Milwaukee Real Estate

My Fabulous New Listing!

2011-08-28T18:35:00.000-07:00

Click here for more info!

Realtor of the Week

2011-05-16T09:24:00.000-07:00

I got some great press this weekend from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Please check it out!

New Listing

2011-04-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

Thought You'd be Interested
My fantastic new listing. Check it out!

Working With Your Realtor (Me!)

2011-03-26T16:22:00.000-07:00

I run into the same problem every couple of years, and so do most Realtors. I've been working with a client for a couple months, showing them houses, emailing new listings, talking with them in general terms about Milwaukee real estate. Then one fine Sunday afternoon, these clients are driving home from brunch and they see an open house sign and decide to stop, just on a whim. Of course this turns out to be the home of their dreams. They didn't see the home with me, and didn't mention to the agent holding the open house that they are working with me. This most likely means that I cannot represent them in this purchase. This is because of something called "procuring cause," which basically means that the agent who creates the interest in the home to the buyer gets the sales commission. In Wisconsin we have Buyer Agency Agreements, which create a contractual agreement between the buyer and the agent (actually the Broker, often a company) where the buyer agrees to work exclusively with the broker, and the broker agrees to represent the buyer's interests. However, in the open house scenario above, if I have a Buyer Agency Agreement with these hypothetical clients, I am not guaranteed the commission from the listing broker. I am, however, owed the commission from the BUYER because of the agency agreement.

So...
1) If you want to see a home, call me! It is what I do. You are not inconveniencing me. It is my job. It's the weekend? After work? No problem--again, it's what I do!
2) If you want to stop in at an open house, call me! (See #1)

One thing you may not know about us Realtors--we do receive pay checks. We work entirely on commission, and these days are not the greatest to be a salesperson, if you know what I mean. So it is heartbreaking to have well-meaning friends or clients buy a house through someone else simply because they didn't want to be a bother.
Please, if you want to see a house, just call.

Moving Help

2011-03-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

I heard a story on NPR over the weekend about people who specialize in helping seniors and empty nesters organize and clear out the large amount of belongings that often build up when you've lived in the same home for decades.
"After decades of living, you end up with a lot of stuff. "Senior movers" help confront the mess when seniors decide to downsize and move to a smaller home or a senior living community."
Here is the link to the article or you can listen to the show. Very interesting! For a list of companies in our area, click here.

LIFE SAVING!!

2011-02-21T05:26:00.000-08:00

I posted a few weeks ago about the new law regarding carbon monoxide detectors, which went into effect February 1. We've had dual smoke/carbon monoxide detectors in our home for a couple years ago, and on February 2 at 6:00 a.m., ours went off! For those of you who live here, this was the day of that huge snow storm. What happened was that with the snowing and the blowing and the drifting, the exhaust pipes for our heating system were completely covered in snow and so the exhaust--having nowhere else to go--was coming back into the house. I got it all cleared out and the house aired out as well, but it was scary to think what might have happened had we not had the detectors. In addition to small children, we have small pets. And I'd rather not have any of us exposed to carbon monoxide.
The moral? Go get yourself a detector today!

Credit Score Fixes

2011-02-13T09:40:00.000-08:00

Below is some information sent by Coldwell Banker's Mortgage Man, Don Madisen that very simply explains ways to improve your credit. Thank you Don!

9 fast fixes for your credit scores

If your scores are below 760, you may not be getting the best rates for loans or insurance -- so burnishing your scores can save you money.

So you've had a few problems getting the bills paid lately, and you're wondering what you can do to repair the damage to your credit.
You've got plenty of company. There are more than 43 million people in the United States with credit blemishes severe enough to make obtaining loans and credit cards with reasonable terms difficult.
Or maybe your credit is OK, but you'd like to make it better. After all, the better your credit, the less you pay in interest and, typically for insurance.

