It is becoming commonplace for Realtors^® and home buyers to require a good C.L.U.E.^® report as a contingency to a purchase offer.  The C.L.U.E.^® Home Seller’s Disclosure Report is an independent source of information about insurance losses at your home address within the past five years.

If you have not made any homeowner’s insurance claims for your home in the past 5 years, the report can provide comfort to potential buyers and you may want to order one up front when you list your home for sale.  Also, the fewer claims made against a particular property, the lower the buyer’s homeowner’s insurance will be.

Information that a home seller may wish to keep private (e.g. Name, Social Security Number and Date of Birth) are not displayed on the report.

You can order your C.L.U.E.^® report online for your primary address or by mail for other properties you own.  Cost is $19.50 – NOTE: buyers and real estate agents are not allowed to order a report for any property that they do not own.

Click Here  to learn more and order a report.

Well folks, looks like anyone buying a home (or selling) after November 6, 2009 may have to wait awhile for their tax credit.  The IRS doesn’t have a form available yet for you to file to get the $8,000 first time home buyer or $6,500 home seller credit (see my earlier post for details on these credits). . . MORE. . .

Tons of white stuff fell on Maryland yesterday and most of us are snowbound in our homes. Here’s a link to the Howard County map of plowed/salted roads to see if you can get out of your neighborhood (they update this every 15 minutes).

http://snow2.co.ho.md.us/Index.asp

Meanwhile have fun shoveling your walks and driveways. . .or maybe you’re sitting  in front of a roaring fire with some seasonal eggnog and enjoying the snow-enforced break!

Having Trouble Making Your Mortgage Payment?

Don’t wait until it’s too late – you can avoid foreclosure! The sooner you get help the easier it will be. . .if you have missed a mortgage payment (or few) or think you might not be able to continue making your payment call me now!  You have options!

• Has your ARM adjusted (or will it do so soon)?  Can you make the new payment?
• Have you lost your job or taken a lower paying position?
• Are you forced to relocate and your home is now worth less than when you bought?
• Are you facing divorce and must sell your home for less than you paid?
• Do you have a change in your financial situation that has created hardship to the point you cannot make your mortgage payment?

Once you miss a single payment you are in default and the foreclosure process will begin.  

I am a Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) and help homeowners in distress (job loss, relocation, adjusting ARMs, divorce, financial hardship, etc.).

You are not alone – millions of homeowners are underwater or upside down on their mortgage.  If you can make your payment and stay in your home that is the best option – but when this isn’t  the case, you need help.

 Call now for a free, confidential consultation.

Not only did Congress pass the extension of the $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit, they raised the income limits and added in a sweet $6,500 credit for homeowners who buy a home and have lived in their current home 5 consecutive years out of the previous 8 years. WOW! Keep in mind. . .this deal is over April 30th (you have to be under contract for a home purchase by that date).

Top 5 Reasons to Buy a Home -
5. You are only making your landlord rich by paying rent.
4. In most areas it’s still a “buyer’s market” and sellers are eager to sell.
3. Home prices have come way down.
2. Interest rates on mortgages are at historic lows.
1. The Government will give you $6,500 or $8,000 to buy a home!

With the Senate ready to pass their version of the Home Buyer Tax Credit and the House ready to accept it and send the bill along to the President – it’s looking more and more like this will really happen.  The best part is this won’t be limited to first time homeowners only.  Not only will they extend the credit to April 30, 2010, they will include a $6,500 credit for anyone who has owned their home at least 5 years.  In addition, the income limits will be raised to $125,000/year for individuals and $225,000/year for couples (current limits are $75,000 and $150,000) – even more people will be able to take advantage of a great market with low rates, lower home prices!

The New York Times

Homebuyer Credit Gets New Life

Key lawmakers in the Senate have tentatively agreed to extend the existing $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers and also offer a new $6,500 credit for existing homeowners who have lived in their current residence for a consecutive five-year period in the past eight years.

Home buyers must be under contract by April 30, 2010, and close before July 1. House Democrats have expressed concern about the cost of the tax credit for the government, and allegations of abuse have resulted in an IRS probe of the program.

Source: Wall Street Journal, Corey Boles and John D. McKinnon (10/29/09)

In my years in real estate – showing homes to buyers and advising sellers - one thing that has always seemed true was homes painted in bold, dramatic colors turn people off. . .and in the past couple of years buyers have become v-e-r-y picky.  Most don’t want to undertake the effort of repainting and have trouble envisioning green, blue, maroon, dark pink, bright yellow or orange walls redone in pleasing neutral shades.

Orange?  I would say that the most hated wall color of all is orange. . .it’s a color that the average person finds unsettling and agitating.

Imagine my shock, suprise, dismay to open the October issue of BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS to see “Cozy Orange holds rooms in a warm embrace. . .the secret to rooms with drop dead style.”  Along with recommended paint colors that would send most buyers out the door in disgust. . .Wild Fire. . .Zinnia. . .Pumpkin Seed. . .Carrot Stick. . .Turmeric!  What are they thinking?

For an October pumpkin and Hallooween themed magazine spread this is just wonderful, but for those of you who want to sell your home quickly and for top dollar. . .orange walls are just plain SCARY!

BOO!

SOLD  
4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms