It seems like each holiday season, we can barely get through with Halloween when Thanksgiving is upon us. Many of us will go out of town to visit family and friends and others of us will be welcoming those family members and friends into our homes. Therefore, it's important to make sure they feel comfortable and welcome when they come to visit.
If you're like most homeowners, you have a Thanksgiving to-do-list a mile long. So, I'd like to extend my advice on getting your home ready for your visitors this Thanksgiving holiday in a timely and orderly fashion. Once these tasks are finished, you will be able to glide around and be the cool host that you are.
Access What You Need to Do
Decide what projects you want to take on around the house. Will it be a major sprucing up, a one room makeover, holiday decorating or a good fall cleaning?
Determine How Long Each Project Will Take
Depending on the project or projects you decide to take on, the length will vary. You should carefully consider how much time you have and how much time you want to spend on the project. Don't dilly-dally around. Make each moment count, especially if you are on a time crunch.
Schedule Your Time
Once you have determined how long the project will take and how much time you are willing to spend on it, get a calendar and make yourself a schedule of which days you will work on your projects.
What Materials Do You Need
Make a list of the materials that you will need for your project. Check your list for items that you already have around the house. This way you are only purchasing what is absolutely necessary and you can stay within a budget, if needed.
Look for Sales
If you are on a budget, keep an eye out for sales on home improvement items such as paint, carpet remnants, spackling, picture framing, cleaners, upholstery, furniture, etc.
Final Touchups
For last minute touchups that really make a house shine, you should clean all the windows and glass doors, clean your baseboards, add fresh flowers, make sure all the dishes are clean on the day your guests are expected to arrive and set out some potpourri for a nice fresh scent.
For more great holiday tips and advice, visit the DIY website. They have some really great money saving ideas for everyone.
Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday season ~ Realtor® Liz Miller
From the news I recently read, it looks like Lake Havasu City's high energy bills will soon be a thing of the past. The Lake Havasu City Council recently took steps to pass a new ordinance for the use of solar energy that just might make high energy bills a thing of the past.
The Lake Havasu City Council unanimously voted for allowing height exceptions and allowing solar panels to exceed the current 15-foot residential height limits by 3 feet. With the new ordinance, solar panels can really maximize their potential.
Two options were presented for voting. Option one was to allow solar collectors to extend 18 feet with an application of 25% of the roof and required a setback of 10 feet from the edge of the roof. Option two was a similar option one, but the solar collectors would have to extend no more than two feet above the maximum allowable height.
Arizona utility companies are now mandated to provide 15% renewable energy to their energy supply by the year 2025. The main purpose of adding solar panels on houses is to get them to what is called a "net zero," meaning the house will produce the same amount of energy it uses over the course of one year. Many of the homes that have solar panels installed no longer have electric bills.
Lake Havasu City is trying to be on the cutting edge by embracing renewable and sustainable energy and by being environmentally friendly. And it sounds like this is a great way to start.
Almost half of US Americans have credit scores that are not so great or even good and these consumers will not qualify for preferred interest rates when buying a home. Depending on the consumer's credit profile, the consumer may not qualify for the home loan at all. The biggest challenge to consumers is that many don't know exactly how their credit profile will affect their ability to buy a home or get preferred interest rates.
Here are some tips that may help you understand and improve your credit profile:
* The maximum amount of your monthly credit line for you to have the best credit profile impact should be 50%.
* The top contributing factor that makes a good credit score is your payment history.
* As soon as you pay off one of your high-interest credit cards, you should continue using it occasionally, but minimally.
* Remember that applying for credit cards just to receive a free gift will have an impact on your credit. So, be careful and sign up for credit cards that you really need.
* Rewards points on your credit card are usually a good deal when you carry no balance each month.
* To even have a credit score, you must have at least one creditor reporting some type of activity on your credit report for six months.
* Remember: banks and credit card companies do not think you are credit worthy by how many credit offers you receive in the mail.
* Credit scores are mainly used by lenders to predict how likely you are to repay your loan on time.
