What will you be doing in Ten years?

As 2009 comes to an end it also is the beginning of a new decade of our lives.  The past ten years have been filled with all sorts of newsworthy things in our world. We've seen the best in humanity and the worst in humanity.  The year 2000 came with all it's perceived baggage as Y2K was the huge scare and the end of the world projections were abundant.  It also marked the beginning of a new chapter of our lives in the Williams household as my son Connor was born in March 2000. 

2001 was of course marred by the September 11 attacks.  It was a moment in time that we can all say what we were doing when it happened.  We were reminded of it's realities just this week as another attempt on an airline happened.

This post is not, however, about what was, but rather what will be.  Back in 2000 did you make goals? Did you have hopes for what the next ten years would look like?  How'd you do?  Can you look back over the past 10 years and say, "wow, I am exactly where I want to be." or did you miss your mark? 

What will the next ten years look like for you?  What do you hope to accomplish over the next decade?  Will you move closer to your dreams or will they forever be just dreams?  I'm looking forward to the next ten years.  I turn 40 in January and I have some definate plans that I want to accomplish prior to reaching my 50th birthday.  In the next ten years my daughter will have entered college and graduated and maybe gotten married.  My son will be in college and I will have been married for almost 30 years.

Oh yeah, I have some big dreams that I want to accomplish before all that happens.  I believe so do you. 

Happy New Year and Happy New Beginnings!

scott

Yard signs are significant advertising~

Realty Five of Defiance Team prides ourselves in our mass marketing skills...we reach thousands of potential buyers through our Internet marketing program!! Did you know aside from the Internet, yard signs are the second most visible way to get the message out to buyers letting everyone know your house is for sale? For that reason we spent a great deal of time designing our yard signs… We understand our yard signs are a very important & attractive piece of advertising for you and the sale of your home!

 

Call, click or email us...we would love to bring our yard signs over to your house along with explaining our mass marketing program & our “We choose to give” program. Let Realty Five of Defiance get your home on the way to a SOLD house!

New home owner Jo Richardson chooses her "Charity of Choice"

Realty Five of Defiance celebrates with Jo Richardson as she purchases her home on Latty St. here in Defiance; our Team at Realty Five follows a business philosophy of “We choose to give" offering our buyers and sellers 5% of our Real Estate Transaction to be donated to there "Charity of Choice" thus allowing us to "give back to our community" Jo has a big heart for the Boy Scouts, three of her grandsons has joined long time troop leader Charlie Duerk of Troop 75... Realty Five of Defiance gladly offered our donation to a very humble and grateful leader of 88 Eagle Scouts! It has been our pleasure to assist Jo in her home buying experience and a real treat to meet Charlie who started Boy Scout Troop 75 back in 1956...

Pictured is: Jo Richardson; buyer, Karol Yeager; Realty Five of Defiance presenting a check to Charlie Duerk of Boy Scout Troop 75. CONGRATULATIONS we love to give!

If you or someone you know wants to sell or purchase Real Estate please send them our way, we love referrals and it is that much more giving we can do!!!

Your Realty Five of Defiance Team, Scott, Dawn & Karol.
Together we can continue to "give back to our community"

Beware of FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS 6 way's to avoid getting scamed

Beware of Foreclosure Rescue Scams - Help Is Free!


1) Beware of anyone who asks you to pay a fee in exchange for a counseling service or modification of a delinquent loan.

2) Scam artists often target homeowners who are struggling to meet their mortgage commitment or anxious to sell their homes. Recognize and avoid common scams.

3) Assistance from a HUD-approved housing counselor is FREE.  http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/fc/

4) Beware of people who pressure you to sign papers immediately, or who try to convince you that they can “save” your home if you sign or transfer over the deed to your house.

5) Do not sign over the deed to your property to any organization or individual unless you are working directly with your mortgage company to forgive your debt.

6) Never make a mortgage payment to anyone other than your mortgage company without their approval.


  Last but not least: If it is to good to be true, it probably is!! Always feel free to call or email anyone on the Realty Five of Defiance team with questions and or concerns!! We are members of The National Association of Realtors which provides us with an awesome web site full of detailed information at our finger tips; we will gladly do what we can to help you.

Christmas lights a tradition for many~

When you take an evening drive in and around Defiance, you will have the pleasure of seeing some very festive and cheerful Christmas lights! From Santa to Frosty to a Manger Scene the Holiday Spirit is in abundance for all to enjoy... Cathy & Larry Berkemeier’s front porch on Washington St. is a joyful site indeed!

Send me your jpg photo and I will gladly post your Christmas display on Realty Five of Defiance web site/blog & Facebook fan page…  email: karol@realtyfive.com

I just might see you around town checking out the Christmas displays! Karol

New Building Lot Available

Here it is our newest listing. It's a great buildable lot located in the heart of Sherwood, Ohio. All the utilities are easily accessible and on a paved road. If you've been thinking of building a home in Sherwood, here's the lot you've been waiting for. You can get more information here.

Give us a call or go to http://www.realtyfive.com/

American Soldiers

Share the holiday spirit with service men around the world!
If you know a service member, send a care package to them for the holidays; but if you don't know a service member and still want to support them, log onto www.anysoldier.com which sends items as well as care packages to soldiers around the world.
A $25 donation,Operation USO Care package sends a care package and a personal note to a randomly selected service member. The website address is www.militarycarepackages.net
Also www.soldierangels.org has a whole list of ways to help with things like blankets, emergency travel assistance, homemade treats, scarves, letters and even care packages for the wounded. Help us do our part for the loving young men and women who are keeping our country safe and free! Every man and women out there is someones child that is held dear to their hearts. In the busy world that we live in ,it's so easy that "out of sight ,out of mind "can happen and lets make it right this Christmas!!
Sincerely Dawn Carpenter

Defiance County Habitat for Humanity Re-Store

Habitat for Humanity of Defiance County announces the OPENING of ther very own

Re-Store of Northwest Ohio

The Re-Store is newly & gently used recycled items from your home donated to there organization for Re-Sale to the public... making this a win win situation for the entire community!

December hours: Open Tuesday - Saturday 10am to 5pm

Located at: 919 Grover St. Defiance (formerly Zeller's Furniture)

Ph.# 419.782.2172

Christmas items, Decorations, Ornaments at BIG DISCOUNT PRICES!

Register to win a $1000 Sears Gift Card and a $25 Mejier Gift Card...

for more information visit http://www.habitatdefco.org/

Congratulations Habitat for Humanity from the Realty Five of Defiance Real Estate Team!!

www.realtyfive.com

Congress explains homebuyer tax credit extension...

Dear Mrs. Yeager,

Thank you for contacting me with your support for retaining the first-time homebuyer tax credit. In order to make sound voting decisions, I need to hear from the constituents in the Fifth Congressional District. I appreciate you taking the time to contact mewith your thoughts on this issue, as I know how important it is to you.

