twin cities east metro homes: Making Your Basement Homey
- 10/26/10 01:02 PM
Many basements are cluttered, chaotic, dark and dingy areas of the house we often try to avoid. Therefore, we have some tips to help make your basement homey so you'll want to visit and enjoy this extra space more often. When it's time to sell your home, especially in today's competitive real estate market, an expanded and dressed up living space can give your home a price boost above the others in your area. As you approach the project, think about transforming this below-ground level into a higher-end living space. Will you use this space for a family room? Play … (6 comments)
twin cities east metro homes: Robo-Signing Scandal
- 10/19/10 09:57 AM
The information you need to know about the Robo-Signing Scandal. When submitting documents to a court, they are supposed to be true as submitted. This means you have personally verified all information in the documents and they are true. Employees from Bank of America, GMAC, One West Bank and JPMorgan are alleged to have routinely sign hundreds of documents without verifying the information they contain. They then submitted those documents to court. This enables the banks to foreclose on delinquent properties. Wells Fargo and CitiMortgage have recently told The New York Times that their employees do not engage in similar … (2 comments)
twin cities east metro homes: HAFA Short Sale Programs Up and Running
- 10/12/10 10:18 AM
The HAFA Short Sale Program became mandatory for all non-GSE service providers participating in the HAMP Short Sale Program on April 5, 2010. According to a report on July 26, 2010, many service providers were slow to implement the program. On August 2, 2010, new programs from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac became mandatory for all service providers of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans. This new change did not affect the guidelines that were issued on June 1, 2010. As-of-date, all three HAFA programs are fully in effect and fully operational. There are some differences between each of the … (0 comments)
twin cities east metro homes: Conducting Your Own Energy Audit – Part 2
- 09/28/10 08:04 AM
In part one of Conducting Your Own Energy Audit, we went over why you should conduct your own energy audit, ways to conduct a home audit, and what to check for during your home energy audit. In part two this week, we'll be going over how to spot common energy leaks so you can get the most of your DIY Home Energy Audit. How to spot common energy leaks in your home: * Test your home's exterior. Check doors, roof, windows, and walls that are exposed to outside air. You can easily do this by holding a candle or incense … (2 comments)
twin cities east metro homes: Everyday Dangerous Situations for Realtors and Safety Tips
- 09/23/10 03:24 AM
Those who work in real estate put themselves in dangerous situations everyday and don't really think about it. Recently, I've found some of the most dangerous situations and how to protect yourself when in them. Situations such as showing properties, meeting new clients, letting strangers into your car, holding open houses and even marketing can put your safety on the line. Many of these everyday tasks can be harmless. But, unfortunately, some real estate agents have learned otherwise. Therefore, take these dangerous situations to heart and learn what you can do to protect yourself. Entering a vacant or foreclosed home … (8 comments)
twin cities east metro homes: Conducting Your Own Energy Audit
- 09/21/10 07:46 AM
Many times you can conduct your own energy audit when necessary. And, in the Twin Cities area, an energy audit is necessary to help keep utility costs down. Now is also the perfect time to perform this task. When conducting your own energy audit, you just need a little elbow grease and a do-it-yourself home energy audit guide to get you started. Giving attention to and fixing problem areas can lower your energy bills by 5% to 30% on an annual basis. Self audits cost virtually nothing if you own a few necessary items such as a ladder, flashlight, candles, … (2 comments)
twin cities east metro homes: Short Sale Programs with Bank of America and Chase Online
- 09/16/10 01:46 PM
Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase are offering new information and helpful resources online in and effort to help consumers and agents streamline the HAFA short sale process. JP Morgan Chase There is now a downloadable HAFA-complaint short sale information packet and application available online that has been posted by JP Morgan Chase. This information contains their latest forms that need to be used when applying for a short sale. Whether HAFA or traditional, these forms must be used. Parts of the Chase forms are almost identical to the Request for Modification and Hardship Affidavit that are used in … (1 comments)
twin cities east metro homes: Energy Audits – The Costs and Benefits
- 09/09/10 01:32 PM
Energy audits should be done annually, but what are the costs and benefits? Homes are meant to breathe, but some homes inhale a little too much from the outdoors and exhale it inside our homes. Drafty rooms, leaky and dirty air ducts, high utility bills, and large carbon footprints are the result of too much outdoor air coming into the home. So, when you believe your home could be more energy efficient, you should perform an energy audit. An energy audit can diagnose your energy issues and help you tackle the problems head on. When your budget gets in the … (4 comments)
twin cities east metro homes: Bank of America Testing Short Sale Program
- 09/08/10 06:33 AM
A recent report from REO Insider about a new Short Sale program indicates testing of the Short Sale program by Bank of America. And so far, this short sale initiative has only targeted 2,000 pre-screened homeowners. These homeowners were selected from hard hit states like Arizona, Florida, California, and Nevada. Here are some details about the program: * No new documents needed. * Program designed for homeowners who were considered for modifications under HAMP and short sales under HAFA who fell out or didn't qualify. * Deficiencies are waived. * Agents will not be selected by the bank to work … (0 comments)
twin cities east metro homes: A “Green” Remodel for your Bathroom
- 08/24/10 09:51 AM
When you want to make sure your bathroom remodel is as green as possible, you will need to know how to save energy, conserve your resources and protect your budget. More and more homeowners are beginning to care about the environment and the bathroom is top on that list to transform homes into green homes. So, whether you have a bathroom that's badly in need of repair or you're simply ready to take the ‘green' step, we have some tips that will help you along the way. There are now many eco-responsible products available on the market. The first step you … (1 comments)
As a dually licensed REALTOR® in Minnesota and Wisconsin, I am happy to share my knowledge of Twin Cities real estate news, events, buyer tips, seller tips, foreclosure information and so much more.
;)
;)
