Do you know what this is?  A QR Code, and they seem to be all the rage!

Lots of companies are starting to sell QR codes.  You can use the for 1000's of uses, and its like using a secret code, yet everyone can understand it.  You can send a message, a photo, and website address.  There seems to be a few limitations, but they appear to be based on size, as you can only put a little bit of information into the code. 

You take a picture of the code with your phone and then it will read it for you.  I found several QR code readers and generators at the iTunes store.

The code above will redirect you to the homepage of my website.  The code below will take you to another website I have that features Wilderness homes and lots.  QR Codes are easy to use and can be a lot of fun.  You can send a message See the Code on the left for the rest of this blog....

Do you have a plan? 

I have been told over and over that I need to plan, unless I plan to fail.  This is important advice in all aspects of your life.  You have to plan your family time, business time, and personal time.  If you do not then usually you do not get to have any personal time.  Most of us realize that we need to plan, but who has time?

Not planning has its consequences.  Mostly these consequences just mean more stress in your life, but when it comes to selling your home, it can cost you thousands.  If you fail to plan the sale of your home many surprises can pop up.  Planning the sales process can also include planning for improvements or repairs. Planning the timeline is import, as well what will you do if the home sells early.

Let's start with a quick sale.  This seems like a great problem to have, however if you're not prepared it can be costly.  Let's use this example.

Home comes on the market and the seller expects it to take 4-6 months to sell.  The family is transferring to Dallas Texas in 6 months.  After two weeks on the market they receive an offer, but need to close in 30 days.  The sellers are not sure where they will  live so they ask for a closing date after 90 days.  The result:  The buyer's leave to find another house.  No other offers come in and after 6 months the sellers have lowervered the price of their home by $40,000.  The seller's husband transfers to Dallas for the job, and the family is now living in two locations.

This can happen and does happen every year.  Sellers need to prepare for every contingency.  Do you know what your local rental market is doing? 

Plan on a home inspection; most buyers will get one and a Home Inspector will always find something.  I suggest getting a pre-inspection.  Find the deficiencies and fix them before you offer your home for sale.  If you can make these repairs on your time, it will typically cost you less money.  The end result is a home in better repair that may sell for more.

Cosmetic repairs are a good idea.  Take a good look at you walls and trim work.  Do they need to washed, or touched up with paint?  These little marks have accumulated over the years and you may not even notice them.  I know it take several trips through a house before I notice ever little mark.  When a buyer walks through a house they may not mention everything they see.  They may not even take notice of many items.  However they will compare condition to other homes, and the home in the best condition will most often win out.

By planning and then taking care of these most often little fixes, you eliminate much of the stress associated with selling a home.  Be prepared, plan and your sale will most likely be successful. 

A good Realtor can assist you in this process and provide you with good adice along the way.

What should I do?  Is the market ok? Interest rates are really low, should I refinance?

Theses are questions that people ask every time I go out.  The answer varies and is not that simple.  Interest rates are really low, but if you think you will be moving in the next year, then the cost of refinancing is not offset by the lowered payments.  You should speak with an accountant if you are unsure of the true costs.  Sometime the banker giving you money is not looking out for your long term interest.  They entice you with the lower payment and roll the closing costs and appraisal fees into your new loan.  This just raises the payoff on your home and you will have wasted this money if you will be selling in the near future. 

I define the near future as less than two years.  Some loans may charge you a slightly higher interest rate to compensate for the fees and not raise the loan amount.  This might be a better route if you know you will be selling, that is if it lowers your monthly payment.  Also if you've paid 4 years on your loan don't just go into a new 30 year.  set the amortization at 26 years and see what the difference in payment is, why pay interest for an additional 4 years if you do not have to.

Now might be a great time to move up or down into the right sized house.  There are great opportunities on the market.  In our area we will see more properties coming on the market and the perfect home for you might be among them.  There will be more foreclosures.  There is a shadow inventory in our area and it will be coming on the market this winter.  Foreclosures do sell for less than a nice home, you may be able to get a good buy.

You might look at an investment property.  Rentals are in high demand.The stock market is not doing all that well, low returns and lots of uncertainties.  Maybe its time to invest in real estate.  Rates are low and prices are down.  If this is something you might want to do please call me to discuss being a landlord.  It is not for everybody.  You must be disciplined and reinvest your returns into your property or save for that big repair.  It is not a matter of if you will need money for your rental, but when.

I get a lot of questions about real estate and I love to answer them.  Real Estate is local, you should talk with a local expert.

