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Tips for Remodeling Your Baton Rouge Home

06-30-09
Sandy Ogburn Sandlin - Fine Baton Rouge area homes
Sandy Ogburn Sandlin - Fine Baton Rouge area homes: Real Estate Agent in Prairieville, LA
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  • Office: (225) 677-7653
  • Mobile: (225) 445-0690
  • Secondary: (800) 649-4669

rooferSpring and summer are great times to plan and then carry out home remodeling projects. Things like painting, siding, roofing, and window repair are best done when it the weather is mild. This year, credits are available through the Stimulus bill for insulation, doors and window, and alternative energy sources, so there is extra incentive to make upgrades that make economic sense while making the home more attractive and comfortable. Finding a contractor might be a little more difficult in some areas where some owners are staying put rather than selling, but quality licensed contractors are out there waiting for your call.

The home remodeling industry is basically unregulated, so contractors can charge whatever people will pay. It is the career choice of scammers who "were doing a job in the neighbor and have extra supplies" and prey on the elderly and the uniformed.

Since many remodeling tasks are best left to licensed contractors, what should a homeowner look for before entrusting a job to a contractor?

There can be a lot of variation in the charges for different projects, so getting three estimates is a sound practice. It might be a good idea to visit Lowe's or Home Depot (or check on line) to get a ballpark price for the supplies. This could be helpful if there is a big spread in the estimates. Often the supply costs to contractors are similar, but the mark up on the materials and the labor vary widely. Even though you might want to stay within a budget you have in mind for the job, going for the cheapest contractor might not be the best idea; ironically, picking the most expensive one does not guarantee quality. If you anticipate selling your home in a few years, don't go overboard on the cost so your home's vawallpaperlue is in line with neighborhood prices.

Using a contractor recommended by a friend can be a great idea - but still get a few estimates. Your friend's job might give you an idea of how the finished product looks and the workmanship of the contractor and his crew. You might also hear war stories and editorial comments that will help you assess if you're friend's contractor is good choice for you. If have to pick a contactor blind, make sure to ask for recommendations and actually call the customer to see if they would recommend the business. You might even call the Better Business Bureau to verify if the vendor has had complaints against and how he has resolved them.

If you are installing windows or other products that qualify for tax credits or rebates, make sure that the contractor gives you the proper receipts so you can claim the credit. Make sure to tell the contractor that you want to take advantage of the rebate so he buys qualifying materials.

When a contractor is at your home working with power tools and working on ladders, accidents can easily happened. To prevent liability and undue usage of your own homeowners' insurance, make sure the contractor is licensed, bonded, insured, and covered by workmen's comp. A reputable contractor won't minds showing you're a copy of his paperwork.

After you have decided on the contactor, he will probably ask for a deposit. To make sure that he follows through and completes the work, give him the minimum he requests as a downpayment and make additional payments at intervals. Only pay the balance when the job is done to your satisfaction. Contractors often schedule several jobs and may not come back to work on your job if they have no incentive.

If you wonder which improvements you make will increase the asking price of your home in a few years, ask an experienced Realtor® for direction. Sandy Sandlin and her team at ReMax Excellent Properties can give you the help you need. If you are ready to buy or sell house now, Sandy knows Greater Baton Rouge real estate.

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Baton Rouge in the top 10 for future home prices

06-23-09
Tim Houk
Tim Houk: Real Estate Agent in Baton Rouge, LA
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  • Office: (225) 768-1800 x819
  • Mobile: (225) 301-7467

More good news about the Baton Rouge housing market: A real estate forecasting service says the Capital Region is one of the 10 best cities in terms of future home prices. Local Market Monitor, which produces the Home Price Forecast for more than 300 cities, says home values should remain level locally over the next 12 months. Officials with Local Market Monitor credit the same factors for Baton Rouge’s stability that have been repeatedly said during the national housing crisis: Home prices in the Capital Region never got out of hand, and economic growth has remained steady locally. Other cities with populations of more than 600,000 in the top 10 include Dallas, Houston and Rochester, N.Y. Alexandria, Monroe and Shreveport-Bossier City made the top 10 list for future home prices in cities with populations under 600,000. The worst housing markets were mostly cities in California, Florida, Arizona and Nevada, where price speculation got out of hand, places such as Las Vegas, Phoenix and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Read the article here

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Free Seminar for Baton Rouge Area Homebuyers

06-13-09
Sandy Ogburn Sandlin - Fine Baton Rouge area homes
Sandy Ogburn Sandlin - Fine Baton Rouge area homes: Real Estate Agent in Prairieville, LA
  • view my blog
  • Office: (225) 677-7653
  • Mobile: (225) 445-0690
  • Secondary: (800) 649-4669

FREE 1st Time Home Buyers Seminar Offered buyer

The Sandy Ogburn-Sandlin team at Re/Max Excellent Properties will be hosting a first time home buyer seminar June 23rd @ 6 p.m. The seminar will cover topics such as 100% financing, super low interest rates, and the $8,000 tax credit. Local mortgage company representatives will also be there to discuss credit issues and financing options. Seating is limited. To register or for more information please email info@sandyco.com or call 225-292-7609.

