Thinking of putting your home up for sale or want to buy your first home?  The first and most important step you should take is hiring an agent, and not just any agent, the right agent. Real estate agents are trained to deal with all the stress you've experienced trying to do this on your own, and they don't just deal with it, they work hard to smooth over all the bumps along the way and get you into the home of your dreams or get you the best offer on your current home. If you're in the Fargo area, hopefully you've already made the excellent decision to work with The Erik Hatch Team.  Through the combined experience of our talented team of specialists working in the Fargo/Moorhead area, we've been fortunate enough to meet clients in a variety of ways.  To help you in your search, we w... 10/16/2013

Keep your home selling process problem-free by avoiding these common mistakes. "The Erik Hatch Team is in the business of helping people. We just happen to sell real estate." Throughout our experience selling real estate, we’ve noticed some common mistakes that people make when trying to sell their home.  We would love to help you sell your home successfully so we’ve put together a list for you to take into consideration as you’re preparing to put your home up for sale.  The following are some common mistakes sellers often make that will hinder the sale of their home. Being too emotionally involved.  It’s okay if you love your house, you bought it for a reason, right? But you still need to treat your home sale as a business transaction. Not hiring an agent.  For sale by owner will not ... 10/15/2013

Want to make your home appealing to potential buyers but don’t have the money to shell out for a professional home stager?  No worries!  The Erik Hatch Team presents you with these dirt cheap home staging tips that you can do on your own to help your house SELL! Pack away personal items.  Your family photos under Salem Sue are not going to sell your house.  Neither is your kitschy thimble collection.  Your home is your personal space, it should be, but when selling your home, you must remember that buyers need to see it as their personal space, which is hard to do with photos of you everywhere. Clear away clutter.  This is your kick-start into pre-packing.  Your closets should be a maximum of 50% full and counters should be empty of everything non-essential.  The exception: your garage... 10/11/2013

  3625 PAR ST N Fargo, ND 58102 13-3110 Residential Active $289,000   Provided as a courtesy of   Dave Werth   Kvamme Real Estate   3401 8 St S   Moorhead, MN 56547   Office Phone - (218) 790-7653   Dave@ReloFargo.com   http://kvammerealestate.com   Sub Type: Single Family Vacant: Yes Geo Lat: 46.925759   Geo Lon: -96.769093 Subdivision: Golf Course Map Zone: Zone 1   Map Area: A4 - North Fargo   Year Built: 1974 Lot Size: Lot Acres:   Gen Tax: 3,601.19 Specials Inst: 23.13 Specials Unpd: 277.35   Drain: Flood Plain: No School District: Fargo   Total SqFt.: 2,400 Square Ft. Source: Actual Measurement Style: 4 Level   Mstr Bdrm Main Flr: No Total Bedrooms: 4 Max Bdrms - Same   Flr:   Total Bathrooms: 3 Total Full Baths: 2 Total 3/4 Baths: 1   Total Half Baths: Garage Stalls: 2 Garage Typ... 08/06/2013

During home inspections, one of the most common defects we find in homes with automatic garage door openers is a maladjusted pressure sensor. The whole purpose of these is to reverse the doors motion to the open position if it strikes an obstruction. In our area, where snows are a common winter occurrence, often we find these purposely maladjusted to allow closure when hitting snow or ice. For a number of years now an additional safety device, an optical sensor, has been a requirement in new installations. All too often these are improperly installed and defeated entirely. A three year old girl, in Waldorf, Maryland, was just added to the too long list of reasons these features are important and why they should always be properly adjusted. Her body should have broken the light beam forc... 04/06/2013

Dave Werth (Full Time Real Estate Agent) Contact Dave by email, phone, or text:  Dave@ReloFargo.com or 218-790-7653 A Fargo Moorhead native for over 30+ years,  Dave Werth is an Experienced Real Estate Agent who is a Full Time Realtor.  Dave is a "First Time Home Buyer" Instructor with the Family Life Credit Services & The Village First Time Homebuyers Educational Classes and held a Director position on the First Time Home Buyers Advisory Committee.  Dave is not just another Realtor, as a Full Time Agent, you will get Everything you expect when working with Dave.  Spending most of his life being from the area he sells Real Estate gives him a huge advantage as well as knowing alot of people who are tied in the business to help make his clients experience very simple.  Experience, Negotia... 04/02/2013

