Made Moon Blog

Selling your home on your own, without a Realtor, is becoming less and less popular. This is surprising, considering that home values have skyrocketed and commissions have risen along with them.

The money to be saved can be significant enough to attempt to sell your home on your own. Especially when the market has historically low interest rates and high demand in most areas of the country.

To sell your home on your own however, you are missing the most significant marketing tool available to you. The Realtor’s Multiple Lisitngs Service (MLS).

70% of all home buyers start out on the web. So it is crucial for you to be in the MLS. But, the challenge has always been that to be in the MLS you have to sign with a Realtor at 6% of your sales price.

So if your home is worth $399,000. You would spend 6% on your sales commissions. Not to mention your title, escrow and other expenses.

So if you sell your house on your own you can save at least $23,940 ($399,000 x 6%).

But let’s get realistic. Most buyers work with a Realtor.
So you will be spending at least 2% to 3% for the buyers commission.

I say you will be spending because even if the buyer is paying the agent as a buyers broker, that will still reflect a lower offer to that takes into consideration the commission. So you are paying for the commission indirectly-yes?

Additionally, you will find that you will have a much better reach into your marketplace by being in the MLS.

So how do you do this? Well depending on your State you can list your home for a flat fee as low as $500. But, you get listed in the MLS with zero service.

But, you get the reach of all the buyers brokers that subscribe to the MLS and you still save 2% - 3% of the price.

Estate Sale By Owner Listings
List on the MLS for less than $500.

What a difference A Day makes!

6th April 2006 is A Day. Everything about pensions changes then: mostly for the better, and you need to plan for those changes now.

1. You can get tax relief on all your income

2. Your pension can buy buy-to-lets, holiday homes and villas abroad; and it can even take out a mortgage!

3. You control how you take you pension when you retire, you never have to buy an annuity and your kids can inherit your pension when you die

1. Tax relief on all income
You can pay all your income into a SIPP (up to a maximum of £215,000 pa) and get full tax relief on it. So, if for instance, you earn £100,000 a year and you are sitting with cash in a bank account that you don’t need, you can pay £100K into your SIPP and it will cost you as little as £60K after full tax relief.

One amazing thing is that you can start a pension for your children and get tax relief on that, and the money goes outside of your estate for IHT purposes, so if you have spare cash and want to help your kids enjoy their future it is worth considering.

2. Your pension can buy Property
A SIPP is a self invested personal pension. It can buy property in the UK or Abroad. You can even sell it property you already own, and hence free up the equity. What’s more, your SIPP can take out a mortgage to help with the funding. And, of course, you can move your existing pension funds into your SIPP, so that takes the money away from pension company funds and frees it up to buy property.

The tax advantages of your SIPP owning property are huge.

a)Rental Income is tax free, you pay no Income Tax
b)You don’t pay Capital Gains Tax
c)Assets within your SIPP are not part of your personal estate on death.

So, if you personally own another property, the rent you receive could be eaten away by tax; when you sell the property the Taxman takes another bite, and if you die he gets you again. But, put that property into a sipp and the Inland Revenue will let you enjoy enormous tax advantages. That is why sipps are the hottest thing happening and millions of people will take one out over the next few years.

3. Compulsory Annuities cease and Retirement flexibility increases
Most people hate having to buy an annuity when they die. With an annuity you give up your pension funds and instead you get an income for life, but that dies with you (or your partner). So, as well as being very inflexible it is poor value for money if you die early and does not allow you to pass your pension funds on to your children or grandchildren.

After A Day, 25% tax-free cash can be taken from your SIPP. You then choose how to take an income, and you don’t have to take any income if you don’t want to! On your death your remaining pension fund goes to your nominated beneficiaries.

What should you do now?
If you have existing pension funds, you need to get these moved into a SIPP now. It can take quite a time for these transfers to happen, and you want the funds available for A Day.

If you are buying a property off-plan, your SIPP can pay the deposit now. SIPPs can’t buy property until next April, but they can start to buy off-plan, so you need to know how the process works.

So, in summary, take expert advice now. The clock it ticking for the most tax efficient, flexible way to buy property that this country has ever allowed.

Flipps.co.uk has been providing real estate hot spot information for the last 2 years and has successfully matched Investors with Investments within the same period. If you would like to know more about Sipps and our 6 Hot Reasons to invest Right Now then please click here http://www.flipps.co.uk

1. Read the question to see whose shoes you should put yourself in. Sometimes it may be a mortgage broker; other times a building society manager. Put yourself in that person’s shoes and try and imagine you are them before you answer the question.

2. Think generic products. Although your own product range will undoubtedly help you, the exam is based around generic products not specific ones which you may deal with.

