Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Plain Chicken: Cheddar Bacon Dip - Crack
Plain Chicken: Cheddar Bacon Dip - Crack: This is a favorite at our tailgating parties. It is very simple to make and it addictive to eat. We refer to it as CRACK! Cheddar Baco...
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Get READY to BUY A NEW HOME in 2012! HooRay!!!
5 Things To Do NOW If You Want to Buy A Home In 2012
At this point in December, it can start to feel like the New Year – along with all our hopes, dreams, wishes and expectations for it – are barreling down on us. Personally, I’m a rabid 
Resolution-setter, and I have a pretty strong track record of making New Year’s changes actually happen – and stick. But what I know after years of using the New Year as a great excuse to set and meet some goals is that it’s very, very helpful to get a head start, ramping-up to new habits, behaviors and target goals achievements starting in December.
If you’re one of the millions who has an eye on 2012 as the year in which you’ll buy a home (first or not), here are five things you can do now to put yourself on the right path:
1. Check your credit. Take my word for it: there is no bad surprise worse than a bad credit surprise. Okay, maybe there is one thing worse – a credit surprise you receive while you’re in the midst of trying to buy a home!
Recent studies have revealed that a record high number of real estate transactions are falling out of escrow, and that credit “issues” are a leading cause of these dead deals. Your best chance at catching and correcting score-lowering errors and other derogatory items before they destroy your personal American Dream is to start checking and correcting while you still have time on your side.
2. Do your research. The more rapidly the real estate market changes, the more it behooves smart buyers to study up before they jump in. And now’s the time – you can start doing online and in-person research into topics ranging from:
· Target states, cities and neighborhoods. Whether you’re relocating or simply trying to narrow down the local districts to focus on during your 2012 house hunt, December is a great time to start your online research into decision-driving factors like tax rates, school districts, neighborhood character and even prices in various areas. Resident ratings and reviews sites like Trulia and NabeWise can help you make the neighborhood-lifestyle match.
Once you narrow things down and start speaking to local agents, ask them to brief you on the local market dynamics, including how long homes typically stay on the market and whether they generally go for more or less than the asking price, so you can be smart about how you search. (And yes, Virginia, there are areas where homes sell for more than asking, even as we speak!)
· Real estate and mortgage pros. If you don’t already have your pros picked out, now is the time to get on the horn or drop an email or Facebook message to your circle of contacts, asking them for a referral to a broker or agent they love. Follow up by: checking whether these pros are active in answering questions on Trulia Voices, searching for their name and seeing what sort of feedback on them you can cull from the web, then giving them a ring and launching a conversation about whether you and they might be a good partnership.
· Short sales and REOs. Distressed property sales are not for the unwary. If you want to target upside down or foreclosed homes, or are planning to house hunt in an area where many of the listings are described as short sales or foreclosures, get educated about what you can expect from a distressed property purchase transaction before you get your heart set on a short sale.
· What you get for the money. Online house hunting is a powerful tool – especially when it’s cold and wet! But there comes a point in your house hunt where you’ve got to just get out into the actual physical homes you’re seeing online in order to get a strong, accurate sense of what home features, aesthetics and location characteristics correlate with what price points.
· Mortgage musts. You can read a bunch of articles about mortgages and get yourself pretty far down the path toward qualifying for a home loan, but you can only get a personalized action plan for a smooth road ‘home’ by talking with a local mortgage broker and having them assess your basic financials. They might say you need to move funds around, pay a bill down or off or produce some sort of documentation from your employer. And the time to start all that is now.
3. Fluff up your cash cushion. So, you’ve saved up your 3.5 percent down payment. Perhaps you saved a little extra for closing costs. Or maybe you’re even one of those uber-aggressive 20-percent-down-ers. No matter how much you’ve saved, you’ll find that you could use more once you activate your home buying action plan. Mark my words – after closing, you’ll crave extra cash to do some repairs, upgrade a couple of things, buy appliances or even just to hold onto in order to minimize your anxiety about depleting your savings!
So, if homebuying is on your personal 2012 action plan, don’t go hog wild on holiday gifts. Instead, wait until next year and give yourself the gift of a home.
4. Shed some stuff. Sell it. Donate it. Give it to relatives who’ve always coveted it. Just get rid of it. If you do it before year’s end, you can kill three birds with one stone: (a) getting some cold hard cash to go toward your savings, (b) getting some tax receipts so you can deduct the value of your donations in January, (c) minimizing money spent on holiday gifts for loved ones and these two bonus birds – clearing the mental clutter that physical clutter creates and prepping for your move in advance.
