February 2008 - Posts

Lookin' Cool at 3 Months!
18 February 08 02:21 PM | Dawn Craig, ABR ,e-Pro | 1 Comments   

Wow! Can you beleive Corban is already 3 months?! Time flies by so fast! He is getting so big! This month, he "belly" laughed for the first time.. it was in his sleep but he's done it a few times so, we think he'll be doing it while Read More...

Six Signs It's Time For Home Buyers To Buy
12 February 08 01:29 PM | Dawn Craig, ABR ,e-Pro | 0 Comments   

If you're waiting for signs of a housing bottom, join the club. Nobody blows a whistle and say, "It's time to buy!" That's why market timing is an art, not a science, but you can improve your odds of buying wisely. First, stop paying Read More...

Digital TV (DTV) One Year Away
12 February 08 01:27 PM | Dawn Craig, ABR ,e-Pro | 0 Comments   

If you are still climbing a ladder to adjust your rooftop TV antennae or leaving the couch to reposition those "rabbit ears," your TV will go dark in another year. To stay tuned with your current equipment, you'll have to get a digital converter Read More...

Provide An Honest, Complete Mortgage Application
12 February 08 01:26 PM | Dawn Craig, ABR ,e-Pro | 0 Comments   

Mortgage fraud is forcing lenders to scrutinize the paperwork and today's home loan applicant must be better prepared to run the mortgage application gauntlet. 30 to 70 percent of early mortgage payment defaults are likely linked to borrower misrepresentations Read More...

January Roundup: Rates Are Still Well Below Historical Average
12 February 08 01:24 PM | Dawn Craig, ABR ,e-Pro | 0 Comments   

In Freddie Mac's results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 5.68 percent with an average 0.4 point for the week ending January 31, 2008, up from the previous week when it averaged 5.48 percent. Read More...

Five Reasons Houses Beat Stocks
12 February 08 01:23 PM | Dawn Craig, ABR ,e-Pro | 0 Comments   

Despite what Wall Street wants you to believe, owning a home isn't the same kind of investment as stocks or bonds. What you get is a USE asset that depreciates over time, while it grows in market value. All you have to do is keep the home in good Read More...

Are You Leaving a Tax Deduction on the Table?
12 February 08 01:22 PM | Dawn Craig, ABR ,e-Pro | 0 Comments   

If you refinanced your home recently, you're not alone. According to Plunkett Research, approximately $1.1 trillion dollars in mortgage loans was refinanced in the United States in 2006. But did you remember to take an increased mortgage interest Read More...

Life Expectancy of Home Components
12 February 08 01:18 PM | Dawn Craig, ABR ,e-Pro | 0 Comments   

One way to prepare for the costs of owning a home beyond the mortgage payment, insurance and taxes, is to know the expected life expectancy of your home's components. Such knowledge doesn't supersede the use of a home inspector when buying a home, Read More...

Home Selling Tips For Spring Buyer's Market
12 February 08 01:17 PM | Dawn Craig, ABR ,e-Pro | 0 Comments   

If you're planning to put your home on the market in time for spring, now's the time to get it ready to show. But wait, it's still a buyer's market. What can you do to catch the buyer's eye and get them to make an offer? It's going Read More...

Make Tax Season Pain-Free: Organize
06 February 08 03:47 PM | Dawn Craig, ABR ,e-Pro | 0 Comments   

Filing electronically can be an effective and headache-free means of getting your return to the government on time. But it's not foolproof, as 200,000 customers found last year after a database problem the evening of the tax deadline caused their Read More...