CNN Money posted a good article that explains why now is the time to buy a new home:

• Home prices are down 34% nationally since 2006.  Mortgage rates at historic lows.  Owning a home has never been more affordable.
  
• Home prices are expected to flatten out by the third quarter and start climbing by next year.  In fact, in some markets home prices have already started to increase.
  
• Foreclosures are starting to decrease according to key indicators like the percentage of mortgage loans 90 days or more late.
  
• Home Buying is much cheaper than renting.
  
• Mortgage rates aren't expected to stay below 4% by the end of the year.
  

A top real estate agent can help you make an informed decisions about how to buy a home in St. Charles.  My team specializes in St. Charles County and St. Louis County.

The busy Spring real estate season is here!  This is the time of year for buying and selling real estate in St. Charles.  There are large numbers of homes at below-market prices & the Interest rates are hovering below 4% !!  The home sale numbers have been increasing every month since June of 2011.  It is never too early to start getting your home for Spring also.  Contact me for details today!

Remodeling and updating a kitchen can be expensive, with plenty of choices in counter tops, cabinets, floors, appliances, so many buyers want the kitchen ready when they move in.

An experienced real estate agent can help you determine how much to invest in the kitchen renovation based on the market research, understanding the area, and how it should be staged.

Carla Hill has written an excellent article about how a kitchen can sell a home.  You need to research what updates make the most sense to help sell your home.  As a top real estate agent in St. Charles, MO, I can help you sell your home by updating the kitchen to what buyers want in the price range.

The busy Spring real estate season is here!  This is the time of year for buying and selling real estate.  There are large numbers of homes at below-market prices & the Interest rates are hovering below 4% !!  The home sale numbers have been increasing every month since June.  It is never too early to start getting your home for Spring also.  Contact me for details today!

The settlement provides assistance for homeowners in need of loan modifications; borrowers who are current in their payments but “underwater;” and borrowers who have already lost their homes through foreclosure.  The Settlement requires servicers to work off up to $17 billion in loan modifications and up to $3 billion in refinancing relief.  $1.5 billion is earmarked for payments to foreclosed borrowers.

But don’t look for any immediate relief.  Negotiations to settle on an administrator to handle the settlement will likely take up to 60 days.  Then it will take from six to nine months to identify who may be eligible.  Those in line for relief will then receive such notification.  The actual payouts will take up to three years.

Here are some links where detailed information can be found:

News: Read the national news release and find links to your state Attorney General’s Web site for state-specific news.

About the Settlement: Learn about the settlement, who is affected and what claims may still be pursued against the banks. Find links to your state Attorney General’s Office to find state-specific information and contacts.

Help for Borrowers: Learn how to find out if your loan is affected by this settlement, the timeline for relief, how you will know if you are eligible. Find links to your state Attorney General’s Office to find state-specific information and contacts.

The busy Spring real estate season is here!  This is the time of year for buying and selling real estate.  There are large numbers of homes at below-market prices & the Interest rates are hovering below 4% !!  The home sale numbers have been increasing every month since June.  It is never too early to start getting your home for Spring also.  Contact me for details today!

• Consider recycling all paper and paperboard that comes into your home.  If paper is free of food, it can be recycled.
  
• Don't throw any the leftovers!  Nearly 1/3 of of our trash is food, needlessly filling up the landfills.
  
• E-waste is a big problem.  There are great electronics recycling programs in St. Charles and St. Louis, so take advantage of them.
  
• Reuse things that you might just be inclined to throw away – use your imagination to re-purpose things into storage or other ideas!
  
• Don't throw away good clothes – again there are many wonderful organizations across St. Louis and St. Charles that you can donate them to.  Or try selling them on eBay or at local consignment shops.
  
• A lot of trash we create is based on what we buy.  Don't buy paper plates or bottled water.  Think about the trash you are creating with the products you are purchasing, from meals to electronics, in regard to the way they are packaged.
  
  

Check out the full article "Do Your Part: Top 7 Ways to be Less Trashy" for more ideas!  Here's to a less trashy St. Charles!

The busy Spring real estate season is just around the corner!  This is the time of year for buying and selling real estate.  There are large numbers of homes at below-market prices & the Interest rates are hovering below 4% !!  The home sale numbers have been increasing every month since June.  It is never too early to start getting your home for Spring also.  Contact me for details today!

• Create a detailed list of the recent improvements, which should include the following: when completed, cost of the improvement, before and after pictures if available.
• Make sure each room is accessible; the appraiser is required to inspect each room.
• If there is a crawl space, this area will also have to be made accessible for inspection for an FHA appraisal.
• Give the appraiser room to do their job. Errors are more likely to occur when the appraiser isn’t able to concentrate on their inspection.
• Keep all pets restrained. I’ve been bitten twice by a dog, and once by a cat; the owners had assured me that their pets were friendly-not so much!
• If you live within a development that has a homeowners association, have the name and phone number of the contact person available, along with a fee statement.
• If the appraisal is for an FHA loan, then the area leading to the attic will have to be cleared and made accessible-the appraiser is required to make at least a head and shoulders inspection of the attic area.
• Walk through each room and straighten up as if you were getting ready for company to visit. Appraisers are objective and can look past many things, however, the underwriter reviewing the appraisal photos may feel differently.
• Complete any unfinished projects-most appraisals are done “as is”, and any projects that haven’t been completed, will have to be adjusted for within the appraisal report.
• A copy of any agreements regarding easements (shared driveways and/or garages, etc.) should be made available.

