Brentwood TN Real Estate/Homes - Vanessa Stalets REALTOR®

Your Brentwood, Franklin and Nashville TN Homes for sale source!

It has been a rough year, with dropping values, buyers that are picky and easily spooked and listings that take more work and knowledge to sell.

Recently things have taken a nice step up,! Showings are up, pending and closed sales are up and I even have had multiple offers a time or two. 3 out the 4 listings I had are sold, pending or under contract! Yay! Good news there.

This is a fabulous time to buy, especially for first time buyers!
But, will it continue, or is it a blip on the proverbial radar? Winter is coming and with that the normal decrease, however, those buyers who are looking in the winter months are serious as all get out! If a listing is priced well and in good condition, there is no reason it would not sell! Pricing is key you see.

I have had sellers unable to understand or accept that this year, and they paid with lower selling prices. We all tell the same story, but human nature is to have to learn it the hard way. Here is to easier learning in the future!
Hope everyone is doing well!
Sell on Y'all!

Vanessa Stalets
615-957-6333
RE/MAX Elite
615-661-4400

Your Brentwood, Franklin and Nashville TN Homes for sale source!

$15,000 Home Buyer Incentive, What It Could Mean For Nashville, Brentwood and Franklin TN Areas!

Will a $15,000 home buyer incentive work in Nashville?

ABSOLUTELY!!! If the $15,000 home buyer incentive passes Congress in its present form, we will see a HUGE boost in the sales activity here in Nashville. We are currently working on the perfect storm with record low interest rates, sellers willing to negotiate, add to that a new buyer's incentive and we will see buyers falling off the fence in droves to buy that house they have been waiting for! This will also create a 2-fold benefit: By offering this incentive, it will help shore up the housing market and boost consumer confidence, then with a newfound $15,000 in their pocket, the consumers will likely spend this newfound windfall thereby stimulating the economy even more! Two benefits from one addition to the stimulus package - it doesn't get better than that!

Here are the details as I know them. For every home buyer that purchases a home this year, they will receive 10% of the value of the home up to $15,000 credit on their annual taxes. This is for a primary residence only and they do NOT have to be a first time home buyer! They also do NOT have to pay it back! This is a huge benefit to help encourage buyers to go ahead and make a purchase or LOSE the potential for a FREE $15,000.00 tax deduction!!

I also took a $160,000.00 house and with FHA financing and 3.5% down, the buyers would have enough credit to reimburse them for the down payment and make the payments for nearly a year. A FREE house for a year, would you take that?!

With the inventory we have on the market, the last thing anyone expects to hear is that we have a shortage. That may just be the case toward the end of this year when it comes to New Construction here in Nashville. With banks running scared on lending, builders are having a tough time getting bank loans to build more homes. Many of the small to medium size builders are working on selling their current inventory but are not able to start new ones. Here are some numbers:

Even though we have a decent month's supply currently on the ground, if the builders are not able to replace that inventory, it will dwindle down quickly to the least attractive homes. At that point, the large and cash builders will be in control and be able to charge more for their homes due to the limited supply. What should we do? Let buyers who want a new home know what is going on, and that NOW! is the time to make that decision before their choices are limited and costly!! We are the only education in real estate most buyers ever get, we must get out there and let them know what they need to know! This is a great time to buy and a great time to use a RE/MAX Elite agent, as we are historically among the best informed and most trusted agents in the world!
* Permission to re-publish courtesy Robb Campbell CEO RE/MAX Elite Brentwood TN*



Brentwood TN Homes for Sale

Vanessa Stalets
615-957-6333
RE/MAX Elite
615-661-4400

Your Nashville, Franklin and Brentwood TN real estate and homes agent!

Brentwood TN Homes For Sale

http://www.trulia.com/voices/marketcrisis/

Seniors are one of the top targets of 'foreclosure rescue specialists' for a variety of reasons. If you are a senior, you've probably lived in your home for a long time and have built up a substantial amount of home equity in the process. Even a fraction of that amount is a very attractive sum for a scammer and they may attempt to scam you out of it in a variety of ways.

