Many real estate agents will look back to 2009 as a year of stabilization and recovery. A number of indicators, from rises in new and used home sales compared to periods one year ago and continued growth in sales in many markets, point to market recovery. Many markets are reflecting pricing above previous low points and others will join them this year.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) recently reported sales of existing homes showed another gain in May 2009, representing the first back-to-back monthly gain since September 2005. Pending home sales were up for the three-month period March through May 2009, when compared to the each of the year-earlier months. ¹

Markets such as the Chicago metro area, Florida and California have all shown dramatic gains in recent home sales. In California, the for-sale inventory of homes dropped by more than half from May 2008 to May 2009, according to the latest California Association of Realtors (CAR) report on May home sales and prices.

CAR said home sales increased 35.2 percent in May in California compared with the same period a year ago. The California Association of Realtors (CAR) cited the alignment of favorable home prices, historically low mortgage rates and the first-time homebuyer's tax credit, conditions which may not align again for many years.²

While many reports show home prices are still down from their points in the year-earlier period, the data suggests the decline in home prices appears to be moderating. Helping fuel the recovery are new mortgage programs, record-low low interest rates and government initiatives such as the first-time homebuyer's tax credit.

"While one month's data cannot determine if a turnaround has begun; it seems that some stabilization may be appearing in some of the regions."³

¹SOURCE: http://www.realtor.org/press_room/news_releases/2009/06/phs_up
²SOURCE: http://www.car.org/newsstand/newsreleases/maysalesandpricereport/
³SOURCE: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/The-Pace-of-Home-Price-prnews-1506714905.html?x=0&.v=1

For all you Realtors out there here's a quick poll regarding the recently expired tax credit. Select "Click Here for PollOnline Survey" below and answer yes or no to this question - "Has the $8,000 first-time home buyers tax credit increased your business?" Results published Monday.

Big Hill becomes the first Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate

Affiliate in Ohio and Indiana

Dayton, OH (July 27, 2010) – Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate today announced that Big Hill, a leading Dayton-based real estate company, has joined its expanding network of affiliates. Big Hill has the distinction of being the first real estate brokerage firm with offices in Ohio and Indiana to associate with the franchise. Founded in 1968, Big Hill has eight locations and nearly 200 sales associates throughout southwest Ohio and east-central Indiana. The brokerage will conduct business as Better Homes and Gardens Big Hill.

“The real estate industry is experiencing unprecedented change,” emphasized Jeff Owens, president of Better Homes and Gardens Big Hill. “It was imperative that we align with an organization that is pushing the boundaries of technology to stay relevant to our home buyers and sellers. Now we have the ideal blend of next-generation tools and award-winning strategies, not to mention a beloved brand name that is respected across many products and services,” Owens continued. “As the first brokerage in Ohio and Indiana to carry the standard for Better Homes and Gardens, we will surely benefit in image, recognition and growth from this ground-floor opportunity.”

Long known as a forward thinking, client-oriented real estate company, Big Hill is expecting to “future proof” its business and agents by integrating the most advanced real estate technology which Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate has pledged to its affiliates. For example, Big Hill will have access to Meredith Corporation’s (the publishers of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine) database of millions of consumers through a proprietary on-line platform. Affirming that it is a technology-driven organization, Sherry Chris, the CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, is the 2010 Inman Innovator of the Year for her visionary leadership in advancing the franchise to the forefront of adopting social and digital media. “I know how dedicated Big Hill is to making its sales agents successful by embracing the newest tools,” stated Chris. “By joining us, Jeff Owens and his team have taken a leap forward to being recognized as a next-generation brokerage.”

Presently, over 80% of all home buyers and sellers start on-line. The real estate industry is fast becoming more dependent on computers, cell phones and the Internet than on bricks and mortar. When servicing someone who is buying or selling a home, the faster an agent can respond to a question and react to circumstances, the sooner the opportunity to facilitate a successful transaction. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate is a recently-founded entity built entirely around the tools of technology to satisfy buyers and sellers, including web applications.

 “They have focused heavily on starting a brand based upon technology and social media, and they’ve done an outstanding job of it,” said Owens. “That made our decision to join them a lot easier.”

About Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC is a dynamic real estate organization that offers the full range of services to brokers, sales associates, home buyers and sellers. Blending innovative technology, advanced business systems and the popularity of its lifestyle brand, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate represents the future of the real estate industry based on the tradition of “home.” The growing Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate network includes over 5,000 sales associates in offices coast to coast. Visit www.BHGRealEstate.com to learn more.

