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In preparing for the winter months, you need to have your heating system checked like the filter of your furnace, see if it needs replacement or if your chimney is free from leaves and other things that could clog it.Lavish extra attention to your attic and basement. Prevent heat from escaping and pipes from freezing by adding insulation to it. In case you and your family are snowbirds, request for a friend to drop by regularly while you are away to check for possible problems due to the weather. The earlier a problem can be noticed, the easier it is to repair.

Collate all the pertinent data in applying for a mortgage.

• Determine your credit worthiness by testing the credit parameters normally used by lending institutions. Some give out questionnaires you can answer to help prequalify you. This is looking at yourself through the eyes of a lender. If you were the lender, would you approve a mortgage for yourself? If so, how much can you afford? and what would the terms be?
• Obtain a copy of your credit report and check wether the information stated therein is true, if not, make the necessary corrections immediately. This report gives you a snapshot of your desirability as a buyer.
• Veterans are advised to get in touch with the concerned government institution to check if they can avail of the no downpayment mortgage scheme for them.

It is very possible to sell your own house without hiring an agent. But it is not without risks. You must be fully aware of the rules in oyur current place or state with regards to real estate selling, transfer etc. Who is authorized to to conduct the tarnsaction and who signs what and where. In short, details must be given priority. Even if you dont hire a broker, you will still need to pay contributions for processing fees, attorney’s fees and the other professional services neede for the processing. You will need a lot of time to spend during the transaction. Your patience and capabilty to handle all the details. Furthermore, you shouls know when the best time is, to sell your house. Research will help you pivk out the time when it would generally be okay to start selling. lastly, you should know the market value of your property. One way to do this is ask a neighbor or a friend in your area who had recently sold a property.

So where do you find these rare creatures? How do you know if you’re dealing with the right kind of attorney? The right kind of attorney will have an orientation toward relationship-building and counseling rather than mere document preparation. The first thing he or she will offer is the ability to listen carefully to not only your goals – but also your hopes, dreams, and aspirations for yourself and your loved ones. The attorney will carry on a sensitive dialogue that will enable you to make clear your wishes to maintain control over your affairs, to be cared for properly in the event of a disability and to provide meaningfully for your loved ones after you are gone.

From The Wall Street Journal Online

WASHINGTON — The property value of U.S. homes will fall by $1.2 trillion, and “at least” 1.4 million homeowners will lose their properties to foreclosure in 2008, according to a study released Tuesday by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Council for the New American City.

The study, prepared by forecasting firm Global Insight Inc., predicts a widespread and deep economic impact from ongoing housing market problems, which many expect to stretch through next year.

Global Insight predicted that the economy would grow at a 1.9% rate in 2008, “a full percentage point lower than would have been the case without the mortgage crisis.” It also said U.S. gross domestic product growth would be $166 billion lower next year because of mortgage market problems, and that consumer spending would fall to 2% growth. The study also found that home price declines would average 7% in 2008, though it would be much higher — 16% — in California.

Local tax revenue is expected to be hit hard by falling home values. In California, property tax revenues are expected to have fallen by $2.96 billion last year, the study said. In Florida, property taxes revenues could fall by $589 million.

There have already been a record number of homeowners entering the foreclosure process this year, and many have warned the problems will continue through 2008. One major reason for this is subprime adjustable-rate mortgages, many of which began with low teaser rates but grow into much higher monthly requirements after several years. A high concentration of these loans are expected to become more expensive next year, and both the banking industry and government leaders are trying to find ways to address it.

The states where housing prices are expected to fall the most - such as California - are also the same places where housing prices jumped the most during the recent housing boom. Global Insight said the mortgage market’s economic impact could be “significantly contained” if investors and loan servicers agree to new payment terms with borrowers struggling to afford monthly payments.

In its study, Global insight predicted the real estate crisis of 2007 and 2008 would “go down on the record books,” but said it wouldn’t ultimately “bring the economy grinding to a halt.”

“Indeed, we expect job growth in 2008 to be 0.85% and GDP growth to be 1.9%,” the study said. “In 2009, those figures will be 1.2% and 2.9%, respectively. In the end, the economy will not come off the rails, and we may actually have learned something.”

In acquiring a house, the first decision you need to make is whether to buy a house or rent one. Many people think that buying a house is the most advantageous -the “American Dream”. Take stock of the situation and see the pros and cons:

Buying
Pros - Over time, equity builds up while mortgage balance decrease, even if the value of the home does not increase. You have all the ability to redecorate and remodel your home. Tax advantages are attached to home ownership.

Cons - Costs are variable, and equity may either go up, down, or stay stagnant. You have to sell your house if you want to move, and all repairs are at your own cost. Most often, a large investment is needed for down payment.

11. You have to choose the font of your newsletter wisely. Some of the fonts such as Times New Roman, Garamond or Arial are easier to read compared to Curlz, Jokerman and other narrow typefaces. You should also not set the font style to all caps since this can intimidate the reader. You can use the bold and italics feature but only sparingly, just to emphasize some points. You can of course, change the font of your newsletter but be sure that you will limit yourself to no more than 3 styles so as not to make the readers dizzy.
12. Add humor to your newsletter. There is nothing better than making the residents feel at home just by reading your newsletters.

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9. There are templates available on the internet nowadays for your newsletter design. Some are even for free and all you have to do is to just fill in the blanks of the template. If you are a bit creative and full of ideas, you might want to do a design of your own. There are a lot of programs out there that allows you to do newsletters from scratch.
10. Not matter how colorful you want your newsletter is, you must remember that the white space is pretty much important too. It provides breathing space to your newsletter and gives the reader the impression that everything is not cramped up.

Photo taken from http://www.ucl.ac.uk

7. Photographs are needed in a newsletter to make it lively. A person does not take interest in scanning (more so, reading) all the written texts of your newsletter. If for example, a burglar was apprehended by the police, you might want to include the mug shot of the burglar to make the people interested in reading who was that man featured on the newsletter.
8. You must also include the accomplishments of your homeowners association to stress out that the homeowners association indeed works. This is vital to encourage people to participate and join the association for the betterment of the neighborhood.

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5. Play with words. You might want to try sounding a little bit more stern than the usual (it’s ok, this is a newsletter) so that people will follow you. Instead of writing “The board discussed way on how pet owners should comply with the pet policy” as your headline, you might want to change it to, “The board has decided to enforce the rules to those who will not follow the pet policy”.
6. You might want to consider a proofreader for you newsletter. A simple mistake can make your newsletter the joke of the town. You might also lose your credibility when you’ve made a single mistake on your newsletter.

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