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History teaches that a lack of hurricane awareness and preparation are common threads among all major hurricane disasters. By knowing your vulnerability and what actions you should take, you can reduce the effects of a hurricane disaster. Hurricane hazards come in many forms: storm surge, high winds, tornadoes, and flooding. This means it is important for your family to have a plan that includes all of these hazards. Look carefully at the safety actions associated with each type of hurricane hazard and prepare your family disaster plan accordingly. But remember this is…

RISMEDIA, May 5, 2010 The three most important things to remember when moving and buying a new home are: location, location, location. As potential home buyers start looking for new homes, RelocateAmerica.com, a leading website in providing relocating consumers access to resources for their upcoming relocation, has released its 13th annual list of America’s Top Places to Live for 2010. The Top Places to Live list features several breakout categories such as the Top 10 Recovery Cities, Retirement Cities, Earth Friendly Cities, Recreation Cities and Small Towns. New for this year, the Top 10 Recovery Cities focused on areas poised for…

The current market conditions make it a perfect time for an investor to purchase one or more foreclosure properties for their private residence, rental or resale. First, you have to decide at what stage of foreclosure you want to buy; pre-foreclosure , also known as a short sale, sheriff’s auction, or repossession, called REO (for real estate owned by the bank). For most consumers, however, the foreclosure process can prove daunting, Reed says. Good buys are available, but they require research, preparation, patience and persistence. Pre-foreclosure(Short Sales): These homes are in the foreclosure process, but they have yet to be sent…

SPRING CLEANING & HOME MAINTENANCE GUIDE As current homeowners you need to keep your property in good condition so that the small maintenance issues do not become major and expensive repair items. Here are some annual maintenance items that you should make on your calendar to keep your home in good repair and maintain its value. Do not read this list and become overwhelmed, it is an extensive list meant to cover maintenance items you should do once a year….schedule these tasks for weekends and as the season dictates. You…

Nothing is more frustrating in today’s real estate scene than short sales. No one can-fully explain why it remains such a difficult task to complete one short sale — the process by which a lender agrees to accept less than is owed on a home — while another sails through. The only certainty as to why lenders do what they do: their bottom line. Understanding a bank’s financial motivations will help buyer’s grasp why short sales seem to take so LONG and why often the banks seem to be operating contrary to market conditions. Just because a property is a…

Baby Boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, represent one-quarter of the U.S. population. Because of their numbers, Boomers have a huge influence on societal trends, and now that Boomers are starting to retire, they are changing how and where Americans are spending their post-career years. Many Baby Boomers are expressing a greater desire to relocate for their retirement, unlike generations before them that wanted to stay in their current homes as they age. The later in the 20th century that a member of the population is born, the more likely they are to move their primary residence in retirement,…

Vacation-home sales recovered in 2009 according to the National Association of Realtors. NAR’s 2010 Investment and Vacation Home Buyers Survey, covering existing- and new-home transactions in 2009, shows vacation-home sales rose 7.9 percent to 553,000 last year from 513,000 in 2008. Primary residence sales rose 7.1 percent to 4.04 million in 2009 from 3.77 million in 2008. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said, The typical vacation-home buyer is making a lifestyle choice, with nine out of 10 saying they intend to use the property for vacations or as a family retreat, he said. Investment buyers primarily seek rental income, with six…

The Florida Open House Weekend scheduled for April 10-11, is the last opportunity to secure up to $8,000 in tax credits for first-time homebuyers (up to $6,500 for move-up buyers). According to the National Association of Home Builders, the following are top questions asked by prospective homebuyers. In all cases, buyers should check with the IRS or a qualified financial advisor for specific personal advice. How does a homebuyer claim the tax credit? The credit is claimed when the homebuyer files or amends his or her federal income taxes. For qualifying homes purchased in 2009 or 2010, the taxpayer must complete IRS…

More home buyers are snapping up properties with cash, a trend driven in large part by investors returning to the market after four years of falling prices around the country. The share of home sales involving all-cash transactions was 26 percent in January, up from 18 percent a year earlier, according to the National Association of Realtors. The figures come from a survey of members about their most recent transactions. Many home buyers and investors also are paying cash, but investors are largely using cash so they can avoid paying interest charges on loans and get a larger return on their…