Diana's Neighborhood

Real Estate in New York & Connecticut – Won't you be my neighbor?

Holiday Lights

Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.

Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

December 1, 2011 Posted by | Christmas, Home, Real Estate, Uncategorized | , , , , | Leave a Comment

Estimate Your Expenses Before Buying a Home

Estimate Your Expenses Before Buying a Home….

CLICK Here to Read Article in the New York Times

November 9, 2011 Posted by | Home, Real Estate, Uncategorized | , , | Leave a Comment

Personal Letter Lands a Home Sale

Personal Letter Lands a Home Sale ~ www.RealEstate.AOL.com

                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  CLICK Here to View  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                                        Delwin Steven Campbell – Flickr.com

October 23, 2011 Posted by | Home, Real Estate, Uncategorized | , , | Leave a Comment

64 Cunningham Lane Pawling NY

Beautiful Colonial For Sale in Pawling NY

                                                64 Cunningham Lane ~ Pawling NY

                                    Click Here to View Listing Sheet with Additional Photos!

October 11, 2011 Posted by | Home, Pawling, Real Estate, Uncategorized | , , , , | Leave a Comment

Buying a Short Sale

Another great video from www.AOLRealEstate.com 

                               ““““““““CLICK Here to View  “““““““““ 

October 11, 2011 Posted by | Home, Real Estate, Uncategorized | , , , | Leave a Comment

Details Home Staging

Looking for someone to help you organize your home or office? To stage you sell your home – or staging for youself – contact Details Home Staging!

October 9, 2011 Posted by | Home, Real Estate, Uncategorized | , , , | 3 Comments

Keep Cool With Summer Home Energy Tips

Keep Cool With Summer Home Energy Tips from WholeLiving.com & MarthaStewart.com

                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  CLICK Here to View  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

July 13, 2011 Posted by | Home, Martha Stewart, Summer | , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Spring Breathes Life Into Prices

Spring Breathes Life Into Prices – a Video from RISMedia.com

                                   ~~~~~~~~~~~  CLICK Here to View VIDEO  ~~~~~~~~~~~

June 9, 2011 Posted by | Home, Real Estate, Spring | , , , | Leave a Comment

Ways to Make Your Home More Appealing

Ways to Make Your Home More Appealing from RIS Media Real Estate….

                                       ~~~~~~~~~~~  CLICK to View VIDEO  ~~~~~~~~~~~

May 27, 2011 Posted by | Home, Real Estate, Uncategorized | , , , | Leave a Comment

Dress Up Your Deck

Dress Up Your Deck ~ From HouseLogic.com

                                         ~~~~~~~~~~  CLICK Here to View  ~~~~~~~~~~

                                                                 gemteck1 ~ Flickr.com

May 17, 2011 Posted by | Home | , , , | Leave a Comment

Do’s & Don’ts During the Process of Your Home Loan

Here is an e-mail with information of Do’s and Don’ts During the Process of Your Home Loan

 

Dear Diana,

 

Do you want a hassle free loan process?  Here’s some Do’s and Don’ts to share with your homebuyers.

 

During the process of your loan request, we encourage you to follow these suggestions until all loan proceeds have been disbursed by the Lender.  The Loan is officially completed once all monies have been disbursed.  

 

MAKE SURE YOU DO…

Keep paying your bills on time including any mortgage, car, credit

cards, etc.

 

Inform us in advance of any employment or income change.

 

Keep copies of all paychecks/stubs and bank statements you receive.

 

Call us anytime if you are unclear or have a question about your loan.

 

 

MAKE SURE YOU DON’T…

Change your employment status without notifying us first.

Apply for new credit or access credit lines

Start significant home improvements on your home (if refinancing)

Co-Sign any loans until finished with this transaction.

Make large purchases such as real estate, cars, or furniture

 

 

The above information is provided for informational purposes only. Nothing contained herein should be construed as legal advice. Should you have any questions regarding your legal obligations during the loan process, please consult legal counsel.

 

Carey Lance Hollander, NMLS #74044

108 Corporate Park Dr., Ste 301, White Plains, NY 10604

914-696-3400 Office, 914.424.5962 Cell

Equal Housing Lender/Licensed Mortgage Banker, NMLS# 1615/NYS Banking Dept.

 

May 7, 2011 Posted by | Home, Mortgage | , , | Leave a Comment

Repair Hardwood Floors

Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.

Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

April 14, 2011 Posted by | Home, Uncategorized | , , , | Leave a Comment

Home Improvements on the Rise

                                                            http://bcove.me/bi6683jh

April 11, 2011 Posted by | Home, Uncategorized | , , | Leave a Comment

Tax Refunds in Your Home

Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.

Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

April 7, 2011 Posted by | Home, Uncategorized | , , | Leave a Comment

Home Selling on a Budget

                                                  Home Selling on a Budget from About.com

                                           ~~~~~~~~~~  CLICK Here to View  ~~~~~~~~~~

April 6, 2011 Posted by | Home, Real Estate, Sellers, Uncategorized | , , , | Leave a Comment

Before You Look to Buy a Short Sale House

6 Things to Know Before You Buy That Short Sale House

The Wrong Short Sale House Might Not Ever Close

By ,  About.com Guide

Houses that form a question mark

Qualify the listing agent and the seller before writing an offer on that short sale house.

© Big Stock Photo

Sponsored Links

Short Sale Relief Stop Foreclosure! 2% Rates. No Credit Check. Pre-Qualify Instantly www.TheObamaHAMP.net

CT Hard Money Lender Generous and flexible loan terms. All applications considered!EntertainmentFinancialLLC.com

FHA Home Loans Get a Low Down Payment – Ditech FHA Secure Home Loans, Great Rates www.Ditech.com

Sponsored Links

FHA Mortgage Preapproval Do you qualify for an FHA Loan? Find out now! Bad credit welcome. FHA-Prequal.BestRatesfrom.US

AAA Mortgage Finance your home with a name that you can trust. Apply online! AAA.com/Mortgage

When you spot a short sale house that interests you, take your hand off the mouse and step away from the computer. Before you get all excited over the prospect of buying that short sale house, pick up the phone and call your real estate agent. Your agent needs to research that short sale listing first.In some real estate markets, fewer than one in 10 short sales close. Just because that home is listed as a short sale doesn’t mean it’s really for sale (because it’s subject to lender approval), nor does it mean it will sell at the advertised price. Here are 6 things you need to know before trying to buy that short sale.

Comparable Sales For That Short Sale House

The short sales I list in Sacramento are all priced below comparable sales, yet they are priced in line with pending sales. Why? Because short sales take anywhere from 2 to 4 months, on average, to close, and pending sales will become the comparable sales at closing.

Some short sales are priced ridiculously low. So low that the sellers’ bank will never accept them. These types of listings receive multiple offers. But all is not lost. To get your offer accepted, it will need to be priced near market value. If you’re not prepared to pay above a superficial price on a lowball short-sale listing, then pass.

Mortgage Amounts, Number of Loans and Lenders

Ask your agent to research how much is owed against the home and find out the number of loans that are recorded. A second or third mortgage lender will receive peanuts as compared to the amount a senior lender in first position will get.

Moreover, some lenders, deserving or not, get a reputation for being difficult to work with. If your agent is an experienced short sale agent, he or she will know who these lenders are and can advise you of the difficulty you may encounter.

If your offer is 20% or 30% of the mortgaged amount, it is unlikely that your offer will see the light of day on the negotiator’s desk.

Short Sale Listing Agent’s Track Record

A listing agent who is advertising a short sale but has never closed a short sale is a risky proposition for you. That’s because it’s up to the listing agent to submit the short sale package to the lender and negotiate. Your buyer’s agent can’t talk to the bank.

Some listing agents hire outside companies to do their job, and the results of those negotiations are sketchy at best. Ask yourself, do you want to risk rejection of your short sale purchase because the listing agent has no experience?

Short Sale Seller Qualifications

Find out if the listing agent has received a completed short sale package from the seller, and ask about the contents of that package. A complete short sale package consists, at minimum, of the following:

  • Sellers’ hardship letter
  • Tax returns
  • W-2s
  • Payroll stubs
  • Financial statement
  • Bank statements

Some sellers do not want to cooperate and are slow to return these documents. Others have never been told by their agent that these documents are mandatory. You don’t want your short sale purchase delayed because the listing agent doesn’t have the required documents.

Number of Short Sale Offers Received

Homes priced under market value will receive multiple offers. An agent is not required to disclose the terms of those offers, but you do want to know how many offers you are up against.

Here’s how it generally works:

  • When a short sale home first comes on the market, the first offer will most likely be a tad below list price.
  • The second, at list price.
  • The third offer will be slightly higher, maybe by a $1,000 or $2,000.
  • The fourth offer will be significantly more.

You want to make an offer that will beat the competition yet still be below market, or don’t waste your time.

The Listing Agent’s Short Sale Procedures

Although REALTORS are required by the REALTOR Code of Ethics to treat everybody fairly, not every agent is a REALTOR. This means the short sale listing agent may decide to submit only the first offer to the bank and withhold all other offers.

