If you are in the enviable position right now of looking to buy a home, enjoy the current market: the buyer’s market! Many folks that have to sell their homes right now are happy to start a dialogue with a potential buyer, so arm yourself with any and all information to get the best deal possible!

• Right now you have more time to look, so you will be better armed with the knowledge of which houses have been sitting on the market for a while. These homeowners might be more likely to negotiate.
• Consider looking at new construction. Builders sometimes offer incentives and sometimes have very attractive financing programs.
• In certain areas that have been hit a bit harder by the market downturn, you certainly do have the upper hand whilst negotiating - and can always ask for an upgrade or a major repair before finalizing the deal.
• Some buyers are asking for a written warranty on appliances and certain structural repairs. Down the road this could be a big money-saver for you.
• Motivated sellers are more likely to work with your timeline. Don’t be afraid to ask if the closing can be pushed out.
• Even some lenders are willing to negotiate. You might ask for free private mortgage insurance, a better interest rate or even lower closing costs.

For more information on the current real estate market go to Housing Predictor.

There really is some very good tried and true advice for a seller when they are staging their home for prospective buyers. The following are things that sellers have done mistakenly assuming that it will help them to sell their home, but all it did was cause them to miss their chance to make a great first impression. Never do the following to your home for a showing:

• Leave your pet in the house, assuming that prospective buyers are probably pet owners as well, and will enjoy meeting your beloved furry friend.
• Let shrubs get so big that it blocks out light and has the look of an abandoned house.
• Assume that a buyer will not mind having a list of unfinished jobs to do around the house, if they purchase the home, that is.
• Throw all of your personal items that are laying about into your closets to make the house look clutter-free. One of the first things a prospective buyer does when they step foot into an entryway is to open that closet door, to see how much space it has…
• Assume that a prospective buyer is interested in all of the details of your extremely long kitchen renovation - with a photo album detailing each step.
• Forget to put away your personal papers, such as bills or bank statements.
• Use sickeningly sweet scented candles. Most buyers consider it an alarm bell for deeper odor issues.

For more information on Home Staging Tips view this website.

If you are planning to become a first-time home buyer, the following information about what occurs during a closing will keep you in-the-know.

• When you are ready to make an offer on a home, it is good to make an offer that is 10% less than the asking price. This will give you plenty of room to negotiate with the seller.
• When you make a formal offer, you must pay 1% of the sale price as “earnest money”. This lets the seller know that you are serious about your offer. 
• You will have contingencies, such as getting proof of proper financing and a good house inspection.
•  You will hire a home inspector that will give the home a complete inspection, to catch any possible problems the home may have.
• When your offer is accepted by the seller, a legal and binding contract is drawn which states sell price, details of buyer’s or seller’s obligations, and date of possession.
• The required “settlement sheet” provides a list of all monies paid at closing, including commissions and escrow amounts.
• There will be a mandatory title search, and title insurance and an application for homeowners insurance is required.
• Various closing costs will be paid such as the appraisal fee, the credit report fee, your taxes and the document preparation fee, to name a few.
• Utility service and mortgage payment transfers will be arranged.

For more information on the closing process visit Survival Guide To A Real Estate Closing

Sometimes sellers lose sight of what is most important to a buyer. Making that good first impression is so important since you usually only get one chance during that first showing. Remember to focus on the following and you should have an offer in no time:

• Spruce up that entryway, or change it to appear more welcoming as a buyer enters through the front door, with an attractive bench or chair and a vase of fresh flowers.
• Houses can lose their appeal to a buyer if there are dirty dishes piled in the sink, piles of laundry or dust. It is hard work to keep your house sparkling at all times for a surprise showing, but very necessary.
• Kitchens sell a house. If yours looks old, a buyer might ask for up to $10,000 off of the asking price. Specifics to focus on are change the countertops, install new hardware and change to a neutral paint color. Even replacing just one appliance with a stainless steel version makes a difference!
• Never forget to remove any personal items such as family photos and collections. It makes it harder for a buyer to envision themselves in the space if all they see are dozens and dozens of hummels.
•  Light is good! Even if you prefer a darkened space, remember that a prospective buyer looks for as much light as possible. Remove drapes if you have to to let in light, or trim back large bushes or trees that are preventing light from entering a space.
• Empty those closets so that at least half of it is visible. Many sellers find that they have to put things into temporary storage elsewhere, but this effort pays off as a buyer needs to believe that they have a myriad of places to put all of their “stuff”.
• In this economy try your best to be brave and list your home at 15% to 20% off of its value. This strategy has a track record of creating many buyers with bids, that often end up over the ask price.

For more information about how to properly price your home for sale go to “How Sellers Can Maximize Profit”.

Many people are afraid thieves will somehow get their information off of the computer. This is possible for them to do, but there are ways to protect yourself. Some people find that installing anti-virus, anti-spy ware, firewall protection and hardware firewalls is over-kill. In reality, when protecting your personal information you should always err on the side of caution.

