Downsizing a Home Requires Cutting Contents, too - 01/30/09 10:51 AM
By Greg Pearson
RISMEDIA, January 23, 2009-(MCT)-The kids have moved out. Those three bedrooms are looking awfully lonely. That spacious backyard that once served as a barbecue pit/football field/volleyball court now looks like a breeding ground for weeds, not to mention back-breaking acreage during mowing season.
You want to move to something smaller, but the task seems overwhelming. There's a basement full of boxes, a garage stuffed with unused toys and rusting machinery.
Let the experts help you get moving.
Rod and Sharon DePue had to do major downsizing before they moved into their apartment seven years ago.
They had to … (0 comments)

Few Borrowers Can Revise Mortgage Loans - 01/30/09 10:50 AM
By Monica Hatcher
RISMEDIA, January 23, 2009-(MCT)-Since defaulting on her mortgage more than a year ago, Marisela Gonzalez has attended foreclosure prevention seminars, spent hours on the phone with her lender, paid a consultant, availed herself of bankruptcy protection-everything in her power to hang onto her home.
"I thought to pack and just get out," recalled the special-education teacher. "Then, I said, ‘No ... this is my place. I've been here 15 years and I am not going to give it back to a bank just like that.'"
Yet Gonzalez is giving her Kendall, Fla., townhouse back to the bank, in … (0 comments)

Foreclosed Homes Can Be Good Deals, Bargains for Buyers - 01/30/09 10:48 AM

By LaTina Emerson
RISMEDIA, January 20, 2009-(MCT)-Buying a foreclosure property was Amanda Rasch's only hope of owning her own home. After fleeing New Orleans to escape Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Rasch, her husband and two children lived with her parents in a small Augusta house purchased with her parents' Federal Emergency Management Agency evacuee housing vouchers.
Money was tight, but they were able to start looking for a home in late 2007.
In April, they bought a four-bedroom house in Martinez for $111,000. It had been valued at $135,000. Real estate agents say similar deals are available on foreclosure property … (0 comments)

Using Paint to Chase Away the Winter Blues - 01/30/09 10:46 AM
By Joan Morris
RISMEDIA, January 24, 2009-(MCT)-Admit it. With all the holiday decorations stored away and the days still much too short for our liking, our houses feel like dark and joyless places. We're suffering from a bad case of the winter doldrums, and the lack of a budget for a major house redo is making spring seem eons away.
But you don't have to sit in the darkness or dip into the kids' college fund. There are other ways to freshen up your house while staying true to that New Year's resolution to stick to a budget.
Few things in … (0 comments)

10 Tips for Improving Organizational Performance Through Employee Goal Setting - 01/30/09 10:45 AM
RISMEDIA, January 24, 2009-As organizations prepare for annual employee goal setting sessions at the start of the New Year, SumTotal® Systems, Inc. a provider of talent development solutions, released the top 10 tips HR managers can use to drive better organizational alignment for improved performance across their company. Implementing sound, universally accepted goal setting processes, coupled with the use of an effective system for managing and tracking these processes is one of the best ways HR can contribute to an organization's bottom line.
"With the current economic forecast, it is now more important than ever to make sure employees' goals reflect … (0 comments)

Putting it in the Bank - Saving is Back in Vogue - 01/30/09 10:43 AM
RISMEDIA, January 28, 2009-(MCT)-When the stock markets and housing values were soaring, certified financial planner James Bryan would plead with clients to set aside six months worth of take-home pay just in case of a job loss or a major home repair.
"I had that conversation many times during prosperous times, and often it didn't take hold," said Bryan, president of Bluestone Wealth Strategies in Edina, Minn. These days he doesn't have to work as hard to persuade those same people to postpone purchases and trim spending to build that cash reserve.
Take Kalli-Ann Binkowski, for example. A year ago, she … (0 comments)

What to Know About Reverse Mortgages - 01/30/09 10:41 AM
RISMEDIA, January 28, 2009-If you're over 62 and a homeowner you have a unique opportunity to get significant, spendable value from your home, even if you still hold an existing mortgage. Recently, LendingTree launched a reverse mortgage service for interested senior homeowners looking to talk with lenders who can help them consider using the equity they have built in their home.
Senior homeowners have spent years, often decades, building up equity in their homes. An increasingly common practice of homeowners over the age of 62 is to obtain a reverse mortgage (also known as a HECM, a home equity conversion mortgage) … (1 comments)

