Morris's Blog

Now Is A Great Time to ReModel Your House

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:14:40 -0500

Right now is a great time to remodel you home. There are some really good deals out there on building products and appliances. It makes more sense to remodel now and enjoy the home improvements that your made before you sell your home. Then when the real estate market comes back around and you want to upsize or downsize you will be ready with an updated house!

Thanks for Getting Me Started on Active Rain

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:00:30 -0500

Way to Go ! ! !

Via Sandy Childs - Spartnaburg, SC Realtor® (Keller Williams Realty):

Just this week I reached 150K points on Active Rain and I wanted to thank my great friend and fellow Rainmaker, Jean Terry for introducing me to Active Rain.

She practically had to make me sign up. I told her, "I don't have time to do that!" She told me that if I tried it, then I would see the benefit. So, reluctantly I signed up.

And here we are 150K points later, with lots more friends, a huge file of clip art and a lot more knowledge. I wrote a post about reaching 150K, Here is the link:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/1267166/150-000-points-an-active-rain-success-story

Jean, hope you enjoy your roses and your day. Thanks again!

150,000 Points ~ An Active Rain Success Story

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:24:02 -0500

Let's celebrate with Sandy on reaching her 150K points on AR

Via Sandy Childs (Keller Williams):

Tonight, I have reached another milestone in my evolution here on Active Rain. Heather Chavez reached her 100K mark last week and this week Sandy Childs has reached 150,000 points.

So, hey Heather I doing the Snoopy dance with you!

I have learned where to go to get really great clipart. Not just for the blogs ~ but good stuff for our marketing materials. Hey this time last year I didn't know what a HTML was.

This time last year I didn't know what a Postlets was or how to post my listings to Craigs list.

I have really enjoyed Richard's photography and it has inspired me to take much better pictures and Heather has spurred me to be more creative. Mirela Monte has taught me so much. Mirela thank you for everything and I really enjoy reading your blogs.

Thanks Jeremy and Brad for answering all of my questions and for answering them so quickly.

Since I started actually reading the blogs and commenting, I have found myself being in the know about so much that the other agents at my office, who are not on AR, are nor aware is going on. How can you read any of Lenn's blogs and not come away with some good information. Without C-Tann, I would still be wondering about eye candy and peeps and who could ever be the same after reading any of TWL or Broker Bryant's blogs.

My experience has been so positive. Some people say that we are whining, when we blog about a bad day, but it does help to vent. It's like Active Rain is a whole new community to be a part of; and you can do it at your own pace and time.

I really love this site and all of my new computer friends.

Thanks AR for making this site possible for us.

Fontana Lake in the Smokey Mountains

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:30:02 -0500

We went up to the mountain house last week end and it was just beautiful up there. Fontana Lake is just almost full. I have never seem the lake this full. This area has been in a drought situation for over 3 years now and the lake has been very low for the past 3 years. It is just beautiful when it is full. The sight of the house boats actually floating is wonderful. It is much better than seeing then on the dry parched lake bed.

If you have the chance, this is a wonderful place to visit. Fontana Lake is located on highway 28 just outside of Bryson City, North Carolina.

Where Does Your Money Go?

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:03:04 -0500

Have you ever wondered what happened to your pay check or the cash in your pocket? Most people don't spend a lot of money at one time, instead they spend their hard earned dollars in about twenty to forty dollars at a time. Next time you are wondering where your money went, look at all of the small things that you have spent your dollars on. Keep track of your spending, you work too hard to let you dollars get away!

Do you have a renovation/improvement/maintenance plan? You should...

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:52:23 -0500

This is a plan you should have:

Via Lane Bailey - REALTOR & Car Guy (Diamond Dwellings Realty):

Yep... another plan.

But, as a home owner, there are a lot of things to keep up with. Air filter changes, painting and gutter cleaning. Those are just some of the tasks that we need to schedule... and then there is caulking, raking, trimming shrubs and fertilizing the lawn. That isn't even including things like updating the amenities inyour home...

Sure, every once in a while we think it might be nice to redo the kitchen or the bathroom. Maybe there is a thought about expanding the garage, building a deck or opening up a wall. It could be adding a skylight or getting new windows... even adding insulation.

The point is that there are a LOT of things that we, as home owners, need to keep up with... or that we want to change. And a great tool for that is a longer term plan for the changes we want to make, and how they can be included in the maintenance and upkeep that we need to do anyway.

After all, if the plan is to add a new master suite, do we want to paint the house before we tear off the siding? If we are going to replace the roof, maybe that would also be a good time to install the skylights we've been thinking about. And, of course, caulking and then tearing out the windows to install new energy efficient units would be kind of pointless.