5. Sit very, very still. Sometimes, the best way to further our goals is to stop tripping ourselves up. In that vein, commit right now to refrain from making any major financial moves until you buy your home. Don’t quit your job to start that personal chef business (yet), don’t pull a bunch of cash out of your savings account (without getting clearance form your mortgage pro first), and don’t start buying cars and boats on credit – even if you do love the idea of putting the red bow on the car you give your wife, like in the commercials.
I assure you, the bow you’ll be able to put on that house or condo will be much bigger, redder and more tax-advantaged
Resolution-setter, and I have a pretty strong track record of making New Year’s changes actually happen – and stick. But what I know after years of using the New Year as a great excuse to set and meet some goals is that it’s very, very helpful to get a head start, ramping-up to new habits, behaviors and target goals achievements starting in December.If you’re one of the millions who has an eye on 2012 as the year in which you’ll buy a home (first or not), here are five things you can do now to put yourself on the right path:
1. Check your credit. Take my word for it: there is no bad surprise worse than a bad credit surprise. Okay, maybe there is one thing worse – a credit surprise you receive while you’re in the midst of trying to buy a home!
Recent studies have revealed that a record high number of real estate transactions are falling out of escrow, and that credit “issues” are a leading cause of these dead deals. Your best chance at catching and correcting score-lowering errors and other derogatory items before they destroy your personal American Dream is to start checking and correcting while you still have time on your side.
2. Do your research. The more rapidly the real estate market changes, the more it behooves smart buyers to study up before they jump in. And now’s the time – you can start doing online and in-person research into topics ranging from:
· Target states, cities and neighborhoods. Whether you’re relocating or simply trying to narrow down the local districts to focus on during your 2012 house hunt, December is a great time to start your online research into decision-driving factors like tax rates, school districts, neighborhood character and even prices in various areas. Resident ratings and reviews sites like Trulia and NabeWise can help you make the neighborhood-lifestyle match.
Once you narrow things down and start speaking to local agents, ask them to brief you on the local market dynamics, including how long homes typically stay on the market and whether they generally go for more or less than the asking price, so you can be smart about how you search. (And yes, Virginia, there are areas where homes sell for more than asking, even as we speak!)
· Real estate and mortgage pros. If you don’t already have your pros picked out, now is the time to get on the horn or drop an email or Facebook message to your circle of contacts, asking them for a referral to a broker or agent they love. Follow up by: checking whether these pros are active in answering questions on Trulia Voices, searching for their name and seeing what sort of feedback on them you can cull from the web, then giving them a ring and launching a conversation about whether you and they might be a good partnership.
· Short sales and REOs. Distressed property sales are not for the unwary. If you want to target upside down or foreclosed homes, or are planning to house hunt in an area where many of the listings are described as short sales or foreclosures, get educated about what you can expect from a distressed property purchase transaction before you get your heart set on a short sale.
· What you get for the money. Online house hunting is a powerful tool – especially when it’s cold and wet! But there comes a point in your house hunt where you’ve got to just get out into the actual physical homes you’re seeing online in order to get a strong, accurate sense of what home features, aesthetics and location characteristics correlate with what price points.
· Mortgage musts. You can read a bunch of articles about mortgages and get yourself pretty far down the path toward qualifying for a home loan, but you can only get a personalized action plan for a smooth road ‘home’ by talking with a local mortgage broker and having them assess your basic financials. They might say you need to move funds around, pay a bill down or off or produce some sort of documentation from your employer. And the time to start all that is now.
3. Fluff up your cash cushion. So, you’ve saved up your 3.5 percent down payment. Perhaps you saved a little extra for closing costs. Or maybe you’re even one of those uber-aggressive 20-percent-down-ers. No matter how much you’ve saved, you’ll find that you could use more once you activate your home buying action plan. Mark my words – after closing, you’ll crave extra cash to do some repairs, upgrade a couple of things, buy appliances or even just to hold onto in order to minimize your anxiety about depleting your savings!
So, if homebuying is on your personal 2012 action plan, don’t go hog wild on holiday gifts. Instead, wait until next year and give yourself the gift of a home.
4. Shed some stuff. Sell it. Donate it. Give it to relatives who’ve always coveted it. Just get rid of it. If you do it before year’s end, you can kill three birds with one stone: (a) getting some cold hard cash to go toward your savings, (b) getting some tax receipts so you can deduct the value of your donations in January, (c) minimizing money spent on holiday gifts for loved ones and these two bonus birds – clearing the mental clutter that physical clutter creates and prepping for your move in advance.
5. Sit very, very still. Sometimes, the best way to further our goals is to stop tripping ourselves up. In that vein, commit right now to refrain from making any major financial moves until you buy your home. Don’t quit your job to start that personal chef business (yet), don’t pull a bunch of cash out of your savings account (without getting clearance form your mortgage pro first), and don’t start buying cars and boats on credit – even if you do love the idea of putting the red bow on the car you give your wife, like in the commercials.
I assure you, the bow you’ll be able to put on that house or condo will be much bigger, redder and more tax-advantaged
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Energy Saving Tips! It's time to SAVE $$$
Little things make a difference, and small savings add up.
Take your temp:
Are you an air-conditioner blaster? A heat hoarder? There are ways to stay comfortable without throwing money away. Keep your thermostat on 78 degrees in the summer and 68 degrees in the winter, and try these easy tips:
Summer
Plug in to energy efficiency: Got things humming all day long? These smart choices and small changes can help you use less energy—and save more money.
Take your temp:
Are you an air-conditioner blaster? A heat hoarder? There are ways to stay comfortable without throwing money away. Keep your thermostat on 78 degrees in the summer and 68 degrees in the winter, and try these easy tips:
Summer
- Install ceiling fans to circulate air.
- Open windows across the house from each other during cool times of the day and enjoy a pleasant breeze.
- Keep blinds and curtains closed on the sunny side of the house.
- Install window film, especially on windows on the southern side of your house.
- Run appliances that create heat, such as the oven, dishwasher and dryer, at cooler times of the day.
- Use spot lighting rather than whole-room lighting to keep rooms from heating up.
- Open blinds and curtains and let the sun warm your home.
- Keep fireplace dampers closed when not in use to keep cold air out and warm air in.
- Tune up your furnace yearly.
- Scatter throw blankets around the house so you can hang out in comfort.
- Check that your windows and doors are sealed properly.
- Beef up your insulation, especially in the attic.
- Install storm doors. They trap air from the outside and help insulate.
- WARNING: It's commonly thought that closing off vents in unused rooms. Actually, that can cause your furnace to run less efficiently because it changes the air pressure in the entire system. Stick to closing maybe just 10 percent of the vents in your house. Watch this video for more.
- Install or fix your thermostat so that you can regulate zones of the house and set a timer for temperature changes.
- Clean heating/air ducts, vents and grills to maximize air flow.
- Change air filters regularly.
Plug in to energy efficiency: Got things humming all day long? These smart choices and small changes can help you use less energy—and save more money.
- Switch to Energy Star-qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs. This is the easiest and most effective change you can make to reduce your energy use.
- Look for the Energy Star label when replacing appliances.
- Wash full loads of dishes and clothes.
- Dry loads of clothes one after the other to take advantage of the heat left in the dryer.
- Clean the lint filter after every load.
- Keep refrigerators comfortably full.
- Avoid keeping little-used refrigerators and freezers running in the garage.
- Clean refrigerator coils twice a year.
- Unplug appliances that are not in use.
- Keep it simple. Sure, the latest appliances offer convenience, but there's nothing like the muscles you build kneading your own bread, cranking your own ice cream, and sweeping the floor with a good ol' fashioned broom.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Outdoor Christmas Decorations Made Easy
Hanging up outdoor Christmas decorations is a splendid way to help celebrate the holiday season. They add a bit of color and sparkle to your home and help it stand out in your neighborhood. Before you head outdoors to start putting up your Christmas decorations, though, you need to know which decorations work best and which safety guidelines to follow.
When to Get Started
In an effort to stay ahead of the competition and increase sales, stores tend to rush the holidays. It is commonplace to see Halloween decorations and Christmas trimmings displayed at the same time. When it comes to putting up outdoor decorations at home, it's better not to start too early. Wait until Thanksgiving has passed before putting up outdoor Christmas decorations. That way, you're not blurring the holidays together.
The Fundamentals
When planning the lighting, you can use strands of mini lights, large bulbs and icicle lights, as well as netting for covering bushes. Other options include colored, white, steady-on, blinking and chasing lights.
The type of Christmas lighting you choose naturally depends on your overall holiday design plan. If you're looking for the most energy-efficient lights, then choose LED lights. The safest lights are UL approved, which means they have been tested for fire and shock hazards, and they meet the requirements of the Underwriters Laboratories.
Other Outdoor Christmas Decorations
The same rule for safety applies to other decorations, such as lighted Christmas wreaths and illuminated inflatables. To ensure they are the safest available, make sure they are also approved by the Underwriters Laboratory.
Also, before you buy outdoor decorations, read the light and Christmas decoration packages carefully. Make sure they are intended for outdoor use, and follow the directions to the letter.
Hanging Christmas Lights
Fortunately, the days of pounding nails to hang outdoor Christmas lights and decorations on roof lines and around windows and doors are behind us. You don't even need to use a staple gun to hang Christmas lights. Hardware and home improvement stores carry plastic clip hangers that are safer and easier to use. You can choose plastic clips that easily attach to the gutters and slide under the edge of your shingles. Other hangers also allow you to hang Christmas lights and garlands around windows and doors.
