February 17th, 2010
Many of you already know that I am an advocate of the arts. Throughout my entire life, the arts has played an important role for me and I believe that they are important to all lives. Art helps us express our inner most feelings.
I am currently on the advisory board for North Shore Academy of the Arts (NSAA) located in Grafton Wisconsin. NSAA is a not-for-profit academy, offering classes in performing, visual and literary arts for all ages.
On February 27, 2010 NSAA will hold it’s annual fundraiser at the Milwaukee Country Club in River Hills. Please join us for a semi-formal family event to celebrate the arts and benefit NSAA programming. There will be dinner, dancing, silent auction and a raffle to Italy. See you there!
Tags: Fundraiser, Grafton, Italy, Milwaukee Country Club, North Shore Academy of the Arts, River Hills
Posted in Community News, People and Places, Thoughts | No Comments »
October 15th, 2009
The public loves to find reasons to complain about their surroundings. Instead, people should realize that keeping an optimistic mind will help them achieve their goals. The same is true about buying and selling property. Be aware of the situations around you and try to keep your head above the negative.
Recently I received an accepted offer on a property for one of my customers. The property was a foreclosure and was priced to sell. Catching wind of this great deal, we rushed to view the home. Seeing a future for themselves in this home, we immediately put together an offer.
As usual with foreclosures, the bank took their time in responding to our offer. Since the property was freshly on the market, the bank wanted to string the any offers they received along to see what other offers could be submitted from other interested parties. The end goal from the bank, like any selling party, is to get the highest offer for the property. However, with foreclosures, the bank seems to be able to run on their own timetable instead of standard sales timetables.
As showings continued, we received a verbal counter from the bank for FULL price. As most people today, my customers shrugged and said “Are they nuts in this market! No one gives full price today.”
However, the bank knew exactly what they wanted. They were aware of the swarm of customers going in and out of this home and felt like they could get a higher price. My buyers did not take my advice to agree to the full price counter and instead we countered at a lower price than asking. By doing this, we gave the bank more time to wait for more offers.
The next day came and the bank announced that they had our offer plus two other offers!! Now my buyers saw the demand the bank was waiting for. Acting quickly, we responded with a full price offer. The bank ended up accepting us and our next stop is closing.
Even though we are in a more stable priced housing market and the supply of homes is high with weaker demand, the demand for homes still need to be something that buyers are aware of. The demand may not be as strong as before, but when a property is priced right and in a desirable location there will be competition! So instead of getting depressed because of the negative news we hear about today’s economy. Remember there is a light! Stay positive and believe in your dreams.
Posted in Thoughts | No Comments »
September 23rd, 2009
I highly recommend a buyer consultation for all buyers. The process of a buyer consultation starts with the buyer and I meeting at my office to go over the details of the home buying process. We will cover a variety of items, including everything from the offer to purchase contract to real estate terms and guidelines.
One common real estate term that buyer often get confused about is ‘earnest money’. Earnest money is collateral given to the sellers upon acceptance of the offer to purchase. This money, in the end, will go toward the down payment of your new property.
In our buyer consultation, we will also go over all the contingencies that may be in the contract. The most common contingencies are the financing contingency, the inspection contingency and the home sale contingency.
Although it is very important for me to teach the buyer about all these terms and the home buying process, this meeting is also meant for the buyer and I to interview one another. One of the main goals of this interview process is so that the buyer and I can decide on the buyer’s needs and their time frame. We want to make sure we have a comfortable, respectable relationship from the start, so that we can work through property search and ownership as smoothly as possible. If a buyer does not have a lender or a home inspector, I can also give several recommendations for them to choose from at this time.
All buyers should have a buyer inspection even if you are buying your second home. Terms and conditions are always changing.
Posted in Education | No Comments »
Since June 1, 2009, Shorewood has been offering a “neighborhood improvement no interest loan program”. This is to meant encourage residence to take out loans through the village for home repairs and improvements. This two year program will help address condition of properties in need. There are four types of loans to borrow from and the pool of money for these loans consists of $346,500.
