Sell House

Preparing to sell a house quickly Geta Free Home Valuation Now Preparing To Sell Your House Quickly What makes one house go on the market, have anumber of showings in the first week and have a contract in place shortly thereafter, while an apparently similarhouse sits on the market for months? Of course, luck may have a little to do with it, but there is a good chancethat the quick selling house (and its owner) was prepared to sell while the other house and owner were not. Althoughpricing is a very important factor ( see thediscussion on that topic ) there are other issuesthat will have a great deal of effect on whether or not you have a quick sale. 5 Steps for Helping Your House to Sell Quickly Prepare yourself to sell your house . Do yourbest to see the house, no longer as your home, but as a product to be marketed. This takes some work, especiallyif you have been in the home for a number of years and have many memories there, but it is necessary if you wantto maximize your potential. Consider a professional whole house inspection .An inspection will most likely uncover any major defects before they can cause trouble with a potential buyer.It also is a signal to buyers that you are a responsible seller. Prepare the house . Stand back and look at your house as objectively as possible. Would you buy this home?Ask friends and neighbors to do the same, asking them to be totally honest. Overlooking flaws could cost you money!Get them fixed before you put the house on the market. Do what is necessary to make your house stand out from the competition . Make certain that your house is fresher, cleaner, and better maintained. Familiarizeyourself with effective marketing and advertising techniques. Remove most of the "imprint" that you have made on the house . Having a few family pictures around is fine, but if your house is a "shrine"to your family--walls full of personal pictures--you should take some steps to depersonalize it. Buyers must beable to envision themselves in the house, which is nearly impossible if everywhere they turn they stare at you! Sell Your Home on YourOwn RELATED TOPICS Preparing theHouse Pre-listing houseinspection Evaluation and Feedback HOME | Checklist | To-Do Lists | Set a Value | By Owner | With an Agent | Preparation | Showtime | Research | More Links

Colorado Real Estate is

DURANGO REAL ESTATE - REALTY IN SOUTHWEST COLORADO - MOUNTAIN, RANCH, COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY IN FOUR CORNERS AREA OF CO - DON RICEDORFF Residential Listings Multifamily Listings Commercial Listings Land Listings Farm / Ranch Listings Virtual Tours Search Listings Toll Free: 800-955-0259 | Office: 970-259-6680 | E-mail: info@durangorealproperty.com Real Estate In Durango Colorado Putting You First Is Our Promise. Buying or selling a home can be a stressful, time-consuming process. You need an experienced real estate agent whose primary goal is your satisfaction; a dedicated, reliable expert to assist you with all of the details associated with your transaction. Durango Colorado Real Estate is my full time business. Raised in Southwest Colorado, I have a complete knowledge of Durango, Bayfield, Hesperus, Ignacio & Hermosa residential, vacant land, ranches and commercial properties. We have access to all the listings offered in the Durango M.L.S. (Multiple Listing Service). My corporate background coupled with my real estate experience combines to give you the highest professional service. Let Durango Real Property and the Don Ricedorff real estate team help you buy or sell your Colorado home, land or business! Experience Does Make a Difference Wells Group Sales Volume Leader for 1996-2004 Top 2% in Volume, La Plata County Realtors Salesperson of the year from 1996-2004 Education - B.A. Fort Lewis College No other real estate broker has received as many national real estate designations! Realtor, Broker, G.R.I, C.R.S., C.R.B., C.C.I.M. & A.B.R. Featured PropertY Gorgeous Animas Valley location Horse Property Pond & Irrigation Beautiful 5580 sqft home 3.79 acres See More Information and Photos Visitors currently online: 7 Residential Listings | Multifamily Listings | Commercial Listings | Land Listings | Virtual Tours | Search Listings | About Us Durango Information | Durango Weather | Contact Us | Home Page Site Development ©2001-2004 Electric Sage Designs Contact the Webmaster Additional Sites of Interest P7 MenuMagic dwt Control Layer -Do Not Alter

