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Figuring Out What Type of Home You Want

Monday, April 30, 2012
by Ray Straub of The Mike Parker Team

 

Now that you've selected a Realtor, and you've been pre-qualified, it’s time to figure out what you’re looking for in a home.  There are so many decisions to be made.  The best way to figure out what it is that you need in a home is to make two lists.  The NEED List and the WANT list.  Your need list should contain things that you absolutely must have in your home. 

Example:

NEEDS                                                                         WANTS

  • 3 beds/ 2 baths                                              Updated kitchen
  • Finished basement                                        Mature trees in yard                               
  • Lots of closet space                                       Ceramic tile in bathrooms
  • Open floor plan                                               Additional parking
  • Flat back yard                                                 Close to shopping
  • Fenced back yard                                           Front porch

In today’s market there are a number of different purchase options for buyers aside from a traditional sale.  It’s important to consider the benefits of each option.  There are plenty of foreclosures, short sales (pre foreclosure), and other types of lender owned homes on the market.  These are homes that you could get a good deal on.  With a little hard work, they can sometimes be a great way to build equity quickly.   Maybe a fixer upper is not what you have in mind which is fine.  Just know that they are out there.

Written by: Ray Straub, Team Agent, The Mike Parker Team

Have You Backed Up Your Home?

Monday, April 16, 2012
by The Mike Parker Team

Personal computers have been around long enough that everyone has experienced or knows someone who has lost their data due to a hard drive crash, accident or burglary. If they had a backup, the loss was inconvenient but not critical.

Do you have a backup for your personal belongings? Not that you need duplicates of all the items but do you have a journal listing of all the items with a description and their approximate values? That record becomes the backup that supports the claim for your insurance.

If a building sustains a total loss, the insurance company will usually pay the face amount of the policy. When it comes to personal property which might be 40% to 50% of the insured value of the dwelling, the insurance company is going to expect an accounting with receipts or at least, a relatively recent inventory.

The better your inventory, the less likely you'll have difficulty with the claim. Almost everyone has a digital camera that can take stills and probably even videos. The combination of the images as well as a written description will help you replace the belongings and serve as proof to the insurance company.

Once you've made the inventory, store it off site for safe keeping. Online storage in the "cloud" might be the best place to insure you'll always know where it is. Contact me for a free Home Inventory form; it's my way of helping you be a better homeowner

The Home Buying Process - Part 1

Monday, April 9, 2012
by The Mike Parker Team

By Ray Straub : The Mike Parker Team

Selecting a Real Estate Professional:

Purchasing a home is one of the largest investments that most people will ever make.  With a financial investment of this magnitude, it is important to obtain as much information as possible so the buyer can make educated decisions.  With all of the information available to buyers today, it can sometimes be difficult to determine which information is accurate.  Selecting the right real estate professional to guide you through the process can be a great help.  A good Realtor can provide useful information and insight into local market trends and data.

Getting Pre-Qualified:

After you have selected a Realtor you are comfortable working with, the next step is getting pre-qualified for a loan.  Your Realtor will be able to refer you to a loan officer who can go over all of the different loan options with you.  Each buyer is different and there are a number of different loan programs to fit the needs of each individual buyer.  When getting pre-qualified for a loan there are things that need to be taken into consideration.  Your credit score plays a big role in getting qualified.  If you have issues with your credit score, they need to be cleared up as soon as possible.  Your loan officer will examine your credit report and direct you as to what issues need to be addressed.  Your debt to income ratio is also analyzed in the pre-qualification process.  Once this is done, you will need to determine your maximum loan amount.  It is important to keep your monthly payments at a number you feel comfortable with.  Just because you qualify for a certain amount does not mean that you have to purchase a property at the top end.  Make sure that you understand the details of the loan you will be utilizing.  Don’t be scared to ask questions.  Your Realtor and your loan officer work for you, and should be looking out for your best interests.  Together you should be able to figure out what loan program works best for your situation.

Tri State Easter Egg Hunts

Friday, April 6, 2012
by The Mike Parker Team

Courtsey of the Kentucky Post, check out these area Easter Egg Hunts.  Happy Easter to everyone!!!

365 Things To Do In Northern Kentucky - Reds Opening Day

Wednesday, April 4, 2012
by The Mike Parker Team

The boys of summer are back and ready to bring back the pennant!  If you're curious as to what's going for The Cincinnati Reds opening day downtown and throughout the area we have the scoop.

The parade kicks things off with 200 + floats and those participating in vehicles.  The parade starts at Findlay Market at 1:00pm and ends at Fifth Street and Sycamore.  Make sure to grab your spot along the route and experience the electric atomosphere.

This year there is a block party outside Great American Ball Park before the game Thursday.  Parts of Freedom Way and Joe Nuxhull Way will be closed for the party, which includes live music, food and beer and runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Various bars are offering special prices for drinks and food.  Many of them are featuring live music before and after the game.  Various radio stations will be live on air until 6:00om at various locations throughout the city.

If you have tickets, have fun at the game but if not, there are plenty of plenty other ways to celebrate.  GO REDS!!!!

Before You Call the Repairman...

Tuesday, April 3, 2012
by The Mike Parker Team

Before You Call the Repairman

Have you ever had a service company to your home to repair something and find out that it really wasn't "broken"? It probably conjured up ambivalent feelings of joy that it wasn't something serious and frustration that you had to pay a service call for something so simple.

Before you call the repairman next time, keep these things in mind to see if it is something simple:

 
  • Disposer not working - check to see if the reset button has been thrown. It is usually on the bottom of the disposer. If the disposer is making a humming sound, the blades may be stuck. While the disposer is turned off, use a wooden broom handle as a lever to gently rotate the blades. Remove the broom handle and turn on the disposer to see if it works properly.
  • Air conditioner not working - check to see if a breaker has thrown on your electric panel. You might need to flip the breaker completely off and flip it back on.
  • Electrical outlets not working - Electrical plugs in bathrooms or outside, especially on a porch or patio, are many times connected to a ground fault interrupter. The GFI will be a wall outlet and it may be located in the garage. Locate the outlet and reset the button that may have tripped.
  • Clogged drain - a simple way to correct a slow or clogged drain is to use the water pressure from a garden hose. You'll need a helper to turn on the water full-blast once you have safely placed the hose in the drain and are holding a hand-towel around the hose to direct the water to the drain. Be prepared to tell your helper to turn off the water when needed.

Whether it's preparing a home to market or arranging repairs required by the sale, REALTORS® know reputable, reasonable and reliable service contractors. We're here to share our contacts with you to help make home ownership better.

Displaying blog entries 1-6 of 6

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Photo of Mike Parker - CRS Real Estate
Mike Parker - CRS
HUFF Realty
60 Cavalier Blvd.
Florence KY 41042
859-647-0700
859-486-3300
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