So, here is an idea... Sit down and list out all of the things you'd like to do to your home. Whether it is getting new appliances, remodeling the bathrooms, painting the bedrooms or adding new landscaping, list out everything you can think of... get the whole family involved.

Then comes the hard part... Group together the various items to make a plan. Try to put them into groups that are both achievable (don't bite off too much at once) and related (sealing the crawlspace and replacing the windows aren't a good match...).

Prioritize the groupings. If the house is ready to be painted, maybe the kitchen remodel should be put a little lower on the list. If the stove doesn't make heat, perhaps the windows need to move down the list a notch.

Cost out the various projects. This is very important... but at the same time, some things are going to change. While you want to know what it will cost to put a dry creekbed in the back yard, if you aren't going to do it for a few years, having a "down to the penny" estimate probably isn't terribly important. But, if you have windows with rotted wood, knowing almost exactly what it may cost IS important... you don't want to tear out all of the windows and find out that you can't afford to replace them until next week...

As items come up for completion, be sure that the new items are going to be available. I have been halfway through a project and found that the item I was building around was out of stock...

the bottom line...

Do a little homework. It can actually be a lot of fun. If you have kids, they might really get into "designing" their own rooms. And there is something more important. You might find that it is cheaper and/or easier to find a home that is ready to go... In my own household, we want more space... As I am costing out another garage, and my wife is dreaming of a new master suite, we are thinking that maybe a new house would be better. But... we REALLY like where we are. We'll see what the winning plan is. Will we buy a new house or do a big remodel? I don't know.

You'd think as a real estate agent that I would always say "buy a new house", but I know that reality needs a voice, too. I don't like to move... I shouldn't expect that you want to pack all of your stuff and move it, either. On the flip side, I know that if you sink too much money into your home, you will never see it come back out... especially in the short term.

Balance YOUR options.

If you need to move... we can talk about it.
Unless otherwise noted, all content of this blog is the property of Lane Bailey, ©2009 Lane Bailey.

I'd love to hear from you...

A Wonderful Pet

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:48:44 -0500

Have you ever been fortunate enough to have a black lab. We have and his name was Zach. Zach was a black lab and he was a character. You never knew what he would do. He was always entertaining. Once when we were watching TV he went into the kitchen pantry and got an onion and started to eat it. We quickly took it away from him, as onions are poison to dogs. He also liked tomatoes.

Great Place for a Family Vacation

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:45:15 -0500

We took a family vacation to Orlando, Florida. On the the places we enjoyed visiting was the Kennedy Space Center. We spent the entire day there and only saw about half of everything. It is a great family place to take the entire family. We were really impressed with the exhibits. We actually go to see the space shuttle on the launch pad, although we were about a mile or so away from it. It is a great place to take your family. Also, at the end of the day if you wish to return, anytime during the year you can upgrade your passes for about $12.00 per pass. Again it is a great place to visit.

Fall Storm and Your Roof

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:41:08 -0500

Here in the Upstate of South Carolina, in Spartanburg county we have been experiencing many storms with high winds and a little hail.

I have blogged about this before, but now is a good time for you to have your roof inspected for both wind and hail damage. The high winds that some of the storms are causing can damage your roof.

Don't wait until you have damage to your ceilings to call for an inspection.

Your Home Needs a Tool Box

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:55:12 -0500

Every household should have a tool box. Here is a list of things that need to go in your tool box:

A pair of commonpliers, a pair of slip-joint pliers, a pair of diagonal pliers, a set of screw drivers, a claw hammer, the much needed utility knife, and a pair of wire strippers / crimpers. These items should get you through most common household repairs.

Here's What You Need In The Trunk of Your Car

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:47:06 -0500

Every car should have a tool box. Here the items that should be in the tool box: Set of jumper cables, can of "Fix A Flat", set of screw drivers, a pair of pliers, flashlight (with good batteries) roll of duct tape, half of a gallon of anti freeze (if you have room) paper towels, bungee cords. Your car should have come with a spare tire and a lug wrench that fits the lugs on your wheels and a jack, but don't take that for granted, check to make sure that your car is properly equipped with these items.

Dependable Service

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:40:40 -0500

How many times have you had a repair person to come to your home to make a repair? Did the person show up when expected? Did they conduct themselves in a professional manner? Did they make a mess and not clean it up? Did they charge what you were told up front? Were the charges higher than you expected? Was the repair complete when they left? Was the problem fixed? How many times have you paid for repairs that were not fixed or you were not pleased with the work performed?

Always get references from any one that you allow to come into your home. Do not pay for repairs until you know that the repair was made correctly and that it is really fixed.

