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Tuesday, November 18. 2008
First Weber Group has talked about the First Time Buyer Tax Credit before here in this blog. And we don't want you to forget about this great opportunity, so here are 6 important facts you need to know. Read the entire article and details here from REALTOR.org and more about the tax credit here at the official website.
1. Buyers have until June 30, 2009 to make a purchase that qualifies (the tax credit site above also says until July 1, we chose to quote June 30 to be on the safe side) 2. Buyer's don't really have to be "first timers" Really? The REALTOR.org article states it is also available to an individual or household that hasn't owned a home for at least three years. 3. Even if buyers exceed the income limit, they can benefit from the cedit, in part. The article states that individuals making more than $75,000 and less than $95,000 (and Households up to $170,000) can take the credit on a reduced basis. 4. Think of the credit as an interest free loan. The Federal Government does require the money to be paid pack in small amounts over 15 years (although the National Association of REALTORS is pushing for the repayment requirement to be removed). Some have likened the credit to a 15 year interest-free loan to make home buying more affordable. 5. You do not need "authorization" before making a home purchase. Eligible buyers just need to claim the credit on their tax forms.
6. New home construction does qualify - but only if a primary residence. And in this special situation, the article states the "purchase date" is the first date the buyer occupies the home. Has this opportunity got you thinking about making your move to be a first time home buyer in Wisconsin? If so, please share.
Tuesday, November 18. 2008
Darla Rowley, an Accedited Home Staging Professional and owner of Impact! Interior Design Solutions, says residences should be furnished when they are on the market to fetch the best price and generate the most buyer interest. She notes that buyers cannot typically visualize their own furnishings in the home, and they are less likely to notice oddly shaped rooms if the house is furnished. Rowley said home stagers should be hired to determine where to place furniture and which items should be removed. She also encourages home sellers to leave vacant dwellings at normal temperature, keep up landcaping and lawns and ask someone to pick up any mail still coming to the house. Sellers forced to relocate due to their jobs can ask their companies to cover the cost of staging, as it often speeds up the sales process and thus reduces carrying costs and temporary housing expenses. Read the entire article by Darla Rowley here at the Realty Times.
Tuesday, November 4. 2008
Today you can vote for your choice of President of the United States. Please take the time to cast your vote! Voting is serious business. On the lighter side, you can also cast your vote here for the Ugliest House, the second annual contest run by HomeVestors. There's a chance to win a $10,000 debit card. You have until November 15 to cast this vote. I am not sure if "ulgiest house" is the right title. I thought maybe the pictures would show bad architecture, ugly decorating, but the house are just in serious disrepair. The first one I looked at was just disgusting. Unfortunately, one house is in Milwaukee...
Tuesday, November 4. 2008
Good news on national real estate. The National Association of REALTORS reported existing home sales were up 5.5% to a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.18 units in September 2008 versus 4.91 million in August. Sales are higher than they were this time last year. The housing inventory, or homes available for sale, fell to a 9.9 month supply, down from 10.6 months. This is the second consecutive month that inventorires have declined. The only "bad news" amidst these positive notes is the national median existing home price fell slightly to $191,600, down from a year ago when the media price was $210,500. Pay attention to these signs to buy!
Tuesday, November 4. 2008
We've been really busy with new marketing for 2009 and are excited for next year. If you are thinking of buying Wisconsin real estate, now is the time to start! It won't be a buyer's market forever... Take advantage of the lower prices in this current market!
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.
Tuesday, September 30. 2008
Granite falling out of favor?! Interesting article about what's the next big thing in countertops found at the zillow blog. I can imagine people remodeling now may be considering newer choices in addition to the popular granite but I can't imagine anyone scoffing at an existing kitchen with beautiful granite counters. At least not in Wisconsin, and not yet! What do you think?
Monday, September 29. 2008
Whistling Straights golf course in Kohler, Wisconsin has been named one of the 10 most beautiful golf courses by Forbes Traveller. The rugged beauty of this Lake Michigan waterfront course is obvious and Wisconsinites should be proud to have made the list. Have you ever played it? What is the most beautiful golf course in Wisconsin in YOUR Opinion?
Tuesday, September 23. 2008
2007 U.S. Census data reveals 75% of Wisconsin's current population (U.S. born) was born in Wisconsin. That ranks Wisconsin 7th nationally for the percentage of population that live in the state they were born. Once a Wisconsinite, always a Wisconsinite? I am one of them! My family is here - I can't see ever leaving for good. Of course we travel, but always come home. From the Journal Sentinel article on the census report: "I think people in Wisconsin are very down to earth and friendly," said Debra Usinger, the fourth generation of her family working at Usinger's Famous Sausage in Milwaukee. "There's a lot of common sense here. I love the change of seasons. The more snow the better, even though people like to complain about the weather. People feel such an identity and sense of place in Wisconsin. Why leave?" So if you are considering moving to Wisconsin, these stats are encouraging. We like it here and you may too. Read the whole article here.
Monday, September 22. 2008
Nice Q&A interview with First Weber President Bob Weber, by the Wisconsin State Journal. excerpt: Q: How has the internet and technology affected a Realtor's job? A: People have the ability to go online and research the inventory. When the buyers come in, they're much more informed and self-qualified. They have a good idea of what they want and how realistic it is to obtain. The Realtor's focus is on education and qualification to help them make the best decision.
