Understand the closing procedure

It is crucial to fully understand the process of closing negotiations prior to entering into the closing. By knowing what to expect, one can ask appropriate questions and clarify aspects that they may not understand. It’s also to ensure that all parties are kept in the loop. Human error is natural. According to MSN Real Estate, details that get lost in the cracks can lead to delayed or canceled home sales. For this reason, it is extremely important to work closely with your agent so that you understand what to expect. Remember, no question is a silly question! Your agent is there to help and has the experience and understanding of what to expect during the closing process. They will also assist you with the important step of identifying and gathering all documents that should be brought to closing negotiations.

Review documents

Missed details in loan documents can either lead to mistakes in the paperwork or leave buyers with a product or payment scenario they are unhappy with. Reading loan documents may seem time-consuming, but it’s the best way to resolve potential problems or misunderstandings before they occur. Lenders are required to provide buyers with their loan documents, by request, at least 24 hours before the closing, so re-read the contents to make sure you understand what you’re signing.

In addition, make sure you have all that you need the morning of closing, including your check. The loan documents should spell out the amount required to bring to the closing. In some cases checks may need to be certified in order for the lender to accept it. You may have the option to wire transfer the funds, but this can take longer and delay closing, thus having a check ready may be in the your best interest. In addition to the check, bring a photo ID copy, homeowners insurance policy and good faith estimate, on top of loan documents.

If you’re one of the estimated 11 million homeowners burdened with an underwater mortgage, a new federal policy change could be good (but probably not great) news.

By Kenneth R. Harney

Syndicated columnist

Guest Blog Post

Guest blogger Pauline Hammerbeck is a digital content strategist at Allstate Insurance.

Spring temperatures usher in a flurry of home cleaning and home purging activities—and an opportunity to better organize and protect the possessions that make the cut.

Cataloging those coveted items in a home inventory can pay big dividends if you consider that a fire, flood or other disaster can wipe out everything you own in a blink of an eye.

Do you have a detailed list of all your stuff? Or, know what it’s all worth? If you’re like most people, the answer is no.

But the reality is that a simple home inventory can take the edge off the recovery process if everything you own is damaged or destroyed. Here are some simple strategies to simplify the task:

Organize by room. List-making becomes more manageable if you chunk it by room. Use a home inventory checklist as a starting point and document the important items as you walk from room to room. A quick visual scan makes sure nothing is left off the list.

Photograph your stuff. Take a video of each room, and focus on individual items. Then, take photos of smaller things like jewelry, the family silver or other valuables. You can also use a home inventory app to conveniently photograph and capture descriptions of your possessions, and electronically store the info to protect it from the hazards that might invite a claim.

Make some notes. Receipts are great for documenting the cost and purchase date of an item, but that’s if you have them. If not, write a quick description of each item and, for electronics, take down the make, model and serial number. You can estimate the value of your personal property with an interactive tool—you’ll be surprised at how quickly it all adds up.

Secure the information. Whether you store your inventory on paper or electronically, you’ll want to lock the info away (in a fireproof safe, with a friend or relative, or behind a password). Keep it in an easily-accessible location that won’t be lost in the same event that might destroy your home.

Once you’ve created a home inventory, you can use it as a template to make periodic updates: after a major purchase, the winter holidays or any other event that includes gifts you’ll want to replace if misfortune ever strikes.

Resist the urge to plant too early in the season!

Timing

A few beautiful days of 70 degree weather is enough for anyone to catch spring fever. But before you say ready, set, grow; do your homework. Resist the urge to rush into breaking out your gardening arsenal of tools too early! As many seasoned gardeners know, patience is key.

First things first. Understand your local climate. A great resource which will help you to understand your planting zone’s climate is the United States Department of Agriculture’s interactive map.

Planning

 Having a plan will not only ensure that your garden has a theme but will also help you to stand firm against impulse buying once you get to the store. Write down a list of what you will need prior to purchasing seeds, soils, tools and all other garden essentials and stick to it. The bare minimum that any green thumb needs to get the job done includes a shovel, spade, garden fork, pruners and a hose (splurge on one that won’t kink up).

