July 11th, 2009 B. Slade
People have been waiting for a sign of recovery so they could sell their homes and with all the waiting comes a lot of false hope. This time round, industry experts are seeing that home prices have stabilized to their lowest levels, rising ever so slightly enough to get people selling. They are still quite low for not much improvement has been seen in the industry as a whole but they have improved a lot compared to the price drops they have seen during the developing recession. People have also been taking notice of the low mortgage rates, taking advantage, they refinance their mortgages in hopes of staving off foreclosure but be forewarned that the new predictions for the end of this crisis are placing it at 2012, a long way off so be sure you keep updated with current economic data to make wise decisions on your real estate.
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June 11th, 2009 B. Slade
Tis’ the time when fraudsters take advantage of people who are capable of spending, using the identity of others to leach out as much cash they can before abandoning talks resulting in a case of fraud that seems to be on the rise as people get more and more desperate for more cash. Jobs are being lost and the very people who have lost jobs in the housing market who know the system yet have not been able to ride the storm through are turning into crooks. The FBI has already caught and persecuted many of them yet for every one caught, several others get away and people are reeling from their activities who end up not knowing who to trust anymore. Caution is advised when engaging in shady deals for if they sound too good to be true, they probably are.
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May 9th, 2009 B. Slade
Green power is growing trend being sen on many fronts of the economy, from small homes to bigger companies who are opting to take advantage of the perks being given by the government for such who adopt them early. This is in support of the new Green Revolution which is aimed to lower our dependence on oil and reduce the pollution that comes from its use. From solar power, heat and wind turbines, they all promise free and clean energy for the home and business as we strive to make the earth last a bit longer for our children and many more generations. Read the rest of this entry »
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August 13th, 2008 B. Slade
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Many Agents today are working longer hours to keep on the treadmill of life. They are delaying, or scrapping, long-range focus in the marketing and prospecting business system arenas. They often are neglecting their time investments for their health, families, and self-development areas of their life. They are spending a tremendous amount of time working on their business. They are truly an employee of their real estate business, rather than the owner, CEO, and visionary of their multi-million dollar sales company. If we are to continue to learn and grow, we need to be continual learners. We must become master-students of ourselves. We need to study our strengths and weaknesses. We must clarify our desires and passion for our life. Then create the plan to seize opportunities. The true key to success is through action and implementation. Think about where you are going and if you are fully equipped to get there. Do you have the tools ready to put into action? If you don’t have the tools of implementation, but you do have the desire for improvement and success, you are a candidate for a coach. Don’t sit back on your past success. Grab for the brass ring.
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March 25th, 2008 B. Slade
Most people think that all real estate agents are the same and list their property with the first agent that comes along. To find out which realtor you should entrust your property to, start by asking for recommendations and compile a list of names you’d like to contact. Get an agent who has had experiences selling a property similar to yours and who is active in your community. Your ideal agent should have an excellent selling record and not merely a listing record. Also inspect the average time a house gets sold from the moment of listing. Don’t assume that the shorter time on the market is better – this could mean that the agent sells the home quickly at lowball prices. You want an agent who sells close to your asking price and who is effective and quick at helping their clients determine the right price.
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March 20th, 2008 B. Slade
When looking for a real estate agent who will help you sell your house, make sure that he or she knows the community very well. That way, your realtor can give you an approximate price of what people are willing to pay for the property you want. He or she should also be able to inform you about the competition and how this will affect the sale. Also, remember that a realtor cannot raise the asking price; buyers can easily do research on the internet and find out if the price you’re asking is too high. Your realtor should inspect your pricing strategy and inform you if it is accurate. Finally, he or she should let you know if the location and condition of your property is unattractive to buyers and will cause problems during the sale.
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March 15th, 2008 B. Slade
If you don’t know anything about investing in real estate and interest rates, here’s a good tip to start with: the higher the interest rate, the more expensive it will be. A mortgage with high interest rates means that you need to pay more of the money you borrowed. Your affordability will increase if you choose an adjustable rate mortgage, but there is still a wide variety of price ranges you can choose from, depending on your lender. Should you decide to lock in on a particular interest rate, complete your loan application and send it to your lender as soon as possible. You need to do this so your commitment does not run out before your loan gets approved. Make follow-ups and be sure that the lender gets all the documents necessary. Finally, try not to miss out on any good deals. Higher interest rates are more difficult to pay off, but waiting for low interest rates is not a smart move to make, either.
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March 10th, 2008 B. Slade
Another thing you should consider before choosing what mortgage to get is how much cash you have up-front for your down payment. If you can afford to make a large down payment, this will lower your monthly payment. However, a higher monthly payment means that the term of the loan will be considerably shorter. Remember that you also have fees and other closing costs to pay besides your down payment. But don’t worry if you don’t have enough cash immediately; you can lower your monthly payment by getting an adjustable rate mortgage.
Besides choosing a loan type, you also need to consider which lender to get your loan from since each has their own terms and conditions. When choosing a lender, make sure that you are comfortable with that person. It will be easier to take his or her advice about your mortgage type once you have established trust.
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March 5th, 2008 B. Slade
You might be wondering what the best kind of mortgage there is but there is no one correct answer to that question. The type of mortgage you should get depends on many things – your needs and income among others. One of the things you should consider is the amount of time you intend to spend in your home. An adjustable rate loan is ideal if you plan on staying there for less than a decade; if you want to live there for 20 to 30 years, a fixed rate mortgage might be right. Fixed rate loans have higher interest rates though, so you need to consider your income before choosing this. Also, if you expect that your income will have a big increase in the future, a graduated payment mortgage might be the best mortgage type for you.
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February 11th, 2008 B. Slade
What would you do if a rental property ends up in your possession, will you hold on to it or sell it? Outsource the management or have a hands on approach? Will you be ready for the tenant, trash and toilet problems? Being a landlord is a big decision specially if you are moving out and want to make your current home more profitable for you.
To determine whether you are ready to rent out your property, you can use these questions as a guide in making your decisions:
• Is your property worth hanging on to?
• Are you at ease with strangers moving into your home?
• Are you ready to handle tenants and still face your day job?
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