Withholding other offers could be considered to be a violation of the fiduciary relationship formed between the listing agent and the seller. The seller is entitled to receive the highest and best price. Realize that even if your offer is submitted to the bank, as time marches by while waiting for short sale approval, another buyer could outbid you.

At the time of writing, Elizabeth Weintraub, DRE # 00697006, is a Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate in Sacramento, California.

March 18, 2011 Posted by | Buyers, Home, Real Estate, Uncategorized | , , , | Leave a Comment

Home Inspection Checklist

Home Inspection Checklist from About.com

                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  CLICK Here to View  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                                                   S. Diddy ~ Flickr.com

March 15, 2011 Posted by | Buyers, Home, Real Estate, Uncategorized | , , , | Leave a Comment

First-Time Homebuyer’s Guide

First-Time Homebuyer’s Guide from FrontDoor.com

                                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~  CLICK Here to View  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                                              ~Brenda-Starr~ – Flickr.com

March 12, 2011 Posted by | Buyers, Front Door, Home, Real Estate, Uncategorized | , , , | Leave a Comment

Improve Your Credit

Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.

Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

February 24, 2011 Posted by | Buyers, Credit, Home, Real Estate, Uncategorized | , , , , | Leave a Comment

Home For Sale ~ Mahopac NY

Home For Sale ~ Mahopac NY

Click to view home tour:   http://tour.circlepix.com/tour.htm?id=800720

***CLICK ***to view listing sheet

February 21, 2011 Posted by | Home, Mahopac, Real Estate, Uncategorized | , , , | Leave a Comment

Home Buying Guide

Home Buying Guide from About.com

                                           ~~~~~~~~~  CLICK Here to View  ~~~~~~~~~~

                                                                 Chefranden – Flickr.com

February 15, 2011 Posted by | Buyers, Home, Real Estate, Uncategorized | , , | Leave a Comment

Homeownership Still The American Dream

                                                               Ken ratcliff ~ FLICKR.COM

                                                   Homeownership… Still The American Dream

 70 Percent of Americans View Homeownership as Part of Personal American Dream, According to Trulia | RISMedia

February 14, 2011 Posted by | Buyers, Home, Real Estate, Uncategorized | , , , | Leave a Comment

7 Steps to Take Before You Buy a Home

7 Steps to Take Before You Buy a Home from HouseLogic.com

                                                                 he48 – Flickr.com

7 Steps to Take Before You Buy a Home

By: G. M. Filisko

Published: February 10, 2010

By doing your homework before you buy, you’ll feel more content about your new home.

1. Decide how much home you can afford

Generally, you can afford a home priced 2 to 3 times your gross income. Remember to consider costs every homeowner must cover: property taxes, insurance, maintenance, utilities, and community association fees, if applicable, as well as costs specific to your family, such as day care if you plan to have children.

2. Develop your home wish list

Be honest about which features you must have and which you’d like to have. Handicap accessibility for an aging parent or special needs child is a must. Granite countertops and stainless steel appliances are in the bonus category. Come up with your top-five must-haves and top-five wants to help you focus your search and make a logical, rather than emotional, choice when home shopping.

3. Select where you want to live

Make a list of your top-five community priorities, such as commute time, schools, and recreational facilities. Ask your REALTOR® to help you identify three to four target neighborhoods based on your priorities.

4. Start saving

Have you saved enough money to qualify for a mortgage and cover your downpayment? Ideally, you should have 20% of the purchase price set aside for a downpayment, but some lenders allow as little as 5% down. A small downpayment preserves your savings for emergencies.

However, the lower your downpayment, the higher the loan amount you’ll need to qualify for, and if you still qualify, the higher your monthly payment. Your downpayment size can also influence your interest rate and the type of loan you can get.

Finally, if your downpayment is less than 20%, you’ll be required to purchase private mortgage insurance. Depending on the size of your loan, PMI can add hundreds to your monthly payment. Check with your state and local government for mortgage and downpayment assistance programs for first-time buyers.

5. Ask about all the costs before you sign

A downpayment is just one homebuying cost. Your REALTOR® can tell you what other costs buyers commonly pay in your area—including home inspections, attorneys’ fees, and transfer fees of 2% to 7% of the home price. Tally up the extras you’ll also want to buy after you move-in, such as window coverings and patio furniture for your new yard.

6. Get your credit in order

A credit report details your borrowing history, including any late payments and bad debts, and typically includes a credit score. Lenders lean heavily on your credit report and credit score in determining whether, how much, and at what interest rate to lend for a home. Most require a minimum credit score of 620 for a home mortgage.

