Homes And People

As the weather starts to heat up each Spring, so too does the housing market. Spring is an optimal time to get your house ready to sell. The first thing that potential buyers will see of your home is the landscaping, so make a great first impression with beautiful outdoor spaces. An investment in landscaping can help sell your home faster and for more money. There are simple projects at every price point that can help you achieve great curb-appeal. Inexpensive $ 1. Keep the Lawn Well-Manicured The easiest and most obvious landscape project when hoping to sell your home is to get your lawn looking its best. Spring is a great season to try to sell because your lawn is helped by Mother Nature. Wet, mild Spring weather will help the lawn stay green with less effort. To show off that green lawn, make sure to mow and edge it often. 2. Keep Your Yard Weed Free It may not cost much, but it will require some time and effort to control the weeds around your property. Spray or pull weeds ...

A man who damaged his eyes 55 years ago while looking at a partial solar eclipse is warning others about the risks of looking at the sun without protection. In 1962, Lou Tomososki walked home from Marshall High School in Bend, Oregon, with his friend Roger Duval, when the two stopped to watch the partial eclipse occurring in the sky. While they only looked with their naked eyes for a few seconds, the damage the sun caused to Tomososki’s vision would stay with him for the rest of his life. According to Today, Tomososki began to see flashes in his vision, similar to the spots that occur when a picture is taken with a flashbulb. Tomososki, now 70, has experienced vision problems since then, and he is warning those who want to enjoy the Great American Eclipse on August 21 to wear eye protection while looking at the celestial event. “It’s going to be over real quick and it’s not worth taking a chance,” Lou Tomososki told KGW. Tomososki learned that he had burned the retin...

Summertime in the housing market brings countless buying and selling opportunities. But with all the competition out there, would people be better off waiting a few months? Real estate experts say no. They contend home prices peak from June to August and say there are advantages to buying during the market’s busiest season. But some agents disagree: A huge myth about the real estate market is that homes sell for more in the summer and less in the winter. This is simply not true. Other forces play a role in the asking price, such as the amount of homes for sale in an area, interest rates, and the job market. There are more homes on the market in summer than in the winter, and there is also a higher number of sales in the summer than the winter. Broader inventory means more choices, making buyers feel more confident in their search because additional properties hit the market every week, the large inventory offers significantly more opportunities for purchasers to identify specif...

To help alleviate the stress of moving, Reviews.com is offering a moving guide that incorporates 500 recent customer surveys and quotes from 20 moving companies. They looked for companies that can accommodate travel anywhere in the country, have helpful FAQ sections on their websites, a “painless” quote process (which typically takes about 10 minutes), and a readily available claims department. “Moving is a pain, and even if you hire the best moving company, it’s no guarantee that it will be any less so,” Reviews.com notes in its guide. “But a great service will be friendly and efficient online, on the phone, and in person—and if it has a good track record of getting from point A to point B without a mishap, all the better.” Reviews.com picked the following top moving companies: Atlas Van Lines Bekins Moving and Storage United Mayflower Source: “The Best Moving Companies,” Reviews.com (2017)

Whether a home survives a wildfire is not random, nor is it a function of luck, most homes that exhibited attributes promoted by the FireSmart program -- including keeping combustible vegetation away from the house, uncluttered yards and low-flammability roofs and surfaces -- survive fires. It seems clear that the survival of homes was a function of resistance to ignition and not a random event or a matter of luck, Beyond doubt, risk mitigation (FireSmart) guidelines demonstrated their effectiveness in mitigating risk under the harshest of wildfire conditions. Most homes caught on fire as the result of embers from the forest fire landing on their property. "Based on site visits, no instances were observed where home ignition could confidently be attributed to direct contact by flames of the burning forest, and there were very few observations where home ignition was likely due only to radiant heat from the forest. Other studies have shown that embers generated by burning vege...

