Five Tips to Help you Manage Your Credit

Managing your credit can seem confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. While every person’s individual credit profile is different and should be managed in its own way, there are a few basic steps that everyone can focus on to help effectively manage credit.

1.Pay your bills on time. Late payments, collections, and judgments have a large negative impact on your credit scores.
2.Manage your debts. Keep the balances on your credit cards as low as possible. By keeping your balances below 10% of the limits, you will help to ensure better credit scores.
3.Give yourself time. The length of your credit history has a significant impact on your credit scores. Establishing a long history of paying your bills on time and using credit responsibly will help to build healthy credit. Always try to keep your oldest accounts open to lengthen the time of active credit use.
4.Apply for credit in moderation. Opening too many new accounts within a short period of time causes inquiries to appear on your credit report. This can be interpreted as a sign of financial difficulty and lead to you being a higher risk to potential lenders.
5.Monitor your credit regularly. Utilize on-line services that allow you to see your credit such as AnnualCreditReport.com or Credit Coach. This will help you check for inaccuracies that may appear on your report and avoid identity theft.
Look at the past two years and use that as a tool to focus on the next two years. If you have good credit, keep doing what you have been doing. If your credit isn’t up to par, learn from what you have done and develop a plan for what you can do to rebound. Following these simple steps can help in the process of building healthy credit and lead to a better financial future.

Article taken from Credit Coach blog: http://creditcoachblog.net/

Am I Automatically Approved for the Loan When I Get Pre-Qualified?

No. Pre-qualification simply means that a lender has reviewed the preliminary information you have provided, including your monthly or annual income. Based on this preliminary information, the lender will pre-qualify you for a certain amount. A credit check may not have been run and the lender is not yet in receipt of written documentation supporting your claims. You will only qualify and be approved for the loan, when you actually apply and submit all necessary documentation and a credit check proves you are worthy of being approved for the loan or multiple loans.





Information copied from www.realestatewiki.com

Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program

Many existing homes in Wisconsin have problems related to moisture, condensation, drafty rooms, ice dams, mold, and high utility bills—which indicate the home may not have proper insulation, and/or is not at the level of safety, health, and comfort it could be.

Work with a consultant partnering with the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program help to identify the cause of those problems, and provide recommendations for getting them fixed. By completing a home evaluation you not only receive a more comfortable and energy efficient home, but you can receive Cash-Back Rewards for completing all or part of the work!

How it Works
Customers experiencing these common home performance problems select a partnering consultant who best meets their needs. Once a consultant is selected, they will visit the home and complete a comprehensive energy evaluation of the following areas:
Insulation and building shell
Air leakage
Mechanical equipment
Moisture and ventilation
Combustion safety and carbon monoxide
Once the evaluation is complete, you'll receive a written report of the findings and a list of recommended solutions. At this point, you have the option to do all or part of the work. Once that work is completed, your consultant will follow up with a post-performance evaluation and inspection to ensure the improvements are effective. Your consultant will complete all required paperwork to make sure you receive any applicable Cash-Back Rewards for the work you've done.

Here is the link to the site for more information:

http://www.focusonenergy.com/Default.aspx

Tips for Finding the Perfect Neighborhood

Tips for Finding the Perfect Neighborhood

The neighborhood you choose can have a big impact on your lifestyle—safety, available amenities, and convenience all play their part.

1. Make a list of the activities—movies, health club, church—you engage in regularly and stores you visit frequently. See how far you would have to travel from each neighborhood you’re considering to engaging in your most common activities.

2. Check out the school district. The Department of Education in your town can probably provide information on test scores, class size, percentage of students who attend college, and special enrichment programs. If you have school-age children, also consider paying a visit to schools in the neighborhoods you’re considering. Even if you don’t have children, a house in a good school district will be easier to sell in the future.

3. Find out if the neighborhood is safe. Ask the police department for neighborhood crime statistics. Consider not only the number of crimes but also the type—burglaries, armed robberies—and the trend of increasing or decreasing crime. Also, is crime centered in only one part of the neighborhood, such as near a retail area?

4. Determine if the neighborhood is economically stable. Check with your local city economic development office to see if income and property values in the neighborhood are stable or rising. What is the percentage of homes to apartments? Apartments don’t necessarily diminish value, but they do mean a more transient population. Do you see vacant businesses or homes that have been for sale for months?

5. See if you’ll make money. Ask a local REALTOR or call the local REALTOR association to get information about price appreciation trends in the neighborhood. Although past performance is no guarantee of future results, this information may give you a sense of how good an investment your home will be. A REALTOR or the government planning agency also may be able to tell you about planned developments or other changes in the neighborhood—like a new school or highway—that might affect value.

6. See for yourself. Once you’ve narrowed your focus to two or three neighborhoods, go there, and walk around. Are homes tidy and well maintained? Are streets quiet? Pick a warm day if you can and chat with people working or playing outside. Are they friendly? Are their children to play with your family?

Reprinted from REALTOR Magazine Online by Permission of the National Association of REALTORS
Copyright 2005 All Rights reserved. www.REALTOR.org/realtormag

5 Things to Do Before you Sell

Here are some tips

1. Get estimates from a reliable repairperson on items that need to be replaced soon, a roof or worn carpeting, for example. In this way, buyers will have a better sense of how much these needed repairs will affect their costs.

2. Have a termite inspection to prove to buyers that the property is not infested.

3. Get a pre-sale home inspection so you’ll be able to make repairs before buyers become concerned and cancel a contract.

4. Gather together warranties and guarantees on the furnace, appliances, and other items that will remain with the house.

5. Fill out a disclosure form provided by your sales associate. Take the time to be sure that you don’t forget problems, however minor, that might create liability for you after the sale.





Reprinted from REALTOR Magazine Online by permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS
          Copyright 2005.  All rights reserved.                        www.REALTOR.org/realtormag