Connect With Me
Search For Cabins
Join My Email
Listing Slideshow
My Listing Manager
Featured Listings
Featured Video
Search Blog
iPhone-iPad Enabled
My Information
Event Calendar
| « Mar |
|
May » |
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | EC | |
Categories
- Georgia Mountain Foreclosure reVIEWS
- Family reVIEWS
- Front Porch VIEWS
- Real Estate Made Simple
- Georgia Mountain Community reVIEWS
- Georgia Mountain Real Estate VIEWS
- Georgia Mountain Home Buyer's reVIEWS
- Georgia Mountain Home Seller's reVIEWS
- Realtor reVIEWS
- Georgia Mountain Got-To-Do reVIEWS
- Georgia Mountain Dining reVIEWS
- Professional Associate reVIEWS
- Georgia Mountain Cabin Rental reVIEWS
- Georgia Mountain Market reVIEWS
- Mortgage & Finance reVIEWS
- Georgia Mountain Sightseeing
- Georgia Mountain Slang
- Clients reVIEWS
- Georgia Mountain Golf & Resort reVIEWS
- Featured Listing reVIEWS
- Georgia Mountain Home Tips
- Outdoor Adventure reVIEWS
- Georgia Mountain Shopping reVIEWS
Blue Ridge Searches
Blairsville Searches
Ellijay Searches
Hiawassee Searches
Area Information
Porch Posts
Porch Library
RE Radio Today
NAR Message
Market Trends
Touch A Life!
Archive for April, 2009
There’s a right way and a wrong way to transfer a home posthumously. The right way requires having a documented plan. The wrong way could stick your loved ones with a tax bill so large they may have to sell the home just to cover it.
With just 4 minutes for the segment, The Today Show rushes through some very important estate planning considerations, but that doesn’t make the points any less relevant.
Among the estate planning tips:
- Even a simple will can big protection
- For multiple beneficiaries, consider a trust agreement
- Avoid taxes by “selling” your home to heirs while you’re still living
Estate plans are simple, are cheap, and affords protection from the state and the IRS. Every homeowner should have one.
Subscribe to Blog Contact Me Search for Homes Daily List Alert
Monday, mortgage markets improved with news of new Swine Flu cases.
It’s a classic example of Safe Haven buying and today’s rate shoppers will see the benefits.
Mortgage rates improved about 0.125 percent Monday.
It’s not an official term, but “Safe Haven buying” describes the trading patterns in which large numbers of investors move money away from risky investments and toward safer ones. As a general rule in Safe Haven buying, stocks sell off and bonds make gains, including mortgage-backed bonds.
Fears that a global Swine Flu outbreak would slow the global recovery is a major reason why mortgage rates improved Monday.
Dumping risk is a common reaction on Wall Street when unexpected events occur. Because the future is uncertain, traders prefer to play it safe. Hence the jargon-like term, “Safe Haven buying”.
If nothing else, Monday’s mortgage rate action reminds us that the biggest influences on the market are often not the events we can prepare for. It’s the events we never saw coming.
This morning, with known Swine Flu cases spreading to Asia and a Phase 4 Alert from the World Health Organization, Safe Haven buying is continuing. However, with the Federal Reserve meeting today and tomorrow, markets could be ripe for a correction.
(Image courtesy: Niman and Google Maps)
Subscribe to Blog Contact Me Search for Homes Daily List Alert
Sure, you’ve got a fire extinguisher at home, but if you ever had a fire, would you know what to do with it?
Like any tool, reading the directions can only get you so far. If you’ve never “pulled the pin” and discharged a fire extinguisher before, fighting an actual fire can be a frightening intiation.
For non-firefighters, there’s an alternative. It’s an aerosol spray from the First Alert company called the Tundra Fire Extinguishing Spray
According to a First Alert product fact sheet, aside from its ease-of-use, the Tundra product boasts several advantages over traditional fire extinguishers:
- Tundra sprays for 32 seconds — double a traditional fire extinguisher
- Tundra spray covers 3 times more surface area than a traditional extinguisher
- Tundra cleans up with a damp sponge
The Tundra Fire Extinguishing Spray
If you have a Second Home or Cabin in the North Georgia Mountains, this would be a great product to pick up and keep handy, especially if you have your Mountain Home in a Rental Program. If you have any questions related to this post or about Real Estate in general, please give me a call at 706.994.8686, or you can shoot me an email at [email protected].
Thanks so much for stopping by, and make it a GREAT day!
