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Home Loans for Every Home Buying Situation - Quicken Loans America's Home Loan Experts SM GO My Quicken Loans Login Great Rates. Expert Advice. Fast Process. Call 800-251-9080 To Get Your Rate   Refinance Refinance Center Learn About Refinancing Refinance Calculators Refinance Loan Options Contact a Refinance Expert Home Purchase Home Purchase Center Learn About Buying a Home Home Purchase Calculators Home Purchase Loan Options Contact a Purchase Expert Home Equity Home Equity Center Learn About Home Equity Home Equity Calculators Home Equity Loan Options Calculators Calculators Refinance Calculators Home Purchase Calculators Home Equity Calculators Contact a Loan Expert Loan Options Loan Options Refinance Loan Options Purchase Loan Options Home Equity Loan Options Contact a Loan Expert Bad Credit Rates   Learn About Buying a Home Home Purchase Calculators Home Purchase Loan Options Contact a Purchase Expert   Home Purchase Center Buying a house? Get a payment now! Expected Purchase Price: Expected Down Payment: Choose A State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Call: 800-251-9080 Quicken Loans makes it easy on you: Save time. No long forms to fill out. Convenient. We research your loan options for you. Expert Advice. The right loan for you. Fast. Close in weeks. Power Buyer SM Home Loans Loans that give you an edge when buying a home Select your situation below...    I'm a first-time home buyer Get pre-approved. Buy a home with no money down!    I'm moving and will be buying a home Close fast on your new home loan, even before you sell!    I'm buying a vacation home Very low down payment requirements!!    I'm building a new home Lock your mortgage rate for up to 12 months while you finish building! About The Loan I May Be Interested In: (* Indicates a required field) *Loan Purpose Choose One Refinance Home Equity Line of Credit Debt Consolidation / Cash Out Home Improvement Purchase - Looking but have not found a home yet Purchase - Just researching my options Purchase - Signed or expect to sign purchase agreement *Estimated Home Value/Purchase Amt: *Desired Loan Amount: About Me: *First Name: *Last Name: *Address: *City: *State: Choose A State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut D.C. Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming *Zip: *How did you hear of us? Choose One Real Estate Insiders Rush Limbaugh Radio Ad TV Ad Friend Search Online Ad News Other *E-mail: *Home Phone: - - *Work Phone: - - Ext. OR CALL 800-251-9080 The information you provide to Quicken Loans will be used to fulfill your request. Quicken Loans does not share your information with outside companies for their promotional use. Occasionally, we may contact you with special offers that may interest you. If you do not want to receive these offers you may opt-out by clicking here . Your browser does not support current technology. Please consider upgrading. //-- America's Home Loan Experts — Quicken Loans! Quicken Loans' quick and easy mortgage process made us the nation's largest online mortgage lender. Our exclusive home loan options allow you to find a mortgage that's right for you. Explore our Home Purchase Center for information on purchasing a home, getting a home loan, and more. Our mortgage calculators can quickly show you how much home you can afford and the mortgage amount you may qualify for, or check mortgage rates online. Not sure which loan is right for you? Call Quicken Loans today and talk to a home loan expert — 800-251-9080 . Refinancing | Home Loans | Home Equity Loans | My Quicken Loans Login Mortgage News | Mortgage Rates | Mortgage Calculators | Apply Online About Us | Careers | Contact Us | Feedback | Site Map | Help | Search Security and Privacy | Disclosures and Licenses | Terms of Use © 2000 - 2005 Quicken Loans Inc., All rights reserved. Lending services provided by Quicken Loans Inc., a subsidiary of Rock Holdings Inc. “Quicken Loans” is a registered service mark of Intuit Inc., used under license. Build 2741 2005-10-25 09:50:43