Better Homes and Gardens® is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation licensed to Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. Each Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate franchise is independently owned and operated.

For More Information Please Contact

Bob and Sue Whigham Associate Partner

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Big Hill

EMAIL BobAndSue@YourRelatorsForLife.net

PHONE (937) 435-2267 ext 163

5580 Far Hills Avenue

Dayton, Ohio 45429

One of the two or three most stressful times in our life you'd wonder why the heck anyone would want to move.  Well, there's probably as many reasons as there are people.

So, if you're considering laying all this stress on your life maybe answering these questions can help you decide whether or not moving up makes sense.

How much equity do you have in your home? Look at your annual mortgage statement or call your lender to find out. Usually, you don't build up much equity in the first few years of paying a mortgage, but if you've owned your home for a number of years, you may have significant unrealized gains.

Has your income increased enough to cover the extra mortgage costs andthe costs of moving?

Does your neighborhood still meet your needs? For example, if you've had children, the quality of the schools may be more of a concern now than when you first purchased.

Can you add on or remodel? If you have a large yard, there might be room to expand your home. If not, your options may be limited. Also, do you want to undertake the headaches of remodeling?

How is the home market? If it's good, you may get top dollar for your home.

How are interest rates? A low rate not only helps you buy more home, but also makes it easier to find a buyer.

Still considering a move?  Well, good luck and happy hunting.

Here are the top ten ways any seller can practically guarantee their home will expire

1. Not serious about selling. A sage once quipped, "Money is only important when you don't want something enough." Real estate expert R.L. Brown said that if half of the 58,000 sellers in Maricopa County (Arizona) removed their for sale signs we would be at normal inventory levels. Actions speak louder than words in this market. Discretionary sellers should wait for a less competitive environment.
2. Improper pricing. A home properly priced is half sold. No amount of full color ads, glossy flyers, multiple photos, virtual tours, agent luncheons, Goodyear blimps, pom-pom girls or Saint Joseph statues will compensate for the wrong, timid retail price.
3. Not listening to your agent. Attorneys believe if you represent yourself, you have a fool for a client. Doctors don't self-diagnose. Professionals use professionals. Even though most people believe they are experts on raising kids and real estate; full-time, career pros usually know what's best. Listen very carefully.
4. Micromanage the marketing. Just because you sold cookware in college, carts in California, or carpeting in Cranston does not qualify you to second-guess your agent. If you had a real estate license years ago, tell your children about the "good old days." Share your concerns and timelines, but leave the details to the listing pro.
5. Don't stage the property. Someday shag multi-colored, sculptured carpeting will come back. Whitewashed cabinets, Navajo white walls, linoleum flooring, southwest décor, lots of personal photos and Elvis paintings on black velvet should be removed. And, oh by the way loose the long sideburns.
6. Let Fido run loose. Recently, I entered a house and two frisky, friendly black Labs ran to sniff me. Unfortunately, I had light gray dress slacks on that day. Both wet stains lasted for hours. Until that day I didn't realize dogs enjoyed chewing the tassels on expensive loafers.
7. Talk to the buyers. Life gets lonely at times. Why not ask the buyers where they grew up? Or how much they qualify for. Tell them about the vacant rental next door. Or, the sex offender who left the area. Maybe they could baby-sit next weekend! Why not share war stories, horror movies or meatloaf recipes?
8. Sell personal items. Wow, maybe the buyers want to buy the patio furniture, rotary lawnmower or life size statue of Saint Anthony. You only have four more boxes of Girl Scout cookies to sell. Why not ask for a donation for the March of Dimes, the Humane Society or the local PBS station. Remember the saying, "loose lips sink ships?"
9. What's that smell? My house doesn't smell of pet odors, baby diapers, curry powder, garlic, fried fish, coconut incense, cigars, manure, mulch, dairy farms or low tide. The buyer must be confusing my castle with a track home.
10. Avoid feedback. What do buyers know anyway? Imagine the fact they don't appreciate my barbed wire fence, heavy duty rebar, backyard bomb shelter, airport runway views, lights from the power plant, hum from the high voltage lines, railroad tremors, scorpion skeletons, termite mud tubes and pet snakes.

RISMEDIA, June 17, 2010--As the temperatures continue to rise this summer, so does the cost of keeping your home cool. While homeowners across the country come to depend on air conditioners to keep the temperature down during the warm summer months, there are other options that will keep you cool while keeping your energy bill low.

