The Brainerd Lakes Real Estate Blog

Helping make real estate dreams come true  The National Association of Realtors just released home sales data: * Home Sales Dive 16.7% In December. Why? Tax credit was set to expire. Remember, it was extended through April 2010. * Sales up 15% Over Dec 2008. * Inventory fell 6% nationally. * Nationally, 7+ month supply of homes. * Average sales price in the country now…$178,300 * Sales down across the board..in all regions…all states. * Prices down 12.9% in 2009 over 08. (Largest year over year decline in history) Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans?  Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps you save face? You need a plan of action and if you want to buy some time, stay in the home until it sells and save up some money - then contact:  Kathleen Lordbock REALTOR/Staging & Short Sale Specialist  Keller Williams Realty Brainerd La...

Helping make real estate dreams come true Living Big in a Small Home After years of upsizing, Americans are enjoying the benefits of more modest living spaces. By Maggie Sieger February 2010 With the average home size declining, owners are cleverly doing more with the square footage they have. Years before house staging came into vogue as a sales tool, Howard Hoffman was helping sellers rearrange their furniture to maximize floor space and enhance a home’s beauty. Hoffman, GRI, SRES®, now owns Stage & $ell, a home staging and redesign company in Indianapolis. Chances are he’ll have a lot more business in the years ahead from people needing to resize their lives. With baby boomers entering retirement, young adults delaying marriage, and the economy improving by fits and starts, Americans are starting to embrace the idea that less is more when it comes to their square footage. The average size of a new house decreased last year for the first time in nearly three decades. ...

Helping make real estate dreams come true  Mature-Market Home Buyers Look beyond Buildings, Desire Services RISMEDIA, January 27, 2010—A survey of consumers and builders, conducted in 2009 by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the MetLife Mature Market Institute, has yielded a new round of data revealing the housing preferences of the 55+ consumer. This analysis of data–the third in a series–compared the preferences of the 55-to-64 year old age group to those of the 65+ group. The data uncovered a strong similarity in housing preferences between the two groups, with a few exceptions. The younger age group showed more interest in technology-heavy features, while the older group expressed a stronger preference for a single-story floor plan or one with a first-floor master bedroom, and a variety of universal design features. One striking difference, according to John Migliaccio, director of research at MetLife's Mature Market Institute, related to the desire...

I miss my parents - not everyday, but from time to time. I will see someone who reminds me of one of them or have something that I would like to share. It does get easier as the years go by but I still have those moments.

Helping make real estate dreams come true They have had enough of the outrageous threats to investigate and prosecute Bush-era anti-terrorist agents and officials for the heroic work they did in keeping our country safe -- while giving confessed terrorists like 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Muhammad a civilian trial in NYC? Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans?  Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps you save face? You need a plan of action and if you want to buy some time, stay in the home until it sells and save up some money - then contact:  Kathleen Lordbock REALTOR/Staging & Short Sale Specialist  Keller Williams Realty Brainerd Lakes Don't just walk away - there is hope, there is help!

Helping make real estate dreams come true Have you had enough of the out-of-control spending on bailouts and "stimulus" that have sent the federal deficit soaring to $1.8 trillion for 2009 alone -- and even higher down the road -- threatening to bankrupt our nation, destroy our currency, and impoverish our descendants for generations to come ? Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans?  Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps you save face? You need a plan of action and if you want to buy some time, stay in the home until it sells and save up some money - then contact:  Kathleen Lordbock REALTOR/Staging & Short Sale Specialist  Keller Williams Realty Brainerd Lakes Don't just walk away - there is hope, there ...

Helping make real estate dreams come true H ave you had enough of   Obama's crusade to force a multi-trillion-dollar health-care “reform” on America, replacing private health care with a government-run system that will empower federal bureaucrats to make life-and-death decisions about your medical care? Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans?  Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps you save face? You need a plan of action and if you want to buy some time, stay in the home until it sells and save up some money - then contact:  Kathleen Lordbock REALTOR/Staging & Short Sale Specialist  Keller Williams Realty Brainerd Lakes Don't just walk away - there is hope, there is help!

Helping make real estate dreams come true Do our current low interest rates really make it a good time to buy a house? First, take a look at what happens to monthly payments when interest rates go up. When interest rates go from 5 to 10% what happens? A 5%   30 year $100k mortgage will cost $536.82 monthly A 6%   30 year $100k mortgage will cost $599.55 monthly A 7%   30 year $100k mortgage will cost $665.30 monthly A 10% 30 year $100k mortgage will cost $877.57 monthly  That is NOT including taxes, insurance, or anything but the mortgage itself. As far as buying ability is concerned :compared to a 5% interest rate a 6% interest rate   drops the effective buying ability by 10% and a 7% interest  rate drops buying ability by about  24%. There is a very large amount of buying ability taken away by a small 2% increase in interest rates.    Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans...

Helping make real estate dreams come true   RISMEDIA, January 7, 2010—As we begin 2010, both real estate professionals and home buyers have something to look forward to and more importantly, take advantage of—the extended and expanded home buyer tax credit. Originally created in 2008, the home-buyer tax credit has evolved from a $7,500 credit, which had to be repaid by the home buyer over the course of 15 years, to an $8,000 tax credit with no repayment required in 2009. Now, for a limited time in 2010, the $8,000 home buyer tax credit will still be available to first-time home buyers and certain current homeowners will also be eligible for a $6,500 credit. To help everyone better understand the extended and expanded home buyer tax credit, here are some highlights of the changes. Who can claim the credit? “First-time home buyers” who purchase homes between November 7, 2009 and April 30, 2010 are eligible for the credit. To qualify as a “first-time home buyer” the...

