Someone at the new bank should be able to give you a ballpark figure for closing costs. We refinanced our old home (twice) without a lawyer. Interest rates had dropped so much that it made sense. The mortgage company we chose had someone from the title company come to our house to sign the papers - it was very convenient. Our process: 1) started researching interest rates, closing costs, points, and comparing mortgage companies 2) Narrowed our selection down to 2 companies (one had our original mortage) and called them. Costs were about the same, but the company holding our original mortgage needed less paperwork because they already had so much information. 3) They sent us the application, we filled it out and waited. They did the appraisal. Took about 6 weeks. They called us and set up an appointment with a woman from the title company to come to our house to sign the final papers. I think the closing costs ran about 2% of the loan (this is from memory and it was about 8 years ago). Our bottom line - we went from a 30 year fixed mortgage to a 15 year fixed without a significant change in payments.

Current 30 year is 4.375% 15 year is 3.875% the special is zero closing costs if refinanced to a 5, 10, or 15 year. Current interest on HELOC is 6.5% I think. We currently pay $600/month $345 for MTG (escrowed) and rest on heloc. Plan was to continue to do that until heloc was paid off then throw everything at the MTG. Refinancing just the MTG with no payout our would increase or payments to $430 (escrowed) estimated about $100 more with a $10000 payout. As for other houses... That's the tough thing. I live in a very small section of houses similar to mine. None of them have sold recent enough to use add comps. I don't think. One down the street sold a little over a year ago for $70,000 I think. But it does have a finished basement and a slightly more updated kitchen. Our bathroom is bigger and remodeled more recently. Usually they have to use comps in the city, which are a few decades newer to begin with, have smaller lots, and less garage space. Hope this helps! Thank you so much for taking the time!

I don't know your market and certainly can't tell you what your home should sell for, but it should show very nicely if you can do just a little for the curb appeal. If the neighborhood is good and desirable, it's too bad you aren't enjoying it, but someone else should. I suspect the realtors are having a hard time because of a difficult market and/or the fact that your charming studio could be worth nothing to one buyer and worth a great deal to another. You'll need to play it up for the later. By way of example, we are facing a 25% increase in our appraised value this year because the only two homes to sell in the last 2 years have been very large corner lots with huge backyards on a greenbelt. As our area develops out, lots are getting smaller and there are some folks who will pay a HUGE premium for a large lot and a greebelt. My backyard though, on the oppposite side of the street, is small. I have to go in and argue that the recent comps on my street are not as accurate for my home as the next street over. Some neighbors are protesting and others are not -- they want to refi and remodel. The appraisal picture will continue to get fuzzier as the area ages. Back to your home and getting it sold. From what you have shown, the inside is lovely and the studio is charming -- play them up, but you have to get folks inside to do that. That means doing what you can to help the curb appeal and draw them in. If you can't paint the whole house and fix everything, try to fix anything that is structural and small enough that you can do it yourself without a significant expense. A small piece of rotted trim or a hole that can be filled and touched up might be repaired at little or no cost to thinking of but suggest thousands of dollars -- even no interest in making an offer for a buyer. For the cosmetic side, you just need enough to draw them in. Can you use your artistic nature and create a slightly weathered, but warm and inviting picture? The white shutters do stick out like a sore thumb. They were probably picked to tie in with the white window frames, but by themselves, they aren't working. I'd paint the porch columns, spindles, trim, maybe even the brick (or sandblast off the paint on the brick railing and spindles, but that would be more money and mess if you can't do it yourself and don't have the equipment). I was originally thinking black -- reminds me of New Orleans and wrought iron, and use it as a neutral backdrop to the plants and some color. Maybe more white or another color. Maybe someone with photoshop can help you there. Looks like the garden has color but could be a little neater -- maybe just trimming. Do you have a couple of mosaic pieces to add some color and interest? A birdbath or one larger piece might do it, or a couple of smaller pieces. If your studio has a bath and can be used as in-law unit, guesthouse, a rental, etc., really play that up in your listing and perhaps also in how you stage it for showing. It may be only workspace for you, but find ways to include some furniture and/or accessories to suggest an additional living area. Do some work yourself to carefully analyze the comps you are being given. What do they have that is the same, what is different, what is their condition (cosmetic and structural -- inside and out) and what would a person have to spend to get your home into tiptop shape? Good luck.

No, $415 has not sold. But there was another house at just about that price that sold recently, and it was similar in condition and upgrade status to $415, but had air conditioning. (Which is why I think both $415 and $380 are overpriced) But I think the main thing with $380 is the negativity of the feedback overall. She knew the owners of the sold house and knows somehow that the feedback on $415 have not been as consistently negative. In other words it seems that, although they got/get a certain amount of "not interested" in the final analysis, they at least are getting some positive feedback on pricing and how it shows. I know the bottom line is getting the house sold and getting people to check the box that says "yes, interested" (and following though). But it was very helpful to me as a seller (who got a year +'s worth of "not interested" ) --to get feedback that said shows:"excellent" and priced: "just right" consistently enough to know that there were other factors involved. I think she is having trouble dealing with how bad a lot of house hunters apparently think this property is. She said to me that "they can *see what it looks like in the pictures and they can *read the listing, if they think it is so terrible why are they wasting their time?" I think this is a good question, and I think that what they are doing is looking at every house like this in the neighborhood and comparing them all. They may not be paying that much attention to those listing pictures. For example, my listing clearly stated that it was 2BR and 1 Bath and that there was an elevator in the building but you had to look for it. It also explicitly explained the condo fees. There was a LOT of feedback that it would be perfect but they wanted a powder room or another room like a den, that there was No Elevator, and that the condo fees were too high. --So why were they looking? Why were they missing the elevator (we put signs up eventually), and why were they missing the condo fees? I think because they were looking at Everything that met a general criteria rather than specific properties.