• When setting up wireless Internet access, educate yourself on wireless security.
• Store your backed-up data away from your computer.
• Never open an e-mail from someone you don’t know.
• Never open attachments unless you know where it is coming from. Make sure you set up Windows to show all file extensions.
• Make sure you set up your browser to block pop-ups.
• Never use your credit card on a website that does not direct you to a secure page with a URL starting with https://.
• Use different passwords for every single site you use that asks for one. Always mix letters and numbers to make up that password.
• Never keep financial information on your hard drive.

For more information on Computer Safety go to Internet Safety Solutions.

Statistics show that around 5% of reported identity theft case victims are children. The reason your child is a target is because the crime will very likely go undetected for years. Most do not realize it until they are in college and apply for their first credit card, and find then that they have been victimized. Take heart, there are many ways to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft. Here are some of them:

• Create a list of every credit card number and bank card that you keep in your wallet.
• Never keep your social security card or any information with your social security number on it in your wallet.
• Never give out any private information on your e-mail.
• Cease all bank and credit card mailings.
• Always reconcile your bank statements and go over your credit card statements. Some thieves start small, to find out who pays attention.
• Keep your car registration and car insurance together in a closed envelope, hidden away in your car. Be sure to always lock your car.
• Try never to use a public computer for business use or to make a purchase.
• Memorize your ATM pin, and make sure no one is standing nearby when you use your ATM card.
• Never save financial information on your cell phone.
• Never apply for a job on-line, unless the employer has a verifiable address.

For more information about safer online banking go to going paperless.

Identity theft has become a very serious problem in the United States. Thieves are not only stealing your personal information for themselves, but many simply sell it on the black market to another thief. They are using this personal information not only to obtain cash and credit cards, but high-cost medical procedures as well. There are a myriad of ways that thieves can steal your private information. Be aware of the following threats:

• Phishing: This is an e-mail in your Inbox that claims to be from either your bank, Paypal or Ebay, or other online service. They then ask you to click on a link and enter your personal information.
• Spoofing and Pharming: Thieves can actually redirect legitimate website traffic to an imposter site, where they will ask you to enter your personal information.
• Spyware: It is very common for people to mistakenly download illicit software and find themselves accidentally clicking on a pop-up. This opens the door for thieves to steal your credit card numbers and passwords by accessing information on your hard drive.
• Vishing: This is “voice phishing”, which is when a thief sends you a phone message asking you to key in your personal information.
• Bank card skimming: Thieves actually add a fake ATM slot and camera to a legitimate cash machine so they can copy your account information. Servers at restaurants can also be armed with a portable card reader.
• Thieves try to steal your wallet and can also go through your garbage for personal information.

If you are concerned that you are an Identity theft victim go to the Federal Trade Comission website for more information.

If you have fallen into the category of a second-home owner who is having financial difficulty and trouble selling it, there are things that you can do to try and save money.

• Wait for rates to come down again and re-finance the loan.
• Hold off on any planned home improvements.
• Rent the property. You may rent your property for up to fourteen days before having to report the income to the I.R.S. This is a wonderful option if your property is near a popular annual event that brings in many out-of-towners needing places to stay for the event.
• Donate the home to charity. You can donate a week for a charity auction and then possibly deduct the fair market rental value from your income taxes. A home can be donated as a Life Estate, which gives the homeowner the right to live there until death and provides a large tax deduction.
• If you are ambitious you could hire a tax attorney and appeal your property taxes. Many property taxes were assessed on values at the peak of the market, and are now valued much lower.
• Write up a written agreement or family limited partnership to share the financial burden of the second home with a “partner”. This could be a family member, or not.

To earn more about possible tax advantages of second-home ownership go to Family Education.

If you are concerned about your credit score, there is new information about what credit scoring companies deem important. One change that is being made is that there is a significantly more negative importance on a person that carries their credit balance near the limit. Experts are suggesting that people try to keep all balances owed near 30% of available credit. Another important fact is that you should never close an account with a zero balance. If you close the account, it can alter your total Debt to Credit ratio. It works in your favor to have a long credit history. Also, do not apply for too many credit cards, especially from companies that do not set a spending limit.  To raise your score, always pay your debts ON TIME. Your payment history makes up 35% of your score. A late payment can actually drop your score by up to 100 points and these late payments could last on your report for seven years. Bankruptcies last for ten years. If your score is below 620, people assume you are a bad risk dooming you to credit denial, sub prime interest rates, higher home insurance premiums, and possible checks form landlords withholding a lease.

To order a free report go to annualcreditreport.com.

Buying your first home can be a very exciting milestone in a person’s life. It is very easy to picture all of the good times you will have there in the future, but many people get lost in the excitement and forget to plan for a rainy day. To avoid losing that home to unforeseen circumstances down the line such as a job loss or an illness, keep these things in mind when considering purchasing your first home.

• Make sure that you have enough in savings to cover your mortgage while you find a new job, should you lose your job. Many experts recommend at the very least to have six months worth of savings to cover all expenses, including the mortgage.
• Understand before purchasing your home, all of the expenses that will be involved to maintain the home. If you are considering purchasing a fixer-upper, make a list of all of the inevitable things that will need to be replaced or repaired and their costs. 
• Consider your other expenses, such as your car payment or transportation costs, taxes, etc. and whether or not this new home will be affordable for you.

For more information on the First-time home buyer tax credit go to Federal Housing.