Moving with Amy

Applying for a pre-approval from a lender is a quick and easy way for home buyers to increase appeal with sellers.  A pre-approval is an agreement from a bank or mortgage company to provide a loan up to a certain amount for the purchase of a home.  While the lender commits to providing a loan, the buyer is under no obligation to use that company.  If presented with a more attractive loan offer, the buyer can elect to use another lender without paying any obligation or fee.

Sellers prefer to work with buyers who are pre-approved because they know they are serious about purchasing a home and will not waste their time.  An added benefit of being pre-approved is that it provides buyers with the peace of mind of knowing they are looking for a home they can afford and they are not spending beyond their means.

If you would like to learn more about the value of being pre-approved, I would be delighted to provide you with additional information.

One of the biggest concerns home buyers express is the fear of paying too much for a house.  While a home buyer may pay more than they had expected or hoped, the reality is you really can't overpay for a home.

As your buyer representative, I will provide you with a Competitive Market Analysis (CMA) that charts the sales price of comparable homes for you to consider when preparing your offer.  Then, when you apply for a mortgage, the lender will have a professional real estate appraiser determine if the home is priced fairly.  If for some reason the appraisal shows that the house was not priced fairly, the mortgage lender would reject the loan to keep you from overpaying.

To learn more about how I can assist you in your home buying needs, please feel free to contact me.

Mortgage loan interest rates are one of the key drivers in the real estate industry.  In today's economy, Freddie Mac is reporting 30-year fixed rates at historic lows over the past few weeks.  What does this mean to you? 

1.  If you're thinking about selling, now is a great time because buyers will be able to afford more home at a lower monthly payment.

2.  If you want to sell and move up, a low interest rate will help you get more home for the monthly payment you pay.

3.  Now is a great time to refinance your existing mortgage loan.

Call me or email me if you'd like more information.

I am happy to answer any questions you might have.

Contact me now.

When it comes to mortgage loan interest rates, timing is everything.

When the Brood leaves the Nest

Amy McCalman, ABR, ABRM, BROKER, CRB, GRI, MBA

If you're an empty nester, or about to become one, you've got lots of company. The number of baby boomers age 65 and over is expected to increase nearly 80 percent over the next two decades. Shifts in the age distribution of our population will result in a growing number of Baby Boomers moving to accommodations that better suit their needs.

Today's empty nester is not the sedentary retiree of yesteryear. Senior homebuyers tend to stay in or near the same community after they retire. Most people continue to work much later in life, perhaps in an entirely new career or as a full-time volunteer who serves their community.

A major decision you are probably facing is determining exactly what you would like your next living arrangement to be. Unlike generations in days past, today it is nearly impossible to describe a "typical" empty nester's home. Much depends on your individual lifestyle, family situation and other personal preferences.

New living options marketed to meet a diversity of lifestyles are continually appearing on the marketplace. Translating your choices of amenities, location, ease of maintenance, architectural style, etc. into the selection of your next home can be a frustrating experience. Working with an experienced real estate professional who listens to your needs and understands the market can help shorten your search for the home that is right for you.

Choosing the right real estate professional can also pay dividends when selling your current home. The Senior Advantage Real Estate Council reports that 90 percent of seniors do not put their home on the market until they have settled on their new living arrangements. At the same time, younger families are seeking to move up and out to the larger homes and apartments offered by empty nesters.

The ERA^® Sellers Security^® Plan has been designed for empty nesters and others who wish to remove the anxiety from the process of selling their home. The Sellers Security^® Plan guarantees that your home will sell at a pre-determined price within 180 days of listing your home. Simply put, "If we don't sell your house, ERA will buy it^®."

The Sellers Security^® Plan is a guaranteed sale plan offered in all 50 states. An attractive feature of Sellers Security is the ERA^®  system's exclusive Five Point Marketing Plan, which covers all the bases for a quick and hassle-free sale, by maximizing the marketability and sales potential of your home.

Making Your (Dog) House a Home: Moving With Less Stress for Your Pets

Amy McCalman

www.movewithamy.com

Anyone who has ever moved knows that there are seemingly a million and one tasks to remember, from selecting a moving company to switching off utilities. All of the adjustments and changes involved in moving to a new home can be even more challenging when you have a pet. But there are ways to prepare to minimize the stress to your furred, feathered and finned friends.