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Property search from Channel4.com/4Homes E4 More4 FilmFour FourDocs TV Listings Site A-Z NEWS FILM HOMES LIFE ENTERTAINMENT HISTORY SCIENCE COMMUNITY SHOP SPORT CULTURE CARS MONEY VIDEO LEARNING HEALTH MUSIC GAMES Home Welcome News On TV Grand Designs Grand Designs Abroad Previous Houses Features Information Streets Ahead Property Ladder Location, Location Relocation, Relocation Home from Home City Gardener Selling Houses Room for Improvement Up Your Street Making Space A Place In The Sun The Great Garden Challenge Home or Away A Place in France A Place in Greece A Place in Greece House Auction More Programmes Presenters TV Listings Buying & Selling Where to Buy How to Buy How to Sell Special Cases House Price Index Renting Property Search DIY & Building Guides Building a House Ask the Expert Style Design Guides Features Living Rooms -- Bedrooms -- Kids Rooms -- Storage solutions -- Dining Rooms -- Home Office -- Hall -- Outdoor Living -- Period Styles -- Buying Abroad Country Guides Features Property of the Week Chat, Vote & Win Vote Win Forum -- Newsletter Forum Profit from Property Buy to Let Property Development Money Deals SEARCH All 4Homes: On TV Buying & Selling Renting Property Search DIY & Building Style Buying Abroad Chat, Vote, Win Profit from Property PROPERTY SEARCH Property Search Search our database of over 150,000 properties currently for sale. Sell Your House Online Advertise your home to a huge audience by submitting it to the 4Homes property search Guides Buying At Auction A great opportunity to pick up a bargain but definitely not for the uninitiated Buying & Selling Everything you need to know when it comes buying or selling property How to Buy Not sure what freehold and leasehold mean? Let us help. How to Sell Smartening up your home for a faster sale. Finding The Right Property Finding the right property can be a long and tiring process, especially with so much choice on the market. Finding The Right Area Finding the right area to live in is invariably trickier than finding the right house UK PROPERTY SEARCH Over 150,000 homes Type a location: Price range: Min Price £0 £50,000 £75,000 £100,000 £125,000 £150,000 £175,000 £200,000 £225,000 £250,000 £275,000 £300,000 £325,000 £350,000 £375,000 £400,000 £425,000 £450,000 £475,000 £500,000 £550,000 £600,000 £650,000 £700,000 £750,000 £800,000 £850,000 £900,000 £950,000 £1,000,000 Max Price £50,000 £75,000 £100,000 £125,000 £150,000 £175,000 £200,000 £225,000 £250,000 £275,000 £300,000 £325,000 £350,000 £375,000 £400,000 £425,000 £450,000 £475,000 £500,000 £550,000 £600,000 £650,000 £700,000 £750,000 £800,000 £850,000 £900,000 £950,000 £1,000,000 £10,000,000 Min bedrooms: Min Beds 1 2 3 4 5 6 New homes only 4HOMES MAIL Enter your email to sign up to the 4Homes newsletter CROSS PROMO 1 Property search poll text text text text text text CROSS PROMO 2 Property book text text text text CROSS PROMO 3 Property link text text text text About C4 | Jobs | Text Only | Access Advice | Contact Us | Terms and Conditions | Privacy | Help | Online Ad Sales

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TREC - Home Page -- Licensee Info Search Quick Links -- To Popular Pages -- Licensee Info Search R. E. Contract Forms Renew or Apply Online Salesperson Application Real Estate License Forms Education Providers Core R.E. Course List Freq. Asked Questions Real Estate License Act TREC Rules Data File Downloads HOME Area TREC Home Page Licensee Info Search Meetings & Agenda What's New Archive What Does TREC Do? Freq. Asked Questions Email Notification List Related Web Site Links Topics of Special Interest Mission Statement Compact with Texans Customer Service Survey Link Your Site to TREC Site Map KEY To Symbols =Page is in area (folder tab) of this color = Adobe PDF file format = Web site external to TREC About This Web Site: Get Help Navigating the TREC Web Site Comment on the TREC Web Site here Web Site Wins 2005 Award The November 2005 issue of the TREC Advisor is available in both printable PDF and HTML formats. Licensees and other subscribers can access the TREC Advisor here . Commission Enacts Temporary License for Evacuees from Katrina Click here for details for prospective temporary licensees , including a special application form, the press release and the new rules pertaining to those affected by Hurricane Katrina. Our mission is to assist and protect consumers of real estate services, thereby fostering economic growth in Texas. What's New? The Texas Real Estate Commission proposed revisions to 6 contract forms and 4 addenda at it regular meeting on December 5, 2005. View the proposed forms and summaries here . A periodic Sunset Review of the Texas Real Estate Commission is currently underway, as required by the Texas Sunset Act. Broker Minimum Services Requirements . . . read the latest updates . 2005 Legislative Report - Two new bills to affect the Real Estate License Act; one new bill to affect the Texas Timeshare Act . . . read more Inspectors! We now publish the Minutes of recent Inspector Committee Meetings. Also, see the new, searchable Inspector Questions & Answers page. List of Providers for the new Legal Update and Legal Ethics courses. Please see our updated MCE FAQs page , covering the new Legal Update course and Legal Ethics course. Most Recent Enforcement Questions and Answers (past 6 months) -- Find former "new" items in the What's New Archive Important Information! TREC Redesigns Licenses The Real Estate License Act is now codified at Ch. 1101, Tex. Occ. Code File and Pay Online! Broker & Salesperson Applications; Broker & Salesperson Renewals; All Inspector & ERW Renewals All Licensees! Easily update your permanent mailing address online free. Look up MCE courses completed in the Quick Links' Licensee Info Search . Page last modified: 12/18/2005 Site Map Privacy & Security Policy Open Records Accessibility Texas Online Statewide Search TX Homeland Security

