Nearly every lender requires one, but sometimes sellers and buyers don’t always look them over carefully. And in some cases, buyers and sellers don’t see their real estate appraisals at all because they are asking the wrong person for the report. Gerald A. McKinzie, owner of McKinzie Metro Appraisal, says that the only person an appraiser can give the appraisal to is the actual client. So if the appraisal is ordered by the lender then the mortgage company or bank will get the appraisal. “We can’t give the appraisal to [the homeowner] because of appraiser ethics and I think this is pretty true nationwide. Appraisers cannot give the report or the conclusion of the report or their findings to anyone but their client,” says McKinzie.

The American Society of Appraisers says that an appraisal is important, now more than ever. With a fluctuating market, increased inventory, and housing prices dropping in many areas, the association says, having an appraisal is critical and valuable information. If you didn’t receive an appraisal when you purchased your home, the association says that under federal law it is your right to receive one. The association highly recommends that you request a copy of it. “Homeowners should point out anything they can to the appraiser who comes to do the inspection,” says McKinzie. He says even things that might not be top of mind or easy to spot such as a new furnace should be mentioned. Also, remodeling, upgrades, new roofs, new flooring, and landscaping are important to mention to the appraise (more…)

search for : real estate appraisal, Appraisers, American Society of Appraisers, Homeowners

Hardwood flooring made from the trees on your building site or from trees that your city had to remove is very unusual. But not because such wood is rare. To the contrary, the number of hardwood trees cut every year by municipalities and private homeowners is huge. If the logs were sawn into boards instead of being mulched or tossed into a landfill, the volume, in board feet, would be equal to about two-thirds the amount of hardwood lumber produced annually in the United States.

To the average suburban resident, all trees look attractive, but a commercial logger sees things differently. A job that entails only three or four trees — a large number for a private homeowner or municipality — will not interest him. To justify the expense of bringing in a crew and large tree-cutting equipment a commercial logger wants at least 50. And, he wants to take out the 50 trees in one day, not spend an entire day on one tree because of the time-consuming, daunting logistics that confront an urban tree service crew. They must avoid hitting power lines while staying clear of houses, gardens and driveways (a 500-pound section of a tree hitting an asphalt driveway on a hot summer day will leave a big dent). (more…)

search for : Hardwood flooring, homeowners, United States

Remodeling your home can definitely be an exhilarating undertaking. A new look, new space, new colors, new fixtures — it’s all very exciting! It’s also all very disruptive. When you are remodeling, whether you’re doing the work yourself or having professionals do it for you, your entire lifestyle is disrupted for days, weeks, even months at a time. It may not seem like that big of a deal before you start, but until you live through a remodeling, especially a major one, you have no idea just how stressful the entire process can be. So, before the first nail is driven, take some time to get yourself, your family, and your home prepared, and you’ll find it a little easier to cope.

If you are having a building contractor do the work, they should be able to provide you with a detailed schedule that answers both these questions. (If they can’t, you have probably hired the wrong contractor!) Remember that schedules are only estimates, and a number of things can disrupt even the most carefully laid plans. Talk with your contractor to see what possible glitches they might foresee, and how you can create a contingency plan for them. (more…)

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The Bush administration’s plan to sell national forest lands to help pay for rural schools is drawing widespread opposition and suffering legislative setbacks, but the administration isn’t backing off.The administration wants to raise $800 million for the Secure Rural Schools program for another five years by selling 300,000 forested acres in 35 states.

The administration’s plan was seen as virtually dead after the Senate Appropriations Committee, following the lead of its House counterpart months before, refused last week to include the proposal in a $26 billion interior appropriations bill. But Dan Jiron, Washington spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service, contends the obituary is premature. “What you have heard isn’t an indication of anything at this point,” he said Thursday. (more…)

search for : sell national forest lands, Secure Rural Schools, Senate Appropriations Committee, U.S. Forest Service

Memorial Day weekend is the traditional opening of the summer season. Cabins are aired-out for the first time in months, and boats, recently serviced, are trailed to public and private launches en route to their seasonal homes in cozy marinas or weathered docks. But not all second-home owners are expecting the summer rush.

“I darn near sold it five years ago,” said homeowner Robert Shelton. “But the kids talked me out of it — said they wanted to come back. But they’ve used it less and less and it’s one of the few real assets we have. “I could use some cash, but I don’t need it all right now.” Not all property sellers want cash. The monthly payment income from the sale of a family home, a rental property or vacation cabin can supplement retirement income and serve as a continuing comfort zone. Shelton, like many retirees, says he needs only simple comforts. The mere mention of selling the cabin meant he had re-examined that comfort zone. To another person, the cabin sale could now be viewed as an extremely important — perhaps critical — flow of income. (more…)

search for : homeowner, assets, property sellers, monthly payment, family home, rental property, vacation cabin, retirement income

News on the climate and energy front continues to be bad–top scientists with impeccable credentials say human activity is causing a warming trend that will end 5,000 years of climatic stability, resulting in melting icecaps, rising oceans, and the deaths of millions of species and hundreds of thousands of people.

Many utilities are projecting an eye-popping 50 percent increase in electricity generation from polluting sources over the next 20 years–but their projections are based on the assumption that we will continue to squander energy through wasteful habits. It doesn’t have to be like that. With a few simple and relatively inexpensive steps, we can dramatically reduce the amount of energy we use in our homes, workplaces and congregations. Take the example set by Bob and Linda Rodriguez of Wake County, North Carolina. They have been living in their 30-year-old, two-story home north of Raleigh for 10 years now. Several years ago they began attending Raleigh’s Pullen Memorial Baptist Church and taking classes there on earth care, where they learned about the devastating impacts of mountaintop coal mining in Appalachia and uranium mining on indigenous people’s lands. Realizing that their demand for energy was destroying someone else’s home, they resolved to become more responsible energy consumers. (more…)

search for : melting icecaps, rising oceans, electricity generation, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church

In 2003 mortgage rates dropped below six percent. That seemed astounding to those who may have bought their first home in the early 1980’s. “In 1982, 30-year fixed rates were 18.75 percent. Granted, real estate values weren’t the same, but people were still buying at those times,” says mortgage broker Ellen Bitton of Park Avenue Mortgage.

Like an adjustable-rate mortgage, a home equity line of credit is also immediately affected by the Fed’s decisions. But a home equity loan with a fixed-rate will not be affected. “So when you hear a story about the Federal Reserve raising interest rates, that’s code for, ‘Your home equity line rate is going to go up, probably as soon as your next statement,’” says McBride. “If you have a fixed-rate mortgage or a fixed-rate home equity loan, you are insulated from the rising interest rates that have been so predominant over the last two years. However, that’s not to say you should ignore the interest rate environment altogether.” (more…)

search for : mortgage rates, adjustable-rate mortgage, home equity line of credit, Federal Reserve