Q: My family room has red walls. Should I repaint to sell my house?

Parks Avenue library of the late Brooke Astor as decorated
by Albert Hadley

A: The short answer is YES.

Red rooms can be very elegant spaces but potential buyers, unless they're in the market for Brooke Astor's New York apartment, need to be able to view the room and imagine their own furniture and style in the space. Most buyers have no vision of what can be done with a space and need a lot of guidance. Bold colors are a no-no when selling because they may be a turn off to the buyer. Also, a color such as red can hinder the ability to read the size and scale of room (i.e. - make it look smaller).  Always stick to a neutral color such as the typical 'builder's beige' or white. You'll sell your property faster and for more money.

Getting Mold out of Your Home

Mold remediation will typically take a few days,
depending on how extensive the mold growth is.

There’s a four-letter word on the minds of South Florida’s homebuyers and home owners: MOLD.

If you’ve found mold growing in your home, what you should do next depends on where you find it and how much there is. But eliminate mold promptly, because delay can mean an expensive repair that may not be covered by your homeowners insurance.

Professional mold elimination may take a few days and costs roughly $500 to $6,000, but can easily reach five figures if the problem is severe. If drywall, studs, or other building materials must be replaced after cleanup, you’ll need to hire a building contractor for that service as well.

Mortgage Rate Hit Another Record Low

This week fixed rate and adjustable-rate mortgage rates set a new record low according to Freddie Mac.

For the week ending September 8, 2011:

• 30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 4.12% this week.
• 15-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.33% this week.
• 5-year adjustable-rate mortgages: averaged 2.96% this week.
• 1-year ARMs: averaged 2.84% this week.

Lower real estate prices coupled with record low mortgage rates are double bonus for buyers right now.

Mortgage/Foreclosure Relief for Hurricane Irene Victims

Freddie Mac and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced mortgage assistance to home owners affected by Hurricane Irene, which recently battered the East Coast, causing massive flooding and severely damaging many homes in its path. 

Freddie Mac says it will offer forbearance on mortgage payments for up to one year for home owners with property damage from Irene, as well as suspend

September 11th is National Day of Service

In celebration of National Day of Service and in honor of the 10th Anniversary of September 11, Parks Morgan and The Keyes Company have partnered with the Miami Dolphins to send care packages to our troops stationed overseas.  Troops have posted their requests and we have compiled a list of supplies needed to fulfill their requests.


I will also be collecting letters and cards to the troops as a way to let them know how much it means to us that they doing such an important and difficult job.  They are highly encouraging in keeping up morale and would be sent in the care packages.  It would truly be great if we could have at least one for every soldier, if not more.  For us this might mean taking five minutes out of our busy lives, but for soldiers, it may be the words they so desperately need to hear.


Please bring any of the below items along with your letters to the Keyes Company Fort Lauderdale branch located at 1520 East Sunrise Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale by Thursday September 8, 2011.  It would be my pleasure to pick them up from your home or office.  Whichever is most convenient for you.

Baby Powder          Foot Powder          Socks                  
Baby Wipes            Granola Bars          Toothbrush
Beef Jerky             Hair Conditioner    Wash Cloth
Body Lotion            Hair Ties               Soup
Bug Spray               Mouth Wash           Sun Screen
Coffee                    Shampoo                Tampons
Deodorant              Shaving Gel            Tooth Paste
Feminine Pads        Soap


I hope you will join us in showing our troops how grateful we are for the daily sacrifices they make for our freedom.

Fort Lauderdale Branch

1520 East Sunrise Boulevard

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304

Existing-Home Sales up Again in January

Reprinted with permission from REALTOR®Magazine:

The uptrend in existing-home sales continues, with January sales rising for the third consecutive month with a pace that is now above levels a year ago, according to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. 

Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, increased 2.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.36 million in January from a downwardly revised 5.22 million in December, and are 5.3 percent above the 5.09 million level in January 2010. This is the first time in seven months that sales activity was higher than a year earlier.

Real Estate Outlook: Home Sales Rebounded 4th Quarter

The latest news from the National Association of Realtors is good. According to their latest survey, home sales rebounded in 49 states during the fourth quarter with 78 markets – just over half of the available metropolitan areas – experiencing price gains from a year ago, while most of the rest saw price weakness.


Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, had positive things to say about this gain. "Home sales clearly recovered in the latter part of 2010 and are helping to absorb the inventory, including many distressed properties. Even with foreclosures continuing to enter the inventory pipeline, they’ve been selling well and housing supplies have trended down," he said. "A recovery to normalcy requires steady trimming of the inventories."