Neighborhood Finance Corporation $10,000 grant plus $2,500 closing credit is the best thing going in Des Moines - 06/28/10 01:03 PM
It's official. The tax credit is totally off the table. The senate decided in a vote last week not to even extend it for those who had homes under contract and can't get them closed by the 30th of this month, the final deadline. That to me officially says the tax credit is not coming back. End of story.
However.....if you're an owner occupant buying a home in certain parts of Des Moines, you may be eligible for up to a $10,000 grant, plus a $2,500 closing cost allowance from the Neighborhood Finance Corporation, or the NFC, as it is popularly … (4 comments)

Property tax delinquencies improve in Polk County - 06/23/10 12:53 AM
 Polk County's annual tax sale was held on Monday and Tuesday of this week. At the tax sale the county offers to sell delinquent taxes to investors in the form of certificates that give the investor the right to collect 2% monthly on the debt. If the property owner does not redeem the certificate within two years the holder may be able to force a sale of the property to satisfy the debt provided some other conditions are met.
Yesterday the city announced that it would remove 19 vacant lots from the sale list and assign the properties to Habitat for Humanity for … (3 comments)

Options for townhome sellers in today's market - 06/20/10 09:23 PM
The real estate market meltdown has dragged down values for all classes, but in the Des Moines area townhome and condo owners have perhaps been burned worse than most.
The problems townhome owners have faced have been twofold. About twelve years ago there was a dearth of town homes and there was pent up demand. As townhome developments were built out they sold quickly. Developers, seeing opportunity, flocked to this nascent market, building out dozens of new projects. As supply increased, competition ramped up as well leading to market entrants in 2004-6 able to get in some cases better deals than those who had … (4 comments)

Think carefully before co-signing anything, your future home may be on the line - 06/19/10 02:50 AM
This was a painful week for a prospective buyer on one of my listings. He found out after getting his offer accepted that a late payment was made in May on a car loan he consigned on last year. The net result was that his credit score dropped below the level needed for him to get a loan.
Most people want to be helpful, and when a family member or friend who seems to be stable needs a cosigner on a loan the temptation is there to lend a hand. After all, you know this person. They are responsible, they pay their … (41 comments)

Please Help Find Missing 7 yr. Old – FEATURE THIS BLOG!!!! - 06/18/10 11:33 PM
Please help find this missing child. If you know anything please call the number given.
Via Dean and Sonia Carver (United Brokers Group/Carver Home Team):
We know this blog isn't about real estate related per se, but who has a better network than Realtors to get the word out about something? Seven year old Kyron Horman, the son of a former co-worker of Sonia’s, disappeared without a trace from Skyline Elementary School in Portland, Oregon 11 days ago. Authorities find it very unlikely that he wandered off by himself. Somebody, somewhere, knows something. Please keep your eye out for him and if you … (0 comments)

Local Des Moines boy makes the news! - 06/18/10 01:39 PM
I received a big surprise this morning reading our morning paper, The Des Moines Register. It seems Register photographers had caught our science camper son Esden on camera during one of this weeks activities at the TreeHuggers week long camp at the Des Moines Science Center.
HOLLY MCQUEEN/THE REGISTEREsden Grohe, 6, of Des Moines' west side, right, watches as camp counselor Casey Borcyk, 20, of Omaha, turns on a blender full of warm water and one-inch pieces of paper they were blending to create a pulpy mixture called slurry during a paper-making project during the Treehuggers Camp at the Science Center … (1 comments)

Work out for free in Des Moines high schools this summer - 06/18/10 01:40 AM
Thank the feds! Citizens can work out for free in Des Moines high schools all this summer and possibly into the fall. The reason is that upgrades to high school workout rooms were completed with federal grant dollars and one of the stipulations for receiving them was that the public have access to the facilities.
The grant of $480,000 dollars was spread equally across all schools for equipment such as new wieght and cardio machines. Some of the machines cost as much as $3,500 a piece, a sum that would have been unheard of without the grant. Public access actually began this … (2 comments)

