Bed and Breakfast in Marion Ar - The Cedars of Marion

Before I start talking about The Cedars of Marion, I would like to invite you to visit this bed and breakfast at www.thecedarsofmarion.com It is just beautiful, check it out.

I have the opportunity to tour and had lunch in this beautiful bed and breakfast, The Cedars of Marion one day this week.  I don't know about you, but I love bed and breakfast, the old style meets the new world, it just can't be replaced by any modern hotels in my opinions. 

When I step in The Cedars of Marion, I feel like I am going back to the old days years ago, the old world charm, all the beautiful and unique decors just capture my attention.  The view, the landscapes, the atmosphere is so relaxing and romantic, no wonder so many couples like to have their wedding banquet at The Cedars of Marion. 

A picture is worth 1000 words, and that fits The Cedars of Marion perfectly, I can't use enough words to describe this lovely place.  You have to be there to feel it, to witness it and appreciate the renovations were done to this once to be a private residence converted to a bed and breakfast.

Other than being a popular choice for wedding receptions, there are also private parties, and meetings like to choose The Cedars of Marion to host their functions.  I can see why.

I also found out that The Cedars of Marion is up for sale, their asking price is $1.2 million.  If you have been longing to own a bed and breakfast, this will be a good opportunity, or maybe use the living quarters as your residence and operate a restaurant at the Event Center, that will be nice, too.

If you want to make reservation on any events, call 870-7394088.

If you would like to know more about purchasing The Cedars of Marion, please feel free to contact me, 901-4889590, the owner has shared some information about the building and business with me if there is any interested party.

It has been raining since 7 this morning, but it didn't ruin the happy day for my buyer who closed on her first home in West Memphis, Ar.!!

She is not just another first time buyer of mine, she is a very hard working single mom first time home buyer who was referred to me from an old client.  I wrote a blog about her 2 months ago A successful story of credit repair to become a home owner at last and we closed this morning at 9 am.

She was beyond excited and I am so proud of her to achieve her dream of owning her first house and call it home for her children and herself.  She told me she is going to spend her Thanksgiving Dinner at her new home, it is so heart warming.

Helping clients like her is very rewarding.  Frankly, I do want buyers are able to buy when they come to me, who don't?  Yet, I don't mind working with clients like her, help them to go back on track, they follow my advice and step by step achieving their goal of buying a house and call it home.  Seeing that big smile on their face at closing is priceless.

I have a few more clients are under "repairing" right now, I can't wait to see the end result for them - closing on their first home.  It may take a little time, but bit by bit, it can be done. 

Are you ready to make the change for better?

New homes are still building in St John's Landing in Marion Ar

Not long ago, someone said to me, "I can't believe builders are still building new homes in today's market."  Well, you'd better believe it.  Yes, they are still building new homes in Marion Ar.

New homes are only building in a couple of subdivisions in Marion Ar.  St. John's Landing is one of them.  Currently there are 4 houses for sale in St John's Landing, one is a resale home, 3 of them are new homes and one is still under construction.    

Why pick St. John's Landing?

• It is a relatively new subdivision, it is only a few years old
• It is quiet
• Smaller lots, less maintenance
• Still have plenty of lots to choose to build on 
• Relaxing settings
• Very affordable homes
• Conveniently located on Mound City Road, very close to Downtown Memphis

Thinking of buying or building a new home in Marion Ar?  Come and take a look of St John's Landing and find your favorite house and lot to build.

For more details, simply call me at 901-488-9590 or email me at ritafong@remax.net, I will be glad to work with you through the whole buying or building process.

A truly short SHORT SALE story in West Memphis Ar

Short Sale, anyone who did one before knows there is nothing short about it.  I am not claiming to be a short sale specialist, we don't have enough short sales in our market to call it a niche, which is good actually.

As economy being unstable as it is, many home owners fall into the same financial crisis; losing their job, make less than before, divorce, health issues, you name it and it is out there.  Even though we are not saturated with short sales in our market, we still have some shares out there.

I got a call from a home owner about a month or 2 ago, he wanted to see if I could help him to list his house as a short sale.  He already talked to his bank and that's what they suggested him to do.  We met, we talked, I explained and prepared him how short sale works and the length of time may involve.

Next day after the sign was put in the yard, an investor called me and she put an offer.  From the day I sent it to the bank to get a response from them, it only took about 1 week.  We got the approval!  We closed last Tuesday.

I got a great negotiator assigned to this file, he was so responsive and willing to listen.  It only took him 3 days to approve the sales.  I am so appreciative of him.

It takes team work to make things happen, I am glad I had a great team this time.

Another happy closing for my relocation buyer moving to Marion Ar

It is almost an year since I met this buyer who planed to relocate to Marion, Ar.  It started with a phone call one day about one of our listings, I kept in touch with her and hung in there.  She was not sure if she was going to move at first because of her job, after a few months of keeping in touch, she decided to move to Marion, Ar.

She has great credit and got pre-approved immediately, the only thing was she needed to sell her house first.  She lived about 45 minutes away and she got a local real estate agent to list her house.  In the meantime, we went ahead to look at some houses, finally we found one and put an contingency offer on it and worked it out.

It took longer to sell her house than anticipated because most of the buyers could not get approved to buy.  The seller of the house she wanted was also great to work with, they were so patient to wait on her and understood the circumstances.

My buyer did everything she could to her house, like price reduction, keeping it spic and span all the time, shows well anytime........just waiting for a pre-approved buyer.............and it happened one day!

Fast forward to 2 days ago, 10/26, we closed!!

Welcome to Marion, Donna!

