Winter season's unwelcome pests may soon join homeowners by the fire to stay warm and dry. Colder temperatures send wintry pests, such as rodents, spiders and cockroaches, searching for food, water and shelter indoors.

Mice are a common winter nuisance and only need a space the size of a nickel to enter a home. Once inside, mice and other rodents can cause considerable damage and pose serious health risks to people and pets. Homeowners need to inspect for rodent droppings in undisturbed areas.

During the winter months, spiders and cockroaches take advantage of damaged or missing screens on doors and chimneys to access the home. Once inside, cockroaches can easily contaminate unattended food and water sources. The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) offers a few important measures to prevent pests this winter season:

1. Seal any cracks and holes on the outside of the home, including areas where utilities and pipes enter the home.
2. Screen vents and openings to chimneys.
3. Keep attics, basements and crawl spaces well ventilated and dry.
4. Repair fascia, soffits and rotted roof shingles; some insects are drawn to deteriorating wood.
5. Replace loose mortar and weather-stripping around the basement foundation and windows.

If you suspect a pest infestation in your home, contact a licensed pest professional to inspect and treat the pest problem.


Courtesy: www.pestworld.org

November 13, 2008

Many homeowners get into the spirit of Halloween by turning their homes into haunted houses, carving pumpkins, and handing out treats to costumed kids who come to their door. If you're a homeowner planning on getting involved in the holiday, following a few precautions can help keep the night from turning scary in an unwanted way:

* Make sure any hazardous obstacles such as a garden hose or lawn decorations are put safely away.
* Check all outside lights and replace any that are burned out.
* Keep sidewalks and walkways clear and properly lit.
* Consider using battery-powered candles for carved pumpkins - they're safer than a real flame.
* If you do use real candles, make sure they are kept away from the areas where trick-or-treaters will be walking or standing.
* Secure all Halloween decorations. You don't want your decorations coming loose and injuring someone, or being stolen by vandals.
* If you're planning a rather gruesome Halloween display, you may want to post warning signs to give the weak-stomached a heads up.
* Only give out kid-friendly treats. Items should be prepackaged and big enough that they don't pose a choking hazard to small children.


Courtesy of Move, Inc., www.move.com

October 21, 2008

25. Buying a House for its Decor
Remember that you are buying the house, not the stuff inside of it, so make sure you see beyond the decorations and look at the bones of the home. Focus on the floor plan and the square footage.

24. Not Providing Easy Access for Showings
Make your house easily accessible to potential buyers. If there's nowhere to park or it's difficult to get into, buyers may just skip it and look at someone else's property.

23. Not Researching the Neighborhood
It's absolutely critical that you research the neighborhood before you buy. You're not just buying a house, you're buying a piece of that real estate and the land around it.

22. Losing Money With Auctions
While the starting bidding price for a house on auction might be a good deal, it doesn't mean the final price will be. Make sure that you are very strict with your budget when you are bidding; do not go over your final price because you got wrapped up in the excitement of a bidding war. Also keep in mind that you aren't able to get any of the warrantees or guarantees, and you aren't able to do a home inspection.

21. Trying to Make the "Hard Sell" While Showing
If you are selling your house, you shouldn't be at the open house. If you leave, you allow the buyers to give unbiased objective feedback to the agent, which is only going to help you in the end.

20. Waiting Until Spring to Sell Your House
Spring is the time of heaviest real estate activity, but that does not mean that people don't buy houses 365 days of the year.

19. Treating Real Estate Like the Stock Market
When the real estate market is really hot and is appreciating really fast, people tend to look at it like it's the stock market. But when you invest in real estate, you really need to take a long-term approach.

18. Failing to Market Your Home in Different Ways
Don't market your home with just a for-sale sign. Explore other marketing tools as well. Talk to your real estate agent about the marketing that he or she will do. It's something that should be set up from the initial signing of a contract with an agent.

17. Not Thinking About Resale
When you are decorating and renovating your home, you need to think about what is going to appeal to a broad section of buyers when it comes time to sell it.

16. Buying Without Actually Seeing the Property
It's really easy to buy a house without seeing it because of the Internet and virtual tours, but it's really hard to actually get a sense and feel of a home by only looking at it online. You need to actually walk through the place yourself. If that's just not possible, hire an agent and an inspector to go look at the property and provide you with an assessment.

15. Trusting Everything a Real Estate Advertisement Says
Don't assume every ad is fact. Learn to decipher real estate lingo. Follow the old adage: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

14. Picking the Wrong Agent
Treat meetings with agents like a job interview because that's really how it works. Keep in mind that the person is going to be working for you.

13. Not Hiring an Agent
There's a lot more to selling a house than just putting a sign on the front lawn. If you don't have an agent, you will not get on the multiple-listing service (MLS). That means that other agents are not going to know that your property is for sale. Another thing to consider is if you are willing to show the house each time someone wants to come by and look at it? It's really important to have someone on your side who understands all the complexities.

12. Buying the Most Expensive Home on the Block
The most expensive house will only depreciate in value over time, rather than appreciate. It's absolutely critical that you research the neighborhood before you buy to find out what the price point should be.

11. Not Setting a Realistic Budget
Just because the bank prequalifies you for a loan amount of $400,000 doesn't mean you can afford to make that payment every month. Before hitting the streets for a house hunt, you should sit down and make a monthly budget of what you spend every month. Come up with a number that you are comfortable spending on your mortgage payment, aside from other expenditures.

10. Visiting the House Only Once
It's important to visit a house more than once because the neighborhood itself may be very different, depending on the day of the week and the time of day. It's also a good idea to go home and think about it, even sleep on it, before you go back again.

9. Not Being Pro-Active at Closing
The best thing to do when going into a closing is to get all the paperwork ahead of time. One form that lists out all the charges, and you can legally get it in your hands 24 hours before closing. The final walk-through is another imperative part of the process.

8. Doing Major Renovations/Remodeling Before Selling
Minor upgrades usually have a higher return on your money than tackling major renovations before placing a home on the market. Huge construction projects always cost more than you think they will, and also take longer than you expect. The best place to spend money is outside. Research shows that increasing the curb appeal often returns the most value on your money. It's what gets buyers inside the house.

7. Skipping the Loan Pre-Approval Step
When you are pre-approved, the bank is saying, "we will give you a mortgage of up to this amount, so now all you have to do is find your home." Some sellers only allow Realtors to show their house if someone has a pre-approval letter as it indicates the buyer really is serious about buying a home.

6. Falling in Love With the First Property You See
Many homebuyers, particularly first time homebuyers, fall into the trap of falling in love with the very first house that they see. You want your Realtor to show you homes comparable to what you saw. At the end of the day, re-evaluate.

5. Buying a Home Without a Professional Inspection
There are a lot of things a home inspection can reveal about a property that are not visible to the naked eye. Be sure to hire someone who comes with a good referral basis, that's been in the business a while and knows what to look for.

4. Overlooking the Extra and Hidden Costs
Buying a home is not just about the money that you spend upfront; it's about all the rest of the money you have to spend beyond that. Find out what the property taxes are, what your water & electric bills might be, especially if you have electric heat vs. gas heat.

3. Buying What You Want, Not What You Need
Look at the space that you are already living in. It will help you to realize what you have been missing and what you need in your next home. Make a list those of needs and then ask your agent to start shopping these needs.

2. Setting Too High of a Sale Price
As a seller its really important to do your research. To come up with your sale price, look up what comparable homes in your neighborhood have sold for. Figure out what the going price is and try to put yours right in the middle of that, unless you have something extra special to offer.

1. Failing to Showcase Your Home and Make Small Cosmetic Changes
When you are selling your house, you have to really look at it objectively and think about it from the viewpoint of the house hunter. Make minor enhancements to the house and maybe hire a professional stager to come and arrange your furniture. A great place to start is with the front of the home and the main entryway.