Real Estate Listing

San Francisco Chronicle: Real Estate Thursday, December 29, 2005 Search By : County | City | Address Filter By : Chronicle Ads Open Homes County Select County ****Any County Alameda Contra Costa Marin Napa San Francisco San Mateo Santa Clara Solano Sonoma City Please select a county Min. Bedrooms Studio 1 Bedroom 2 Bedrooms 3 Bedrooms 4 Bedrooms 5+ Bedrooms Max. Price No Limit 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 300,000 350,000 400,000 450,000 500,000 550,000 600,000 650,000 700,000 750,000 800,000 850,000 900,000 950,000 1 Million 1.5 Million 2 Million 2.5 million 3 Million Advanced Search E-mail Alerts Saved Listings -- New Home Developments New Home Videos -- Out of Bay Area Open Homes Recent Home Sales Search By : County | City | Address Enter City or Neighborhood Advanced Search Search By : County | City | Address Enter Address You may enter a full or partial address. Advanced Search Click on the map for Bay Area home sales listings. How To Guide Information to help you select and buy goods and services. - Advertorial Find a contractor and get tips from great professionals with ImproveNet.com, America's Home Improvement Resource. Bay Area school scores and profiles at Great Schools.net . SF Gate's SF and East Bay neighborhood guides. Bay Area Maps Real Estate and Rental display ads from the Chronicle. See the Chronicle's New Homes Section. Save Searches, Listings, & Activate E-mail Alerts! View All Featured Properties Today's Rates Product Avg. Rate 30-yr Fixed 6.020 15-yr Fixed 5.394 30-yr Fixed Jumbo 6.146 5/1 ARM 5.525 Current Mortgage Rates Mortgage calculators Apply to online lenders Rates current as of 12/29/2005 powered by MortgageTrak Surreal Estate An overwrought home for the holidays Carol Lloyd Best of a bunch Real estate authors were prolific in 2005 Robert J. Bruss At the end of each year, it is my custom to select the 10 best real estate books out of the hundreds of published that year. This article takes 52 weeks to prepare because I read at least one real est... Clarification on home-sale tax exemption Robert Bruss Q: I am confused about your answer to a home seller who wants to add her mother to the title. You said the mother would be eligible for an Internal Revenue Code 121 principal residence sale tax exempt... Normal wear and tear covers reasonable use of unit Robert Griswold Answers are provided by Robert Griswold, a property manager certified by the Institute of Real Estate Management and author of "Property Management for Dummies"; and lawyers Steven R. Kellman, directo... Transbay planners see new landmark Dan Levy Transbay Terminal planners are viewing their controversial idea for a new San Francisco high-rise as nothing less than the signature building of our time -- much like the Transamerica Pyramid defined ... Holidays evoke true meaning of home Carol Lloyd "I just want to bake a Christmas ham," says my friend, a slight note of desperation rising in her voice. "Is that so much to ask?" She has just confided that because of her husband's 8-year-long, self... HOME SALES FOR 5 BUSINESS DAYS Alameda County Total sales as of Dec. 7 484 Median price $590,000 . Contra Costa County Total sales as of Dec. 7 489 Median price $576,500 . Marin County Total sales as of Nov. 22 81 Median price $808... Perry turns pretty profit on compound Actor buys condo after selling his Beverly Hills home Ruth Ryon Former "Friends" cast member Matthew Perry has racked up his second big deal of the year. The actor, 36, sold his Beverly Hills-area home for $6.1 million. He purchased it in 1999 for $3.2 million. Wh... Real reading -- best of a big bunch Robert J. Bruss "Reverse Mortgages for Dummies" By Sarah Glendon Lyons and John E. Lucas Wiley, $16.99, 249 pages This is the best of several excellent 2005 books about the pros and cons of tax-free reverse mortgage ... ARM indexes CHART: BC: . Last Previous Year Index week week ago 6-month CD 4.62 4.61 2.67 6-month T-bill 4.22 4.18 2.46 1-year TCMS(Y) 4.34 4.35 2.66 3-year TCMS(Y) 4.39 4.42 3.18 1-month LIBOR 4.38 4.37 2.41 6-m... Ignorance no excuse in avoiding foreclosure Kenneth Harney What would happen if you got sick or suffered a drastic loss of household income in 2006, and then fell seriously behind on your mortgage payments? Think about that, even for just a moment, because no... Solar power for the home a hot deal in 2006 Tax incentives can help cut energy bills Jennie L. Phipps If the thought of rising energy bills has you rushing out to buy insulation, hold off a week until after New Year's Day, when the recently enacted Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2005 kicks in. The act i... Real Estate: Neighborhood Homes Sold . Sunday, December 25, 2005 Back to... Help | Contact us | Privacy ™ ©2005 Hearst Communications Inc. --