As you know, the first-time homebuyer tax credit that was created by the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, and extended in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was set to expire on November 30,2009. The credit is based on 10% of the purchase price of the principal residence and may result in as much as an $8,000 credit. On November 6,2009, the President signed H.R. 3548, the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009, into law. This bill passed the House on November 4, with my support, by a vote of 403-12, and extends the$8000 first-time homebuyer tax credit to April 30, 2010. Additionally,the provision includes a $6,500 credit to current homeowners who have owned their residence at least 5 years and wish to purchase another home. Finally, H.R. 3548 raises the income limits for eligibility from$75,000 to $125, 000 for a single purchaser and $125,000 to $225,000 for a couple. Should any additional legislation regarding the housing market come to the House Floor for a vote, please be assured that I will keep your thoughts and views in mind. It is my great honor to serve as your Member of Congress and it is my number one priority to represent you and the best interests of the Fifth Congressional District. Please do not hesitate to call, write, ore-mail me in the future with any of your concerns or questions. For federal-related issues, you may reach my Washington, D.C. office byphone at (202) 225-6405, or my District office at (800) 541-6446 for constituent services. I encourage you to visit my website at http://latta.house.gov/ where you can sign up for my e-newsletter and text message updates. The website also provides links to my YouTube,Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr pages, as well as my blog, the Latta Letter, all of which will help bring my work in Washington, D.C. home toyou.

Sincerely,
Bob LattaMember of Congress

SOLD!

It didn't take long for someone to realize how much a difference a real estate company can make.  Pictured above is Suzanne, a truly wonderful person, who has the distinguishing title of being the very first person to close on a home with our new company.  Not only did she choose us to be her real estate representatives but she blessed us by purchasing Mark and Holly's house, one of our listings, thus giving us our first listing sold too!

Exciting News:

Because we represented both the buyer and the seller in this transaction we are able to donate 5% of our gross commissions from both parties thus giving a total of 10% away to two of our local charitable organizations.  5% will  go to Global Outreach Ministries located at 602 Clinton St. here in Defiance and the other 5% is going to Tiana's Shining Hope, a fund set up to help out Tiana Bishop a local 9 year-old girl who was diagnosed in June with a rare form of cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma.  The fund will help offset some of the medical bills her family is incurring. If you want to contribute to her fund you can send checks to: Tiana's Shining Hope, in care of First Federal Bank 601 Clinton St. Defiance, OH 43512, or contact Tonya Retcher at 419-428-2406.

Thank you Suzanne, Mark and Holly for "Choosing to give" and choosing Realty Five of Defiance as your real estate team.  We truly appreciate it!

If you work for or know of any charities who could use our help with funding, help us find people who are looking to buy or sell real estate.  Together we can make a difference.

Your Realty Five Team,

~Scott, Dawn and Karol

New Building Lot Available on Kiser Road

Now Available 2.5 wonderful acres just on the edge of town ready for you to build your dream house on.  Several people have taken advantage of this area of town with it's closeness to town and it's country flair.  It really is a great lot to build on.  Head down Kiser Road and take a look at it today!

~ Scott

Nine Consecutive Gains for Pending Home Sales

According to the National Association of Realtors pending home sales have risen for nine months in a row, a first for the series of the index since its inception in 2001.

The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in October, increased 3.7 percent to 114.1 from 110.0 in September, and is 31.8 percent above October 2008 when it was 86.6. The rise from a year ago is the biggest annual increase ever recorded for the index, which is at the highest level since March 2006 when it was 115.2.


It is believed that the historic low interest rates and the home buyer tax credits are contributing to the increase.  Eventually, the inventory will begin to stabalize and decrease.  When this happens we should expect home prices to begin gaining traction.

If you are still on the fence about buying a home, you might want to jump off as the indicators are pointing to smaller inventories, higher prices, higher interest rates and the disappearance of the tax rebates by the middle of 2010.

INDIGO,

My husband Bob and I went small town shopping in Defiance today! I’m sure you’ve all heard of Indigo, this uniquely glamorous shop has a lot to offer, starting with friendly service, as soon as we entered we were greeted! The owner made us feel right at home. The service was impeccable, friendly and I knew this was a store that I would frequently visit. We small talked, shopped and checked out all there packages. Spa treatments, acupuncture, massage, and yoga+ Pilates. Any of these would be great x-mas gifts for that someone special in your life (hint, hint) Bob, you do read my blogs right? lol
Dawn

Fort Defiance Antiques

I entered this shop in search of something you cant find at your usual department stores! It was a step back in time. I found myself remembering my childhood, old dolls, barbies, fine china, and seeing things that were always at grandmas house, a great memory. This store features many, “New looking Items,” that have a wonderful history to them. They were all loved by someone at sometime and would like to be cherished again! Some amazing furniture picks also and priced to sell. Stop by and have a look for yourself. Defiance has a lot to offer. Make your gift this year unique and not mass marketed! This is your chance to beat the massive crowds. Have fun on Black Friday ..
Dawn

Four All Seasons

I would have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by this classy, tucked away store.
It is as I would call it a one stop shop. It has various items to choose from all very unique and enjoyable to browse. As soon as I opened the door I smelled this amazing fragrance it was a candle called Hot Maple Toddy, it smelled so great I had to buy one. I must say I’ve never been so pleased with a candle; it made the entire house smell delicious within minutes. They also had an enormous amount of merchandise displayed very well I couldn’t stop shopping! Seasonal items, floral arrangements, pictures, country décor, and so much more. I had a great conversation with Connie and Dale. Normally Connie is on her own but today she had brought her husband Dale in and put him to work! He was having a great time pricing the new merchandise and saved the day. Great job Dale, way to step up! Connie was very sweet and helpful, I’m so glad I stopped in. I would have missed out on some great low priced gifts if I had passed on by this one!
Needless to say my husband and I enjoyed shopping there and left with smiles on our faces, bags in our hands, and many awesome gifts, some for myself of course, but overall I would definitely recommend this unique shop to all my friends and relatives! If your gonna be up town Defiance Add this one to your shopping list the store is located at 316 Clinton, right downtown! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!
Dawn

October Highest Sales in two years

It was just announced this morning that the sale of existing homes jumped 10.2% last month.  It is assumed that most of that had to do with the ending of the first time home buyer's tax credit.  However, that credit was extended until next summer plus there was the addition of the tax credit for existing home owners. 

I would suggest that if you are considering taking advantage of the tax credits that are available to not wait until the end for a couple of reasons.  1) The more people who wait, the higher demand for the houses toward the end thus providing less choice of homes and potential higher prices.  2) The more buyers in a particualar time frame, the harder it is for the houses to get closed on time because the lenders and others involved get back logged.

Just some thoughts for you to think about. 
scott

List your home during the Holiday Season?

