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Thursday, August 28. 2008
"Help, My house has a showing and it is a mess!" Have you ever said (or screamed) that? It has got to be a big job to be "SHOW Ready" all the time. Here are some tips for you. Does anyone else have some clean up tricks up their sleeve? One of the comments in the above article mentioned the clothes dryer is a good place to stash stuff! Interesting...
Thursday, August 28. 2008
The article I am linking to was written by an Arizona blogger , but her point about first impressions when selling a home are valid in Wisconsin too. Check out this post. Why don't they just fix the darn lock? Getting buyers in the door is hard enough without instructions to follow! Geez.
Wednesday, August 27. 2008
We all see the bad headlines about the real estate market and here at this First Weber Blog we try to show a positive side, or at least not scream the sky is falling...because it is not. I was glad to read this story with a positive lean to it, or as the author at the 1000wattblog says "balanced". It is true, most homeowners are still sitting on homes worth a whole lot more than they paid for them, even if prices are flat. Good artitle. It does put things into perspective.
Wednesday, August 27. 2008
Very cool and interesting island homes can be found in this post from the zillow blog. Worth a click for sure if you ever thought living on an island would be cool! (I have). There are more at this site, Premier Holidays.
Tuesday, August 26. 2008
 Are you a Fan of First Weber? Say so and become an official fan of us on Facebook.
You will need to create an account if you are not on Facebook already. Click the logo and go!
Tuesday, August 26. 2008
Quote from NAR cheif economist Lawrence Young from an article by Walter Maloney at realtor.org... "About 2.5 million first time home buyers are expected to take advantage of the $7,500 tax credit between now and the middle of next year." Are you going to be one of them?! And just to clarify - the credit is not a flat $7,500. 10% of the home purchase price, up to $7,500. If I were a first time home buyer, I'd think of this as a gift. Yes, you eventually have to pay it back but a hefty tax credit your first year of buying a home can come in very handy!
Tuesday, August 26. 2008
The First Weber Foundation sponsored the Kathy Hospice House Raffle and donated $5,000 to the raffle benefiting the Washington County hospice. Also participating was Winfield Homes who built the home being raffled. The owner of Winfied Homes, Scott Swick, is also an owner and manager of First Weber Group. It is nice to be able to support our communities in ways like this. People really do win raffles like this! See the list of winners here. Congratulations to all! We hope to have more First Weber Foundation coming soon. There is a lot of good going on in Wisconsin. Did you know many First Weber agents donate a portion of each commission check to the Foundation?
Thursday, August 21. 2008
Your credit score can be your best friend or an enemy when searching for a home loan. Mortgage lenders use the credit score to determine what kind of credit risk you will be. The LOWER your score, the bigger risk the lender see you as and the HIGHER interest rate you will pay. Fixing a bad credit score can take time. But the following tips can produce improvement: 1. Pay credit cards on time each month. Late payments really damage your credit score. Negatives usually stay on your credit report for 7 years but consistently paying bills on time can make a modest improvement. 2. Do not charge to your limit on your credit card. Not only is that a risk of not being able to pay on time, but the higher percentage of credit you have tapped, the lower your score will drop. Better to have 2 or 3 cards with smaller balances that be maxed out on one. 3. Keep zero balance due credit accounts open - even if you do not use them often or at all. Closing accounts decreases the amount of credit available. Closing accounts may also decrease the average age of your accounts which also lessens a credit score. 4. 6 months before applying for a home loan, do not apply for new lines of credit. Applying for lines of credit generates a creditor inquiry on your credit report which may also lower your score. 5. Check your credit report for errors. Go to annualcreditreport.com and get a free report one time a year. There may be ways you can correct or dispute errors. Do you know your credit score? I do not, but I am going to to look at my credit report above...... OK, I'm back! I went to the linked site above and you have to fill in the usual info. Rememmber, you don't have to buy anything if you do not want to. (and I did not) Then you are directed to select one of three reporting agencies. Answer a few more questions. Then you get to see how you did- if you have any negative events, how many accounts you have and are they in good standing. Took a few minutes but I left feeling good! Give it a try. Information taken from Anchor Bank publication.