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home equity loan or

FRB: Putting Your Home on the Loan Line Is Risky Business ESPAÑOL Are you in need of cash? Do you want to consolidate your debts? Are you receiving home equity loan or refinancing offers that seem too good to be true? Does your home need repairs that contractors tell you can be easily financed? If you are a homeowner who needs money to pay bills or for home repairs, you may think a home equity loan is the answer. But not all loans and lenders are the same--you should shop around. The cost of doing business with high-cost lenders can be excessive and, sometimes, downright abusive. For example, certain lenders--often called "predatory lenders"--target homeowners who have low incomes or credit problems or who are elderly by deceiving them about loan terms or giving them loans they cannot afford to repay. Borrowing from an unscrupulous lender, especially one who offers you a high-cost loan using your home as security, is risky business. You could lose your home and your money. Before you sign on the line, Think about your options Do your homework Think twice before you sign Know that you have rights under the law Think about Your Options If you’re having money problems, consider these options before you put your home on the loan line. Talk with your creditors or with representatives of non-profit or other reputable credit or budget counseling organizations to work out a plan that reduces your bill payments to a more manageable level. Contact your local social service agency, community or religious groups, and local or state housing agencies. They may have programs that help consumers, including the elderly and those with disabilities, with energy bills, home repairs, or other emergency needs. Contact a local housing counseling agency to discuss your needs. Call the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development toll-free at 800-569-4287 or visit www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hccprof14.cfm to find a center near you. Talk with someone other than the lender or broker offering the loan who is knowledgeable and you trust before making any decisions. Remember, if you decide to get a home equity loan and can’t make the payments, the lender could foreclose and you would lose your home. If you decide a loan is right for you, talk with several lenders, including at least one bank, savings and loan, or credit union in your community. Their loans may cost less than loans from finance companies. And don’t assume that if you’re on a fixed income or have credit problems, you won’t qualify for a loan from a bank, savings and loan, or credit union--they may have the loan you want! Do Your Homework Contact several lenders--and be very careful about dealing with a lender who just appears at your door, calls you, or sends you mail. Ask friends and family for recommendations of lenders. Talk with banks, savings and loans, credit unions, and other lenders. If you choose to use a mortgage broker, remember they arrange loans but most do not lend directly. Compare their offers with those of other direct lenders. Be wary of home repair contractors that offer to arrange financing. You should still talk with other lenders to make sure you get the best deal. You may want to have the loan proceeds sent directly to you, not the contractor. Comparison shop. Comparing loan plans can help you get a better deal. Whether you begin your shopping by reading ads in your local newspapers, searching on the Internet, or looking in the phone book, ask lenders to explain the best loan plans they have for you. Beware of loan terms and conditions that may mean higher costs for you. Get answers to these questions and use the worksheet to compare loan plans: Interest Rate and Payments What are the monthly payments? Ask yourself if you can afford them. What is the annual percentage rate (APR) on the loan? The APR is the cost of credit, expressed as a yearly rate. You can use the APR to compare one loan with another. Will the interest rate change during the life of the loan? If so, when, how often, and by how much? Term of Loan How many years will you have to repay the loan? Is this a loan or a line of credit? A loan is for a fixed amount of money for a specific period of time; a line of credit is an amount of money you can draw as you need it. Is there a balloon payment--a large single payment at the end of the loan term after a series of low monthly payments? When the balloon payment is due, you must pay the entire amount. Points and Fees What will you have to pay in points and fees? One point equals 1 percent of the loan amount (1 point on a $10,000 loan is $100). Generally, the higher the points, the lower the interest rate. If points and fees are more than 5 percent of the loan amount, ask why. Traditional financial institutions normally charge between 1 and 3 percent of the loan amount in points and fees. Are any of the application fees refundable if you don’t get the loan? How and how much will the the lender or broker be paid? Lenders and brokers may charge points or fees that you must pay at closing or add on to the cost of your loan, or both. Penalties What is the penalty for late or missed payments? What is the penalty if you pay off or refinance the loan early (that is, is there a pre-payment penalty)? Credit Insurance Does the loan package include optional credit insurance, such as credit life, disability, or unemployment insurance? Depending on the type of policy, credit insurance can cover some or all of your payments if you can't make them. Understand that you don’t have to buy optional credit insurance--that’s why it’s called “optional.” Don’t buy insurance you don’t need. Credit insurance may be a bad deal for you, especially if the premiums are collected up-front at the closing and financed as part of the loan. If you want optional credit insurance, ask if you can pay for it on a monthly basis after the loan is approved and closed. With monthly insurance premiums, you don't pay interest and you can decide to cancel if the premiums are too high or if you believe you no longer want the insurance. After you have answers to these questions, start negotiating with more than one lender. Don’t be afraid to make lenders and brokers compete for your business by letting them know you are shopping for the best deal. Ask each lender to lower the points, fees, or interest rate. And ask each to meet--or beat--the terms of the other lenders. Once You’ve Selected a