I have mixed feelings about listing homes during the Holidays here in N.W.Ohio...
Who is out house shopping at Christmas time? Who is out in the cold rain and snow looking at houses let a lone buying one? Who has the time do add house shopping in the middle of baking, cooking, wrapping visiting friends and family...it is just plane busy, busy, busy time of the year!!!
On the other hand... that is a lot of busy people out and about in their neighborhoods and communities who just might see your yard sign amongst the the snowman and Santa out front...
If buyers are looking at homes in November and December I can just about bet they are serious buyers so you need to be prepared for them to come on in!
When your home is on the market in N.W. Ohio during the winter months take extra caution at your front and back doors... be sure to remove snow and ice. 1) so there is no slipping and falling 2) prevent the weather conditions from coming in doors on shoes and boots...always keep your entry ways clean and clear!
Have area rugs just inside the door allowing buyers to wipe off there wet snowy boots! After all you cleaned your floors for the showing right???
List your home during the Holidays? You betcha!

Black friday

Wow, Thanksgiving will be here before you know it! and as always those great after thanksgiving sales. Are you ready for all the stampedes in the we hours of the morning? well if thats not your cup of tea, then their may be an alternative. I was on blackfriday.com yesterday and many of the sales are going to be available online. That would be awesome!! also they may go on for two days to a week to help crowd control. I hope everyone who is brave enough to go out will be safe and careful. good luck to all of you and I hope you get all the deals you really want. Don't eat too much turkey!!lol
Dawn

New Home Search Tool on Website

It's been a little bit of a battle for us to get our home search tool up and running on our website, but it is finally there.  It's a powerful tool in the hand of any person who is looking to purchase or even sell a home.  With it a person can look at all the homes in Northwest Ohio that are listed by any agency who uses the Toledo Multiple Listing Service (That's litterally thousands of homes at your fingertips). The homes can be saved in a file then the person can receive emails when there are changes to the house and when other houses match their search criteria.  This is helpful for both buyers and sellers.  Buyers benefit for the obvious reasons for searching for homes, but sellers can get an idea of homes on the market and what is happening with homes that are comparible to theirs.

There are several search options available including map searches and address searches.

Go ahead and spend some time on the site and see what you can find.  I think you'll be impressed with our search tool and will quickly appreciate it.

Thanks,
scott

Unbelievable interest rates!

I chatted with two mortgage lenders today, they are both shouting about there low interest rates... if I was a loan officer I would be shouting too! I'm a Real Estate Agent and I guess I want in on the "shouting worthy good news"



Visit these two web sites to see the rates in detail, they are the real deal! Some are under 4.87

www.pncmortgage.com/cliffruggles

http://www.thebank-sbt.com/

Wouldn't be interesting to see what interest rates were 10-20-30 years ago? Anyone have the answer? I'm curious to know if we are in a history making event regarding the rates when getting a mortgage loan today verses years ago...

Again we at Realty Five erg buyers to get on board, we want to help you find home ownership while the rates are at there best!!

Defiance area is coming up Christmas...

Busy week end in Defiance with a busy week ahead... getting ready for the Holidays is no small event in N.W. Ohio!

Downtown Defiance boast several unique shops loaded with gift giving ideas along with home decor for the Holidays that are simply beautiful!! I was lucky enough to join my sisters and enjoy a few Christmas Open Houses full of wonderful aromas and atmosphere of the Holiday Season~ It was a fun week-end filling me with a early spirit of the season!

"Memories of Christmas" is this years theme for the 11th annual "Festival of Trees" sponsored by The State Bank and Trust Co. & Reliance Financial Services. Festival of Trees will be held again this year at The Eagles Aerie 372 on E. Second St. in Defiance, be sure to visit this week before the magic is gone until next years big event. I'm certain The Volunteer Connection greatly appreciates your participation!
For more information call The Volunteer Connection 419.782.3212

4.875% 30 Year Fixed Conventional Loan

I thought you'd like to know. I was talking with a mortgage lender last night and she told me that a 30 year fixed rate conventional loan was at 4.875% yesterday. That's AWESOME! If you own a home and aren't planning on moving you might want to consider refinancing. If you are thinking about buying a home then now is the time!!!! This rate combined with the fist time homebuyer tax credit of $8,000 or the homebuyer credit of $6500, makes buying a home or even selling a home right now ideal. There are even programs in our area that you can buy the home with zero down and have no PMI and still get that rate and the rebates! If you're even considering buying, contact us and we can give you more details about all this.

Thanks,




scott

A NEW TRADITION

Bob and I decided today to start a new winter tradition. Instead of hibernating all winter ,when it is cold as ice out we are going to go small town hoppin!!  lol  We will be visiting all the local small town and businesses to see what makes you unique. A great excuse to shop and find some great bargains too. We hope we will make many new friends and we will keep you posted on whatever it is we find new and exciting. We hope you'll drop by our blog just to find a new place to shop or visit! let me know if I can help you with any Real Estate questions.  til next time...    Dawn Carpenter

Christmas Open Houses already?

Did November sneak up on me or what? This week end in N.W. Ohio there are several Christmas Open Houses! Everywhere from the Old Red Barn to downtown Defiance with it's several unique shops we are seeing Christmas lights and displays popping up every where! Did October really come and go that fast??? It seems we were just at The Defiance High School for there annual Band Spectacular a few week ends ago... By the way the marching bands were awesome, Thanks Mrs. Booth!!

No way can anyone possibly be bored living in the Defiance area, this week end is stocked full of fun and Christmas excitement! Grab someone you Love and enjoy November:)

YTD Market Stats for the Defiance Area

Here are the market stats for the Defiance area this year from January 1 through November 8, 2009.  These statistics are only for areas that would be considered Defiance, Ohio.  If you would like stats for your particular area, just let me know and I can get them to you.

Total Homes Listed: 427
Avg. List Price: $109,209
Total Sold Units: 206
Avg. Sold Price: $94,456
Avg. Days on Market: 154

I will try and keep this up-to-date for you every week so you will have a better picture of what's happening in our market.

Thanks and have a great week!
scott

5 things to know when writing up a offer on foreclosure properties~

When attempting to purchase a foreclosure property there is some information you will need to know before you write up your offer on the property!


1) The bank or the seller loves cash deals.


2) The bank or the seller loves no inspections.

3) The bank or the seller loves quick closings.

4) The bank or the seller will put priority to a home owner buyer before a investor buyer.

5) The bank or seller will require Earnest Money with your offer to purchase, $500 to $1000 will be expected although sometimes the bank will require 10% of the purchase price.

Give us a call, email or text we know how to make your purchase contract strong so the bank/seller chooses your offer! We can help you or someone you know buy a foreclosure property with as much ease as possible.

Foreclosure homes are in most neighborhoods these days...

Are you or someone you know interested in purchasing a foreclosure property?



The banks have rules and they expect all of us to follow them! Our Real Estate Team knows what the banks want and we know how to get you what you want...



First: The banks do not want to be in the business of selling Real Estate.

Second: The banks want a sold home along with a new mortgage.

Third: They want you to buy As Is properties from them.



