http://www.bobsproperties.com A Real Estate Blog Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:52:38 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en What is staging, anyway? Staging is the process of enhancing the impression a prospective buyer has about your home. Staging is all about removing things from your home that make it look smaller, drab or dated. It differs from decorating because decorating involves bringing things into the home to enhance ... http://www.bobsproperties.com/2010/03/12/home-staging-basics/ 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, fell 7.6 percent to 90.4 from an upwardly revised 97.8 in December, but remains 12.3 percent ... http://www.bobsproperties.com/2010/03/10/pending-home-sales-down-severe-weather-impacting-market/ Mortgage rates are tied to the price of MBS (Mortgage Backed Securities) and like other fixed income vehicles similar to U.S. treasuries, the higher the demand and price, the lower the corresponding rate or yield will be. Therein lies the issue to consider. Throughout 2009, the Federal Reserve was the ... http://www.bobsproperties.com/2010/03/08/which-way-are-the-interest-rates-going/ One of the most important things to do before putting your home on the market is to take care of the "easy" things. Make a list of things that need to be repaired, leaky faucets, chipped paint and loose hinges, and fix those items. Considering tackling a remodel before selling? ... http://www.bobsproperties.com/2010/03/05/getting-a-house-ready-to-sell/ There seems to be a long held American belief currently under attack. For over two hundred years, homeownership in this country was a desire of almost every American family.  Recently however, more and more people have been pontificating on the fact that owning your own home should never have been ... http://www.bobsproperties.com/2010/03/03/home-ownership-still-the-best-investment/ The 2009 Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP) was expanded to provide assistance to wounded service-members or Department Of Defense (DOD) civilians reassigned due to medical or rehabilitation purposes or retirement due to their disability, surviving spouses of the fallen, BRAC 2005 impacted homeowners, and service-members undergoing a permanent change of station ... http://www.bobsproperties.com/2010/03/02/veterans-homeowners-assistance-program-expands/ Existing-home sales fell in January but are above year-ago levels, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Existing-home sales - including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops - dropped 7.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate1 of 5.05 million units in January from a revised 5.44 million in December, but remain ... http://www.bobsproperties.com/2010/03/01/existing-home-sales-down-in-january-but-higher-than-a-year-ago-prices-steady/ In preparing an offer to purchase a house, you should already know the seller's asking price. But deciding on what price to offer and how to come up with a fair offer is next? Deciding on an offering price: Find recent sales of similar properties to come up with an offering price ... http://www.bobsproperties.com/2010/02/26/deciding-on-an-offering-price/