    The worst return on investment with home remodeling projects   Recently I was writing on the return on investment with various remodeling projects, little did I know that someone would turn that on its head and look at the worst return of investments. Bob Villa, once upon a time the host of HGTV's This Old House, wrote that the worst of the worst is a built in home aquarium and to avoid worsening the worst don't even consider turning it into a reptile dwelling. Ugh!   Just slightly better is the addition of built in electronics systems. The problem here is that they become out of date before the ink is dry on your receipt. One seller bragged to the appraiser that he had spent 20% of the estimated value of his home on a built in sound system. In this case that was $650,000 essentiall... 03/03/2013

  The return on investment with home remodeling projects is frequently a concern when planning upgrades and can top 80% or be only for your own enjoyment. Sometimes we overlook the enjoyment factor when looking only at return on investment. Remember, it's your home and should be, well, homey.  According to a recent article in RealtorMag, currently one of the best returns is on a new front door, topping 85% while a new deck returns only 77%. If you plan on listing in the near future then maybe the door makes the most sense but if you are not planning on moving soon which will produce the most enjoyment? Another telling example is comparing new fiber cement siding, my personal favorite,at 79% ROI with a bathroom remodel at a mere 58%. I think a third factor comes into play here but, again... 02/21/2013

Sometimes Business Stinks! ____________________________________ The first aromatic offering your home inspector may encounter might be as he first walks into your prospective purchase. Overpowering evidence that the present owner smoked, and smoked and smoked and... Well you get the picture. In the excitement of your first viewing this may have been overlooked or covered up by room deodorizers in each room. Smoke can get anywhere air can get so it will have coated walls, duct work and worked its way into furniture, rugs and carpets. The good news is that the rugs and furniture are probable on their way out with the present owners, the bad news is that walls, ceilings and duct work are pretty much here for the long haul. Carpets are optional. A good first step is replace the carpets. If ... 02/16/2013

  Ready to spend some big bucks on a new furnace? Well let's try to minimize the pain and maximize the gain. A heating plant is almost never a DIY exercise for several reasons, but first let's look at some of the things you do need to consider.   To start, keep in mind that the cost of the new heating plant is partially related to the size required and the size required is related to the size and heat losses of the home. It's probably not practical to reduce the size of the house but heat losses can and should be addressed as a low cost alternative to a larger furnace. A home energy assessment, often performed by a home inspector, or energy audit can provide a lot of energy saving information that can also help reduce the size requirement of your new furnace.   Next would be selection o... 02/05/2013

First Time Home Buyer Center Contact Dave Werth 218-790-7653 - davew@kvammerealestate.com Dave Werth is a Full Time Real Estate Agent -  Trust in the professionals who live the business!  First Time Home Buyer Education Purchasing your first home will be one of the biggest financial decisions you make in your lifetime. Welcome to the First Time Home Buyer Center. This is not a decision you want to go into with your eyes closed. Many times in this process you will be asking yourself "Who can I trust? What is the next step? How do I know if I am getting a good mortgage product?" Dave Werth is a First Time Home Buyer Educational Instructor. Dave has been teaching First Time Home Buyer Classes in Fargo ND & Moorhead MN over the past 5 years. Dave has an ABR designation which shows his dedic... 08/26/2012

What do you like about new construction? Maybe it's the brand new feel...or is it the thought that you can build your dream home, and get everything you want?...You have the ability to get the finishes you want to fit your style...Is it everything you've ever imagined in your dream home? Is it because there should be no initial maintenance that needs to be done?  There are many reasons why a buyer may be interested in new construction. We (The Erik Hatch Team) have the opportunity to list all of the homes in Fargo/Moorhead for one of the top developers! It keeps us busy, and them busy building homes! It seems too good to be true...but it isn't! This phenomenal 2-story home can be yours for a fraction of the price of the competition! Prepare to be 'wowed' by the front porch, transom wind... 02/21/2012

 Time lost and never regained   This past weekend I had an opportunity to go to the Fargo Dome where the arena was filled with bouncy slides and dozens of other inflatable fun toys for young kids.  Watching our five, “Going on six!”, year old granddaughter expend a seemingly endless amounts of energy dashing from one toy to the next and the obvious joy on her face always makes me smile.   Unfortunately, for me this weekend I had hurt my leg and so I found a table where I could watch the people and happenings.  A couple of local Realtors I know were doing volunteer duty herding lost kids and parents to a central meeting place and generally trying to maintain some order at the event.   Most interesting were the parents. The kids all seemed to be having a grand time, how could you beat new... 02/20/2012

