Cedar Rapids Real Estate: Your Online Home Source

As the year draws to a close....I thought I would "re-blog" on the $7500 tax credit. Passed by congress is a bill that will allow any buyer that has not owned a home in the last three years (perfect for first time buyers) to claim a $7500 tax credit! How does it work? 1. You must NOT of owned a home within the past three years and ...

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) the Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) jumped 7.4% to 93.4 from July to August this year that is 8.8% higher than August 2007.  The PHSI is based on the number contracts signed within that given month.             Lawrence Yun, NAR ...

Trade – in ProgramThrough the first half of the year Skogman Homes has sold 52 new homes, identical tothe number sold in 2007.Nearly 33% of the buyers took advantage of the Guaranteed Trade Program. This is oneof the best programs in the country because Skogman normally guarantees 93-95percent of appraisal value. Normal selling costs are ...

So it was brought to my attention last week in a Skogman New Homes meeting that if we had clients looking to build.....we could get them in just before Christmas. Wow.....did someone say Christmas? It does not even seem as though we had a Summer....although...it feels like Fall outside. And I not sure I can remember an August that I said....it ...

 As the year draws to a close....I thought I would "re-blog" on the $7500 tax credit. Passed by congress is a bill that will allow any buyer that has not owned a home in the last three years (perfect for first time buyers) to claim a $7500 tax credit! How does it work? 1. You must NOT of owned a home within the past three ...

If you want to get top dollar for your property, you probably need to make all minor repairs and selected major repairs before going on the market. Nearly all purchase contracts include an inspection clause, a buyer contingency that allows a buyer to back out if numerous defects are found or negotiate their repair. The trick is not to overspend on ...

So I have been running into this again this week.....July 1st mortgage lending changed....hopefully not-for-good. It is very hard to obtain 100% financing in todays world. The sad part is the for the Lenders getting themselve into this.....we all have to pay!  There are a couple of programs still available to first time buyers who would like ...

So weekly I am in clients houses answering the "age old" question.....What do I need to do to make my home sell quick and for the most money? Here are some tips that I give: 1. Minor bathroom updates/repairs will return 102%. The bathroom is the smallest room....but updates are important to a buyer today. Rid the bathroom of wall ...

You ever had the question, what are my taxes going to be on new construction?  Well Linn County has an estimator out there that will help with that and it can be found at the following link below.  You can download the excel version but be sure to update it often as rollbacks and levys change every July.  I would assume that you ...

  How To Have a Great Day Ten things you can do in ten minutes to have a fantastic flowing day: Dream Play a short movie in your mind of your greatest dream or desire  Breath Close your eyes and take five blissfully slow deep breaths Smile Think of something, or someone that makes you smile right now Gratitude What are the five ...