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By Peggy Patenaude

The organizational benefits of downsizing can be very rewarding. You can save time, restore order, relieve stress, free up space, and perhaps most importantly, save money.

 

It's important when you are organizing and downsizing to try to keep your emotions out of the process. The process may seem overwhelming, but you can do it, and here are some tips that will help you accomplish the task: 

 

1. Try not to focus on the entire house at once. Break things down room by room. Take on one project at a time and don't allow yourself to get overwhelmed. If the room itself seems to be too much to take on, just focus on one area at a time, like a closet. Accomplish something before moving on to another area. Small steps yield big rewards. Set realistic goals about the amount of time you need, and create a timeline that works for you. 

 

2. Evaluate what you have. Everyone has extra stuff. Ask yourself: Do I use this? Need it? Love it? Is it in good condition? If you haven't used or thought about something in over a year, it's probably safe to get rid of it. Sell valuable items that you no longer need. Ebay and Craigslist are both great online tools that will help you cash in on things that you don't need anymore. Or, donate gently used items. There's no shortage of organizations that take in the things you don't use and distribute them to people in need. What a great feeling! 

 

3. Properly store irreplaceable items. Meaningful items such as old photos, yearbooks, wedding dresses, and christening gowns should be properly stored in sealed containers in order to protect them from the elements. You may even want to go one step further with old photos and convert them to a digital format to ensure that they will always be safe. If your children have grown and moved out, as hard as it may be, remind yourself that you are not responsible for providing storage for your adult children. 

 

4. Stay positive. Getting rid of items that remind you of your past can be an emotional process. At first it might seem difficult to part with those masterpieces that your children created when they were small, but there's no reason to keep every scrap of paper your child has ever brought home. Instead, concentrate on what's important to you, and visualize what your home will look like when you have de-cluttered and re-imagined your space. I have found that after de-cluttering, most people wish they had done it sooner. 

 

5. Hire a REALTOR® who specializes in working with downsizers. This type of move is a specialty and requires a unique set of skills and a great deal of planning and patience. You will need someone who works well with you. You might find yourself needing the services of others, such as stagers, de-clutterers, and junk removers, as well as a storage plan for the things you can't bear to part with or want to keep safe. With the right connections, you'll be able to find someone who is not only familiar with your situation, but who has existing relationships and can assure that the process moves smoothly from beginning to end.

 

Copyright© 2011 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be republished without permission from RISMedia.

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A top real estate agent can help you make an informed decisions about how to downsize effectively.  My team specializes in St. Charles County and St. Louis County.  If you are considering selling your home, please contact Sandra Meranda and I'll get you moving!

Here's an article I came across that provides a nice checklist to help you get ready for the home buying or home selling period.

If you are listing your home for sale, and/or preparing to buy a home, it’s important not only to protect your credit, but to guard against credit or identity theft as well as the theft of valuables. From Bankrate.com, here is a checklist that can help you do that during the buy/sell transaction period:

• Apply with care –Be mindful when applying to multiple lenders. To some versions of the FICO software, all applications submitted within 30-45 days of each other only count as one hit on your credit report. However, many lenders may still use older versions of the software. Play it safe by submitting all applications in a 14-day period. This will ensure that your credit report doesn't show multiple hits, which will in turn better your overall score.

• Prepare for lookers - When selling your home, pack up small, valuable belongings before strangers begin to walk through the house. Additionally, all bills or financial papers should be put into a locked box or drawer. Protecting your finances and account numbers should be your number-one priority because identity and credit theft can happen.

• Protect your documents: When buying a new home, only potential mortgage lenders need to see all of your personal information. Agents and sellers only need to know how much you can afford. When dealing with a lender, stick to the same representative to minimize the number of people who have access to your documents. Avoid sending any files with your social security number through email. Opt for mail or fax instead.

• Stay on top of your finances: Even if you are on top of paying bills on a monthly basis, you may want to consider checking into your accounts weekly. By logging into your credit card accounts regularly, you can make sure that all of the charges are legitimately yours. Credit watch services are also a good idea. If a fraudulent charge is made, the service will pick up on it and alert you of the charges. It's important to act quickly with regards to your credit.

Copyright© 2011 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be republished without permission from RISMedia.

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A top real estate agent can help you make an informed decisions about  how to make your new house truly yours.  My team specializes in St. Charles County and St. Louis County.  If you are considering selling your home, please contact Sandra Meranda and I'll get you moving!