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Archive for July, 2009
Tips for selling your house in the Summer
There is much to do in the summer time. The kids are out of school and going to the pool or off to camp or have soccer practice or many other activities. You may take a vacation day from work just to relax and enjoy the sunny and nice weather. This is a good time when people have plenty of time to start looking at buying a home and they may even get special tax benefits for buying during this time. So, you may wonder how you get your house ready to sell during this busy time. Here are some tips on how best to sell your house in the summer time. This way everyone can sit back, relax, and enjoy the summer.
Ask your real estate agent for advice
If you are unsure how to get started, a good idea would be to ask your real estate agent for advice. They have experience selling homes in all types of weather and may offer some advice about things to start with.
If you have a swimming pool, advertise it well
Make flyers that show your children playing in the pool and you relaxing by it and you might even offer free pool services for a certain period with purchase of the home.
Have open Houses biweekly and on Sundays
Many people are very busy during the summer, so ask your real estate agent to help you schedule open houses at good times, for example on a Sunday afternoon when most people do not have much going on.
Offer cool refreshments
If people are in the neighborhood and looking at homes, offer them cool refreshments to attract them toward your home. This will help increase the number of potential buyers.
Hold a Garage Sale
During the summer, many people go out and look at garage sales. If you hold one, then this will give potential buyers a chance to look at your garage as well as talk to you about your house and this may increase their chances of coming back to look at it at a later time.
With these summer time house selling tips, it will make it easier and smoother to sell your home. Then everyone can relax and enjoy the summer weather and look to the future with one less thing to worry about.
Views: 35Tips on what to ask your mortgage lender
So, you have decided to buy a home and you have even decided that you need a mortgage, you have picked out a good real estate agent, but you might be wondering what you do now. Well, a good next step is to figure out what you want to ask your lender, so that you make sure to get the best deal possible and the one that works best for you and your family. That way there will be less to worry about later on and more to enjoy. Here are some tips of some things to ask your lender to help make the process easier for everyone.
Ask your Real Estate Agent for Advice
A good first step before talking to a lender is to ask your agent for advice. They have experience dealing with lenders and can help you know what to expect. You may even want them to meet the lender with you, so you can get the best deal possible.
Ask your lender about the different loans
Talk with your lender about your money situation and the different types of loan options to try and figure out what would best suit you. Do not let them talk you into something you do not need or want or let your real estate help you.
Find out what the best APR and Interest Rate Is
The APR is the interest rate plus any fees from the loan and sometimes lenders do not calculate this correctly, so if you are unsure double check it yourself or ask for your agent’s help before signing anything.
Ask about Discount Points and any other Fees
Each point is equal to one percent of the amount of the loan. Some lenders charge other fees on top of the point fees, so be sure to ask about these and know the details if you are unsure.
Ask about any and all costs
Make sure to ask about all costs including: appraisal, taxes, credit report, lender’s policy, recording fees and more. Know exactly how much you will be paying for the loan you choose.
Ask about the Good Faith Estimate
A lender has three days after you have applied for a loan to share all the costs with you, but they do not have to guarantee to do this. Ask about any guarantee policies, and if the lender does not stick by their guarantee, go with another lender to get a better deal.
These basic questions to ask your lender will help the process go smoother for everyone and make sure there are no surprises or extra worries in the future. This way you can just enjoy your new home and future without worries and hassles.
Views: 60FHA Loans Set Record
The Federal Housing Administration guaranteed 186,000 mortgages in June, a record number in its 75-year history.
FHA loans are popular because they are one of the few sources of low-down-payment mortgages. In the last year, they have accounted for about 46 percent of all mortgage applications.
Along with increasing numbers of FHA activity comes a rising number of delinquent loans, with the level of FHA mortgages in some stage of foreclosure reaching 7.4 percent in May.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, Nick Timiraos (07/20/2009)
Tips to listing your home on the internet
When putting your home up for sale, it is a good idea to consider where buyers go to look when buying a home. One of the biggest places these days is on the internet. People do networking on the internet, look for jobs, cars, and even homes. So, it is a good idea to have your home listed there too so you can get some traffic and potential buyers. Here are some tips to listing your home on the internet so that your home can sell and everyone is happy.
Ask your real estate for advice
Real estate agents are on the internet all the time and they know the best places to post information, what to post and more. If you are not sure how to start, asking them for advice is a good idea.
List Basic information about your home
When listing your home make sure to include all the basic information such as: address, price, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, style of the home and stories, square footage, appliances, any extra like a pool or deck, or any extra storage space.
Describe the features and Benefits of your home
Features include a description of the home and benefits are how a buyer could use them. These things include: fenced in yard as a place for pets, a gourmet kitchen as a place to do professional cooking for the extra space, and more. Be careful how you word this and ask your agent for advice if you are not sure.
Include photographs
Everyone loves being able to see what they might actually buy. Be sure to include pictures of the kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, and living room as well as the front and back yard. Make sure to make it look as spacious and as nice as possible.
