Get the Best Deal in Apartment Renting

March 2, 2010
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...

Have you ever wanted to have your apartment rented? Check out these tips on how to have the best deal in having your apartment rented.

* Advertise your apartment for rent. Apart from putting up advertisements in newspapers, you may use the Internet as an effective tool for promotion. For free advertising, you may even printout leaflets and glue them on the message boards of your local grocery stores.

* Do not hesitate to show your property to potential tenants. This would help the tenants to make a swift decision on whether to take the apartments or not, eventually benefiting you as well.

* If your apartment has managed to impress your prospective…

The Five Areas to Scrub to Make your Home Shine

March 2, 2010
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...

A potential buyer goes around the house and sees if there is something might hinder him to buy the house. A clean home shows better and there are five ways to make your home shine from roof to baseboards.

Hard to Reach Windows/Skylights. These are often unnoticed either because they are difficult to access to clean or because they are not right at eye level. Whichever the case, cleaning windows in high ceilings or skylights provides a brighter light to shine in your home.

Baseboards and Walls. Give your home a fresh coat of paint prior to putting it on the market. But maybe you can get away with a good wipe-down instead. Using…

Sales of New Homes Hit a Record Low in January

March 2, 2010
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...

The sales of new homes fell to a low record in January, highlighting the formidable challenges facing the housing industry as it tries to recover from the worst sprawl in decades.

The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that new home sales decreased 11.2 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual sales pace of 309,000 units, the lowest level on records going back nearly a half century. The big plunge was a surprise to economists who had expected sales would rise about 5 percent over December’s pace.

“There is no doubt that January and February are going to be messy months for housing, given the severe weather conditions, but that doesn’t take away…

Robert Redford’s Two-Storey Malibu Beach Home Listed For $13.8 M

March 2, 2010
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...

The Malibu beach home that was once owned by actor-producer-director Robert Redford has come on the market for $13.8 million.

The gated two-story is built in 1948 and extensively upgraded, has walls of glass, living areas that open to expansive patios, and stone and hardwood floors. It features five bedrooms, 4 1/2 bathrooms and two fireplaces in 5,329 square feet. The ocean view master bedroom features an attached spa.

Redford sold the house on Malibu’s Broad Beach in 2001 for about $6 million. It sold again in 2004 for $8.5 million, according to public records.

The listing agent is Sandra Miller of Engel & Völkers, Santa Monica.

Redford, 73 years of age, received the…

The Father and Son Tandem Pleaded Guilty of Mortgage Fraud

March 1, 2010
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma – Gerald Wayne Snow, Sr., a.k.a Gerald Snow, has pled guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1349 and five counts of Wire Fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, and Section 1343. The Superseding Indictment also contained a criminal forfeiture of $4,878,743.87.

Charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Superseding Indictment, filed in February 2010, alleged that Gerald Snow and his son, Jerry Snow, built and sold houses in the Jordan Oaks and Megan Farms subdivisions of Wagoner County, Oklahoma. As previously reported on Mortgage Fraud Blog, Gerald Snow conspired with…

Home Prices Increased In the Seventh Straight Month

March 1, 2010
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...

The home prices edged up in December, the seventh straight monthly increase and another sign the U.S. housing market continues its rough recovery.

The trend is significant to the nation’s economic recovery. For most Americans, their home is their largest asset, so as values climb homeowners feel richer and more comfortable spending. For homeowners who currently owe more on their mortgages than their properties are worth, rising prices will rebuild equity.

The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index released on Tuesday increased 0.3 percent from November to December, to a seasonally adjusted reading of 145.87. The index was off about 3 percent from December last year, nearly matching analysts’ estimates.

The index…

Keep Your Bathroom Fresh While Staging your Home for Sale

February 26, 2010
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...

Realtors observe lots of bathrooms - of all shapes, sizes, and conditions. Some bathrooms have themes and some have style. Some need lots of work and some need a good cleaning.

Even though individual styles and looks vary greatly in bathrooms, everyone agrees on one thing: they need to smell clean and fresh. What’s the secret?

1. Start with a thoroughly clean bathroom. Clean smells clean. Now that you have it clean, keep it that way.

2. Try continuous products. Try some of those little toilet bleach tabs. Flush the toilet, pull top of the toilet back and drop the little tab just like it tells you on the package. Now carefully put…

Going Green is All Worth It

February 26, 2010
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...

There are two benefits offered when one upgrades his home to be a green one. First, it contributes to a healthier environment both now and in the future. Second is it can save homeowners big when it comes to energy costs.

How much impact does a green home have on the environment, you ask? The government reports that “Energy Star qualified homes built in 2009 are the equivalent of: Eliminating emissions from 51,645 vehicles; Savings 312,399,672 lbs of coals; Planting 85,372 acres of trees and saving in the environment 612,678,574 pounds of CO2.”

Many homeowners stay away from green construction and green upgrades because of the upfront cost. However, while some estimates…

Changes to Mortgage Plans Considered by Obama

February 26, 2010
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading ... Loading ...

The Obama administration is anticipated to reveal additional protections to guarantee homeowners are treated fairly and consistently under its mortgage relief program soon.

The policies, outlined in a draft Treasury Department document would address long-standing complaints from housing counselors. They have quoted cases of lenders continuing with foreclosures while homeowners were being evaluated for help. That practice would be forbidden under the new rules.

Government officials acknowledge treatment of homeowners has been a problem under the $75 billion mortgage relief effort.

Borrowers rejected from the program would also have 30 days to appeal the decision. In that period, lenders could schedule a foreclosure sale but will not conduct it. Mortgage companies would be…