Heather Goodwin ~ Shreveport Louisiana Real Estate

So, are you ready to begin looking for that dream home? If you haven't taken the time to analyze exactly what you want in a home, you may spend a lot of time looking at houses that aren't right for any number of reasons. That would be an unproductive waste of time for you and your agent, when taking a few minutes thinking about what's most important to you and your family could eliminate many homes from consideration. And with the large inventory out there today, that's a good thing. What does your future home look like? Where is it located? This list is helpful to let your agent know exactly what you're looking for and to evaluate properties you visit and keep your priorities right in front of you.

Neighborhoods

What type of neighborhoods do you prefer?

Schools

What school systems do you want to be near?

Transportation

How close must the home be to these amenities:

• Public transportation
• Airport
• Expressway
• Neighborhood shopping
• Schools
• Other

Home Style

• What architectural style(s) of homes do you prefer?
• Do you want to buy a home, condominium, or townhome?
• Would you like a one-story or two-story home?
• How many bedrooms must your new home have?
• How many bathrooms must your new home have?

Home Condition

• Do you prefer a new home or an existing home?
• If you’re looking for an existing home, what age home would you consider?
• How much repair or renovation would you be willing to do?
• Do you have special needs that your home must meet?

Home Features Write down next to each of these features whether it is a Must Have, Would Like, Willing to Compromise, Not Important item.

• Front yard
• Back yard
• Garage ( __ cars)
• Patio/Deck
• Pool
• Family room
• Formal living room
• Formal dining room
• Eat-in kitchen
• Laundry room
• Attic
• Fireplace
• Spa in bath
• Central air conditioning
• Central heating
• Wall-to-wall carpet
• Wood floors
• Great view

This list could go on and on, but you get the idea.

If you're a first-time home buyer it can be hard to know what's essential and what's not. Think about the places you've lived and what you did and didn't like about those places. Look at home magazines to see what the latest offerings are in new homes today. You might ask family and friends what their favorite features are in their homes.

Taking the time to think about these things will be a real time-saver when it comes time to work with your agent. Any agent will appreciate the thought you've put into the process and will be able to present you with a list of homes for sale in Shreveport that better fits your needs.

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You're at Home with Heather
Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana Real Estate

Shreveport Home Connection
Coldwell Banker J. Wesley Dowling & Assoc. LLC

Serving your real estate needs in Shreveport, Bossier City, Benton, Haughton, Keithville, Stonewall, Blanchard, and Barksdale AFB

Licensed in Louisiana

Looks like although the number of houses sold is down by 15% the average home price is holding steady. What does this mean to you as a buyer? It means that with interest rates hovering just below 6%, more homes on the market, and prices tending to stay the same or be a bit higher than last year - don't wait.

Get pre-approved and start house hunting while the selection is good and the rest of the buyers are waiting for prices to go down. And let me know if I can help you.

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You're at Home with Heather
Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana Real Estate

Shreveport Home Connection
Coldwell Banker J. Wesley Dowling & Assoc. LLC

Serving your real estate needs in Shreveport, Bossier City, Benton, Haughton, Keithville, Stonewall, Blanchard, and Barksdale AFB

Licensed in Louisiana

With the tightening of the credit supply due to the real estate market downturn, it is more important than ever to know your credit score. Your score will in large part determine what type of mortgage loan program you qualify for and the interest rate you'll pay. This, in turn, will determine whether you're able to buy that home you've fallen in love with.

Credit scores range between 200 and 850. While scores above 620 are considered desirable for obtaining a mortgage, to get the best interest rates you need a score at or above about 720. The following factors affect your score:

Payment History

Do you have a history of paying your credit obligations on time? If they were late, then how late? Have you filed for bankruptcy? Liens and collection activity also impact your score.

Amount Owed

If you owe a large amount of money on a large number of accounts, it can indicate that you are overextended. However, if the balances on those accounts is 40% or less of the total credit limits, that's a good thing.

Length of Credit History

In general, the longer you have had accounts open, the better. This shows that you have been managing credit for some time which gives the lender a picture of how you might handle it in the future.

Amount of New Credit

New credit, either installment payments such as an auto loan or new credit cards, are considered riskier even if you pay them promptly.

Types of Credit

Generally, it's desirable to have more than one type of credit - installment loans, credit cards, and a mortgage, for example.

Over time, you can improve your credit score by doing the things in these five areas that will make you a more appealing risk to a mortgage lender.