Real Estate Prices Still

Agricultural Economist Newsletter: Winter 2001--Farm Real Estate Prices Still Rising in Minnesota Farm Real Estate Prices Still Rising in Minnesota Steven J. Taff Average Minnesota farm real estate sales prices just keep on climbing (figure 1). This despite low output prices, rising input costs, and continued uncertainty about the future of federal subsidies. Sales price increases were seen in all parts of the state except in the northwest. In this annual sales price summary, I can provide only an overview, some cursory analysis, and--as always--a few opinions. I'll not bore you with text that simply repeats what's already shown in the charts. Instead I'll spend some time discussing how land transaction data are recorded, adjusted, and employed. I think it's useful to go through some administrative and procedural details to further our understanding of what these data are and what they are not. If this prospect makes you say, "Just show me the data, Steve," then you can stop right after the sales summary section. Or, if your impatience knows no bounds, go straight to the Minnesota Land Economics (MLE) Web site at http://apec.umn.edu/faculty/sjtaff/landdata/index.html and start working the numbers yourself. Farm Land Sales in 2000 Assessors are required to report initial assessments in late fall, based on sales data to date. That's why the data are reported on a "record year" basis: these are the sales that were, presumably, available for assessor scrutiny at the time the initial estimated market-values are calculated. Final values are set by summer, to be used in the succeeding tax year. So, for example, sales made in late 1999 are used by assessors to set initial values for January 2001. These estimates are adjusted in spring 2001, finalized in summer 2001, and then used for tax purposes in 2002. The adjusted record year 2000 sales data were therefore not available until April of this year. Figure 2 shows the distribution of all farmland sales in 2000. The bulk of the sales lie between $500 and $2,000 per acre. I excluded a small number of sales that exceeded $5,000 per acre as well as those involving parcels of land less than 20 acres in size. Both were excluded as not being plausibly "agricultural"--despite their designation on the Certificate of Real Estate Value (CRV) as "agricultural" land. (Although excluded from figure 2, these data are included in the MLE Web site data.) Even though MAE readers and MLE Web site users can view the full distribution of sales prices, most still ask for a single number that somehow captures the story behind the figures. Obviously, for a set of sales that span such a wide range in prices, any single number fails completely to accomplish this end. Movements in averages, while arithmetically correct, usually fail to tell the entire story. The particular average I use in this article is a location- and size-weighted mean (table 1). In last year's farm real estate report ( agecon.lib.umn.edu/mn/mae699.pdf ), I discussed the usefulness of such weighting as well as the desirability of examining sales data at the smallest geographic scale possible. Table 1. Minnesota farm real estate sales summary Record year Number of sales Acres sold Average price* 1996 2,504 263,728 936 1997 2,641 296,803 1,039 1998 2,724 303,968 1,113 1999 2,212 235,359 1,196 2000 2,258 250,979 1,222 * Location- and size-weighted per-acre mean Figure 1 compares the movements of actual sales price averages with those two other estimates of land value--the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) annual state estimates (based on a farmer opinion survey) and the average assessor estimates (the location- and size-weighted mean estimated market value). The University of Minnesota sales prices averages are location- and size-weighted means. The fact that all three (somewhat) independent estimates of farmland real estate values shown in figure 1 move in lockstep adds credence, I believe, to the conclusion that, on average, farmland values really are increasing in Minnesota. Geographic variations in real estate values for the