Keep Your Identity Safe

6 Ways to Keep Your Identity Safe During a Home Showing

When preparing your home to show potential buyers, be sure you’re not leaving yourself vulnerable to identity theft. Although most people who come through your home have honest intentions, it’s still important to take precautions against those rare few who don’t. Here are some tips to keep your identity safe:

1. Don’t invite thieves
Remove those invitations and school calendars stuck to the front of your fridge. They broadcast times when you may not be home.

2. Lock your docs
Were you reviewing your bank statement just before a showing? Don’t forget to secure official documents such as passports, checkbooks and statements in a locked drawer or cabinet before leaving.

3. Screen your visitors
Be sure to add password protection to computers, laptops and tablets. It’s best to log out of your devices and unplug your computer.

4. Send your mail elsewhere
Remember - your junk mail can be a treasure to someone trolling for keys to your identity. After all, those annoying credit card offers contain all the information a thief needs to activate a fraudulent account. After sorting your mail, promptly shred anything you no longer need.

5. Be careful with catalogues
Periodicals contain more information than you might want a potential visitor to know. Make a habit of tearing off address stickers, and hide any publications that identify your affiliation with a certain organization.

6. Take your medicine – somewhere else
Prescription bottles have all kinds of information you don’t want to share with strangers, including your insurance policy number and doctor’s name. Hide your prescriptions very well, or even better, lock them up during showings to ensure no one takes your pills or your info.

A RE/MAX professional may be able to offer more advice on how to keep your showings safe and stress free.

Things to Ponder if You’re Thinking DIY

6 Things to Ponder if You’re Thinking DIY

The DIY dilemma: should you call a pro, or try to do the work yourself? After all, it looks so simple on TV and the Internet. Think about this:

1. Time is money.
Doing the labor yourself will undoubtedly be less expensive than the labor costs for a professional, but don’t forget to factor in the value of your precious time.

2. Can you spare the space?
Some projects, like plumbing or flooring, may take entire rooms out of commission for the duration of the work. For example, if you’re re-tiling your bathroom, life’s certainly easier if you have another to use during the project. If not, hiring a pro who will complete the project faster (and cut down on how long you have to shower at the gym), may be a better option.

3. Can you live with imperfection?
Or will the slightly smudged corners on your not-quite-professional paint job drive you nuts?

4. Unfinished DIY symphony.
How’s your follow-through on projects? Do you tend to start with the best intentions only to leave piles of supplies alone for so long they become part of the decor? Be honest with yourself if you think the project may become a permanent item on your to-do list.

5. What’s the worst that can happen?
Demolishing a wall may seem straightforward (and therapeutic), but if that wall’s critical to the building’s structural integrity, or if there’s plumbing or wiring within, it can be a whole other story. Think about the cost (and physical risks) that could come from a mishap.

6. Safety.
Even if you have the time, tools and an idea of how to tackle the job, leave the following projects to a professional: asbestos removal, gas appliance repairs, anything connected to the main electrical line and roofing.

Your Realtor can help you decide which home improvements are worth the investment. Find a RE/MAX agent

Preserve Memories from Your Old Home

4 Tips to Preserve Memories from Your Old Home

Selling the home where you grew up or where your kids’ took their first steps can be bittersweet. Prepare yourself for waves of nostalgia as you pack things up to move. Of course, it doesn’t have to be goodbye. Here are some tips to carry the memories with you.

1. Many plants and trees can be transplanted, whether it’s through repotting or snipping a branch and planting it in your new yard. Research your favorite tree or flower online for more transplanting advice.
2. Use mounting paper or a frame in the same color as the wall or carpet in your favorite room to display a photo of your family in that same room.
3. Make a mini documentary of you and your family strolling through the house, discussing memories from each room.
4. Take note of pencil marks where you measured your child’s height (or your parents measured yours). Mark them on a wall in your new house and continue the tradition.

Ready to create new memories? Start by contacting a RE/MAX agent who can help you find your next home

Applying for a mortgage?

