Do you need help with your mortgage?

If you're one of the many thousands who are struggling to keep up with your mortgage payments these days due to loss of income, variable loan rate resets, there is help available from the Government without cost.

For example, http://makinghomeaffordable.gov/ gives much assistance and alerts you to numerous scams out there that make fantastic promises with little or no real solutions. It gives advice on how to handle most income related problems and helps you understand the various ways to improve your situation with minimal effect on your credit score, etc.

they offer help in finding low/no cost counseling in your local area. It's a site that war rents your attention

Tips to attract buyers to your home for sale

1. Improve first impressions. Touch up the paint on the front door and other areas that buyers see first.

2. Clean up the landscaping. Trim the hedges and trees and plant some annuals in the flowerbeds.

3. Paint the interior. A coat of light yellow or cream with contrasting white woodwork looks fresh and clean.

4. Refurbish the floors. Buff the hardwoods. Install new carpets – or at least get them professionally cleaned.

5. Take care of the big problems. If the house needs a roof or the front stoop is crumbling, get them fixed.

6. Buy warranties. Putting appliances under warranty gives home buyers a secure feeling.

7. Improve energy efficiency. New windows or improved insulation tells a potential buyer the seller is on top of things plus they come with tax benefits.

8. Replace light fixtures. Updated fixtures, especially at the entrance way and in the foyer, create a good first impression.

9. Buy a stove. Home owners whose kitchen aren't top of the line can jazz it up for a few hundred dollars by buying a new stove, which gives the room a fresh feel.

10. Tidy up the bathrooms. Get rid of mildew, replace caulking, and replace stained sinks.

Source: U.S. News & World Report, Luke Mullins (01/21/2010)

Don't forget that home warranty

When buying a home, particularly an older house, buyers are often understandably concerned about the potential need for expensive home repairs in the future. Home warranty programs, such as the ERA® Home Protection Plan®, are available to buyers and sellers to help alleviate this concern.

Home warranty programs can offer protection for the seller during the listing period until settlement. Payment by the seller occurs at settlement, so if the house doesn't sell, there is no cost for the listing period.

Upon settlement coverage transfers to the buyer and includes most major repair or replace expenses within a home for up to a year or more after closing.

With this added sense of security, it is easy to see why houses covered by home warranty programs on average sell faster than comparable homes without any such protection.

If you are interested in learning more about Home Warranties I would be glad to provide you with additional information.

Is Buying still the answer for families?

Those who have never owned a home before may ask about the benefits of owning versus renting. Does it still make sense to buy, or is it better to rent until better times?

While paying mortgage payments and property taxes may seem like an expensive and stressful proposition over the near worry-free lifestyle of renting, these expenses actually provide great financial benefit for homeowners.

When you rent, every dollar you pay is retained by the landlord and of course you get no tax breaks. However, when you purchase a home, a portion of each monthly mortgage payment is used to pay down the principal amount of the loan, and in return increases your equity in the property.

In addition, you can offset much of the cost of property taxes and mortgage interest through allowable tax deductions. Finally, by owning a home you may also increase your equity as the property appreciates in value.

For specific information on the financial and tax benefits of buying compared to renting, contact your local financial or tax consultant.

Don't miss the opportunity of a generation; if you are able to buy now, prices and interest rates continue at historic lows.

Why Home Inspections?

While most home buyers look at a home very thoroughly, they are still likely to miss certain items in need of repair or attention. To ensure you get your money's worth and don't inherit a major repair project, it is recommended that you hire a professional home inspector when buying a new house.

Today, most real estate contracts include a clause that makes your purchase contingent on the findings of a home inspection. The home inspector will look for structural problems, check a home's plumbing, heating and cooling and electrical systems and note any other items in need of repair.

You can also have the home inspected for pest and termite infestation and radon contamination. Based on the feedback of these inspections, you can then negotiate the repair of these items, or a comparable credit, with the seller.

When you decide to buy a home, I can provide you with the names of certified and qualified home inspectors in the area.

Did you know the FDIC sells real estate?

WASHINGTON — Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. real-estate sales this year are the highest since 1994 as the regulator takes over properties held by failed lenders.

The FDIC raised $727 million from building and land sales in the first nine months of 2009 compared with $1.16 billion in all of 1994, according to FDIC data. The agency sold 1,706 properties, according to its website, the highest number since 2,045 in 1996.

The failure of 148 lenders since 2007 is giving homebuyers and real-estate investors the chance to purchase office buildings, undeveloped land for houses and even gas stations from the FDIC. The agency may also have hundreds of millions of dollars in loans for sale from shuttered banks.

"It seems that they're a little understaffed and they're very busy trying to fold a bank a weekend or five banks a weekend," Barry Sternlicht, chairman and chief executive of Starwood Property Trust, said on a conference call Monday.

The FDIC real-estate sales are helping companies including CB Richard Ellis Group and closely held Prescient, which are brokering transactions, and J.P. King Auction, which has held FDIC auctions in Detroit and Atlanta.

See full story....http://bit.ly/ogCVs

Is your cell phone picking your pocket?

Today, all of us depend heavily on our mobile phones for business and personal use. While that's normal, if you're not careful your plan might be taking a toll on your wallet every month without you noticing especially, since most of us pay by credit card, it becomes even more hidden. Here are two simple tips that might help you save on your bill.

Texters- New word! Depending on your plan for texting you could be under utilizing and paying for a lot of message allotments that you don't use, or getting socked with over-message charges which can add up. Evaluate your actual texting needs and adjust your plan to closely follow it. Unlimited plans are certainly appropriate for some, but if you text very little you could be wasting a lot of money for "just in case". Also, if you subscribe to unnecessary auto text feeds (news, weather, etc.) or other low quality spam or related messages, you could be adding to your total count greatly, since receive messages count the same.

Contract options- If you change phones outside the contract term it could cost you greatly. It really pays to select the contract term to ensure you're able to keep the phone for the entire term. Finally, select your phone carefully, to get one that fits your needs now and maybe up to 2 years, without having to live out the that term with dinosaur features.