One of your most powerful tools when selling is the access to your local MLS service that real estates professionals provide. Here’s a short guide to understanding what the MLS is all about.

Before the glossy brochure is ready or the “for sale” sign goes up in the yard, chances are your home is already up on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service.) Without question, it’s one of the most powerful tools a real estate professional has at their disposal to help you sell your home as quickly as possible. The MLS is essentially a wide-ranging database that makes comprehensive information about your home available to other real estate professionals and affiliates. Agents are constantly searching the MLS for listings that suit their clients’ needs.

How the MLS helps sell your home
By making your home visible to a vast network of agents and real estate professionals, you’re giving your home key exposure to serious home shoppers. Most importantly, buyers working with agents are generally pre-qualified and actively engaged in their home search. Having your home listed in the MLS not only exposes your home to the largest number of buyers, but also greatly expands the number of real estate professionals working to market your home.

MLS vs. online information
While the internet has revolutionized how people search for information about homes, the MLS still remains the preeminent tool for home sales. Home buyers often believe they can access all MLS data though free internet listing services, but these sites often contain data that is inaccurate, outdated, and doesn’t match the scope of that available through the MLS.

Questions about the MLS? Ask Beth Ann >>

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Knowing how your own personality affects home purchases can help you be a more well-rounded – and better prepared- buyer.

We all have our own way of looking at things, our personal “filter” through which everything must pass when making a decision. Our viewpoint is often deeply rooted in our individual wants, needs, life experiences, and long-held opinions. Studies increasingly find that personality type has a huge impact on how a person makes buying decisions. These are a few home buying personality types we’ve found. See if any of these sound familiar:

1. The visual shopper
The visual shopper is driven by the visual (and emotional) impact of what they see before them. They can be wowed by immaculate staging and, conversely, might not be able to see beyond a home’s hideous wallpaper and/or furnishings.

2. The handyman mindset.
The “handyman” personality type is often a DIYer whose main focus is on the home’s infrastructure. While knowledge of a home’s integral systems is certainly a key consideration, there are many other important factors that contribute to the overall picture. No home inspection comes back without a few surprises (especially with older homes) and the handyman can often let a great deal slip away by being not being able to see beyond the mechanicals.

3. Show me the money.
Everybody likes a good deal, but being overly focused on money matters can sometimes be a disadvantage, making a buyer seem detached, aggressive, and occasionally downright disrespectful. While it’s still a buyer’s market, remember that there are many markets making a turnaround. Nobody wants to lose a house that they really love because of a few dollars.

4. Neighborhood tunnel-vision.
Being in the right neighborhood is certainly important. The old “location, location, location” mantra exists for good reason. However, don’t be so focused on a particular home and its location that you become too forgiving of its faults.

The best blend of personalities for home buying
Each of these four personality types can be highly useful viewpoints, but they can also be detrimental when taken to extremes. Ideally, what you want to keep in mind when buying a home is balance and flexibility. The “perfect” home probably doesn’t exist, and in the end it’s all about finding the home that’s not absolutely perfect, but the one that is the best fit for you and your family. Retaining a modicum of flexibility and reason in your shopping tendencies (and knowing your own strengths and weaknesses) can help you make the choice that is truly the best one for you.

Questions about bouying personality? Ask Beth Ann >>

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Multi-generational living has become a trend in the housing industry. Home builders are building homes with two master suites to accommodate parents  moving in with their adult children and grown children moving back in with their parents. Many college grads move home to live with Mom and Dad while they job search. Siblings are moving in with one another after a home foreclosure. Across America, the need for home design that supports multi-generational living is on the rise.

“Factors such as job losses, home foreclosures and a changing attitude toward multi-generational living have all contributed to the rise,” said Sarah Reep, director of designer relations and education at KraftMaid Cabinetry. “Now families are finding relatives at both ends of the age spectrum living together under one roof.” We are seeing more five bedroom homes in the Atlanta market to accommodate these extended families.