Whatever outdoor decoration hangers you choose, make sure you read and follow the manufacturer's instructions in order to achieve the best results.
Safely Hanging Outdoor Christmas Lights
For maximum safety, your outdoor Christmas lights and other illuminated outdoor decorations should be plugged into an electrical outlet that's protected with a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. A GFCI monitors the electricity flow. If a leak is detected, the device shuts off the electricity. This prevents life-threatening electrical shocks to humans and pets when your outdoor decorations are lit.
If the outdoor plug you're going to use for your Christmas decorations doesn't have a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter, you can purchase a portable one at your local hardware or home supply center.
Avoid Overloading the Circuits
It can be easy to get carried away with your outdoor Christmas decorations and to just keep adding light string after light string. By doing that, though, you can quickly overload the circuits. Not only will a circuit overload shorten the life of your outdoor Christmas lights and illuminated decorations, but an overload can also cause power outages and fires.
Be sure to read the manufacturer's directions to determine the recommended quantity of outdoor Christmas light strings that can safely be connected together. If the package doesn't provide this information, connect only three strings.
Choose extension cords for Christmas decorations that are rated heavy duty and are made to be used outdoors. Outdoor extension cords have durable coverings that are designed to resist moisture and hold up against the elements. For maximum safety, the extension cords you use for your outdoor Christmas decorations should be three-pronged plugs.
Ladder Safety
Be sure to follow basic safety rules when you're using a ladder to hang your Christmas lights and other outdoor decorations.
Cut back on wasted electricity by using a timer with your outdoor Christmas lights and other decorations. Simply program the timer to turn the outdoor lights and decorations on at dusk and shut off by 9:00 pm that night. That way, your neighbors won't complain about your outdoor Christmas lights and decorations shining in their bedroom windows while they're trying to sleep.
When to Get Started
In an effort to stay ahead of the competition and increase sales, stores tend to rush the holidays. It is commonplace to see Halloween decorations and Christmas trimmings displayed at the same time. When it comes to putting up outdoor decorations at home, it's better not to start too early. Wait until Thanksgiving has passed before putting up outdoor Christmas decorations. That way, you're not blurring the holidays together.
The Fundamentals
When planning the lighting, you can use strands of mini lights, large bulbs and icicle lights, as well as netting for covering bushes. Other options include colored, white, steady-on, blinking and chasing lights.
The type of Christmas lighting you choose naturally depends on your overall holiday design plan. If you're looking for the most energy-efficient lights, then choose LED lights. The safest lights are UL approved, which means they have been tested for fire and shock hazards, and they meet the requirements of the Underwriters Laboratories.
Other Outdoor Christmas Decorations
The same rule for safety applies to other decorations, such as lighted Christmas wreaths and illuminated inflatables. To ensure they are the safest available, make sure they are also approved by the Underwriters Laboratory.
Also, before you buy outdoor decorations, read the light and Christmas decoration packages carefully. Make sure they are intended for outdoor use, and follow the directions to the letter.
Hanging Christmas Lights
Fortunately, the days of pounding nails to hang outdoor Christmas lights and decorations on roof lines and around windows and doors are behind us. You don't even need to use a staple gun to hang Christmas lights. Hardware and home improvement stores carry plastic clip hangers that are safer and easier to use. You can choose plastic clips that easily attach to the gutters and slide under the edge of your shingles. Other hangers also allow you to hang Christmas lights and garlands around windows and doors.
Whatever outdoor decoration hangers you choose, make sure you read and follow the manufacturer's instructions in order to achieve the best results.
Safely Hanging Outdoor Christmas Lights
For maximum safety, your outdoor Christmas lights and other illuminated outdoor decorations should be plugged into an electrical outlet that's protected with a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. A GFCI monitors the electricity flow. If a leak is detected, the device shuts off the electricity. This prevents life-threatening electrical shocks to humans and pets when your outdoor decorations are lit.
If the outdoor plug you're going to use for your Christmas decorations doesn't have a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter, you can purchase a portable one at your local hardware or home supply center.
Avoid Overloading the Circuits
It can be easy to get carried away with your outdoor Christmas decorations and to just keep adding light string after light string. By doing that, though, you can quickly overload the circuits. Not only will a circuit overload shorten the life of your outdoor Christmas lights and illuminated decorations, but an overload can also cause power outages and fires.
Be sure to read the manufacturer's directions to determine the recommended quantity of outdoor Christmas light strings that can safely be connected together. If the package doesn't provide this information, connect only three strings.
Choose extension cords for Christmas decorations that are rated heavy duty and are made to be used outdoors. Outdoor extension cords have durable coverings that are designed to resist moisture and hold up against the elements. For maximum safety, the extension cords you use for your outdoor Christmas decorations should be three-pronged plugs.
