Wright Realtors Real Estate News -

What's New at Wright Realtors - July 2012

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Juj 30
Veterans Housing Assistance
The Pentagon Federal Credit Union Foundation (PenFed), a national acknowledged nonprofit organization operating to encounter the unmet requirements of military workers and their families, provides financial assistance to first-time eligible home buyers operating through the Dream Makers program. Active duty workers, veterans and retired military members, along with employees of the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Defense, may be eligible for a grant as much a $5,000 for use as down payments and/or closing costs while purchasing their first house.   New Article Jul 30, 2011

To learn more about this foundation or make a donation, logon to www.PentagonFoundation.org.


Juj 29
Cool Tip to Cut Down on Cooking
By Donna Wright

In the summer heat, the very last thing anyone wants to think about is cooking. Every bit of energy I can come up with most evenings in this "I can’t believe we're still in July" weather, even in a cool air-conditioned home, is to make a bowl of cold Cookingcorn flakes for myself and call it a day.

I confess that I live in the luxury of being a partner marriage with the children grown moved out of the house. My husband is able to fend for himself. Although I can’t pull that off too often, given my husband’s enthusiasm for garden vegetables. In the spring, he planted peppers, corn, cantaloupes, several kinds of beans, watermelons, plus a dozen varieties of tomatoes. New Article Jul 29, 2011


Juj 28
Summer Home Selling Tips
Summer is really a great time to be selling your house. Why? During these hot summer days, your outdoor living spaces and landscaping pop to life. Homebuyers of today are seeking areas for extended living and just love livable outdoor areas. HGTV says that, outdoor spaces can reel in the big bucks. Backyard living space and patios must be great deal more significant than in times past. Things such as outdoor fireplaces, built-in grills, gazebos buyers are seeking these features. I've seen people fall in love with a home and have made a decision to buy it before they walk thru the front entry. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) also has noticed a trend, that younger home purchasers (Gen Xers) are seeking homes with more congruence between inside and outside living areas, even in cooler climates, it creates the perception of a larger size home, even if this space is not usable year round  New Article Jul 28, 2011
Juj 27
California REALTORS® Praise New California Short Sale Law
Under a new California law, any lender that accepts a short sale (defined as yielding insufficient funds to take care of the loans outstanding on a propert) must accept the short sale proceeds as total payment for every loan balance on that property, which is a great day for homeowners who are upside down and needing to get the property sold, states the California Association of REALTORS®. (CAR)

In a previously prepared statement praising Gov. Jerry Brown for taking pen to SB 458 bill by signing it into California law, (CAR) representatives stated that in the past the holder of a first mortgage could receive an agreed-to short sale payoff as full payment on the first loan although a secondary lien holder might still go after the home seller for the total amount due on a second lien. New Article Jul 27, 2011


Juj 26
The Value of Owning a Home in Today's Economy
Smiling HousePrices may be depressed, but most Americans believe in the value of homeownership. In a recent survey, provided for the National Association of Home Builders, "An awe-inspiring 75 percent of homeowners surveyed believe that owning their own home is worth taking the peril of the market fluctuations, while 95 percent of home owners stated they are satisfied with their resolve to buy a home."

There are several good reason homeowners feel this way. Homeownership gives people a wide array of benefits, including several that are on the outside your pocketbook. The number one benefit is stability. In a 2010 study labeled "Social Benefits of Stable Housing," by National Association of Realtors (NAR) states that stable housing and homeownership go hand-in-hand. while homeowners move way less often than renters, and are thus embedded into the community and neighborhood for a much longer time. New Article Jul 26, 2011


Juj 25
Single Women and Real Estate
During 2010, unmarried women consisted of 20 percent of every home buyer, by a study by the National Association of Realtors. These figures are greater than the 12% of single men that bought homes all through the same period. It's not exactly clear why there is discrepancy separating single men and single women. Although, some experts maintain that having their own home and a feel of fitting in are two major reasons that trigger single women to concentrate and purchase real estate.

Those real estate experts are right on. The Joint Center for Housing Studies finds that the three chief reasons that drive single women to buying a home today are: relocation for family or job; more space; and just to have their own home (called nesting). This new trend toward female home buyers is instigating builders to include some additional features slanted toward attracting more single women. Builders of new homes have begun featuring gourmet kitchens, additional security features, and low maintenance yards .New Article Jul 25, 2011

 


Juj 24
Realistic Couponing
I save as much as 60% to 70% off the everyday price of groceries and personal hygene items on a regular basis.A family of five, could cut their spending from $450 to $550 per month by using coupons and also watching the prices on what they buy could cut their average grocery bill down to $50 to $75 per week which could be pretty good, although there's a trend with many people that expect to get every item they buy for only cents on each dollar or totally free.

CouponingThis is just not the case. You certainly can find the occasionally free item or still yet a moneymaking purchase (after utilizng coupons. Store rewards can also be obtained, which allows you to actually wind up getting more money than the actual price of the item returned receiving store credit or cash.) but this is not representative of your every shopping excursion.