I was driving downtown a couple of days ago and saw a blind man. Sure, it’s not incredibly uncommon – but he was alone. My heart went out to him. What a struggle that must be to have to rely solely on only 4 of our 5 senses.Now, I’m not a guy who scares easily. But if you asked me to walk downtown, across busy city streets, while blindfolded, you would find me scared out of my mind. I mean, do we really pay that close of attention when we drive? I know I don’t.Can you imagine, though, how “in-tune” his other senses must be? This guy was using a cane, and he knew when it was safe to cross the street – he managed to walk from one end of the crosswalk, across the street, and back up, with no hesitation. His pace was normal, and he walked with confidence.I spent 8 years serving as a youth m... 11/18/2011

Halloween for Homeowners - Scary shouldn't mean dangerous!   As a home inspector in the Fargo and Moorhead area I spend a lot of time looking at the exterior of homes. With Halloween approaching the process of inspecting the landscaping, siding and roof of a home involves a lot of stepping over, under and sometimes through elaborate holiday decorations. During a recent home inspection in West Fargo I came across several inflatable lawn ornaments. These are more common nowadays and typically require power from the house. The ornaments are very cool but it was the extension cords that caught my eye and almost my feet. Extension cords present a real trip hazard and should be either secured to the ground or colored brightly to help alert passersby. The cord, running about 25 feet to an ext... 10/28/2011

  Common Housing Defects, Part 1  Home Inspectors may disagree on the exact order of a list of prevalent defects found in the course of home inspections. One thing they will almost universally agree on is that water is the enemy of a house and those defects that lead to water problems are among the most devastating.  Landscaping problems are often a simple matter of assuring that the soil slopes away from the structure for the first 10 feet or so at a rate of about 1 inch per foot. When coupled with a proper gutter system, this will help reduce chances of water entering the basement or crawl space.  Roof issues are more likely to stem from improper or worn flashings and sealants around protrusions such are roof vents and plumbing stacks than they are from worn out shingles. Even cheap s... 10/22/2011

For several months now my son, Sterling, and grand daughter, Kyra, and have driven by a construction site of a new fire station in West Fargo. Lucky for them, once construction was complete they held an open house to celebrate the new station and it was an excellent opportunity for the family to learn more about the roll firefighters play in the community and steps they can take in their own home to stay safe in case of a fire. The visit made my son think of how, as a home inspector in the Fargo and Moorhead area, he is always highlighting areas where fire could be a concern for a new home buyer. Make sure the door leading from your garage to the interior of the home is fire rated. Typically the edge of the door will have a fire rated seal made of neoprene weatherstripping or other mate... 10/19/2011

A Home Inspector’s day off On a rare Saturday off I had the chance to take my family to Yunker Farm in north Fargo for a very nice Fall festival. My daughter loved the children’s museum and I would recommend the fun activities and hands-on learning to any parent looking for an affordable and educational outing. While waiting for my wife and daughter to finish their mini-train ride around the grounds I found myself checking out the house the museum is located in. I couldn't help but notice the poor condition of the roof shingles. Many were missing and I could see moss growth over a large portion of the roof. The overall look was actually sort of appealing it being an old house and all but I couldn't help but view it through the eyes of a home inspector. Roots + Roof = BAD Anything that c... 10/09/2011

  Dave Werth 218-790-7653 / Kvamme Real Estate / davew@kvammerealestate.com First Time Homebuyer Education - Fargo ND Moorhead MN Homebuyer Education Purchasing your first home will be one of the biggest financial decisions you make in your lifetime. This is not a decision you want to go into with your eyes closed. Many times in this process you will be asking yourself "Who can I trust? What is the next step? How do I know if I am getting a good mortgage product?" Family Life Credit Services is here for you!   Family Life Credit Services is a Certified Homebuyer Educator. We offer an eight hour workshop once a month that will educate you on all you need to know about purchasing your first home. In these classes you will also hear from a realtor, a mortgage lender, a home inspector and i... 11/08/2010

Month of December  -  www.NewRealEstateProperty.com -  Dave Werth 218-790-7653 - Kvamme Real Estate " A little dose of everything all in one email" __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________   Quote of the Month "Kind words are the music of the world."Frederick William Faber (1814 - 1863, British Theologian)   So why the long face?    Long-term rates fell again during the week of Thanksgiving as concern for the economy deepened: the 10-year Treasury fell to 3.27 percent, taking mortgages a hair under 5 percent.  However, much of the new data in the holiday-shortened week was quite favorable: new claims for unemployment insurance nosedived to 466,000 last week, a huge drop from the prior 505,000 threshold and... 11/30/2009