* Credit bureaus who manage your credit report and scores are just regular business corporations. So, when there's a glitch on your report, contact them to get it resolved. They are not government entities.
* Here's a little pop quiz for you to test your knowledge: If you were to pay 2% a month on your credit card, how long would it take you to pay off a $3,000 balance with an interest rate of 10%?
If you found that you really are confused about your credit profile, there's good news. It's not too late and, with proper guidance and understanding, you can begin to effectively manage your credit profile. By the way, the answer to the pop quiz is that it would take 18 years to pay off.
A statewide property scam is now targeting homeowners in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. This scam comes in the form of an official-looking county property tax relief that is so official looking it has scammed thousands throughout the state already. It comes through the mail offering the assistance of a property review board to help lower taxes for a fee of $189. The scam also includes a deadline date for quick processing.
Even the local newspapers are getting calls from homeowners with questions about the suspicious letter to see if anyone has any answers for them.
Some owners, but not all, already know that it is free to file a property tax appeal. So, those who do know that it is free are the ones onto the scam and questioning it. It is the ones who don't know that it is free to file a property tax appeal and it is also too late to appeal 2009 property valuations that are the ones falling for the scam, not questioning it and losing their money.
Some local residents are getting letters stating that they are eligible for savings of $500+ if they will just mail in their $189 service fee to the post office box stated in the letter, which is a Phoenix address. There was a very similar scam in California directed at residents there, but no one was ever caught.
Supervisor Johnson confirmed the letter being circulated is definitely fraudulent and a scam. For now, the county assessor's office will monitor the situation. In the meantime, I am trying to do my part by helping get word out to all homeowners to be on the lookout for a very official looking advertisement letter that claims homeowners qualify for a "property tax reduction review". This is only an attempt to scam all homeowners out of their money and nothing more.
Remember, there is no fee to file a property valuation appeal within Arizona and the 2009 appeals process has already ended, so it's too late for this year anyway.
If you think you are a victim or you receive one of these scams, you can contact the Attorney General's Office at 1-800-352-8431. You can also file a complaint online at www.azag.gov.
Realtor® Liz Miller ~ Lake Havasu City Real Estate
Search Homes for Sale in Lake Havasu City, Arizona Real Estate
Realtor® Liz Miller ~ Lake Havasu City Real Estate
For the ninth consecutive month, residential home sales in Lake Havasu City have increased over the same time period for the year before. In fact, Lake Havasu homes experienced a 54% increase in June 2009 over home sales in June 2009 (150 vs 97). Vacant land sales in Lake Havasu also experienced a 33% increase in June 2009 from the previous year (12 vs 9) and sales of multi-family homes were up 150%. The average sell price of a Lake Havasu City home was $173,603, while the average sell price of a vacant lot was $80,679. Prices for single-family homes seem to be staying pretty steady now as well. If you are looking to purchase a home in Lake Havasu City, now is definitely the time to buy. The inventory is full of great bargains and prices will not stay this low forever. Besides, you have until the end of November 2009 to use the $8000 First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit to help finance your home. And, with the Your Way Home AZ program firmly in place for all Arizona residents, it would be silly of you not to purchase that Lake Havasu dream home today.
Liz Miller - Just Call Liz for Your Lake Havasu Real Estate Needs!
It's all about the lifestyle! Selling lovely homes in Lake Havasu, Bullhead City and Kingman Arizona areas.
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It's my goal, as your full service Realtor specializing in the Lake Havasu, Bullhead City, and Kingman areas, to work with you in finding the best property for your needs and desires. I keep up with the market, daily, and know the latest listings and prices. This is is a full-time profession, not a hobby, or part-time venture. I have the education, reputation, experience, and proven track record of success to handle any residential real estate transaction. And remember, it's all about the details, no matter how big or small, it all matters. So invest your money and time wisely, relax, and let me do the work for you today.