When purchasing a foreclosure house you will need to understand that the house is being stamped with "as is" all over it... therefor once you have a offer that the bank has agreed to, a Home Inspection is in your best interest because the bank will have you sign pages and pages of what they call "addendum's" which is spelled out in a hundred different ways that you will be buying there home"as is" so the home inspectors report is basically "for your information only" that way you will be well aware of repairs that may need taken care of either immediately or in the future. We have negotiated with banks and have successfully got them to do major repairs and pay for the repairs such as Furnace/Heating and Plumbing work... it doesn't happen every time but it is well worth the effort to negotiate repair work on our buyers behalf!

Before buying call, text, email or contact us on Facebook we will gladly answer your questions about purchasing a foreclosure property.

Marketing has made some HUGE changes, I've come along way baby!

For as long as I can remember I have enjoyed marketing! 22 years ago I was a Advertising Representative for The Defiance Crescent News, our local N.W. Ohio daily paper... I loved newspaper advertising, selling it and creating it. The rush of a daily deadline found at the newspaper office is hard to replace!

Jump ahead 22 years later... Social Media has exploded right before my very eyes! Web Sites, Links, Blogging, Widgets, Video Open Houses it is not only exciting & necessary but needed to be successful TEAM in today's world of Real Estate. No longer is placing a ad in your local newspaper the only way to reach buyers and or readers!

Over the past 5 years I have spent a portion of my time on Continuing Education & Business Conferences where I have learned up to date industry news... including my introduction to Active Rain, a Real Estate Networking/Blog Web Site. At the time I was introduced to it I didn't even know what a blog was let a lone join a Real Estate Network full of them! Now I get on Active Rain and stay here till wee hours of the morning soaking up all that I can about Real Estate Marketing & the best ways to reach our buyers and sellers in today's most up to date medias... but not forgetting nothing will replace a hand written Thank You note or a friendly hand shake at the closing table...Learning this social media information and Internet marketing is a never ending class room isn't it???

16213 SR 111, Cecil OH

Here's our newest listing.  It's a comfortable 3 bedroom home in the country with neighbors.  Best of both worlds!  16213 SR 111, Cecil Ohio 45879.  Go to our website and see more pictures and information.
http://www.realtyfive.com/

Tax Credit Extention

President Obama is expected to sign into law today the newly extended and expanded tax credit for home buyers. The most interesting addition to the credit is the new credit to existing home owners who want to purchase a new home. The National Association of Realtors website that highlights the differences between the last one and the new one. You can get a pdf download at www.realtor.org




I've been looking forward to this new extention of the credit as there are many people who have been on the fence about moving from their current home to buy a new one. This credit may be the thing that helps them with a little of the loss in equity they have faced over the past couple of years.







Best of luck!



Scott

Two New Listings

We have two new listings to report today.  The first one is a $17,000 investor special.  This house needs lots of love!  It's 315 N. Wilhelm St., Holgate, OH  Here are some outside picts for you to get an idea of what this house has to offer.  The right person can transform this into a nice rental.

 

The second listing is raw farm land waiting for the next crop to be planted.  This property is a little over 8 acres in Henry County on CR. 19

Well that's it for today.  I have another listing for tomorrow.  Hope you have a great day.

Scott

Three Cord

We all traveled to the big town of Archbold today!!! we visited Three Cord . If your wondering what Three Cord is they printed our Realty signs, Made coats and t-shirts for us also. This was a great experience to see how these things were created and was very interesting.They also have a store there that you can purchase clothing and misc too. They were very friendly and nice peolple to work with and we look forward to doing more business with them in the future. Hope you enjoyed this blog its my first one!!! Take Care Dawn Carpenter

Halloween Parade

We had a great time at this year's Halloween parade. Here are a couple of pictures of us and our decorated cart.  We ended up running out of candy and passing out all 500 of our flyers.  We didn't have enough for the whole crowd.  We'll plan differently for next year.  I just want to say thanks for all of you who cheered us on and continue to support us. 

scott

Happy Halloween

Our first whole week in business has been absolutely crazy, but good.  We stayed extremely busy trying to don the "normal" things you would need to do in a real estate company, but had to also do the things that don't happen except when you open one.

We finally received 11 yard signs today.  We ordered 20 that were supposed to be here on Tuesday, but it all worked out just fine.  Jeri, our sales rep, has been working real hard trying to get things done for us.  Anyway, we placed our signs in the yards of the three listings we have and they really look sharp. 

Tomorrow night is the annual Halloween parade here in Defiance.  We have a cart all decked out and ready to go.  It's a big deal here.  If the weather cooperates there will be a few thousand people there.  I can't think of a better way to start getting out the news that we are open than our parade.  We'll be the talk of the town as people try and figure out who we are.  We made 500 flyers to pass out and I have to give big props to Hill Top Printing as they pulled off a small miracle today in getting them done for us.  I'd recommend them if you need something done.

I'll post after we get the pictures from the parade and I think you'd agree our cart looks GREAT!  Dawn and Brittney Carpenter worked on it for several hours yesterday.  Thanks you two!

If not too busy tomorrow night, come out to the parade and say hi.  We'd love to see ya.
scott

Realtyfive.com Is Up and Running

It took some time and effort but our website is finally up and running.  It's only running on about 70% of what I would like it to be doing but we couldn't wait forever. 

The site's address is http://www.realtyfive.com/.  I hope you mark it as one of your favorites and visit it often if nothing else than just to see what the changes are.

If you subscribe to this blog, the Realty Five Fan Page on Facebook or to our Twitter page you can receive the updates as soon as they happen.

The team is going to be sharing posting duties on this blog and you will soon be hearing from Dawn Carpenter and Karol Yeager.  I feel blessed to have them as part of the team and am looking forward to our future.  If you want to see our new pictures you can see them on our Facebook Fan Page.  I think they turned out great. (Thanks Bob!)

Oh yeah, this post is supposed to be about our website.  When you visit it you may be asking, "where's the home search tool?"  Well, it wasn't forgotten it was just delayed.  As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, the Toledo Board of Realtors is in the process of getting a new multiple listing service for us.  Because of that, we are stuck in the transition and cannot get the search tool until they get transitioned over.  When we do, however, we have a great home search tool that we will be implementing on the site.  I think you will really like it.

Anyway, take the website for a spin and let me know what you think.  I'm looking for imput and ways to make it better. 

Thanks,

Scott

623 Henry St., Defiance, Ohio

Here is our third listing this week. It's a wonderful 2 story home on a dead in street. This home has a lot of room and many updates. You can see more of the house and all the pictures of it by visiting our website www.realtyfive.com.

We would love to show you this home in person if you would like to see it contact me at scott@realtyfive.com

2nd Listing

110 Main St. Defiance, OH 43512

Here's the second of many new listings to come!  This house has lots of updates and is in move in ready condition.  It has new siding and fresh paint.  To see all the details go here.

Have questions contact me at scott@realtyfive.com

Our First Listing

134 Main St. Defiance, Ohio

Well here it is, our very first listing with our new company.  This is a nice 2 bedroom home with original woodtrim, hardwood floors, a full basement, new windows and siding.  It's a nice opportunity to get started in or downsized.  You can see more here.

