Still a great time to buy!

I have posted several times in the past why NOW is a great time to buy a home.  Interest rates remain at historical lows and the cost to purchase a home is cheaper than renting in almost every major market in America.  In addition, moving into the fall month's can be an advantage when thinking of purchasing a home. Many people view this time of year as the "slow season" for real estate.  At times, there are fewer Buyer's who are looking to make a move, so a savvy purchaser may be able to spot a deal.

As school starts back up, and people are preparing for the Holidays, many Buyer's decide to wait until warmer weather to begin their home search.  Sellers who have their homes on the market may begin noticing a lag in showings and rather than have their homes sit on the market another few months, they may be willing to negotiate a lower price to get their home sold.

F.C. Tucker Emge posted a link to a great article on Twitter about pitfalls to avoid when purchasing a home in the fall that can help you make a great purchase this fall.  Check out this information, and share with your friends and family who might be interested in making a purchase this fall.  Feel free to friend me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter and let me know if I can ever help you or anyone you know buy or sell a home!

Occupancy does not guarantee ownership!

Real estate is such an interesting subject, and there are many laws and claims that people can make that are relatively unknown.  Recently, a sensational news story about a man in Dallas, Texas was brought to the forefront of the news media showing how he had laid claim to a $340,000.00 home through the use of adverse possession.  He claimed that through a $16.00 filing at the county courthouse, he could legally claim ownership of the property through this little known real estate law.  For some time, he was actually able to live in the home, for free!  While adverse possession is in fact an almost unknown way to gain ownership of real estate, his understanding of this law was flawed.

MSN Real Estate posted a great article explaining the entire situation, as well as excellent information on how adverse possession works.  Can you get a home via squatter's rights? is the question this article poses, and aims to answer.  In an age where foreclosures have left literally thousands of homes vacant, this man's attempt at gaining ownership of an empty home using adverse possession gained the interest of the national media!  A little known, real estate law loophole, was a glimmer of hope for people to try and save their properties from foreclosure, or gain a new home without purchasing a home with a large mortgage.  Unfortunately, this man had little understanding of the true facets of the law!  In fact, occupying a vacant property does not offer the occupant any legal rights of ownership!

In order to protect your rights and interests when trying to gain ownership of real estate, you should contact trusted sources.  As a Realtor, I always tell my Buyers and Sellers they can ask me any questions about real estate laws and transactions that aren't common knowledge.  If you, or anyone you know, have any questions about real estate, feel free to contact me any time.

As always, feel free to share this information with your friends and family, and follow my blog to keep up with all my posts.  Friend me on Facebook, and follow me on Twitter to keep up with everything I ever post!

Fall is still a great time for outdoor entertaining

Earlier this year, I posted ideas for hosting great, outdoor parties in the summer.  I love having get-togethers and hosting parties, and the cooling temperatures of Fall are no reason to stop hosting outdoor events!  On the contrary, whether it's a large party, or a small gathering, spending Autumn nights outside with a group of friends around a fire is one of my favorite things to do all year!

Decoist.com has a great article with a checklist on Hosting an Outdoor Party in Autumn, which has some great tips on hosting the perfect party.  From the proper timing, to ideas on decorating, this article offers tips and tricks, along with pictures, that will offer plenty of inspiration for amazing Autumn gatherings.

Check out the article and let me know your favorite tip, or any ideas you have, in the comments below.  As always, feel free to share this information with your family and friends and follow my blog to keep up with all my posts.  Friend me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter to keep up with everything I ever post!

Autumn...not necessarily the end of yard work!

The first official day of Autumn, one of my favorite seasons, is September 22 this year!  As temperatures begin to cool, and the day's begin to shorten, it's the perfect time to sit around a fire with friends, go an a hay ride, and ! As trees prepare for the winter ahead, the changing leaves add splashes of color to the landscape, a beautiful sight to behold. While I love the look of falling leaves, they add one more season of yard work that many people often overlook!

A lot of people don't realize just how important it is to rake fallen leaves.  As leaves sit on the grass, they create a barrier that blocks sunlight and traps moisture, a combination that can be extremely damaging to the grass below.  MSN Real Estate offers 8 smart ways to beat the leaves this fall, an article written by Harry Sawyers of Popular Mechanics, offering some tips, tricks, and equipment that will help to make sure you keep your lawn healthy this fall!

Let me know how you handle fallen leaves at your home in the comments below! As always, feel free to share this information with your friends and family, and follow my blog to keep up with all of my posts!  Friend me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter to keep up with everything I ever post!

Mistakes to avoid when designing a kitchen

Remodeling a kitchen is a great way to add some value to your house.  Statistics show that a remodeled kitchen offers the greatest return on investment of almost any room in the house.  In the past, I've posted other articles on cheap alternatives for ways to remodel a kitchen without breaking the bank.  While I've posted several tips in the past on things that should be done when remodeling the kitchen, it's also important to note that there are several things to avoid when designing your kitchen.

Redesigning a kitchen is a practice in balance as well as design.  Some people tend to go overboard when redesigning, which can actually decrease the value in some buyers' eyes.  HouseBeautiful posted a great gallery of some dos and don'ts when redesigning your kitchen.  The Biggest Kitchen Design Mistakes is a great gallery that offers some insights from kitchen designers who have seen every mistake you could imagine.

Click the link for some helpful tips and tricks for properly redesigning your kitchen, and let me know your design favorites in the comments below.  As always, feel free to share this information with your family and friends, and follow my blog to keep up with all my posts.  Friend me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter to keep up with everything I ever post.

Extra socks laying around?

Let's face it, all of us have an unmatched sock or two lying around the house.  No matter how hard I try to keep my socks matched up every time I do laundry, it's inevitable that I lose one every once in a while.  In the past, I used to throw out any unmatched sock I came across...almost every time that happened, I would come across it's match in the next few days.  Once I started hanging onto them, it seemed that their matches never turned up, and I began accumulating a pile of used socks that I had no use for.  I began using my unmatched socks as rags for cleaning around the house and washing my car.

This got me wondering, what other uses might there be for old socks?  Stylelist Home had a great post about several ideas for New Uses for Old Socks that offers lots of ideas that most of us wouldn't think of.  From a few therapeutic uses, to additional cleaning supplies, and even pet toys, old socks offer a plethora of uses!  Take a look at this post to find some interesting uses you may not have thought of!

Let me know which idea is your favorite, or any other ideas you might have in the comments below!  As always, feel free to share this info with your friends and family, and follow my blog to keep up with all my posts.  Friend me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter to keep up with everything I ever post!