You are about to invest in your most valuable asset. Many home buying steps are standard yet there might be slight variations depending on the real estate laws and regulations where you live. Here are our top 10 recommendations to make you more confident as you embark on your home buying journey.

1. Your Credit Rating.  Getting your finances in order is probably the most important step you should take. Your credit reports are an ongoing look at how you manage your finances. You must know exactly what your credit reports say about your financial history before you apply for a mortgage, because the reports play an important role in the mortgage approval process and in determining the interest rate and other loan terms that a lender offers you.

2. Understanding How Mortgages Work.  Get familiar with the mortgage laws, structure and options. That way, you will be able to decide on the right loan and lender — crucial to your home buying success. It’s up to you to determine which lender is best for your needs, and it’s always a good idea to have at least a bit of background about the loan process before you talk to a lender.

3. Getting a Mortgage Pre-Approval.  Do you know how much house you can afford? Probably not, unless you’ve talked with a lender. Pre-approval helps you in other ways. Consider this scenario. A home seller gets two similar offers. One is accompanied by a letter from the buyer’s bank that states she is pre-approved for a mortgage in the amount of the offer. The other has no supporting documents. Which offer do you think the seller will consider first?

4. Sorting Out Your Needs and Wants.  Buying a home isn’t as difficult as you might think, even if you’re short on funds. But the process will go a lot smoother if you get familiar with your real estate market and narrow down your wants and needs before you start looking at houses.

5. Preparing to Work with Real Estate Agents.  Real estate agents represent buyers, sellers, or both — and in some states they can work as neutral facilitators for either party. It’s essential to understand agent duties and loyalties before you make that first phone call.

6. The Great Home Search.  The Internet is a great tool — you can spend endless hours searching the public version of the Multiple Listing Service website. Plus, your agent will give you multiple listing sheets to study. You can also pick up House For Sale magazines and read classified ads in your local newspapers. You might even plan afternoon drives to preview neighbourhoods. These are all excellent ways to see what’s available out there.

7. Pre-Offer Investigation.  Deciding whether or not you want to buy a house involves a look at its structure and its features, but there are many other topics that are every bit as important to your purchase. Appoint a professional to conduct the home inspection. Study what kind of house is it — site built, modular or manufactured. Consider its market value and resale potential. Do others have a right to use the property? Can you live with the deed restrictions? Is the reported square footage accurate? Is the heating system efficient? And so on.

8. Making the Offer.  There’s no one set of instructions that can cover all the differences in real estate laws and customs that exist throughout, so the mechanics of making an offer and its specific contingencies depend greatly on your location. That’s why you should sit with your agent, attorney or advisor to fine-tune your offer and take care of all the contractual considerations.

9. Avoiding Last-Minute Changes.  As your closing date nears, everyone involved in your real estate transaction should check its progress on a daily basis, because staying on top of things means you’ll know immediately if there’s a problem that must be dealt with.

10. Before Closing.  Most of your home buying concerns are behind you now and you’re on your way to closing, also called settlement, or the event that transfers ownership of the property over to you. You will encounter issues specific to your location and your transaction, issues that can best be explained and handled by your local real estate agent, your lender, your attorney, your closing agent, or others who are helping you complete the home buying transaction.

Never hesitate to ask questions. Ask as many questions as necessary to help you understand the entire home buying process. You are making a long term commitment and spending a major amount of money–you’ll feel much better about the transaction if you stay informed and understand what’s happening every step along the way.                               

 -Taken from HGTV.ca

Looking for easy ways to add color to your surroundings without breaking the bank this holiday season?  Here is a simple wreath and table runner idea that can be mixed with your own creativity to make it even more spectacular for Christmas entertaining!

PEACOCK FEATHER WREATH

Materials and Tools:

5 peacock sword feathers
5 peacock eye feathers
1-2 green chandelle or turkey feather boas
loose green feathers
foam wreath form
green spray paint
spray adhesive
wide purple ribbon

 Steps:

1. Paint wreath form green and allow to dry thoroughly.

2. Coat wreath form with spray adhesive and attach feather boa (or boas) while glue is still tacky. Fill in with loose feathers until all parts of wreath form are covered with feathers. Note: Depending on fullness of feather boa, more than one may be needed to cover wreath completely.

3. Tuck peacock sword feathers and eye feathers into feather boa, pushing the quill ends into the foam wreath form to secure them.

4. Wrap top of wreath with ribbon to create a hanger.

(If you are feeling extra creative add bits of old costume jewellery or beads throughout)

HOLIDAY TABLE RUNNER

Materials Needed:

6-8 pieces of stiff, white felt

scissors

craft knife

hot glue gun and glue sticks

pen

various-sized paper snowflake patterns (printed from your computer)

burlap table runner

Lay Out Felt

Determine the number of snowflakes needed by laying out several pieces of stiff felt on your tabletop.

