Green Real Estate Appraiser

Smart Financing: Energy Efficient Mortgages

Posted on May 8, 2012 | Leave a comment

Although you might have heard the term Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEMs), many of us don’t know what they are. That’s unfortunate, because these programs could help many new homebuyers afford or create a more efficient and comfortable home that costs less to operate.

Recently had energy upgrades and did not credit for it on an appraisal? Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com they specialize in green and energy efficient properties.

Energy Improvement Mortgage (EIM)

An EIM allows borrowers to fold the cost of energy-efficiency improvements into the mortgage—without increasing the down payment. Borrowers can use the money they will save in utility bills to finance energy improvements.

Both EEMs and EIMs typically require a home energy rating to provide the lender with the estimated energy savings and the value of the energy-efficiency improvements—known as the Energy Savings Value. EEMs and EIMs are sponsored by federally insured mortgage programs such as the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Veterans Affairs (VA), as well as the conventional secondary mortgage market (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac).

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

Think Twice Before Selling Your Home At a Loss

Posted on May 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

If you really must sell for personal reasons, then why ask the question? Get the best possible price that you can.

However, if you are still in doubt and uncertain about selling now, then I can try to provide you with some guidance. But this is your decision to make. All that the pundits and the fortune tellers can do is make suggestions; we cannot see into the future.

Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com to help you determine the value of your property before selling.

The economy is moving forward, albeit slowly. Mortgage interest rates remain extremely low, which means people can buy or refinance as long as they can qualify for loans under the current strict mortgage lending policies.

Why do you want to sell? If you sell your primary house, where will you live? Have you considered the alternatives? Will you have a profit on either or both houses or are both underwater? That makes a big difference.

Can you afford to hang in there for perhaps another year, or is the cost of the two properties (mortgage, taxes, insurance and upkeep) hurting you financially?

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

Streamline Your Home Like Martha Stewart – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle !!!

Posted on May 6, 2012 | Leave a comment

Even Martha Stewart, whose storied collections of glassware, table linens, vases and more stretch across her multiple homes, a magazine and television show and straight into our houses via her product lines, would agree. Why? The answer is simple — woven through all of Stewart’s glossy-magazine lifestyle advice is a core idea that many people overlook while gaping at the contents of her latest butler’s pantry: If you choose your practical things carefully, you don’t need a lot of stuff to have a beautiful home.

“I have always been an accumulator of beautiful things” says Stewart, “but if you come and look at my things you’d see that I don’t have a lot of ornate florals, the very decorated Spode, that sort of thing. It’s elegant but simple and it’s all edited.”

She might have made her name on her perfectly set tables, but Stewart gets simplicity. “There are lots of ways to be organized and simple,” she says, “but still when people come they say ‘Oh you really know how to do this, you really have great style.’ And that’s the goal.” So, whether you’re drowing in heirloom collections or just trying to choose your first set of flatware, Martha has advice on keeping your home simple and beautiful. “You have to look at and evaluate every object,” she says. “Is it beautiful? Do you use it? Do you like it? Is it important? Is it practical?” Choosing with care when you decide what should be in your home can lead to living well, but more simply.

Aim to make everything a multi-tasker. Practical things should also look good, and vice versa. So if you need a new can opener, buy one that pleases your eye and opens your canned tomatoes. Have one set of dishes that you love — and use them for everything. “I have drabware, it’s my favorite pattern, and bone handled flatware. I use it every day,” says Stewart. “My daughter Alexis, who is a very organized person, chose the simplest wide band china and she uses it every day, for dinner parties, for everything. She’s had it for 15 years.”

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

Smart Financing: Energy Efficient Mortgages

Think Twice Before Selling Your Home At a Loss

Streamline Your Home Like Martha Stewart – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle !!!

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