National home sales fell in June thanks to rising mortgage rates and inventory shortages, after reaching a six-year high in May, but stayed even in the Northeast.

The Pending Home Sales Index, which is based on home contract signings, fell by 0.4 percent to 110.9 in June, the National Association of Realtors said. Still, the index is nearly 11 percent higher than a year before.

The report added: “The PHSI in the Northeast was unchanged at 87.2 in June but is 12.2 percent higher than a year ago.”

In June, Massachusetts recorded its the best month for home sales since June 2010, according to the Warren Group.

The national decline comes after the index hit a six-year high in May, and seems to have been brought by rising mortgage rates and fewer homes for sale, the NAR said.

“Mortgage interest rates began to rise in May, taking some of the momentum out of contract activity in June,” NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun said.

The average 30-year mortgage rate was 4.31 percent last week, and reached a two-year high of 4.51 percent in late June. The rates jumped after Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said the central bank could slow its bond-buying program later this year.

Also adding to the slowdown is a lack of homes on the market.

“The persistent lack of inventory also is contributing to lower contract signings,” Yun said.

Rising rates, shortages chill sales of U.S. homes | Boston Herald.

Here are some tips that will make your home more presentable to buyers, and also help you prepare to move into your new digs.

1. Clear out clutter.  If you haven’t touched it within the past year, toss it. You can also donate unwanted items to charity. One of the best places to drop off items is Goodwill. There’s a dropoff center nearby at 19 Mill Road in Tuckahoe. For more information you can call 914-337-3749. There’s also a Salvation Army at 562 North Avenue in New Rochelle. If your items are too good to get rid of, pack up things you plan to take with you and get them out of sight. If necessary, rent a storage space locally at Storage Deluxe, or use CubeSmart Self Storage.
2. While you’re cleaning your home for viewers, pack up most of your personal photographs.  They are distracting to potential buyers and this action will help them see the house as their potential home instead of yours.
3. Keep your kitchen clean.  That means flowers on your table, no dishes in the sink, no junk on the counters, and no finger smudges around cabinet handles. Pack up everything but the bare essentials from the cabinets so that they are tidy too. If a prospective buyer opens a kitchen cabinet and sees too much stuff, they will think the kitchen is cramped.
4. Keep your closets tidy too. Packing little by little will make your final transition easier. Plus, buyers think a tidy homeowner has also taken good care of the place.  Lining up shoes, and grouping shirts, pants and dresses together in the closet can also make a big impact.
5. Sometimes the old adage “less is more” applies to furniture in your home.  Move some things to storage if individual rooms are too crowded.  It will make the rooms appear larger.
6. If there are window treatments, light fixtures, appliances or other “attached” items you plan to take with you, remove them and replace them before showing your home so that the buyer won’t think they are included.
7. Freshen up paint and make repairs to things such as torn screens, cracked tiles and rotting windowsills before the realtor even puts the sign up. If the realtor sees potential problems like these, he or she might not make showing your home a top priority.
8. If your daughter’s room is pink, or your living room is painted a bold color, consider repainting it a more neutral color. Depersonalizing your home allows viewers to use their imaginations and visualize your home as their own. Don’t let buyers walk away remembering your home as “the one with the orange bathroom.”
9. Lighting is everything, so make sure there are no burned out bulbs inside or outside your home, and make sure you have the most complimentary lighting on when your realtor brings over a client. Overhead lights show too many issues and flaws, but a soft lamp in a corner makes a room seem cozy.
10. Make the beds, and make them nicely!  Don’t just toss the pillows on–arrange them in an aesthetically pleasing way.
11. Make sure all mirrors, windows, porcelain, faucets and appliances are clean and sparkly!
12. Dust and vacuum every single surface, including baseboards, ceiling fan blades, and carpet in the corners of stairs and rooms.
13. Choose a fresh scent that doesn’t smell too much like bleach to clean tiles, tubs and toilets.
14. Little touches like pulling down all window blinds to the same level and making your front entrance inviting set the tone for the way the rest of the house is viewed.
15. Outside is as important as inside. Mow grass, trim bushes, and sweep away cobwebs, leaves and dog hair.
16. Invest in a potted plant or two to put along your front steps.  You won’t believe what a difference that little touch of curb appeal will make.

Navigating the Scarsdale Real Estate Market – Real Estate – Scarsdale, NY Patch.