A personal referral from someone that you know is always best.

Do You Have The Right Pieces?

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:31:28 -0500

Have you ever bought something that you had to assemble to find that the pieces don't fit together? This is one of the most frustrating things that happens in our business. It is especially frustrating when the product is a special order product. Most of the time, we just package the product up and take it back to the store it was purchased from and get another one.

Has this ever happened to you?

Give Your House A Face Lift!

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:20:03 -0500

Right now is a great time to remodel you home. There are some really good deals out there on building products and appliances. It makes more sense to remodel now and enjoy the home improvements that your made before you sell your home. Then when the real estate market comes back around and you want to upsize or downsize you will be ready with an updated house!

Plasma TV Wars Have A "Bigger Picture"

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:52:20 -0500

This is an interesting article.

Via SarahGray Lamm~REALTOR Broker~ 60K Hours of NC Real Estate Experience~ (Allen Tate Realtors Chapel Hill, NC):

The recent debate over on Norma Toering’s post about whether or not a plasma tv attached to the wall is a fixture or not reminds me of a sale I had earlier this year. It all ended well and never degenerated into a “war” but it did bring up some issues that will very likely need clarification in our contracts sooner rather than later!

My seller and I had discussed at time of listing that his audio/video system, which was controlled from a special closet in the Family Room, would likely be a point of discussion or negotiation when the right buyer came along. Not only was the plasma TV mounted on the wall but there was other equipment involved and the complex system controlled entertainment in some of the Bedrooms as well as the Living Room and Kitchen. He was more than willing to consider leaving the system “with the right offer.”

Sure enough, when our best offer arrived, it included the system with a caveat that if the seller would not leave the system, he would repair the damage made by removing it. Fair enough. We asked the buyer’s agent which option the buyer preferred. He preferred keeping the system so we set about negotiating a price for the home that would allow the seller to feel alright about leaving the system in place. We got to a bottom line figure and I conveyed it to the buyer’s agent who called me to say she and her client were having a hard time understanding the figure as her buyer “could go buy a flat screen TV at Best Buy for a few hundred dollars.”

"Yes, he could." I replied, "But that isn’t where the value lies." If you have ever had a complex audio/video system installed in your home, you know that the last issue is how much the TV is worth. I explained that there is a lot of time and expertise involved in selecting compatible components, programming them to work together and then learning how to operate the system. (I addressed this awhile ago in another post.) The buyer’s agent said she was unaware of this and would convey it to her client.

When they came back to us, the contract now included complicated language requesting that the seller agree to repair or replace any defective audio/video equipment found by the “home inspector” at his expense. Okay….except I am not aware that there are any licensed home inspectors out there who would consent to “inspect” a complicated audio/video system much less how we would agree that he/she was “qualified” to do so!

I picked up the phone and called the buyer’s agent and just asked her to share with me what, exactly, the buyer was attempting to accomplish. She said he really wanted the system, especially now that he knew what could be involved in replacing the components, but wanted to be sure that the system really worked “as advertised”!

It was an easy thing to work out once we all understood each other’s point of view! The seller simply agreed to show the agent and the buyer how the system worked during the home inspection and then agreed to come back after the buyer moved in and spend a couple of hours teaching him how to use it!

The deal closed, everyone is happy! But I can absolutely see that as this new technology becomes prevalent in many more homes these issues will need to be addressed! I can foresee professional AV equipment installers, like the one I wrote about in my previous post, who will have a new opportunity for business as an “AV expert” who can provide an opinion about the value and functionality of a system. I’ve seen these systems run into the thousands, even tens of thousands, and there will need to be some accommodations made for “fixtures” with such high value!

As ever, dealing with the issue up front, during the listing appointment, and then asking for the motivation of the parties during negotiations and resolving them creatively, will get you farther down the road than anything else!

SarahGray Lamm is a licensed, full time, residential Broker in the Triangle of North Carolina. She specializes in serving the real estate needs of home owners and home buyers in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, SW Durham and Northern Chatham County.

With over 60,000 hours of experience in North Carolina real estate, SarahGray is proudly associated with Allen Tate Realtors, the Carolinas largest independent real estate company. With exceptional relationships all over the Carolinas, SarahGray is able to connect you with other professionals in all areas who will make your home buying or selling experience the best you have ever had!

Use of any content from the Agent Outlier Blog without permission of the owner is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Cheap Home Improvements

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:37:09 -0500

One of the many houses that we have lived in and remodeled over the years needed more cabinet space. We decided to move the refrigerator and added additional lower cabinets. We were able to match the cabinet doors on the bottom cabinets by using the doors from the laundry room that just happened to match and were the right size.

