John Kimsey, Prudential Ambassador Real Estate, Omaha, NE

BUYERS AND AGENTS BEWARE; TRAC BUILDERS, CUSTOM BUILDERS AND GENERAL CLOSING DATES. THE 2009 STIMULAS PACKAGE IS GONE OR CLOSE TO BEING OUT OF REACH FOR SOME HOME BUYERS.

IF YOU ARE BUILDING A NEWLY CONSTRUCTED HOME, AND YOU HAVEN'T STARTED CONSTRUCTION BY MAY 31, 2009, BE SURE YOU GET IN WRITING FROM YOUR BUILDER/CONTRACTOR A TIME IS OF THE ESSENSE GUARANTEE THAT THE HOME WILL BE COMPLETED AND CLOSED AND DISPURSED BEFORE DECEMBER 31, 2009. OR YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE $8000.00 TAX CREDIT.

HERE ARE A FEW TIPS TO KEEP YOU ON TRACK.

BEFORE YOUR HOME SEARCH GET FULLY QUALIFIED BY A GOOD LENDER. THEY WILL NEED TAX RETURNS, PAY STUBS, AND A FRESH CREDIT REPORT.

1. BUY A PRE-EXISTING HOME, OR COMPLETED NEW CONSTRUCTION.
2. DON'T ATTEMPT FORECLOSURES AND SHORT SALES AFTER SEPTEMBER OF THIS YEAR UNLESS THEY CAN GUARENTEE A DECEMBER CLOSE DATE.
3. HAVE ALL MONIES NEEDED TO CLOSE ALREADY IN PLACE. GIFT MONEY, 401K DRAWS,ETC. THIS WILL SAVE TIME IN THE PAPER TRAIL AND MAKE THE LOAN GO SMOOTHLY.
4. CHOOSE A GOOD TITLE COMPANY THAT HAS A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR LENDER, WHEN THINGS GET TOUGH THEY WILL DO WHAT EVER IT TAKES TO GET THIS LOAN DONE AND THEY WANT TO KEEP EACH OTHERS BUSINESS WHEN ALL THIS PASSES.

I HOPE THESE TIPS HELP YOU IN BEING A HOME OWNER.

GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS, JOHN!

Just as each homes is unique, home inspectors differ from company to company, city to city, and state to state. Several states such as Nebraska have no Licensing requirements for inspectors. So how do your clients know who to call to inspect their single largest purchase they may make. So here is some help, the top questions to ask HOME INSPECTORS.

1. WILL YOUR INSPECTIONS MEET THE RECOGNIZED STANDARDS?

Since many states have no licensing requirements there have been well recognized standards of practice and code of ethics adopted by the American Society of Home Inspectors known as ASHI www.ashi.org and the National Association of Home Inspectors NAHI www.nahi.org home buyers and home owners can go to these website and view the standards of practice and code of ethics. ASHI's site also posts a database of state regulators.

2. ASK DO YOU BELONG TO A PROFESSIONAL HOME INSPECTOR ASSOCIATION?

There are several state and national associations for home inspectiors, as listed in #1, However as with the lack af many states not requiring a licensing board, many groups confer questionable credentials or certifications in return for nothing more that a fee. So how do you protect yourself, insist on members of reputable, nonprofit trade organizations, request to see a membership ID, and if they are insured, bonded and give a guarantee of their inspection.

#3 HOW EXPERIENCED ARE YOU?

Ask how long the inspectors have been in the profession and how many inspections they have completed. Ask if they were inspections for their own company or others. Could they provide customers referrals on request. Ask them to provide details of their training, and what their standards for what is a major or minor defect, and what is a code or safty violation.

more questions to come......