past 11 years are shown in the box-and-whisker plots of figure 3. (District boundaries are shown in figure 4.) The range of sales prices for each district for each year is shown by the endpoints of the vertical lines. The ends of each box show the prices at which 25 percent of the sales were higher (or lower). The median is indicated by the horizontal bar within each box. So, for example, the median Central district farmland sale was about $1,200 per acre, with 25 percent of the sales lower than $750 and 75 percent lower than $1,850 per acre. In previous years' reports, I've noted the wide variation in average price movements among districts. Such differences were accentuated in 2000 by the continued climb of values in the South East district combined with the continued stagnation in the North West district (figure 5) . Farm Sale Data When a Minnesota property is sold, the transaction details must be recorded at the county courthouse on a form called a CRV. On it, the seller attests that such-and-such a property was sold to so-and-so on a certain date for a specific price. Other information about the property (its size, soil characteristics, prior year's estimated market value) is often entered on the CRV as well. Frequently, the per-acre prices that underlie this article and are also shown in the MLE Web site are not the prices entered on the CRV. Long before a land sales figure enters the official data base, it has been passed through an array of filters and adjustments designed to make comparison among transactions more meaningful and more reliable. Recording the Transactions There are many possible slips between an ownership change and data analysis. Of course, there is always the chance that simple recording errors are made. For example, numbers may be miscopied from bills of sale onto the CRV, or into a computer file, or into a spreadsheet. There is also a chance of misrepresentation. The person who fills in the CRV might have a reason to understate or overstate the actual sales price--perhaps to avoid a tax. This, of course, is illegal, but, as any courthouse veteran can tell you, it occasionally happens. Not every sale receives further processing. Local or state officials remove from subsequent analysis any sale not deemed "arms-length," because it was sold, for example, to a member of the seller's immediate family. Or, a sale might be pulled because the new buyer intends to convert the land to a non-agricultural use. Adjusting the Prices After this filtering, sales prices are frequently adjusted to make comparison among sales more appropriate. First, to expunge the effects of inflation, sales prices are deflated by an officially reported rate to January 2 of the year in which they were recorded. This "adjustment for time" is fairly minor in years (like the past decade) where inflation has been low. The second adjustment is "for terms." Not all farm real estate sales are for the full property. Some are made through a contract for deed, an arrangement that allows the buyer to pay a certain amount now and other amounts at stated intervals. Until the final payment is made, the property remains in the possession of the seller--even though it has been "sold." Because the full payment schedule is entered on the CRV, the Department of Revenue can calculate a present value of the initial and subsequent payments at an official discount rate. This becomes the official sales price of the property, regardless of what the buyer and seller had in mind when they sealed the deal. Adjustments don't end with a time- and terms-adjusted sales price, honestly reported and accurately recorded. In most cases, users of the data are interested in per-acre prices, not per-parcel prices. That means some chosen total price must be divided by some total acreage. But which price? Which acres? Should we use the total price or should we first subtract out the value of buildings, personal property, ancillary property, or machinery to get closer to the "true" land price? In this article (and on the MLE Web site), I choose to follow conventions established years ago in Minnesota. I report the time- and terms-adjusted total sales price, minus the value of personal property, divided by the entire acreage of the parcel. That's why, when I'm being careful, I speak of the average price of farm real estate, not of farm land . Employing the Data The sales reported here are only those recorded between October 1, 1999, and September 30, 2000. These "record year 2000" sales are so bundled because of the way real estate transactions are used to help local assessors value land for property tax purposes. Strange as it may seem, the Department of Revenue does not collect sales data merely to satisfy