RELAY Transaction management allows clients and agents to follow along - 06/16/10 01:15 AM
Few would readily say "I'd like to be less informed" especially when it comes to their real estate transaction. Most clients place good communication high on their list of importance when working with a real estate agent.  Working with a successful agent however often means working with one who has a dozen or more homes listed and multiple transaction in progress. Even agents with a team may not have the answer to a client or agent's transaction question at the spur of the moment. Enter RELAY.
RELAY connects clients and agents to their listing or purchase through a flexible transaction management system … (1 comments)

AR MEMBER SARAH HALL WEIGAND IS MISSING - 06/09/10 11:46 PM
If you have seen this woman or have any information about her please call the number below:
Via Dawn Maloney, CDRS Elite (RE/MAX Commitment):
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WOMAN?
IMPORTANT!! Has anyone seen or heard from Sarah Hall Weigand? Last contact was midnight 6/8/2010. She is missing along with her dog. House was found wide open with car in driveway. Police and family are looking for her. Very Worried. PLEASE CALL 850.867.6710 or 330-472-1158 IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT SARAH HALL WEIGAND. Sarah is a REALTOR in Estero Florida with Crimaldi & Associates.
She is the daughter of my friend here … (4 comments)

Primary election tomorrow! Get out an vote ya'll! - 06/08/10 12:35 AM
Elections for me always seem like they are forever in the distance, and then BAMM! here they are, the next day.
An election for me means getting up around four thirty so I canbe at the polls before six. When you're the chairperson for a precinct, mines DSM 75, you want to try to get there before the poll workers, otherwise they have about 16 hours to rib you about it!
It's a real challenge to beat folks that are 60, 70 and 80 to any AM event if you've ever been in that situation. For this primary we had a mandatory … (7 comments)

Realtor.com Facebook widget gets your listings out there - 06/06/10 03:00 AM
Every real estate agent in their right mind wants more exposure for their listings. It probably can be argued also that every real estate in their right mind should be on Facebook in one capacity or another.
The problem with Facebook for many agents seems to be on how best to use the platform to promote their business without being too pushy about it. Having a lot of agent friends on Facebook I see firsthand many approaches. One popular approach seems to be to post pictures of new listings with a short description on one's profile page. This is a good … (9 comments)

June 8th 2010 Primary in Des Moines promises intrigue - 06/06/10 12:53 AM
Another primary is already upon us. With incumbents facing ever increasing voter acrimony amid a prolonged economic downturn, Iowans will go to the polls to select candidates for Gunbernatorial, Senatorial and House seats. Many state and county offices will also be also on the ballot.
Sitting Democratic Governor Chet Culver's seat has been deemed to be one of the most at risk in the nation as Iowa's agricultural economy has floundered amid sporadic fits and starts in the commodities market and big cuts in both state and city budgets. Culver is facing re-election for the first time against a field of candidtaes that includes … (3 comments)

Is it time to cut off your ARM? loan that is. - 06/05/10 04:49 PM
One of the headlines to come out of the nascent recovery is that the "LIBOR" has been rising and people aren't exactly sure why. LIBOR, the London Interbank Offered Rate, "The interest rate that the banks charge each other for loans (usually in Eurodollars). This rate is applicable to the short-term international interbank market, and applies to very large loans borrowed for anywhere from one dayto five years." The importance of LIBOR is that it is the benchmark rate for many ARMs or adjustable rate mortgages here in the United States. The terms of many of ARMs stipulate that they will rise a certain percentage … (2 comments)

Should I counter offer? - 06/01/10 12:11 AM
For the most part, it's buyer's market here in Des Moines. Different buyers have different takes on that. Some buyers will see a fairly priced home, and work to negotiate a reasonable offer with a seller. Then there's the other kind of buyer, buyer #2. Buyer #2 is a buyer that wants to take the seller to the cleaners by taking prices back to the 90's, or earlier, plus closing costs.
Many sellers otherwise level headed, get really ticked off by a low ball offer. They take offense at the preposterous schemes and suppositions of buyer #2. A percentage of these sellers won't … (14 comments)