Ladder Safety
Be sure to follow basic safety rules when you're using a ladder to hang your Christmas lights and other outdoor decorations.
- Keep the ladder away from electrical wires overhead.
- Make sure the ladder is set up on flat, hard ground.
- Never stand on the top step of the ladder, especially when hanging outdoor Christmas decorations.
- Never reach out very far while you're standing on a ladder. Instead, climb down and reposition the ladder so it's closer to where you need to reach.
- Always keep one hand free to hold on while you're climbing up or down. This is especially important when you're carrying outdoor Christmas decorations.
Cut back on wasted electricity by using a timer with your outdoor Christmas lights and other decorations. Simply program the timer to turn the outdoor lights and decorations on at dusk and shut off by 9:00 pm that night. That way, your neighbors won't complain about your outdoor Christmas lights and decorations shining in their bedroom windows while they're trying to sleep.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Colorful Interiors: What Are the Top Color Picks for 2012?
Color experts are already giving their forecasts for the hot hues for 2012. And next year, the inspiration for color is mostly being drawn from the great American outdoors.
“Native plants and flowers, oceans and lakes, and rocks and minerals are the sources of inspiration for the paint colors that will be ‘in’ next year,” says Debbie Zimmer, color expert at the Paint Quality Institute.
Here’s an overview of the 2012 color palette, according to the Paint Quality Institute.
Bold Blue
From sparkling sea-glass blue to colonial blue-grey, blues are suitable for all living spaces, being a naturally soothing color that is loved–in one iteration or another–by almost everyone.
Vibrant Green
A variety of green shades are expected to make it into more interiors next year, from dining rooms and kitchens to family rooms and bedrooms.
Bringing the outside in, these greens range from celery and asparagus colors to fir and fern.
Majestic Violet
A harmonious combination of patriotic blue and red hues, violet can add ‘punch’ to any room when used as an accent color, or serve as the dominant color in a bedroom.
“Native plants and flowers, oceans and lakes, and rocks and minerals are the sources of inspiration for the paint colors that will be ‘in’ next year,” says Debbie Zimmer, color expert at the Paint Quality Institute.
Here’s an overview of the 2012 color palette, according to the Paint Quality Institute.
Bold Blue
From sparkling sea-glass blue to colonial blue-grey, blues are suitable for all living spaces, being a naturally soothing color that is loved–in one iteration or another–by almost everyone.
Vibrant Green
A variety of green shades are expected to make it into more interiors next year, from dining rooms and kitchens to family rooms and bedrooms.
Bringing the outside in, these greens range from celery and asparagus colors to fir and fern.
Majestic Violet
A harmonious combination of patriotic blue and red hues, violet can add ‘punch’ to any room when used as an accent color, or serve as the dominant color in a bedroom.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Why Use a REALTOR®?
All real estate licensees are not the same. Only real estate licensees who are members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® are properly called REALTORS®. They proudly display the REALTOR "®" logo on the business card or other marketing and sales literature. REALTORS® are committed to treat all parties to a transaction honestly. REALTORS® subscribe to a strict code of ethics and are expected to maintain a higher level of knowledge of the process of buying and selling real estate. An independent survey reports that 84% of home buyers would use the same REALTOR® again.
Real estate transactions involve one of the biggest financial investments most people experience in their lifetime. Transactions today usually exceed $100,000. If you had a $100,000 income tax problem, would you attempt to deal with it without the help of a CPA? If you had a $100,000 legal question, would you deal with it without the help of an attorney? Considering the small upside cost and the large downside risk, it would be foolish to consider a deal in real estate without the professional assistance of a REALTOR®.
But if you're still not convinced of the value of a REALTOR®, here are a dozen more reasons to use one:
1. Your REALTOR® can help you determine your buying power -- that is, your financial reserves plus your borrowing capacity. If you give a REALTOR® some basic information about your available savings, income and current debt, he or she can refer you to lenders best qualified to help you. Most lenders -- banks and mortgage companies -- offer limited choices.
2. Your REALTOR® has many resources to assist you in your home search. Sometimes the property you are seeking is available but not actively advertised in the market, and it will take some investigation by your agent to find all available properties.
3. Your REALTOR® can assist you in the selection process by providing objective information about each property. Agents who are REALTORS® have access to a variety of informational resources. REALTORS® can provide local community information on utilities, zoning. schools, etc. There are two things you'll want to know. First, will the property provide the environment I want for a home or investment? Second, will the property have resale value when I am ready to sell?
4. Your REALTOR® can help you negotiate. There are myriad negotiating factors, including but not limited to price, financing, terms, date of possession and often the inclusion or exclusion of repairs and furnishings or equipment. The purchase agreement should provide a period of time for you to complete appropriate inspections and investigations of the property before you are bound to complete the purchase. Your agent can advise you as to which investigations and inspections are recommended or required.
5. Your REALTOR® provides due diligence during the evaluation of the property. Depending on the area and property, this could include inspections for termites, dry rot, asbestos, faulty structure, roof condition, septic tank and well tests, just to name a few. Your REALTOR® can assist you in finding qualified responsible professionals to do most of these investigations and provide you with written reports. You will also want to see a preliminary report on the title of the property. Title indicates ownership of property and can be mired in confusing status of past owners or rights of access. The title to most properties will have some limitations; for example, easements (access rights) for utilities. Your REALTOR®, title company or attorney can help you resolve issues that might cause problems at a later date.
6. Your REALTOR® can help you in understanding different financing options and in identifying qualified lenders.
7. Your REALTOR® can guide you through the closing process and make sure everything flows together smoothly.
8. When selling your home, your REALTOR® can give you up-to-date information on what is happening in the marketplace and the price, financing, terms and condition of competing properties. These are key factors in getting your property sold at the best price, quickly and with minimum hassle.
9. Your REALTOR® markets your property to other real estate agents and the public. Often, your REALTOR® can recommend repairs or cosmetic work that will significantly enhance the salability of your property. Your REALTOR® markets your property to other real estate agents and the public. In many markets across the country, over 50% of real estate sales are cooperative sales; that is, a real estate agent other than yours brings in the buyer. Your REALTOR® acts as the marketing coordinator, disbursing information about your property to other real estate agents through a Multiple Listing Service or other cooperative marketing networks, open houses for agents, etc. The REALTOR® Code of Ethics requires REALTORS® to utilize these cooperative relationships when they benefit their clients.
10. Your REALTOR® will know when, where and how to advertise your property. There is a misconception that advertising sells real estate. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® studies show that 82% of real estate sales are the result of agent contacts through previous clients, referrals, friends, family and personal contacts. When a property is marketed with the help of your REALTOR®, you do not have to allow strangers into your home. Your REALTOR® will generally prescreen and accompany qualified prospects through your property.
11. Your REALTOR® can help you objectively evaluate every buyer's proposal without compromising your marketing position. This initial agreement is only the beginning of a process of appraisals, inspections and financing -- a lot of possible pitfalls. Your REALTOR® can help you write a legally binding, win-win agreement that will be more likely to make it through the process.
12. Your REALTOR® can help close the sale of your home. Between the initial sales agreement and closing (or settlement), questions may arise. For example, unexpected repairs are required to obtain financing or a cloud in the title is discovered. The required paperwork alone is overwhelming for most sellers. Your REALTOR® is the best person to objectively help you resolve these issues and move the transaction to closing (or settlement).
All real estate licensees are not the same. Only real estate licensees who are members of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® are properly called REALTORS®. They proudly display the REALTOR "®" logo on the business card or other marketing and sales literature. REALTORS® are committed to treat all parties to a transaction honestly. REALTORS® subscribe to a strict code of ethics and are expected to maintain a higher level of knowledge of the process of buying and selling real estate. An independent survey reports that 84% of home buyers would use the same REALTOR® again.
Real estate transactions involve one of the biggest financial investments most people experience in their lifetime. Transactions today usually exceed $100,000. If you had a $100,000 income tax problem, would you attempt to deal with it without the help of a CPA? If you had a $100,000 legal question, would you deal with it without the help of an attorney? Considering the small upside cost and the large downside risk, it would be foolish to consider a deal in real estate without the professional assistance of a REALTOR®.
But if you're still not convinced of the value of a REALTOR®, here are a dozen more reasons to use one:
1. Your REALTOR® can help you determine your buying power -- that is, your financial reserves plus your borrowing capacity. If you give a REALTOR® some basic information about your available savings, income and current debt, he or she can refer you to lenders best qualified to help you. Most lenders -- banks and mortgage companies -- offer limited choices.
2. Your REALTOR® has many resources to assist you in your home search. Sometimes the property you are seeking is available but not actively advertised in the market, and it will take some investigation by your agent to find all available properties.
3. Your REALTOR® can assist you in the selection process by providing objective information about each property. Agents who are REALTORS® have access to a variety of informational resources. REALTORS® can provide local community information on utilities, zoning. schools, etc. There are two things you'll want to know. First, will the property provide the environment I want for a home or investment? Second, will the property have resale value when I am ready to sell?
4. Your REALTOR® can help you negotiate. There are myriad negotiating factors, including but not limited to price, financing, terms, date of possession and often the inclusion or exclusion of repairs and furnishings or equipment. The purchase agreement should provide a period of time for you to complete appropriate inspections and investigations of the property before you are bound to complete the purchase. Your agent can advise you as to which investigations and inspections are recommended or required.