To improve your credit scores, it's important to know where you stand now. You can get free credit reports once a year, but you typically have to pay to see your FICO scores. (You can get other credit scores for free at sites like www.creditkarma.com but these aren't typically the scores lenders use.)
You can buy two of your three FICO scores for $19.95 each at myfico.com. (One of the three credit bureaus, Experian, no longer sells FICO scores to consumers, although it still sells them to lenders.)
If your scores are above 760, you're probably already getting the best rates. If they're anywhere below that mark, though, they could stand some improvement.

So here are the nine steps you can take to speedy credit repair:

1. Get a credit card if you don't have one

Don't fall for the myth that you have to carry a balance to have good scores. You don't, and you shouldn't. But having and using a credit card or two can really build your scores.
If you can't qualify for a regular credit card, consider a secured credit card, where the issuing bank gives you a credit line equal to the deposit you make. Look for a card that reports to all three credit bureaus. Three to consider are Public Savings Bank Classic Secured Visa, Orchard Bank Classic MasterCard and Citi Secured MasterCard, according to the credit experts I interviewed.

2. Add an installment loan to the mix

You'll get the fastest improvement in your scores if you show you're responsible with both major kinds of credit: revolving (credit cards) and installment (personal loans, auto, mortgages and student loans).
If you don't already have an installment loan on your credit reports, consider adding a small personal loan that you can pay back over time. Again, you'll want the loan to be reported to all three bureaus, and you'll probably get the best deal from a community bank or credit union.

3. Pay down your credit cards

Paying off your installment loans (mortgage, auto, student, etc.) can help your scores but typically not as dramatically as paying down -- or paying off -- revolving accounts such as credit cards.
Lenders like to see a big gap between the amount of credit you're using and your available credit limits. Getting your balances below 30% of the credit limit on each card can really help; getting balances below 10% is even better.
Though most debt gurus recommend paying off the highest-rate card first, a better strategy here is to pay down the cards that are closest to their limits.

4. Use your cards lightly

Racking up big balances can hurt your scores, regardless of whether you pay your bills in full each month. What's typically reported to the credit bureaus, and thus calculated into your scores, are the balances reported on your last statements.
You often can increase your scores by limiting your charges to 30% or less of a card's limit; 10% is even better. If you're having trouble keeping track, you can set up e-mail or text alerts with your credit card companies to let you know when you're approaching a limit you've set. If you regularly use more than half your limit on a card, consider using other cards to ease the load or try making a payment before the statement closing date to reduce the balance that's reported to the bureaus. Just make sure to make a second payment between the closing date and the due date, so you don't get reported as late.

5. Check your limits

Your scores might be artificially depressed if your lender is showing a lower limit than you've actually got. Most credit card issuers will quickly update this information if you ask.
If your issuer makes it a policy not to report consumers' limits, however -- as is sometimes the case with "no preset spending limit" cards -- the bureaus may use your highest balance as a proxy for your credit limit.
You may see the problem here: If you consistently charge the same amount each month -- say, $2,000 to $2,500 -- it may look to the credit-scoring formula like you're regularly maxing out that card.
If you have an American Express charge card -- the kind that must be paid in full every month, rather than the kind on which you carry a balance -- you probably don't have to worry, because charge cards typically aren't included in the credit utilization portion of the FICO formula.

If, however, the card is categorized on your credit reports not as a charge card but as a revolving credit card, and either a credit limit or high balance is reported to the bureaus, your balances on the card could be a problem.
You could go on a wild spending spree to raise the high balance reported to the credit bureaus, but a more sober solution would simply be to pay your balance down or off before your statement period closes.

6. Dust off an old card

The older your credit history, the better. But if you stop using your oldest cards, the issuers may decide to close the accounts or stop updating them to the credit bureaus. The accounts may still appear, but they won't be given as much weight in the credit-scoring formula as your active accounts, said Craig Watts, an executive at Fair Isaac, the company that created the FICO score.
So you might want to charge a recurring bill to one of those little-used accounts or take them out for dinner and a movie occasionally -- always, of course, paying off the balance in full.

7. Get some goodwill

If you've been a good customer, a lender might agree to simply erase that one late payment from your credit history. You usually have to make the request in writing, and your chances for a "goodwill adjustment" improve the better your record with the company (and the better your credit in general). But it can't hurt to ask.
A longer-term solution for more-troubled accounts is to ask that they be "re-aged." If the account is still open, the lender might erase previous delinquencies if you make a series of 12 or so on-time payments.

8. Dispute old negatives

Say that fight with your phone company over an unfair bill a few years ago resulted in a collections account. You can continue protesting that the charge was unjust, or you can try disputing the account with the credit bureaus as "not mine." The older and smaller a collection account, the more likely the collection agency won't bother to verify it when the credit bureau investigates your dispute.
Some consumers also have had luck disputing old items with a lender that has merged with another company, which can leave lender records a real mess.

9. Blitz significant errors

Your credit scores are calculated based on the information in your credit reports, so certain errors there can really cost you. But not everything that's reported in your files matters to your scores.
Here's the stuff that's usually worth the effort of correcting with the bureaus:

Late payments, charge-offs, collections or other negative items that aren't yours.
Credit limits reported as lower than they actually are.
Accounts listed as "settled," "paid derogatory," "paid charge-off" or anything other than "current" or "paid as agreed" if you paid on time and in full.
Accounts that are still listed as unpaid that were included in a bankruptcy.
Negative items older than seven years (10 in the case of bankruptcy) that should have automatically fallen off your reports.

You actually have to be a bit careful with this last one, because sometimes scores actually go down when bad items fall off your reports. It's a quirk in the FICO credit-scoring software, and the potential effect of eliminating old negative items is difficult to predict.

Some of the stuff that you typically shouldn't worry about includes:

Various misspellings of your name.
Outdated or incorrect address information.
An old employer listed as current.
Most inquiries.

If the misspelled name or incorrect address is because of identity theft or because your file has been mixed up with someone else's, that should be obvious when you look at your accounts. You'll see delinquencies or accounts that aren't yours and should report that immediately. However, if it's just a goof by the credit bureau or one of the companies reporting to it, it's usually not worth sweating.
Two more items you don't need to correct:

Accounts you closed listed as being open.
Accounts you closed that don't say "closed by consumer."

Closing an account can't help your scores and may hurt them. If your goal is boosting your scores, leave these alone. Once an account has been closed, though, it doesn't matter to the scoring formulas who did it -- you or the lender. If you messed up the account, it will be obvious from the late payments and other derogatory information included in the file.

4 common credit mistakes

Other actions to beware when you're trying to improve your scores:

Asking a creditor to lower your credit limits. This will reduce that all-important gap between your balances and your available credit, which could hurt your scores. If a lender asks you to close an account or get a limit lowered as a condition for getting a loan, you might have to do it -- but don't do so without being asked.
Making a late payment. The irony here is that a late or missed payment will hurt good scores more than bad ones, dropping 700-plus scores by 100 points or more. If you've already got a string of negative items on your credit reports, one more won't have a big impact, but it's still something you want to avoid if you're trying to improve your scores.
Consolidating your accounts. Applying for a new account can ding your scores. So, too, can transferring balances from a high-limit card to a lower-limit one or concentrating all or most of your credit-card balances onto a single card. In general, it's better to have smaller balances on a few cards than a big balance on one.
Applying for new credit if you already have plenty. On the other hand, applying for and getting an installment loan can help your scores if you don't have any installment accounts or you're trying to recover from a credit disaster such as bankruptcy.

By the way, all these suggestions work best if you have poor or mediocre scores to begin with. Once you've hit the 700 mark, any tweaking you do will tend to have less of a positive impact.
And if your scores are in the "excellent" category, 760 or above, you'll probably be able to eke out only a few extra points despite your best efforts. There's really no point, anyway, since you're already qualified for the best rates and terms. Here's one area where it's really OK to rest on your laurels and worry about something else.