After finding the right home and negotiating an accepted offer, a lot of effort goes into overcoming the bumps that are required to close. In today's world, there are simply more obstacles. It's a Realtor's job to get in there and mentor or sometimes negotiate to keep everything on track.
Technology also allows the agent to communicate more efficiently. They can promote themselves and they can promote their listings through sites like FirstWeber.com, national sites and agents' own personal sites.
Also Q: What's the market outlook over the next year and when do you believe it will bounce back?
A: There's no debate that we're off locally, only not to the degree we read about in the headlines. Our inventory's dropping a bit, which is always a good trend.
I'm probably as optimistic as anybody about the federal Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, which offers up to $7,500 in tax credits to first-time home buyers. At the very least, it's good news that there's something out there to stimulate people's interest. If we get interest from first-time buyers, then those that sell become second-time buyers.
I think this year we will probably end something similar to what it has been, maybe a slight improvement based on the tempo of what we see right now. My hope would be as we go into '09, that momentum will carry and by the end of '09 and into 2010, I think we'll be looking good. There are some pretty good signs of momentum.
Friday, September 19. 2008
What are the top five things you like about your residence? Dislike? Just curious. My answers would be: Like: 1. private backyard 2. tree lined street I am on 3. 2 way fireplace 4. screen porch 5. finished rec room with full bath, fireplace, craft room, workshop Dislike: 1. busy street with speeding drivers 2. living room has few possible furniture arrangements 3. carpet 4. little too small (or maybe I just have too much stuff) 5. shape of backyard What about you?
Thursday, September 18. 2008
To live on a lake is the dream of many Wisconsinites. There are so many lakes in Wisconsin, doing a snapshot of all of them could take years. So we're starting with some of the larger ones. Lake Winnebago... is huge...almost 138,000 acres and it has a maximum depth of 21 feet. Located in Fond du Lac county, there are just 18 single family homes for sale on Lake Winnebago right now, with a huge price range: $225,000 up to $899,000. Click here to do a property search by map for Lake Winnebago or you could also search here for a vacation property Did you know (I bet you didn't) that the Wisconsin state record yellow perch was caught in Lake Winnebago and weighed 3 lbs, 4 oz? Info courtesy of lakelink.com
Thursday, September 18. 2008
From Michael Theo, Vice President of Legal & Public Affairs, WRA and a Wisconsin Homeowners Alliance statewide survey: Attitudes about the Housing Market in Wisconsin Despite negative news about housing, Wisconsinites seem to know buyer have it good right now. 72% of those surveyed in a Wisconsin Homeowners Alliance survey said its a good time to buy a home. (44% say very good, 28 say good). Only 10% say it is somewhat bad and 17% say very bad. - Respondants also think Wisconsin''s real estate market is no worse, and possibly better than the national real estate market. Only 9% think Wisconsin is worse off. - 80% responded that they are not affected by the down market. 3% say their mortgage rates have gone up. 14% say their home value has gone down. Only 1% say they have experienced foreclosure. - 40% of those who took the survey responded that it is very likely or somewhat likely that they would be buying a home in the next three years. Overall those findings are positive. Here's hoping positive attitudes and some positive news may nudge more buyers to make the move. Don't forget about the first time buyer tax credit!! If you were surveyed, how would you answer?
Monday, September 15. 2008
While it is true it is a difficult time in real estate right now, it is also true that real estate has traditionally been a smart investment and builds personal wealth. The following statistics come from quarterly reports from the Metro Milwaukee Multiple Listing Service. In all counties, the average sales price shows an increase over since 2004, a relatively short period of time. (DOM means Days on Market) | County | 2008 year to date # Sold / Ave $ / DOM | 2004 # Sold / Ave $ / DOM | | Kenosha | 824 / $191,649 / 106 | 1323 / $170,252 / 70 | | Milwaukee | 3923 / $177,097 / 106 | 5645 / $149,728 / 59 | | Ozaukee | 383 / $319,707 / 123 | 649 / $282,144 / 102 | | Racine | 956 / $178,078 / 118 | 1322 / $160,990 / 59 | | Sheboygan | 532 / $163,383 / 108 | 684 / $143,288 / 86 | | Walworth | 477 / $295,563 / 142 | 917 / $226,988 / 114 | | Washington | 651 / $215,163 / 117 | 872 / 214,512 / 79 | | Waukesha | 1934 / $282,993 / 101 | 2464 / $273,413 / 66 |
I would love to be a first time buyer out there right now. There are great properties priced so right - plus there is the first time buyer tax credit - available only for a limited time! Don't kick yourself and miss out. The credit is good through purchases made by July 9th, 2009. I can just imagine how busy the closing department will be on that day! Since it takes a few months to find a house, apply for a mortgage and prepare for closing, why not get started now? You can look anonymously at thousands of properties acorss the state at firstweber.com - even get listings sent via email. If you are not ready to contact an agent right now, at least start looking so you can jump in when ready to call or email us. We are proud to say firstweber.com features not just our listings, but listings all across the state in 5 MLS systems. It is a great place to start!
Monday, September 15. 2008
When you hear national news of soaring forclosures, do you think Wisconsin is in the same boat? Although Wisconsin foreclosures are up, 3 states account for more than half the foreclosures in the United States. This is an insightful article on the subject.
Tuesday, September 9. 2008
When you look at listings online, are multiple pictures/tours important to you? Will you even bother clicking into a property that only has one picture?
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