If you have questions contact me at scott@realtyfive.com

 

Now Open

I'm certain that some of you have been wondering what's been going on with this blog and me. First, if you haven't noticed, I've changed the name of it to Realty Five Blog. I've done so because I have opened up a new real estate brokerage here in Defiance named appropriately, Realty Five of Defiance.




I'll try and answer some of your questions that I've been asked by others who have already heard the news. First, we are located at 23257 Watson Rd. in Defiance. We have secured some office space above Kristi's Kanine Kuts the dog grooming shop. It's out of town a little, but that's ok as we are not really planning on bringing clients to our office as we are going to try and be as mobile as possible. In addition to our "home base" we have secured office space at the Defiance location of Sherwood State Bank. When we need to meet with a client in town we can meet there. Other than that we will be meeting in people's homes and at showing appointments. It's actually quite functional.



The second question I've heard was how come you left Butler Mohr GMAC? I left Butler Mohr GMAC for only one reason and that was to open up my own company. When I originally contracted in, I discussed with the owners that I would be eventually opening up my own real estate company and now is that time. Butler Mohr GMAC is a good company and they were always good to me.



The third question is who is joining you? Joining me is two great real estate sales agents Dawn Carpenter and Karol Yeager. Both have several years of real estate experience and have a lot to offer clients and a real estate company. I feel blessed to have them as teammates.



Fourth, what's the "Five" stand for? There have been all kinds of guesses as to where the "five" comes from. The main thing it represents is our team. Real estate sales agents are predominantly on there own when it comes to real estate. The are considered "independent contractors" so, they are in all reality in competition with all the other agents in the market area including those within their own company. The "five" represents a team concept where we work together as a team. We are not in competion with each other for clients, instead we work together for each client. We feel we can accomplish much more as a team than any one agent can accomplish alone.



"Five" also represents our philosophy of giving. We feel it is our responsibility to be active participants in our community and to make it a better place. In order to help accomplish that we choose to give 5% of all of our gross commissions to the charity of our client's choice. We figure that our clients are passionate about helping others and we want to help them help others.



What's next? Well, unfortunately, we've run into a couple snags with our website. The main one is that we will not be able to have all the market area listings on our site right away because the local multiple listing service is switching over to a new company and we just happened to catch the middle of the switch. Because we've been waiting on this service our website has been in a holding pattern. Now we'll get it up this week, but without the search tool for now. We will, however have a great home search tool coming as soon as the switch is made. I can hardly wait, but we have to be patient.



Other than that we are getting our office in order and have begun getting some listings in place. I will post about them here shortly.



Keep watching as the excitement is just beginning.







scott

Possible Tax Credit Extention

Being reported today is the possibility that the $8,000 tax credit will be extended.  As you know per my previous post the tax credit is set to expire on December 1, 2009.  Well, some senate leaders are trying to get the program revived and extended until June 2010.  The new proposal, however, calls for the tax credit to be extended to all home buyers not just first time homebuyers and would also increase the income requirements for those who qualify. 

Just remember, none of this is final yet and if you had planned on buying a home this year and you are a first time homebuyer then you had better get moving as time is running out on the current tax credit.

I'll try and keep you posted on any new developments.

Scott

Time is Running Out!

If you haven't owned a home in the past three years and you've been thinking about getting one, you better act fast!  The $8,000 tax rebate is going to expire on December 1, 2009.  Good things eventually end and this is one of them.  You say you haven't heard about this.  Well, our rich uncle, Uncle Sam, decided to stimulate home purchases so he set it up for people to get a tax rebate for purchasing a home.  The rebate is in cash and is 10% of the purchase price of the home up to $8,000.  A buyer has to be a first time homebuyer as defined as someone who hasn't owned a home in the past 3 years. 

Don't wait any longer time is of the essence.  If you have questions just ask your favorite real estate agent.

Where's The Money?

Have you ever been at a restaurant, ordered and ate your meal then went to pull out your wallent and realized it wasn't there or if it was you were going to be short on how much money you had? Well, that happens more often than not when it comes to someone buying a home. They spend a vast amount of time on the internet, driving around and visiting homes until they find the one they want to only discover later that they don't qualify for a loan large enough or not at all in order to buy it. Or, they can qualify for the loan, but because they weren't prepared another buyer who was prepared swoops in and gets the home.

Making sure your financing is in place BEFORE you start getting serious about finding a new home has only advantages and no disadvantages. Below is a small list of advantages.

• Knowledge of what you can afford.


• Knowing how much payment you can expect


• How much money you will need up front if any.


• Able to negotiate a better deal


• Advantage over other buyers who are not pre-approved.


• Close quicker on the home.

All the items on this list represent power for a buyer and demonstrate to a seller that you, as a buyer, are a solid buyer who is negotiating with integrity.

Do yourself a favor and get yourself prepared financially and you will be rewarded greatly when you go and buy that dream home.

The Price is Right

One of the most difficult things to do as a homeowner is to determine the value of a home. As a homeowner, we have a vested interest in the house thus have an emotional interest in the value. We may have watched our children grow up in the house and have put a lot of love, sweat and tears in the house thus we're attached to it. All this emotional connection, unfortunately, tends to hinder our ability to look at our house realistically and with fresh eyes. The things that we've overlooked in our homes over the years and feel are no big deal will not be overlooked by a buyer and will be a big deal to them. In addition having up-to-date information about the market is essential to getting a house priced right to sell and though it's getting easier to find, it's still something that takes practice. Also, the value of a house is often different from what a buyer is willing to pay for a house. One would think they are the same, but if they were there would be no negotiations necessary when buying a home. All we would have to do is have the home appraised and say this is the price.

These are some of the reasons that a real estate professional is a good choice when determining your home value whether you sell it by owner or with their assistance. A real estate agent should have access to all the homes in an area that have recently sold and all the data that surrounds that. Many homeowners think that just because a house "down the street" sold for a certain amount that their home should sell for "at least that amount" but probably more. But without knowing all the details in the sale of that home can really distort the true value of that sale. Some simple things like how long it was on the market, what kind of financing, what was the seller's motivation, and the buyer's history can all play a vital role in determining the selling price of that home. Many homeowners rely on how many square feet their home has in comparison to others but square footage is only one small part of determining the value of a home so you can't only rely on that.

So, why is this so important? A home that is priced wrong will cost a homeowner big money. It's obvious that if it's priced to low that the homeowner will lose money, but if the house is priced to high even more money can be lost in the long run. If a house is priced too high it will tend to stay on the market longer. The longer it's on the market the more expenses that a homeowner pays. (utilities, taxes, payments, maintenance etc.) Also, the longer it's on the market the more people begin to wonder what's wrong with the house that no one has bought it yet. Thus it gets stigmatized as "something wrong" and it tends to stay on the market longer. In my previous post I mentioned that statistics tell us that the person who most likely will buy your home is a person who sees it in the first couple of weeks after listed. If it's priced too high, they walk and find something else. What does all this do to a homeowner? It forces them to hold the home longer, makes them drop the price later and typically makes them drop the price lower than they would have had they just priced it right in the first place.