The preparation process can be as crucial a stage as the move itself - familiar settings are disrupted as furniture gets moved and belongings packed away. A cat or dog will wonder who all these strangers are (potential buyers, inspectors, movers, etc.) and what's happening to the pet's familiar "territory" (changed location of litter boxes, favorite sleeping places, etc.) - which is how an animal sees your home.

For that reason, it's actually a good idea to change the "landscape" a little more - on the animal's behalf. Designate a room to remain just for your pet while the move proceeds around them, with their familiar toys, food and water bowls, sandbox (for cats), and so forth. This way they'll have a reassuring (if rearranged) space to spend the moving process in. It will also minimize the chance of escape by anxious animals while people are coming and going from your house more than usual, and reduce the danger of a scared cat hiding itself in the moving boxes with potentially tragic results.

Such precautions help calm your pet for the developments ahead - the move itself is stressful for pets and people alike, though this too can be minimized. If you're flying, check ahead to see which airlines allow pets as "carry-ons." The cargo bay is a possibility, but will isolate and possibly frighten your pet. In either case, anxiety and exposure to the elements will be lessened if you can book a direct flight.

If you drive, make sure you know where to find hotels that allow pets rather than leaving them in the vehicle (never a good idea in terms of safety or exposure to changing temperatures), and, especially with a dog, schedule frequent "rest stops" for both animal and owner. For birds, rodents and fish, "homes away from home" can work well - transport your bird or hamster in its cage, and your fish in a plastic container of water, roomy enough for the number of fish and changed regularly for long trips.

It's always a useful idea to consult a veterinarian for all the fine points, and a qualified real estate professional to help with all the questions a house-move poses; pet-compatible services are one of many matters a real estate sales associate can look into for you. With some advance planning and help from local experts, Fido's longest walk can have a happy destination.

In conclusion, if you're an animal lover that's thinking of moving, please keep me in mind.  When you buy or sell your home through me, I will donate 10% of my commission to the Florence Area Humane Society Animal Shelter.

Home Buyers: How To Avoid Paying Too Much

 

A Simple Guide To Help You Avoid Overpaying For Your Home-And Jeopardizing The Integrity Of Your Investment

 

Let's face it, buying a home is a daunting task. You probably know it's an emotional time filled with tough and overwhelming decisions. But did you know those decisions could have thousands of dollars riding on them? That the price you end up paying determines directly how good of an investment you are making? It's enough to make your head spin. For most of us, just merely choosing the perfect home is hard enough work. And we wouldn't know where to begin to evaluate whether we are overpaying for the home we choose.

Amy McCalman Understands

Realtor® Amy McCalman has guided countless buyers through the complicated process of not only finding the right home, but negotiating a fair and advantageous price for it. A price designed to maximize return on investment years later when it's time to sell. But Amy has also come across many unfortunate buyers who were not adequately prepared, did not have the information and knowledge necessary to ensure they were getting the best price for their new purchase.

Amy Has Put Together A Special Report To Help Buyers

That's why Amy has put together a special report entitled "Home Buyers: How To Avoid Paying Too Much." In it you will find information designed to help you avoid overpaying for your home. This information, provided as a community service by Amy McCalman, will go a long way toward making you the savvy home buyer you need to be in today's demanding market, and lessen the chances of your overpaying the home seller. Amy's motivation behind creating this report is her realization that for home buyers, there is no learning curve, there is no trial and error. And the ramifications can be severe.

Critical Questions And Important Answers

Is a fixer upper right for you? How can you as a buyer use time to your advantage during the negotiation process? Why should you invest a few hundred dollars on a professional home inspector? You'll find the answers to these questions and much more in Amy's free report.

Order Your Special Report

Amy's special report, "Home Buyers: How To Avoid Paying Too Much," provides vital information you will need to make sound decisions-decisions that could literally save you thousands. Amy is providing this report as a community service to area home buyers. Simply call the toll free number and extension number.  It's easy and you'll be glad you took the time to become an informed home buyer.

 

Meet Realtor® Amy McCalman.

