A day at the Denver Zoo

My family and I spent the afternoon yesterday (December 5, 2007) at the Denver Zoo.  If you have never been I would highly recommend it especially if you can go during the week as it was not crowded at all which makes it easier for the kids to roam around.

The Denver Zoo lights will begin this Friday, December 5 and run through January 6, 2008.  We have taken our boys the past few years and it is a lot of fun.  Bundle up and have patience as there will be lots of families. 

I’d suggest buying your zoo light tickets on-line to avoid the long lines that typically await each night.  These are special tickets and the Zoo annual pass does not apply to the holiday lighting event.

It’s a lot of fun for the whole family so start a new tradition to visit the Zoo at night…it’s a wonderful experience.

Happy Holidays!

     

      

The 10 Steps to Home Ownership: Step 2

So now you have decided it’s time to buy a home.  You are ready for the next step.

Step 2: Hire a Realtor

You will want to hire a realtor to help you not only find homes but to assess the value of each home you like because you certainly would not want to pay more for a home than it’s worth.

In addition, your realtor will guide you through the contract terms, financing, inspection, appraisal, title report and closing costs.

How do you find a realtor?  You will want to seek out referrals from friends and family that had a positive experience with a realtor.  After receiving a referral you will want to meet the realtor to see if you will be a good match for each other because you will essentially be business partners for the next few months.  Make sure your personalities can work well together. 

Also consider the realtor’s training, experience and company.  Realtors that work for large companies like RE/MAX Action Brokers have greater resources than most other companies.

I hope you found this blog helpful…please feel free to provide your comments.

If you are looking for a home in Northern Colorado and would like free information then click here…I look forward to helping you.

Countdown to track Santa Claus

This is the coolest site to share with your children.  It actually tracks Santa’s path while he travels the globe.

You definitely want to save this site to watch Santa Claus, Rudolph the red nosed reindeer and all their reindeer friends stop by every house that has good boys and girls.

Send a letter to Santa Claus

Would you like to write a letter to Santa Claus? 

My two boys wrote (with help) their own letters by using this link.

Our kids loved this site and we had a lot of fun exploring the site with them…take a look and let me know what you thought of it. 

Will the Patriots go undefeated?

Do you think the Patriots will go undefeated during the regular season? 

They had a tight game last night against the Ravens and last weekend against the Eagles.  This coming weekend the Steelers are visiting Foxboro so it will be another challenging game for the Patriots.

Send me your comments about whether or not you think the Patriots will go undefeated during the regular season (16-0).

Who do you think will win this year’s Super Bowl?

The 10 Steps to Home Ownership: Step 1

 The home buying process can seem quite daunting for first time home buyers but it doesn’t need to be as long as you educate yourself.  Here is the first of 10 blogs to help guide you through the home buying process.  Check back often to read through the other postings.

Step 1.  Are you ready?

 Knowledge and experience are the keys to successful real estate transactions.  NorthernColoradoMLS.com contains an enormous amount of valuable information, and such data — combined with the expertise, experience and training of local REALTORS® — can be the essential keys to your success.

One of the keys to making the homebuying process easier and more understandable is planning. In doing so, you’ll be able to anticipate requests from lenders, lawyers and a host of other professionals. Furthermore, planning will help you discover valuable shortcuts in the homebuying process.

Do You Know What You Want?
Whether you are a first-time homebuyer or entering the marketplace as a repeat buyer, you need to ask why you want to buy. Are you planning to move to a new community due to a lifestyle change or is buying an option and not a requirement? What would you like in terms of real estate that you do not now have? Do you have a purchasing timeframe?

Whatever your answers, the more you know about the real estate marketplace, the more likely you are to effectively define your goals. As an interesting exercise, it can be worthwhile to look at the questions above and to then discuss them in detail when meeting with local REALTORS®.

Do You Have The Money?
Homes and financing are closely intertwined. (Financing is the difference between the purchase price and the downpayment, commonly referred to as debt or the mortgage.) The good news is that over the years new and innovative loan programs have evolved which require a 5 percent downpayment or less. In fact, a number of programs now allow purchasers to buy real estate with nothing down.

In addition to a down payment, purchasers also need cash for closing costs (the final costs associated with closing the loan). Several newly emerging loan programs not only allow the purchase of a home with no money down, but also underwrite closing costs.

Not everyone, however, elects to purchase with little or no money down. Less money down means higher monthly mortgage payments, so most homebuyers choose to buy with some cash up front.