It's probably not easy for you to get a loan from a lender of bank, if you are a senior facing the threat of foreclosure. It can be difficult to find somebody who will offer you a second loan on a fixed income or pension, without pledging any collateral. This is where a con artist steps in, offering to refinance your existing mortgage, typically replacing them with more expensive loans that you cannot afford to pay. When you eventually default on these payments the scammer might offer to find a buyer for you home and pocket any equity available as service fees. There are many variations of equity scams that thousands of homeowners fall prey to every year.

Another very popular scam that con artists pull on seniors features a 'home improvement' or 'home repair' hook. This type of con can even push an otherwise financially comfortable senior into foreclosure. The scammer appears disguised as a contractor and offers to make repairs on your home. They may recommend some very attractive financing options but the loans they will arrange will be out of your league or they may keep on increasing the amount you have to pay by quoting more problems they've uncovered in the course of their repairs. Defaulting on the loan or being unable to meet the rising cost of repairs can easily push you into foreclosure.

Unfortunately, seniors make very easy victims. They might not be sophisticated enough to handle complex legal issues and might be more than happy to have someone handle it for them. Many of them might be single or be widowers and may not be financially savvy. They might also be more trusting of people and more easily intimidated by fast-talking con artists. It's also easy to befriend a lonely senior, scam them under the guise of providing friendly counsel and have them sign over the deed to their house. There have been many reported cases of even family members scamming their elderly relatives.

The only way to be safe is to not fall for any of these scams. Be extremely suspicious of anyone who knocks on your door offering to save you from foreclosure by taking out another loan or who offers to make home repairs uninvited. If you do plan to make repairs, it's best to contact a legitimate contractor, check out competing bids and do a background check on the license of the contractor you decide to go with. Don't sign over the deed of your house to a friend or family member without getting some legal counsel. If you fall into the low-income category you may qualify for free legal aid.

Contact a Consumer Credit Counseling Service office or your local legal aid center to get more information on the options available to you as a senior to avoid foreclosure. As always, I am here to be of any service I can, please do not hesitate to call on me!

Brentwood TN Homes For Sale

Vanessa Stalets
615-957-6333
RE/MAX Elite
615-66104400

Brentwood TN Homes For Sale

So you've decide you want a new look for your Brentwood TN Home! But after weeks of searching for the perfect rug, rifling through dozens of magazines, comparing paint colors, you're feeling less inspired and more irritated. Use these tips from HGTV for encouragement to create your picture perfect Brentwood TN home.

Create an ambience

The first step in designing a fabulous room is to decide how you want it to feel. Do you want the mood to be exciting, lavish, tranquil, or cozy? In determining the atmosphere of the room, be sure to consider what the room is used for and who will be using it. The rooms function is probably the most important factor in deciding how it should be decorated. Remember that color is the number one element in setting a mood.

Set a budget

Be realistic in light of what you want. If you are working with a limited budget it is best to buy a few quality pieces instead of filling the room with "stuff". Be sure to avoid impulse buys. Make note of all your purchases to help you stay within budget.

Take a good look at the space

Take the time to reflect on how the room relates to other areas in the home. You want to create continuity or flow throughout. A great way to bring in flow is to use similar elements in related spaces. Try using complementary colors and fabrics. Take small parts from one room and integrate them in another room.

Use inspiration

Create your own sample board with inspirational items for the room. Use all the elements that you would like to see in the room. Think fabric swatches, paint chips, pictures of furniture and accessories that will be in the room. Consider taking some of the elements along with you on shopping trips. This can help ensure you purchase things that will work in the room.

Space and layout

Arrange the furniture and other items in the room while maintaining the functionality of the space. A great place to start is to consider how many people will need to be accommodated and how the room will be used. Be sure to measure furniture and check the dimensions within the room.

Visit lots of stores

Go to the upscale furniture stores in your area. Even if you can't afford to shop there, you will get great ideas. These stores put together rooms and coordinate items that can help you develop your own design concepts. You can train your eye to recognize furniture groupings that work, and the basics of scale and balance. Brentwood, Cool Springs and Franklin offer many varieties of furniture and accessory stores.

The importance of fabrics

Fabric is the single most important element in creating a sensational room. It's also the hardest thing to coordinate. To help you out, take your cues from fabric companies that have coordinated collections.