Amy McCalman is a devoted mom to three dogs and she grew up in the Florence area. She's found the perfect career in real estate. "I love Florence, South Carolina and its great people," Amy says. "Every day I can go to work and make a positive difference in people's lives." Perhaps this upbeat and caring attitude is what has catapulted Amy to the top of her field. It certainly drives her to be the very best agent she can be-to clients and non-clients alike. Through her informative special reports, Amy strives to find ways to make a positive difference.

 

Call 24 hours a day to order your free special report! 800/828-6043 Simply dial ext. 222. It's that easy.

 

Amy McCalman offers this special report to all prospective home buyers as a community service. Call for a free copy of your special report today.

Thanks to the huge numbers of borrowers that have been defaulting, the Federal Housing Administration is now making it tougher to qualify for FHA mortgages.

Beginning this spring, the FHA upfront mortgage premium will cost 2.25% of the loan amount, up from 1.75% in the past.

In addition, new FHA borrowers will need a minimum FICO credit score of 580.  If they have a lower score, they will be required to put down 10% instead of the minimum 3.5% down payment.

FHA will also cap the amount that sellers can pay at closing to contribute to the borrower's closing costs.  Currently this figure is 6% of the sales price and will be reduced to 3% of the sales price.

Whether you're buying or selling, it is important to choose a REALTOR that is on top of what is happening in the current market.

Feel free to call on me if you have questions about real estate in Florence, South Carolina.

Amy McCalman

ERA LEATHERMAN REALTY, INC.

843-656-0622 Direct

amy@eraleatherman.com

January 2010 Home Sales for Florence, South Carolina

Current activity for Florence, SC

627 Single Family Homes are for sale:

• High list price $1,175,000
• Low list price $18,000
• Average list price $220,889
• Median list price $181,000

99 Single Farmily Homes are Under Contract or Pending Sale, priced from $12,000 to $449,900.

46 Single Family Homes Closed in January, with sales prices from $14,000 to $475,000.  Average Days on Market for those that Closed was 100, with a median of 87.  DOM ranged from 2-552.  Average closed price was $166,010.

Based on the number of single family homes closed in January (46), there is a 13.63 month supply of homes for sale in Florence.

46 Single Family Homes were closed in Florence, SC in January 2010, as compared to 33 during the same time period last year.

 

Rates are low, inventory is high, Uncle Sam wants to pay you to buy a house, so what are you waiting for? I just cannot believe that more people are not taking advantage of the $8000 tax credit. Now is the time!

Getting It Right the Second Time: To Remodel or Not to Remodel

By Amy McCalman

Sometimes the house that was once your dream home is challenged by the changing realities in your life. Then it's time to decide whether to change the house you're in, or just change houses. Your family may not be the same one that originally moved in – kids arrive, or people start to work more at home, and the house suddenly seems smaller or unsuited to new needs. Or maybe your new-home search has just been taking too long, and you've decided to try and make your current one "new" instead. This is a major undertaking that calls for serious consideration before moving forward. Are you so happy with your current neighborhood that you'd like to do as much as possible to avoid moving, or are you ready for a change of area? Can your family take the strain, and your business the disruption, of a project that will demand a significant shift of routine and even displacement of living arrangements? There are practical considerations to add to these emotional and financial ones. You'll want to find out if the changes you have in mind are compatible with local planning, zoning and building rules. And you'll want to consult with designers and architects as to the feasibility – and approximate cost – of those changes. A related and crucial consideration is the future value of your house for resale if you remodel but still later wish to move. This is important because increasing your home's resale value through renovation is not necessarily a given. The reason is not just that remodeling can compromise a home's aesthetics and efficiency – though this is a significant concern; rather than buying another home to suit new needs, remaking one forces you to work around existing systems (such as plumbing) and can lead to eccentric and unwieldy spaces. The consequences of the renovation working "too well" could be equally disadvantageous to you: a house that is much bigger than others near it, or otherwise uncommon in its neighborhood, can disrupt its location and be priced beyond what anyone looking in that area is willing to pay. To make sure all of your domestic dreams are good ones, do some planning and consider consulting a real estate professional (who can help with everything from architect referrals to advice on what renovations are right for your market).