Whether you’re a buyer, seller, investor, property manager, or even a broker looking for new real estate agents,  finding a great Realtor can make a world’s difference in how you experience anything real estate related. A great Realtor is professional, knowledgeable, courteous, understanding, punctual, reliable, and effective. So how do you go about finding one of these great Realtors and what should you look for in a potential Realtor you’re going to hire?

When is the best time of the year to buy a home? There are at least two days of the year that give buyers the edge. Would you like to guess which two days are best for buying a home?

Every spring, as tulips struggle to poke through melting snow in the North and rosebuds cautiously open in Southern climes, sure as tootin’ real estate signs begin multiplying like bunnies across the country. Soon as the For Sale signs are mounted on the posts, swarms of activity buzz in the streets as sellers, buyers and real estate agents crawl out from wherever they hibernated for the winter to welcome the spring sales season.

There is nothing like a spring real estate market. Offers fly over FAX machines and cell phones ring constantly. Everybody wants a deal, and everybody wants to sell. Typically the marketplace is flooded with inventory. There is more on the market in the spring than any other time of the year.

It’s also the worst time to buy a home. Except for one day. There is one day in the spring that a buyer will have the edge against all the other buyers.

The second best day of the year to buy a home is Easter Sunday.

A buyer looking for a fixer on the outskirts of downtown Sacramento lucked out last Easter. A home came on the market at an attractive price. The buyer immediately inspected the home and wrote an offer. Fortunately, the listing agent was also the seller, so it was very easy to present an offer. The offer was signed and accepted on Easter Sunday because there was no competition. Come Monday, offers started rolling in, but it was too late.

• Easter falls sometime between March 22 and April 25.
• It is the first Sunday after the ecclesiastical moon after the vernal equinox.
• The vernal equinox falls on March 20th or 21st, depending on the year.

The first best day of the year to buy a home is Christmas Day.

Almost nobody looks at homes on Christmas Day. But buying on Christmas Day is a smart move. If you scout out the homes on which you’d like to make offers a few days before Christmas, you’ll be better positioned. Why is Christmas Day so attractive?

• People are in good moods, celebrating, opening presents, enjoying family.
• People are more inclined to be generous, even if it means coming down on the price. “Hey, it’s Christmas, hon; just sign it.”
• Few buyers are out looking at homes during Christmas week, so the chance of multiple offers or any competition whatsoever is very low.
• Home prices are at a 12-month low in December.
• If a person has their home on the market over Christmas, that person is definitely serious about negotiating and selling that home. You can bet on it. Better yet, why not write an offer?

Of course, the key is to find a real estate agent who will a) work on Christmas and b) be aggressive enough to worm her way into the seller’s home without batting an eyelash. Those agents are out there.

Prudential Professionals Realty  wants to tell you about a great new way you can search for homes – right from your mobile phone. We have partnered with Smarter Agent, the nation’s leader in
mobile real estate technology, to provide this mobile search capability to ALL of my clients! Our tool will allow you to search homes for sale anytime, anywhere – right from your cell phone!

Our  mobile app uses GPS, when available, to locate the user and display listings in the
immediate area. Users can also search by address, city or zip code to see property details for all homes for sale in a specified area, including price, square footage, estimated mortgage, taxes, features, maps, pictures and more. The “Refine Search” feature lets users select a price range, property type and the number of beds and baths to help them find just what they’re looking for.

Wherever you are, driving, or walking around looking at properties, you’ll have
access to all of the MLS information on the homes for sale around you, with just
one touch of a button on your cell phone. Hit “Call to See” and you will be put
right in touch with our relocation department, ready and waiting to serve all of your real estate needs.

It’s so easy to do! Just text PPR2503 to 87778, and the application will be sent
to your phone by text message. Just click on it and the application downloads
right away.

I know you will love this great new way to look for homes. So don’t delay – start
searching for your dream home TODAY!

Low mortgage rates and declining home values make homeownership extremely affordable these days. But does that mean now is the right time to buy a home? Should you wait?

It depends on whom you ask, where you live and most importantly, on your own situation.

Unfortunately, “nobody hits the gong when the market hits bottom,” says Jed Smith, managing director of quantitative research for the National Association of Realtors. But in many markets, it appears that home prices are close to bottoming out, he says.

“In terms of affordability, now is definitely a good time,” he says. “Prices are fairly low and interest rates are hovering at historic lows … but real estate is very local. It’s not just a question of state or city, but ZIP code.”

Home prices declining in most markets, but not all

The median price of homes sold nationwide in the first three months of the year declined 4.6 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the National Association of Realtors. Some parts of the country are experiencing much greater depreciation in home values. One example is the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area in Florida, where the median price of homes sold in the first quarter of the year declined about 20 percent. But not all markets are hurting. One of several markets that saw a jump in prices was the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area in New York, where the median price of homes sold in the first quarter increased 10.8 percent.

