Blog - Sandra Meranda

January 4, 2012 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

Protect Your Credit When Buying or Selling a Home

The holiday season is a time when many people begin thinking about buying or selling a home in St. Charles or St. Louis. With holiday spending over, it is a very important time to think about protecting your credit and your identity as you think about that new home in St. Charles or St. Louis.

Here’s an article I came across that provides a nice checklist to help you get ready for the home buying or home selling period.

Protect-Your-Credit If you are listing your home for sale, and/or preparing to buy a home, it’s important not only to protect your credit, but to guard against credit or identity theft as well as the theft of valuables. From Bankrate.com, here is a checklist that can help you do that during the buy/sell transaction period:

Apply with care –Be mindful when applying to multiple lenders. To some versions of the FICO software, all applications submitted within 30-45 days of each other only count as one hit on your credit report. However, many lenders may still use older versions of the software. Play it safe by submitting all applications in a 14-day period. This will ensure that your credit report doesn’t show multiple hits, which will in turn better your overall score.

Prepare for lookers – When selling your home, pack up small, valuable belongings before strangers begin to walk through the house. Additionally, all bills or financial papers should be put into a locked box or drawer. Protecting your finances and account numbers should be your number-one priority because identity and credit theft can happen.
Protect your documents: When buying a new home, only potential mortgage lenders need to see all of your personal information. Agents and sellers only need to know how much you can afford. When dealing with a lender, stick to the same representative to minimize the number of people who have access to your documents. Avoid sending any files with your social security number through email. Opt for mail or fax instead.
Stay on top of your finances: Even if you are on top of paying bills on a monthly basis, you may want to consider checking into your accounts weekly. By logging into your credit card accounts regularly, you can make sure that all of the charges are legitimately yours. Credit watch services are also a good idea. If a fraudulent charge is made, the service will pick up on it and alert you of the charges. It’s important to act quickly with regards to your credit.

A top real estate agent can help you make an informed decisions about how to make your new house truly yours. My team specializes in St. Charles County and St. Louis County. If you are considering selling your home, please contact Sandra Meranda and I’ll get you moving!

December 12, 2011 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

Jobs and Housing Are Top Issues in 2012 Election

It’s hard to believe, but the 2012 election is now less than a year away! A recent article posted on Realtor.org provides survey results on the most important issues for the 2012 election.

HouseLogic Poll Finds Voters Driven by Jobs, Housing in 2012 Election

Washington, DC, December 09, 2011

A recent survey by Houselogic.com, the consumer website from the National Association of Realtors®, finds that jobs and the housing market will be two of the most important issues for voters in the 2012 election. Nearly one-third of respondents said housing will be the top issue on their mind when they head to the polls next November.

“We need to keep housing first on the nation’s public policy agenda, because housing and home ownership issues affect all Americans,” said NAR President Moe Veissi, Veissi, broker-owner of Veissi & Associates Inc., in Miami. “The results of this survey show that many Americans understand that.”

Respondents were asked “What issue area will have the greatest impact on your vote in 2012?” National security, healthcare, and energy/environment trailed housing and unemployment by wide margins:

Jobs/unemployment – 54 percent
Housing – 27 percent
National security – 8 percent
Healthcare – 4 percent
Energy/Environment – 2 percent
Other – 4 percent

With unemployment still high, it is easy to see why so many Americans are concerned about the job market. However, employment and the housing market are inextricably linked because economic growth and job creation cannot occur without a housing recovery.

Housing accounts for more than 15 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product – it’s a key driver of the national economy. Home sales generate jobs. NAR estimates that for every two homes sold, one job is created. New spending on homebuilding products, furniture, and other residential investments also have a significant economic impact.

Some recent indicators show that the economy might be starting to rebound, with pending home sales rising strongly in October, according to NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index. However, any changes to current programs or incentives must not jeopardize a housing and economic recovery. Unemployment, consumer confidence and consumer spending will not rebound until a number of issues are addressed.

“NAR actively advocates public policies that promote responsible, sustainable homeownership, which will in turn support overall economic recovery,” said Veissi. “We want to ensure affordable, accessible financing; support tax policies that encourage homeownership; and help more people stay in their homes or avoid foreclosure through streamlined short sales.”

This HouseLogic survey shows Americans understand that a housing recovery is essential to the nation’s economic recovery, and many of those housing-related issues will be on the minds of voters in 2012.

HouseLogic is a free source of information and tools for homeowners from the National Association of Realtors® that helps homeowners make smart decisions and take responsible actions to maintain, protect and enhance the value of their home. HouseLogic helps homeowners plan and organize their home projects and provides timely articles and news; home improvement advice and how-to’s; and information about taxes, home finances and insurance. For more information on official contest rules and tips on how to make smart decisions and take responsible actions to maintain, protect and enhance the value of your home, visit www.houselogic.com.

The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

The Holidays are just around the corner! This is the time of year for buying and selling real estate. There are large numbers of homes at below-market prices & the Interest rates are hovering below 4% !! The home sale numbers have been increasing every month this year since June. It is never too early to start getting your home for next Spring also. Contact Sandra Meranda for details today!

Photo courtesy of League of Women Voters of California

December 1, 2011 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

4 Strategies to Customize and Personalize Your New St. Charles Home

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One of the best things about buying a new home is being able to personalize it to suit your tastes, your family and your lifestyle. Here’s I nice article that I’ve summarized below by Tara-Nicholle Nelson

Here are four smart strategies for customizing your new home (even if new just means new to you!):

1. Paint inside and out. Painting your home is one of the most cost-effective ways to personalize your new space. Color matters – it impacts mood and happiness.