Subscribe to Blog Contact Me Search for Homes Daily List Alert
Since 2007, Foreclosures have dominated real estate news. You can’t turn on the news or open a paper without some Foreclosure-related story.
But for all of the discussion, Foreclosures continue to be geographically concentrated.
Adding up the latest stats from RealtyTrac.com, more than half of the country’s Foreclosure actions from March occurred in just 3 states — California, Florida and Nevada.
Those 3 states represent just 19 percent of the nation’s population.
Despite the local concentration of Foreclosures, however, they remain a national problem. This is because mortgage lenders lend in all 50 states — not just 3 of them — so the impact of mortgage defaults in one region can quickly spread to others.
In part because of Foreclosures are higher, the following has happened:
- Mortgage guidelines have tightened
- Downpayment requirements have increased
- Private mortgage insurance has become more expensive
That’s an important set of changes even for a North Georgia Mountain Home or Cabin would-be borrower. In some cases, it can keep a person from qualifying. I recently handled a transaction where my buyer’s who had excellent credit and a hefty down payment had troubles qualifying for a loan. To say the least, it was a stressful situation for all parties involved.
If you are an Investor or just looking for a great deal on a Home or Cabin in the North Georgia Mountains, also consider Properties on the Open Market. Foreclosures are not always “The Best” deal out there. Just a couple of things to consider when purchasing a Foreclosure is first and foremost the unknown. When you are purchasing a Foreclosure, you are buying without a Property Disclosure Statement and without a Home Warranty unless you choose to purchase one. Even then, Home Warranties are limited to mostly mechanical issues, and seldom cover structural problems that seldom arise but do occur and it would be nice if you could go to the Builder to address those concerns. Come back to The Porch soon for a more detailed post on Why You Should Consider Buying a Home on the Open Market.
Meanwhile, if I can assist you in anyway with your North Georgia Real Estate needs, please call me at 706.633.8186, or you can email me [email protected].
Make it a GREAT day!
Search the March 2009 Foreclosure report for yourself on RealtyTrac.com’s website.
Subscribe to Blog Contact Me Search for Homes Daily List Alert
After attending the International Home and Housewares show, The Today Show filmed a 5-minute segment called “Housewares You Won’t Be Able To Live Without”.
The title is somewhat over-the-top but don’t let that turn you off. The gadgets reviewed are both practical and inexpensive. They include:
- Make-no-mess vegetable peeler
for the kitchen
- Efficient kebob tool
for the grill
- Grow-In-Your-Kitchen garden
that grows like an outdoor one
Of over 2,000 products at the show, NBC selected seven. Watch the video to see them in action.
Gadgets don’t improve a home’s value but they can make life easier sometimes. And for homeowners, easier is often better.
Mother’s Day is May 10th and Father’s Day is June 21st. I can’t believe it is already middle of April! Believe you me….it will be here before you know it, don’t wait until the last minute like me.
If I can be of any assistance to you with your North Georgia Mountain Real Estate needs, please let me know. I can assist you with Homes For Sale in Blairsville, GA. and Cabins For Sale in Blue Ridge, GA. Heck fire, I can even help with Homes for Sale in Ellijay Georgia. I would be grateful for the opportunity to be your Realtor. My name is Chad Lariscy, and you can reach me at 706.633.8186, or email me at [email protected].
Make it a GREAT day!
Subscribe to Blog Contact Me Search for Homes Daily List Alert
April 4, 2009, marked the official start of the Making Home Affordable refinance program.
Expected to help 5 million homeowners, the Making Home Affordable program “looks the other way” with respect to falling home values, approving mortgage applications based on borrower payment history and benefit to the homeowner.
Not every homeowner is eligible for a Making Home Affordable refinance, however. There are 3 basic criteria that must be met.
First, your existing home loan must be backed by either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Thankfully, both companies provide online lookup services. Start with the Fannie Mae site because Fannie has a greater market share and because Freddie Mac’s site requires your social security number.
Next, you must have a perfect mortgage payment history over the last 12 months. Even one payment made 30 days late disqualifies you from participating in the Making Home Affordable program. It is okay, however, if you were 20 days late on your payment and incurred late fees.
And lastly, the balance on your mortgage cannot exceed your home’s value by more than 5%. The math formula is (Mortgage Balance) / (Home Value). If the quotient is greater than 1.05 then your loan-to-value exceeds 105% and you are not eligible for Making Home Affordable.
Now, assuming you meet the criteria, there are some noteworthy details of the Making Home Affordable program:
- If you didn’t pay mortgage insurance prior to refinancing, you won’t have to pay it after refinancing — even if your loan-to-value exceeds 80%.
