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05/24/2010 Nancy Kruse Team from Travis Newton USDA / FHA Expert Co-Owner of Preferred Mortgage THE COST OF WAITING Since the Fed's Mortgage Backed Securities purchase program ended, the markets have seen much more volatile price swings…and rates overall are off their lows. For potential buyers who are waiting to see if home prices come down a little more, that means the wait could well cost you more money in the long run. |
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Mortgage Interest Rates for Fixed Rate Mortgages* |
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Rates as of Monday, 24th May, 2010: |
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*Rates are subject to change due to market fluctuations and borrower's eligibility. |
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Travis Newton
Sr. Mortgage Banker
Oregon FHA & USDA Financing Expert
Preferred Mortgage
503.931.4490
ML-137/NMLS-269195
Wow, its been some time since we've been able to blog. The Nancy Kruse Team has been incredibly busy but we wanted to drop a quick note to Thank Albany for letting us wash enough cars to raise $500 for www.mightyoakschildren.com Mighty Oaks Children's Center.
We had such a good time and the weather could not have been better! If you were on of the many that stopped by we would like to THANK YOU.
Take a look at some pictures:
CONTACT NANCY KRUSE 541-936-2043 FOR MORE DETAILS
*******ALL ALBANY RAISED PROCEEDS BENEFIT MIGHTY OAKS CHILDREN'S THERAPY CENTER*******
April 16, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RED DAY is May 13, 2010 Keller Williams ® Mid-Willamette Market Center to participate in national endeavor
Albany, Oregon – Needs to lift your spirits to shake off the winter blahs? Need to find a way to bring some extra joy to your day? You can, with RED Day!
On May 13, 2010 our local offices will participate in the 2nd Annual Keller Williams Realty R.E.D. (Renew, Energize and Donate) Day. All of our associates in the United States and Canada will donate one day to projects related to renewing and energizing our local communities.
Our team will be working in both the Corvallis and Albany communities. Corvallis activities include working with the Corvallis Senior Center for meal delivery, in-home help and maintenance; helping Community Outreach Inc. with cleaning projects; assisting Furniture Share with deliveries and organization, as well as supporting the Jackson Street Youth Shelter, You will also see Keller Williams agents landscaping the riverfront. In the Albany venue, our KW team members will host a donation car wash in Albany. All proceeds raised at the car wash will benefit Mighty Oaks Children’s Therapy Center.
RED Day is the vision of Keller Williams Realty to coordinate a day of service with all of our 690+ offices across the United States and Canada. We are all committing to spend the day giving back to our communities.
Whether donating time at a local shelter, or cleaning up a park, we expect this to be the biggest community service event in the real estate industry and in Keller Williams Realty’s history – with more than 73,000 associates expected to participate.
At Keller Williams, we are committed to the community we serve –there is so much we can do to help. And, we want you to be a part of this great collective effort to impact our community.
Join us! Give where we live!
April 1, 2010 - posted by: Nancy Kruse Team
EASTER
Me, Supervising :-D
And our wonderful Volunteers! We've been doing this for years-
The Easter Bunny's helpers stuffed over 5,000 eggs
THIS YEAG - THE EASTER BUNNY WILL BE THERE KIDS! 11am Saturday April 3rd @ 11am.
Lehigh park
March 22, 2010 - posted by: Nancy Kruse Team
Ways to Improve a Credit Score
With identity theft on the rise, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of reviewing their credit reports. However, their thoughts about credit and its long-term impact upon their financial future typically end there until it's time to apply for a home loan. A credit score is used to evaluate how likely a borrower is to repay their loan. There are several actions a person can take to impact their score. Here are a few to keep in mind.
If someone has a credit card which has a high balance, while their remaining credit cards have low or zero balances, it's best to distribute the debt across the cards in order to change the ratio of debt to available credit.
Many consumers believe that they should close an existing credit card account if the card is inactive. It's better to keep the account open and use it periodically in order to take advantage of its contribution to their long-term credit history.
With the flood of credit card offers that come in the mail, it may be tempting to open new accounts. However, these "pre-approved" offers are not approved until the companies run a credit report which will temporarily impact the applicant's credit score. In addition, experts recommend that a person maintain between two to five credit card accounts, total, so it's best to avoid accumulating too many.