There are several ways you can use paint to personalize your property:

Exterior. Changing the exterior paint color can make a big deal to you and your family, as well as for curb appeal.

Front door, shutters and fences. If the exterior has recently been painted, then you can still inject your personal tocuh by painting the doors, shutters and fences. Pick colors that make for a ploished entrance. These are quick, low cost and powerful changes you can make to personalize your home.

Interior. Rooms have different purposes and inhabitants, so there are a lot of possilities for personalization as well as to help suit the room. You can be fun and playful, calming, clean, inspirational – the choice is yours! Even just focusing on one wall of a room can make a big change as well as to same time and money.

2. Inventory your space and your stuff before you unpack. Moving in to a new home provides the opportunity to create your space for the activities you will do in your new home. Before you unpack, think through how you plan to use each room of the house. You get to choose how you’ll use each room. Decide what you want to (a) do, and (b) store in each area.

3. Build organization in. Built-ins make a world of difference, and I’m not just talking about the ones your home’s builder installed. It’s relatively low-cost and low-effort to build in items like:

a. closet organizers,

b. window seats,

c. desktops and bookshelves,

d. pantry-optimizing shelves, spinners and drawers, and

e. medicine and linen cabinets.

4. Match your furniture to your space, your activities and your stuff. A new home gives you the opportunity to buy furniture that fits the use of the room as well as to address issues you had with things like storage or size in your last place. Use the inventory / plan you develop before you move in to think about furniture needs to make your house yours.

What tips and tricks did you do to make your home “yours?”

November 17, 2011 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

Now is the Time to Cash in on Rental Propety

iStock_000009666520XSmall Most of the news you hear about real estate these days seems to be bad news. Home prices have fallen, and there are still too many foreclosures occurring. But the rental market remains hot!

Rental property investments present great opportunities. There are a lot of people looking to rent in today’s market – partly because foreclosures have turned homeowners into renters, but also because a lot of people are reluctant to buy now because of falling housing prices or the security of their jobs.

Why You Should Buy Now

Among the reasons to invest in rental properties now:

· Low mortgage rates

· Rising demand for rentals

· Renters are paying more per month

It is important to realize that owning rental property is something that you plan on having for a while until housing prices come back up. Plan on 10 years or so…

Other key considerations include:

· Buy local properties

· Know the Neighborhood

· Work with an experienced realtor who has experience with rentals

· Consider multifamily dwellings

· Have a plan in place to rind and manage tenants

The goal: to make sure your rental income will at least cover your loan payments, plus a 20% cushion to handle repairs, vacancies, and property management.

Call a top real estate professional to help you find the perfect rental properties in your market. My team specializes in St. Charles County and St. Louis County. If you are considering buying rental properties in St. Charles or St. Louis, please contact Sandra Meranda and I’ll get you moving!

Read the full article – https://money.cnn.com/2011/08/30/real_estate/rental_property_investing.moneymag/index.htm

November 3, 2011 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

Tips for Keeping Your Home Healthy

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Maintaining a healthy home is critical for your family’s welfare – especially now as the weather in St. Louis and St. Charles cools and you begin to spend more time indoors. Applying a few simple solutions now will ensure your indoor living environment is safe and healthy for seasons to come.

Reduce toxins

Less desirable weather may make fall and winter seem like an ideal time to tackle your indoor painting projects. However, you need to be mindful of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in many interior paints and finishes. VOCs are one of the biggest threats to indoor air quality; they include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have both short- and long-term health effects. For indoor jobs, select paint with low or no VOCs to keep your air fresher. Additionally, some houseplants such as ivy and gerbera daisies can help to naturally remove VOCs from your indoor air.

Clean your indoor air

Ragweed and pollen will trigger allergy symptoms for millions of people this fall; however, the worst allergy triggers are often found inside the home. Installing a whole-home air filtration system can help to remove indoor allergens including dust, mildew, pet dander and pollen from the air you breathe. For example, the AccuClean (TM) System by American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning removes up to 99.98 percent of the allergens from your filtered air, so even if it’s allergy season outdoors, your indoor air is crisp and clean.

Prevent mold

During the cooler fall and winter months, people tend to seal up their homes and spend more time inside, which traps moisture and humidity – both significant contributors to indoor mold growth. Maintain healthy indoor humidity levels by venting bathrooms and clothes dryers and using an exhaust fan while cooking. Install an air humidifier to provide year-round control of your indoor moisture level, and keep your home at 50 percent humidity or lower to reduce the chance for mold growth.

Watch out for CO

Protect your indoor living environment from carbon monoxide or CO by installing CO detectors or alarms throughout your home. This fall, make sure your home’s heating system, including items such as a furnace or heat pump, vents and chimney, are inspected and serviced by a professional contractor. And, if there is a fireplace in your home, open the damper before lighting a fire to help prevent the buildup of potentially poisonous gases inside of your home.

Keep a seasonal routine

Most homeowners already know it’s important to test their smoke alarms on a monthly basis, but how often do you change the alarm’s batteries? One way to keep track of alarm maintenance is to make battery changing a seasonal activity. For example, beginning this fall, replace the batteries in your smoke alarms (and CO detectors), every time you reset your clocks.

By taking these simple steps now, you’ll create a safer and healthier home, allowing your family to relax and enjoy all the delights the St. Louis fall season has to offer – both outdoors and indoors.

Used with permission courtesy of Dan Main

HouseLogic Poll Finds Voters Driven by Jobs, Housing in 2012 Election

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