Before choosing a mortgage lender, consider more than just the lending rate. Each lender will supply you with a good faith estimate of closing costs, or GFE. In fact, the lender or mortgage broker is required to give you a GFE within three working days of accepting your loan application. The GFE comes in the form of an itemized list of estimated closing costs for everything from the lender’s fees to the appraisal charge to the title insurance premium to a partial month’s interest payment. Some fees that are negotiable are the appraisal, credit report and home inspection. Every dollar save it certainly money in your pocket.

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First, “glamorize your curb appeal.” Whether it is all new sod, fresh landscaping, new exterior design, landscaping lights, or something as simple as an updated, modern front door and handle, “curb appeal is paramount to getting buyers through the front door.” Make a memorable entrance. The minute a potential buyer walks in the door, he or she should think “looks good, sounds good, and smells good.” Put an oversized mirror in your entry (”people love to look at themselves”) or a dramatic piece of artwork. Fresh flowers and scented candles go a long way for this first impression.

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Cooling your home is costing more this summer season. The Energy Information Administration, the statistical division of the U.S. Department of Energy, predicts that the price of electricity will climb about 2.6 percent during 2007. If your are a typical energy consumer then you will pay $150 for electricity to run central air conditioning in a 2,000 square-foot house in each of the summer months in 2006. Some recommendations from energy experts work better in some areas of the country than others. For example, in suburban and rural areas, nights tend to be cooler than in the cities of concrete and blacktop, so homeowners can open their windows after sunset and use a whole-house fan to bring cool air into the house rather than keeping the air conditioners cranked.

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Staging is to the interior of a home what curb appeal is to the exterior — nipping and tucking, furnishing and accessorizing, buffing and polishing until the place looks like a model home, without being clinical. But it can also include curb appeal. With just the right special effects, the effort can transform a home into a house of dreams and help potential buyers visualize potential. Professional staging experts suggest that you start with thinking about “curb appeal” which will include landscaping, doors, fixtures all that customers see upon approach to the home. Curb appeal should exude an unforgettable first impression that prompts buyers to cross the threshold.

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When it comes to selling real estate, the Internet sometimes seems like a money-back coupon for new home commissions. Numerous online real estate brokers now offer both buyers and sellers rebates as an inducement to get their business. Typically, online agents will share a portion of the commission they receive in a transaction. Rebates, however, are flash points in the sometimes vociferous debate between the real estate establishment and the Internet insurgents. A handful of states actually bar the practice of rebates, on the grounds they could be misused as kickbacks.

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Prepaying your mortgage is tempting, after all who doesn’t want to own their home “free and clear”. Moreover, doing so potentially could save you tens of thousands of dollars in interest and years of monthly payments. But paying off your loan is not always the smartest financial decision. Neglecting important areas of your financial life just so you can have a mortgage-burning party can erase the benefits of prepaying your mortgage. Some concepts to consider are; you don’t have adequate emergency savings, you’re not saving enough for retirement, you don’t have disability or life insurance and you’re the main breadwinner, you have high-rate credit card debt.

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An alluring selling point for potential home buyers often times can be the quality of education the local school district provides. It’s an angle you should definitely look to leverage when you are putting your house on the market. A selling tactic that can potentially increase appeal, if you have a lot of potential home buyers that are parents with young children, is childproofing your home. Having a home that meets the latest standards in childproofing may be a wise and profitable way to heighten its appeal to this target audience when you go to sell your home.

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First on the list is your kitchen. In fact, “Kitchens are critical,” says Robert Irwin, author of “Home Buyer’s Checklist.” “Today, people like a big kitchen with a lot of workspace.” They look for solid surface counters and high-quality flooring, such as wood, laminate, tile or stone. And they want newer appliances in working order. Even if it’s not huge, it should have “countertops that are servicable, that aren’t going to have to be replaced soon and cabinetry in good condition,” says Alan Hummel, past president of the Appraisal Institute. “It has to be well-appointed and large enough to fit your needs.”

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The National Association of Realtors’ pending home sales index jumped 5 percent to 102.4 in June, the group announced Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast the index would slip 0.6 percent after a revised 3.7 percent drop in the May report. It was the biggest increase in the index in three years. But that is up from a May reading that matches the second lowest on record. Only September 2001, the month of the terrorist attack, had a weaker pending home sales reading than May. However, major declines in home sales are likely to have occurred already and further declines, if any, are likely to be modest given the accumulating pent-up demand.

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Just listed is this beautiful Wilkes County NC Executive Country Club Home.

MLS Number: 51211 List Price: $359,000

Bedrooms: 3, Full Baths: 2, Half Baths: 1, Est Total SqFt: 3425+
Type/Style: Tudor, Two Story, Area: 6
Elementary School : Moravian Falls Elementary
Middle School: Central Wilkes
High School: Wilkes Central

Construction: Brick Veneer & Other, Solid Masonry Foundation: Basement, block & brick. Roof: Shingle - Composition, Two Years Old, Floors: Carpet/Hardwood/Tile
Garage/Carport: Garage-Double Attached
Interior Features: Smoke Detector(s), Ceiling Fan(s), Newly Decorated, Central Vacuum, Large Master Bedroom, Walk-In Closet(s), Hardwood Floors, Basement, Fireplace(s), Gas Logs, Stone Fireplace, Workshop, Living Room, Dining Room, , Den, Cable TV w. broadband Internet

Exterior Features: Tiled Patio/Deck and Walkways, Private Yard, Level Lot, Set Back From Street.
Subdivision: Farmington
Lot Size: 1.14 acres, Tax Value: 312450, Apx SqFt: 3400 +
Basement: Partial, finished with large cedar-lined closet.

Contact Elizabeth Carter, 336.973.5594 or Greg Stikeleather, Broker, 704.880.5247 or email eacarter@charter.net

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