Water

It may sound like common sense but many people aren’t aware that it is possible to drown a plant. Too much water can be deadly to a plant. Conversely, relying on rain alone as your plants source of water is a mistake as well.  There are three keys to ensuring that your plants are being water properly:

1) Touch Test: This is an easy one! Stick your finger in the dirt, if it is wet then skip watering until the soil feels dry again. When the time comes to water, focus on the soil, not the leaves. Again, this may sound silly but this is a very common mistake.

2) Time of Day: Prime watering time is in the morning. By giving your plants a drink in the morning you will avoid water evaporation.

3) Amount: When it is time to water make sure you water deeply, meaning water your plants with at least an inch of water. It is better saturate your plants less often than to water only a bit at a time.

Ladybugs are good for gardens

Good Guys and Bad Guys

While many cringe at the sight of bugs in their garden it is important to understand that many bugs do play an important role in cultivating healthy gardens.  Many bugs are good for soil, others help to pollinate flowers and some even eat other bugs which could be potentially harmful to your garden.

According to http://www.varanasiestate.com these are some of the good guys:

• Ladybug
• Dragonfly
• Ground beetle
• Hover fly
• Beneficial nematodes
• Big-eyed bug
• Braconid wasps
• Damsel bugs
• Minute pirate bug
• Rove beetles
• Honeybee
• Assassin Bug

Animal control *TOP SECRET*

One of my mom’s best kept gardening secrets (don’t tell her I told you) is shaving Irish Spring soap bars over all of her flowers. This trick does a great job deterring deer, rabbits and other animals from munching on her beautiful flowers.

What are your green thumb secrets? Please share with us in the comments section and feel free to post pictures of your gardens on our Facebook page.

Last week Tara Rodman-Marine guest blogged  about how her garden has added to the value of her home. You can check out her post here: Here’s To Gardens. In her post, Tara talked about the impact that her garden has made on her homeowner experience.

In honor of Lawn and Garden month, we will post tips through out the month of April to help you prepare your lawn and garden  for a beautiful spring. We encourage you to share your green thumb tricks and tips in the comments section.

To kick off this month of great lawn and garden tips I had to share this post I found from American Lawn!

5 Steps to a Lush, Almost Perfect Lawn

Get the mowing height right for the right time of year.

1)  Get the mowing height right for the right time of year.
There’s a lot more to mowing than just cutting the grass every Saturday. One of the most fundamental steps to a perfect lawn is getting the mowing height right for your type of lawn and for a particular season.

Most grasses can survive with a length of 2″ – 3″. This applies for spring and early fall. In the summer, if possible, set it a little higher*. Never go below the minimum recommended height except for the last mowing of the season which should be around 1.5″ for most turf grasses. There are exceptions to this, but if you have a lawn that requires that exception, you already should know your mowing height.

Mowing height is important because the length of that grass blade is the part that absorbs sunshine which the grass blade then miraculously converts into food! Imagine if you were a blade of grass and got hungry, all you had to do was stand outside and soak up some rays!

There are many that think fertilizer is lawn food, but that’s not true. Plants actually make their own food using sunlight. It needs to grow and develop into a healthy plant.

In fact, fertilizer isn’t even absorbed by the plant as it’s put down on the soil. In laymen’s terms, the fertilizer that gets put down on the lawn must first go through the digestive juices of a lot of tiny microbes that live in the soil. Only then is it in a form that can be absorbed and used by the plant, not as a food, but as building blocks to build more cells and carry on the process of converting carbon dioxide into oxygen.

Never remove more than 1/3 at any one mowing. This may mean you’ll have to mow more often during prime growing times (usually spring and early fall).

Leave the clippings on the lawn after you mow. This not only saves time and energy, but the clippings decompose and add vital nutrients back into the soil. Grass cycling recycles plant nutrients back into the soil. Clippings contain the same beneficial nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium nutrients as that expensive bag of fertilizer. In fact, clippings can provide up to one-third of the annual feeding requirement for your lawn.

Use a sharp blade

2)  Use a sharp blade.
The type of mower doesn’t matter, but the blade’s condition does. A dull blade tears at the grass. Take a close look at a grass blade a few days after mowing. If the blade is dull you’ll notice a jagged brown line across the tip of the cut grass. This is a good indication that your blade needs sharpening. Professional mowers sharpen their blades about every 8 hours of use. For most homeowners, twice a year is recommended.