There are several factors that contribute to a credit score. But by observing the tips above, as well as making payments on time and keeping balances as low as possible, a consumer is sure to achieve superior results.
RISMEDIA, March 18, 2010— posted by: Michelle Foose
Sediment in your water supply, in the form of hard-water minerals like calcium and other small particles, including rust and sand, can damage a gas or electric storage-tank water heater and shorten its life expectancy. And for an electric water heater, the cooler tank bottom that can result from this damage can become a breeding ground for legionella.
Most storage-tank water heaters are fairly reliable, but once a tank leaks, it’s time to replace the water heater since a repair isn’t generally worth the cost.
To keep your water heater from springing a leak and ensure that it’s working efficiently, flush it a couple of times a year. The beginning and end of daylight-saving time are good opportunities to tackle this basic chore. If your Consumer Confidence Report from your water company or a home water test reveals hard water, you might want to flush your heater more often.
The following tips will help you flush your electric or gas water heater. You should also check the manufacturer’s instructions.
Before you start this project, turn off the water heater. (Running the appliance while flushing it wastes energy and can also damage the appliance or present a safety hazard). If you have an electric water heater or a gas unit with electronic ignition, turn off the heater at the breaker panel, fuse box, or cutoff box. If you have a gas unit with a gas pilot, turn the gas valve to “pilot.”
1. Shut off the cold water. Turn the cutoff valve in the line that supplies cold water to the water heater. Initially, you want the tank to drain without refilling.
2. Open a hot-water tap anywhere in your home. This will allow air to displace the water in the tank and allow the tank to drain more quickly and thoroughly.
3. Open the draincock. Put a hose on the draincock at the bottom of the tank and run it to the drain; the drain must be below the tank so it can work by gravity. Open the drain valve/spigot and let the tank drain. The draining water will probably be cloudy at first.
Let the water continue to drain for a few minutes after it has turned clear and then shut the drain valve/spigot. Wait a few minutes and reopen the drain valve/spigot to see whether the water remains clear. If it does, go to the next step. If it doesn’t, repeat this process until the water is clear. Be careful: The water will be extremely hot and could scald you.
4. Refill the tank. When you are finished flushing the tank, close the drain valve/spigot. Open the valve on the cold-water supply line and add water to the tank for a few minutes, then shut the cold water and open the drain valve/spigot. Let the water rinse the tank. If the water runs clear, close the drain valve/spigot and the hot-water tap and open the cold-water supply to fill the tank. Then turn the water heater back on. If the water runs cloudy, repeat the process from step 3.
If you don’t have a drain point below the level of the tank, you can drain the tank using the water pressure from the cold-water supply—simply leave the cold water on and do not open any other faucet. Use a hose to route water from the drain valve/spigot to any drainage point. But before you use this method, allow the tank to cool so that any hot water that leaks from a drain hose won’t present a scald hazard. Note that because the cold water entering the tank will stir up the debris from its bottom, flushing the tank might not be as thorough.
For more information, visit www.consumerreports.org.
Copyright© 2010 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Services, All Rights Reserved. This material may not be republished without permission from RISMedia.
Pending Home Sales Down; Severe Weather Impacting Market
RISMEDIA, March 10, 2010—Pending home sales are down and additional declines are expected from abnormal weather conditions, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in January 2010, fell 7.6% to 90.4 from an upwardly revised 97.8 in December, but remains 12.3% higher than January 2009 when it was 80.5.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said weather is likely to impact housing data. “January pending sales, though still higher than one year ago, remain much lower than expected given that a large number of potential buyers are eligible for the expanded home buyer tax credit. Moreover, the abnormally severe and prolonged winter weather, which affected large regions of the U.S., hampered shopping activity in February,” he said.
As such, abnormal swings are expected in housing data. “We will see weak near-term sales followed by a likely surge of existing-home sales in April, May and June,” Yun said. “The real question is what happens in the second half of the year. If there is sufficient job creation, housing can become self-sustaining with stable to modestly rising home prices because inventory has been trending downward.”
