February 27, 2009
To show appreciation for their community, agents in our Barrington office have planned a full year of giving to charitable causes, “Open to Giving.” Each month a charity is selected and the participating agents make a donation for each guest who visits their open houses for the month. We are very happy to be able to make a solid contribution to the American Heart Association on behalf of our open guests in February.
Starting Sunday, March 1, donations on behalf of the participating agents’ open house guests will go to the March of Dimes, a charity that strives to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth & infant mortality. The participating agents are so pleased to be involved in giving back at a time when charitable causes require our full support.
Click here for more information about “Open to Giving” or for more information about the March of Dimes visit: www.MarchofDimes.com.
February 26, 2009
We have renamed and rebranded “MY Residential” to “Property Alerts”. Our ultimate goal is to improve the user experience. We hope Property Alerts conveys a greater Call to Action for our website users.
Property Alerts is a FREE and easy to use tool on our site that provides not only Property Alerts but Saved Searches and Favorites as well. A user can:
- Customize searches for properties.
- Know when new properties that fit your search criteria come on the market or when prices change.
- Share properties with your Realtor, family and friends!
Also, new listings appear in our search engine within 24 hours of being entered into the MLS system. Click here to join now.
February 23, 2009
The big news last week was the signing of the $789 Economic Stimulus Package. The original $15,000 credit has been scaled back to $8,000, but drops the repayment feature for buyers who hold on to their property for at least three years. Here are some of the other highlights in the bill that pertain to housing:
FHA and conforming loan limits:
The 2008 limits have been reinstated for 2009 except in those communities where the 2009 limits are higher. Additional increases in individual communities may also be available at the discretion of the secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Foreclosure mitigation and neighborhood stabilization:
Funding for states and localities to be used for neighborhood stabilization activities for the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed homes are authorized. Some news reports put the funding level at $2 billion.
Rental assistance:
Up to $1.5 billion for short-term rental assistance and other aid for families during the economic crisis.
Transportation infrastructure:
Up to $29 billion for highway construction projects, $8 billion for rail projects, and $5 billion to weatherize low-income homes.
Rural housing development:
Increased funding for the Rural Housing Service direct and guaranteed loan programs.
Energy efficient housing:
Grants for energy retrofits for federally assisted housing (Section 8), funding for energy efficiency and conservation block grants to states, and Increases in the residential tax credit through 2010 for certain energy efficient upgrades.
According to The National Association of Realtors, eliminating the repayment provision on the first-time homebuyer tax credit could drive more than 200,000 additional home sales, which will help stabilize home values. The National Association of Home Builders had estimated a $15,000 tax break for all homebuyers would have generated nearly 500,000 home sales.
Listen to the entire show featuring the Stimulus Package commercial-free:
February 13, 2009
Despite spring actually being a month away, in the real estate market, February is the month when the first stirrings of the spring market are beginning to be felt. Spring in the real estate business, is like Christmas in the retail business: it is the most active time of year and the time of year when the largest number of sales occur. It is also the time of year when there is the largest selection of homes on the market or the largest amount of inventory. Typically the spring market kicks off either at the end of February, the beginning of March or when the snow melts.
Because families with children prefer to move in the summer when school is out, spring is often the time of year when communities with good school systems have high rates of home sales. Also large homes with lots of bedrooms sell better in the spring than they do at other times of year, due to the school calendar.
February is a good time to begin preparing a home for the market by doing work inside such as decluttering, touching up paint, and organizing closets and basements. Once the warmer weather arrives, the landscaping and porches and decks should be cleared, cleaned and organized.
The spring market is the time that those in the real estate business look toward all year. For buyers and sellers it is the time to get serious about moving.
February 12, 2009
Did you know that your local library has passes that
grant you and the kid’s access to local venues? How about creating the perfect and most exciting birthday cake for a young audience by yourself? What about the top 10 items that will help keep your family organized and ready to go? Or, are you just looking for the latest and greatest sled in preparation for the next big snow day?
All of this information and much, much more can be found on Anisa Raoof’s, community driven site: KidoInfo.com. Kidoinfo is a new and hip guide for parents and kids that is “based in Providence” and “connected to the world.” This blog community is full of creative ideas, useful links and events for parents. Best of all, because Kidoinfo is updated daily, you can be sure that you’ll always have something new and exciting prepared for the kids!
Whether you are looking for ideas for a birthday party, a great day trip, kid-friendly art exhibits or even a cool set of cutlery for the kids, Kidoinfo is the source for ideas and information about raising, educating and entertaining your youngsters both in and beyond the Rhode Island Community.