the data cravings of University economists like me. No, statewide sales data are collected principally to create statistics that are used to "equalize" property tax valuations across county boundaries. Each year, county assessors are required to assign an estimated market value (EMV) to each of the thousands of real estate parcels in the county. The estimate is supposed to be based on an examination of similar properties that were actually sold recently. (The combined valuations for each township, city, or county are the source of the Land Values--in contrast to the Farmland Sales--data on the MLE Web site.) Because every county has its own assessor who uses largely independent valuation procedures, there are inevitably discontinuities across county lines--even for adjacent properties. Farmer Brown wonders why Farmer Olson's land, just across the fence line in the next county, carries an assessed value that is lower by $200 per acre. The state has created an equalization procedure that is supposed to smooth over such discontinuities. Assuming that nearby properties really would sell for similar prices, any observed difference in assessed values for otherwise similar properties is presumed to be evidence that one or both of the assessors is either undervaluing (that is, assigning an EMV that is too low) or overvaluing properties. To test this, the state calculates a sales ratio (the EMV divided by sales price) for every property sold in a particular area. If an assessor systematically undervalues properties (shown by sales ratios that are consistently lower than some threshold), the state might demand the EMVs in that jurisdiction be uniformly raised, to better accord with what is thought to be "true" market conditions. How Accurate Are the EMVs? We can see for ourselves how close the final assessor estimates are by comparing actual sales prices against the previous year's estimated market values for the same property (figure 2). Each point in the figure represents one sale. For example, the rightmost point is for a property that was estimated to have a value of $4,900 per acre, but actually sold for only $2,900 per acre. While some of the estimates are obviously way off (like this example), the bulk are pretty close. In most cases, the EMV was lower than the sale price, but in a neatly predictable manner. A simple one-variable regression model, shown as the straight line in the figure, accounts for nearly 75 percent of the observed variation in farm real estate sales prices. Parting Thoughts What accounts for the ever-onward-and-upward movement of average farm real estate prices in Minnesota? We need only to round up the usual suspects, most of which I have discussed at length in previous issues of MAE . These include 1) perennial farmer optimism about future crop and livestock prices, 2) expected extensions of federal farm subsidy programs, 3) continued favorable local property tax treatment for farmland, 4) the desire of some farmers to increase the size of their current operation by buying adjacent farmland, 5) the desire of some non-farm buyers to use land as a hedge against inflation, and 6) inflation itself. An additional suspect that we need to add is the increasing prominence of location even in rural land markets. We simply can't explain current price levels on the basis of income potential (including subsidies) and speculation potential alone. Clearly, where the land sits with respect to job centers and what it looks like is influencing the price buyers are willing to pay for a particular parcel of land. As always, I caution potential land buyers and sellers about reading too much into the average land prices reported here and elsewhere. If you've got land to sell or if you have a hankering to buy land--look before you leap. The financial stakes are too high for casual empiricism. Hire an appraiser. Talk with your spouse. Check your finances. Think about the children. Be careful out there! Steven J. Taff is an associate professor and extension economist with the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota. Return to Minnesota Ag Economist Newsletter Index Page University of Minnesota Extension Service HomePage

