My New Blog

The English Pointer:

A bird dog, like the English Pointer, is used for his/ her hunting instincts. For hundreds of years the dog has been used to find and retrieve game for hunters. These independent dogs are enthusiastic hunters; wise and adaptable to their environment, alert and easily trainable. Their Hunt oriented demeanor is what they are best used and known for.

When choosing an agent to represent you, you should hire one that should be like a Pointer. Agents work to find you, the buyer, the home of your dreams. No matter what requirements or needs you have, your agent has the tools and know-how to find you the home that fits your specific needs. Based on the agents area of expertise, you should find an agent who is knowledgeable about the area you are interested in living in and have the "get go" to get out into the market and find the best deal or opportunity for you!

Whether you are looking for an investment home to help build your portfolio, or the home you plan on raising your family in, your agent must be able to "hunt out" and
"point" you to the best house for your money. Giving you choices and neighborhoods to choose from, your agent can limit your leg work and help narrow down the search for the home you have been looking for. This will end up saving you time, aggravation, and money.

Personally I can say I love what I do. Finding you the home you have always wanted can be just as exciting for me as it is for you. I love looking for homes, seeing the positives, the negatives and the potentials in properties. Helping you find that one home that makes you feel like you finally found the one you could be comfortable in makes my job all worth while.

 Keep an eye out for part 2! Coming soon!

(Thanks to my assistant, Rachael Collins, for this guest post)

I can see you up there, sitting and watching. Just waiting for the day that the perfect house comes along, waiting for that price to go just a little lower so you can pounce like a tiger stalking their prey. I understand, because I do the same thing. Always knowing that if you don't catch one today there will be another tommorrow. Always stalking, lurking just out of sight.

But what if another doesn't come tommorrow? Or if it does maybe the price is higher and the seller is less likely to deal? Maybe its time to make your move?

The new stimulus package of an $8,000 tax credit is going to move the market some. The new Obama plan to stop foreclosures is going to keep a few people from losing their home and having to short-sell it. The sellers will soon smell you in the wind, just waiting and watching. There is a good chance that a couple of homes will start to sell, then a couple more, and a few after that. The market may start to turn, slowly at first but then begin a little quicker. It only takes a few to start a trend.

My advice to you is to take the bait, jump in and make your kill. There may be another tommorrow for a little less money that you might miss, but today's is still a good deal. Just remember, there may not be a better tommorrow to buy a home and you will have missed it.

It is so easy to fall into one of the scams that are out there, always looking for someone to rip off and take their hard earned money. Why? Desperate people sometimes resort to desperate means, and let's face it, some of the scammers are good!

If you are in foreclosure, or simply behind in your loan, you need to be proactive, not reactive. What this means is that you need to reach out to someone and get the ball rolling, not sit back and wait for them to show up at your home. So the questions is "Where does a person start?" After all, its not like a legitimate agency is going to be easy to find.

My suggestion is to start with the government, specifically Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as that is who is in charge of the massive FHA housing program. I would encourage you to log on to http://www.hud.gov/foreclosure/ . This site has a mixture of booklets, forms, and place to research different topics from knowing if your home is in foreclosure, to some refinancing options to what to do if you are actually going to lose your home. This information is nonbiased and very easy to understand. You can even click on your state and city to find a HUD-approved counselor in your area. A quick check in my area of Columbus, Ohio found several agencies located around town waiting to help.

Another source would be the Homeownership Preservation Center, who runs the Homeowners' Hope hotline 24 hours a day to provide free couseling to people who are trying to avoid foreclosure. Yet another is the Institute for Forelclosure Legal Assistance at www.foreclosurelegalassistance.org that can provide subsidized legal aid to families facing foreclosure.

Bottom line is to do something, and make sure you are responsive to your lender. Make sure that any help you get does not cost you money or involve you in a scam or you will end up worse off then before. Always get help from reputable sources.