You've done the work to clean up your credit score, scrape together a down payment and pry a preapproval letter from your mortgage lender. Cheers! Getting preapproved is a smart move, especially in a seller's market characterized by tight inventories and, in some regions, bidding wars. Having a lender's letter in hand signals to sellers that you're a legit buyer whose offer merits serious consideration. Even so, a preapproval letter is just a conditional commitment. It can be withdrawn if your financial situation changes in a way that makes your lender nervous. The best advice? "Maintain the status quo," says Scott Schang, branch manager at BuyWise Mortgage in Anaheim, California. There are a few surefire ways to get rejected after you've been preapproved. Among them: Quitting your job There's nothing wrong with leaving a job to take a similar or better-paying position at another company, so long as you remain a full-time employee who get...

Protest, protest, protest . Front Range homeowners may have that reaction when they first see how much county assessors increased the value of their homes over the past two years amid worries that next year’s property taxes will shoot up as well. Neighborhoods throughout metro Denver have recorded double-digit price increases, which reflects the region’s hot real estate market. The biggest percentage gains are coming in lower-income neighborhoods that lagged in past cycles. The first steps for those who disagree with value placed on their home is to figure out how much the value should be adjusted and whether a protest has a chance of winning. And with a June 1 deadline for protests, homeowners need to act fast. Should I protest? While a big jump in property value may come as a shock, in most cases it is probably justified. But county assessors can have basic information about a property wrong, and they won’t know details about a home’s condition versus others in the neighborho...

Colorado’s system of real property taxation can leave homeowners confused and frustrated. This may be especially true if a homeowner receives a Notice of Valuation reflecting an unexpected increase in the value of his or her home which results in an increase in taxes owed. This article will provide an overview of the process by which property values are determined for the purposes of taxation and the options for homeowners who believe their properties have been incorrectly valued. Colorado has a two year cycle for valuing real property for the purposes of assessing property taxes. In odd years, properties are revalued; even years are considered “intervening years” and properties are generally considered to have the same value as in the prior year. In intervening years, notice of the value of property is often contained in a short form along with the property tax statement issued in January. However, in odd years assessors are required to mail a Notice of Valuation, or NOV, to taxp...

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Denver Water to Reduce rebates on March 16 Beginning March 16, 2011, Denver Water will change its residential rebates for high-efficiency toilets and clothes washers. The utility will reduce the amount offered for toilet and clothes washer rebates by $50 each. The new rebate amounts will be $75 for qualifying toilets and $100 for qualifying clothes washers. "It was time for a change because the cost of these high-efficiency products has come down in recent years," said Melissa Elliott, manager of conservation. "As a result, Denver Water's rebates will cover a similar percentage of new product purchases. We want to give our customers a heads-up so they can make those purchases before March 16, 2011, if they want the current rebate amount." Customers should check details before making purchases. Not all toilets or clothes washers qualify for a rebate, but all " WaterSense " labeled toilets are covered. Visit  www.denverwater.org ...

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How to Use 1 Day Codes You can use the following instructions to open the key compartment of a lockbox with a 1 day code. On the lockbox's keypad, press and hold  ENT . This will "wake up" the lockbox. When the lockbox lights up the keypad, enter your 1 day code. For example 2862745, and press  ENT . The lockbox will open the key compartment. Here are some possible problems and what to do about them: If the  CODE  and  ERROR  lights alternate after you enter a 1 day code, you've entered an incorrect code. You should verify the code with the owner of the lockbox. If pressing the  ENT  key in step 1 above does not wake up the lockbox (that is, the lockbox keypad does not light up), the lockbox owner may have locked the keypad (either with or without intending to). Normally the lockbox unlocks its keypad when a showing agent inserts his or her SentriCard®. Since you are using a 1 day code, you probably do not have a SentriCard®. You can unlock the keypad by inserting a c...

A GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING THE NEED AND THE VALUE It is vitally important for prospective homebuyers to thoroughly understand the process of purchasing a home and the potential risks associated with the property’s title. Most people don’t realize that the current owners of their prospective home - and their family and heirs — have extremely strong rights associated with the property. In addition, third parties may have liens against the title for anything from unpaid child support to outstanding parking tickets! In fact, it takes very little effort to place a lien on a property, but it can take a great deal of time and money to have it removed. What does title insurance cover? Once the title search has been concluded and curative work to resolve any issues has been completed, title insurance can then be issued. The title insurance policy protects policy owners against covered financial losses associated with claims against the title that were not discovered during the title search pro...

