage deduction when it applies. The IRS allows 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations.

The 3.5% down payment on FHA loans could be more expensive for buyers than expected. Beginning April 1, 2013, the mortgage insurance premium will go up by .1% to 1.35% which may not even be noticeable to most would-be homeowners.

The staggering increase will occur on 6/3/2013 when FHA's policy on the duration of the required mortgage insurance will be increased for the life of the mortgage. It basically doubles the amount of total MIP if the loan is paid to term.

Currently, the MIP is required for approximately 9 years 9 months with normal amortization. The new program would require the MIP for the life of the loan. In this example, the initial monthly MIP is $196.88 which decreases based on amortization.