You shouldn't be Afraid of the big bad Wood Foundation?

Comfortable Living with Permanent Wood Foundations

Bloomington, Indiana and surrounding Monroe County have many communities that were built with wood foundations. Some of those communities include; Woodhaven Estates, Paddington Park, Country Club Hills, Southern Pines and select homes in Van Buren Park. (if you are unsure if the property you are interest in purchasing our currently own has a wood foundation please ask your trusted REALTOR®)

Watch the video to Educate yourself on the value wood brings to the home maintenance and building process.

Answers found in this video:

• How is a wood foundation different than concrete block? 0:55
• How is the foundation wood different than other wood building materials used in construction? 4:49
• How does this wood resist wood eating insects and rodents? 4:56
• How does this type of foundation keep water from seeping into the basement? 5:13
• How does this compare to poured concrete and concrete block basements? 5:59
• What's the durability of the wood?  6:49
• How much does this cost? 8:00

 ** If you can get over the 1980's production of this video, you'll find that it has valuable information about wood foundations.

Get Rich and Car Payment Free

My Lovely Sister- in- Law sent me this video. I found it so compelling I had to share.

Of course my brain started thinking couldn't we apply this thought to home ownership and health care as a way to get wealthier?

If you don't think now is the time to buy you're crazy!

(Okay not crazy just very, very, conservative with your money.....
                                              or bracing yourself for the 2012 Mayan Apocalypse)

Let's Look at the Data

Historic Interest Rates

Feb 1972---   7.33%

Feb 1982--- 17.60%

Feb 1992---   8.76%

Feb 2002---   6.89%

Feb 2012---   3.92%

If you were a Historical Hypothetical Buyer and wanted to keep a monthly mortgage payment around $710...

In
1972 You could only buy a home Valued at $103,000
1982 You could only buy a home Valued at $ 48,000
1992 You could only buy a home Valued at $ 90,000
2002 You could only buy a home Valued at $107,800

Today a $709 monthly payment is worth a home price of $150,000 Talk about Buying Power!

Couple the low cost to borrow money with the fallen prices (which have hit record low's) the cost of home ownership has never been more affordable!

Call me for a personal tour of Bloomington's affordable properties (before the prices creep up again).


And if the Apocalypse happens hopefully I end up like these guys...

For more information on Historical Interest Rates Check out the Federal Reserve Bank Website.

It's a great time to be buying!!

Five Listing Description Deal Killers (and makers)

BUY ME

Every aspect of a listing’s marketing can impact its sale price, even the word choice. For agents,  making sure descriptions capture a serious buyers attention is key to getting your sellers the most money.

When describing a home, the details matter.  In the bestselling book Freakonomics, authors Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner explain that “An analysis of the language used in real-estate ads shows that certain words are powerfully correlated with the final sale price of a house…. A ‘fantastic’ house is surely fantastic enough to warrant a high price, isn’t? What about a ‘charming’ and ‘spacious’ house in a ‘great neighborhood!’? No, no, no and no.”

Levitt and Dubner say, “If you study the words in an ad for a real-estate agent’s own home…you see that he or she indeed emphasizes descriptive terms (especially, ‘new,’ ‘granite,’ ‘maple,’ and ‘move-in condition’) and avoids empty adjectives (including ‘wonderful,’ ‘immaculate,’ and the telltale ‘!’).” Also, Don’t make it appear that your clients are desperate to sell, as in “Must Move Quickly.” You’re going after the buyers looking for their dream home – and willing to pay for it—not the bargain hunters!

Words that kill deals or decrease profits Fantastic Spacious “!” Charming Great Neighborhood

Words that make deals or improve profits Granite Energy-Efficient State-of-the-Art Maple Gourmet

The Smart Words Philosophy

When it comes to writing descriptions, the smart thing to do is to be very specific. Don’t be vague and use words like “fantastic,” “spacious,” or “charming.” Boring! Avoid sweeping adjectives.

Give specifics using descriptive, straightforward terms that tell the physical attributes of your home, as in “Marble,” “Spiral Staircase,” “Gourmet Kitchen with New Viking Appliances, and “Solid Bamboo Flooring.”

Remember, home buyers are interested in the facts not your (possibly biased) opinions.

Descriptions Matter

This time of year, there are many new listings hitting the market. Pay attention to these key power words that can help your listings get the right attention and ultimately the best prices. What power words are working in your market that might be missing from the list?

This Blog post is reposted from Trulia's Website for access to the complete article
Written By  Michael Corbett Posted January 23, 2012.

We had a GREAT Time!

Happy Holidays!

Thanks to all who attended my Holiday Party this past weekend. 

Next Year's Party will be December 9th 2012. 

I appreciate the support and kindness you have shown me through out this year and I'm looking forward to helping you and your family and friends thought out next year!

Thanks.

Parks and Recreation

 I can't lie, every time I hear the phrase Parks & Recreation I think of  Leslie Knope and NBC's wonderfully hilarious show with the same name... 

Yes, I know the setting for the show is a small town in Indiana and I understand it pokes fun of the quaintness of small town life. But it still makes me smile.

Bloomington in nothing like this tongue and cheek town because our Parks & Recreation department actually has useful and smart programing for all ages.

I'm sure you've heard me toot a horn about the wonderful activities here in Bloomington, Indiana. Check it out for your self. Here is a link to the 2012 Winter-Spring Programing guide. Go ahead flip through... I doubt you won't find at least one activity up your alley.

The 2012 Parks & Rec Winter-Spring Programing guide is out!!!

Enjoy.

The Top 10 Ways to Make a Bad First Impression on Inspection Day

It's inspection day! The last last thing you want to do is leave the buyer or their inspector with questions about how the home has been maintained and cared for over the years. It's time to put your home's best brick forward, so here are 10 things you'll definitely want to avoid!

The Top 10 Ways to Make a Bad First Impression on Inspection Day

1. The front door is in need of repair; weather stripping is loose, exposed, or dragging on the floor.
2. The doorbell is not intact and/or does not work.
3. What's that smell?! The house smells musty, moldy, or tired. (Dirty carpet plays a big part in this impression).
4. The home is cluttered. (You want the buyers and their inspector to be able to access all areas of the home. An obstacle course will not be welcomed with too many smiles).
5. There are water stains at the ceiling, around the windows, within the sink cabinets, or beneath the shower/bath areas.
6. Windows are inoperable or do not open and close easily.  (You'll want to address any cracked glass or missing hardware as well).
7. Kitchen appliances are not in working order or surface lights and/or fans are inoperable.
8. There are loose, uncovered, or painted electrical outlets and non-working switches.
9. There are no visible smoke and CO detectors. Or they are not working.
10. There is damaged drywall from door knobs, picture frames, etc.

Maintaining and repairing the above items (and anything else on your to-do list) before the inspection will always be to a seller's advantage. And who doesn't want to make a great first impression on buyers during the selling process anyway? But do remember to call in a professional when necessary. A repair done improperly could end up being more of a headache than the original condition!

This is a repost from Chrissy Doremus ~ U.S. Inspect ~ Home Inspections

Chantilly, VA Chrissy's Blog can be seen on ActiveRain.com