You’ve decided to purchase a home and hope to take possession as soon as possible. The terms have been agreed upon and all the financial arrangements have been made. But there’s one important detail remaining. Before the transaction can close, a title search must be made. The most accurate description of title is a bundle of rights in real property A title search is the process of determining from the public record just what these rights are and who owns them. A title search is a means of determining that the person who is selling the property really has the right to sell it and that the buyer is getting all the rights to the property (title) that he or she is paying for. The search process can be undertaken by the title company in those jurisdictions where the company maintains offices. In some areas however searches are made only by practicing attorneys. However the search is performed in most real estate transactions today a title insurance policy is purchased to assure the buyer th...

Tips For a successful closing 1 Colorado law requires that all funds paid at closing by the parties must be in the form of a wire transfer, cashiers check or teller check. 2 If possible, avoid peak times when scheduling closings (Friday afternoons, end of the month). 3 The title company will need a loan number and contact information on existing loans, HOA contact, seller's forwarding address and social security numbers for all parties. 4 If a Power of Attorney is to be used for closing, contact the title company as early as possible. 5 When scheduling moving vans or other closings be sure to allow time for the resolution of problems which may delay the completion of your transaction. This information is provided to assist you in your real estate transaction. Should you need additional information, please feel free to contact us.

BUYER’S CHARGES (buyer getting a VA loan) 1. Purchase Price 2. Mortgage Title Policy 3. Miscellaneous Title Endorsements as Required by the New Lender (see title commitment) 4. Recording Fees 5.. Tax Certificate 6. Doc Fee (.01 cent per $100 of sales price) 7. Insurance Reserve Account* 8. Tax Reserve Account 9. VA Funding Fee* 10. Loan Origination Fee* 11. Discount Points* 12. Premium for Hazard Insurance 13. Survey* 14. Credit Report* 15. Appraisal Fee* 16. Interest on New Loan* 17. Miscellaneous Loan Fees per New Lender* 18. Express Mail Fees (if applicable) * *Amounts Determined by the New Lender Note: Seller can pay all closing costs and pre-paids for the buyer if agreed to all parties in the sales contract.

VA LOAN SELLER’S CHARGES (Buyer getting a VA loan) 1. Loan Payoff (per existing lender’s payoff letter) 2. Commissions (per contract) 3. Title Insurance 4. Prior Year Taxes Due 5. Prorated Taxes for the Current Year 6. Water & Sewer Bill 7. Discount Points* 8. Tax Service Fee* 9. Real Estate Closing Fee 10. Document Preparation* (if applicable) 11. Miscellaneous Loan Fees per New Lender* 12. Express Mail Fees (if applicable) 13. Homeowners Dues, Fees, etc. *Amounts Determined by the New Lender Note: Seller can pay all closing costs and pre-paids for the buyer if agreed to all parties in the sales contract.

BUYER’S CHARGES (buyer getting an FHA loan) 1. Purchase Price 2. Mortgage Title Policy 3. Miscellaneous Title Endorsements as Required by the New Lender (see title commitment) 4. Recording Fees 5. Loan Discount Fee 6. Doc Fee (.01 cent per $100 of sales price) 7. Hazard Insurance Premium (1st year) and reserves 8. FHA Mortgage Insurance *premium and. Reserves 9. Loan Discount Fee- as per contract 10. Tax Reserve Account 11. Survey* 12. Credit Report* 13. Appraisal* 14. Interest on New Loan* 15. Express Mail Fees (if applicable) 16. Real Estate and Loan Closing Fees 17. Homeowners Dues, Fees, etc. *Amounts Determined by the New Lender Note: Buyer must pay all prepaid expenses. All other charges are negotiable if agreed to by all parties in the sales contract.