Welcome Back Readers! Thanks for checking in and reading the latest installment in our Remodeling Lancaster series with Mike Blank from MBC Building and Remodeling . Whether you are selling or staying, having a clean, organized, clutter free garage can make a huge impact in the use and enjoyment of your home. Buyers notice clean just as quickly as they notice clutter! This week, we have some great tips on cleaning up a messy or cluttered garage, maybe yours doesn’t look quite like this one but I’ll bet sometimes it’s tough to park the car in there! Read on to find out what Mike has to say!
Social networking sites such as Facebook, Activerain, RealTown, Trulia Voices, etc. provide a myriad of ways to connect consumers and colleagues alike with real estate info. Blogs have proliferated in the last few years, people are writing them reading them and commenting all over the internet. These formats allows for a free and open exchange of info, sometimes a little too free and open as commenter’s/authors occasionally forget that we, as Realtors, have numerous regulations and a Code of Ethics to abide by that covers all forms of communication, including “electronic” communication. Read this excerpt from the 2010 National Associations of Realtors Code of Ethics:
Welcome Back Readers! It’s been a busy month in real estate, so many things happening both locally and nationally it seems everyday there is something new! That’s actually the becoming the normal state of affairs nowadays and I don’t mind as it gives me lots of things to write about!
I wanted to let you know about a program announced today by Fannie Mae. Fannie Mae has a little problem, namely 50,000 homes they now own through the foreclosure process and they are looking to move them. You can see a list of what’s there at www.homepath.com (there are 19 Fannie Mae Foreclosures in Lancaster County Pa as of today).
That’s not the announcement though, the announcement is that Fannie Mae is now offering 3.5 % of the home’s purchase price as an incentive to buyers! Read on after the jump to find out more!
Welcome Back Readers! Thanks for stopping in, you’ve arrived at the last installement of our Radon series with Matt Steger of WIN Home Inspection. This week Matt tells you how to go about fixing your Radon problem, read on after the jump for all the details!
Before I forget, you know I tell you this every week but it needs repeating, when it comes time for me to recommend an expert to protect my home buyers, I always recommend Matt. Call Matt Steger at 717-361-9467 when you need any home purchase related inspections.
Welcome Back Readers! I put up a post the yesterday about how FHA has recently changed their policies to allow loan modifications for qualifying borrowers before they miss a payment . This is a great policy and I sincerely hope it will help more people stay in their homes. The problem though is that in many cases it won’t. Loan modifications nationwide are failing to help avoid foreclosures. Why is that? What does it have to do with Tribbles again? Read on after the jump to find out!
Welcome Back Readers! This is the first in our new Remodeling Lancaster Columns by Guest Columnist Mike Blank with MBC Building and Remodeling, LLC !
If you live in Central PA and you have ever wondered who you could trust to provide quality remodeling and handyman repair services, look no farther than Mike Blank. From Decks to Kitchens, Additions to Painting, repairs needed to sell a home, if it needs done at your house Mike can either make it happen or find you someone who can. Call Mike at 717-371-5136 for the best service for your contracting needs.
This week Mike brings you tips on how you can claim Tax Credits for making repairs and improvements to your home. Read on after the jump to find out more!
Welcome Back Readers! It was a busy week last week in the real estate world, the Lancaster County PA Real Estate Market is moving quickly. I apologize for the shortage of posts recently due to this but you can expect a little more consistency in the coming weeks. I wanted to start of this week with a nice change announced by HUD last Friday.
Until HUD made this change to the rules for FHA loans, in order to qualify for a loan modification, struggling homeowners had to actually MISS payments. So, if you knew you were going to be in torouble, you had to let it happen before you were eligible for loss mitigation. Check out the release from HUD on the details of the program.
The complete press release from HUD is after the jump
Welcome Back Readers! It’s time once again for another Monday Lancaster Fit Bit from Mickey Glick at Body and Soul Fitness Studio! This week Mickey wants to dispel a common myth, you’ll have to wait to see what she has to say though because I want to point out that Mickey is not just the expert we turn to at TheLancasterConnection.com, she is also an expert the local media turns to.
Check out this article from our local newspaper featuring Mickey: http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/247539
Now, read on to find out what she has to say about turning fat into muscle!
Welcome Back Readers! This is the third of four articles in our Radon series, this week Matt Steger from WIN Home Inspection talks a little more about Radon Testing where it should be done and how important “Closed House” conditions are. Don’t know what that means? Read on after the jump to find out!
Welcome Back Readers!
I apologize in advance for the negative tone of this post, but it is information that people who plan on buying this year need to have. Let me start with this: There are many solutions available to FHA’s problems, and there are other programs that allow cash poor buyers to still purchase homes. It is not the end of the world, FHA is still a fine program, but I have an issue with their changes not offering a solution to their problem.
Call me if you want to find out how low money down programs can still benefit you, in the meantime please be aware of the following info.
FHA has announced policy changes today that will potentially have a negative impact on the housing market. Read on after the jump to see excerpts from a release by NAR:
