Debbie Davis - Broker/Owner - Serving Mocksville and Davie County

March leaves you anxious for the arrival of spring with its alternating bursts of winter and spring weather. While there is nothing you can do about Mother Nature’s grip on winter, you can freshen up your Advance home for the spring that’s just around the corner. Here are a few ideas to brighten the core rooms in your home:

Living/Family Room:

· Change out all dark-colored throws and pillows and add brighter pastels and colors.

· Remove heavy drapes and replace them with light sheers that let in more light and brighten things up.

· Don’t forget to clean the windows so they sparkle as well!

· Replace candles with vases of bright-colored flowers.

· Add a lush plant in front of or inside the fireplace that will not be used again until fall.

· Replace dark lampshades with light-colored ones.

Bedrooms:

· Stash heavy blankets or down comforters in the closet and replace with lighter spreads.

· Replace heavy accessories on nightstands and dressers with glass bowls filled with seashells, sea glass or silk flowers.

· Add potpourri with light fragrance to make the room smell fresh.

· Put some light-colored throw pillows on the bed.

· Replace heavy drapes with a light-colored valance or patterned sheers to draw more light into the room.

· Add spring inspired throw rugs.

Kitchen:

· Remove as much as possible from the countertops and refrigerator doors.

· Add springtime freshness to the table with napkins and placemats in spring colors.

· Hang some pretty new dishtowels in bright spring colors.

Bathrooms:

· Keep toothbrushes in a cabinet instead of on the countertop or out in the open – every time you flush the toilet, bacteria sprays into the air, landing on toothbrushes that are left out.

· Clean ventilation fans – remove the vent cover, soak in warm soapy water and dry. Vacuum or use vinegar and water to remove dust from the fan blades.

· Replace dark towels with brighter, spring-colored ones.

· Change a dark shower curtain with one that lets in more light and expands the room.

Just a few changes will brighten your Advance home and make it spring ready. Potential buyers will notice the time and effort you took to make your home inviting.

If you are ready to put your Advance home on the market, call me today at 336-909-1284 or email me at info@pre4u.com for more information.

Links:

Replace dark lampshades

http://www.lampsusa.com/lamp-shades.aspx

Clean Ventilation Fans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rFe_AeSOL4

Brighten your Advance home

http://hookedonhouses.net/2009/03/17/7-simple-ways-to-welcome-spring/

VISIT www.pre4u.com

You’ve found the perfect Winston-Salem home that you know should be well within your budget. Now all you need to do is secure the loan — but you’re turned down by bank after bank. In today’s economy, many buyers are facing this exact issue. They have the means to meet their potential mortgage payment. Unfortunately, an issue in the past damaged their credit score and it’s preventing them from getting a loan.

If you’re contemplating purchasing a Winston-Salem home, especially if you’re a first-time buyer, you need to do everything you can to boost your credit score. This will make it more likely that you’ll qualify for a loan and will help you secure a lower interest rate. Below are a few steps to get you started:

· Get a free credit report. You can do this at https://www.annualcreditreport.com once a year. This site is maintained by the FTC and is the only site that provides a truly 100% free credit score. There are other sites with similar names, but they are not to be trusted because they are not maintained by the FTC. If you prefer not to use the web, you can also get your free credit report by calling 1-877-322-8228.

· Check your credit score. A score of 780 is excellent; however, you should be able to secure a loan with a score of around 720. If your score is low, you might want to consider renting for another year while you work to improve it.

· Ensure there are no errors. If a credit card company has you defaulting on bills for a card you never opened, you could be a victim of identity theft. Start working to have any errors removed immediately — they’ll be more difficult to fix the longer you wait.

· Pay down debt quickly and on time. Paying off your debt as quickly as possible and on time will help to steadily increase your credit score.

Working to maintain and improve your credit score will make purchasing a new home, or refinancing your existing one, much easier on your pocketbook and your sanity. Also, shop around and check with multiple loan agencies, such as a national bank, a local bank and a credit union because they might yield very different interest rates based on your credit score.

If you’re ready to purchase a Winston-Salem home, I can help. Please give me a call today at 336-909-1284 or email me at info@pre4u.com.

Links:

First-Time Home Buyers

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/mortgages-real-estate/08/first-time-homebuyer-guide.asp#axzz1nc316jH8

Annualcreditreport.com

https://www.annualcreditreport.com

Improve Your Credit Score

http://blog.equifax.com/credit/improve-your-credit-score-and-creditworthiness/

Visit Pre4u.com

There’s good news for buyers and sellers of Davie County real estate: The U.S. Economic and Housing Market Outlook that came out the end of February is encouraging. According to this research done by Freddie Mac, both the economy and the housing market are showing cautious signs of recovery.

Here are some of the changes stimulating these improvements in both nationwide and Davie County real estate markets:

· Loans that were seriously delinquent or going into foreclosure declined to the lowest quarterly share since the start of 2009, according to the latest Mortgage Bankers Association Mortgage Delinquency Survey.

· In January, existing home sales were at their highest since May 2010, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.

· Job gains have exceeded expectations for the past two months.

· In January, the unemployment rate fell to its lowest since 2009. In December, jobless claims were at their lowest level since 2008.

· Applications for weekly unemployment benefits decreased for the third consecutive week, to 348,000; the fewest since the first week of March 2008.

· Home builder confidence continues to grow.

· Households are paying off their debts and accessing credit more easily.

· Historically low mortgage rates continue. According to Freddie Mac, the national average rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage was a record low 3.92 percent in January.

Please join me in celebrating these positive trends!

Thinking of buying or selling Davie County real estate? Please give me a call at 336-909-1284 or email me at info@pre4u.com to talk about how I can help you take advantage of the upcoming spring and summer selling season.

Links:

U.S. Economic and Housing Market Outlook

http://www.freddiemac.com/news/finance/

Mortgage Bankers Association

http://www.mortgagebankers.org/NewsandMedia/PressCenter/79827.htm

Unemployment rate fell to the lowest since 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/04/business/economy/us-economy-added-243000-jobs-in-january-unemployment-rate-is-8-3.html

Visit www.Pre4U.com

If you have come to the difficult decision that divorce is the course of action you must take, don't compound the grief by allowing mortgage delinquency on your Mocksville home to tank your credit.

In addition to the emotional toll that divorce can take, there are a lot of financial tolls that can occur as well. Don’t add a poor credit history or foreclosure to the list.

When divorcing and hashing out the financial details, be sure to:

• Clearly identify who is responsible for the mortgage payment. No matter who moves out of your Mocksville home, if you are both on the mortgage, you are both responsible for the mortgage payments. That doesn’t mean you each have to pay half of the payment. It does mean that if the payment is late both of your credit histories will be hurt. The two of you have to decide who pays what percentage of the mortgage payment. Do this immediately (preferably before someone moves out) and get it in writing.
• Consider involving an escrow company. If you are not solely responsible for making the mortgage payment, get an escrow company to receive the payments from you and your spouse and send the full mortgage payment in on time. This gives you a record of the payment being made by a third party and the escrow company can let you know if your spouse has not made his or her share of the payment.
• Continue to pay your share of the mortgage. Not only do you want to protect your credit but also your contribution to the equity in the home.
• Sell or refinance. To get your name off the mortgage, you must either sell or refinance. A quit claim deed does not remove your name from the mortgage; it just takes you off the title.

Discuss these suggestions with your soon-to-be-ex spouse and your attorney. Take the steps needed to secure your financial future.

If you’d like to find out what your Mocksville home is worth in today’s market, or need help preparing your home for sale, give me a call today at 336-909-1284 or email me at info@pre4u.com

Credit history

http://www.suzeorman.com/igsbase/igstemplate.cfm?SRC=MD012&SRCN=aoedetails&GnavID=84&SnavID=20&TnavID=&AreasofExpertiseID=20

Escrow company

http://cashmoneylife.com/mortgage-escrow-accounts-explained/

Refinance

http://blogs.reuters.com/reuters-money/2011/08/12/time-to-refinance-how-low-can-mortgage-rates-go/

The reality of today's real estate market means that there are many opportunities to purchase Winston Salem short sales. While the process can still be confusing, it is increasingly common. Here are a few tips on how to make sure you leap through the extra hoops a short sale requires with ease and grace:

• Avoid short sales with multiple mortgage lenders: Offers on Winston Salem short sales with two different lenders are at a much higher risk of being declined. The first mortgage lender will likely only allow a small percentage to go to the holder of the second mortgage – who will therefore be likely to veto a deal, on the hope that more funds would be generated in a foreclosure.
• Check the Real Estate Agent’s Short Sale Track Record: Agents with experience in short sales are much more likely to be able to successfully navigate the system than those new to the vagaries of short sales.
• Make Reasonable Offers: Short sales can be better deals, but they are unlikely to be magically cheap. No matter what, the bank isn't going to give the home away just to avoid foreclosure. You want to put together an offer that makes the buyer and the bank happy.
• Follow Up on the Details: With the bank involvement, there will be more negotiation and more detail. Keep your i's dotted and t's crossed to make sure the process doesn't stall.
• Allow For Extra Time: Short sales are not a short process, so if you are truly in a hurry to close a deal, consider other options.

If you're looking for a real estate agent with experience in Winston Salem short sales, give me a call. I can help you navigate the system and close on your new home. You can reach me at 336-909-1284 or email me at info@pre4u.com

Links:

Short sales

http://www.realtor.org/library/library/fg335

Listing agent

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-listing-agent.htm

Second mortgage

http://banking.about.com/od/mortgages/a/secondmortgage.htm