As to closing costs, in markets where buyers have leverage, it may be possible to negotiate an offer for a home that requires the owner to pay some or all of your settlement expenses. Speak with local REALTORS® for details.

Is Your Financial House in Order?
Those great loans with little or nothing down are not available to everyone: You need good credit. For at least one year prior to purchasing a home, you should assure that every credit card bill, rent check, car payment and other debt is paid in full and on time.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the content of this blog.

Stay tuned for step 2: Get a REALTOR®…coming soon.

Feel free to submit a comment as I’m always looking for feedback.

The 10 Steps to Home Ownership: Step 2

Mortgage Rates Drop to 2-Year Lows

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to a more than two-year low in the week ending November 29, 2007, slipping to 6.1% from 6.2% the previous week.

Freddie MAC also reported the 15-year fixed loan rate fell to 5.73% from 5.83% over that same time span, and that interest on 5-year adjustable-rate mortgages dipped to 5.86% from 5.88%.

Meanwhile, the 1-year ARM bumped up 5.43% from 5.42%.

With rates this low, investors and first time home buyers should take advantage.  There is lots of inventory in Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor and the surrounding areas of Larimer County and Weld County…so don’t miss out on an opportunity to purchase a property while the interest rates are still at all time lows.

Click here to view ALL available homes in Northern Colorado.

The naked danger in Fort Collins and Northern Colorado

In Colorado, between 1/3 and 1/2 of the homes have radon levels in excess of the EPA recommended action level of 4 picoCuries of radon per liter of air.

Radon is a radioactive gas found in nature.  It has no color, odor or taste (thus the naked danger) and is chemically inert.  It’s source is uranium.  As the uranium molecule decays to form stable lead, a process taking many, many years, it changes from one radioactive element to another in a squence known as the Uranium Decay Cycle.  Partway through this cycle, the element radium becomes radon which as a gas moves up through the soil to atmosphere.  Uranium is found in most soils and granite.

Radon in indoor air is estimated to cause between 15,000 and 22,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States.  Smokers are at higher risk of developing radon induced lung cancer.  Lung cancer would usually occur 5-25 years after exposure.

 Here is how radon can enter your home. 

 

If you are buying or selling a home then you may want to read the EPA’s guide to radon.  There are many different radon mitigation options available depending on the level of radon and the type of foundation the home is built on: basement, slab on grade or crawlspace.

You can test yourself – contact the National Safety Council or call 1-800-SOS-RADON.  You can also hire a qualified home inspector.  Most homes can have a mitigation system installed for less than $2,000 and typically less than $1,500 but you will definitely want to shop this around to find the best price, best outcome and the company that can do it in the appropriate time which leads me to the next discussion to avoid a time constraint especially if your home is on the market.

I strongly encourage EVERY SELLER to have a preinspection performed on their home including a radon test BEFORE listing their home for sale.  The number one reason for a preinspection is to find out any potential issues that would have turned up when a buyer has a home inspection done. 

Wouldn’t you rather know if there are issues with radon or any other problem with your home before listing?  The risk of not doing a preinspection is that the deal could fall through, the buyer gets a 2nd round of negotiating and could force an even lower sales price, or they make you do the repairs prior to closing costing you time and money otherwise risk losing the sale.

You comments are always appreciated!  I hope you find this blog helpful. 

FAQ’s about credit scores

Here is the 3rd post regarding credit scores.  These are frequently asked questions about credit scores.

Will paying off a collection amount remove it from my credit report?

• No, a paid collection will remain on your credit report for 7 years from the original date of inception.

If I have a collection, should I pay off the collection agency or the original creditor?

• Always pay the collection agency that is collecting for the original creditor.

How can I get accounts removed from my credit report that were awarded to my ex-spouse in the divorce decree?

• A divorce decree does not supersede an original contract with a creditor.  You must contact each creditor individually and seek the legal binding release of your obligation.

I have no credit (or only negative credit) and I cannot get a finance company or credit card company to approve me.  How can I start to establish credit?

• Apply for a secured credit card.

How can I get inquiries removed from my credit report that I did not authorize?

• You will need to contact the bureaus directly to dispute these items.

Why do Experian, Equifax and Trans Union sometimes have different information?

• Creditors voluntarily provide information to the credit bureaus and are not required to report to all three.  Some companies do not report to the bureaus at all.  The creditors all report information on a national basis, but not always to all of the bureaus.

If you found this blog helpful then please leave me a comment or if you have any further questions please feel free to contact me.