5. Your REALTOR® provides due diligence during the evaluation of the property. Depending on the area and property, this could include inspections for termites, dry rot, asbestos, faulty structure, roof condition, septic tank and well tests, just to name a few. Your REALTOR® can assist you in finding qualified responsible professionals to do most of these investigations and provide you with written reports. You will also want to see a preliminary report on the title of the property. Title indicates ownership of property and can be mired in confusing status of past owners or rights of access. The title to most properties will have some limitations; for example, easements (access rights) for utilities. Your REALTOR®, title company or attorney can help you resolve issues that might cause problems at a later date.
6. Your REALTOR® can help you in understanding different financing options and in identifying qualified lenders.
7. Your REALTOR® can guide you through the closing process and make sure everything flows together smoothly.
8. When selling your home, your REALTOR® can give you up-to-date information on what is happening in the marketplace and the price, financing, terms and condition of competing properties. These are key factors in getting your property sold at the best price, quickly and with minimum hassle.
9. Your REALTOR® markets your property to other real estate agents and the public. Often, your REALTOR® can recommend repairs or cosmetic work that will significantly enhance the salability of your property. Your REALTOR® markets your property to other real estate agents and the public. In many markets across the country, over 50% of real estate sales are cooperative sales; that is, a real estate agent other than yours brings in the buyer. Your REALTOR® acts as the marketing coordinator, disbursing information about your property to other real estate agents through a Multiple Listing Service or other cooperative marketing networks, open houses for agents, etc. The REALTOR® Code of Ethics requires REALTORS® to utilize these cooperative relationships when they benefit their clients.
10. Your REALTOR® will know when, where and how to advertise your property. There is a misconception that advertising sells real estate. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® studies show that 82% of real estate sales are the result of agent contacts through previous clients, referrals, friends, family and personal contacts. When a property is marketed with the help of your REALTOR®, you do not have to allow strangers into your home. Your REALTOR® will generally prescreen and accompany qualified prospects through your property.
11. Your REALTOR® can help you objectively evaluate every buyer's proposal without compromising your marketing position. This initial agreement is only the beginning of a process of appraisals, inspections and financing -- a lot of possible pitfalls. Your REALTOR® can help you write a legally binding, win-win agreement that will be more likely to make it through the process.
12. Your REALTOR® can help close the sale of your home. Between the initial sales agreement and closing (or settlement), questions may arise. For example, unexpected repairs are required to obtain financing or a cloud in the title is discovered. The required paperwork alone is overwhelming for most sellers. Your REALTOR® is the best person to objectively help you resolve these issues and move the transaction to closing (or settlement).
Friday, August 5, 2011
Battling the Neighborhood EYESORE!
Battling the Neighborhood Eyesore
How to battle the neighborhood eyesore when it's next door to your listing.
Abandoned homes can be an unpleasant sight. Overgrown lawns, boarded windows, sagging gutters, and unsightly mold—not to mention, a higher risk of fires, vandalism, rodents, and mosquitos.
Properties are often left to deteriorate while in foreclosure limbo; the owner is already gone but the bank can’t take possession until the foreclosure process is finalized.
So what happens when you have to sell the property next door? According to research by the Center for Responsible Lending, foreclosures will affect 91.5 million nearby homes by 2012 and reduce property values of these homes by $20,300 per household.
“We were getting a lot of complaints from real estate professionals about these properties looking unkempt and asking what we can do about it,” says Bud Humbert with Century 21 Associates in Waldorf, Md., and also the chairman of the legislative committee for the Southern Maryland Association of REALTORS®. On behalf of his association, Humbert, also an REO specialist, approached Charles County officials to request that they update the county’s nuisance abatement law to include a "clean and lien " provision. The rule would allow the county to step in and clean up vacant properties and put a lien on them for the cost of the cleanup. Other cities and counties have enacted similar ordinances.
If that neighborhood eyesore is bringing down your listing, here are some steps you can take:
Notify the homeowners’ association. Most HOAs will pay to have the grass mowed and take care of maintenance issues, and then tack the expense on to the HOA bill, which will have to be cleared by the bank before the property sells, Humbert says.
Investigate local and state laws. Some states, such as California, will fine owners for not maintaining properties. New Jersey passed a law that puts banks in charge of maintaining the property from the beginning of the foreclosure process. Whom should you contact with your gripe? Start with your city’s building division; it’s often in charge of making sure a vacant property is boarded and secured. The bylaw department can check for building code violations, the fire department can inspect for fire hazards, and the police can help if there’s vandalism.
