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Tuesday, October 21. 2008
You can also find a ton of information online about first time home buying. One of the best places I found is here at Frontdoor.com. You can browse through this special home buyer site or go ahead and call a REALTOR right away. They will walk you through pretty much the same items. Just depends on how you like to operate! Either way, it is a great time to buy a first home with the first time buyer tax credit and with prices on the low side. The process can take months, finding a home, getting a loan (which if you have good credit is easily done), preparing for closing. Why not start searching now?
Tuesday, October 21. 2008
Who couldn't use a bunch of money saving tips?! I ran across this list today from RIS Media, and do many of the things on the list already but will try and implement some more. 101 ways to save!! Hope you find it useful.
Thursday, October 16. 2008
Here's a very good article from the Fond du Lac Reporter. it includes red flags on home inspections and home buying tips, staging and financing news. The article also happens to feature First Weber agent, Karen Jo Dobyns :) A few key points made are: Wisconsin buyers usually look for a home on their own, then contact a REALTOR for assistance. There's nothing wrong with that, but if you contact a REALTOR before you start looking, they mat be able to act as a buyer's agent for you. Buyer agents are a real benefit to buyers since they can provide information and negotiating on the buyer's behalf. Get preapproved. It makes sense to know who much you can afford or how much Wisconsin real estate you can buy. People with credit scores of 620 or better are getting loans. Thanks for the positive real estate article, Fond du Lac Reporter! We need to see more of that
Thursday, October 16. 2008
Wisconsin makes national news with lowest gas prices in the country for almost 2 hours. See whole article on msn.com. I would have like to have seen this gas station, swamped with people. (not to mention have had an conveniently empty gas tank at the time) Wouldn't want to have been the one to have made the mistake. Wondering if any of our readers were some of the lucky ones?
Thursday, October 16. 2008
Here's a couple of interesting tidbits from RIS Media and frontdoor.com Buyers are going green. Radiant floor heating, energy star rated appliances and on demand water heating units (want one of those! Someone used all the hot water all up at my house last night...) are gaining popularity with home buyers now. Promoting your home's energy efficiency is a hot button! Be sure to call attention to those selling points. "Flipping" is out. Buying and holding is in. Most people buy homes to live in, of course. But in the past there was a great deal of "buy, fix, sell for quick profit." RIS Media says, "Investors are taking advantage of current conditions, knowing that a down market is the best time to get a good deal." You know it is going to turn around. I've been working for First Weber Group for almost 20 years and this is the first down market I have experienced. Someday, we will look back and remember this time, maybe thinking "I should have bought!" Think about that now... and take action!
Thursday, October 16. 2008
From the Wisconsin Department of Revenue report: Wisconsin's housing market is expected to weather the currentmarket better than the rest of the country. Home prices in Wisconsin decreased 0.5% in the second quarter of 2008 when compared to the first quarter of 2008. But, home prices still are increasing year by year. For example, Wisconsin home prices rose 1% in the second quarter of 2008 versus the second quarter of 2007. Meanwhile, national home prices in that same time period dropped 1.7%. Wisconsin does have a higher rate of subprime mortgages in foreclosure (14.1%) versus a national average of 10.7%. Howewer, Wisconsin also has less sub prime mortgages in general. Wisconsin ranked 28th in the nation for foreclosures, with one out of 408 Wisconsin households in foreclosure. Nationwide, the statistic is one out of every 171 households. Ever wonder what the median home sale price in Wisconsin is? In the second quarter of 2008, it was $162,200. That is down 3% from the second quarter of 2007, but not down nearly as much as nationaide. Nationwide, during that same period of time, the median home sale price declined 7.6% For buyers, there is no better time to buy. The pricing situation is very favorable. There is money for loans, and while standards are higher there, that is a good thing. For sellers, homes will sell at the right price. The market sets the price. Work with your agent on any offer you get. Their job is to negotiate offers to a close. Work with them to make that happen!
Friday, October 10. 2008
Green home building is on the rise and many experts agree the energy efficient building practices are here to stay. Read whole article here at Wisconsin real estate magazine online. Existing homes may get green makeovers too. Some of these makeovers may appeal to home buyers so if you are remodeling or buying new applicances, you may want to pay attention to eco-friendly options. According the the article linked above, a green building will generally have one or more of these features: A feature that saves energy or water A feature that protects the natural features of the site Something to improve longevity, durability or heathiness of the site Use of low-impact materials and/or recycled materials to minimize waste Are you looking for a house or building and are green features important to you?
Tuesday, October 7. 2008
Milwaukee, Wisconsin has been in the news a bit lately - and it has been good news. Last week we wrote about being featured in Hemisphere Magazine, this week, Milwaukee was featured in the New York Times Travel section! 
The author, Maura Casey, praised modern day Milwaukee for it's famous art museum, parks, revitalized riverfront and riverwalk and sophisticated shopping. She also picked the things she thinks you should do when spending 36 hours in Milwaukee. Here is the link to the whole article. Interesting list. Would you add anything to the list? I would add - see a Brewer game at Miller Park. If you are thinking of relocating to the Milwaukee area, this article is a nice read. Working with a First Weber Relocation Specialist would get you a personal tour of our many neighborhoods!
Tuesday, October 7. 2008
A reader asked a question and you can too. She wanted to know the number of homes sold in the Wausau area in 2008. Ron Zahrt, a President of First weber Group in Wausau, provided the answer with data from the Central Wisconsin Multiple Listing Service. Wausau area single family home sales from 1/1/2008 - 10/5/2008 1034 homes were sold so far in 2008. Average sales price is $142,803. Average number of days on the market is 130 days. The median sales price in the Wausau area is $129,900. We hope that was helpful. If you have a question, please send us a note using the "ask a question" button on the top left of the screen.
Wednesday, October 1. 2008
From The Spirit of Milwaukee- Beginning today, October 1, passengers on all United Airlines flights across the world will get a great opportunity to become much more familiar with the Milwaukee region -- the "modern metropolis" on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Hemispheres, United Airlines' award-winning in-flight magazine, is featuring a 36 page spread on Milwaukee during the entire month of October. The Insight: Milwaukee feature combines traditional travel-related information with a comprehensive look at some of the economic influencers and industry sectors that shape the business landscapes and lifestyles in the region. Milwaukee will be featured on all United and United Express flights in October and online for the following year at www.hemispheresmagazine.com.
Story captions include: Ja, Milwaukee, Its accent is German, but this city speaks the world’s languages; Water, Water Everywhere, Lake Michigan and three rivers offer business opportunities and a place to play; Riding High, Milwaukee is rapidly diversifying from its traditional manufacturing base; Pick Your Passion, Indoor or outdoor, classical or the next big thing: you’ll find plenty to do here.
Hemispheres is seen monthly by more than 6 million business and leisure passengers traveling to over 210 destinations in 26 countries. Insight: Milwaukee positions the seven county region on a national and global scale as one of the best places to visit, live, work and prosper.
The good news is that you can read the entire spread on Milwaukee before you jump on that United Airlines flight by clicking here to get to the Hemispheres magazine.
VERY IMPORTANT -- When you click on the link you will be redirected to the Table of Contents page for the magazine. Click on the "Tabl e of Contents" tab on the bottom left-hand side of the page. You will then see at the bottom of the page three buttons. Click on the "Next" button and on the bottom left-hand side you will see the link to "Insight Milwaukee." Yes, it is a little clumsy to read online! You can also view pdfs of the stories at Hemisphere Magazine. Thank you for a great article! Always liked that slogan "A great place on a great lake"... wish they would bring it back.
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