Calum's Blog: Misc.

Having trouble selling your house? A little ancient wisdom might help – and it certainly won’t hurt.   Feng Shui Front Door Tips Any Realtor can tell you that most houses are sold before the buyers ever step through the front door. We talk about “curb appeal”. Feng shui consultants talk about making your house welcoming to chi. Many of the tips that feng shui consultants will give you to help your home seem more welcoming are similar to those that Realtor’s will suggest to increase your home’s curb appeal. Don’t be surprised if these sound a little familiar.  

The walkway to your front door should be well marked and uncluttered.

Paint your front door, and polish the metal hinges and hardware. Wood and metal are two of the important…

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Given the current state of the mortgage industry, the days of no money down and poor credit loans are all but gone. With that in mind I just completed a series of good articles on my Tampa Real Estate Blog with information on building your credit score and saving for a down payment.

The first article, The Credit Fixer Upper – 6 Ways to Improve Your Credit Score, provides practical advice on how to improve a poor credit score. Learn how to get a free copy of your credit report, dispute errors on your credit report, lower your debt ratios, negotiate with creditors, and much more.

If you’re just starting out and trying to build a credit score, the second article, Keeping Your Credit Score Healthy and Fit, will help you build a great credit score. Learn how…

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There is a good article in today’s Wall Street Journal on the Libor, London interbank offered rate. Why should you be concerned? Many adjustable rates mortgages (ARM) here in the U.S. are indexed to the Libor and despite the Federal Reserve’s recent cut in short term rates, the Libor has continued to rise. The article gives a great explanation on why the Libor has continued to rise and what the consequences might be. If you have an ARM that’s indexed to the Libor, it’s definitely worth reading. Read the full article here Why Libor Defies Gravity. Read Full Post

Say hello to Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dean, Erin and all their friends. If this year proves to be as active a hurricane season as the meteorologists predict, you could well be on a first name basis with them soon. While it’s probably impossible to completely hurricane-proof your home, there are some steps that you can take to lessen the damage your home is likely to sustain.  

Inspect your home.

FLASH (Federal Alliance for Safe Homes) offers a DIY Wind Inspection checklist with step by step instructions. Download it, print it out and spend a Saturday afternoon checking your home for vulnerabilities to the high winds. The more you know, the better you can prepare yourself. After you’ve identified problems, figure out which you can fix yourself… Read Full Post

In January, Florida voters will decide whether or not to approve the new amendment to the constitution proposed by the Senate. Under the amendment, Florida’s Amendment 10 – the Save Our Homes amendment – will be phased out and its place taken by a “super-exemption” which will also replace Florida’s $25,000 homestead exemption. Before you decide how to vote, it may be useful to figure out how you’d benefit under the new super-exemption.   Under the Super-exemption, homesteaders will have the option to retain their current Save Our Homes assessment cap or to take the super exemption. New homes and resale homes will be subject to the super exemption, without the option for Save Our Homes. Since part of the problem with Save Our Homes is that the assessment… Read Full Post

If your home has been on the market for several weeks with no offers, you may be tempted to toss in a little incentive or lower your asking price. In the current market, “buyer incentives” have been attracting a lot of attention. The incentives we’ve heard of recently include big screen HDTVs, motorboats, cruises and even new cars. Should you consider tossing in a buyer’s incentive to get your home moving?   Before you waste money on “buyer incentives”, consider other ways that money could be spent to much better effect. The very best buyer incentive is a beautiful, well-kept home that captures a prospective buyer’s heart at first sight. Instead of offering expensive “goodies” in the hopes that a buyer will overlook the lackluster backyard, use the money… Read Full Post