Crystal Saves The Deal

This slideshow design personalized with Smilebox This year has been great in terms of my real estate business. I sold numerous homes in Johnson County, Topeka, Baldwin, and my hometown of Lawrence, Ks. I love what I do and everytime I get the honor of being selected as someone's Realtor I feel honored! I truly love what I do and THANK YOU for allowing me to be a part of your home buying or selling process.

                                                                  OPEN HOUSE, December 13, Saturday 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM                                                                                                                                                                                                           ...

With below freezing temperatures there is some important things you should know to protect your home during this cold season. 1. Make sure to detach all your hoses from your home. Water can cause major damage just from keeping your water hose attached so spare yourself the expense and the headache by removing all hoses attached. 2. Change out your furnace filter to make sure your heater is running efficiently. Based on the home inspector I work with you should change your filter at least every season. 3. Contact a hvac company and have them come do an inspection to make sure that your furnace is operating properly. The cost from this ranges from $75-115. 4. Reverse your ceiling fan so that the warm air is being pulled up through the fan and recirculated through the room. 5. Caulk around windows and doors. Experts recommend silicone caulk for the exterior since it doesn't shrink and can handle the elements. 6. If you have a fireplace contact a local chimney inspector to ...

Interest rates are continuing to be a conversation after we saw a small rise in rates to around 4.55% in December 2013 and now we are seeing a rate around 4.125% some local lenders reporting rates as low as 3.625. Housing Wire published a report October 14, 2014 stating that the rates are at an 16 month low what does this mean for you the buyer? Example of savings:  $100,000 loan at 4.55% (principal and interest only) would be $509.66  $100,000 loan at 4.124% (principal and interest only) would be $484.65 $100,000 loan at 3.625% (principal and interest only) would be $456.05 Quite the savings anyway you look at it. The best way to find out the most correct information is to contact your lender. When using most mortgage calculators like the one I used above from www.bankrate.com they don't add in the cost of taxes and insurance in their estimates.. Below I went to a Lawrence, Ks lender with the same scenario  Factoring in a 5% down payment and addi...

Partnering up with Truity Credit Union to host another home buying seminar. Register here for your seat  What you can take away from this class from the lending perspective Tips on getting your credit improved  What debts to pay off first  How much do you need for a down payment  What actually is closing cost  Realtor perspective Why you should use a buyer's agent The process from pre-approval to keys Words you should know to navigate through the process Home inspections and why they are important Is this still a buyer's market?  This is definitely a class you don't want to miss but if for some reason you can't make it feel free to contact me directly for a one on one buyer's consultation.   Class will be held at Truity Credit Union hosted by Geoff Strole and Crystal Swearingen in Lawrence ks. 

Curious how the market is performing? As of September 1 we have had 759 homes that have sold in the city limits of Lawrence down 5.7%. The average days on market has decreased decreased 16.8% to 69. We have seen a steady decrease in the days on market in April our average days on market was 98 days. Homes that are positioned well are selling so the key is the seller and their agent working together to make sure that they can position their home to sell! We also have experienced less inventory which has been something that we have been seeing throughout the year with a slight influx during the summer months. I love talking about the market and would be happy to discuss the trends we are seeing on an individual or group basis. Message me for more information on what price ranges are selling faster and where we are seeing a gap in active homes for sale.  As Always "Buying or Selling the Choice is Crystal Clear"      Crystal Swearingen   Presid...

I had a great weekend getting to experience my first KU Homecoming parade with my kids and now for a busy weekend of Open houses and KU vs Texas game.  My girls were excited to get front row seats for the KU Homecoming parade. Showing off his moves for the crowd  If you are looking for something fun to to do on this beautiful day swing by and check out the 18 new homes on display this weekend September 27-28th and October 4-5th. Open houses for September 27-28 Check out my website to search for homes online with a new mapping option to search! www.LawrenceHomesForYou.com For all your Real Estate needs it's Crystal Clear who to Chose      Crystal Swearingen   President Elect 2014 , Lawrence Board of Realtors Mobile:  785-550-3424 Crystalswearingen@yahoo.com   |  www.LawrenceHomesForYou.com    

Watching "Frozen" this weekend brought up some interesting real estate questions for me. Elsa lived in the same house (well...castle) her entire life.  Once she was free of the castle, she decided to make her own home and she built it to her specifications. Stairway of ice  ✓ Gorgeous exterior  ✓ Balcony  ✓ View of the night sky  ✓ For Elsa, she built the home of her dreams.  But what would your dream house look like? An English cottage? Something modern? Or a traditional style home? Here are some articles about building vs. buying: 9 reasons to chose a new home To Build or To Buy Pros & Cons Buy or Build your dream home As always, I'm available to help and to answer any questions you might have regarding buy vs. build. There are benefits for you either way! I'm also available if you just want to watch Frozen!  Love it!! Crystal Swearingen McGrew Real Estate 78...

Today I've been working on a packet to give to prospective clients who are interested in selling their home. So far, I have about 10 pages complied of facts and figures. But the most important page to me is my team mission statement. I say team because it's not just about me and my assistant working with clients to meet their needs.  It's about all of us working together toward one goal.  Whether it's buying a first home, selling the home that you raised your family in or selling a home in order to upgrade to a new home, I love the team concept. If we all work together toward the common goal, I believe we can achieve success much more quickly. I began my real estate career after 7 years of owning a home daycare and I was so excited to make a change.  Change can be daunting, but change can also be awesome! When you're making major life decisions (like buying or selling a home), it can be a scary process.  I want people to know they are not alone during t...

I don't know what y'all will be doing this afternoon at 2 p.m., but I'll be watching the Jayhawks play from PhoggyDogFacebook The Phoggy Dog is THE place to watch the games during March Madness!  Like their facebook page to stay up-to-date specials and events. and I'm ready for Mr. Buffet to send me a check for my perfect bracket! Speaking of brackets...is yours finished yet?   I know some people who do multiple brackets.  Some people do a Jayhawk loyalty bracket picking KU to win the tournament and then have other brackets with different picks to win.  I wonder how many people will admit to doing this!  lol~ Here are some bracket tips Now I just want to share some cool Jayhawk merchandise that I've seen on Etsy.  I just did a quick search for Jayhawk Handmade and here are some items I pulled up: Jayhawk Etsy Items to Buy for March Madness Speaking of Jayhawks, has anyone had the chance to see the...