Call me if you would like to talk, 907-360-7471.

Anchorage, Thursday, September 16, 2010 - Qualifying Alaskans will have greater access to home ownership through a $625,000 loan approved by the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) board of directors Tuesday. The loan will allow Anchorage Neighborhood Housing Services (ANHS), also known as Neighborworks Anchorage, to continue its down-payment assistance loan program for under-served markets, and provide assistance to borrowers who would not qualify for home ownership due to changes in the market, such as higher housing costs or lower interest-rate subsidies.

Since June 1996, AHFC has loaned a total of $21.25 million to ANHS, which in turn has closed a total of 773 loans with an average loan of $30,045 under this program.

Loans to Sponsors (LTSP) is a program under which AHFC, subject to the availability of funds, makes zero percent loans to non-profit corporations, regional housing authorities, or government entities to make home ownership more accessible to low- to moderate-income borrowers. Currently eight Sponsors, consisting of five nonprofits and three regional housing authorities, administer approximately $16.4 million in low-interest loans to low- to moderate-income borrowers. Sponsors are limited to an annual allocation of $625,000.

The program ultimately will provide financing to lower-income individuals or persons who would not otherwise qualify for financing due to income limitations, down-payment requirements, loan-to-values, or other considerations. Recipient eligibility for the loans is based on 80 percent% of the median income for the area, adjusted for family size and property location, as well as the lending criteria established by the Sponsor's guidelines. AHFC’s loan is repaid by ANHS from the Recipient’s payments paid to ANHS.

AHFC is a self-supporting public corporation with offices in 16 communities statewide. It provides statewide financing for multi-family complexes, congregate facilities, and single-family homes, with special loans for first-time home buyers, low- and moderate-income borrowers, veterans, teachers, nurses, public safety officers, and those living in rural areas of the state. AHFC also provides energy and weatherization programs, low-income rental assistance in 17 communities, and special programs for the homeless. Since 1986, AHFC has contributed more than $1.95 billion to Alaska’s State budget revenues through cash transfers, capital projects and debt service payments.

House OKs extension of tax credit closing deadline

Senate could vote Wednesday

By Inman News, Tuesday, June 29, 2010.

Inman News

In a 409-5 vote, House lawmakers have passed a standalone bill that would extend for three months Wednesday's deadline for closing on a home purchase in order to claim the federal homebuyer tax credit.

The Senate could vote on the bill, HR 5623, as soon as tomorrow, although the death of Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., has slowed the pace of work in that chamber.

Without an extension, the National Association of Realtors estimates as many as 180,000 homebuyers who were under contract by April 30 may miss the June 30 closing deadline, including 17,700 in California, 15,340 in Texas, 14,830 in Florida and 9,130 in New York.

"Keep your fingers crossed," said Lucien Salvant, an NAR spokesman, who said prospects for quick passage of the bill are mixed.

While some observers think HR 5623, "The Homebuyer Assistance and Improvement Act," could sail through without further delay, there's no guarantee it will come to a vote, Salvant said.

The Senate is already on record supporting an extension, having amended a bill on June 16 to push the deadline back to Sept. 30. But other provisions of that bill, the "American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010," have proved controversial, prompting House lawmakers to introduce a standalone bill.

Sorry I have been away from my computer over the last couple of weeks and have not had the time to send a virtual update to everyone. 

I did receive a compliment via another Realtor about our company and thought I would tell you about it.  In this case we had a listing next door to the other licensees, and yes they work for a different brokerage.  The sellers were of course friends and spoke to each other on a regular basis.  Our seller was telling his neighbor about the reports we were sending to him on a daily basis, which he then complained to his Realtor about.

The Realtor came to us wanting to know what we're sending and why are we making them look bad (yes we are friends with our competition).  We explained to them that we were just keeping them up to date on the local market.

Here's the real story and why is it important to you.  See here at Prudential Jack White Vista Real Estate we have a great tool called Online Sellers Advantage (OSA).  OSA keeps seller informed of all market activity near their home.  The receive daily updates on price changes and any new competitors that may have come on the market.  They can see when other homes are pended (sold ). This is a vital tool and or sellers really like this information. 

The reports also show how many people have looked for a home in their price range and then it shows them if the prospective buyers actually looked at their home.  This tool shows you when more buyers have entered the market, or if someone really likes your home and has saved it as a favorite.

