REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News-5 Reasons to Buy a Home in 2011

If you missed out buying that house in 2010, don't fret it,  2011 won't be quite as good as far as interest rates go, but they will still be excellent  rates compared to previous years. 
REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News-5 Reasons to Buy a Home in 2011

Is it possible that your house is making you sick?

 Is it possible that your house is actually making you sick instead of the common cold or flu bug.  Here are some great tips to nurse yourself and your house back to health.

Please read on....

Enhance Your Well-Being: Nurse Your Sick Home Back to Health


By Charles Furlough

RISMEDIA, December 29, 2010—A new home may have freshly painted shutters, a picket fence around it, and rainbow-colored flower patches leading to the candy-red door. But if the air quality isn’t good inside, those exterior niceties become insignificant—and—quite simply, you could get sick. “Sick building syndrome” (a term typically reserved for office buildings, but often interchangeably used with the term “sick house syndrome” when referring to private homes) is a combination of physical ailments—symptoms often include headaches, loss of concentration, general malaise and breathing problems. The cause: poor indoor air quality.

The less-than-clean air that contributes to sick house syndrome comes courtesy of a huge list of pollutants, which can be separated into three main groups: particles (lime and silica dust, lead paint chips, pet dander, carbon from burning fuels and candles, and mold and dust mites); fibers (asbestos, fiberglass, animal hair and carpet/textile fibers); and gases (such as paint and other caustic product solvents, and carbon monoxide).

These substances build up fast. They can either be inherent in the home, or tracked in on shoes and clothes (or via the family dog)—and they can adversely affect a person’s or family’s health. But don’t panic. Instead, take measures to reduce your exposure to the chemicals that cause sick house syndrome. Remember, this isn’t an exact science. Very few homes have absolutely no pollutants. The key is to reduce the number of pollutants as much as possible.

The following 11 steps will help you nurse your home back to health:

1. Use vacuums with HEPA filters. Your seafoam-green Electrolux from 1968 might be a swoopy retro design statement, but it’s not healthy to use anymore.

2. Use high-efficiency furnaces and hot-water heaters. Your local heating company can give you information on the newest, most efficient models.

3. Seal all gaps around your windows and doors. Some pollutants are tracked in on foot, but others float in through minuscule cracks.

4. Have your basement waterproofed to prevent mold from proliferating.

5. If you’ve been sleeping on your pillows for more than six months, there are probably enough dust mites on them to do the final dance number from a big Broadway musical. Change your pillows at least twice a year. And wash all bedding at least once a week—in hot water—to reduce the instance of allergens.

6. Avoid flannel pajamas as they contain synthetic fabrics that can house volatile compounds. While we’re on the subject of clothing—give all washable clothes you buy one wash, with Borax, before wearing.

7. When you’re buying your kids a toy, look for any labeling that indicates that Latex, neoprene or vinyl (PVC) is in it. If any of these substances are used, leave the item in the store. It’s not good for you—or your child.

8. When you’re done painting a room in your home, don’t store the paint for later use. Instead, write down the color name and number—most major paint companies have readily available touch-up containers in small sizes. (Similarly, don’t keep solvents, pesticides and fertilizers hanging around either).

9. Use doormats. Not only do they make people feel welcome—they whisk the germs off their feet before they have the chance to enter your home.

10. Whenever you can replace a porous surface with a smooth one, do so. A sleek leather rug collects fewer allergens than a loopy shag rug. Or, if you’re going low-budget—consider skipping the rug altogether.

11. Taking shorter showers is good for the environment, but it still exposes you to chlorine. Use a carbon filter on your showerhead to help reduce your exposure to chlorine and other harmful chemicals.

IT'S TIME*** Interest Rates are on the Rise

I intended to write a post last week about the rumor that interest rates were going to starti ncreasing, but I just got busy and didn't get it done. We had our office meeting this past Monday morning and our in house Lender with ERA announced that yes indeed we are going to start seeing a rise in interest rates.
I just received a report with actual statistics of what this past week has seen with actual interest rates so you can read for your self, that Yes, we have seen the bottom and we are starting the move to higher rates. MORTGAGE RATES RISE SIGNIFICANTLY Even thou the rates are starting to increase, it is not too late to still get a good rate. Compared to what they were 2 years ago, these rates are phenominal and will still save you $$$$$$$$$$ in your monthly payment.

Visit my website www.AllAlabamaHomes.com to find your dream home, and give me a call. I can still get you in your new home before the end of the year.

Does Your Siding Need A Bath???

• 

  Cleaning and Caring for Siding

  Cleaning and repairing your home’s siding once every year will pay off in the form of a long life and increased value for your home. Read

Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.

Copyright 2010 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

When is Foreclosure Removed from your credit

• 

  When is Foreclosure Removed from Your Credit Report?

  Use this handy guide to figure out how quickly you can buy a home after a major financial setback when applying for a loan through FHA, Fannie Mae, or Freddie Mac. Read

Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.