Applying for a mortgage? Make sure you can answer these 6 questions

Lenders will perform extensive research into your financial history before they approve you mortgage application. Prepare for your meeting with a loan officer by finding the answers to the following questions:

1. What is your credit score?
Not only should you know the score, you should take a look at the items on your record. Say you missed the final electric bill from your last apartment and it ended up in collections. You can call the agency and ask them to remove it from your report (they’re under no obligation to do so, but it’s worth a shot). It’s also important to check for instances of mistaken identity, especially if you have a common name. And never pay for your credit score: You’re legally entitled to a free report every 12 months.

2. What is your annual income?
Don’t forget to add in income earned through bonuses and investments. Track down your most recent W2s and tax returns for easy reference.

3. How much debt are you in?
Tally up all of those credit cards, car loans, student loans and other monthly payments. This will be important information to help you and the lender determine your debt-to-income ratio, a tool for figuring out how large of a mortgage is appropriate.

4. What are you worth?
Lenders will want to see documentation of your assets, including automobiles, investments and income properties. Did you recently receive an inheritance? Loan a family member money? Be ready to explain any large deposits or withdrawals.

5. How much can you put down?
All this financial reckoning will help you determine how much cash you’re able — and willing — to spend on a down payment. If family members plan to help, the lender will most likely require a letter from them.

6. How much house can you afford?
A general rule of thumb: Your monthly housing payment (principal, interest, taxes, insurance, HOA, etc.) should not take up more than 28 percent of your income before taxes. There are plenty of online calculators to help give you an idea of what your monthly mortgage payment will be.

An experienced Realtor can help you find a lender and prepare to apply for a mortgage. Find a RE/MAX agent

Terms every home buyer/seller should know (Part 2: F-Z)

Terms every home buyer/seller should know (Part 2: F-Z)

Like any industry, real estate has its own language and jargon. Below are some terms to help you translate. Before you dive in, be sure to check out Part 1 of the list.

Fannie Mae: The Federal National Mortgage Association, created during the Great Depression as part of the New Deal to encourage home ownership. This government-sponsored lender is one of the biggest mortgage providers in the country.

FICO: Abbreviation for the Fair Isaac Company, the former name of the company that provides the software used to calculate your credit rating. Lenders use your credit rating to determine the amount and conditions of your mortgage. Your FICO score is based on the amount you currently owe on your debts, your payment history, recently opened lines of credit, length of credit history and the types of credit you use.

GFE: The Good Faith Estimate form gives you an idea of what your closing charges and loan terms will be if you are approved for the loan you are applying for.

Lien: A legal claim against a property that must be satisfied before the property may be sold. Common liens include tax liens filed by the government if you haven’t paid your taxes, judgment liens from losing a lawsuit or an unpaid attorney, and mechanic’s liens from unpaid contractors or repairmen.

Lock-In (Rate Lock): A lender's promise to guarantee a borrower a certain interest rate and loan terms for a specified period of time.

MLS: Short for the Multiple Listing Service, a database of all properties for sale.

PITI: Stands for Principal, Interest, Taxes and Insurance. This is your monthly mortgage payment. The principal is the part of the payment that pays down the loan, the interest is the part of the payment that pays the lender for loaning you the money to buy the property, and the taxes and insurance are usually paid into an escrow account each month.

Settlement Statement: The standard document with the details of the sales transaction and the closing costs.

Short Sale: When a home is sold for less than the amount the current owner owes the mortgage company.

Title: The document that proves ownership of a property, publically recorded in the county in which the property is located.

Walk-Through: This is the final inspection the buyer makes of the home before closing to make certain the conditions of the property match the contract.

Hopefully this vocab lesson helped you feel more comfortable in the world of real estate. For more information about the process of buying or selling a home, contact a RE/MAX agent

Terms Every Home Buyer/Seller Should Know (Part 1: A-E)

Terms Every Home Buyer/Seller Should Know (Part 1: A-E)

Thinking about buying a home? Study the terms below to help you make informed decisions throughout the process.

Amortization: The distribution of payments into installments over time. The terms of the agreement will determine how much of each payment goes toward interest and how much goes toward paying down the principal.

A.R.M.: Abbreviation for Adjustable Rate Mortgage. An A.R.M. is a loan program with an interest rate that changes throughout the life of the loan, as opposed to a fixed rate mortgage. This means if interest rates rise, a house payment may increase. 