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

2011-02-01T19:34:00.000-08:00

The Cap Times

Wisconsin's Department of Commerce reports that all single- and two-family homes in Wisconsin must have carbon monoxide detectors by Feb. 1. Homes being built after that date in Wisconsin will have to have CO detectors hard-wired into the home electrical system with backup battery supply. Existing residences may use battery-powered, stand-alone alarms. Such alarms are required in the basement and every floor of a dwelling, except for attics and garages. The law only applies to houses with garages and homes that contain CO sources, such as fireplaces, furnaces, heaters, and cooking sources that use coal, wood, and so forth. This comes on the heels of Madison's smoke alarm ordinance that went into effect last year, which requires hard-wired or 10-year battery-powered smoke alarms in bedrooms and on all floors of all residences.

Moving

2011-01-24T18:51:00.000-08:00

Last week I began a new phase of my career by moving to Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. This is a big change for me, one I put a lot of thought into and let me tell you--I am excited! I am truly looking forward to this year with a new company, an expansion of my business, and an expansion of the friends I meet through real estate.
Happy new year!

Crazy Low Rates This Week!

2010-11-09T10:10:00.000-08:00

30 YEAR RATES

30 Year FHA

4.00% 4.00%

Now is a great time to buy! If you're interested in discussing these rates, or other market factors, please give me a call!

FALL MAINTENANCE

2010-11-03T06:28:00.000-07:00

As the weather gets colder, now is a good time to do a few small maintenance items around the house. Change the batteries in your smoke detectors and, if you have a furnace, put in a new filter. That one from last year is grimy!

Back to School

2010-09-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

I packed my oldest child off to school a few weeks ago, and am now among the ranks of parents who LOVE the school year! Sure, it makes the day a bit more complicated, working drop-offs and pick-ups into a day already marked with work and naps and meals, but those few hours where the house is quiet and not getting any messier are so nice!

Milwaukee Employment Market Looking Good

2010-09-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

This is great news from the Greater Milwaukee Associations of Realtors for the housing market!...

The Milwaukee employment market is projected to be the fifth-best in the nation in the fourth quarter, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

From October to December, 18 percent of the companies in the Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis statistical market intend to hire more employees, while 7 percent expect to reduce their payrolls, yielding a net employment outlook of 11 percent. Another 70 percent expect to maintain their current staff levels and 5 percent are not certain of their hiring plans.

“Employers are less optimistic about hiring plans for the final three months of the year compared to Quarter 3, 2010 when the Net Employment Outlook was 17 percent,” said Manpower spokesperson Nicole Langley. “Employers expect a faster hiring pace compared with one year ago, when the Net Employment Outlook was 2 percent.”

Nationally, U.S. employers anticipate a slight gain of 5 percent for the fourth quarter, according to Milwaukee-based Manpower Inc. This marks the fourth consecutive quarter of employment gains in the national gauge. A positive overall hiring outlook was reported in all four quarters of 2010, which followed three quarters with a negative outlook in 2009.

"Clearly there are signs of a softening labor market, but when we consider what we are hearing from our clients and by looking at our own business, there is reason to be cautiously optimistic," said Manpower chairman and chief executive officer Jeff Joerres. "The hiring intentions for the fourth quarter are not enough to break through the labor market sound barrier that we're all eagerly anticipating, as 71 percent of employers indicate no change in hiring."

"After a period of very negative hiring sentiment in 2009, we have seen greater stability for the employed throughout 2010, although with only modest increases in hiring plans. This stability is an important platform to establish for more robust labor market growth in 2011," said Jonas Prising, Manpower president of the Americas. "Looking back at where we were in 2009, the employment environment is more promising now, however many employers are still unsure about how the economy will fare and how robust the recovery will be. Until we move beyond this uncertainty, we are unlikely to see employers hire in a meaningful way, and this is evident in their consistently modest hiring plans."

Lovely (Painted) Lady

2010-08-10T08:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a great home for you on the lower east side! So close to Brady Street, yummy restaurants, cool nightlife. Four bedrooms, 1.5 baths, original detailed woodwork and hardwood floors. Gorgeous decorative fireplace. Dentil and bead moldings, stained glass, transoms, large pantry are just some of the fabulous details. Secluded yard with great deck for dining and gatherings. New roof and gutters, and new exterior paint in 2009. Expandable attic is full of possibilities. Let me know when you want to see it!

