Washington Home & Garden Blogs

Warning: Mortgage Rates Going Up

My last blog on November 29, 2009 I told you “Now Is The Time For Real Estate Decisions”: I hope you listened to me.  Back then you could have secured a 30-year mortgage for 4.71%, which was the lowest rate since 1971 when Freddie Mac began keeping record of mortgage rates. WELL THOSE DAYS ARE GONE.  According to Freddie Mac, the year ending December 31, 2009, mortgage interest rates rose to 5.14%.

Why are mortgage rates going up this fast?  According to Pat

CAN I GET YOUR ATTENTION? 

DO YOU THINK THAT MAYBE NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY OR SELL A HOME?

Can you afford NOT to buy or sell a home now? 

According to Freddie Mac, Monthly Average Commitment Rate And Points On 30-Year Fixed-Rate Mortgages are at their lowest since 1971.

This is a first in a series about going green at home.  I have decided to focus on each room and concentrate on ways to use less energy.  I think you will find that these going green tips are useful and in most cases easy to implement but not neccessarily inexpensive.  If you have any green idea's you think I should talk about, please let me know.

The laundry room is a good place to start since a lot of energy is used by the washer and dryer.  If you have not upgraded your washer and dryer

Lenders will be subject to new disclosure requirements for mortgage loans under the Federal Reserve Board Truth in Lending Regulation (Reg Z).  

The new requirements apply to loan applications filed on or after July 30, 2009 (about two months earlier than originally planned).  

Although the new rules are complex, the lenders will have no choice but to comply.  Here are key

Most Homeowners do not realize how much of their hard earned cash is flying out of their pockets every month because of poor attic management.  The potential savings for you and your family is simply too great to ignore your attic.  In the summer months, a poorly ventilated attic will cause the temperature inside your home to rise on average 12-15 degrees.  Properly sized attic fan(s) will remedy this problem.  Several years ago, I installed attic fans in my home and I can tell you the

You've heard the saying "you never get a second chance to make a first impression." This is especially true when it comes to your home. Potential buyers are highly influenced by how a home looks the first time they get a glimpse of it.

Here are a few simple tips that can positively affect your home's "curb appeal" and perhaps even its value.

• Clean Up and Repair -- Clean windows and siding, make sure outdoor lighting works, stow away yard tools and equipment and clean up dead branches

Spring market has been here and is alive and well. In our office we are receiving multiple contracts on properties and the number of visitors to open houses has significantly increased. Every week at our Tuesday morning meeting we talk about the absorption rate, which is the number of months it would take to deplete the current inventory of homes for sale. We look at zip code 20854 and homes priced from $500,000 to $1,500,000. Tuesday, April 21, the absorption rate was 4.45. This past

Energy efficiency seems to be the new buzz word. Homebuyers are more interested than ever in purchasing an energy efficient home. Now that the warm weather is upon us, buyers will be looking at a home's cooling costs and energy-saving features. I have listed a few simple improvements to help you lower your monthly utility bills and reduce the impact on the environment.

• Contact your utility company to arrange for an energy audit that will show you where your home is energy

Sorry for my delay in writing but I had hand surgery the end of December and my blogging days were interrupted! The Spring market has officially started in the real estate world. Open house traffic was up 36% from January to February!! Houses are selling and multiple contracts are being presented. As a seller get rid of the clutter. Buyers like to imagine their own "stuff" in the house. You may love the blue walls in your bedroom but a potential buyer may not. I'm not saying you have to

In a bold move, the Federal Reserve unanimously voted to set a target range for its federal funds rate so that it will hover between 0.25 percent and zero. The federal funds rate, the interest banks charge each other on overnight loans, had previously stood at 1 percent and is now at a record low.

Interest rate cuts are seen as beneficial to the economy since they typically lead to more lending by making it cheaper to borrow money. In addition, the Federal Reserve said it would "employ all