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How to hire a good home contractor
Don't hand your home-remodeling project to an unreliable or dishonest contractor. Here are 6 things to look for.
Increasing your property value often entails remodeling. Whether you have a fixer-upper or a great house that you plan to stay in indefinitely, you'll probably hire a contractor sooner or later to finish the basement, remodel the kitchen, or renovate other rooms.
Decisions on home improvement should be made in a judicious manner. If you want to recoup your investment, choose projects that are likely to add value to your home, such as a new kitchen or an extra bathroom.
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Trading houses? 6 must-knows
Swapping homes may seem like an easy way out of a tough seller's market. But you'll want to mind these tips so you're not bamboozled.
by AnnaMaria Andriotis, SmartMoney
Over the years, the Internet has helped many lonely hearts find mates. Now the Web's matchmaking skills are being put to use in a much different way: setting up homeowners who are looking to swap their homes.
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10 tips on staging your home to sell
It doesn't take long for a prospective buyer to form an opinion about your house. Here's how you can tilt the odds in your favor by making your home appeal to the widest clientele possible.
by Christopher Solomon, MSN Real Estate
You don't have much time.
Prospective home buyers form an opinion about the home you're selling in 15 seconds, by one estimate. And the clock starts ticking at the curb -- even before the home buyers get in the house. So how do you tilt the playing field in your favor? Increasingly, it's by staging your home.
Generally speaking, staging means making your home as appealing as possible, as quickly as possible, to the broadest clientele you can.
"In this market now, staging is desperately needed even more so, because it's so competitive," says Julie Dana, who runs The Home Stylist in Buffalo, N.Y., and who co-authored a book on staging.
In fact, Barb Schwarz of StagedHomes.com estimates that about one in four homes nationwide are now staged. So if you're not doing it, you may be at a disadvantage.
There are techniques to pulling this off -- some of them obvious, and some not so apparent. We polled the experts to get some of their top tips.
Staging as un-decorating
Staging takes some effort and some money -- but it works. According to a study of 2,772 properties sold in eight California cities in 1999 that was done by real-estate broker Joy Valentine, staged homes remained on the market less than half the time that unstaged homes did -- about 14 days versus 31 days. The average difference in sale price over list price for staged homes was 6.3%, versus 1.6% for unstaged homes.
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HOPE NOW
The HOPE NOW Alliance includes a number of counseling organizations, which consists of all HUD intermediaries that have offices across the United States. An independent, non profit counselor can help you understand your situation, identify your options and help you work with your servicer to hopefully find an alternative to foreclosure.
To find a free of chard HUD certified counseling agency in your area visit HUD and click on your state under “local information".
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Community Action Set Aside (CASA) Minneapolis, MN
State First Time Home Buyer Program in Minneapolis, MN
If you are a single head of household and make less than $61,000 a year.
You may qualify for one or more of the following....
• A fixed low interest rate below market rates.
• $3000 down payment assistance.
• $60 a month payment assistance.
• $10,000 equity assistance.
• Lastly they offer a fixed low interest rate.
Apply to Irwin Today to see if you qualify.
Elizabeth Reynolds
Cell: 612-251-3371
Fax: 952-546-0359
The Worst of Times Can Produce Your Best of Times
by Valarie Eiland Davis
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It’s trite but true to say that bad experiences can bring out the best in us. Bad grades can make students work harder. Bad work performance reviews can make us work smarter. Bad relationships can teach us how to be better family members and friends. Bad meals might even make us better cooks. Well, the bad economic times we are living through right now can either bring out the worst in us or make us think thoughts and take actions that will eventually produce some of the best times we could ever have. It’s your choice!
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American Dream
by Nancy Perry
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Buying a home has been part of the American Dream for many decades. Who doesn’t want the white picket fence and a safe place for our children to play? So, what’s stopping you? Ahhhh, that ol’ problem? Money. It is true that depending on what part of the country you live in, you will either need a $1,000 or tens of thousands of dollars to start out. But before we get into the nitty gritty, let’s discover why owning a home is such a smart move. When I purchased my first house I was 38 years old. I’d wanted to buy a house since my daughter was born 10 years previously, but didn’t think I could. At the time I would occasionally go into Open Houses and talk with Realtors, who often said things like, “You know, you probably can qualify for a home, I have a lender who can help you.” But I didn’t really believe them. Not that I thought they were lying, I just thought they didn’t really know what my finances were like. So, we waited.
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The 10 Mistakes to Avoid in Real Estate Deal
by David Finkel
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TIPS
Mistake #1
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They take TOO Long. Good deals don’t wait around for indecisive people. Many people “think a deal to death.” One way to lower your anxiety level with a deal is to move forward provisionally (i.e. with a clause of some sort.)
Mistake #2
They trust the seller’s numbers. Even if there are only good intentions, most sellers just aren’t knowledgeable, and they are inherently a bit biased.
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How to Attain your Dreams on a Single Income
by Kelly Kennedy from www.singlemotherresources.com
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If you recently became a single parent and see your dreams being washed away because you feel all alone, you aren’t alone. There are single parents that face future endeavors alone like dating again, living on one income, and buying the home they’ve always imagined. It is possible to do things on your own, be successful, and enjoy every bit of getting to where you want to be in life. Being a single parent can be an everyday struggle but don’t feel you have to give up your goals in life just because you are on your own. At some point in life, people think about moving whether it is into an apartment, condo, or type of house. With raising children you usually need a little more space than living alone so a house is an ideal spot for many families either single parent families or both parent families. Don’t feel as a single parent that you wont be able to afford a house on your own. Here are a few guidelines to get you started on fulfilling your dreams.
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Mortgages: States help for home buyers
by Michael D. Larson BankRate.com
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If you're looking for a mortgage, the best place to start might be your state capital rather than the local mortgage broker's office.
That's because little-known outfits called housing finance agencies (to find a State Agency - click on this link) can often be found near governors' mansions. These quasi-independent agencies offer special loan programs to low- and moderate-income home buyers, buyers interested in helping to rehabilitate urban areas and a host of other groups. For borrowers, their mortgages can slash ownership costs considerably because they feature below-market interest rates, closing-cost discounts and other benefits that conventional loans simply can't match.
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Realtor.Com
A comprehensive database of homes for sale. Also find house price estimating tools, local mortgage rates, information about
neighborhoods, and numerous guides: Real Estate 101, Buyers Guide, Sellers Guide.
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RealEstate.Com
RealEstate.com is the place to begin the search for real estate, whether looking to buy or sell a home or property.
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For Sale By Owner
ForSaleByOwner.com is the nation’s leading for sale by owner website. Since 1999, ForSaleByOwner.com has saved home sellers more
than one billion dollars by providing premium Internet marketing services, real estate guidance and information, downloadable
legal forms, as well as live customer support, to help customers independently sell their own homes.
The company offers a wide range of advertising and real estate resources, modestly priced from $89 to $899.
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Buy Owner
Since 1984, long before the internet boom, Buy Owner has been helping buyers and sellers of real estate save thousands of dollars
in real estate commissions. Establishing itself as the original for sale by owner company, Buy Owner grew and expanded its
expertise to the Internet, becoming the first “by owner” company to provide magazine quality text and pictures to a real estate
web site. As the Internet market expanded so did Buy Owner by offering virtual tours with almost every listing online
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BankRate.com
BankRate is the Web's leading aggregator of financial rate information. Its data research offering is unique in its depth and
breadth. BankRate continually surveys approximately 4,800 financial institutions in all 50 states in order to provide clear,
objective, and unbiased rates to consumers.
Bankrate.com provides free rate information to consumers on more than 300 financial products, including mortgages, credit cards,
new and used automobile loans, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, checking and ATM fees, home equity loans and online
banking fees.
In addition to rate data, we publish original and objective personal finance stories to help consumers make informed financial
decisions.
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Zillow
Real Estate Guide, Search Estimated Values of over 80,000,000 Homes by Address. See satellite views of a home from all directions. Find homes for sale, home recently sold, and MakeMeMove by Owner.
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Google Maps
Find a location by address, or by business. Get and print directions.
Try Street View: street-level imagery is available for about 1,500 U.S. cities.