Looking for a home in East Baton Rouge, Ascension, or Livingston Parish? Sandy's Team will help you find the perfect home. Check out our Sandyco website.

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Selling Your Baton Rouge Home When You Want to Be a Buyer Too

06-08-09
Sandy Ogburn Sandlin - Fine Baton Rouge area homes
Sandy Ogburn Sandlin - Fine Baton Rouge area homes: Real Estate Agent in Prairieville, LA
  • view my blog
  • Office: (225) 677-7653
  • Mobile: (225) 445-0690
  • Secondary: (800) 649-4669

houseWith all the emphasis on first time buyers this year, the great opportunities for sellers in this current market are often neglected. People sell homes because they want to move on - to a bigger (or smaller) home, to a better area, to a new city, to a new job. Current home prices, though lower than you'd like as a seller, are so inviting when you're the buyer that you might want to join the fun. When you want to buy a new place, of course you want to sell your old home at the best price you can get in the shortest time.

These days, you have to go the extra mile to make sure your home moves quickly at a good price. This means preparing the home for sale, which requires careful planning. Ideally, you should plan ahead a year or two. Sometimes, though, circumstances change that require you to move up the timetable. Or maybe you happen to find your dream house at a good price and you want to sell it now.

So, how do you make your home ready to sell quickly? As soon as you know you want to move, work with a competent Realtor®, who will point out what you need to do to make the home ready to sell and guide you as to improvements that will net increased value to buyers. You might even get a presale inspection to point out any problem areas that need attention. If you find that there is a problem area like a cracked foundation, a bad roof, or faulty wiring, you will want to focus on attending to these repairs rather than overdoing interior upgrades. Make sure to keep records of any repairs you have made, as this can be a negotiating tool for your agent in maintaining your price in discussions with an interested buyer.

When it is time for your agent to actually list the home, he or she will want to take lots of pictures to put on their website and on the MLS. Before the pictures, you should consider professional staging to make sure your home looks its best. Staging tends to depersonalize the place to help new buyers concentrate on the house, not your things, and visualize themselves there. Even if your home looks like it could be in House Beautiful, a professional stager might subtract some furniture and some personal effects to better showcase the property.

When the agent lists the home, the price should be competitive - perhaps even on the low side. If you are selling so you can buy, you want the price to be attractive enough to entice buyers. You don't want to lose a sale - and perhaps the chance at you own dream home - for a few thousand dollars.

Sandy's Team has a reputation of selling home other agents can't. If you have a home you'd like to sell now in East Baton Rouge, Ascension, or Livingston Parish, check us out. We can offer you a personalized comparative market value on your Louisiana home as well as tips to help it sell quickly to a qualified buyer.

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Louisiana Credit Repair

05-26-09
Matt Listro Your Credit Repair Expert
Matt Listro Your Credit Repair Expert: Mortgage Company in East Hartford, CT
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  • Office: (860) 282-6181

Expert Credit Repair in Louisiana

National Credit Fixers: 330 Roberts Street 4th Floor East Hartford CT 06108 phone: 860-282-6181. National Credit Fixers boasts of 13 years experience repairing low FICO scores. Whether your credit has been damaged by a foreclosure, bankruptcy, slow credit, collections, judgments, repossessions, etc. we can help. We are the experts in credit restoration and credit repair. We have helped numerous residents of Louisiana and are experts in Louisiana credit repair.

We offer Personalized... Not Computerized Credit Report Repair!

No two peoples credit reports are exactly the same! So, no pre-set computer program is going to be as effective as real, skilled credit report correction counselors. Period! At National Credit Fixers we offer personal and professional service, we are real people working hard for our clients. Of course we use technology, but we do not rely on it to perform the task of credit report repair. We do not scan credit reports and have an automated system produce duplicate dispute letters to mail to the credit reporting bureaus. We have skilled counselors that analyze your credit reports, then determine the best possible plan for maximum results. Then we draft unique and individual letters to the credit reporting agencies or to the creditors, collections agencies, or courthouses, depending on your unique and individual needs. NO computer program can do that! When you call our office you will notbe patched through to a call center full of unskilled telemarketers that read a pre-written script of answers to the "most commonly asked questions".

National Credit Fixers can legally remove negative items off of your credit reports and help you qualify for the best rates possible! Information contained in your credit file must be reported according to a law called the Fair Credit Reporting Act (F.C.R.A.). If the information isn't accurate or verifiable then it must be deleted.

This means your FICO scores will go up as a result. Do yourself a favor and come see us if you don't qualify for a loan, or if the rates you do qualify for are just too high. Please take the time to interview us for the position of "your credit repair expert".

:)
Matt

Toll Free: 888-NCFIXER (623-4937)
Toll Free Fax: 888-FAX-4020 (329-4020)
Local: 860-282-6181
330 Roberts Street 4th Floor
East Hartford, CT 06108

fix bad credit

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