Protect the Value of One of Your Largest Investments It can be exciting and overwhelming when you are relocating for work.  The last thing you want to worry about is whether or not your house will sell and making sure there is as little stress as possible placed on the family. Most companies offer employees contact with local agents to help them sell their house.  But, that doesn’t always mean you’ll get the best price or that they are the best option out there. The Amy B Sells Team received a letter from Will and Kelly McDonald who had been through the relocation process numerous... [more...]

If you’re lucky enough to receive a monetary gift to use as a down payment on your new home, you need to know the right way to deposit it and document it.  We recommend choosing a lender to guide you through the rules and regulations to make sure that you can use the gift to purchase your new home without any issues.  To get you started, we asked our official lender, Mortgage Consultant Drew Stacey of First Place Bank, a few questions to get the basics down. Q: Who can gift money for a down payment on a house? A: Fannie Mae guidelines say that it must be a relative   Q: Does the timing... [more...]

According to the National Association of Realtors, pending home sales rose in June, up a surprising 2.4%. This number was also up in May (from April.) This is up 20% from June 2010, which as right after the expiration of the home buyer tax credits. This data reflects pending contracts, not closings. A Reuters poll of economists had predicted a 2 percent drop in June, so this number came as a surprise. However, contract cancellations are also up. Credit is still tight and loans are hard to get for some buyers. It’s also possible more buyers are postponing their home buying decisions during... [more...]

More Americans prefer living in walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods with easy access to local amenities, according to a recent Community Preference Survey by the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. More than half (56 percent) of respondents say they preferred living in a walkable neighborhood over one that requires more driving between work, home and recreation. When considering a home purchase, 77 percent of respondents say they would look for locations that had abundant sidewalks, while 50 percent say they would rather see improvements to the existing public transit system than initiatives to... [more...]

Moving can be hard on young children, but there are ways to make it more fun for the whole family. Here are some ideas to make moving to a new house a memorable experience for families. 1.) Pack a Special Box. Your child can pack a special ‘treasure box’ of their most special items. Give him or her a box to decorate and pack with favorite things. The box can be kept close, like in the car, and unpacked in the new house quickly. 2.) Prepare maps and pictures. Draw maps and show pictures of your new place to your kids before the move to make the idea more concrete. Making it seem like... [more...]

CNN Money has assessed 10 cities as “Rent” or “Buy.” With the volatile housing market, some areas are better primed for renters today, but in Cincinnati it’s time to BUY. CNN Money says, “The big reason that homebuying is the better choice for most people is the low home values. With a median price at just $156,000, mortgage payments can be almost as low as rents and the historical home appreciation rate is more than 3.5%.” Cincinnati joins Milwaukee, Seattle, Pittsburgh and Chicago as a city to Buy. Dallas, Houston, Honolulu, Boston and New York fall... [more...]

If you purchase a Fannie Mae-owned property in the near future, the group will give you 3.5% back to cover closing costs. To qualify for this program, you must go under contract after April 11, 2011 and close before June 30, 2011. This is a tight timeframe. Fannie Mae can’t guarantee closing in time, but they do recommend going under contract before May 15 to have the hope of closing in time. The home must be one that is owned by Fannie Mae, all of which are listed on HomePath.com. A similar strategy has been in use before, with the goal of unloading Fannie Mae’s inventory of homes.... [more...]

The National Association of Homebuilders has conducted a survey to predict what buyers will be looking for in a few years. It seems that the recent changes in the housing market will leave lasting impressions on what buyers really want out of a new home. Here’s what NAHB determined to be the likely characteristics of a typical 2015 new home: The average, new single-family home will be smaller and have more green features The living room will either vanish or merge with other spaces in the home The “Great Room” is the likeliest room to be included in the average new home Low-e windows... [more...]

What inspired buyers to purchase homes in 2010? Not surprisingly, affordability was the driving factor. That’s according to the Wall Street Journal, based on a survey of buyers who purchased homes in the second half of last year. (Survey by Weicher Realtors, Inc.) Twenty eight percent of respondents listed “favorable financing” as their primary reason. It’s no secret that inventory is high, home prices are low and, most importantly, interest rates are lower — this is allowing buyers to get great deals on real estate. Clearly this is true for buyers last year even after... [more...]

A survey has found that, in 72 percent of the country’s 50 largest cities, it is cheaper to rent instead of buy. The study by Trulia.com calculated home price to monthly rent ratio in each city to determine if homeowners are paying less than renters. The top ten cities to buy vs. rent: Miami, FL Las Vegas, NV Arlington, TX Mesa, AZ Phoenix, AZ Jacksonville, FL Sacramento, CA San Antonio, TX Fresno, CA El Paso, TX There are a couple of reasons we’re finding buying cheaper than renting in some places. More homeowners have had to sell their homes and need to rent, thus increasing the... [more...]

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