Kayla Pearce - Real Estate Agent, Milford Delaware

Things to know about!

USDA: Rural Development

Guaranteed Rural Housing Program

• Must be a fixed rate loan for 30 years

• Must be compliant with VA rate plus 60 basis points

• No maximum mortgage limit

• Adjusted Income Limits:

1 to 4 people: $74,050
5 to 8 people: $97,750

New Castle County:

1 to 4 people: $89,500

5 to 8 people: $118,150

• You must be planning to occupy the dwelling on a permanent basis

• Can not presently own a dwelling in the local commuting area (within 50 miles from present employment).

• You do NOT have to be a first time home buyer.

• The home must be in an eligible rural area, please check website for eligibility. http://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov

• No minimum credit score but there are unacceptable indicators.

• Credit score of 620 or higher qualify for streamlined documentation. This means no documentations or explanations will be required for any problems on credit history (except Federal debt or Agency Loan).

• Credit is always evaluated on a case by case basis.

• A guarantee fee of 2% is charged by the Rural Development to the total loan amount.

• This fee can be included in the loan, so the maximum loan amount may be 102% of the appraised value.

• Closing costs & lender’s fee may also be included in the loan amount, but only if the appraisal value of the property allows.

Have you been thinking about buying your first home recently, but really have no idea what to expect or what you should be doing? The next few "blogs" are going to be of a big help then! My first focus is going to be on hiring a Realtor. This could be the most important task of the whole process!

Find a Realtor that you are comfortable with. As a first time home buyer, you are going to have questions, insecurities, and you are going to need someone who you feel at ease talking to. This person should be knowledgeable and should be able to help you through this process. You should also be looking for a Realtor that you can trust. This goes along with being comfortable with them because they are going to learn a lot about you over the process. You are going to have to share personal information with them, & you are going to be spending a lot of time with your Realtor, so make sure you pick one that you can trust.

You also want a Realtor that has patience and is understanding. You may not find "your" home in just one shot, so make sure your Realtor is ready to spend time with you either out looking or on the computer going through homes on the MLS.

You're also going to want a Realtor that responds to other people in the industry in a timely manner & is dutiful with the work that is at hand. You don't want a Realtor that ignores phone calls, emails, paperwork, etc. This will not only complicate the process for you, but it has the potential to prolong the closing or even ruin a deal all together.

My advice to all buyers is if you don't already know a Realtor that you are comfortable with & can depend on, then look around. Talk to friends & family members, see who they have used in the past, find out if you know anyone, & then interview them. Make sure you take your time with this, because this is going to help to ensure a smooth and memorable process for you.

Good luck! If any AR members have any other advice, please share in the comments sections!

If there is one thing that comes close to the love I have for my incredible boyfriend or my amazing puppy dog... its BASEBALL!!!

Being in Delaware has turned out to be PERFECT for my love of the game. Not only am I close to one Stadium, but I am actually close to two baseball stadiums!!!! Whats even better is that they both play the Red Sox in regular season games, so I get to see them more often than not!!!!

• Oriole Park in Camden Yards, Baltimore Md, Home of the Baltimore Orioles - Location is about 1 hour 30 minutes from Central Delaware. In my opinion this is a great park, I love that there are other things to do, and its not a bad drive. Besides Baseball, this area offers The Inner Harbor, National Aquarium in Baltimore, Babe Ruth Museum, lots of places to eat like the Hard Rock Cafe or The Cheesecake Factory. To find out more things to do, check out this Baltimore Maryland web site!

• Citizens Bank Park, Philedelphia Pa, Home of the Philadelphia Phillies- Location is about 1 hour 20 minutes from Central Delaware. This park has some amazing views & is very easy to get to. Located within the park there are Phun zones created for Children, Philly Phanatic stores, & even a chance to "Make Your Own Phanatic" using the Build-a-Bear workshop! Click here more information on Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia!

Being a huge fan of the Boston Red Sox (grew up in Maine with a Family of die hard fans), being close to these two stadiums has turned out to be quite an awesome deal. I get to see the Red Sox play two "local" teams! Also, if I feel up for the drive, I can actually go cheer them on when they play those darned Yankees in New York! That drive is only about 3 hours!!!!

So if your thinking about moving to Delaware, & your a big baseball fan, you can rest easy tonight-- because two awesome stadiums are just a short drive away!!! ;)

The Sixth Annual Charity Golf Classic is in the making as we speak! Harrington ERA Realty is hosting this amazing event at the Wild Quail Golf & Country Club in Wyoming Delaware on May 21, 2009 @ 10:00am!!!!!

**Rain date: May 22, 2009**

This Charity event benefits organizations like: Boys

& Girls Club, Hospice, Salvation Army, Mom's House,

MDA, Murphey School, Habitat for Humanity, American Heart Association, Delaware Guidance Service, Special Olympics, and many others.