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For sale by owner: selling a house on your own Sell Your Home on YourOwn For Sale by Owner: Selling a House on Your Own Withthe potential rewards that can be gained--saving $4000, $8,000, $12,000 or more (minus your expenses) by not havingto pay a Brokerage commission, many people wonder why less than 20% of home sellers undertake the task of sellingtheir houses on their own. Possibly it has something to do with expertise. Many home owners who consider a selfsale of their house back off when they see the level of knowledge and commitment that is needed to do an effectivejob. If you decide, however, that self selling is the best option for you, you will find the vast majority of theinformation on this Web Site to be of value. Most of what you will find here will be geared to either doing thejob yourself or monitoring the job that your Agent is doing. The most successful home sellers are those who takean active role in the process, whether it is as a sale by owner or a sale by an Agent . If you feel that the bestroute is to sell your home yourself, then having as much information at hand is crucial. You will find many helpfulhints on this web site, but an excellent source of additional information is Kevin Wood's newly revised Real EstateSecrets . Kevin was a top producing real estate broker andowned two real estate companies. He has a strong opinion that the public is not getting their money's worth fromthe real estate industry. You can get more information on his Secrets Course here . Advantages Of Selling A House On YourOwn There is no Brokerage Fee (commission) to be paid. You receiveall of the proceeds (less marketing costs). This is, of course, the biggest benefit of selling your own house. You are in total control of the transaction. If mistakes are made, they are your own. There is no one elseto make mistakes "for" you. If your equity is low, you may be able to sell your house withouthaving to write a check. Youare always available at the home for showings, answering inquiries, etc. Disadvantages Of Selling A House On Your Own You must rely on your own instincts. All marketing and advertising costs are your own, which can be an expensive proposition. For an economical wayof marketing your home with a wide reach, visit ForSaleByOwner.com , whereyou can list your home online. Unless you pay to have your listing included, you will not have access to the MLS--the Multiple Listing Service.You must hunt for buyers one at a time. Without all the tools in hand, you may underprice or overprice the house. For information on getting price comparisonsfor your neighborhood, visit the HomePrice.net site . Or,if you're thinking about selling your home in the next 12 months, HomeGain.com has a FREE service that is designed to help you get an estimate of your home's value. Knowing how much your home can be worth is oneof the first steps in beginning to market the property. Click here for more information If you are not skilled in negotiation, you may leave money on the table. All of the paperwork, legal forms, etc. are your responsibility and must be handled by you. If you want to give maximum benefit to your efforts, your free time will be somewhat or severely limited. Many buyers believe that if you are selling on your own and not paying a commission, it is they (the buyers) whoshould get the saving--not you. As you approach negotiations, you must sever emotional ties with your house or you will place yourself at a disadvantage. You must become knowledgeable of legal and financial issues to be most effective. Online Marketing Resources Market your home at ForSaleByOwner.com Hints on Selling Your House on Your Own Don't scrimp on your house preparation. Remember, you will be in competitionwith house listed by Agents who will coach their sellers on all aspects of preparing their homes. Be aware of all legal requirements for disclosures in your area. Not disclosingnecessary information or not using the correct form could leave you open to legal action from a buyer. Become an expert in advertisingand marketing . Make your house stand out! Familiarize yourself with offers and contracts now--don't wait until you have one in your hand. Get maximum exposure. ForSaleByOwner.com offersa complete menu of services if you want to sell your home on your own. Packages available range from a comprehensivemarketing plan up to a complete deluxe package taht will market your property until it is sold and keep your home on the MLSand Realtor.com for 6 months. Clickhere for more information . Be aware of equal housing laws. Not only is discrimination stupid (you limityour potential market), it's illegal! If selling your house on your own appears to be your best option, the checklist will be of great value to you. If you feel that using an Agent may be the way to go, see the section devoted to finding and selecting an Agent . Get Kevin Wood's Free Report: 7 Critical Real Estate Secrets Name: E-mail: FreeHome Value Estimate ContractForms for All States RELATED TOPICS Selling your house with an Agent Evaluation and Feedback Sell on Your Own HOME | Checklist | To-Do Lists | Set a Value | By Owner | With an Agent | Preparation | Showtime | Research | More Links