A New Home

2010-07-03T07:05:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Andy and Katie on their new townhome! I hope you enjoy Milwaukee as much as I do.

Brewer's Hill Beauty

2010-07-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

125 W Lloyd St in Milwaukee had a price change today to $199,900, which is an unbelievable price for this great Brewer's Hill home. Check out this link above for all the details, but the rundown is this--3 bedrooms plus an additional LARGE sitting area or dressing room or office, 1.5 baths, gorgeous hardwood floors and woodwork, a great eat-in kitchen, private outdoor patio and much more. Just minutes from downtown or Brady Street!

Farmers' Markets

2010-05-11T09:25:00.001-07:00

On this cold and rainy spring day, I am daydreaming about summer and warm weather and fresh food. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has put together a nice map of area farmers' markets. Just click on one to see when they'll start and the days and hours of operation, as well as links to websites if available.

Homebuyer Tax Credit

2010-02-10T06:27:00.000-08:00

Do you know you don't have to be a first time buyer to take advantage of the federal homebuyer's tax credit? Do you know you only have a few weeks left? If you're dreaming of buying this year, NOW IS THE TIME! Click here to get some answers to your questions about the tax credit and then call me to talk about moving!

Bay View Beauty

2010-01-28T13:41:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of my listing at 3153 S Pennsylvania, in the heart of Bay View. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ran a good article on the area over the weekend. Worth a read! Want to learn more about the house? Click here!

A Great Time to Sell Your Home?

2010-01-07T05:53:00.000-08:00

“This year, we're anticipating sales will peak earlier,” says Nicole Hall, editor in chief of Lendingtree.com, an online mortgage comparison service. “The best time to get your house on the market will be February or early March, and maybe even earlier if you want to avoid competition.” Forbes.com has an interesting article about selling your home at times of the year that are normally considered "off-peak."
If you're thinking of selling your home, please contact me for a market analysis!

New Listing!

2009-05-12T13:45:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to tell you about my new listing at 3340 N. Newhall St. This is a terrific home in a great neighborhood. Modern updates meet original detail here! Three large bedrooms, all new bathrooms, and an eat-in kitchen. Gleaming hardwood floors, built-in cabinetry, skylight in full BA, updated electrical, new roof, and oversized yard with beautiful perennial garden are just a few of the allures of this home. Call me if you'd like more information or to see this wonderful home!

Milwaukee Housing Prices Rise

2009-04-03T12:17:00.000-07:00

If you needed a little more assurance, this arrived from the Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors today:

Milwaukee Housing Market Outperforming the Nation
A Radar Logic report published today, shows Milwaukee’s housing market showed its resiliency in sales prices. The report states:

“Year-over-year price dynamics improved in Milwaukee, St. Louis and Sacramento. In Milwaukee, where the housing market has performed relatively well throughout the housing crisis, home prices increased 1% from January 2008 to January 2009.”

The report shows that housing transactions in hardest hit parts of the country, like California and Arizona, are increasing by double digits, which should lead to stabilization in other markets in the near future. The report goes on to say:

“On a year-over-year basis, the decline in home sales slowed in January, indicating significant demand for homes at “motivated” prices. Total home sales across all 25 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) tracked by Radar Logic declined 6% from January 2008 to January 2009, versus 36% from January 2007 to January 2008. Eight of the 25 MSAs displayed an increase in transaction counts compared to January 2008, and 12 more MSAs saw transaction counts decrease less in the year ending January 2009 than in the prior year.”