3. Questions in CeMAP use very cautious lending policies rather than the very adventurous ones available in the market. Unlike any other lenders on the market, the CeMAP paper operates standard income multipliers, it always charges higher lending fees, it doesn’t lend to people with CCJs, it promotes both repayment mortgages and interest only mortgages with ISAs and endowments. It is the perfect lender and adheres to the CeMAP syllabus.

4. Be aware of the sections. Section A and B cover applying for a mortgage - all areas when a mortgage is applied for right up until the mortgage offer is issued. Section C covers all things that occur after completion of the mortgage, invariably handled by the lender’s head office or branches. Section C also covers a lot of Mortgage Conduct of Business Rules as do sections A and B.

5. Know that you have 2 hours for the whole paper but be aware of how much time to spend on each case study. In the paper you will have 6 case studies all consisting of 10 multiple choice questions. We recommend 20 minutes on each case study

6. Revise your calculations before the paper. There will invariably be questions which require you to do a calculation. Percentage advances, higher lending fees calculations are just two examples

7. As you read the case studies, if they involve clients, try to imagine they’re sitting in front of you and drift into this state. Read the case study again with the new image in your head. Jot down key words and phrases from the case study. Then tackle the questions. Really get a handle on the case study as every question will relate to it in one way or another.

8. Try Mind mapping the Mortgage Conduct of Business Rules to bring it to life and make it easier to study.

9. In a standard multi choice exam, like the CeMAP 1, its good advice to leave out questions you’re not sure of and come back to them at the end. In this exam this is not so good, since all the questions relate to a case study which you have to swallow first before you answer the questions. By all means, leave out those questions you don’t know the answer initially and come back to them before you move onto the next case study.

10. If you need glasses for computer usage, don’t forget to take them. Sitting in front of a screen for two hours can hurt your eyes otherwise. If your company gives you free eye tests if you’re a computer user, get one done before the exams and buy your glasses as soon as you can. Doing an exam with an excruciating headache is no fun.

11. Remember standard multiple choice question strategies. Read the question first twice without glancing at the answers; cover the answers with your hand if you have to.

12. Always relate the question back to the case study information as this will help you enormously.

13. Have you ever seen a line of dominoes on the floor where the first domino is toppled and this nocks the next one and so on and so on. I think the Guinness Book of Records states that the longest row of dominoes is in the thousands. Anyway this image will help you realise the way CeMAP 3 questions work. Many questions link to the next question. For example the first question may ask you to select an appropriate product. The next question would then ask a question relevant to that product. Sometimes, if you’re unsure of the answer to question one, either the question stem or possible answers to question 2 may jog their memory. So it’s a good idea to look at the other questions for hints at the answers to others.

14. Use elimination with CeMAP for every question - it’s the best technique going and can invariably lead you to an answer that you weren’t too sure of. Even if you are fairly sure of the answer, eliminate the wrong answers as this helps you to keep concentration going. Remember after 90 minutes, you will become tired and will begin to miss things. Things that are obvious when you have lots of energy just get missed when you’re tired. Using elimination makes you focus on very option and not miss anything.

15. Keeping yourself active during the exam helps concentration. Take a blank piece of paper for each case study and make notes of the key information as you read the story. In the Pearson Vue system you receive a small whiteboard to write on which can be wiped clean every time you move onto a new case study

16. Don’t forget the older mortgage schemes and methods crop
up in the exam. For example stabilised and low start mortgages haven’t been sold since the early 90’s but people may still have them and thus they are tested.

17. Try a technique to forget the case study entirely. One delegate suggested you close your eyes and think of England/Wales/Scotland before you move on. Others have suggested some sort of visualisation, maybe, your last holiday lying on the beach. Whatever you do, try to rid your mind of the last case study from your mind, before you move onto the next one.

Paul is an international speaker, trainer, author and coach based in the UK. He specialises in rapport selling and rapport sales management and can ignite his audiences large or small. Rapport selling gets more results.
Get your Ebook Presentation Excellence at http://www.archertraining.co.uk and sign up to our regular EZine of sales and management tips.

In today’s real estate market, astute buyers are also looking to realize savings by dealing directly with the seller. They use internet search engines and keyword sets (Atlanta real estate advertising, Atlanta for sale by owner, Atlanta FSBO) to locate for sale by owner (FSBO) properties on the web. Search engine results will be limited to those websites registered with major search engines and which meet the search criteria. Websites with a meaningful search engine ‘rank’ will benefit most by being listed at the top of the search results.

Though not necessarily an indication of site quality, search engine rank is a measure of site popularity which offers some indication of site visits. As a result, for sale by owners (FSBO) are encouraged to check a site’s search engine rank before listing your property with them. If you want your property to be seen, avoid listing your property with any site not in the top 20 results for any of your keywords sets. The analysis involved is fairly straightforward.