“Every market is different and every situation is unique,” says Scott Caballero, area manager for PenFed Realty in San Antonio. “That’s why it’s good to speak to a professional who knows and understands your market.”

While national statistics don’t paint the whole picture, generally, they can help you understand where the market might be headed. Fannie Mae recently projected that home prices will continue to fall during the next three months and begin stabilizing toward the end of the year. Some economists are not as optimistic and don’t expect the housing market to recover until 2014.

Does that mean you should wait until 2012 or 2014 to start looking for a home? Not really — unless you have personal reasons to wait, says Ed Conarchy, a mortgage planner and investment adviser in Vernon Hills, Ill.

Mortgage rates not expected to stay low

While most real estate experts don’t expect home prices to spike in the next couple of years, it is unlikely that mortgage rates will remain low for long.

“The chances (mortgage rates) could go up a lot is much greater than the chances of them going down a little bit,” Conarchy says.

The rate on 30-year fixed mortgages reached a record low of 4.42 percent in November 2010, according to Bankrate’s weekly mortgage rate survey. The record high was about 18 percent in 1981. (Bankrate began conducting weekly rate surveys in 1985.)

The Mortgage Bankers Association forecasts mortgage rates will be close to 6 percent by the end of 2012.

If rates do rise by the time you decide to jump into the market, even if home prices take another dip, you may end up paying more for the house, Conarchy says.

Let’s assume you are thinking of borrowing $150,000 to buy a house and you are able to get a 30-year fixed mortgage at 4.75 percent in the current market. A mortgage calculator shows that this translates into monthly mortgage payments of about $782. If you wait a year and prices drop by about 10 percent, you may be able to buy that house with a $135,000 loan. But if interest rates rise to 6 percent, you would end up paying about $809 per month.

“So when it comes to mortgage rates, there has never been a better time to buy,” Conarchy says.

Are you ready to buy a home?

But forget about mortgage rates and home prices for a second. Before you get to the question of whether now is the right time to buy a home, you should ask if you are ready to buy a house.

“You buy a home because it’s a place you know you are going to be in for seven to 10 years,” Conarchy says. “Not because prices are low and rates are attractive. So if you have a stable job and know where you are going to be for at least the next three years, this is probably the right time to buy. If not, play it safe.”

Don’t look at it as an investment

And contrary to what you have been told, don’t think of homebuying as a real estate investment — at least, not as a short-term one.

“If someone is buying a house and wants to see prices going up in six months, that’s a bad idea,” Smith says. “These are not quick turnarounds. A lot of people got into trouble because of that.”

Thinking long term should be the key to your decision, Conarchy says.

“I am confident that in 10 or 20 years the real estate market will be better, but I can’t tell you what’s going to happen in three years.”

The buzz about why Clarksville TN is one of the best places to live, work, and raise a family is beginning to catch on nationwide.  The publicity received from many national publications such as BusinessWeek, cnnmoney.com and US News about why Clarksville TN is such a great place to live right now and one of the top places to start a small or medium business has catipulted this community into the national spotlight in a good way! In these times of recession, people are looking for a new start for their family and many of them are finding Clarksville TN in their research and making inquiries.

Clarksville TN is an awesome place to raise a family.  The proximity to the arts & concerts at the states capital, Nashville, and the Land between the lakes gives one a variety of interests.  The education system is strong with a local university, Austin Peay State University with many other established public & private universities such as Vanderbilt.  The closeness of Ft Campbell Military base, home of the 101st airborne, keeps the economy stable even in times of economic recession.  The introduction of Hemlock Semiconductor in the industrial park has given way to a bevy of new industry & new jobs interested in locating to Clarksville TN.

Here are four benefits of owning your own home:

1. Financial Predictability
When you buy a home with a fixed-rate mortgage, you have more predictability over future housing costs. Because your interest rate never changes, the amount of your payment never changes. Financial planning and credit are more easily managed with a fixed-rate mortgage compared to renting.

2. Building Equity
When you own your own home, you pay rent to yourself instead of a landlord. Most homeowners pay for their purchase by obtaining a mortgage. As you pay off that mortgage, your equity builds and you gain an increasingly larger share in a valuable asset. Over time, that asset can work for you in many ways, such as home equity lines of credit. And of course, a home is a wonderful asset to pass along in an estate.

3. Investment Appreciation
There are certainly no guarantees of property value appreciation. In the long-term, however, real estate valuations almost always increase. This means that when you decide to sell your home, its value may be significantly higher than when you purchased it. The difference in value is called appreciation. You can reinvest that appreciation in other real estate or you may wish to downsize and keep the value of that appreciation for retirement or other purposes.