- All refinances require income verification — even if the original mortgage was a stated income loan.
- Second mortgages cannot be paid off using loan proceeds — they must be subordinated
There are other guidelines, too, and both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have dedicated portions of their website to the Making Home Affordable program. To the layperson, unfortunately, the information may be a bit technical.
Even the government’s fact sheet can be a little dense at times.
Therefore, if you have specific questions about the Making Home Affordable program and your own eligibility, first check to see if Fannie or Freddie is backing your loan. If they are, pick up the phone and call your loan officer to plan next steps.
The program ends June 10, 2010.
If you have any questions or concerns about anything that you have read on The Porch, please feel free to call me at 706.633.8186 or Contact Me and I will be more than happy to address those concerns or get you in touch with a member of My Team that can help you.
Make it a GREAT day!
Subscribe to Blog Contact Me Search for Homes Daily List Alert
The number of homes under contract to sell is rising, another signal that the housing market may be regaining its footing.
As reported by an industry trade group, the Pending Home Sales Index gained 2 percent in February. The report measures MLS-listed homes in “pending” status — sold but not yet closed.
Pending Home Sales is not a perfect statistic, though, by any means.
For one, the Pending Home Sales Index doesn’t account for non-MLS listed homes including For Sale By Owner properties and mass Foreclosure auctions. In certain markets nationwide, these two categories represent a large percentage of the overall transaction volume.
Secondly, Pending Home Sales samples just 20 percent of all MLS-based transactions — hardly a complete listing.
But most importantly, a “pending” home sale is not the same as a closed home sale. A lot of things can go wrong between the time a home goes under contract and the supposed closing date. For example, the home inspection could fail, the contract could fall apart, and/or the buyer’s financing could be denied in underwriting.
All things equal, though, Pending Home Sales is a fair forward-looking indicator for the housing market as a measurement of buy-side demand for homes.
When Pending Home Sales rise, it’s tells us that buyers and sellers are matching up, clearing out market inventory. And actual home sales often follow “pending” ones — 80 percent of Pending Home Sales will close within 60 days.
In the North Georgia Mountain Real Estate Market we have seen a steady increase in Homes For Sale going Under Contract. Take for instance Union County, which is the Blairsville Real Estate Market. In January there were 20 Homes Under Contract, in February 35, and in March there were 40 Homes Under Contract. That is a 100% increase over the 3 month period.
In Fannin County, which is the Blue Ridge Real Estate Market, in January there were 13 Homes Under Contract, February 15, and in March there were 36 Homes Pending or Under Contract! That is an amazing 177% increase.
Now I know we are still looking at much lower numbers than what we were seeing before this housing crisis hit, but it is a positive current outlook. We continue to see positive signs that North Georgia Real Estate and Home Sales are improving. I am not so sure if we are seeing the Bottom, that will take some more time to determine, but I will have a very optimistic look on the months ahead. Typically in years past we experience an increase in North Georgia Home Sales due to the change of Season and the new life that comes with Spring here in the North Georgia Mountains.
If you are looking to Buy or Sell here in the North Georgia Mountains and you are not currently working with a Realtor, I would really appreciate the opportunity to work with you in your search or the sale of your North Georgia Mountain Home or Cabin. My name is Chad Lariscy, Contact Me or call me at 706.633.8186 to set up an appointment. I look forward to meeting you.
Make it a GREAT day!
Subscribe to Blog Contact Me Search for Homes Daily List Alert
Lead and other toxic metals are in the products we use everyday and the surfaces with which we come into contact. Lightbulbs, for example, or painted window sills.
Unfortunately, washing your hands with soap and water — even with the use of a disinfectant — doesn’t cleanse you of dangerous lead dust.
Instead, a heavy-duty wipe like Hygenall is required.
Hygenall is a cleansing wipe that removes metal oxides from the skin’s surface, including lead. The wipe creates a specially-formulated lather that traps heavy metals and pulls them away from the skin.
The Hygenall website recommends its lead-remover for a wide group of people including:
- Pregnant mothers
- Children in daycare
- Sportsmen, policemen and others weapon-handlers
- Construction workers
In addition, the site links to numerous lead poisoning studies including one that references “take-home” lead — the scenario in which a working parent in one of 100 industries is exposed to lead at work and introduces lead dust into the home.
Hygenall doesn’t cure lead poisoning, but it may go a long way toward preventing it — including contaminating a person’s home.
Buy Hygenall in a 3-pack for cheap
Subscribe to Blog Contact Me Search for Homes Daily List Alert