Home Insurance - You can't close on your new house without it

Buying a house is an exciting thing, really it is.  You can take advantage of the low interest rate right now, it is a buyers market, so many choices out there, you may even find some good foreclosure deals and save more money.

If you are working with a good lender, and good real estate agent, you will be guided towards closing in every step of the way.  You will be reminded what you need to do before closing, and there are a few things you need to do.  One of them is you have to have home insurance in place before the closing or you can't close.

Even if you are buying the property in cash, it will still be your best interest to get home insurance on the house you are buying before closing.  Things can happen unexpectedly.

If you already have an insurance agent , call them to give you a quote on your new home.  If you don't have one, you can ask your real estate agent for some referrals, or call around for a few more quotes and decide which one you want to use.  Then you need to go and sign the insurance binder and your insurance agent will send that binder to your lender and process it to closing.

This is a very important step before closing, make sure you get it done early in the process so you have enough time for your insurance agent to get the paper work done before your closing date.  Sometimes extending the closing date may not be an option in some cases, always allow enough time to let your lender to process your loan application so you can have a smooth closing as much as possible.

photo courtesy : http://www.flickr.com/photos/dhilowitz

A new group of buyers in West Memphis and Marion Ar - Investor

Rental is in high demand in Marion, West Memphis Ar., it helps to push another group of buyers out in the market - investors.

Many of them are seasoned investors and have been doing this for a while, some of them are 1st time investor, trying to get a piece of pie while it is still available, and why not?  There are foreclosures coming out often, there are different types of investors, and there is something for everyone.

I have a couple of seasoned investors working with me, they know what area they want, they can see the potential of the property despite of the repairs.  Within a short period of time, they will let me know if they decide to put an offer on the property or not, they know time is of the essence.  A good investment property is not going to last long on the market, sometimes they may even get into a multiple offers situation. 

How do you even begin to buy investment properties in West Memphis and Marion Ar?

• Before looking for investment properties, you need to be fund ready.  You either have cash on hand or open a line of credit with the bank that you have good business relationship with.  The bank will let you know what they need from you to open a line of credit.  Then you know how much cash you can buy with.
• Once your fund is ready, you can start looking for properties.  The best and easiest way is contact a local real estate agent to help you.  Let the agent know how much you want to spend.  They know first hand when the property is out, or even before it is out on the market sometimes.  Work with the same agent repeatedly can give you advantage in buying investment properties, he/she tends to pay a lot more attention to find properties for you and notify you quickly.
• Have a repair crew ready in line, get your resources together for estimate and such.  When you find something you like, you probably won't have time to go back and forth to find a contractor, handy man to give you a repair estimate on the property that you want to buy. 
• Act Fast!  There are many investors out there and they are all looking at the same inventories, if you want to buy investment properties, you need to be serious and act fast.  You don't have time to waste or you may lose a good deal.  Let your agent know to put an offer for you if you are interested in buying the property.
• If your offer is accepted, your agent will co-ordinate all the paper work and arrange the closing for you.  You need to get with your bank and let them know the property you are buying, so they can do their paper work also.  Your agent will also co-ordinate with your bank for your upcoming closing.
• When it is time to close, your bank will issue a cashier check to you.  Your agent will give you all the numbers and information you need before the closing.

If you are serious about buying investment properties, this is the time for it.  Home owners who lost their home to foreclosure or such, they need to rent something till they are able to buy again.  We got calls everyday and looking for something to rent. 

If you want more information about buying investment properties, please feel free to give me a call at 901-488-9590 or email me at ritafong@remax.net  

photo courtesy : http://www.flickr.com/photos/extremeezine

Trunk or Treat in Marion and West Memphis Ar 10/30 and 10/31 2011

Ooh, parents and kids, it is the time of the year again!  Have you got the costumes, trick or treat bags ready yet?  Halloween is just around the corner, different churches are hosting their trunk or treat on 10/30 and 10/31.  One church does their fall festival on 10/26.

Here is the list of churches where you can go trunk or treat in Marion and West Memphis this year:

West Memphis

10/26 First United Methodist Church at 215 N. Missouri is hosting Fall Festival from 5-8 p.m. Tickets to purchase to play games at the festival.  For more details call 870-735-1805

10/30 First Baptist Church at 200 N. Missouri is doing trunk or treat from 4-6 p.m.  For details call 870-735-5241

Marion

10/30 United Methodist Church at 81 Military Road is hosting trunk or treat from 3-5 p.m.  For details call 870-739-3434

10/31 First Baptist Church at 2137 Hwy 77 is hosting trunk and treat from 6-8 p.m.  For details call 870-739-3944

Put on your best Halloween costume, go to visit these trunk or treat in West Memphis and Marion and have some fun!

1st Annual Scarecrow Festival in Marion Ar on 10/22/2011

Fall is here and Halloween is around the corner, guess what is the center of the attention in Marion, Ar. lately?

Miss and Mr. Scarecrow it is!  Our 1st Annual Scarecrow Festival in Marion, Ar. is coming this Saturday 10/22/2011 from 10 am to 12 noon at the Marion Courthouse Square.  There are games for kids, hayride, pumpkin painting, face painting and of course they are going to announce who the winner is for the 1st Annual Scarecrow Festival in Marion, Ar.

Have you seen those scarecrows everywhere in town?  There are many local businesses have entered the scarecrow contest, they are so much fun to look at, and they are so creative.

Vendors, if you want to know more information about the 1st Annual Scarecrow Festival in Marion, Ar., contact the Chamber of Commerce at 870-739-6041. 

It will be another fun festival in Marion, Ar for the whole family to enjoy in October.