You’re entitled to free copies of your credit reports annually from the major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Order and then pore over them to ensure the information is accurate, and try to correct any errors before you buy. If your credit score isn’t up to snuff, the easiest ways to improve it are to pay every bill on time and pay down high credit card debt.

7. Get prequalified

Meet with a lender to get a prequalification letter that says how much house you’re qualified to buy. Start gathering the paperwork your lender says it needs. Most want to see W-2 forms verifying your employment and income, copies of pay stubs, and two to four months of banking statements.

If you’re self-employed, you’ll need your current profit and loss statement, a current balance sheet, and personal and business income tax returns for the previous two years.

Consider your financing options. The longer the loan, the smaller your monthly payment. Fixed-rate mortgages offer payment certainty; an adjustable-rate mortgage offers a lower monthly payment. However, an adjustable-rate mortgage may adjust dramatically. Be sure to calculate your affordability at both the lowest and highest possible ARM rate.

More from HouseLogic

Learn how Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages can help you save on financing

Learn more about the costs of homeownership

Other web resources

Homebuyer counseling resources

Get a free credit report from each of the three credit reporting bureaus

G.M. Filisko is an attorney and award-winning writer who has thrice survived the homebuying process. A frequent contributor to many national publications including Bankrate.com, REALTOR® Magazine, and the American Bar Association Journal, she specializes in real estate, business, personal finance, and legal topics.

February 1, 2011 Posted by | Buyers, Home, Real Estate | , , , | Leave a Comment

Better Home Showings

Simple Tips for Better Home Showings

Realtor.org – Realtor Magazine

                                                            Flickr.com – granite-charlotte

1. Remove clutter and clear off counters. Throw out stacks of newspapers and magazines and stow away most of your small decorative items. Put excess furniture in storage, and remove out-of-season clothing items that are cramping closet space. Don’t forget to clean out the garage, too.

2. Wash your windows and screens. This will help get more light into the interior of the home.

3. Keep everything extra clean. A clean house will make a strong first impression and send a message to buyers that the home has been well-cared for. Wash fingerprints from light switch plates, mop and wax floors, and clean the stove and refrigerator. Polish your doorknobs and address numbers. It’s worth hiring a cleaning service if you can afford it.

4. Get rid of smells. Clean carpeting and drapes to eliminate cooking odors, smoke, and pet smells. Open the windows to air out the house. Potpourri or scented candles will help.

5. Brighten your rooms. Put higher wattage bulbs in light fixtures to brighten up rooms and basements. Replace any burned-out bulbs in closets. Clean the walls, or better yet, brush on a fresh coat of neutral color paint.

6. Don’t disregard minor repairs. Small problems such as sticky doors, torn screens, cracked caulking, or a dripping faucet may seem trivial, but they’ll give buyers the impression that the house isn’t well-maintained.

7. Tidy your yard. Cut the grass, rake the leaves, add new mulch, trim the bushes, edge the walkways, and clean the gutters. For added curb appeal, place a pot of bright flowers near the entryway.

8. Patch holes. Repair any holes in your driveway and reapply sealant, if applicable.

9. Add a touch of color in the living room. A colored afghan or throw on the couch will jazz up a dull room. Buy new accent pillows for the sofa.

10. Buy a flowering plant and put it near a window you pass by frequently.

11. Make centerpieces for your tables. Use brightly colored fruit or flowers.

12. Set the scene. Set the table with fancy dishes and candles, and create other vignettes throughout the home to help buyers picture living there. For example, in the basement you might display a chess game in progress.

13. Replace heavy curtains with sheer ones that let in more light. Show off the view if you have one.

14. Accentuate the fireplace. Lay fresh logs in the fireplace or put a basket of flowers there if it’s not in use.

15. Make the bathrooms feel luxurious. Put away those old towels and toothbrushes. When buyers enter your bathroom, they should feel pampered. Add a new shower curtain, new towels, and fancy guest soaps. Make sure your personal toiletry items are out of sight.

16. Send your pets to a neighbor or take them outside. If that’s not possible, crate them or confine them to one room (ideally in the basement), and let the real estate practitioner know where they’ll be to eliminate surprises.

17. Lock up valuables, jewelry, and money. While a real estate salesperson will be on site during the showing or open house, it’s impossible to watch everyone all the time.

18. Leave the home. It’s usually best if the sellers are not at home. It’s awkward for prospective buyers to look in your closets and express their opinions of your home with you there.

January 31, 2011 Posted by | Home, Real Estate, Sellers | , , , | 2 Comments

Insulating Your Home

Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.