Create a flyer and post to a social networking website
Making a flyer of your house and posting it on websites such as MySpace, Google, facebook and more will help to generate more traffic and potential buyers.
These basic tips for listing your home on the internet will help you to get the word out there about your house and will hopefully help the selling process to go smoother for everyone. So that you can move into your new house sooner and everyone is happy in long run.
Views: 35Why Price Matters
If you’re buying, you want to spend as little as possible while getting the house you need. If you’re selling, you want the most money for the property you’re offering. In a perfect world, everyone meets in the middle—a true compromise—and everyone’s happy.
But it’s not a perfect world. Buyers get stingy. Sellers get greedy. The opportunity to make the perfect sale is easily lost. So how do you make sure you do all you can to make it happen? It starts when the seller considers what to initially list the property for.
Pricing a home correctly is critical. More often than not, a home sells for its fair market value. A properly priced home attracts the right type of buyer and increases the likelihood of a fast sale. Another factor is the buyer’s home IQ. Even if they’re not using the services of a qualified real estate agent, it doesn’t take long for anyone to realize what’s a fair price and what isn’t. If you’re not in a reasonable realm price-wise, you’re not competitive. Your home simply won’t sell.
A real danger of an overpriced home is staleness—it can sit too long on the market. If a home doesn’t sell in 100 days, people start to assume something’s wrong with it. Even clean, nice homes that are on the market for a long time rarely sell for a good price. Fair market value is long gone. The other potential problem is that a delay in the sale of your first home due to poor pricing can result in you owning two homes (costly and inconvenient). Worse, you might lose the deal on the new home because you can’t afford it since your money is tied up in the old home.
Statistics show that the most activity in a home on the market occurs in the first six weeks. Whether you work with a real estate agent or not, make sure you’ve got a good starting price to capitalize on that time. Your property is only “new on the market” for a short while. Don’t sabotage yourself with a momentary lapse into greediness.
Views: 25Travel around Syracuse: Sackets Harbor
Are you looking for something for you and the kids to do this summer? Do you like history and antique shops, good food, and a quiet little get away with lots of fun historical information? Then why not take a break from the same old cookouts and routine and visit Sackets Harbor in Watertown, NY. It will be an educational learning experience to never forget and tons of fun for the whole family too.
Sackets Harbor is about the war of 1812, but it is also contains forts and barracks that were constructed by the army. It contains art galleries and antique shops and food for everyone. At first, you will see flowers in bloom and shaded sidewalks on your way to the historical battlefields. There are also golf carts available for those that enjoy a good tour of local history. These are available for ten dollars.
Also, during the summer time guides get dressed up in 1813 clothing and reenact the life of a common soldier. The Memorial Tree Grove near Sackets Harbor provides Continental Monument inscription dedicated to the Battle of Sackets Harbor. You can also enjoy a family picnic at Sackets Harbor and enjoy the scenery. Admission into Sackets Harbor is three dollars for adults and children twelve and under are free. There are also free concerts at the battlefield from June until September as well as many special historic events (http://www.sacketsharborbattlefield.org/schedule.htm).
If you want to get away from the same old summer pool parties and cookouts and share a piece of history with the family, you should consider a day trip to Sackets Harbor. You can travel the grounds, have a picnic, see reenactments, visit antique shops and enjoy good food and maybe even stay the night in a local Bed and Breakfast. It is fun for the whole family and a great summer getaway.
For more information please check out: http://www.sacketsharborbattlefield.org/schedule.htm
Views: 24Home Appraisal Tips
Whether you are a seller trying to sell your home, or a homeowner trying to get a loan, home appraisal are needed to figure out the value of the house. Some people confuse home appraisals with home inspections, but they are not the same. Loan offers need to look at the home to determine its value to improve a loan, home inspections are more for buyers. Here are some tips to make the appraisal of your home go as smoothly as possible for everyone involved.
Talk with your Real Estate agent before the appraisal
Real Estate agents are experienced in the values of homes and it is their job to know about appraisals and how they are conducted. They are a great source of information if you have any questions.
Clean the home before the appraisal
It is easier for the loan officer or other advisor to get around the home if everything is clean, including the outside plants and trees if needed.
Make any needed repairs or updates
Repair anything that may be in poor condition and be sure to tell the appraiser about these updates or write them down.
Keep any pets outside or out of the way
Pets can get in the way when trying to appraise a house, so it is helpful for the homeowner to keep them outside or out of the way until the appraisal is complete.
Have any needed paperwork ready
If you can provide the appraiser with copies of seller disclosure notices, recent sales, marketing information or any other paperwork, the process will be easier for everyone.
Be as cooperative as possible
Most appraisers are friendly and try to stay out of your way and just do their job. Try to avoid walking around with the appraiser and doing their job for them because this will just make the process harder on everyone.
These tips can help you and your family to have a smooth and easy appraisal and can also help you to get the most value for your home. This will help everyone to feel better in the long run. It also helps everyone to worry less and concentrate more on a bright future.
Views: 68