Copyright 2010 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Yes Virginia, It is the right time to buy a Home

Unless you are living under a rock, you all know that interest rates are at an all time low, and it truely is a buyers market right now, so why haven't you jumped off that fence and committed to finding a home to buy? From the information I've gathered from talking to clients and hopefully future clients, they are still waiting for that perfect right time!!!! Some are holding out for the house they have had their eye on, and waiting for the price to go down! For those of you in this category, it truely is time to jump off of that fence and dive in, because every updated information that we are getting says that the bottom has hit and I read yesterday that 10 states have already posted that their last months home sales prices actually increased over asking price. With 10 states already showing that trend, it won't take long and we will see more states added to this upward trend. Then when the interest rates starts rising also, you will be kicking yourself that you didn't get in. Just to show you some numbers I'm going to sell a $100,000 house at different rates so you can see.


$100,000 house on 30 yr loan @ 4% interest= $477.42 month (interest & principal only)

@ 5% interest= $536.82 month +$59 mo = $712 yr (more)

@ 6% interest= $599.55 month +122 mo = $1464 yr (more)



So you see the difference in getting the lower interest rate!!!!! These interest rates are not going to last forever, they have already speculated that these will be rising.



Now I know that there are many of you that have credit score issues so you can't buy a house right now, but did you know that if you contact a Realtor, we can get you lined up with a mortgage lender that will work with you to get your score raised? It can be done if you are serious about buying.

Give me a call, I have alot of contacts that are willing to work with my clients.



For the next group of future buyers that are renting at the present, have you ever had some one sit down with you and the show you the feasibility of you buying a house instead of renting? Yes this can be done also. I also have a rent vs buy calculator program that spells it out for you. Just plug in the numbers they ask for and see where you end up, I believe that you will be surprised.



More more information for buyers and sellers or to see whats new in real estate visit my website

I have a Real Estate News Radio on my home page that will keep you up to speed on the market interest rates etc.... plus some fun helpful things for around the house. The radio news changes each week, so be sure to keep checking back.



Until next post.....



Julie

You are in control of your credit score

There are things in life that we can't control, but your credit score is not one of them. If you are looking to buy a house in the future, you need to read this. It's never too late to fix your credti score.
http://For Your Clients: Improve Your Credit Score Before Searching for a Home

Finally closed

Well it finally happened. We closed on the short sale on Sept 28th, 2 days before this home went into foreclosure!!!!! Why put off today what you can do tomorrow I believe is the work ethic that this particualr lender was using. Once we got another Lender involved, it was only 5 days and we finally got to close. Should we have done this sooner? oh yes, but as long as we learned something from this, it wasn't all a lost experience.
On to the next one........hopefully there will be another one!!! Working with a good buyer now, just trying to find that perfect house for them that meets all of their needs.
Let's go all of you buyers that are sitting on the fence, you can't pick a better time than the present to be buying a home.

still trying to closing a short sale

You guessed it, no closing yet but we are getting closer. If I could share some good comments about doing a short sale, I sure would pass them on to you, but right now I know of none. According to the lender as of 6:00 this evening we should have the package to close on Monday Aug 1, but I am not holding my breath.

Are we at the bottom of this real estate crisis, or will the entire real estate market turn into short sales. If this is the way of the future, someone needs to step up and educate some of these Lenders on how this process needs to go to get these closed. Luckily i have only been working on this since April, but another agent in our office has been working on hers since January! There is no excuse in that. How can a buyer make plans to vacate their current residence to move in the home they are purchasing when this type of sale is so up in the air? The buyer on my short sale is renting on a month to month lease, but what if you sold your home to coincide with the closing of the short sale you are trying to purchase. It's impossible to do. You have to put your stuff in storage and either move in with friends/family or at the worst a motel.

At the end of the day, buyers are walking away from the short sale when it continues to go on for months and months. And who wins then.......nobody.

still trying to close on a short sale

On my last post I was talking about the short sale that I had been working on since April and that we were supposed to go to closing on Friday. Well I'm not sure exactly who's fault it was that we didn't close, but I can tell you in all honesty it wasn't mine. The underwriter was asking for more information 1 hour before we wer set to close. Now that our agreement has expired from Bank of America, I'm not sure were we stand. More phone calls and pleading is I guess what I will be doing tomorrow. i can tell you this thou, the commission split isn't quite fair on this as during a short sale the listing agent does all of the work. Oh well, it will all even out in the end. Hopefully I will be on the buyer side of one of these someday, and I will just sit back and enjoy (or pull my hair out) the ride.

My very first blog

Hello world, this is my first attempt using a blog. All I hear in the real estate world is that you need a blog to stay current, so here goes.

I've been working on a shortsale on a listing of mine since April, and if all goes well we are supposed to close tomorrow at 2:00. This was my first short sale, and actually it wasn't too bad. I had a great contact at Bank Of America (Equator is the third part site they are now using for short sales) that has explained step by step how this will work. So keep your fingers crossed, but its all up to the buyers lender right now.

Actually short sales is a great way to get a wonderful home at a greatly discounted price if you have the time and patience to work thru the system. Not everybody can wait 3-4 months and sit on pins and needles until its finalized. The buyer in this case has been renting, and is on a month to month lease, so this process was great for them. It wouldn't work as well if you sold your home and need to be out before the short sale process is finished unless you can go into storage and find a short term rental. So for those of you that can be flexible.....take a good look at buying a short sale home.