Real Estate: 2009

The Many Uses of Motor Homes by Dannie Jensen

6:50 AM By AWSGroup

Are you interested in owning a motor home? Each year, a large number of individuals think about buying a motor home, but many end up not doing so. While there are a number of different reasons as to why hopeful motor home owners never end up buying one, many are afraid that they will not use their motors as much as they should, possibly losing money. If that is one of the reasons why you may be unsure as to whether or not you should buy a motor home, you may be pleased to know that motor homes, literally, have an unlimited number of different uses.

One of the most common uses of motor homes is for travel. When it comes to traveling, a large number of motor home owners, especially those who are retired, use motor homes to go and visit their long distance friends and family members. If you have a large number of family members and friends who live across the country, you may want to think about buying a motor home for your travels.

Speaking traveling across the country, many motor home owners, also mostly retirees, use their motor homes for cross country travels. Many times, there is no real reason for driving across the country, other than to have fun and sightsee. What is nice about traveling across the country in a motor home is that you can have fun, without having to spend a lot of money. When traveling in a motor home, you do not have to pay for reservations at a hotel or a vacation resort.

In addition to using a motor home for recreational purposes, there are also a large number of motor home owners who use their motor homes as their residential homes. If you are retired or if you are looking to save money, you may want to think about living in your motor home. A large number of individuals and families have done so for years and many people say that it is a good experience. If you are interested in living in a motor home full time, you can either rent or buy space in a public campground park or you can buy your own plot of land.

In addition to using a motor home as a permanent place of residence, there are many individuals who also use their motor homes as a temporary place to live. If you would like to remodel your home or if you would like to build a new home, you may want to think about buying a motor home for yourself. You could place your motor home on your property and live in it with your family until the construction on your home is completed. This is a great way to save money and not impose on your friends or family members. With owning your own motor home, you don't have to worry about paying for a hotel or trying to find friends or family to stay with.

As you can see, there are a number of motor home uses. That is what is so nice about owning a motor home. If you own a motor home, you are in control of that motor home. You can use it for whatever you want. You have the freedom to temporarily live in your motor home, permanently live in your motor home, go traveling across the country, or go on a camping adventure.

Fixed Second Mortgage Rates by Rick Lee

11:46 AM By AWSGroup

Have you ever heard about fixed second mortgage? Most of the people who know about it are those who complain about the rising payments from their home equity lines of credit that are attached to every borrow you make.

Whether you have a bad credit card or not then you will still be able to qualify to borrow. The only difference is that if you have a bad credit card then you will only get a lesser percentage compare to the one who has a good credit card.

It would be a hundred percent and a hundred and twenty five percent respectively.

The one thing about fixed second mortgage is that it acts as a lien to the first mortgage.

It is mostly done when one is in dire need of instant cash. The thing that leads to people borrowing a second mortgage loan is that the first mortgage loan has low interests.

In that one does not really benefit. It is there fore a big step that one would take and would need one to be wise.

This is because it would take home equity loans and would result to one being lent to the money at a hundred percent cost of the property. This is there fore a great risk and should be taken after one has thought carefully about it.

For one to take a fixed second mortgage it means that may be they were unable to pay their bills or an outstanding debt.

When choosing what type of second mortgage one would take there are three options: a traditional second mortgage, a home equity loan and a home equity line of credit.

Among the best companies that would be best to deal with your fixed second mortgage is Nationwide Mortgages. They are considered to be the best as their interests are at a fair level.

They are never application fees for or any obligation for researching rates. It is the best when it comes to refinancing and debt consolidation.

If you may know any one who is in search of a company to solve their finances then a turn to Nationwide Mortgages would be the first step to solving their problem.

But the best and wise thing to do when it comes to getting a second mortgage is to shop around first. It can even be compared to loans with about fifteen to thirty years fixed rate. And the thing is it could be variable or just interest only.

Home Sales Rebound. What's in Store for 2010? by Fritz Pfister

8:10 AM By AWSGroup

The Springfield Illinois housing market rebounded with home sales jumping 14% in September to 364. The best September since 2004. The third quarter out paced second quarter home sales. The number of sales pending continue to rise which bodes well for October and November home sales. Then what?

The news is good that home sales have rebounded, however you must place the rebound in perspective. Home sales have caught up with 2008, and look to finish ahead of 2008 by years end. What happened in 2008? Home sales fell 13.5% to below 3500 following four years that exceeded 4000. Simply put, the market has equalled the slowest year in home sales since 2002.

What has sparked the increase in home sales during such precarious economic times? Record low interest rates, affordable prices, and the first time home buyer tax credit. Following the first five months of 2009 with home sales down over 10%, interest rates fell back to near historic lows, and first time home buyers became aware of the tax credit, resulting in four consecutive monthly sales increases.

Typically when demand increases, prices increase. The median sale price in September was up to $109,000, an $8,000 jump from September of 2008. Meanwhile the average sale price fell to nearly $121,000 from about $127,000 in 2008. Does this mean home prices are rising?

The majority of activity has taken place at prices below $200,000 due to the tax credit for first time buyers. Through October 10th sales of homes over $200,000 are down 5% while sales of homes under $200,000 are up less than 1% from 2008.

Upper bracket home sales above $400,000 are down 33% year to date to 46 closed from 69 in 2008. It's worse for home sales over $500,000 with 14 closed year to date compared to 34 in 2008, a whopping 58.8% decline.

Because the median sale price is up 4.76% to $110,000 from $105,000, does that mean prices are rising? In my opinion it depends upon the price range. The evidence provided by sales activity indicates the median sale price is up due to demand in the lower price ranges generated by the first time buyer tax credit, while the average sale price is down due to weak demand in the higher price ranges.

Has the value of your home increased? Depends upon the price range of the home you are attempting to sell. Depends upon whether you paid too much for your home, how long you have lived in your home, and if you over improved for the location.

If you purchased your home in the 1990's at a fair price, you will realize some good appreciation upon selling. No matter when you buy an over priced home, some day you'll have to sell an over priced home. If you invest too much on improvements you typically will not recover the investment, however you will usually sell faster.

The first time buyer tax credit is over on December 1st unless congress extends the program. How will demand be impacted once the credit is no longer available?

My concern is that the housing market may suffer a cash for clunkers style hangover. The main stream media was giddy when auto sales went through the roof in August, reporting retail sales were up for the first time in months as a result, and that the worst market for car sales in decades was over.

It wasn't. Car sales plummeted over 40% for GM and Chrysler in September because many moved up their time table for a car purchase. This simply didn't leave many buyers for September. If the housing market suffers a similar hangover when the tax credit expires, it will be a long winter for home sellers.

So what is in store for the Springfield Illinois housing market and national markets in the months to come and in 2010?

Before that can be addressed we need some answers to the following questions. Please read these questions carefully and if you know the answers, please forward them to me.

What will interest rates do? Go up, down, or hold steady? Will the value of the dollar continue to fall, stabilize, or increase? Will inflation remain low or spiral upward?

What are the consequences of record deficit spending, and unfunded liabilities? If Cap and Trade passes? If health care reform passes as proposed?

What about the jobs market? Will unemployment continue to increase, stabilize, or decline? Will there be jobs created in the Springfield area? Will the Stimulus plan begin to work or continue to fail to create jobs?

What about taxes? Will taxes increase, remain the same, or be cut? Local, state, and federal please. Will the first time home buyer tax credit be extended, and/or expanded?

What about the price of gas, food, utilities, insurance, and health care? Up, the same, or down? Will consumer's disposable income rise, fall, or remain steady?

What about consumer spending? The same, up, or down?

What about consumer confidence? The same, up, or down?

When you can provide the answers to these questions, then predictions for the housing market in 2010 can be formulated.

PEI Real Estate - Showing your Home**

6:56 PM By AWSGroup

In the age of consumerism, the buyer of today is comparison shopping, believing that if he/she looks at a good cross section of the homes available on the market that they will find the perfect home, in perfect condition, with all the features they are looking for at a price they can afford.

As a potential buyer arrives at your property and sees the outside for the first time, they are judging, this is called curb appeal. As they walk into your home they are making further decisions in the blink of an eye that affect how they will view your home. Many people can not see past general decor and condition, even to the point that if they don't like your wall colors or the home is cluttered, they won't really be considering making an offer. Even odors, which you may be familiar with and not notice, such as a doggy smell, will likely 'turn-off' potential buyers. Remember they are trying to imagine themselves living there. You have to be sure there is nothing that will make that image less than perfect.

So what to do in this high stakes game? Vendors are often unwilling to make improvements in their home before marketing it. You should realize it's not what it costs you, but rather how the improvements will enhance your PEI home and increase its value as well as generally increasing your chances of a quick sale. In some cases vendors are doing major improvements to a home to increase its value and generally new kitchens and bathrooms bring the greatest rate of return. While we aren't discussing renovations here, it does pay to keep in mind that bathrooms and kitchen are very important spaces and will substantially affect you chances of an offer.

So how do you enhance the perceived value of your home? Let's look at curb appeal first, how a buyer will view your home and property when they first draw up to the curb. The grounds should look well cared for. This means ensure that the lawn is cut, hedges and shrubs are trimmed and not overgrown, and flower beds are weeded and edged. If your home is being shown in fall or winter then make sure that the driveway and paths are free of leaves and if it has snowed that they are cleared of snow. In addition to good exterior housekeeping, make any required exterior repairs such as eaves trough and downspouts, shutters, cracked drive or walkways, as well as touching up paint and making sure that the garage is clean and tidy.