Simply run a search in your search engine of choice (Google, MSN, Yahoo) on relevant keyword sets unique to your property (Atlanta real estate advertising, Atlanta for sale by owner, Atlanta FSBO) and check the results. Depending on the keywords used, the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and local newspapers [other important considerations] may not be included in the search engine results. For sale by owner (FSBO) homes without an internet presence fail to cover this critical dimension of an effective marketing campaign, which could result in a ‘commission free’ sell.

Barry M. Milteer,
President
Home Advancement, LLC
http://www.homeadvancementllc.com/RealEstateArticles_1.htm

In addition to the reunification talks set for the 3rd September this year, between the Greek Cyprian president Demetris Christofias and his Turkish counterpart Mehmet Ali Talat, the two leaders wish to rehabilitate areas within the UN buffer zone (a 300km stretch of deserted land, running along the border and through towns such as Nicosia and Famagusta) and prevent illegal dumping. They have drawn up a series of ‘confidence boosting measures’ with instructions to implement them immediately, to aid the peace process:Work together in crisis situations.For environmental experts to collaborate, exchanging ideas and information.Work together to prevent wildfires.Address waste management, treatment and recycling and increase awareness of water saving. To reach a common approach towards mining and quarrying.Find an agreement on biodiversity and nature protection.To control and manage marine maritime pollution.To control and manage asbestos pollution.To control and manage historical pollution. Compile a list of immovable Cyprian cultural heritage. Form concrete plans for two pilot restoration projects. Create guidelines for an interactive educational computer programme. To exchange information and intelligence on criminal matters.Despite making progress and working together to introduce these measures, the two leaders still cannot agree over the reunification of Cyprus. Northern Cyprus, the TRNC, wish to create a brand new Cyprian state, whilst the Greek Cypriots wish to reintroduce the old Republic of Cyprus with full inclusion of Turkish Cypriots. Prior to the meeting, President Christofias outlined how he personally would like to reunify the island; he wished for a single sovereignty with rotating presidency, one citizenship, one economy and one ‘international personality’. He also spoke of both the Cyprian and Turkish communities being politically equal; however, somewhat contradictory to this aim, Christofias said that a president from the Greek Cypriot community would hold the office for a longer period, whilst the vice-president would come from the other community. Greek Cypriots view the Turkish as invaders and the TRNC as an unlawful occupation of the northern part of their island. A petition was made by the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament supporting a report condemning the Turkish occupancy, with 26,000 Greek signatures.The report states that as a candidate country Turkey is under obligation to respect fundamental principles of the EU, i.e. respect for civil liberties and property rights. The Famagusta Refugee Council (FRC) believes that Greek ownership would allow communities to co-exist more peacefully and together develop economic independence. The Turkish Cypriot president has not commented on the issue, however Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, publicly supported the Turkish Cyprian President, “Turkey will continue to support the constructive approach of Talat”. He believed a solution would be achieved by the end of the year.Although the leaders have conflicting ideas concerning the reunification of Cyprus, there does not seem to be animosity between the two communities. It is not hard for visiting EU citizens or either communities to cross the divide. It is generally a simple case of presenting a passport, with the exception of non-EU citizens crossing from the north to the south.

Specialized re-mortgage rate plans for investment bankers, doctors, and other professionals are targetting a select group of mortgagors in select professional employ. Many mortgagees can provide fairly favorable rates especially to solicitors, graduates and many other professionals. Of course, solely sounding out a typical brokerage innocently will usually not be the most desirable approach for you… In all probability they won’t really be able to guarantee exceptionally favourable rates to be had too easily. By contrast, at MORTGAGES FOR PROFESSIONALS you’ll meet with experienced counselors who can help you locate the very best plan.

The “Mortgages for Professionals” corporation can boast a huge number of years of brokerage know-how and have established stable associations with all leading English brokerages. As you should know this makes it possible for them to provide the most recommended professional mortgage product available one can expect. The company’s specifically skilled mortgage consultant will carry out that deal in their patron’s best interest.

You’ll find benefits to get MORTGAGES FOR PROFESSIONALS to help out with this mortgage - the only thing to keep in mind is that they will be able to aid you even in a hard situation… The “Mortgages for Professionals” corporation can offer assistance with a lot of matters covering mortgage bridging loans, mortgage rates based on higher income multiples (up to 5x your salary or more), and no deposit mortgage rates, to mention but some of them here. Expectably there’ll be many causes why you may want to pick that specifically skilled mortgage consultant, but assuming that you are a busy person and fancy a little bit of additional assistance this specifically skilled mortgage consultant will probably be valuable to you. Click here for a mortgage brokers advice on securing a great mortgage rate from Mortgages for Professionals.