Since we moved the refrigerator the upper cabinets were too short. We went to Lowe's and looked at the cabinet displays and there was the answer. We bought a piece of shelving board and some dowels, went home and made a plate rack. I worked with the stain until I got it to match. When the project was finished everything matched. We added additional counter space and storage space and a nice place to display our plates. All in all this project cost very little, it added about 3 feet of counter space to and cabinet space to the kitchen and an attractive plate rack to display dishes. We felt like we added value to the house.

Just A Little Caulking and a Little Time Can Save Your Money

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:18:57 -0500

Now is a great time to check all of your windows to make sure that the caulking is in good shape. It is amazing how much cool air you can lose around your windows. A lot of people are not aware that caulking is not a permanent product. It should be checked at least every two years. It will break down due to the weather. Also check the flashing around your chimney. Another good thing to check is the weather stripping around your doors. Air Conditioning is too expensive to let it slip out the door or window.

Parade of Homes In Spartanburg, South Carolina

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:36:54 -0500

Many of us like to go and tour the annual Spartanburg Home Builders Association tour of homes. This weekend is the last weekend for the tour this year. The houses are all built by local quality builders. The featured subdivision is Shallow Brook and is located off of highway 417 in Moore, South Carolina. Go out and take a look at the homes this weekend.

Who Will Go Home?

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:32:55 -0500

American Idol was exciting tonight, the wife and I watched as both Adam and Chris performed. Chris really did a good job on his first song, but it was all down hill from there, in our opinion. Adam, as usual rocked all three of his songs, as the judges have said, he could sing the phone book.

The voting goes on and either one could win. Who do you think will be the new American Idol?

My Dad's Cornbread Recipe

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sat, 16 May 2009 01:01:42 -0500

My Dad's Corn Bread

Ingredients:

4 cups corn meal (mix - any brand - self rising)

½ tsp salt

Pinch of baking soda

3 to 4 pinches of baking powder

1 egg

Buttermilk - as needed

Olive oil - as needed

Preheat oven to 425

Pour olive oil in pan* & heat in oven until hot

Mix all other ingredients - add enough buttermilk until batter will pour smoothly

Stir until smooth

Pour in heated pan & shake

Bake 30 minutes @ 425 degrees or until golden brown

Should serve about 10

* I used a seasoned cast iron skillet

Enjoy

Using First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credits for the Downpayment - It's GONE !!!! - The story of the $8,000 tax credit

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sat, 16 May 2009 00:59:10 -0500

Will we ever see immediate from the homebuyer's credit, this is a good read on this subject:

Via Jeff Belonger -- The FHA Expert.com -- FHA Loans -- FHA mortgages - USDA loans (Infinity Home Mortgage Company, Inc):

The $8,000 first time homebuyers TAX CREDIT - HUD has saved the day. Well, okay, it saved it for a day. It's gone now, recinded, at least for now. Everything that you have been reading about yesterday, about FHA/HUD putting out mortgagee letter 2009-15, it's no longer there. Tom Burris had noticed this yesterday and I just got off the phone this morning with the HUD office. For reasons unknown, this letter, ML 09-15, has been taken off the self. Besides, I have my reasons to this and also felt that many of the blogs posted yesterday were incorrect. Here is why....

In regards to FHA loans, a borrower can only obtain monies for their actual downpayment of 3.5% by the following :

Their own funds

up to 100% of a gift from a relative/family member

From the Federal, state, and local governmental agencies and nonprofit instrumentalities of government

FHA approved non-profits

monies from their employer in a form of employee contribution

monies from secured borrowed funds... IE. borrowing equity from your home to buy another home or borrowing against your car that is free and clear or borrowing from your 401-k, etc, etc

Here is the major confusion that was put out yesterday both HUD, NAR, and many realtors and loan officers that wrote about this. In the body of the mortgagee letter, ML 09-15, at the bottom, it stated :

The Tax Credit: Short-Term Loan:

Entities that can offer the tax credit advance with short-term loans:

Federal, state, and local governmental agencies and nonprofit instrumentalities of government, FHA-approved nonprofits, and FHA-approved mortgagees may provide short-term or "bridge loans" secured only by the anticipated tax credit due the homebuyer as collateral.

The confusion : It states, As collateral and not as a secured lien against the home, but as a secured loan against the collateral. Which in this case would be the $8,000 tax credit, which would be secured against.

