Silver Lining to this Housing Market - Yes Indeed!

Home prices are coming down and so are interest rates. That is a very good turn of events for potential home buyers. The difference between now and 2 years ago, it is much harder to qualify for a mortgage. Two years ago if you had a heart beat you could get a mortgage, no verifications of income or assets needed. If you are a potential first time home buyer - even better! You will need an income, good credit, a good down payment and your own closing costs.
The criteria listed above is not a bad thing, it is a very good thing. If you are preparing to buy a home you will need at the least fair money management skills. Keeping a job, saving for a down payment, paying your bills on time, living within a budget and planning for the future are all prerequisites for being a mature responsible member of society.
If you are one of those members of society now is quite possibly the best time of your life to buy a home.

Storm Lake Iowa Video Tour

Thinking of visiting or moving to Storm Lake Iowa; check out the virtual tour of the town by clicking on the title of this blog. The site is a really cool tool for anyone looking for something in Storm Lake, Iowa. Check out the downtown, eateries, shops, stores, lake, AWAYSIS project, city buildings and a lot more. See if you can find me, I'm located at 106 W Railtroad Street in Storm Lake. This site can also be used to plan a home finding trip, decide what area you think you would like to live in and check it out on-line. Be sure to go to the lake,to King's Pointe, and the water park.
Any questions or think you may want a personal tour of the homes available for sale; give me a call at 712-574-5426 to set up a meeting.

Preparing Your Home to Sell Video by Elizabeth Weintraub

Check out this short sweet video by Elizabeth Weintraub on how to prepare your home to sell. To vieo the video click on the post title. Elizabeth has a lot of very good points and she is one of my favorite bloggers. After seeing the video check out her other topics, her site is a great resource for all things real estate. For a detailed system of preparing to list your home and how to efficiently pack give me a call at 712-574-5426. This system works for all types of moves and I recently used it myself when we moved to our acerage.

Will a Short Sale Ruin My Credit - In a Word YES

I came across this excellent article by one of my favorite bloggers- Elizabeth Weintraub, on About.com. This is a really important and potentially dangerous type of transaction for Realtors. If you want to be up to date follow the link and tread carefully it is dangerous out there nowdays!

Our area is seeing foreclosures slowly creep up but our market is still very solid here in Storm Lake and Alta Iowa.

Local Real Estate Market Report - your opinion needed!

As you know I do a local real estate market report, I have recently had several requests for additional information on this report. Mainly, the names of the Sellers and the Buyers. This info is public record after the property closes and can be found at the court house. I can include this additional info easily. What do you think, would it be helpful to you? I currently use an Excel Spreadsheet format - I do love spreadsheets, please suggest any changes you would like to see.

http://activerain.com/blogsview/267832/October-Storm-Lake-and

Calling all DIYers

Have you done some remodeling you are proud of , got before and after pix and receipts? Check out this contest - the grand prize is $25,000. Click on the title of this post or go to www.BHG.com/challenge
$25,000 that's enough to take the whole family to Hawaii for several weeks - did I happen to mention Hawaii is my most favorite place in the whole entire world?

Hey the contest ends Jan 15, 2008 - you can still do a project and enter. Remember I do love Hawaii!