Existing-Home Sales Show Strong Gain In December - 01/30/09 10:40 AM
RISMEDIA, January 27, 2009-Existing-home sales rose unexpectedly while inventory declined, led by a surge of sales in the West, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
Existing-home sales-including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops-jumped 6.5% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.74 million units in December from a downwardly revised pace of 4.45 million units in November, but are 3.5% below the 4.91 million-unit pace in December 2007.
For all of 2008 there were 4,912,000 existing-home sales, which was 13.1% below the 5,652,000 transactions recorded in 2007. This is the lowest volume since 1997 when there were 4,371,000 sales.
Lawrence Yun, … (0 comments)

Short Sales - Top 5 in Real Estate Network Outlines What Homeowners Need to Ask and Learn - 01/30/09 10:38 AM
RISMEDIA, January 28, 2009-Today, as millions of homeowners struggle with what to do when the value of their property becomes less than the mortgage they owe-particularly those recently unemployed or unable to make their monthly payments-there is a growing need for clear, unbiased consumer protection information on these vital topics.
Meeting this need head-on, the Top 5 in Real Estate Network® released " The Four R's of Short Sales...and More: The Transparent Approach to a Real Estate-Related Crisis." This very timely resource provides a 360 degree view of the current issues facing so many homeowners and offers insights to help consumers … (0 comments)

Economy, Cold Snaps Accent Need for Winterizing Homes - Tips That Save - 01/30/09 10:36 AM
RISMEDIA, January 29, 2009-Citing unseasonably cold weather in many parts of California and drawing upon the experience of having provided service to hundreds of thousands of homes, member firms of the Home Warranty Association of California (HWAC) are alerting homeowners to the energy and cost saving benefits of "winterizing" their residences.
While noting that winterizing initiatives may vary from region to region, HWAC officials also emphasize the special attention required by first-time homeowners.
"Understandably, new homeowners may be unfamiliar with the operating systems of their new homes until they have lived there awhile, just as one may be unfamiliar with the … (0 comments)

Obama’s Stimulus Package Should Help Economy, Experts Say - 01/30/09 10:34 AM

By Kevin G. Hall
RISMEDIA, January 29, 2009-(MCT)-Economists think the stimulus plan at hand, while far from perfect, will help stimulate the moribund U.S. economy.
There's no panacea for what ails the economy. A stimulus plan will work only in combination with other actions, such as more aid to the banking system to spark lending and boost consumer confidence, and the implementation of any plan will be as important as what's in it.
However, most leading economists who are experienced in public policy generally favor the stimulus plan that the House is considering because through it the government will step … (0 comments)

Bankrate - Mortgage Rates Slide Lower - 01/30/09 10:32 AM
RISMEDIA, January 30, 2009-Mortgage rates fell versus one week ago, with the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate now 5.48%. According to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey, the average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.29 discount and origination points.
The average 15-year fixed rate mortgage slipped to 5.1% and the average jumbo 30-year fixed rate retreated to 7.06%. Adjustable rate mortgages were lower also, with the average 1-year ARM pulling back to 5.87% and the 5/1 ARM sinking to 5.41%.
The post-meeting statement issued by the Federal Open Market Committee on Wednesday indicates a desire to keep borrowing rates - especially … (0 comments)

Butler County - 01/20/09 03:11 PM
Special Places in Butler County
The Praririe Rose Chuckwagon offers entertainment, fun and great food.  It's just off Hwy K-254 near Benton. El Dorado Lake & State Park offers 8,000 acres of water and over 600 campsites. The Teter Nature Trail is a 1½ mile hike winding through undisturbed wilderness. Beaumont still has its 1885 wooden water tower beside the railroad tracks. It was used to refill the water tanks on steam locomotives. Now the town celebrates with their Frisco Water Tower Festival in June. The old hotel at Beaumont is open again serving good meals to customers, many of whom … (0 comments)

A great home for $132,500! - 01/20/09 02:39 PM
Hello Everyone,
Check out my visual tour of a listing within my company!!  We are looking for some buyers!  If interested, please give me a call and I would love to show you this wonderful home!!  Check it out!  Thanks!
http://v2.sharperagent.com/Boomerang/WebPost.flx?userID=F63E2488-BB97-487A-BB05-D68F3A2F7279&flashxml=8892941&flashfile=8892940&domainID=137&w=800&h=600
… (0 comments)

Optimize Your Clients’ Results - 10 Real Estate Resolutions For Buyers and Sellers - 01/20/09 11:55 AM
RISMEDIA, January 12, 2009-The New Year is here, and many are more resolved than ever to achieve real estate goals that went by the wayside in 2008 due to economic and other concerns. But, what's one to do to optimize their chances of success amid what's still a tumultuous, highly demanding marketplace?
"While tricks of the trade abound to give buyers and sellers a leg up on the competition, there are also a number of basic pitfalls buyers and sellers should be sure to avoid lest they commence their real estate venture on shaky ground," notes Robert Jenson, CEO of luxury … (0 comments)