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You're at Home with Heather
Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana Real Estate

Shreveport Home Connection
Coldwell Banker J. Wesley Dowling & Assoc. LLC

Serving your real estate needs in Shreveport, Bossier City, Benton, Haughton, Keithville, Stonewall, Blanchard, and Barksdale AFB

Licensed in Louisiana

Everyone looks forward each year to the Red River Revel on the riverfront in downtown Shreveport. It takes place the first week of October just when the weather is beginning to cool off. The days are usually crisp and clear which makes it a wonderful time to stroll through Festival Plaza taking in all the sights, sounds, and smells. So really, when you mention the Revel there are only three things to talk about: art, music, and food.

ART

It's hard to say which is the biggest draw for people, but the art has to be it for many. There are over 100 artists selling their wares, and you can find anything from the expected paintings and watercolors to fiber arts, jewelry, and wood working. Many artists have been coming to the Revel for many years and have a devoted following. The organizers are sure to include new artists each year, though, to keep things interesting.

MUSIC

This is perhaps my favorite part (well, okay, except for the food) because there is such a variety of performers. From the jazz, zydeco, and R&B to the rock, funk and country, you can hear it at the Red River Revel. Each night nationally recognized headliners perform on one of the three stages. And local acts get in on it when groups such as the Centenary Suzuki string students, gospel quartets, and dance ensembles perform. And if you feel like dancing, there's plenty of room!

FOOD

Okay, a LOT of people come to the Revel for the food alone. There are over 20 food booths carrying whatever your little heart might desire. Almost all of the booths are run by civic and school organizations as part of their fundraising efforts, so you are supporting worthy causes as you eat. What an excuse to indulge!

Offerings include commercially available foods such as Domino's pizza and Blue Bell ice cream for those who like to stick to the familiar. But the real beauty of the food at the Revel is the number of homemade and regional favorites like Natchitoches meat pies, barbeque, blackened catfish and dirty rice, "Down Home" dogs, crawfish bread, roasted corn, and fried pickles. I won't even go into the sweet stuff. Let's just say you could seriously hurt yourself!

Another nice thing about Red River Revel is that the children are not left out. There is a plethora of activities for the kids such as clay pot painting, a mock geological dig, storytelling, cultural exhibits, dance workshops, a mini medical center, hair braiding, and sand art to name just a few things. There are also street performers, a rock wall, and music just for them including the well-known Trout Fishing in America.

Now you can see why everyone in Shreveport, Bossier City and the surrounding areas look forward to this festival each year. After 22 years, the organizers know how to throw a week-long party where everyone feels welcome.

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You're at Home with Heather
Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana Real Estate

Shreveport Home Connection
Coldwell Banker J. Wesley Dowling & Assoc. LLC

Serving your real estate needs in Shreveport, Bossier City, Benton, Haughton, Keithville, Stonewall, Blanchard, and Barksdale AFB

Licensed in Louisiana

NORRIS FERRY LANDING

Norris Ferry Landing is unarguably on of the best-situated gated communities in Shreveport. Located in southeast Shreveport on Norris Ferry Road, it is just a hop, skip, and jump (or less than a mile by car) to Interstate 49. From there you can access Bert Kouns Industrial Loop, Hwy 3132 Innerloop, and I-20 - virtually all of Shreveport and into Bossier City and Barksdale Air Force Base.

This area surrounding Norris Ferry Landing has a distinctly rural feel to it. It is peaceful and disconnected from the hubbub of the city, but the development itself is clean and crisp with streets laid out in a uniform fashion making it easy to find your way around. And the homes themselves are anything but country. Built in the latest architectural styles, they sit comfortable back from the street and emanate feelings of "happy to be home" and the "good life".

While there are still some new builder homes for sale, people move on and move up, so there aer usually several existing homes for sale. Norris Ferry Landing is smaller than other gated developments such as Southern Trace and Provenance which are communities located in the same area. It is about the same size as the Hidden Trace development with only seven streets which only enhances its charm and secluded feeling.

If you would like to see for yourself what is available now, you may visit Shreveport Real Estate Home and search to your heart's content. Home prices currently are in the low $200,000 to low $300,000 range.

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You're at Home with Heather
Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana Real Estate

Shreveport Home Connection
Coldwell Banker J. Wesley Dowling & Assoc. LLC

Serving your real estate needs in Shreveport, Bossier City, Benton, Haughton, Keithville, Stonewall, Blanchard, and Barksdale AFB

Licensed in Louisiana