Courtesy: HGTV.com

October 16, 2008

To determine where home prices are expected to rise most in the next couple of years, Forbes.com looked at projections for housing starts from the National Association of Home Builders and job-growth projections from Moody's Economy.com.

Forbes identified cities that are likely to be vibrant markets because jobs are increasing and the housing market wasn't overbuilt during the boom.

"The logic is pretty straightforward," says Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com. "People will spend as much on housing as their income will allow them. House prices are very closely tied to household income over the long run when you look at business cycles."

According to Forbes, these are the 10 cities where home prices are most likely to rise:

Albuquerque, NM
Charlotte, NC
San Antonio, TX
Portland, OR
Austin, TX
Salt Lake City, UT
Colorado Springs, CO
Minneapolis
Atlanta, GA
Oklahoma City, OK



Source: Forbes.com, Matt Woolsey

September 11, 2008

Mortgage rates continued the retreat in the latest week, with the average conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate falling to 6.42 percent.

According to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey of large lenders, the average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.45 discount and origination points.

Bankrate's national weekly mortgage survey is conducted each Wednesday from data provided by the top 10 banks and thrifts in the top 10 markets.

The average 15-year fixed rate mortgage popular for refinancing declined to 5.95 percent, while the average jumbo 30-year fixed rate held steady at 7.64 percent. Adjustable mortgage rates were mixed, with the average 1-year ARM rising to 6.21 percent and the average 5/1 ARM holding at 6.05 percent.

Mounting worries about the economy and the health of the financial system drew investors out of stocks and into the relative safety of bonds. Mortgage rates are closely related to yields on risk-free Treasury notes.

Amid the nervousness, mortgage rates touched lows not seen since the first week of June. But inflation remains an issue, as evidenced by the Consumer Price Index for June, and will continue to spar with weak economic growth as the factors influence the direction of mortgage rates. The up and down yo-yo of mortgage rates seems likely to continue, with rates fluctuating within a range.

Mortgage rates have been on a wild ride since the beginning of the year. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was as low as 5.57 percent in January, meaning that a $200,000 loan would have carried a monthly payment of $1,144.38. But at today's rate of 6.42 percent, a $200,000 loan would mean a monthly payment of $1,253.63.


Source: Bankrate.com

July 18, 2008

Not every agent is a Realtor.

Only an active member of the National Association of Realtors can call him or herself a Realtor. NAR's membership of 1 million is composed of residential and commercial brokers, sales agents, property managers, appraisers, counselors, and others engaged in the profession.

Every Realtor belongs to one or more of about 1,700 local associations and boards and 54 state and territory associations.

The Realtor you hire adheres to a strict code of ethics and professionalism while protecting and promoting ownership of property.

RE/MAX Sales Associates lead the industry in real estate sales experience and education - and results!!

Courtesy: Remax.com

June 19, 2008

Apparently, there's just something about North Carolina. For the second year in a row, America's best city in which to live lies within its borders, according to Relocate-America.com's annual list.

This year, Charlotte, N.C., is in the top spot.

"North Carolina is very active on our radar," said Steve Nickerson, president and CEO of HomeRoute. "It continues to get a flood of interest from all over."

Charlotte's diversity of housing options and home affordability were two of the reasons users nominated the city, Nickerson said. The city's strong economy, boosted largely by the banking industry, was another selling point.

Bank of America and Wachovia have their headquarters in Charlotte, and it's also a hub for US Airways -- all of which seem to have increased the visibility of the city outside its boundaries. The addition of professional sports teams since the 1980s has also helped.

In recent years, Charlotte has been successful in attracting young, educated workers to relocate there.

A wonderful time to relocate!


Courtesy: MarketWatch

June 4, 2008

Outside the House-Up High

Inspect the roof for damaged, loose or blistered shingles.
Have damaged shingles replaced if they're on less than 20% of the roof. Reroof if damaged shingles cover more than 20% of the roof.

Examine flashing around chimneys, vents, and roof edges. Remove debris from gutters and downspouts and patch any holes.
Make sure the downspouts direct water at least five feet away from your foundation.

Examine fascia or soffit boards. Replace if they are soft or rotting because they may allow rain into your attic.

Trim branches and shrubs that are touching your home which can provide a pathway for bugs or excess moisture to enter.
Remove dead branches that may fall on your home.


Outside The House-Down Low

Clean up fallen limbs, branches and other debris around the home to discourage wood-eating insects like termites.

Clean out basement window wells.

Inspect/replace caulk on windows, doors, and other penetrations, such as dryer vents and cable wire holes.
Inspect and repair caulking where two different materials meet, for example where wood siding joins the foundation's wall or at inside corners.

Touch up any exterior surfaces that need paint before they deteriorate further.

Inspect bricks and concrete blocks for cracked mortar or loose joints.

Inspect grading around the house to be sure water drains away from the foundation on all sides.

Make sure that your lawn sprinkler heads do not spray the walls of the house.

Check your inside and outside foundation walls and piers for termite tubes and damaged wood or have a professional pest control company do this for you.


Excellent maintenance tips for any homeowner!


Courtesy: Old Republic Home Protection

May 28, 2008

The dire headlines coming fast and furious in the financial and popular press suggest that the housing crisis is intensifying. Yet it is very likely that April 2008 will mark the bottom of the U.S. housing market. Yes, the housing market is bottoming right now.

How can this be? For starters, a bottom does not mean that prices are about to return to the heady days of 2005. It just means that the trend is no longer getting worse, which is the critical factor.

The next question is: Even if home sales pick up, how can home prices stop falling with so many houses vacant and unsold? The flip but true answer: because they always do.

In the past five major housing market corrections (and there were some big ones, such as in the early 1980s when home sales also fell by 50%-60% and prices fell 12%-15% in real terms), every time home sales bottomed, the pace of house-price declines halved within one or two months.

This is all good news for the broader economy. The housing bust has been subtracting a full percentage point from GDP for almost two years now, which is very large for a sector that represents less than 5% of economic activity.The odds are that the reverberations will lead to sub-trend growth for a couple of years.

Nonetheless, housing led us into this credit crisis and this recession. It is likely to lead us out. And that process is underway, right now.


Courtesy: Cyril Moulle-Berteaux, The Wall Street Journal

May 21, 2008

If you?ve been thinking about buying or selling a home, but have held back because of national media reports, you?re not alone. It?s easy to be influenced by what you read or hear, and there?s plenty of negative news out there about the real estate industry.

But here?s some real news: Home ownership is still an excellent, long-term investment. Real estate is a local, not national, business. And the Carolinas remain one of the best places in the country for real estate sales.

Most people stay in a home for an average of 10 years, according to the National Association of Realtors?. During that time, they enjoy security and tax advantages, and a solid appreciation of their investment. For example, the average home purchased in 2001 has appreciated in value nearly 39 percent. That?s $78,000 on a $200,000 home.

Nationally, home prices are down, but the local picture is much different. Charlotte leads the country in home price appreciation. Portland and Seattle were the only other markets besides Charlotte to show price growth for the year ending December 2007. Other positives in the Charlotte housing market include an increase in average list price and close price, a decrease in the number of days houses are on the market and an overall balancing of inventory in the marketplace.

Additionally, Charlotte ranks #4 among ?Best American Cities for Bargain Hunters,? according to a recent study by Forbes magazine. The region?s booming economy has drawn many new residents from the North and Northeast to new jobs in the financial sector and other industries. While there is an adequate supply of homes available, keeping it a buyer?s market, Charlotte?s steady employment growth suggests that inventory can burn off at a healthy rate and risk of foreclosure is significantly less than other parts of the country.

If you?re looking to buy a new home in the Charlotte region, search confidently knowing that the area continues to attract new companies and expansions, young families seeking an excellent quality of life, and retirees drawn to family, a pleasant climate, and locations near the mountains and beach.


Courtesy: Charlotte Between the Lines

May 7, 2008

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