To understand how this collision of social, economic and generational influences will impact kitchen design, Masco Cabinetry commissioned the GenShift 2011 study.

“Living in a multi-generational home can be a great experience, but it can also be very challenging,” added Reep. “It’s important to take each generation’s ideas and needs into consideration, especially when it comes to home design.”

To keep multi-generational households running smoothly, Reep recommends the following tips:

Get creative with lighting. Different tasks and generations require various levels of lighting. A combination of recessed, pendant and under-cabinet lighting provides both aesthetics and functionality. Adding dimmer switches is a way to add even more flexibility.

Add a splash of color. While monochromatic color schemes have been popular in recent years, older generations may prefer contrast between countertops and cabinets in order to maximize visual acuity.

Vary countertop heights. Lowered counters will create a workspace for small children, wheelchair users and those who prefer to sit while preparing meals. Homeowners can also use the varied heights for different tasks, such as lower counters for kneading dough and higher counters for cutting vegetables.

Install the right hardware. Older or smaller hands may have trouble grasping or pulling certain types of kitchen hardware. Consider larger drawer and cabinet handles that are easier to grasp and more ergonomically friendly.

Keep counters clutter-free. The GenShift 2011 study found a common theme when it comes to kitchen cabinetry accessories-more storage in a clean design style. Creative storage solutions like a wall appliance garage and pull-out cabinets create easily accessible storage places for “must-have” items.

For more information on the GenShift 2011 study, visit www.genshiftkitchen.com. For more design tips from Sarah Reep, visit www.kraftmaidbydesign.com.

SOURCE:
KraftMaid

We all make New Year’s resolutions or goals and many of us do very little to achieve these goals. If your goal for 2012 is a brand new home then you have come to the right place. Here are some handy tips to make that goal a reality in 2012!

1. Improve Your Credit Score- When you first apply for a mortgage, banks and mortgage companies will pull your credit report. Be ready for this by pulling your report first and finding out your credit score. The higher your credit score, the more trustworthy they’ll view you. For a free credit score Visit Quizzle . It also has other tools that will help you to manage your money and is totally free.

2. Determine what you can afford- There are many online calculators that allow you to estimate “how much home” you can afford. Paran Homes has preferred lenders that will pre-qualify you for a loan or you can use their mortgage calculator here. There is never any obligation and you will know what you need to do to move forward.

3. Save Money for a Down Payment and Closing Costs -Generally, lenders want at least 20 percent of the home’s purchase price as a down payment. If you can pay more, you may qualify for a larger loan. FHA loans offer several options and might be just what you need. Your down payment can be as low as 3.5% of the purchase price, and most of your closing costs and fees can be included in the loan. Available on 1-4 unit properties. Talk to one of our preferred lenders today for more information.

4. Consider All Costs of Home Ownership -Besides your monthly house payment, make sure you can afford all the other costs associated with home ownership, such as property taxes, homeowners’ insurance, homeowners’ association fees, utilities, maintenance and repairs, and home improvements.

To find out more you can visit http://www.atlantarealestateforum.com/is-finding-a-new-home-your-new-years-resolution-56156/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AtlantaRealEstateForum+%28Atlanta+Real+Estate+Forum%29

According to  data recently released by RealtyTrac, home foreclosure rates dropped 3 percent in November 2011. Across the nation, default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions declined and were 14% lower than 2010’s numbers.  The good news for the Atlanta real estate industry is that as the foreclosure rate drops, people start to buy Atlanta new homes again. This is one of the predictions that David Ellis of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association made on Atlanta Real Estate Forum Radio. Make sure to listen to this show for his other four predictions.

Despite the good news, there is reason to believe that more foreclosure may be setting in soon, according to a recent article by Builder.com. This was the narrowest drop in 12 months. James Saccacio,  RealtyTrac’s co-founder, suggests these may be REOs or short sales seen early in 2012.