The PHSI in the Northeast fell 8.7% to 71.3 in January but is 20.5% higher than January 2009. In the Midwest the index dropped 8.9% to 81.2 but is 11.8% above a year ago. Pending home sales in the South slipped 2.1% to an index of 98.1, but the index is 18.0% higher than January 2009. In the West the index dropped 13.2% to 102.9 but is 1.4% above a year ago.
For more information, visit www.realtor.org.
Time is Running Out ! ! !
The first time home buyers $8,000.00 tax credit deadline is fast approaching. If you want to take advantage of this great opportunity you'll need to have an offer accepted by April 30, 2010. Don't wait till the last minute...Call Nancy today so she can walk you through the steps of finding a lender and purchasing a home.
The expanded tax credit of $6500.00 has the same deadline. This is for those who have owned their home for 5 years. You do not need to sell to qualify..take action now and call Nancy for all the details.
MARCH 8, 2010 --- NEWS OF THE DAY
The federal government is about tointroduce a new relief plan for homeowners who can’t afford theirmortgage payment or qualify for a loan modification. The plan is theHome Affordable Foreclosure Alternative, which is supposed to ease thesehomeowners into a short sale or deed in lieu of foreclosure. TO SEE MORE
December 13, 2009 ---- TOP NEWS
Top News
TARP ending date to be pushed to October 2010 - USA Today - - for responsible American homeowners." Geithner said the new TARP commitments would be limited in 2010 to the housing market, capital for small banks and other efforts to boost small-business lending, and increased support for the Federal Reserve's Term
Housing outlook for 2010 - CNN - - (Fortune magazine) -- In a dour year for the economy, the housing market has offered some glimmers of hope. Home sales have improved, recently hitting their highest level in more than two years.
Some good reading for those of you who may be stuck at home due to the freezing rain~
The Nancy Kruse Team
December 11, 2009 ---- WHY LIST YOUR HOME DURING THE HOLIDAYS
11 Reasons to List During the Holidays
1. People who look for a home during the Holidays are more serious buyers! 2. Serious buyers have fewer houses to choose from during the Holidays and less competition means more money for you! 3. Since the supply of listings will dramatically increase in January, there will be less demand for your particular home! Less demand means less money for you! 4. Houses show better when decorated for the Holidays! 5. Buyers are more emotional during the Holidays, so they are more likely to pay your price! 6. Buyers have more time to look for a home during the Holidays than they do during a working week! 7. Some people must buy before the end of the year for tax reasons! 8. January is traditionally the month for employees to begin new jobs. Since transferees cannot wait until Spring to buy, you must be on the market now to capture that market! 9. You can still be on the market, but you have the option to restrict showings during the six or seven days during the Holidays! 10. You can sell now for more money and we will provide for a delayed closing or extended occupancy until early next year! 11. By selling now, you may have an opportunity to be a non-contingent buyer during the Spring, when many more houses are on the market for less money! This will allow you to sell high and buy low!
November 13, 2009--- ATTENTION BUYERS !!! NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY TAKE A LOOK AT HOW MUCH MORE AFFORDABLE HOMES ARE TODAY. Also, the First time homes buyers tax credit has been extended and expanded. Call Nancy for the details....541 936-2043.
Market Update of Average Sales Price and Average Days on the Market
ALBANY 97321
2009 Average Sales Price Average Days on the Market
$196,777 147
2008 $254,113 136
ALBANY 97322
2009 $158,471 126
1008 $186,017 137
LEBANON
2009 $158,825 148
2008 $181,168 134
NORTH CORVALLIS
2009 $235,307 123
2008 $301,267 91
SOUTH CORVALLIS
2009 $246,520 154
2008 $287,845 125
October 26, 2009 12:02PM
By: Nancy Kruse
The time to buy a home is right now! For a limited time home buyers can claim a special tax credit worth up to $8,000. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act offers qualifying homebuyers a tax credit equal to 10 percent of a home's purchase price, up to a maximum of $8,000. The tax credit is offered to first time homebuyers, and those who have not owned a principle residence in the past three years. To be eligible for the tax credit, the home purchase must be recorded by November 30, 2009.
The full tax credit is offered to buyers with reported income up to $75,000, or $150,000 for married couples filing a joint return. Partial tax credits are available to those making more. Take advantage of this opportunity before it expires. Contact us today for details on this exciting program!