Copyright 2011 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

January 13, 2011 Posted by | Home, Uncategorized, Winter | , , , | Leave a Comment

Tips for Selling Your Home from RISMEDIA

5 Tips for Selling Your Home Quickly in Today’s Market

By Dan StewardPrint Article Print Article

RISMEDIA, November 22, 2010—It’s one thing when someone says “Things are looking up,” but quite another when the numbers actually bear that out. Happily, the latter is the case, evidenced by the latest statistics that show that home prices may be stabilizing. Namely, national home prices jumped an impressive 3.6% in the past year, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index released in late August. Prices also climbed 4.4% in the second quarter, which contrasts with a 2.8% decrease in the first quarter.

This uptick in prices leads to a simple conclusion: Sell now if you can. And you certainly can. A fast sale, taking advantage of these numbers, is entirely possible, and can result in a lot of profit and a very happy client. But telling your client to “sell quickly,” without backing it up, can inspire fear and even ire. Instead, give them these methodical, easy tips to selling fast and successfully, taking advantage of a market uptick, without inducing panic or stomach aches.

1. Don’t raise the price. The uptick in home prices doesn’t mean that you should get all excited and raise the price. The trick is to leave your price the same as it was—that will encourage a bidding war. Hearing news about home prices going up, and raising your price immediately as a response to that, is typically not the way to go; the home will likely sell for more as a result of two buyers fighting over your reasonable price, rather than walking away due to a price that’s too high. Remember, the goal is ultimately to get more money, not to have a higher list price.

2. Remain flexible. Selling quickly means making some concessions—and we’re not talking price. It’s those little extras that may inspire a buyer to sign on the dotted line. Obviously, no one has the right to get your vintage grand piano in the deal. But if a buyer wants your stainless-steel fridge with ice-maker, give it up. There’s more ice waiting in your new home.

3. De-clutter. For a quick sale, you may not have time to fully “stage” your home down to the accent pillows and entirely new living room furniture. But you do have time to clear out the clutter. If we saw a home we’d like, we’d look past the clutter, but most buyers won’t. So, before you worry about making your home pretty, focus on making it neat. In a better market, neat is often all you need.

4. Schedule more open houses—and don’t attend your own. When you have a longer time frame for selling, you can schedule open houses at your leisure, but if you want to sell fast, try for as many open houses as you can—and do not attend them, as a homeowner at their own open house often makes a potential buyer too nervous to comfortably look around.

5. Go big—and go local. If you haven’t listed in MLS (multiple-listing service), it’s a good idea, especially if you want to sell fast. The math is simple—more eyes on your listing equals more potential bites. But a lot of people who use the MLS forget that local advertising is important as well. Advertising in local and regional publications—as well as simply putting the word out with friends and family—are often skipped, expecting that the Internet will get the job done on its own.

Dan Steward is president of Pillar To Post Professional Home Inspections.

For more information, visit www.pillartopost.com.

RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments. Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com.

Have you heard about RISMedia’s Real Estate Information Network® (RREIN)? RREIN is an elite network of leading real estate companies dedicated to providing consumers and their agents with leading real estate information, and committed to the belief that Information Share Equals Market Share. Having only launched this past June 2010, the RREIN network is already comprised of 40 leading brokerages, which make up 575 offices, 30,000 agents, 167,000 closings and represents over $41 billion in transactions. How can RREIN help your recruiting efforts and differentiate your company today? For more information, email rrein@rismedia.com.

Copyright© 2010 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be republished without permission from RISMedia.

January 11, 2011 Posted by | Home, Real Estate, Sellers | , , , | Leave a Comment

Home Style Guide

Home Style Guide from About.com – What style are you?

                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  CLICK to View  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                                              Lynette 1962- Flickr.com

January 4, 2011 Posted by | Home, Uncategorized | , , | Leave a Comment

Buying Foreclosures

Buying Foreclosures – Tips for Foreclosure Profits  -  From About.com

                                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~  CLICK Here to View  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                                                      emdot – Flickr.com

November 18, 2010 Posted by | Buyers, Home, Uncategorized | , , , | Leave a Comment

How Long Does it Take to Sell a House?

How Long Does it Take to Sell a House?  Information from About.com

                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~  CLICK Here to View  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

November 1, 2010 Posted by | Home, Real Estate, Sellers, Uncategorized | , , , | Leave a Comment

Scariest Places on Earth

Scariest Places on Earth from About.com

                                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~  CLICK Here to View  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                                                 ~Duncan~ – Flickr.com

October 28, 2010 Posted by | Halloween, Home, Uncategorized | , , | Leave a Comment

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 1,848 other followers