So, if you're considering selling your home, take the time and ask a professional for their opinion of the value of your home and what they think it can sell for. If it sounds suspicious get another opinion. If however, everyone is telling you your home is worth less than you think it is, take note it may be.

Get Your Home Ready!

Ok, so you've debated for weeks and have finally decided that you want to sell your home. So, you contact you're favorite real estate agent and tell them to list your house. Unfortunately, the agent comes in, inspects your house then comes up with a laundry list of items that you need to do in order to sell your house. You're balloon is now deflated.

Many people don't realize the old adage that you only get one chance to make a first impression is so true when it comes to selling a house. Homebuyers, especially in today's market, are a selective group of people who are searching for the "perfect" house for them and their situation. It's not like buying a car where there are thousands of the same car out there. There are not two houses exactly alike in the world. There are some that look similar but because houses are attached to the ground, no other house has the exact same location, view or characteristics.

Thus, when a buyer comes by a house to see what it has to offer, they have to be able to see all that the house has to offer them that no other house can. I have often heard statements from sellers at listing appointments that they plan on doing something (clean carpets, paint a room, de-clutter the closets, clean the garage etc.) I say get it done ASAP because I have five days from the time we sign a contract to get this house on the market. Thus you have three days to get it done because on the fourth day I have to get pictures, get all my marketing material together and have it ready for the fifth day.

Now, as a seller all the things that should have been done and could have been done over the past few weeks has to be done in three days.

What happens if you don't get them done? Well, the house is starting to be advertised and a buyer comes to see it. Statistics tell us that the first few people who see a house are the most likely to buy it. If they cannot see this house for all it has to offer and it value then they walk away and see their next house. (As for value, the house also needs to be priced right, I'll save that for another post.) Not only that, but a house that is not in selling condition will not demand as high a price as one in selling condition. For example, if I had a house for sale and tried to sell it with carpet that looked dingy compared to one that had the carpets cleaned, I could sell the one with the cleaned carpets for litterally thousands more. Why? Because a house with dingy carpets tells a buyer that the seller was an unclean person, that the carpets will have to be replaced (though they may not) and to do so would cost them thousands of dollars plus the headache. Clean carpets also smell better and a clean smell always helps sell things at a higher price (think of buying a car with that new car smell compared to one that smells of some offensive odor)

In order to get top dollar for you home and to sell it quicker, begin to do some of those maintence items that you have been putting off. They may cost you a few hundred dollars now, but if you don't do them you will certainly be paying thousands later.

Here's a before and after of a house I have for sale. Which would you rather have?

Before and After Photos

Don't forget you can follow me on Twitter:

www.twitter.com/scottmwilliams

How Not To Negotiate

I've been reminded again today of one of the biggest mistakes that a buyer can make when offering to purchase a house. I'll give you an example. You see if you can figure out the mistake. Sam seller is selling his home that he's been in for several years now. He has it listed for $110,000. Bonnie buyer views the house and wants to make an offer on the house. They sit down with their agent and make an offer of $85,000 or $25,000 less than asking price. It's submitted and rejected with the instructions to bring your highest and best offer. The buyers now offer $95,000 and Seller Sam counters back at $100,000. Bonnie Buyer rejects and walks away.

Did you see it? Buyer's need to try and place themselves in the shoes of the sellers. By offering $25,000 less than the asking price the buyer's are, in essence, telling the seller's "you're stupid and I want to take advantage of that." Seller's are called sellers because they want to sell their homes but they also want to feel good about it. By offering so much less for the house the seller's are now defensive and unwilling to negotiate in good faith. They get rigid in their negotiations and thus the buyer's end up paying more than they would have had they just made a reasonable offer to begin the negotiations.

I don't know how many times I've seen a low offer like the example above and the seller's simple just dropped the price $1,000 or not at all. In the example had the seller's simply started closer to their offering price they could have been the one being firm they could have inched it up to their best and make the seller come down. Let's say the buyers offered 93,000 or $17,000 less than asking. Still a lot less but a little easier to work with. The sellers may not have rejected it but countered back at lets say 105,000 or $5,000 less than asking. The buyer's then could have countered back at 94,000 The sellers would have then noticed that buyers were getting close to their top and would have had to make some real decisions about what they wanted to do. They could have come down maybe to $100,000 or $102,000. Then the buyers could have come it at 95,000 and said that's top. This deal may not have worked but it would have put the buyer's in the driver's seat. It also would have possibly kept the seller's from getting on the defensive straight from the beginning.

The other aspect of this deal that buyer's need to be aware of is whether or not they should be looking at homes that are priced $20,000+ over what they are able and willing to pay for a house. If they are not willing to pay that much then they probably shouldn't be looking at them simply because if they fall in love with a property they won't be able to purchase it if the seller's are not willing to come down in price.

If you're thinking about buying a house, try and think about what it is that you really want and are willing to pay for a house. If it's not a reasonable price be prepared to not get that house of your dreams.

Seesmic Desktop

Dawn led me to a new program for my desktop that allows me to post to both my facebook page and twitter at the same time with one post. It's called Seesmic Desktop. It seems to work pretty good and it sames some time. I'm into that! If you get a chance try it.

TinCaps Follow up

We ended up having a great time at the TinCaps game. It was actually 1 1/2 games as the game the night before had to be stopped and then finished last night before the next game could start. The TinCaps were losing 4-1 from the night before but pulled out the win. We only stayed until the 5th inning of the second game since we had alreay seen 9+ innings. We did see 7 home runs in the time we were there though.

My favorite part: Reagan was asked to participate in an onfield contest between innings. It was musical chairs (the big blow up kind). Reagan and another girl took on 6 boys. Reagan got 2nd it was fun to watch. They asked Connor if he wanted to participate in an event in the second game. His response: "What is it?" he was told it was a race where you spin around a baseball bat then run. "I don't think I would be very good at that so, no." I loved it! He cracks me up.

You can't really beat the price for going to a game with all the fun. We had great seats about 5 rows behind the third base dugout and the seats were $9 a piece. Food wasn't crazy and parking right by the park was only $4.

It was a good night and well worth the money. If you get a chance try and make a game.

Fort Wayne TinCaps

Going to See the Fort Wayne TinCaps tonight. It's our first time to the new stadium and I can hardly wait. It's real nice to be so close to two minor league teams, the TinCaps and the Toledo Mud Hens.

Need The Rain

It has been so long since Defiance had some real rain. The ground is cracking and my house is cracking in some places from the shifting of the ground. This area of Northwest Ohio is know for shifting clay and I've seen many houses that have been affected by it. Newer houses have new building codes thus don't shift as much as the older ones have.

Well, it's starting to rain a little right now and the satellite images look like we could actually get some real rain. Let's hope so.