The jagged edges caused by a dull mower blade make it more difficult for the grass to fight off pests and disease.

Regulate the water intake

3)  Regulate the water intake
Over watering your lawn causes more damage than a lack of water. Most turf grasses can handle dry spells, but not flooding. Most grasses require 1″ – 1.5″ of water per week. This is enough water to moisten the soil to 4″ – 6″ below the surface for clay soils and 8 – 10″ for sandy soils.

Don’t guess at how much water your lawn is getting. For measuring Mother Nature’s contribution, invest in a rain gauge. If at the end of the week she’s contributed enough, hold off adding more. If she comes up short, you’ll want to add some supplemental watering. Again, measure how much water your sprinkler is putting down.

You’ll have to follow local regulations when there are watering bans, but just remember that less water is acceptable and grass is a very resilient plant. When the rains do return your lawn will come back with a little encouragement on your part.

Give your lawn a regular, balanced diet

4)  Give your lawn a regular, balanced diet– just don’t over-do it!
Don’t over-fertilize your lawn with too much of a good thing. 4 balanced fertilizer applications a year is plenty: spring, summer, early fall and after the first frost for cool season grasses. If you’re in drought conditions, skip the summer application. Never skip the fall application. It’s important to use lawn products by following label instructions. Get the best results by following the directions. Over application will not improve performance. As mentioned above, fertilizers are processed through their interaction with tiny microbes before they can be used. Over-applying fertilizers can create unfavorable conditions for those microbes, even killing them. When that happens, the soil becomes sterile and the grass won’t grow.

Prevention is the best medicine

5) Prevention is the best medicine for a healthy lawn
Preventing problems is better than having to correct them. Consistent maintenance is the key. Repair bare spots as needed. Spot treat for weeds with the right herbicide following label directions. Use pre-emergent herbicides for most grassy-type weeds like crabgrass.

Soils can become compacted in high-traffic areas or in areas that have mostly clay soils. Have your lawn aerated once a year, preferably in the fall when soil temperature is around 60 degrees.

For more great lawn tips, check out http://www.american-lawns.com

Our first garden harvest

The following post is from a guest blogger, Tara Rodman-Marine, who just happens to be my wife. I was asked to do a post on how gardens impact the joys of owning a home and since I don’t have a green thumb I turned to my better half whose recent forays into creating a garden have significantly enhanced her view of our home.

My transformation to total homeowner occurred about 3 years ago. After having our second child, I decided to become a SAHM (stay at home mom). More and more of my time was spent performing domestic activities such as cooking and washing dishes. Since I spent more time standing in front of the sink, I spent more time looking out the window at the pathetic grass in our backyard. Our front yard was a thing of beauty: the former owners had paid big bucks for landscaping, but the backyard had too many shade-providing trees for successful grass growth. And I thought we needed grass to make the backyard a perfect play haven for the boys.

I started small by forcing my hubby to sow grass seed every spring and fall. Then we started to get rid of some of those big, shady trees (No worries, nature lovers. We live near a dense wood, so we still have abundant trees to house wildlife). Then I started to think, “You know, I might as well get some use out of these new sunny patches. I have a growing family to feed. Why should I buy veggies when I can grow my own? “And thus the love affair with my home vegetable garden began.

My only gardening experience came from the chores my parents had required of me as a child/teen. My father, gardener extraordinaire, had planted a sizeable garden every spring (I don’t know the exact measurements, but it was at least as large as half of our current backyard). My three siblings and I were required to weed that massive expanse of land every week. How we hated it. Of course, we were also required to pick and prepare the produce in harvesting seasons as well.

The only benefit my sister and I would admit to such labor was that we were able to improve our tans. We had many hours of conversation while we bent over bean plants and picked cherries. Mostly we complained about how mean our parents were for forcing us to do such hot, dirty work. But still, we bonded through the experience of shared misery.

The first planting.