Springtime in Milwaukee, for Sellers

2009-03-05T13:18:00.001-08:00

With temperatures beginning to peak above freezing and the snow melting (for good?), I am seeing a thaw in the real estate market as well. I know you've been hearing the same bad news that I have, about the housing market tanking and mortgage meltdowns, but I think it's important to remember that the market here in Milwaukee is not the housing market in California or Arizona or Florida. Yes, homeowners are not seeing the dramatic increase in housing prices that has been the norm here for decades, and in some cases prices have lowered some. And yes, due to overall economic troubles, there are fewer buyers looking for a new home than we Realtors would like. And yes, it is taking a little longer for homes to sell than it did a few years ago. As a seller, you may not get the return on your investment that you'd envisioned, but if you want or need to sell your home now, there are buyers out there. The key is attracting them. Spring is historically the best time of year to sell your home in Milwaukee. Buyers seem to get "in the mood" for a new home when the weather turns warmer. You want your home to be the most attractive in the area, and of course price is always the most important factor when selling your home. Buyers are out there and they are looking for a good deal. If there are a lot of homes for sale in your neighborhood, it can make all the difference to beat other similar homes in price, even merely 3-5% lower.

If you're interested in talking about selling your home now, call me and we can talk about the best ways to market your home!

VOTE TODAY!

2008-11-04T10:49:00.000-08:00

Just your 1,034th reminder of the day to get out and vote. Need to find your polling place? Just go here: http://maps.google.com/vote

Too Many Tomatoes?

2008-10-06T15:56:00.000-07:00

Looking for ways to use up all those tomatoes before the first frost? I turned most of mine into a really delicious tomato sauce. I was able to use about 1 1/2 to 2 lbs of plum tomatoes. I first blanched them in boiling water to make peeling them easier, then seeded and chopped them. Next, saute some onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until translucent, then add the tomatoes. Add some chopped fresh parsley and basil, and salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Continue to cook over moderate heat, lightly crushing tomatoes with a fork or the back of a spoon, until sauce thickens. I used the tomato sauce over zucchini stuffed with rice, but it is just as good with pasta or just in a bowl with some crusty bread for dunking. Yum!

GREAT NEW LISTING!

2008-09-20T08:28:00.001-07:00

The best of urban living! Gorgeous home filled with upscale features that are perfect for the most discriminating buyer. The large sunlit living room has a gas fireplace with marble surround and opens to the dining room with infloor lighting. Huge eat-in kitchen features granite counters, cherry cabinets and a walk-in pantry. Follow the theater-lit wide stairway to the fully furnished lower level media room with surround sound. Upper level features two spacious bedrooms and two full baths. Every room is wired for audio with controls and inset speakers. Mere minutes from downtown in Brewer’s Hill. Call me today for a showing!

Today's Interest Rates

2008-08-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

Here are today's interest rates from Sue LaDue of A+ Mortgage:
30 Year Rates--
Conventional 6.625%
FHA 6.75%
WHEDA 6.40%
Conventional 5 year Arm 6.00%

Harvest

2008-08-05T11:55:00.001-07:00

Due (I hope!) to our very strange and wet weather earlier this summer, this is the sum total of my garden harvest so far. I do have a number of tomatoes ripening as well, but this was it for one pepper plant. However, I sauteed it last night along with some other store-bought veggies and a little garlic and olive oil, and it was delicious!

It's Packer Schedule time again!

2008-07-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

I've just gotten in this year's shipment of Packer and Badger football schedules. If you are not already on my mailing list and would like to receive a schedule, just drop me an email (see bottom of this page) with your address and I will send one out to you!

Memorial Day

2008-05-26T06:15:00.001-07:00

It looks like warmer weather is upon us at last (with the exception of tomorrow, which is supposed to be a high of 50!), and that means more time spent outside. We had some friends over yesterday for a cookout. My husband gallantly offered to go the grocery store the day before, so I gave him a list and off he went. I had a very specific image of what food we would serve, and of course my dear husband came back from the store with similar yet different purchases. For example, I planned on marinating some beef and chicken, and putting together skewers of them, and separate skewers of vegetables so that everyone could just pick what they wanted instead of having kebabs of with a little of everything. He came home with pre-made skewers with a little of everything. And you know what? They were fine. They were not quite as homemade as I usually like to do, but they were a heck of a lot easier and they were good, and at the end of the night they were gone. Well, except for that last one that we used to torment the dog.