Try Traffic view, which give real time traffic information for most of the U.S. cities.
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Valuable property information can be obtained from the county’s Appraisal District. Most counties have searchable online databases
with the county’s properties. Valuable property information can be obtained from the county’s Appraisal District. Search the
Internet for your county’s Appraisal District site.
The listing of or omission of an institution, organization or corporation on this Web site does not refer to programmatic capability nor does it confer any official status, approval, or endorsement of the institution, organization or corporation itself. This listing does not purport to be a listing of all organizations & corporations that are providing relief in the affected area. Additionally, there may be organizations providing relief in the affected area that are not accepting donations at this time. It is not the purpose of this Web site to make, or enable to be made, any representation to the public concerning the organizations listed. This listing is for informational purposes only. Any contributions or submissions you choose to make from links on this Web site are at your sole discretion.
• Share your tips, resources and information with other moms
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The Super, Sexy, Single Mom on a Budget
by Renee Rayles
Whether it's time or money, budgeting is part of being a mom...
The book is a quick reference guide designed for the busy, single mom who has little time to read while running the mom taxi, cooking dinner, helping with homework, and trying to fit in a date night every now and then.
Your 5-minute guide to protecting your identity
Here are 20 steps to protect yourself from identity theft -- and seven ways to clean up things if you become a victim.
Thieves may sell your information on the black market or use it to obtain money, credit or even expensive medical procedures. Unless you're vigilant in protecting your records, you'll have to work even harder to repair the damage to your credit.
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Running Low? How Would You Like FREE* Gasoline for One Year?
10 ways to avoid moving scams
Horror stories about sketchy moving companies abound. Don't let one take you for a ride. Here's expert advice to help.
by Fred Minnick, Bankrate.com
You've heard the stories. Movers load up your stuff one day and hold it hostage the next, demanding more money and threatening to dump your precious treasures if you don't pay.
You believe you've agreed upon a price, only to find out it's going to cost you a lot more than that.
"These salespeople are commission-based and will do whatever it takes to get a deposit on file and lock the customer into a signed estimate," says Tom O'Gorman, sales director for Gentle Giant Moving Co. "Then, when push comes to shove, there's a lot of gray area around this estimate.
"They will say, 'The estimate was based on moving only these things. You weren't packed, so it took us four extra hours to pack.'"
O'Gorman says some of these outfits give the impression that "you are dealing with a moving company, but you're really dealing with an online broker who passes the job off to some local moving company in some region for a commission. So you're not even dealing with the end user. You have no control over who ends up in your home."
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18 easy ways to save on your move
Many people overlook obvious ways to lower the cost of schlepping stuff to a new place, but you can save hundreds of dollars.
by Christopher Solomon
If you're among the millions of people pulling up stakes this year and resettling in a new home, getting your goods to a new location means digging deep into your wallet, right? Not so fast.
Moving can be expensive, but many folks in their panic or disorganization overlook easy and obvious steps that can save them hundreds or even thousands of dollars, moving experts say.
We've done some of the, ahem, heavy lifting for you already, by assembling these 18 tips:
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Click here to make sure your body has the necessary vitamins and minerals to function optimally.
2008 MSN Real Estate best bargain markets
Why live in an expensive city when there are some great, affordable treasures out there? Here's MSN Real Estate's list of the nine best, livable cities where you won't need to trade the good life for the boring.
by Melinda Fulmer
Minimalism is the cutting edge now. My decorator calls it Dorm Chic. Wait, you'll see, everyone will have this look in a year or two. And then maybe I'll go out and get myself some overstuffed chairs." ...
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Viva Research converts your free time into hard cash! Take surveys from home and get paid from $5 to $75 per survey completed. It's FREE to JOIN. Instant surveys available! Click here to start!
Your 5-minute guide to home buying
Home shopping is a high-stakes, stressful venture. Here are 24 tips to help you through the biggest purchase of your life.
Seriously consider this question: Are you really ready to buy a home?
It's an expensive, long-term commitment. If you change jobs or the neighborhood declines, you can't quickly get up and go. Selling a house can take months and cost lots -- likely 10% of a home's value -- in agent fees, closing costs and moving expenses.
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