Lender, Get the Following A “Good Faith Estimate” of all loan charges. The estimate must be sent within 3 days of applying. Blank copies of the forms you’ll sign at closing, when the loan is final. Study them. If you don’t understand something, ask for an explanation. Advance copies of the forms you’ll sign at closing with the terms filled in. A week or two before closing, contact the lender to find out if there have been any changes in the Good Faith Estimate. By law, you can inspect the final settlement statement (also called the HUD-1 or HUD-1A form) one day prior to closing. Study these forms. Write down any questions you want to ask. Think Twice before You Sign Have a knowledgeable friend, relative, attorney, or housing counselor review the Good Faith Estimate and other loan papers before you sign the loan contract. Be sure the terms are the same ones you agreed to. For example, a lender should not promise one APR and then--without good reason--increase it at closing. Refer to the list of questions you’ve written down. Ask where these terms are covered in the loan contract. And ask for an explanation of any dollar amount or term you don’t understand. Don’t let anyone rush you into signing the loan contract. Make sure all promises, oral and otherwise, are put in writing. It’s only what’s in writing that counts. Get a copy of the documents you signed before you leave the closing. Don’t Sign on the Dotted Line if the Lender … Tells you to falsify information on the loan application (for example, suggests that you write down more income than you really have). Pressures you into applying for a loan for more money than you need, or one that has monthly payments larger than you can afford. Promises one set of terms but gives you another with no good reason for the change. Tells you to sign blank forms or forms that aren't completely filled in. If an item is supposed to be blank, draw a line through the space and initial it. Pressures you to sign today. A good deal today should be available tomorrow. Know that You Have Rights under the Law You Have 3 Business Days to Cancel the Loan If you're using your home as security for a home equity loan (or for a second mortgage loan or a line of credit), federal law gives you 3 business days after signing the loan papers to cancel the deal--for any reason--without penalty. You must cancel in writing. The lender must return any money you have paid to date. Do You Think You've Made a Mistake? Has the 3-day period during which you may cancel passed and you're worried that you've gotten in over your head? Do you think your loan fees were too high? Do you believe you were steered into monthly payments you can't afford? Has your lender repeatedly pressured you to refinance? Is your loan covered by insurance you don't need or want? If you think you've been taken advantage of, state and federal laws may protect you. Also, the following organizations may be able to help: Your local or state bar association--sometimes listed under "Lawyers Referral Service" in the Yellow Pages of your phone book. The association may be able to refer you to low-cost or no-cost lawyers who can help. Your local consumer protection agency, state attorney general’s office, or state office on aging, listed in the Blue Pages of your phone book. Your local fair housing group or affordable housing agency, housing counseling agency, or state housing agency. You can learn more about credit and home equity loans by visiting the federal government’s web site for consumers, www.consumer.gov (see the Home and Community section). If you don’t have access to the Internet, ask a friend or relative to get the information for you. Or visit your local library or senior center, which may offer you free access to the Internet on their computers. For More Information State Banks that Are Members of the Federal Reserve System Division of Consumer and Community Affairs Mail Stop 801 Federal Reserve Board Washington, DC 20551 (202) 452-3693 www.federalreserve.gov Federally Insured State Non-Member Banks and Savings Banks Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Consumer Response Center 2345 Grand Boulevard, Suite 100 Kansas City, Missouri 64108 (877) 275-3342 www.fdic.gov National Banks and National Bank-Owned Mortgage Companies Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Customer Assistance Group 1301 McKinney Street Suite 3450 Houston, TX 77010 (800) 613-6743 www.occ.treas.gov Federally Insured Savings and Loan Institutions and Federally Chartered Savings Banks Office of Thrift Supervision Consumer Programs 1700 G Street, N.W., 6th Floor Washington, DC 20552 (800) 842-6929 www.ots.treas.gov Federal Credit Unions National Credit Union Administration Office of Public and Congressional Affairs 1775 Duke Street Alexandria, VA 22314 (703) 518-6330 www.ncua.gov For state-chartered credit unions, contact your state's regulatory agency. Mortgage Companies and Other Lenders Federal Trade Commission Consumer Response Center 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20580 (877) FTC-HELP (877-382-4357, toll free) www.ftc.gov Other Information Sources U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division 950 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Housing and Civil Enforcement Section, NWB Washington, DC 20580 (202) 514-4713 www.usdoj.gov/crt/housing/index.html Federal Housing Finance Board 1777 F Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20006 (202) 408-2500 www.fhfb.gov Department of Housing and Urban Development 451 7th Street, S.W. Washington, DC 20410 800-669-9777 (voice) 800-927-9275 (TTY) www.hud.gov Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) 1700 G Street, N.W. 4th Floor Washington, DC 20552 (202) 414-6922 www.ofheo.gov Adobe acrobat version of text for printing (119 KB PDF) is formatted for printing on two sides of a 11 x 17" sheet of paper. Fold the paper in half. The PDF contains a fillable area on the back panel for you to provide your own contact information. Worksheet for printing (58 KB PDF) Obtaining the Acrobat Reader from the Adobe Web Site This information was prepared by the following federal agencies: Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Justice, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Housing Finance Board, Federal Reserve Board, Federal Trade Commission, National Credit Union Administration, Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Office of Thrift Supervision. Home | Brochures Accessibility | Contact us Last update: March 24, 2004