Market Stats for the Week of March 14-21

Defiance County Market Conditions
For the Week of:
Mar. 14, 2009- Mar. 21, 2009

Active Listings: 292
New Listings: 20
Price Changes: 14
New Pending: 9
Total Pending: 15
Solds: 5
Contingent: 21
Withdrawals: 1
Expireds: 7

Market Stats for the Week of Mar. 7-14, 2009

Here are the stats for this week.

Defiance County Market Conditions
For the Week of:
Mar. 7, 2009- Mar. 14, 2009

Active Listings: 291
New Listings: 17
Price Changes: 9
New Pending: 5
Total Pending: 16
Solds: 8
Contingent: 21
Withdrawals: 3
Expireds: 4

Market Condition for the Week of Feb. 28-Mar. 6

Here's the market stats for the past week.

Defiance County Market Conditions
For the Week of:
Feb. 28, 2009- Mar. 6, 2009

Active Listings: 281
New Listings: 13
Price Changes: 12
New Pending: 8
Total Pending: 17
Solds: 8
Contingent: 21
Withdrawals: 2
Expireds: 10

Here is What the Market is Doing Today

Here's some great information that I received today from Biran Fedderke at National City Mortgage. I found it very informative and thought you'd like it too. If you have questions his contact information is at the bottom.


HERE IS WHAT THE MARKET IS DOING TODAY
Current Trend Direction: Sideways to Lower
Risks favor: Floating with prices just above support
Current Price of FNMA 4.5% Bond: $100.22, -9bp
The unemployment line is getting even longer...Initial Jobless Claims rose 36,000 last week to 667,000, worse than the 625,000 expected and the highest level since October of 1982. The number of people collecting benefits reached a record high, rising 114,000 to 5.11 million.
New Home Purchases dropped 10.2% to an annual pace of 309,000 versus estimates of 324,000, the lowest level since data collection began in 1963. The median price decreased 13.5% to $201,100, the most in almost four decades. The number of new homes for sale at the end of the month fell 3.1% to 342,000. The supply of homes at the current sales rate surged to a record 13.3 months' worth.
Durable Goods Orders fell for a sixth straight month both domestically and from foreign demand as the global recession marches on. Orders for Durable Goods, from washing machines to airplanes, fell 5.2% in January versus estimates of a 2.5% drop. After excluding transportation orders, durables dropped 2.5% when estimates were looking for a loss of 2.2%.
General Motors posted an enormous and larger than expected $9.6B loss for the 4th quarter. Even after a stiff round of bad economic news and sour corporate earnings, Stocks are showing some resiliency and are trading higher.
More paper - another round of government auctions this afternoon in the form of $22B 7-yr Notes. Yesterday's $32B offering didn't go over that well and the $94B total hitting the market this week has weighed on the entire Bond Market.
We are switching to a Floating bias, after maintaining a locking stance for the past couple of weeks. Prices are trading just above support at $100.12, a level that has served as a good floor in recent weeks. Should prices fall beneath $100.12, the Bond could easily drop another 60bp or so to the next clear floor of support - in which case you will be hearing from us.

Brian L. FedderkeMortgage Loan ConsultantNational City Mortgage, a division of National City Bank701 N. Perry St.Locator 09-3193Napoleon, Ohio 43545
1-800-528-5245 Toll Free419-592-7842 office phone419-769-3102 cell phone877-804-4544 direct faxEmail address: Brian.fedderke@ncmc.comAPPLY on line at www.ncmc.com/brianfedderke
"The best compliment I can receive is a referral from a friend"

Defiance Market Stats

Here are today's market stats for Defiance County.

Today is February 19, 2009
Here are Today’s Market Stats

Active Listings: 273
New Listings: 5
Price Changes: 6
New Pending: 1
Total Pending: 12
Solds: 0
Contingent: 21
Withdrawals: 1
Expireds: 2

$8,000 Home Buyer Tax Credit

With the signing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act 2009 by President Obama on Tuesday in Denver the prospect for first time home buyers to cash in continued. The new act continues a tax credit for first time home buyers, that is people who haven't owned a home in the past three years, and in fact increased it. Below is a description posted by the National Association of Realtors.

The bill provides for a $8,000 tax credit that would be available to first-time home buyers for the purchase of a principal residence on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009. The credit does not require repayment. Most of the mechanics of the credit will be the same as under the 2008 rules: the credit will be claimed on a tax return to reduce the purchaser's income tax liability. If any credit amount remains unused, then the unused amount will be refunded as a check to the purchaser.

The change that stands out the most is the credit does not require repayment. The previous bill required the purchaser to repay the money over a period of time out of future tax returns. From what I understand, the amount is equal to 10% of the purchase price with a maximum of $8,000. So, if someone were to purchase a home for $80,000 or more they would get a $8,000 tax credit! In my opinion, THAT'S AWESOME!

With interest rates being as low as they are, combined with this, anyone who has been sitting on the fence about buying that first home should act NOW!

GMAC Annual Convention

I'm sorry for the delay in writing for the last week or so, but I was at our annual conference for GMAC Real estate and this year they decided to take a cruise to Cozumel, Mexico and Belize City, Belize. It was a great trip to relax and learn some new stuff and get ready for a new year in real estate. I'm excited about the future of GMAC and some of the changes that are going on. I thought that I'd give you a little taste of what we were able to experience this past week. Above is a picture my wife took at Cozumel. Enjoy.

FREE Ebook: How To Buy A Home In Today's Market

"What do I do? I'm not quite sure how to go about this.”

~The number one question I hear when helping people buy a home.

I’ve written an ebook to answer that question.

Buying a Home In Today's Market

What Everyone Should Know Before They Buy a Home


Here are some of the things you’ll learn:

• What steps do you need to go through in order to buy a home and in what order?

• How do you position yourself to save THOUSANDS of dollars when you buy a home?

• What are some the advantages of using the services of a real estate agent?

• What is the best way to find a home?

• What forms will be necessary to buy a home?

• Do you need a lot of money to buy a home?

Here are a couple of excerpts from the book’s introduction:

I still remember when Dawn and I bought our very first home. It was the
summer of 1996 and we had been living in a bug infested apartment for way
too long. We spent hours driving around neighborhoods looking for yard
signs. We eventually called one of the agents and ended up buying a home.
We still didn't know the process but, at least, had a home. Looking back
now on those days of naivete, I realize how much we didn't know and how
much money we threw away due to our ignorance. They say knowledge is
power and I'd have to agree because the amount of money we lost in that
first transaction proved we had neither knowledge or power.

Does your current job pay you $100 per hour? If not, realize that the time you spend getting knowledge in the home buying process can easily save you thousands of dollars. I see homes bought all the time where the buyer saves $5,000, $10,000, $15,000 and sometimes more, simply because they were empowered with knowledge.
Think how many hours you would have to work at your job to make that
kind of money. Now think of what it would be like to just throw it away.
Homes are bought every day and every day thousands upon thousands of
dollars of hard earned money is thrown away by home buyers simply
because they did not take the time necessary to learn how to buy a home.