Balloon: The whopper of a payment due at the end of some loans.

CC&Rs: The covenants, conditions and restrictions overseen by Homeowners Associations.

Comps: Short for comparable properties to the home you’re buying or selling, used by Realtors to help determine property value.

Contingency: A section of the purchase agreement that spells out certain conditions that must be met before the sale can proceed. For example, necessary repairs recommended by the home inspector.

Closing: The meeting between the buyer and seller where mortgage documents are signed and the deed is transferred.

Deed: The legal document that transfers ownership of the property.

Disclosures: Information about the home that a seller must provide to a buyer. The extent of disclosures varies by state.

Earnest Money: A deposit of money buyers pay to sellers to prove their genuine intent to purchase. If the buyer walks away through no fault of the seller, the seller may keep the earnest money.

Escrow: Don’t worry — it’s not what you eat if you’re on the losing end of a bidding war. An account held by an independent third party while the buyer and seller negotiate the contract. Funds for earnest money, property taxes and homeowners insurance may be held in escrow.

Equity:  What’s left of the fair market value of a home after subtracting the amount the owner still owes on the mortgage. “Sweat equity” refers to the manual labor performed to maintain and improve the property over the years.

Is your head spinning from all the industry jargon? A real estate agent can help translate.

The Morning after...

Egging, Toilet Papering: How to Clean Up After Halloween Pranks

By: Lisa Kaplan Gordon

Halloween cleanup can be the scariest thing about the holiday. Here’s a tip sheet on how to remove eggs, toilet paper, wax, and other messes that go bump in the night.

Halloween can be a messy holiday. With pranksters about, you may end up with egg yolks dripping down your siding and toilet paper hanging from your trees. Inside, you might drip candle wax on your carpet, and your little ones could leave makeup stains on your furniture. Hey -- it’s the price of having fun.

But when the fun is over, the cleanup begins. Here are some tips from the American Cleaning Institute and others on removing the Halloween mayhem that little tricksters leave behind.

Egg Splatters on Your House

Time is your enemy when your house has been egged, because sunbaked yolks can stain your siding. Also, micro-shards of shell can become embedded in paint or act as an abrasive when you clean off the gunk.

Instead of scrubbing, spray away the egg with your garden hose. But don’t aim the hose full blast at the yolk, which will splatter the mess. Instead, Popular Mechanics magazine suggests first wetting the siding below the egg, then gently spraying the siding above the egg; the water will fall in sheets and flush away the mess.

If you need more cleaning oomph, dip a brush into a bucket of warm water (never hot, which will bake on yolks) and dish soap, and then scrub away the mess.

Toilet Paper in Your Trees

Wet toilet paper is a beast to remove from trees. So wait until the sun evaporates dew; or, if rain is predicted, start removal right away.

Use a rake to grab and pull the TP down, a leaf blower to blast it, or a telescoping reacher/grabber to pluck it.

Start at the top and work your way down. Immediately throw paper away: Leaving it on your lawn can smother grass.

Candle Wax on the Carpets

Never try to remove hot wax from carpeting. Not only can you burn yourself, but you’ll likely spread the wax, making a bigger mess.

When the wax has cooled, break it with a dull knife or Popsicle stick. Throw away the pieces.

Cover remaining bits with a paper towel or rag, and press a warm iron to the area. Replace the towel frequently to avoid spreading the wax.

Halloween Makeup on Upholstery and Carpet

Many commercial carpet and upholstery cleaners remove makeup from unwanted places. The only tricky part is applying these cleaners.

Always test the cleaner on an inconspicuous spot. Apply a dab of cleaner on a white cloth, then hold it to the test area for about a minute. If no color is transferred to the white cloth, the cleaner is safe.

Never rub cleaner on a stain. Rather, blot the stain starting from its outer edge and work to the center.

What pranks and Halloween messes have you had to clean up? Got some good cleaning tips?

Read more: http://members.houselogic.com/articles/egging-toilet-papering-how-clean-after-halloween-pranks/preview/?cid=eo_em_mkt_rcrnewsletter#ixzz3oZsqlFCv
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