The TV show called Extreme Couponing has left people with a belief that only 50% or as little as 25 percent saving is not good enough, and that you must to achieve 98 percent savings each time you shop. That expectation is just not reasonable. So not meeting an expectation leads you to disappointment or lose interest, and pretty soon you have stopped saving any money period, because you quit couponing. New Article Jul 24, 2011


Juj 21
Realtors® Offer Recommendations to Strengthen the Mortgage Origination Process
The National Association of Realtors® offered recommendations to Congress today about a number of issues affecting the mortgage origination process and the real estate and housing finance industry’s ability to facilitate home sales. Testifying before the House Financial Service Committee’s Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity, NAR spokesperson Steve Brown, executive vice president, Crye-Leike Realtors® in Memphis, Tenn., identified several proposed regulations and existing rules .
Tornado Recovery Underscores How Much Home Ownership Matters
As NAR’s Home Ownership Matters bus crosses Alabama this week, Realtors® are providing assistance to victims of the April 27 tornadoes with funds raised from Realtor® donations across the country.

“When we see the devastation of families losing their homes in natural disasters, we’re reminded of just how much home ownership matters,” said National Association of Realtors® 2012 First Vice President Steve Brown, who met with Realtors® and families affected by the tornadoes.


Juj 20
The Way Dangerous Chemicals Creep into Your Home
We bring harmful chemicals inside our homes on a daily basis. They could come from our shoes, our shower curtains made of vinyl. or even our new furniture Here are my 5 Number One Ways Dangerous Chemicals Creep inside Your Home, with some solutions you can do to make for a healthier place for your family and the planet.

1. Furniture and Floor coverings: Furniture created from medium compacted fiberboard may encompass formaldehyde-based resin. While, many fashionable choices of floor coverings emit formaldehyde. At prominent levels, formaldehyde may cause irritation of the eyes and create breathing problems. Look for furniture and flooring goods with a formaldehyde-free label. Previously owned, wood furniture is also a a safe bet as any harmful chemicals have previously evaporated.

2. Chemical Cleaners: A customary way possible toxic chemicals get in is from using chemical-based cleaners. The ingredients of these cleaners do not even have a requirement that they be placed on the label. Many of their ingredients can contaminate the inside air of our homes and potentially create all kinds of health problems like allergies, asthma, and reproductive issues. An alternative is to buy or make your own non-toxic cleaners using white vinegar, baking soda, citrus juice, Borax, and oxygenated bleach. New Article Jul 20, 2011wired carbon monoxide detector. New Article Jul 18, 2011


Juj 09
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - Yet Another Federal Bureaucracy
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act contains numerous components while one of the larger ones is getting ready to make it's first appearance. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is projected to begin operation on July 22, 2011.

In reality work has already started behind the scenes which has been going on for several months. This new bureaucracy has been creating staff and getting their systems up to speed and projected be ready to open their doors by the July 22 date. Also they have been performing some initial Dodd-Frank tasks like combining the TILA Truth in Lending (TIL) statement and the RESPA Good Faith Estimate (GFE) into a single disclosure. This development, has been somewhat of a new surprise and appears as a promise as to how CFPB will deal with its many future regulatory undertakings. New Article Jul 9,


Juj 05
My Cedar Deck Rotted After only Eight Years
Cedar DeckEight years ago, I added a cedar deck at the rear of the house. I used cedar as I was led to believe that its expected life was much longer than pine that's been pressure-treated. The deck was completed in April and allowed to season and dry at least a year, as instructed by the builder, prior to adding stain.

The next spring, The deck was treated using a semitransparent stain, which allowed the grain of the wood to show through but resembled paint. A few months down the road, the paint started peeling. Large flakes started coming off the wood. I got a hold of the painter, who returned the following spring and repainted the deck and didn't charge me anything.  New Article Jul 5, 2011


Juj 01
Saving Energy While Keeping Your Cool During a Heat Wave
Mother Nature along with the economy has no interest in cutting consumers a break. Longer, colder winters can quickly turn into drawn out, hotter summers. Adding insult to injury, this seems to be occurring as energy costs are going through the roof  The most recent 90-degree and over days in many parts of the nation tested the patience of even those people who flourish in sultry temperatures. As electric meters spin like the one in "Christmas Vacation", how can you cut your energy costs and yet stay as comfortable as feasible? My first suggestion is buy a programmable Energy Star-rated thermostat for as low as $25. Read more about energy... New Article Jul 1, 2011
Jun 30
Protect your Pocketbook with a Home Warranty
Even while both home prices and sales continue to tank nationwide, literally millions of Americans are still navigating the buying and selling of homes process, and for a great number, the overwhelming amount of details and choices can become Protect your Pocketbook with a Home Warrantyoverwhelming. With so many things to think about when selling or buying a house, it can become a challenge to look into even routine facets of the process, things like the value of a home warranty.

Lelia Chapman, a VP of field sales at American Home Shield,, one of the older and larger home warranty providers in the nation, says that a trusted home warranty plan can help in providing an important degree of confidence for a home buyer and assist in distancing a seller’s property from other competition. New Article Jun 30, 2011


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