When visitors first enter your home you want to create a "buying mood". In other words you want to make them think they want to live there. This can be accomplished by making sure that lights are turned on and drapes are open during the day, the home is adequatey heated or air conditioned, if you have a fireplace you may light a fire, some people even think that the lingering smell of baking helps. The point is making the home inviting. Clean and freshen the bathroom, the stove and fridge as buyers will open these appliacnes and look, vacuum carpets, wash floors, you as well as your home are on display. Then leave! Do not be present when a realtor brings clients to show your home as your presence will inhibit buyers and they will not be able to talk freely with their realtor.

Now of course homes that are in good repair are much more likely to impress potential buyers, and result in an offer. Make sure that you have repaired leaky taps and toilets, clean furnace and filters, tighten door knobs and cupboard latches, repair cracked plaster, replace burned out lights and oil squeaky doors.

In addition you might hire a home stager. Home stagers are interior decorators who will make changes to the layout and decor of your house to make it more pleasing to the maximum number of buyers. If you had a purple wall they may repaint it, if you have too many knick-knacks or family photos they may remove some etc. However even if you do not have a home stager, try to remove excess clutter. This will make the home look more spacious. Clear closets of extraneous clothes as this will also make them look bigger. If you have a surplus of furniture you may want to store some and move the remaining around in a new configuration to create a better, more modern and spacious feel in the home.

Remember, you want your home to appeal to the maximum number of people. This is no longer about what appeals to you, but what will help you sell your PEI real estate.

**(The comments contained in this article are for information purposes only and do not constitute legal advice.). by Arvind Prakash Sharma

Why you should use a real estate agent to sell your home**

6:55 PM By AWSGroup

Why should you use a real estate agent? Many people today feel that 5%-6% commission, which even in PEI real estate terms, with lower housing costs can still easily mean $10,000, is too much to pay for what appears to them to be simple, straight forward job.

Add to this that most real estate deals begin on the internet and vendors begin to think that they should be able to handle the job themselves and there are many FSBO agencies that are telling them that they can - of course with the FSBO company's help and the matter of a fee! There are two distinct areas that should be considered when contemplating - should I engage a real estate agent? The first is marketing and the second, legal considerations.

While anyone can post a few free ads on the classified sites, is this really the answer to finding a buyer. Certainly you will get a few enquiries, but is this the approach that gets the best offer? Even from the point of view that most real estate deals start on the internet, not all internet sites are created equally in terms of traffic targeted to the purchase of real estate. Realtor.ca, which is the MLS website and boasts information and pictures on almost all homes for sale with the exclusion of FSBOs and exclusive listings, which are becoming increasingly rare, offers one-stop home shopping and it is a must that your home appear on this website. FSBO companies will also have there own websites, but there is no FSBO website that covers all the properties that are for sale by owner the way that realtor.ca covers all the properties to be found listed by realtors. For a moment stop being a seller and think like a buyer (because you probably will be one if you ever sell your home), would you rather go to one website and do a search based on your criteria and see all applicable results or would you rather look through FSBO sites in the hope of finding what you are looking for. Would you rather arrange your own viewing with each owner or have someone else arrange times that suit you. Are you beginning to see what I mean? Oh, but you say, I will surely get a better deal if I find a FSBO. Well not if the owners are trying to achieve the same thing that you are i.e. keeping the commission. Even if the vendor says they will reduce the price by 3 percent or so, how do you really know what the house is worth and that you are actually getting 3% off the true market price as you have no professional to help you evaluate the home. Realtors use comparable sales to develop a market analysis of the value of a property, but as a FSBO client you will not have access to this information as it is available through MLS only to licensed realtors.

However there are other reasons to use a licensed real estate agent when selling your home. Selling a home is more than just finding a property and a buyer. There are legal issues that make using a PEI real estate agent a prudent action. Real estate deals can go "bad" and result in claims and lawsuits. If you go it alone, you are alone to defend yourself and actions. If a real estate agent makes an error they must have by law errors and omissions insurance. Being insured, when a real estate agent makes a mistake the injured party may sue the realtor knowing that there is money to pay damages. Remember that if you are the seller you may have to defend an action brought by your buyer and pay the legal expenses of your defense even if the action really has no merit.

Professional real estate agents understand the risks posed in real estate and through education and training in risk reduction can protect of your interests. When problems arise, an experienced real estate agent knows how to identify the real problem and address that problem keeping a deal from going "off the rails". The real estate system that is in place today, your local real estate boards, the member agents, errors and omissions insurance, and MLS and realtor.ca are there to make your real estate transaction fast and safe. Real estate commissions may seems a little pricey, but in terms of getting a home sold at the best price, and without incident, means that it is money well spent and remember there is no cost if an agent does not complete a sale.