Helping make real estate dreams come true For 2010 Buyers--Our current interest rates are at an all time low with plenty of inventory in the Brainerd Lakes area to choose from.  If you are a qualified first time home buyer you will be able to take advantage of the First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit. For 2010 Sellers--Whether you are thinking about selling your home and moving up into a larger property or downsizing, 2010 will be a great time!   You too may be able to take advantage of the tax credit. Please call Kathleen at 218-829-0339 or e-mail at KLordbock@kw.com with any questions.  Purchasing a home is one of the biggest decisions you'll make. I look forward to assisting you with your real estate decision. Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans?  Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps you save face? You need a pl...

Helping make real estate dreams come true The $6,500 Move-Up / Repeat Home Buyer Tax Credit * To be eligible to claim the tax credit, buyers must have owned and lived in their previous home for five consecutive years out of the last eight years. * The tax credit does not have to be repaid unless the home is sold or ceases to be used as the buyer’s principal residence within three years after the initial purchase. * The tax credit is equal to 10 percent of the home’s purchase price up to a maximum of $6,500. * The tax credit applies only to homes priced at $800,000 or less. * The credit is available for homes purchased after November 6, 2009 and on or before April 30, 2010. However, in cases where a binding sales contract is signed by April 30, 2010, the home purchase qualifies provided it is completed by June 30, 2010. * Single taxpayers with incomes up to $125,000 and married couples with incomes up to $225,000 qualify for the full tax credit. Have you received a Noti...

Helping make real estate dreams come true Keller Williams for a great career change Are you t hinking about making a change? Starting a new career? Looking for a new broker?  You have questions and I have answers . Call Kathleen Lordbock KW Realty Brainerd Lakes 218-831-8001 Crow Wing County, Cass and Morrison counties. Many counties. and satellite offices We offer the best training and tools in the industry.ke We have Profit Sharing and we have an Open Book Policy. We follow an agent-centric business model. The emphasis is on you and your business . Agent participation in the company decision making process through an Agent Leadership Council. Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans?  Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps you save face? You need a plan of action and if you want to buy some time, stay in the home until it sells and save up so...

Helping make real estate dreams come true Washington Report: New Consumer Financial Protection Agency by Kenneth R. Harney December 21, 2009 Congress took a major step last week toward eliminating what has been a painful thorn in the side of home sellers, Realtors, home builders, mortgage brokers and appraisers for months. As part of its financial and mortgage industry reform bill, the House voted to terminate the controversial Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) once a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency begins operations. The new agency would assume primary federal responsibility for equal opportunity in credit, real estate settlement procedures, financial disclosures to borrowers, plus unfair and deceptive marketing in mortgages and other financial products. The giant bill, nearly 1,300 pages long, now heads to the Senate, which is working on its own version. But tucked away in the depths of the House bill is a section that provides unusually deta...

Helping make real estate dreams come true The last week of 2009 found the Twin Cities housing market singing "Auld Lang Syne" and taking a breather. For the first time in four years, the active listing inventory dropped below 20,000. Chiming in the New Year at 18,980, inventory is at its lowest point since April 2005 and is 22 percent below last year at this time. Also of note, January's Supply-Demand Ratio of 6.69 houses per buyer is 20.6 percent behind a year ago. New listings for the week ending December 26 dropped 18.9 percent from last year to 446. The 392 purchase agreements for the week were up a merry 53.1 percent above the previous year; while a significant jump, this reflects a small sample size. We expect 2010 to begin slowly as car starting becomes more important than house hunting during the frigid conditions we're presently experiencing in the metro area. Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans?  Do you plan t...

Helping make real estate dreams come true posted by Jon Lansner Developer Emaar, the real estate giant from Dubai, officially opened the largest building in the world today! Associated Press reports … Dubai opened the world’s tallest skyscraper today, and in a surprise move renamed the gleaming glass-and-metal tower Burj Khalifa in a nod to the leader of neighboring Abu Dhabi — the oil-rich sheikdom which came to its rescue during the financial meltdown. A lavish presentation witnessed by Dubai’s ruler and thousands of onlookers at the base of the tower said the building was 828 meters, or 2717 feet, tall. Dubai is opening the tower in the midst of a deep financial crisis. Its oil rich neighbor Abu Dhabi has pumped billions of dollars in bailout funds into the emirate as it struggles to pay its debts. Let’s hope Emaar does better at high rises in its own neighborhood than it did on investing in U.S. real estate. Emaar lost $1.6 billion buying Orange County homebui...

Helping make real estate dreams come true Here is a very insightful and different perspective on the housing reform: By: Peter S. Goodman The New York Times The Obama administration’s $75 billion program to protect homeowners from foreclosure has been widely pronounced a disappointment, and some economists and real estate experts now contend it has done more harm than good. Since President Obama announced the program in February, it has lowered mortgage payments on a trial basis for hundreds of thousands of people but has largely failed to provide permanent relief. Critics increasingly argue that the program, Making Home Affordable, has raised false hopes among people who simply cannot afford their homes. As a result, desperate homeowners have sent payments to banks in often-futile efforts to keep their homes, which some see as wasting dollars they could have saved in preparation for moving to cheaper rental residences. Some borrowers have seen their credit tarnished wh...

Helping make real estate dreams come true   Take a minute to reflect on all the new skills and ideas you learned in 2009. Think of the books you read, the documentaries you watched, the people you spoke to. Now ... what did you do with all of that new knowledge? Did you use it to grow as a person, better your life, or make a difference in the world? Yes, you must learn. But more importantly - you must apply what you learn.  Debbie Paschall Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans?  Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps you save face? You need a plan of action and if you want to buy some time, stay in the home until it sells and save up some money - then contact:  Kathleen Lordbock REALTOR/Staging & Short Sale Specialist  Keller Williams Realty Brainerd Lakes Don't just walk away - there is hope, there is help!