Trace and Cut Out Snowflakes

Use a pen to trace the shape of several different snowflakes onto the felt, then cut out using scissors and a craft knife.

Attach Snowflakes

Play with the position of snowflakes on runner by trying various layouts. When you’re happy with the arrangement, attach corners and centers of snowflakes to burlap with small dots of hot glue.    

(If you are looking to add more color to the runner use bright red, green and gold felt or dress up the white felt with gold glitter glue and add bits of colored ribbon to the edges or ends)

Educating consumers about money management.  We believe it’s getting tougher every day to decide how to make your money work more effectively and to achieve debt freedom.  This workshop is designed to help you find the right strategy.  

Date:          May 12, 2011

Time:         7:30 – 9:00 p.m.

Place:          Primerica Office #104, 4310 – 33 Street Stony Plain

This seminar will cover:

 Debt Information and statistics, Debt Management Tips,

 Debt Elimination Strategies

Limited Seating – Please register in Advance by calling:

(780) 963-8164

Sponsored and Hosted by: Terri & Brad McCullough

If you are unable to attend, Primerica will offer a FREE appointment for a Financial Needs Analysis!  Please call for an appointment.

Visit online at www.primerica.com/tmccullough

You need good sound reasons to make a good decision and here they are …

• Carson Beier has received years in a row Top 5% REALTORS® for Edmonton & Area MLS System Sales, competing with over 3200 REALTORS®! 
• Carson Beier is the now an EcoBroker®, making Exit the 1st brokerage in Alberta to receive the EcoBroker® designation.  Teal is the new GREEN.
•  We have an AGGRESSIVE HOME MARKETING PROGRAM.  We use advanced D.M.S (Digital Marketing Strategies) with instact access to pictures, price and payments via text message.  Keeping ahead with technonlgy is key in this industry.
•  CARSON’S COMMITED PROFESSIONALS are dedicated to keeping you informed with regards to the Sale of your home.  WE STAY IN TOUCH!
•  We are MASTERS AT OFFER NEGOTIATIONS and this could be worth THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS to you. 
•  CARSON’S COMMITED PROFESSIONALS continuously attend Trainings and Seminars.  Real Estate is a SERIOUS CAREER!  Real Estate is NOT a Hobby!
•  CARSON’S COMMITED PROFESSIONALS are FULLY AUTOMATED with PERSONAL COMPUTERS, PERSONAL WEBSITE, CELLULAR PHONE, PAGER, INTERNET ACCESS, CALL COORDINATOR, and personal assistants.  We can be reached easily & respond QUICKLY to your needs.
•  We are always HONEST and PROFESSIONAL.
•  We are all COMMITED to getting your home sold in the shortest time possible for the most money.
•  We track ALL INQUIRIES on your home and keep you informed on what potential buyers have to say about your home.
•  We are affiliated with the fastest growing Real Estate Corporation in North America, EXIT Realty Corp. International.

CARSON’S COMMITED PROFESSIONALS are:

                        Dependable                                                 Helpful

                        Knowledgeable                                          Accountable

                        Resourceful                                                 Trustworthy

                        Loyal                                                              Determined

                        Efficient                                                         Supportive

Call Carson today and let our team go to work for you!

Providing EASY SOLUTIONS for all your Real Estate needs.

How will you choose your REALTOR®?

• Their customer service and plan for marketing (D.M.S)?
• Promised market price?

A REALTOR® has no control over the market conditions, only their Marketing Plan.

 Never select a REALTOR® based on the price they promise.

 Select a REALTOR® based on the value services they provide and the customer service they are known for.  Take the time to meet with them and see if they understand your needs and expectations.  Are they easy to communicate with?  Are they accountable for what they say? 

 Would it not be better to select a REALTOR® first and then agree on price? Don’t allow Associates to ‘bump up’ the price to obtain your listing.

True professionals will give you truthful feedback and accurate information so you can price to sell in this ever-changing market.