Monday, August 18. 2008
Castle Rock Lake....is almost 14,000 acreas with 60 miles of shoreline. The nearest town is Dellwood, so the wisconsinlakes.com website says. A quick search of firstweber.com shows there are 128 homes and condominiums for sale on Castle Rock Lake. Click here for a map of Castle Rock Lake. And click here to do a property search by map. Here is just one of the homes for sale on Castle Rock Lake. (yes, it is a First Weber listing, see the orange post?)
Monday, August 18. 2008
Sick of hearing negative real estate stories in the media? Us too! We are happy to share the results of the Multiple Listing Service's Economic and Market Watch report. | County | Average price Quarter 1, 2008 | Average price Quarter 2, 2008 | # Homes Sold Quarter 1, 2008 | # Homes Sold Quarter 2, 2008 | | | | | | | Kenosha | $194,800 | $204,900 | 259 | 398 | | Milwaukee | $176,100 | $190,100 | 992 | 1573 | | Ozaukee | $331,900 | $353,600 | 105 | 193 | | Racine | $182,000 | $190,000 | 285 | 495 | | Sheboygan | $156,100 | $173,600 | 157 | 279 | | Washington | $234,000 | $247,500 | 177 | 276 | | Waukesha | $301,600 | $305,200 | 568 | 938 | | | | | |
All average sales prices are up, and the number of homes sold in quarter 2 is up. Looks positve to me!
Continue reading "Postive statistics for metro Milwaukee real estate"
Monday, August 18. 2008
This is an excellent article about the bill and first time home buyers. "For the first time home buyer, the market is very good..." Are you a first time home buyer and how do you feel about the bill?
Friday, August 15. 2008
Wisconsin property values increased over 2007, although by a small 3% amount. (according to the WI Dept of Revenue's Equalized Value Report) While not what we are used to, Wisconsin is still in good shape compared to the rest of the country. Also, recreational and waterfront properties in many Wisconsin municipalities, often vacant land have showed growths of 4% to 6%.
Monday, August 11. 2008
Everyday we hear more about social networking, facebook, linkedin etc. We are encouraging our agents to utilize it and connect with people in new ways. We also have a corporate presence on facebook. We understand social neworking is not about selling, just like blogging is not about selling, so don't get scared! Just wondering if the readers of this blog utilize facebook , linkedin or other social networking sites. Real estate online is really changing. It is exciting. What would you like to see in new media for real estate?
Monday, August 11. 2008
I recently was forwarded a blog article about blogs. (and there are a LOT  of those) This one was special because it was an article about seveal top young professional business bloggers - located in Wisconsin. The author wondered how so many he considered to be top bloggers could be located in Wisconsin. I don't know the answer. Do you? The article had several interesting comments from readers: "Madison is awesome. It is the perfect place for a young professional to find their groove..." "Madison has become a mecca. My feedreader is always buzzing about great stuff from this group... The great thing about the web, social networking etc is that you can be from Madison or another smaller town and have a voice. No longer do you have to be at the heart of NYC or San Fran...." That is a great point. Are you a young professional in Wisconsin? Are you aware of the great local professional groups in Madison, MAGNET and Milwaukee, Fuel Milwaukee? How do you feel about your opportunities for careers and housing here? Please share your thoughts.
Wednesday, August 6. 2008
Slide Show for First Time Home Buyers. I said it was so important we were going to mention it everyday... well, maybe not everyday. But we are not going to let you forget it! I figure we have a younger reading audience and this would be a good place to post the news. They say first time home buyers drive the market. This should help!
Friday, August 1. 2008
This is so important we might just write about it everyday! It is an opportunity of a lifetime for first-time home buyers! Newly enacted Federal legislation provides a tax credit of up to $7500 for first time home buyers. Talk to your loan officer or REALTOR today. The credit is only good on homes purchased April 9, 2008 - July 9 2009! Good for single taxpayers with cincome up to $75,000 and married couples with income up to $150,000 See more at the new website federalhousingtaxcredit.com
Friday, August 1. 2008
Who doesn't like to hear that Wisconsin got some kind of award?! AARP magazine lists Madison, WI as #3 in their Top 10 Healthiest Cities to Live and Retire for 2008: "3. Madison, Wisconsin: Residents have low rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol; here you’ll find big city advantages with a small-town feel; Madison hosts an extensive bus system, numerous bike trails and a wide-range of sporting activities." If you want to retire there - there are 1120 single family homes for sale on firstweber.com in Madison, Wisconsin. Ranging from $49,900 - $1,750,000! Quite the price range - something for everyone!
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