New Listing!

2008-05-12T11:14:00.000-07:00

I have a new and improved listing at 2641 W. Lake Forest Ct in Mequon. This is a three bedroom, 2.5 bath condo in the lovely Lakes of Ville Du Parc subdivision. Enhancements include new carpeting throughout, new hardwood floors in the dining room and kitchen, new granite countertops in the kitchen, new roof, and new washer and dryer. This unit has a huge first floor master suite with a large walk-in closet, terrific built-ins in the living room and den, and a great gas fireplace in the cathedral-ceilinged living room. The asking price is $399,000. Follow this link for further information.

Credit Crunch!

2008-04-09T10:30:00.000-07:00

Recent troubles closing a deal have me thinking a lot about mortgages and credit. This particular transaction was supposed to close almost two weeks ago, and every day the lender assures me the closing will in fact happen, it's just a matter of when. This is, I suppose, par for the course these days. Banks are much more gunshy than they were even a year ago, and continue to request additional documentation up until the date of closing (and in this case, beyond). My poor seller feels very helpless in this situation--glad to have a buyer at all, but frustrated that it isn't closing on time and worried that it may not close at all despite what we're told. Some of this is beyond the control of the buyer, but there are definite steps you as a buyer can take to make for a smoother lending process, the most important of which is to improve your credit before beginning the house hunting process.

8 Ways to Improve Your Credit
Credit scores, along with your overall income and debt, are a big factor in determining if you’ll qualify for a loan and what loan terms you’ll be able to qualify for.
1. Check for and correct errors in your credit report. Mistakes happen, and you could be paying for someone else’s poor financial management.
2. Pay down credit card bills. If possible, pay off the entire balance every month. However, transferring credit card debt from one card to another could lower your score.
3. Don’t charge your credit cards to the maximum limit.
4. Wait 12 months after credit difficulties to apply for a mortgage. You’re penalized less for problems after a year.
5. Don’t order items for your new home you’ll buy on credit—such as appliances—until after the loan is approved. The amounts will add to your debt.
6. Don’t open new credit card accounts before applying for a mortgage. Having too much available credit can lower your score.
7. Shop for mortgage rates all at once. Too many credit applications can lower your score, but multiple inquiries from the same type of lender are counted as one inquiry if submitted over a short period of time.
8. Avoid finance companies. Even if you pay the loan on time, the interest is high and it will probably be considered a sign of poor credit management.
(This information is copyrighted by the Fannie Mae Foundation and is used with permission of the Fannie Mae Foundation. To obtain a complete copy of the publication, Knowing and Understanding Your Credit, visit http://www.homebuyingguide.org)

Spring is a great time for home maintenance!

2008-04-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

Now that the snow is finally starting to melt here in Milwaukee, it's a good time to take a closer look at your home. Most homeowners can tell you immediately what makes their house a home—the way the living room glows in the light of the fireplace, the hustle and bustle in the kitchen each morning, that sweet little hole the dog keeps digging in the back yard. It can be harder to view your home from an outsider’s perspective. If you are planning on moving, even if it's not for a couple years, do yourself a favor and keep up with the smaller maintenance items around the house. A loose faucet, a cracked window pane, slight dampness in the basement in the spring time—all these small items can really add up on a home inspection when you do decide to sell your home, and a long to-do list can be daunting to buyers, especially in a market with a lot of homes for sale. Add one major item (or defect) to the long list of small items, and you could lose that buyer to another home down the street! Try this--stand outside your home and attempt to look at it as if you are a potential buyer. Do you see a loose downspout? Chipped paint? Rotted railing? Now, walk inside the house and do the same thing. Repairing these smaller items as they arise is easier on your wallet than if you must repair a number of items at once in order to preserve your contract and retain those buyers, or even attract them to your home in the first place! Also, staying on top of your home's maintenance can mean preventing bigger problems in the future.