California, Arizona and Massachusetts are already reporting annual foreclosure increases, which are indicative of what other states might be seeing soon. But RealtyTrac spokesman Darin Blomquist says the news might not be as awful as it seems because November’s comparison is being made against last year’s artificially low numbers. Last November’s figures were plagued with paperwork and robo-signing issues. “It’s like a credit card. That money isn’t coming out of your account when you first swipe your card, but eventually the money does come out,” Blomquist said. “So things are looking worse than they actually are.”

Blomquist predicts increases in foreclosure rates ranging from 5 to 10% in markets across the country, but certain markets will experience more dramatic rises because the delay has been more pronounced.

For example, this happened to California in November. With 63,689 filings last month, the state had more foreclosures than any other and accounted for 28% of the nationwide total. Aside from Nevada, California then went on to have the second-highest foreclosure rate. Unfortunately, Georgia’s number of filings made it in the top five. Georgia home foreclosure rates also placed in the top five foreclosure rates.

By the end of this new year and the beginning of 2013, Blomquist hopes speed bumps on the road to recovery will even out and foreclosure filings will begin declining more steadily.

Giddy, silly little smiles could be seen breaking across the staff’s faces this morning. It was after reading a recent article on HousingZone.com that presented encouraging statistics about home sales in the Atlanta region in the past year.

The article, “5 major cities where home sales are soaring,” which came out last week, posted Atlanta as the second leading metro area in the nation with home sales more than 25 percent ahead of last year.

Nationwide, existing home sales took a surprising jump in October, rising 13.5 percent from 2010. All but two of the nation’s largest metro areas (New York and Washington, D.C.) experienced sales increases over the past year, and five “ stood out from the pack, with sales up more than 25 percent this year.”

The Miami/Fort Lauderdale metro area was number one, with a 34.6 percent increase. Atlanta was not far behind though, with a 33.4percent increase, tied with the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. Cincinnati and New Orleans rounded out the top five, at 28.9 percent and 27 percent, respectively.

Many other cities saw sales growth of at least 10 percent, including Phoenix, Philadelphia, Dallas/Fort Worth, Kansas City, Portland, Indianapolis and Boston.

This is great news not only for existing home sales, but for new home sales, the real estate industry and the economy as a whole. Experts agree that an improvement in existing home sales will indicate an improvement in new home sales (as existing homeowners find buyers for their current homes, enabling them to purchase a newly constructed home), which will also positively impact the economy all together.

Thanks for the great news Atlanta Real Estate Forum!

It’s about time we start bundling up: swapping out our summer clothes for long pants, sweaters, coats and more. Have you done your winter home maintenance to make sure your house is ready for the short days and dropping temperatures, too? If you haven’t, or just want a good list to double-check against, be sure to read Ilyce Glink’s article on the Equifax Personal Finance Blog, “Winter Home Maintenance and Weatherproofing Tips.”

One of the best ways to cut down on your heating bills is to add insulation to your home, and not just in the attic. Over the years, your home develops small cracks around the windows and doors naturally which tend to lose heat. Small cracks in the ceiling can be worse, as heat naturally rises up to the attic and away from your living areas. The simplest way to fix this is with a tube of caulk, which can easily seal up those cracks and prevent heat loss. If you’re not sure where you’re losing heat, you can use a lit incense stick and explore near closed doors and windows and watch the smoke guide you to anywhere that unintentional airflow is.

Another area that benefits from additional insulation is your pipes. By wrapping them, you can reduce the heat loss when water travels throughout your home. This can result in quicker times for hot water and even a higher temperature in your water. Also, even though insulation may be built in to your water heater, buying and applying an external wrap with a value of at least R-8 can save you up to 10 percent on water heating costs.

The full article features additional information, like ways to keep your home safer from ice and reduce energy costs over the winter. Check the Equifax Finance Blog frequently for everything you need to know about credit, insurance, taxes, retirement and real estate.

Thanks Atlanta Real Estate Forum for some great information!!