Our seller was very happy with this information and was very happy with our service as we help prospective buyers find his home.  This eventually lead to a sale and a very happy seller became homeless, which in this case was a great thing.

If you have questions about Online Seller's Advantage please give me a call and I will show you why it is a tool that will work for you.

Where should I invest?  Should I buy stocks, should I buy mutual funds, these are great questions and I ask them myself.  I hear people asking whether they should buy a home or rent, and the answer is simple:

If you are a responsible person, and will be staying stable for the next 7-10 years then Buy!

If you are a responsible person, and would like to be able to move when you want to then Rent!

A lot of home were bought and sold in the last couple of months, we have many new homeowners that took advantage of the First time Home buyers tax credit.  this was a great deal and it help most real estate markets across the country.  There were many sales because of these first timers, resulting in additional sales for move up buyers, that were able to sell their existing home.  We saw many people selling and making the switch to renting, it just made sense for them.

Whether you should buy or not has nothing to do with the strength or weakness of a market.  You do not buy stocks only when their low, No, you buy a little here a little there.  You hold for the long term and sell when it makes sense.

Buying a home is the same way.  look at you present situation and ask your self this.."Do I want to be in this home in five years?".  If the answer is anything other than a big "Yes", then you should take a hard look at renting.  It is cheaper in the short term and allows you flexibility in moving. 

Purchasing a home takes a commitment that we used to say everyone should take.  Maybe not owning a home does not make you more responsible, or more successful.  However for many people this is a wise investment.  If you are stable in your life an career then home ownership is probably the wise choice.

If you would like to receive home updates by e-mail visit www.Eagleriverhomesforsale.com to sign up.

 I found this article online in several places, so I cannot take credit for writing it and I do not know who the original author is.  I would like to give them credit because this is a very good blog.

  A One-Weekend Garage Makeover

   Garages are the most hardworking spaces in your home. Investing a few hundred dollars in garage organization tools during one weekend will pay off in savings of both time and money.

 A clean and organized garage saves you time by keeping essentials in clear view, so you can find what you need without tripping over items or causing an avalanche whenever you pull something from the bottom of a pile.

 You'll also save money because your sporting goods and tools will last longer when they’re stored safe from moisture, heavy weights and dust. Even your car will be protected from falling skis.

 Step 1: Aim for spotless clean and clutter free
Start by cleaning out the junk. Release the clutter of your garage by selling or throwing away the things you never use. Getting rid of unneeded possessions makes more space for the ones you do need and use. Once that clutter is dwindled down to the necessities, organize it by category: athletic supplies, lawn and garden tools, carpentry tools, etc.

 Step 2: Use suitable storage units
Take a look at what’s left and decide what storage elements would work best for you.

 The essentials include:

• Closed storage: Make sure to include at least one closed-door, lockable unit. It's essential for keeping poisons like antifreeze, plant food or pest control products and sharp tools behind a locked door.
• Open shelving: Shelves are best for frequently used items which you need readily available and within reach. Vented metal styles, wood slats, or vented plastic minimize the volume of dust that can collect.
•  Hooks, clamps, and holders: These allow you to make use of vertical space, getting big items like bikes, trikes and paddles, rakes and brooms off the ground and out of your way. • Bags: Most wall-mounted garage organization systems include clamp-on mesh bags that make it easy to store soccer balls, basketballs, tennis balls, etc.
• Boxes and bins: Group irregular items and place them in big bins so you can put them under a shelving unit or work table. Group them accordingly so items are easy to find: bags of soil, grass seeds, etc. Boxes and baskets can also hold smaller items neatly on shelves.

Step 3: Paint and stain.

 The floor can be transformed with acid stain for concrete or a heavy-duty floor paint. If you plan to park your car on your newly painted floor, lay a sheet of cardboard down to catch drips of oil. The garage walls can be painted as well, especially if they still look like they're part of a construction site. Don't feel like you have to limit yourself to the traditional white walls. Get creative!  

 Step 4: Make it your second home

  Another major decision to be made prior to purchase is what kind of work areas you will need, and what kind of counter tops are appropriate for those areas. For instance, if you want to use garage space as a hobby area, you might want a sink area or solid surface counters. If you enjoy woodworking, you might need a wooden counter top. Figure out where these areas will be located and roughly sketch out how the area should look. Imagine yourself standing at the work area and think about placement of things you will use. Thinking through this process will certainly make the space more user-friendly.

 Ready to get your garage in order? Following those tips will help you find a place for everything and allow you to transform that dusty garage into something spotless in a short time.