Get Your Free Copy at: www.ScottMWilliams.com

Feel free to distribute it to whomever you wish.

Market Stats and a New Listing

Here are the statistics for today:

Today is February 3, 2009
Defiance County Information


Active Listings: 270
New Listings: 5
Price Reductions: 4
New Pending: 1
Total Pending: 8
Solds: 0
Contingent: 21
Withdrawals: 0
Expireds: 0

Also, I was able to get a new listing today at 624 N. Main St. in Hicksville, Ohio. It's a forclosure and in in need of some help, but not so much that it wouldn't make a good investment property or cheap living. Above is a picture.

Snow and Selling Your House

I've spent the last two days driving around in my truck getting driveways cleared of all the snow we just got pounded with. You would think that it would go beyond saying that in order to sell a house, people need to have access to it.  I don't know how many times I've gone to show a house in the past to a prospective home buyer and upon arriving at a home found it almost impossible to get into it because of all the snow.  

I know not everyone is physically capable of shoveling snow, but there are plenty of people out there who are.  

Sellers need to make sure that the driveway is cleared and there is a clear path the the front door. There's nothing much more frustrating than having a buyer have to plow through 6 inches of snow.  Their focus is now on how cold their feet are rather than how nice the home looks.

Here's Today's Market Stats:

Today is January 29, 2009

Defiance County Information

Active Listings: 289

New Listings: 2

Price Reductions: 1

New Pending: 0

Total Pending: 7

Solds: 0

Contingent: 15

Withdrawals: 0

Expireds: 6

Manufactured/Modular: What's the difference?

I am often asked, "What's the difference between a manufactured home and a modular one?" Today I'm going to try and point out some of the differences.

What are Modular Homes?
A modular home is a home that is built in sections at a factory and conform to all state, local or regional building codes at their point of destination. Each section is transported to the home site where they are then connected together by local contractors. Each home is has inspections along the way to make sure that the home is meeting the requirements and the work is being finished properly.

What is a Manufactured Home?
These are the homes that have been called mobile homes or trailers. The new ones are not called that anymore, because of all the different style options that are now available. These homes are also built in a factory, but built upon a non-removable steel chassis. they conform to a federal building code called the HUD code rather than building codes. Once built, they are transported to their final destination on their own wheels. These homes can come in multiple sections and then joined together at their building site. Not all of these homes are placed upon a permanent foundation thus making them a little harder to finance.

Here Are Today's Market Stats:

Today is January 27, 2009
Defiance County Information

Active Listings: 289
New Listings: 3
Price Reductions: 1
New Pending: 0
Total Pending: 7
Solds: 1
Contingent: 15
Withdrawals: 0
Expireds: 1

Real Estate Made Simple

"Real Estate Made Simple"

I started with the question: "How can I make real estate more simple?"

Here's my answer: www.ScottMWilliams.com

Here's What it Does:

• Provides Daily Market Stats including Active Listings, Solds, Price Changes, etc.
  
• Search Homes: Powerful home search engine for all MLS listings in Northwest Ohio
  
• Subcriber based Information Emailed to You: including daily market statistics
• Added a Daily Blog
• FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) pages
• New Links Including: Community, Schools, Mortgage Lenders, Title Companies plus more
• Easier Communication to answer your questions: Text me from the website, Email, Phone, question submit buttons
  
• Online loan application and pre-qualification in one day.
• Virtual Tours of homes listed
• Photos of homes listed
• Testimonials from satisfied clients.
• Tools and Games: Mortgage calculator, grocery coupons etc.

How does all this help You?

• Save Time and effort
• Less Stress
• Questions answered
• Convience
• Be informed quickly
• Easy communication
• Easy to remember address: Scott M Williams (All one word)
  

This is an easy to use, easy to navigate website developed with you in mind!
Take a look at it and tell me what you think. Submit suggestions, ideas and new questions to be added to the FAQ's pages.

Thanks and if you have any questions don't ever hesitate to ask!

Scott

P.S. I've tried to make "Real Estate Simple" for you. You can make it simple for your friends and family too. Pass this email along!

Scott M. Williams
Butler Mohr GMAC Real Estate
Scott@butlermohr.com
ScottMWilliams.com

When should I start looking for a home?

I'm often asked: "When should we start looking for a home?" That's a question that is easily answered. Right now! However, how you start looking for a home is a different answer. The answer is dependent upon your particular situation. For instance, if you currently have a home that you would need to sell prior to buying a new home then your time would most likely be best spent searching for homes that catch your interest on the web through a home search tool like the one I provide on my website. You can begin to get an ideal of the type of home you would like to have, as well as, the neighborhoods that you would consider living in. If the house is within a reasonable distance from you then you can even drive past it and get a feel for the neighborhood.

If you don't have to sell your home in order to buy a new one, then your search process should get a little more involved. You can begin, once again, online, but you can then begin to have me set up appointments to see the houses and tour them. The difference being, of course, you are more capable of purchasing the home in that position rather than in the other.

By waiting to tour the homes until you are actually ready to purchase, you are being courteous to the potential home sellers. Nobody likes to get their home ready to show and find a place to go while it's being shown for somebody who cannot possibly purchase the home.

So, when should you start looking for a home? Right now! You can begin right here!

Downpayment/Rehab Program and Weekly Stats

There's a terrific program available to help people buy and fix up homes. It's called the CHIP program. It helps create affordable homeownership for households with gross annual household income below 80% of area median income. By providing 5% of purchase price towards the downpayment and making necessary improvements to the home being purchased, affordable homewonership is possible!

Funds are available in The cities of Bryan, Napoleon and Defiance. The CHIP program provides: Down payment assistance of 5% of the purchase price and Rehabilitation assistance. After loan closing, repairs will be made in order to bring the home upt to Residential Rehab Standards. Eligible repairs include: plumbing, heating, electrical, roof, foundations, windows/doors, smoke alarms, whater/sewer issues, acessibility needs and lead paint issues.

You can find out more information by contacting the Maumee Valley Planning Commission at 419-784-3882.

Market Statistics for Today:
Active Listings: 288
New Listings: 1
Price Reductions: 1
New Pending: 1
Total Pending: 8
Solds: 0
Contingent: 16
Withdrawals: 0
Expireds: 3

Market Statistics for the Week:
Solds: 5
New Listings: 3
Contingent: 4
Price Changes: 9
Pendings: 5

Attorneys' Title Agency and Daily Statistics

The longer I’m involved in real estate the more I’m impressed with some of the people who make it work. One of the key players in the real estate game is the closing company and/or title company. I’ve been amazed once again by the professionalism of June at Attorneys’ Title Agency. She consistently works hard and gets the job done. I put her in a tough position this week in trying to get a closing to happen and she pulled it off like a pro.

I would highly recommend her and her company for any title work you may need in your real estate adventures!


The Market Stats for today:
Active Listings: 290
New Listings: 0
Price Reductions: 4
New Pending: 0
Total Pending: 7
Solds: 1
Contingent: 16
Withdrawls: 0
Expireds: 1