Fans and ceiling fans
-If you’re looking for ways to beat the heat, a ceiling fan can be a great investment for your home. This one appliance can make a room feel 6 or 7 degrees cooler, and even the most power-hungry fan costs less than $10 a month to use if you keep it on for 12 hours a day. Good fans make it possible for you to raise your thermostat setting and save on air-conditioning costs. Fans don’t use much energy, but when air is circulating, it feels much cooler. Ceiling fans are best, but a good portable fan can be very effective as well.

-You should remember that even mild air movement of 1 mph can make you feel three or four degrees cooler. Also, make sure your ceiling fan is turned for summer – you should feel the air blown downward.

Shades, drapes or blinds
-Install white window shades, drapes or blinds to reflect heat away from the house. Close blinds, shades and draperies facing the sun (east-facing windows in the morning and west-facing windows in the afternoon) to keep the sun’s heat out and help fans or air conditioners cool more efficiently. Always remember that the best way to keep your home cool is to keep the heat out.

Internal Heat
-The most common sources of internal heat gain are; appliances, electronic devices and lighting. Be aware of devices in your home that are generating heat and if you have air conditioning, use it wisely.

Don’t put lamps, televisions or other heat-generating appliances next to your air-conditioning thermostat, because the heat from these appliances will cause the air conditioner to run longer. The heat they produce will make the thermostat think your house is warmer than it really is, and your system will run harder than it needs to.

-Unless you absolutely need them, turn off incandescent lights and heat-generating appliances. Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents; they produce the same light but use a fifth the energy and heat.

-You should also try to avoid heat-generating activities such as cooking on hot days or during the hottest part of the day. If you are cooking, use your range fan to vent the hot air out of your house. By reducing the amount of heat in your home, you will use less energy to cool it.

Plants
-Plant trees or shrubs to shade air conditioning units, but not block the airflow. A unit operating in the shade uses less electricity. Deciduous trees planted on the south and west sides will keep your house cool in the summer and allow the sunlight to warm the house during the winter.

Roof and Walls
-Paint your roof white – If you’ve got a flat roof, paint it with a specially formulated reflective paint or just paint it white. The reflective effect will help to keep the rooms under the flat roof much cooler.

Other things to remember
-Humidity makes room air feel warmer, so reduce indoor humidity. Minimize mid-day washing and drying clothes, showering and cooking. When you must do these things, turn on ventilating fans to help extract warm, moist air.

-Avoid landscaping with lots of unshaded rock, cement, or asphalt on the south or west sides of your home because it increases the temperature around the house and radiates heat to the house after the sun has set.

-If the attic isn’t already insulated or is under-insulated, insulate it now. Upgrading from 3 inches to 12 inches can cut cooling costs by 10%.

By Paige Tepping

Kettering, Ohio April 9, 2010 Big Hill GMAC Real Estate announced today that Bob Whigham has received the Premier Service^® Diamond national award for providing superior customer service to home buyers and sellers in the Kettering Ohio Homes for Sale Market.

The Premier Service Diamond award was presented to Whigham by GMAC Real Estate president Harley E. Rouda, Jr., and he will be recognized at the company’s upcoming national business conference.

“Bob Whigham joins a select group of real estate professionals recognized nationally for providing incredibly high levels of customer service to their local clients in the Kettering Ohio Homes for Sale Market," Rouda said. "With our Premier Service program, buyers and sellers are asked to complete a survey evaluating the service they receive and Whigham received one of the company’s highest rankings.”  

To qualify to become a Premier Service Diamond award winner, Whigham had to receive a minimum 95 percent customer satisfaction rating.  Whigham’s customer satisfaction rating was 100 percent from his customer base in the Kettering Ohio Homes for Sale market.  

"I am absolutely thrilled to receive this award since it’s an independent rating based upon evaluations from those people who matter most: my clients in the Kettering Ohio Homes for Sale market,” said Whigham.
 
Premier Service is one of the most comprehensive and effective customer service programs in the real estate industry. Through the program, GMAC Real Estate’s sales associates put in writing, up front, the services they will perform. Following the transaction, GMAC Real Estate asks customers to honestly rate their performance through a written survey from an independent third party.

Big Hill GMAC REAL ESTATE provides a variety of real estate services, including Mortgage, Settlement, Relocation, Buyer and Seller assistance.  Big Hill GMAC Real Estate is located at 5580 Far Hills Avenue Kettering, Ohio 45429).