I love living, working, and playing in Lake Havasu City. Let me share with you my enthusiasm for this "jewel in the desert" we call home. Please feel free to contact me (and I do answer my phone and e-mail!) if you would like to discuss how I can best help you in your real estate needs.
Dear Liz:
We would like to thank you for everything you have done for us in regards to the selling of our home in Lake Havasu City.
When our home first went on the market things were very bleak and as time went on, we had to let our first agent go. She wasn't doing anything for us. It was frustrating working with someone who only thought of getting her house sold first. We felt lost and needed to find help fast.
We looked long and hard for a new agent that would help us sell our home. We talked to many real estate agents over the phone. We were looking for answers to our questions. All we found were agents who thought they walked the walk and talked the talk. Some tried to give us an answer, they talked about the government, the way things were, but never really answered our questions. They talked in circles. We were looking for a real estate agent, not a politician.
We wanted someone who would work for us and give us straight answers. We did our homework/research and talked to a real estate agent here in IL. She helped us locate you, Liz. She also did a lot of homework/research regarding the realtors in Lake Havasu City; she called us and gave us your name. She told us that you were the right person to get the job done and helped us get in contact with you.
I must say that every time I call you, you are there ready to help us out with what ever question we may have and if we have to leave a message you return our calls. I remember the first time I called you, you were out of town, but you answered your phone. I was very impressed by that.
You have been very helpful with getting our home sold. We are very please with the way you handled our situation. Since we no longer lived in the area it was very hard to locate someone that would be helpful, trust worthy, understanding to our needs and to be there when we needed you to be there. You were by our side all the way.
Your personality shines through. You are very hard worker, and it shows in everything that you do. You are a go getter. That is what we needed.
Thank you again for all of your time, hard work, and it was a pleasure doing business with you. You tell it like it is. You are truthful and dedicated to get the job done. That is what a real - real estate agent does. I would not hesitate at all, giving your name to others that are looking to sell their home.
Wishing you the very best in all you do.
Sincerely,
Lori and Joe,
Bloomingdale, IL
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Reprint from Today's News Herald:
Orchids to Liz Miller of Keller Williams Realty for selling my home in two days! We're forever grateful.
John and Beth Forbes
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Hi Liz. I understand that there are a lot of people out there who are apprehensive about buying a home on the internet. I thought if we shared our experience it might help. Living in Hawaii and looking for a home in Lake Havasu we knew we would need a real estate agent that we could trust and that we could work with long distance. After looking through Real Estate Magazines we had picked up on our last trip to Lake Havasu we looked at all the ads from the different Realtors and decided to "Just Call Liz". Best move we ever made. We sent an e-mail to Liz asking her to call and she did, within about 10 minutes! We spent a little time talking to her, telling her what we were looking for in a house and kicking around some ideas with her and she promised to get back to us with some homes to look at. By the next day she had found us four houses to look at and e-mailed us pictures and info on all of them. One of these was our perfect house at the perfect price and we made an offer. Everything was handled by phone, fax and e-mails. There were a few glitches along the way, I think there always are when purchasing a home, but Liz handled everything for us and kept everything moving along smoothly. We went to Lake Havasu to sign the closing papers which wasn't really necessary but we were anxious to see our house and meet Liz in person. I guess the best thing about dealing with Liz is that she listens to what you want and need, doesn't assume she knows better than you do and has been in the business long enough to know a lot of contractors, lenders, service people, etc. so is able to help with whatever you might need. Internet shopping for a new home can be fun and a little scary. Working with the right Realtor can make all the difference. My advice to anyone contemplating an internet home purchase? Just call Liz. Our first friend in Lake Havasu! Lee & Sherrie Wooden Kailua Kona Hawaii Thank you Liz for all the hard work and professionalism in selling our home and were delighted that you sold it within our time frame! You always had time for us and gave helpful advice and had wonderful ideas. We were immediately drawn to your professionalism and positvie attitude and knew your hard-work ethics would be successful. You have a great sense of humor and we wish you the very best!
Thank you,
Jim & Donna Griese
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