Because of this, HUD does not allow for monies to be borrowed or given to in any form that I did not mention above, to be used for the down payment. The reality of it all, basically everything that was stated in the mortgagee letter, that has been revoked for now, is old school FHA. When it comes to FHA loans / FHA mortgages, you could get monies for your down payment from the items that mentioned above, which is mentioned in the mortgagee letter. Well, was mentioned... One caveat to all of this is that HUD was going to allow for lenders to secure a short term loan or bridge loan against the $8,000 to be used to purchase a home. But again, that can't be used for the actual down payment, because it goes against the basic FHA guidelines of downpayment monies of 3.5%. Now, unless HUD changed this, it does not clearly state this in the mortgagee letter, even though that letter is no longer valid.

Summary : When I read the ML 09-15 the other day, all of this jumped into my head. But I didn't have time to dissect all of this, yet I wanted to get this out to the public. After seeing many blogs written with inaccurate information, because NAR stated certain things from a HUD spokesperson, it was never clear, in which this gave me large goose bumps. My advice, consult an FHA Expert, even if you hear it from others that are high up, such as the NAR. And be careful on those that call themselves Experts also. I personally think that this was immature of several agencies for putting this information out there without verifying it's accuracy and intentions. And I would have to assume that HUD feels the same way since they took this mortgagee letter off their site and off the HUD clips site. Thanks

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT REMINDER : Just because HUD or any other source puts information out there, doesn't mean it will happen. Keep in mind that most lenders have overlays and can add to certain rules and or guidelines.

And just for the fact that HUD says it's fraud to obtain the tax credit prior to closing. This question has been asked to HUD by many of us and their response is FRAUD. Why? You are receiving the monies before you are buying the house. Yes, you can give the IRS the address prior and a potential closing date. But I smell shit hitting the fan very soon, since a lot of this is still new. And remember those lender overlays? I know some lenders and underwriters that won't allow this type of loan to go to closing.

Ken Cook wrote a very short and brief blog about all of this. It's very clear. FALSE info flying around about the first time tax credit used as a downpayment.

For real, updated information on the First time Homebuyer's Tax Credit, please read : $8,000 first time homebuyers tax credit.

05/15/09 - 11:59 pm UPDATE : Hey everyone – Please read this comment by Gerry Suarez – It’s very important -

http://activerain.com/blogsview/1075899/using-first-time-homebuyer-tax-credits-for-the-downpayment-it-s-gone-the-story-of-the-8-000-tax-credit#4663332

- FHA Loans - USDA Loans - VA Loans -

- Energy Efficient Mortgages -

- Conventional Loans - 203 k loans -

- Mortgages -

Experience & Knowledge at its BEST !!!

_________________________________________________________________________________________

For more information on FHA loans, please go to this link. The FHA Expert

For more information about the 2009 Tax Credit for First Time Homebuyers : 2009 Tax Credit

For important mortgage insight to watch for, please read : Consumers need to be aware of these Red Flags !!!!

Copyright © 2009 by Jeff Belonger

I'm Watching You

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sat, 16 May 2009 00:50:15 -0500

Toby Cat's eyes are peering in to see what we are doing. He is sitting on the fern urn on the front porch. He will watch us for a few minutes then he begins to meow, as to say: "What are you doing in there?" He also is wanting to come in the house. We have tried for some time now to get this picture. He usually jumps down before you can take the picture.

We really think that this is a cute picture of him looking in at us.

Cheap Home Improvements

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sat, 16 May 2009 00:44:50 -0500

One of the many houses that we have lived in and remodeled over the years needed more cabinet space. We decided to move the refrigerator and added additional lower cabinets. We were able to match the cabinet doors by using the doors from the laundry room that just happened to match and were the right size. Since we moved the refrigerator the upper cabinets were short. We went to Lowe's and looked at the cabinet displays and there was the answer. We bought a piece of shelving board and some dowels, went home and made a plate rack. I worked with the stain until I got it to match. When the project was finished everything matched. We added additional counter space and storage space and a nice place to display our plates.

Will It Ever Be 5 O'Clock

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sat, 16 May 2009 00:42:30 -0500

Yesterday I thought that 5 o'clock would never come and everything that could have gone wrong did. I was almost afraid to get out of bed this morning. But today is better. We all have those days every now and then when nothing seems to go right. It is so nice to have a really good day. Hope you are having a good day too. It is hard to take two bad days in a row.

The Smokey Mountains and Fontana Lake

Morris Childs (PEP source) — Sat, 16 May 2009 00:16:05 -0500

We went up to the mountain house last week end and it was just beautiful up there. Fontana Lake is just almost full. I have never seem the lake this full. This area has been in a drought situation for over 3 years now and the lake has been very low for the past 3 years. It is just beautiful when it is full. The sight of the house boats actually floating is wonderful. It is much better than seeing then on the dry parched lake bed.