So no one was more surprised than my parents when I told them I wanted my father to build me a raised bed the next time he came to visit. He complied. He showed me what types of soil I should purchase every year or every other year to add nutrients. He showed me how to make a line to plant the seeds, cover the seeds with soil, and how to transplant seedlings, etc.

Every time he visits, he teaches me something else. Last year I learned that certain plants can’t grow next to each other and that some plants are friends. Mostly I have learned that gardening is trial and error.

I believe there’s an Eastern proverb that says, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” I’m sure my father tried to teach me tricks of the trade when I was a child, but I didn’t appreciate the knowledge. Now, I seek his advice. I share his love of gardening. I even dream about spring and what new type of plants to try from year to year. And sure, we could move to another house, and now I could build my own garden, but I have memories of my father building me this garden bed, and teaching me the ins and outs of planting in this back yard and this garden.

I have already involved my 7 year old son in my gardening venture. He helps with weeding and harvesting. My 4 year old “helps” till the ground in the spring as well (as long as he promises not to kill all the helpful earth worms). I suppose history will repeat itself, and my children will forget their gardening skills; they may despise their despotic mother during the hot months of July and August, but perhaps their own experience of “shared misery” will somehow morph into warm, fuzzy memories of what home meant as my own gardening memories have.

Here’s to gardens and all the things that make a house a home.

Gillespie was the only representative from the real estate industry on the top 10 list. He was joined in the top 10 list by CEOs from companies such as Amazon, FedEx and Qualcomm.

“I think many of us get into real estate because we feel that we have a higher calling to help people live the Dream of Homeownership and Jim Gillespie has always been an inspiration for agents like me,” said Jessica Edwards, Coldwell Banker Real Estate Consumer Specialist, and an agent in Wilmington, N.C.

“I’ve worked in different positions in the Coldwell Banker brand for 35 years in real estate, and began as an agent myself,” said Gillespie. “Receiving an honor like this, from our network of trusted agents and brokers across the globe, humbles me because I have stood in their shoes, and it motivates me to do the best job that I possibly can.”

Reviews of Coldwell Banker Real Estate also ranked the brand above the real estate industry average in the following key areas:
• Growth opportunities
• Work-life balance
• Career advancement
• Senior management
• Overall ranking

“CEOs should be honored to be recognized as a CareerBliss Happiest CEO,” said Heidi Golledge, CEO and co-founder of CareerBliss. “This data is derived from thousands of independent reviews on CEOs and their leadership and vision for their company. Jim Gillespie is hailed as a wise and true business leader who is dedicated to a common vision that produces lasting results and opportunities.”

Coldwell Banker McKenzie, a locally owned real estate company located on Bainbridge Island in Washington state, is  pleased to share the exciting news that our parent company, Realogy, has received the prestigious designation of being named among the 2012 World’s Most Ethical Companies, awarded by the Ethisphere® Institute, a leading international business ethics think-tank. Realogy was chosen from 5,000 nominated companies headquartered in 100 different countries and across 36 industries. Companies were evaluated using a rigorous proprietary methodology, based on their ethics and compliance program, reputation, leadership and innovation, governance, corporate citizenship and responsibility, and ethical culture.

Realogy earned its placement on this prestigious list by implementing and maintaining upright business practices and initiatives that are instrumental to the company’s success, benefit the community, and raise the bar for ethical standards within our industry.

We are proud to be part of an organization that is recognized as a role model for other companies to follow based on the ethics and integrity demonstrated in its business practices.

Home of Univ. of Kentucky coach, John Calipari

It’s no secret that I love this time of year. Spring is just about here. Basketball is on almost 24/7. And filling out brackets becomes a national craze. So here are real estate headlines to kick of this week of March Madness:

• If you haven’t seen it already the 2012 Coldwell Banker Bracket of Affordability picks the tournament winner based solely on real estate market factors.
• Bloomberg reports that Americans are becoming more confident in housing recovery.
• The National Association of Realtors predicts seniors and young adults will have biggest influence on housing future.
• RIS Media looks at where baby boomers are going with their next real estate purchase.
• Moneyning.com wants you to be human and buy a home.
• And finally, FanIQ.com has a look inside top seeded University of Kentucky coach John Calipari’s home in Lexington.

Picture courtesy of FanIQ.com

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