Make property boundaries clear. "We are called on to handle this situation frequently, " says Margaret Innis, owner of home staging company Decorate To Sell in Andover, Mass. "On the outside, fences make good neighbors; so does landscaping with arborvitae shrubs—a fast fix worth the investment. Inside, use plantation blinds turned down so the light comes in but the view does not. "
Help with cleanup. Stepping in to help with the maintenance can be tricky. Regardless of your good intentions, your actions could be considered trespassing. First figure out who owns the property, which can be a challenge in itself, and then offer your assistance. Some cities and counties have started a vacant property registration that makes it easier to locate the owner. When Andy Hood, with Weichert, REALTORS®–Covington Group in Madison, Miss., struggled to sell a condo that overlooked the patio of a foreclosed property, he called the neighbor and asked if he could clean. "The woman was grateful and accepted my offer, " he says. "I hauled away a truckload of junk, pressure-washed the exterior, washed the patio furniture, and weeded and pruned her flower beds and shrubs. " Hood’s listing sold immediately after.
Properties are often left to deteriorate while in foreclosure limbo; the owner is already gone but the bank can’t take possession until the foreclosure process is finalized.
So what happens when you have to sell the property next door? According to research by the Center for Responsible Lending, foreclosures will affect 91.5 million nearby homes by 2012 and reduce property values of these homes by $20,300 per household.
“We were getting a lot of complaints from real estate professionals about these properties looking unkempt and asking what we can do about it,” says Bud Humbert with Century 21 Associates in Waldorf, Md., and also the chairman of the legislative committee for the Southern Maryland Association of REALTORS®. On behalf of his association, Humbert, also an REO specialist, approached Charles County officials to request that they update the county’s nuisance abatement law to include a "clean and lien " provision. The rule would allow the county to step in and clean up vacant properties and put a lien on them for the cost of the cleanup. Other cities and counties have enacted similar ordinances.
If that neighborhood eyesore is bringing down your listing, here are some steps you can take:
Notify the homeowners’ association. Most HOAs will pay to have the grass mowed and take care of maintenance issues, and then tack the expense on to the HOA bill, which will have to be cleared by the bank before the property sells, Humbert says.
Investigate local and state laws. Some states, such as California, will fine owners for not maintaining properties. New Jersey passed a law that puts banks in charge of maintaining the property from the beginning of the foreclosure process. Whom should you contact with your gripe? Start with your city’s building division; it’s often in charge of making sure a vacant property is boarded and secured. The bylaw department can check for building code violations, the fire department can inspect for fire hazards, and the police can help if there’s vandalism.
Make property boundaries clear. "We are called on to handle this situation frequently, " says Margaret Innis, owner of home staging company Decorate To Sell in Andover, Mass. "On the outside, fences make good neighbors; so does landscaping with arborvitae shrubs—a fast fix worth the investment. Inside, use plantation blinds turned down so the light comes in but the view does not. "
Help with cleanup. Stepping in to help with the maintenance can be tricky. Regardless of your good intentions, your actions could be considered trespassing. First figure out who owns the property, which can be a challenge in itself, and then offer your assistance. Some cities and counties have started a vacant property registration that makes it easier to locate the owner. When Andy Hood, with Weichert, REALTORS®–Covington Group in Madison, Miss., struggled to sell a condo that overlooked the patio of a foreclosed property, he called the neighbor and asked if he could clean. "The woman was grateful and accepted my offer, " he says. "I hauled away a truckload of junk, pressure-washed the exterior, washed the patio furniture, and weeded and pruned her flower beds and shrubs. " Hood’s listing sold immediately after.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Welcome to our new blog!
Hello everyone and welcome to our new blog. We hope you will visit us often. Just to introduce ourselves and tell you a little bit about us. We are not only business partners, but also sister-in-laws, married to identical twins. Just that fact alone has made us very good friends with a mutual respect and understanding of life at home with our husbands after we leave the office! Tina has three boys ranging from the ages of 15 and 26, a grandbaby on the way and two dogs. Laura has two children, a daughter, 32, and a son, 28, and two granddaughters; 4 years old and 8 months old.
As for our professional lives, we both bring different skill sets to our partnership, allowing us to be more qualified and competitive in fulfilling your real estate needs. Tina has more than 12 years experience as a full time realtor with such accolades as #1 Top Producer in Sales, #1 Listing Agent, #1 Buyers Agent and much more. Laura on the other hand has 30+ years of business management experience working for a large corporation and a newly acquired real estate license. Together we make an unbeatable team!
We’d like to become your “one stop to shop” for all your real estate needs. Whether you are in the market to sell, buy, lease, relocate, invest or just need some real estate advice or answers to questions about today’s real estate market, we are the team for you. We know what a huge commitment and life changing decision it is to invest in real estate and we want to help you find your dream home. From your kids playing in the backyard to your grandparent’s front porch…we will be with you on your life’s journey every step of the way. Let our experience WOW you!
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