Golf Entry Fees:

• $150 each - Includes cart, lunch, on-course snacks & refreshments, Dinner/Auction
• $50 each - Dinner/Auction & Cash Bar (no Golf)

The Tournament Schedule:

• 10:00am-11:30am: Registration
• 10:30am- Noon: Grilled Lunch
• Noon: Shotgun Start
• 5:00pm-6:30pm: Cocktails/ Live Auction
• 6:30: Dinner/ Live Auction

Prizes & Contests:

• Longest Drive
• Closest to the Pin
• Closest to the Line
• Hole in One
• Low Gross: 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Place
• Low Net: 1st, 2nd, & 3rd Place
• Putting Contest

Raffle Prizes:

• First Drawing: Dover Downs Race Weekend Package (includes 2 tickets to Sunday, May 31st, 2009 NASCAR Dover 400 Race, Dinner for 2 at Michele's (based on Availability), overnight stay on Sunday, May 31st, 2009, & 4 laps to "Ride the Monster" from Monster Racing (based on availability).
• Second Drawing: Avenue Hotel, Rehoboth Beach- 1 nights stay plus dinner for two at Adriaticos Restaurant
• Third Drawing: Garman GPS
• Fourth Drawing: Wii Gaming System with Golf Game

Tickets- $10 each or 3 for $25 ** Drawing held May 21. 2009**

You do not need to be present to win, but if you win the first drawing and ARE PRESENT you win $100 BONUS!!!!

Sponsorship: The past few years we have been able to raise an honorable amount & we are hoping for the same results this year!

If you are interested in Sponsoring our event please contact: Kim Mills @ (302) 736-0800.

Sponorshop Recognitions:

• Event Sponsorship: Includes 2 foursomes, 8 dinner/ auction tickets, tee sign ($150 value), back cover of program book, banner at registration table
• Dinner Sponsorship: Includes 1 foursome, 4 dinner/auction tickets, tee sign ($150 value), full page ad in program book, banner
• Lunch Sponsorship:Includes 1 foursome, 4 dinner/auction tickets, tee sign ($150 value), 3/4 page ad in program book, banner
• $850 Patron Sponsorship: Recognition at the Charity Golf Classic, Acknowledgement in the commemorative program book, Full page ad in the commemorative program book, reserved seating at the reception dinner for 4 people, tee sign on course ($150 value)
• $450 Patron Sponsorship: Recognition at the Charity Golf Classic, Acknowledgement in the commemorative program book, Half page ad in the commemorative program book, reserved seating at the reception dinner for 2 people, tee sign on course ($150 value)
• $250 Patron Sponsorship: Recognition at the Charity Golf Classic, Acknowledgement in the commemorative program book, Quarter page ad in the commemorative program book, reserved seating at the reception dinner for 2 people

**The above are only suggestions, and do not show all of the packages we have put together. The Harrington Realty Charity Golf Classic wants to meet your needs. These features are not the only benefits available. We will work with you to identify ways to capitalize your support of the prestigious event. There are many other golfing sponsorships available.**

*** If you are interested in buying tickets, please don't hesitate to call me today!!! (302) 331-9459!!!!***

With the ten inches of snow on the ground here in Delaware, the anticipation for spring and summer is evident in everyone! There is talk of it all over town, the Internet, and the news! "When is beach season coming for us?!"

Even with the snow on the ground, the beach season is just around the corner & some people who are just moving to Kent or Sussex County Delaware may need some information on the different beaches before they decide which beach may be best for them & their families!

There are a few "main" beaches that people tend to visit more frequently then some of the other "smaller" beaches. Many of these beaches have a lot of similarities, but a few key points that make them VERY different.

First lets talk about the most well known beach in Delaware: Rehoboth Beach. This beach has a wonderful boardwalk with tons of shops & places to eat on the boardwalk as well as many of the other side streets. These shops include things like arcades, clothes, jewelry, candy, etc. This area tends to be crowded throughout the entire beach season, but it doesn't stop many people from coming anyway. This is not a good place to come to if you are looking for surfing or anything of that nature. There is also the Tanger Outlets, which is for the more serious shopper, rather than the Boardwalk shops. This holds home to places like Nike, Under Armor, JCrew, Pac Sun, Old Navy, Osh Kosh, Guess, Banana Republic, Gap, Polo, & much much more! There are rental homes, hotels, condos available in this area as well.

Dewey Beach is also a pretty popular beach here in Delaware. It is actually on a tv show now!!! This beach offers a lot of rental houses, hotels, condos, restaurants, bars, etc. There is plenty of beach area & a lot of people tend to like this area. There is a lot of night life in this area, & a lot of High School graduates and College kids stay here & work for the summer. I do not believe that you can surf here during life guard hours either.

Now Lewes Beach is more of a historical area. It does get busy, but is never as populated as Rehoboth or Dewey. There are some shops & restaurants in town as well. This is not a good surfing area at anytime.

Bethany Beach is also a busy tourist area. I have never really went there myself because it is further south then both Dewey & Rehoboth, so it is just easier to go to one of those. I know there are a lot of restaurants, & a lot of places to rent out as well. I am not familiar with surfing rules in this area, so you would want to check that out before hand.

** There are plenty of other beach areas, but these are the main ones that stick out for me! If you are looking for places to surf in Delaware, I would go to a place like the Indian River Inlet, or between the two tours just after Dewey Beach. These places tend to be less crowded & I hear the surf is better!!**

I hope this information is found useful to anyone who is interested in coming to the Delaware Beach area to visit, or to make that big move! Please feel free to call, text, or email me if you have any further questions on the area!!!!