Choose your patterns and solids appropriately. It is best not to choose a huge overall pattern on a large piece as it's easy to tire of the pattern quickly. Remember that texture can convey a mood as well, so be mindful of how the fabrics feel affects the rooms tone.

All things color

When choosing your paint colors bear in mind the lighting of the space and the direction of the windows. The same paint color can look completely different in two separate rooms.

Consider buying paint color boards and some paint (some stores have sample size jars). Paint the boards and place them in the room, leaning against the wall. Leave it there for a bit so you can see how the paint looks at different times of the day.

Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize

Well, don't go overboard but accessories are a great versatile way to easily change the look and feel of a room. Accessories make it easy to adjust your look based on the season, trends, your ever changing taste; whatever you want without devastating your budget.

Remember the small things

It's really the details that can make or break a look. Pay attention to things like hardware, artwork, lighting, fixtures, moldings and trim. Details communicate personal style in a very subtle way.

These tips should help you get started on a room you will absolutely love!

Brentwood TN Homes For Sale

Vanessa Stalets

RE/MAX Elite

Phone: 615-661-4400

Cell: 615-957-6333

Visit my website at http://www.vanessastalets.com

Brentwood TN Real Estate

Mortgage bond prices fell pushing mortgage interest rates higher. Inflation fears were fanned by Fed Chairman Bernanke's comments indicating "longer-term inflation expectations have risen in recent months, which is a significant concern for the Federal Reserve." Oil prices retreated to near $122 per barrel the early portion of the week only to bounce higher Friday with prices around $138 per barrel.

For the week, interest rates on government and conventional loans rose by about 1/2 of a discount point.

The consumer price index Friday will be the most important event this week. Trade data and retail sales may also move the market. Expect oil and stocks to continue to factor into trading, as inflation fears remain a concern.

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Economic Factors
Economic Indicator	Release Date Time	Consensus Estimate	Analysis
Trade Data	Tuesday, June 10, 2008	$59.5 billion deficit	Important. Affects the value of the dollar. A falling deficit may strengthen the dollar and lead to lower rates.
Fed "Beige Book"	Wednesday, June 11, 2008	None	Important. This Fed report details current economic conditions across the US. Signs of weakness may lead to lower rates.
Retail Sales	Thursday, June 12, 2008	Up 0.6%	Important. A measure of consumer demand. A smaller than expected increase may lead to lower mortgage rates.
Business Inventories	Thursday, June 12, 2008	Up 0.4%	Low importance. An indication of stored-up capacity. A significantly larger increase may lead to lower rates.
Consumer Price Index	Friday, June 13, 2008	Up 0.5%, Core up 0.2%	Important. A measure of inflation at the consumer level. Lower than expected increases may lead to lower rates.
U of Michigan Consumer Sentiment	Friday, June 13, 2008	57.5	Important. An indication of consumers' willingness to spend. Weakness may lead to lower mortgage rates.

Business Inventories

The report on business inventories basically gives a broader look at the durable goods, factory orders, and retail sales reports. Not only is this report an important part of the investment component of the GDP, but it also provides additional evidence about the economy in the upcoming months. Changes in business inventories slow as the economy approaches a peak, and rise as the economy approaches the trough of a recession. Therefore the change in business inventories is a leading indicator of GDP. The data for this report, which are published by the Department of Commerce's Census Bureau, comes from a monthly survey of inventories, orders, and manufacturers' shipments, in addition to the merchant wholesalers and retail trade surveys.

Not a great amount of attention is typically paid to this report due to the fact that much of the data is already available and surprises are rare. The only new information in this report is retail inventories. However, given the recent negative trend in mortgage bonds, this report may be more of an influence.

The potential for mortgage interest rates to push higher is real considering oil price pressures and inflation concerns noted by Fed Chairman Bernanke. However there still remains some uncertainty and a possibility rates could bounce back a bit following the recent jump higher.

It is important to remember that interest rates tend to improve slowly while negative movements tend to happen fast and furiously. Capitalizing on interest rates at the current levels protects against uncertainty surrounding future interest rate developments.
*Information Courtesy Tonya Esquibel, WR Starkey Mortgage, Franklin/Brentwood TN*

Vanessa Stalets
Brentwood TN Homes
RE/MAX Elite 615-661-4400