February 2013 RSS Feed

Advances in technology are continually helping business professionals do their job more efficiently, and Google+ Hangouts are one of the latest technology tools we've integrated into our business to reach out to clients in an unprecedented way. In fact, President Obama first used Google+ Hangouts in the first all-digital interview from the White House last January.

Google+ and it's suite of productivity tools are simple ways that business professionals can harness today's technology to better their business. Communication is vital to an agent's success, and Hangouts are a superior communication tool that can enable easy communication when time is of the essence.

What is a Google+ Hangout?

Hangouts are a video chat service provided by Google+…

Everybody is interested in saving money. If you're in the market to have your next or even your first home built, there are plenty of things you can do to control costs. Building a custom home is actually more affordable than many people think, and is in fact a good possibility when it comes down to the debate between resale or new construction. Home buyers will often simply compare resale homes to "spec" homes which are brand new homes already built and often ready to move into. Building a custom home can also be accomplished in an affordable way for the cost conscience home shopper who does a little research and preparation. Always start by consulting with experienced professionals regarding your housing objectives... input from builders, lenders and…

The dimensions of your new IPhone and your home may vary, but when you're in the market to buy a new home, your lender may be talking about both in the same sentence. Don't let this confuse you, both the IPhone (as well as other credit card purchases) and the new home have an impact on your credit history and the willingness of different lenders to grant you a mortgage. Once it has been reviewed and you've been approved for a home loan, your credit score and credit history will play a crucial role in determining your interest rate. After the loan is closed and you begin the mortgage paying cycle, your lender will send that information to the credit bureaus and you'll see your new home loan on your credit report. This then influences your credit rating for…

The western United States sport a very distinct involvement in natural resources, both in conservation and in usage. Tour the small towns sprawled along interstate highways and you’ll likely see at least one weather beaten rancher with a wide brimmed hat and a hard stare that you cannot return. The final frontier and all of its idiosyncrasies, although essentially conquered, still holds a special place in the hearts of Idahoans.  Idaho contains the second largest wilderness area in the lower forty-eight states, the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. The only tract of conserved land larger than it is the Death Valley Wilderness in California. In addition to that, Idaho has many beautiful state parks, where you can camp, fish, and recreate. The…

There are still plenty of people out there who remain hesitant from the mortgage crisis, and as a result are missing out on some serious opportunities to refinance with historically low interest rates. 

Right now American homeowners across the nation are enamored with low interest rates, but still, not everyone is taking advantage.

For example, we'll look at the case of, we'll call him John Doe, who was offered a deal by his mortgage banker who was absolutely sure he wouldn't refuse. John Doe was paying a rate of 6.16 percent on his $435,000 mortgage with 25 years left to go when he was offered the chance to refinance at 4.125 percent-still holding onto the 25 year payoff time. The deal would have lowered his monthly mortgage payment to $3,383, a…

Before you take one step into an open house and begin your search for homes for sale, it’s important to get pre-qualified for a loan.  Okay, that sounds easy enough until you start looking at all the loan programs out there. What are ARMs, balloons, and jumbos?  All these terms can be so confusing and it’s difficult for anyone to sort through the variety of choices out there. There is everything from 30- and 40-year fixed rate loans to 1-year adjustable rate loans, so how do you know what’s right for you?  We’ve tried to take some of the mystery out of the process to help you make a more informed decision on your purchase of real estate. At any time feel free to check our mortgage calculator and see what your options are.

1. 30-year Fixed Rate Mortgage:…

The Boise area real estate market seems to be doing what other mid to large sized metros are doing across the nation-making an astounding comeback. Both Ada and Canyon counties have experienced a thirty percent surge in housing prices this past January. In fact, 90 percent of U.S. cities posted home price gains in what has become the strongest year-over-year increase in seven years, thanks to a dwindling supply of lower priced homes and foreclosures, according to the National Association of Realtors.

The Numbers

Across the nation in the fourth quarter of 2012, the national median existing single-family home price rose 10 percent to $178,900, which was the strongest year-over-year price increase we've seen since the fourth quarter of 2005.

In some…

Is your kitchen outdated?  If so, what can you do about it if your budget is tight? Add a door, change your knobs, up-grade your countertop?

Well, those little changes would surely help out the look some, but there's more to a makeover than just those few things. When you walk into your kitchen, you want to absolutely love it! It truly is the heart of your home.

But we all know how expensive it is to do a makeover. It might seem like an impossible task to you, but there are a few tricks that can save you an enormous amount of money.

Some Money Saving Tips

• Paint the walls a color! Stay away from the mundane white and beige. Give the room some warmth.
   
• New cabinets: You don't have to remove your cabinets and replace them with new ones. That is…

During the most troubled times of the recession, many viewed the real estate market, including land, as all but destroyed.

But the recession wasn't a quiet time for all real estate investors. Companies across the nation, particularly publicly traded firms, began investing in land deep within the recession. For many of these companies, getting into the land game early has paid off.

Some large companies saw an opportunity as the housing industry reeled from an economic meltdown and began investing for the future housing boom. During these times of woe, land was cheap. Struggling developers began offloading property with bargain deals in an attempt to stay afloat. And for the nation's biggest builders, it was a time for major spending-an amount…

Builders and developers in 2013 are faced with many new obstacles as the housing market emerges with an entirely new face and a new normal.

The recession has changed more in the mind of prospective homebuyers than just their attitude about the housing market. Housing preferences have changed dramatically since the blow up of the housing bubble in 2008 when many areas throughout the nation were hit hard with foreclosures. With it came widespread homeownership loss and a market saturated with distressed homes.

The economy has since been recovering, and according to the Urban Land Institute's Terwilliger Center for Housing report, "Residential Futures: Thought Provoking Ideas on What's Next for Master-Planned Communities," the new home features that…