Is 2009 the Time to Buy a Second Home? - 01/20/09 11:53 AM
Commentary by Curtis Seltzer
RISMEDIA, January 19, 2009-Second homes in America have become as American as apple pie. A beach house, small farm, spot on a lake, condo in a recreation destination-some nine million of us own such places.
A National Association of Realtors' (NAR) survey indicated that about 740,000, or about 12%, of all existing- and new-home sales in 2007 were vacation homes. That was down about 31% from 2006 sales of 1.067 million vacation properties. The Realtors' 2008 survey will be available in early April at www.realtors.org.
Despite a 31% decline in sales, the 2007 NAR data also showed … (0 comments)

Democrats Unveil Stimulus Plan Totaling Over $825 Billion - 01/20/09 11:51 AM
By Kevin G. Hall and David Lightman
RISMEDIA, January 19, 2009-(MCT)-Democrats in the House of Representatives unveiled their economic stimulus plan on Thursday, proposing $275 billion in tax cuts and credits to jump-start the economy and $550 billion in spending for clean energy, road construction, social welfare programs and emergency assistance to states.
Thursday's rollout was the first step in what's sure to be a lively debate in the weeks ahead over the proposed $825 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009, the largest stimulus measure ever.
In a related move on Thursday, the Senate voted to make the remaining … (0 comments)

GMAC Real Estate to Provide Agents with Enterprise-Level - 01/15/09 02:52 PM
GMAC Real Estate announced the creation of Market
Advantage, a private-label marketing tool and print fulfillment service built in
conjunction with Denver based SharperAgent and the world's premier print and
related services provider, RR Donnelley.
According to the company, Market Advantage combines SharperAgent's
eCustomer Relationship Manager (eCRM) and RR Donnelley's extensive print
fulfillment network. The result is a custom-built GMAC Real Estate Market
Advantage Suite designed to provide real estate professionals with the
industry's most innovative marketing solution.
"We were looking for a marketing platform to offer our 20,000 sales partners
nationwide and SharperAgent's innovative technology and market expertise
offered a … (0 comments)

GMAC Real Estate — A division of GMAC Home Services - 01/15/09 02:49 PM
· 738 locations in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Portugal

· Nearly 17,000 Sales-Associates
 
· A division of GMAC Home Services, parent company of GMAC Real Estate, GMAC Global Relocation Services and GHS Mortgage
 
· Part of the international referral network services GMAC Global Relocation Services
 
· Broker-to-Broker referral network center to support internal referral business
• Developer of Premier Service®, the GMAC Real Estate service delivery process that was designed to create a consistent, reliable, measurable and marketable service experience
 
· The only national real estate company to conduct third-party consumer surveys, resulting … (0 comments)

Beyond Staging - Refreshing the Home - 01/15/09 02:47 PM
Home Trends by Melissa Birdsong
RISMEDIA, Jan. 1, 2009-Staging has been the buzzword in real estate for the past several years. But taking the next step to refreshing can really set one home apart from the rest.
Buyers look at a lot of homes. So how do you make sure a home is memorable to a buyer? Having a well-staged home is now the rule rather than the exception for a faster sell and a better price. Try to think beyond the obvious for ways to make the entire home feel updated and inspired.
A fresh coat of paint on worn … (0 comments)

GMAC - 01/15/09 02:39 PM
New Survey by Luxury Institute Names the Company Among Top Two Nationwide
Oak Brook, Ill., June 6, 2006 - GMAC Real Estate announced today that it has been ranked in a new survey as one of the top two real estate firms in the nation that market luxury properties.Conducted by the independent New York-based Luxury Institute, the "Luxury Customer Experience Index" survey ranked GMAC Real Estate - which markets luxury properties through its Elegant Homes program - second in the nation, behind only Sotheby's International Realty.The Luxury Institute ranked real estate companies based on surveys of high net-worth luxury homebuyers throughout … (0 comments)

 

Amy Cordell

Benton, KS

More about me…

Waite Real Estate Professionals

Address: 120 N. Main, Suite 9, El Dorado, KS, 67042

Office Phone: (316) 322-7653

Cell Phone: (316) 390-1306

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Full-time Realtor serving the Butler County, Kansas area! Whether you're buying or selling, be sure to give me a call!


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