You need good sound reasons to make a good decision and here they are …

• Carson’s Team of Professionals are all COMMITED to getting your home sold in the shortest time possible for the most money.
• We have an AGGRESSIVE HOME MARKETING PROGRAM.  We use advanced D.M.S (Digital Marketing Strategies) with instact access to pictures, price and payments via text message.  Keeping ahead with technonlgy is key in this industry.
• We track ALL INQUIRIES on your home and keep you informed on what potential buyers have to say about your home.
•  CARSON’S COMMITED PROFESSIONALS are dedicated to keeping you informed with regards to the Sale of your home.  WE STAY IN TOUCH!
•  We are MASTERS AT OFFER NEGOTIATIONS and this could be worth THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS to you. 
• CARSON’S COMMITED PROFESSIONALS are FULLY AUTOMATED with PERSONAL COMPUTERS, PERSONAL WEBSITE, CELLULAR PHONE, PAGER, INTERNET ACCESS, CALL COORDINATOR, and personal assistants.  We can be reached easily & respond QUICKLY to your needs.
•  We are always HONEST and PROFESSIONAL.
•  CARSON’S COMMITED PROFESSIONALS continuously attend Trainings and Seminars.  Real Estate is a SERIOUS CAREER!  Real Estate is NOT a Hobby!
• Carson Beier is the now an EcoBroker®, making Exit the 1st brokerage in Alberta to receive the EcoBroker® designation.  Teal is the new GREEN.
•  We are affiliated with the fastest growing Real Estate Corporation in North America, EXIT Realty Corp. International.

CARSON’S COMMITED PROFESSIONALS are:

Dependable                                                 Helpful

Knowledgeable                                          Accountable

Resourceful                                                 Trustworthy

Loyal                                                              Determined

Efficient                                                         Supportive

Call Carson today and let us go to work for you!

      Providing easy SOLUTIONS for all your Real Estate needs!

I am proud to announce that Exit Realty Grove is the FIRST brokerage in Alberta to receive EcoBroker(R) designation!  With the new designation of EcoBroker® I have yet another tool to help you sell your home!  I can share Green tips and tricks to assist you in making your home energy efficient and more desirable to the ever growing “energy conscientious” buyer.

• By providing you the opportunity to have an in-home energy efficiency rating by a qualified professional
• Posting your listing on EcoBroker.com
• Marketing material that promotes the Green Designation for the Brokerage – targeting the growing demand for Energy Efficient Homes
• Contact with EcoBroker Affiliates™ to deliver quality energy efficient products & services to the green-minded consumer – you

Are you working with an EcoBroker(R) yet?   What are you waiting for?     Call me today!

     Spring has sprung!  It has been a long winter, and we are more than ready to welcome in the warmer weather.

     Here are some tips to help you get your home ready for the season:

· After consulting your hot water tank owner’s manual, carefully test the temperature and pressure relief valve to ensure it is not stuck. Caution: This test may release hot water that can cause burns.

· Check and clean or replace furnace air filters each month during the heating season.  Ventilation system, for example heat recovery ventilator, filters should be checked every two months.

· Have fireplace or woodstove and chimney cleaned and serviced as needed.

· Shut down and clean furnace humidifier.

· Check dehumidifier and clean if necessary.

· Turn OFF gas furnace and fireplace pilot lights where possible.

· Have well water tested for quality. It is recommended that you test for bacteria every six months.

· Check smoke, carbon monoxide and security alarms and replace batteries.

· Clean windows, screens and hardware, and replace storm windows with screens. Check screens first and repair or replace if needed.

· Open valve to outside hose connection after all danger of frost has passed.

· Examine the foundation walls for cracks, leaks or signs of moisture, and repair as required. Repair and paint fences as necessary.

· Ensure sump pump is operating properly before the spring thaw sets in. Ensure discharge pipe is connected and allows water to drain away from the foundation.

·        Re-level any exterior steps or decks which moved due to frost or settling.

· Check eaves troughs and downspouts for loose joints and secure attachment to your home, clear any obstructions, and ensure water flows away from your foundation.

· Clear all drainage ditches and culverts of debris.

· Undertake spring landscape maintenance and, if necessary, fertilize young trees.

     Bedding plants should not be left outside until after the risk of frost is gone.  It is a good idea to put them out during the day to help season them and make them more hearty. 

     Your garden should also be planted after the risk of frost is gone.  I usually plant mine sometime between the weekend after  the May long weekend and the first week of June.  Don’t wait too long to plant, or your harvest will be late and risk frost.

     Wishing you all the best this season!

Spruce Grove, AB – Chad W. Bonner with Exit Realty Grove has been awarded the Accredited Buyer’s Representation (ABR(R)) designation by the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council.  (REBAC) of the National Association of REALTORS(R).

Chad W. Bonner joins more than 30,000 real estate professionals in North America who have earned the ABR(R) designation.  All were required to successfully complete a comprehensive course in buyer representaion and an elective course focusing on a buyer representation specialty, both in addition to submitting documentation verifying professional experience.

REBAC, founded in 1988, is the world’s largest association of real estate professionals focusing specifically on represtnting the real estate buyer.  There are more than 40,000 active members of the organization world-wide.  The National Association of Realtors (R), “The Voice for Real Estate” is the world’s largest professional association, representing over 1,000,000 members involved in all aspects of the real estate industry.

You may contact the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council by telephone, (800) 648-6224, by e-mail, rebac@realtors.org, or by visiting the REBEC website website, www.REBAC.net.