With 20% of the year left we will finish the year strong with our  "All Hands on Deck!" approach!

When Typhoon Ketsana (locally called "Ondoy") hit the Philippines on September 26, 2009, it left floods and destruction in its wake.  Tens of thousands of people are homeless and 337 deaths have been reported due to this storm.  The American Red Cross has reported that 2.5 million people have been affected in the Philippines.

This storm hit close to home too.  Bless Villanueva, a Marketing specialist at RE/MAX Executive Realty in Franklin and a Blackstone resident is native of the Philippines.  Ketsana left her elderly mother separated from her father on a neighbor's roof and her nieces stranded away from their relatives with no food or water.  The storm heavily damaged their home, and all of their life's possessions were lost or covered in mud when the flood waters receded.  Imagine having only the clothes on your back!  Thankfully Bless' entire families survived the storm and are rebuilding their lives.

Through donations from agents and employees of RE/MAX Executive Realty and a matching grant from the RE/MAX Executive Realty Charitable Foundation Bless was able to go home to the Philippines, bringing bedding, clothing and a renewed energy.  Her family was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and the generosity of strangers.  During her stay she was able to arrange for contractors to remove damaged walls and haul away trash.  When Bless left a new home was being built and in a mere two weeks a new home, made not of wood, but of flood resistant stone will be completed.  All of this was made possible through the donations and efforts of the RE/MAX Executive Realty Charitable Foundation.

While there has been great progress to date, there is still so much that needs to be done.  Donations are still being accepted through the RE/MAX Executive Realty Charitable Foundation.  For more information, contact Bill Wright at 508-520-9882 or www.remaxexec.com/comm.asp.

The RE/MAX Executive Realty Charitable Foundation is a non-profit foundation organized to carry out the philanthropic mission of RE/MAX Executive Realty and our associates.   The Foundation is established to fund financial or service based needs in the Company's market area.  Our primary goal is to improve the lives of families or individuals in our market area.

Congratulations to everyone at RE/MAX Executive Realty!! 

We just had our BEST September for closed transactions since 2005.   Our Pending pipeline is stronger for this time of year than it has been in the last 4 years! 

Great job everyone for working hard this summer to make this happen.  There is still 25% of 2009 remaining, so let's continue this positive momentum and finish the year strong.   

RE/MAX Executive continues to beat the market with our "All Hands on Deck" approach to everyone working hard and achieving success.   

Keep up the GREAT work!

It feels as if we have been climbing out of the recession.  There has been a flurry of good news about housing and the economy lately.  Both "home sales" and "pending sales" have posted several consecutive months of increases over the previous year. 

Mortgage rates continue to attract home purchasers and the First Time Buyer tax credit is fueling an urgency to purchase for that segment of the market. 

But there is still more work for us to do before we can sit back and relax.  Here's to a strong finish!

Do you know how your credit score is determined? A credit score is based on information contained in your credit file.  The FICO® score is calculated using the following credit file items:

 · Payment history: Approximately 35% of the FICO score is based on this category.

· Amounts owed: Approximately 30% of the FICO score is  based on this category.

· Length of credit history: Approximately 15% of the FICO score is based on this category.

· New credit: Approximately 10% of the FICO score is based on this category.

· Type of credit used: Approximately 10% of the FICO score is based on this category.

Please keep in mind that there are many different scoring models that can be used to calculate a credit score, and each scoring model may give more or less weight to the various items of information in your credit file.

Good luck!

How are you finding the $8K first time home buyer initiative affecting your market place? 

There was some discussion in one of our offices last week about this, with one agent saying it didn't effect him at all (all of his listings are higher end, not typical first time home buyer fare) and another agent saying that 2 of his most recent buyers took advantage of the program.  We find this to be true throughout our offices.  Just wondering how it is in other areas.

 Ah, the unofficial end of summer ~ have a wonderful and safe weekend!

The real estate market keeps getting better news each week! 

There have been reports that the number of homes sales surged in July and prices have leveled off.  Expect more good news in the media as economists are expecting more data to support an increase in activity and stabilization of prices. 

All indication is that this will be a very good Fall market for real estate, let's continue our positive momentum and out perform our competitors!    
 
Wishing you much success!  

Time is running out for First Time Buyer Credit! 
 
The last closing date to take advantage of this program is December 1st.   For assistance with this program or any of your real estate questions, contact RE/MAX Executive Realty.  We are the most recognized, the most productive, well respected and highly trained agents in our marketplace! 

A tip from Alliance Home Mortgage - buyers may receive a gift from a family member to close and then amend their 2008 return for immediate cash.  Don't let your buyer's be fooled into thinking they can use the $8K tax incentive money for closing!  Buyers can amend their 2008 tax returns until October 15th.