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Under the program, the buyer’s Realtor and seller’s Realtor each receive an e-mail asking for their client’s e-mail address when a for-sale property listing’s status is changed to “sold,” according to HAR’s Web site.

“Asking clients to evaluate their Realtors in a number of areas enables our members to easily gauge what they’re doing well and identify areas of improvement,” HAR Chairwoman Vicki Fullerton said in a statement.

In areas like Citrus and Hernando County, an out of town Buyer may have difficulty finding an agent they enjoy working with. Perhaps this is a way to help resolve that potential issue. CENTURY 21 Alliance prides itself on having the finest agents in both of these Counties.

The first thing you should do is sort through each room one at a time and have a box for things that you will be moving into the new house, a box for things that you would like to sell or donate and box of things that you wish to throw away or recycle.

Make a diagram of the new home and give each room a number then correspond each box with the same number, that way everything goes into the right place and doesn’t have to be searched through and moved again. An example would be that you label the kitchen with a #1 (here’s where the sharpie comes into play) mark all the boxes that you packed from your old kitchen with a #1, so that all the kitchen boxes automatically go into the new kitchen. Do the same thing with each room in the house.

Nothing is worse than trying to move a box where everything is falling out of the bottom. Double/triple tape all your boxes to ensure that they are strong and sturdy and packed tightly. Be creative while packing your boxes, instead of packing all your towels, blankets, sheets into one box, use them as packing material to protect your valuables. Use your socks to pack your glasses, place one in the glass and one on the outside, this saves on newspaper and space.

These tips aren’t going to make your move completely stress free, but they will help make it less stressful!

Happy moving!

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As with any investment, have a plan! Know how long you plan on owning the property, if you’re looking to purchase rental property and plan on keeping it for 20 years or so, be prepared to put some money into the property. Eventually, it will need new appliances, a roof and major repairs done to the home to keep it up to standards. If you only plan on keeping it for 5 years or so, try to avoid making any major repairs or improvements unless you think that you can recover the costs at the sale of the property.

After you’ve owned a rental for at least a year and decide that being a residential landlord just isn’t your thing and you would like to try commercial real estate investing, you can always utilize a 1031 Tenants in Common Exchange. This will enable you to avoid the capital gains tax from the sale of your rental.

For more information on CENTURY 21 Alliance Realty Investment properties, visit our investment property website, we can help guide you in the right direction!

With a good credit score and a 10% down payment plus closing costs, qualifying for a mortgage loan should be relatively easy at this point. There are many loan programs out there to help first time homebuyers, some of which will offer thousands of dollars above the mortgage price for repairs that may be needed if purchasing a distressed home. A good rule to follow to determine how much house you can really afford is by calculating 28% of your monthly gross income. The number that you come up with should be the total that you spend on your mortgage including insurance and taxes.

Ginnie Mae, a government backed loan agency has a simple home-loan calculator that can aid in your search to determine what you can afford; having this information before you sit down with a loan officer will make you little more comfortable.

Calculate the value of the home, if your home has risen in value and the interest rate that you’re paying at this time is higher than 5%, then refinancing at the lower interest rate could indeed save you money on a monthly basis. However, if you purchased your home at the height of the market for let’s say $300,000, more than likely your home value at this time is quite lower, and although you would be refinancing at a lower interest rate, in the long run refinancing would be a bad idea and could very well end up costing you money in the long run.

By calculating the value of your home and comparing the interest rates (don’t forget closing costs), it’s quite simple to determine whether refinancing is best in your case or if you already getting the better deal.

Look for a house that costs around 2 1/2 times your annual income, this is the normal standard of calculation. CNN provides a handy dandy calculator that will help you determine the home price that is within your budget.

This type of deal is one that attracts first time buyers, but the reality is that people who attempt to buy homes on a lease-option very rarely end up buying the home. The reason for this is often the same reason they chose to lease-option in the first place. Because they can’t qualify for a loan. Some people expect that after leasing a home for a few years they will be able to qualify. However, later they find out that they still do not qualify, when this happens you lose all the money that you may have paid up front plus the above market monthly rent payments that you have paid while leasing the home. Some find that they are now far less able to afford a home than they were when they signed the lease-option.

It is always far better to put your trust into your real estate professionals knowing that they will be able to place you in a home that is right for you.

An Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) allows the lender to adjust the mortgage’s interest rate based on changes in the market. When the rate changes depends on the terms of your loan agreement. Some Adjustable Rate Mortgages start with a fixed rate and changes into an Adjustable Rate after a few years. This is called a fully amortizing adjustable rate mortgage. There is also an Interest Only ARM. With this type of ARM you would only pay the interest payments monthly, however, you will have a balloon payment at the end of the loan. With an ARM the lender will usually come with a “cap”. A “cap” will limit the amount the lender can raise the rate.

Some of the drawbacks to living behind gates is the feeling of being “locked in” and always having your comings and goings monitored by a guard. Having to wait for the pizza guy or the service company while they are being “buzzed” in. There are also maintenance costs and dues in many of these gated communities. Pay heed in buying properties that are located just inside the gates, or within view of the gates, these properties may lessen in value.

Sellers who are headed into default with their mortgage company and cannot work out financing alternatives with their lender have the choice of a short sale.

A short sale is when a mortgage lender agrees to discount a loan balance due to an economic hardship on the part of the borrower. The homeowner would sell the mortgage for less than the balance of the loan. All proceeds of the sale would be given to the lender to satisfy the debt. A short sale is typically faster and less expensive than a foreclosure. Plus it could save your credit that you’ve worked so hard to maintain.

You will need to prove to the lender that you can not pay what you owe. Gather as much documentation as you can when you discuss a short sale with your lender. Write a letter explaining your financial hardships. Ask your real estate agent to provide an estimate of the market value and have an appraisal done on your home. With good strong proof of your hardship your lender may agree to a short sale.

Foreclosures are not just expensive for the homeowners but for the lender as well. You will find that most lenders are just as motivated as you are to avoid foreclosure.