The “Mortgages for Professionals” corporation is a most successful finance house because they effectively listen and all patrons have to to is sign the contract. They can define bang-on which documentation is favorable to impart and who to contact for second mortgages for dentists, graduates and other professionals presently available.

You have decided to sell your house, have engaged the services of a Real Estate Agent or decided to handle the sale yourself and are just waiting for prospective buyers to call. Someone arranges to view but, after a quick inspection, they leave never to be heard from again. What went wrong? Here are seven of the best ways to put off your buyer.

1. A house that smells of cigarette smoke or animals does not provide a welcome to visitors. Stale cooking odors are also to be avoided. While you are used to your home and may not be aware of any odors, they will be immediately obvious to any visitors.

2. Family pets should be moved outside during a visit. Many people are afraid of dogs and not everyone is keen on cats or other pets.

3. Dimly lit rooms. Buyers like a light and airy atmosphere so all curtains and blinds should be drawn back. Turn on the lights as well if the room is naturally on the dark side.

4. Dirty bathrooms and kitchens are an immediate turnoff. Make sure that these rooms are spotless and all towels freshly laundered. All cooking pots should be put away and all clutter removed. This applies to all other rooms as well.

5. Poor decorations and worn carpets will give an impression of general dingeyness. Almost as bad is loud wallpaper which can be overpowering. While buyers can imagine how a freshly decorated room would look, it is far better for them to see the fresh paint when they visit.

6. Even worse than poor decorations is mould on the walls and damp in the basement. Apart from the visual disfigurement mould can also be the cause of an unpleasant smell.

7. Owners who hover while buyers are looking round. Unless you are showing the buyers round yourself, leave it to the Agent and make sure that all members of your family are out of the way, preferably outside, while the buyers are present.

Avoid these common mistakes and your house will provide a welcoming atmosphere which will increase your chances of any early sale.

Hugh Harris-Evans is a writer and webmaster of Sell House Tips.com where you will find further articles and tips on How to Sell Your House
http://www.sellhousetips.com/

With rates still holding steady many home owners are rethinking the possibility of saving hundreds per month when refinancing. But should you refinance? To answer this question we will first need to define the financial term home loan refinancing.

Home Refinancing Defined: The process of the same borrower paying off one loan with the proceeds from another loan. The repayment of a loan with funds from a new loan secured by the same property as the first loan. The new loan may be from the same or a different lending institution.

Now that we know the process we’re better able to understand the answer forthcoming.

To get our answer regarding whether to refinance or not we will need to know what our current mortgage rate is as well as our desired rate. Example: If your monthly mortgage payment (excluding taxes & insurance) is about $770 on a $100,000 loan at 8.5% you would save about $70 a month if the rate were lowered to 7.5%. Your monthly payment would be about $700.

To determine how much you would save upon refinancing with the desired rate compared to your current loan rate you will need one of the following tools:

A Local rate Index
A Refinance Analysis Calculator or Mortgage Refinancing Savings Calculator
Pull your mortgage statement and examine your current mortgage rate

You’ll find a good refinance savings calculator at the Mortgage Loan Search site at http://www.bcpl.net/~ibcnet/refinance-savings-calculators.html. This calculator will answer such questions as Does It Pay for Me to Refinance My House? Is Now a Good Time to Refinance? Is It Worth It for Me to Refinance? When Do I Break Even When Refinancing My Home?

Before using the calculator we’ll need to know exactly what local home refinancing loan rates are available. To do this simply use the local mortgage rate look up tools featured on most mortgage websites. The ideal site will not only list an index of national averages but provide you a means of looking up local rates as well.

How Do I Find the Best Refinance Deal? To find the best deal you’ll want to put yourself in a bargaining position. Using what are called quick rate quote forms you’re able to submit a request for loan rates based on a certain criteria. The criteria lenders use helps them evaluate and determine the applicant’s best match in terms of available loan programs and associated mortgage rates.

Will I Benefit from Refinancing? It all depends on how much you save when refinancing and what you do with the savings. If you save $70 per month and receive interest on it (of just 6.5%), over 30 years (the length of most people’s loans) you would build over $80,000 in wealth.

How do I find the Best Refinance Rate? There are several factors involved with finding the lowest rates. One is having a fairly good credit score. The other is having made your mortgage payment on time. Another is making lenders compete for your business. When lenders know your dealing with the competition they will likely offer attractive rates up front to win you over.

What if I’m Refinancing My Home with Bad Credit? Don’t be dismayed. Lender will work with you to improve your credit score or offer special programs designed for less the perfect credit applicants.

Mark Askew is the founder of the Mortgage Loan Search Financial Network at http://www.bcpl.net/~ibcnet/ A resources aimed at giving consumers the tools tips and guides to think through making important personal financial decisions.