You may have seen this unique looking code on a Homegate Direct sign in front of one of our properties for sale recently. This code is a revolutionary new way to engage home buyers as they drive or walk by your property.

What is it? It’s called a QR code and we’re proud to be Wisconsin’s first real estate company to utilize this technology on every one of our listings.

What does it do? It provides instant information to prospective home buyers on the details of your property. With their mobile phone, they’ll be able to instantly obtain information on your property such as price, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, property description, and even pictures – all in an instant.

How does it work? Anyone with a mobile smartphone such as an iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, etc. can simply take a picture of the code or use a QR reader app and the prospective homebuyer will automatically be presented with full information about your property for sale.

Why do I need this? You need every advantage to engage consumers to show them why your property is better than that other one down the street. Providing instant information to consumers will help separate your property and can help get your property sold faster.

How much does it cost? Nothing! We include this for free for ALL of our listings.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128488695&sc=17&f=1001

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  Q&A: Author Sarah Susanka Talks Budget-Smart Remodeling

  HouseLogic sat down with author and architect Sarah Susanka to talk about remodeling that builds value and saves money. Read
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  Green Kitchen Remodeling

  If you’re ready to remodel your kitchen and want to go green, here’s how to create the healthy, energy-efficient, eco-friendly kitchen of your dreams. Read
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  7 Smart Strategies for Kitchen Remodeling

  Keep the same footprint, add storage, and design adequate lighting so you preserve value and keep costs on track. Read
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  Smart Options: Kitchen Flooring

  Choose kitchen flooring that marries your priorities—durability, sustainability, low maintenance, or an open floor plan—with the options. Read
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  10 Tips for Saving Energy in the Kitchen

  Maintain your large kitchen appliances is part of a smart home energy efficiency plan. Read

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  Smart Options: Decking

  When choosing decking materials, factor in the savings gained by low maintenance and longevity, even if the initial cost is higher. Read
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  Deck Addition: Return on Investment

  A high return on investment makes a deck addition a worthwhile home improvement project. Read
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  Care and Maintenance of Your Deck

  Annual deck maintenance will forestall major repairs, protect your investment, and boost your enjoyment of your deck. Read
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  Smart Upgrades for Decks

  A few cost-effective add-ons can give a modest deck an edge and deliver a handsome payback should you sell your house. Read
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  Evaluate Your House for a Deck

  Here’s how to plan a new deck that suits your property, meets your budget, and offers the best return on your investment. Read

Many updates and hard to find amenities incl. granite eat-in kitchen, chair rails, built-in bookcases, & hardwood floors. Custom french doors lead from the family room/den to the dining room. Spacious living room features a natural fireplace & flows easily to the rest of the home. Spacious bedrooms with walk-in closets throughout, large finished lower level, 2 car garage with spaces for additional parking & newer custom brick patio. For full details go to:

http://www.homegatedirect.com/address.php?property_ID=134

Sales of existing homes in metro Milwaukee rose nearly 27% in May.

Wauwatosa-based Metro MLS Inc., which tracks sales by Realtors, reported Thursday that 1,607 homes sold in May, up from 1,267 the same month a year ago in Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties.

The increase was less pronounced in Milwaukee County alone: 920 sales last month vs. 802 a year earlier, a 14.7% increase. There were 444 sales in Waukesha County, compared with 308 a year earlier; 153 in Washington County, compared with 101; and 90 sales in Ozaukee County, compared with 59.

For the wider nine-county area comprising southeastern Wisconsin – adding Racine, Kenosha, Walworth, Sheboygan and Manitowoc counties – the sales were slightly lower, up 25.3%, with 2,241 homes sold in May, compared with 1,788 the same month a year earlier.

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  Keep Your Home Purchase on Track

  You’ve found your dream home. Make sure missteps don’t prevent a successful closing. Read
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  Understanding Real Estate Representation

  Whether you’re buying or selling, it’s important to choose representation that meets your needs in the transaction. Read
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  4 Tips to Determine How Much Mortgage You Can Afford

  By knowing how much mortgage you can handle, you can ensure that home ownership will fit in your budget. Read
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  7 Tips for Improving Your Credit

  Here’s how to clean up your credit so you get the least-expensive home loan possible. Read
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  7 Steps to Take Before You Buy a Home

  By doing your homework before you buy, you’ll feel more content about your new home. Read

Sales of existing homes jumped more than 36% in April, an increase fueled by home shoppers hoping to beat the deadline to qualify for special tax credits.

There were 1,555 homes sold in April by Realtors, according to Metro MLS Inc. That’s up from 1,140 in April 2009, and a 31% rise from March sales of this year.

Waukesha County led the way with a 54.2% increase, followed by Ozaukee, 40.7%, Milwaukee County, 31.5%, and Washington County 25.0%.

The Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors said the increase in sales in suburban counties is significant because those counties added to their inventory of “move-up” houses during the recession, and the market needed to sell more of those higher-priced homes.

“It would appear that the $6,500 homebuyer tax credit targeted at buyers who were also selling a home has worked,” the Realtors group said.

A federal tax credit of up to $6,500 was one of two types available to home buyers who had a signed sale contract before May 1. The other was a credit of up to $8,000 for first-time home buyers.

The first-time buyer credit, which was part of Congress’ economic stimulus package, originally was set to expire Dec. 1 of last year. But Congress extended the credit to April 30, and expanded the incentives to include the $6,500 credit for qualified people who owned a home but were planning to buy another.

We recently had the honor of working with a really nice family in the Enderis park neighborhood of Milwaukee.  They had their home on the market for months and months with one of those big brand name realtors that gladly charge a 6% commission to sell their house.  After their house sat on the market for months – they decided they needed a fresh approach.  In early January, the family decided to switch to Homegate Direct Realty to hopefully get their home sold in a reasonable amount of time and at the price they want.

After giving them some staging tips and advice – we put their home on the market in mid-January.  They thought it might take a while considering the winter time is quite slow in the real estate business.  Things couldn’t have gone any better.

Within 18 days, they had an accepted offer at $2,100 above asking price.  And, they saved over $6,000 in real estate commission with our flat-fee real estate services model.  You couldn’t ask for a better success story than that.

Find out why HomegateDirect.com is changing the landscape of the Milwaukee Real Estate market and saving homeowners their hard earned equity.