4. Tax Benefits
In the United States, the cost of home mortgage interest and property taxes are usually tax-deductible. Depending on your circumstances, thousands of dollars in taxes can be saved each year. These tax savings are not limited to federal taxes either. Many states and localities either base their tax system on the federal system or offer similar incentives to homeownership. Some additional benefits are designed specifically for first-time homebuyers. See your tax advisor for additional information.

If you still have doubts, please visit our website or call us at 931-920-6848 and we will link you with an agent who can answer questions you may have about homeownership and explain the buying process to you.

Becoming a successful real estate agent is a combination of investing time in education, researching a broker who can help you get your first clients and passing state and national licensing exams. But that’s not all there is to the industry. Read on to find out some of the more overlooked aspects of the real estate business.

1. Get Educated
No matter in which state you live, you must take pre-licensing courses. However, state requirements differ greatly. For instance, California requires three college-level courses. Others (such as Idaho, which requires two courses totaling 90 hours) require a set number of hours of education. Contact your state’s real estate commission for your state’s requirements for licensing.

Some real estate agencies have specific education requirements. Thus, you may have to take an additional course after being hired on with an agency.

2. Choose a Brokerage
A real estate brokerage is the agency or office from which real estate agents and brokers work. Since working with a broker is a requirement in order to practice as a real estate agent, you will need to contact a broker before graduating from your training course. Brokers have at least three years additional real estate training, and can guide you through questions you have when it comes to working in the field, as well as listing and selling homes.

When you look for a broker, think about size of brokerage, its reputation and additional training offered. Check broker reputations by reading online comments, asking friends and neighbors who they’ve had experiences with and getting advice from your instructor on choosing a brokerage.

Another way to learn more about a brokerage is by carefully crafting your interview questions. This will not only help you gather information, but solid interview questions help the broker determine if you’d fit in well with the agency.

A few questions to ask:

• Does your brokerage require additional coursework?
• How many years of experience do you have?
• Is there someone within the brokerage I can work with a majority of the time while learning?
• What is your client contact style for developing leads?
• How long does it take on average to earn commission checks?

Which answers are acceptable is up to you. For instance, one person may prefer a brokerage that does ask for additional coursework because of a desire for more training before jumping in, while another may appreciate having someone who will work with them every day while learning.

3. Get Licensed
Real estate licenses require the passing of state and national exams. In addition, you may have to provide a criminal background check. Between the exam and license fees for a real estate salesperson, you can expect to pay at least $200, thought prices vary from state-to-state.

4. Develop a Real Estate Agent Budget
While becoming a real estate agent isn’t cheap, it’s cheaper than entering many professions. Startup fees are estimated between $1,500-2,000, which should be divided between licensing courses, business cards, signs and advertising and association fees – not counting additional exam fees.

Since real estate is a commission-based business, you’ll also need enough money set aside for you to get by for a few months. These are approximations of actual costs because they can vary based on individual choices and state-by-state costs

5. Make the Realtor/Real Estate Agent Decision
In order to utilize the title “realtor”, you must join the National Association of Realtors (NAR). This is done by choosing an affiliated brokerage as well as attending a set number of meetings designated by your local chapter.

6. Build Your Client/Referral Portfolio
The best way to build your portfolio is twofold: get a mentor, and use your personal network. Barbara Kennon, the vice president of the National Association of Realtors, says the best arrangement for a new agent is to find a mentor in the real estate agency you choose who guides you towards buyer/seller contacts and splits commission. You’ll learn the profession from your mentor, while gaining your first commission checks.

Also, asking your friends and family for referrals of people who are considering buying or selling a home is a great way to begin networking. Someone’s always looking for a new home, and that referral may get you started in your new business.

Conclusion
Becoming a real estate agent is similar to starting a small business. Even though you’ll work within a brokerage of established realtors or real estate agents, you need a startup fund for business expenses and to cover several months of personal expenses while you build your client base. Take every step seriously, and you’ll have your first “sold” sign up with your savings account still intact.

For the first time in years, buying a home may beat renting.Two factors are at play, according to researchers who recently crunched the numbers, Ken Johnson of Florida International University and Eli Beracha of East Carolina University for a paper to be published in Real Estate Economics.

First, rents, though mostly stagnant the past few years, are expected to head higher as more people bitten by the housing bust turn to renting. Rents could rise 7% in each of the next two years, according to Peggy Alford, president of Rent.com.
Second, home prices have finally dropped enough to create a buying opportunity. Nationally, prices are down 32% from their peak, set in 2006.
The net result is that home price gains would need to average only 3.25% annually to beat renting, according to Beracha and Johnson. To make the math work, you have to stay in the home for at least eight years. (Buy or rent? 10 cities rated)
Beracha and Johnson compared the cost of owning with the cost of renting.
Renting has usually come out ahead, they say. Buying typically leads to higher monthly and annual bills once all costs are factored in — mortgage payments, property taxes, maintenance and transactional costs.
Those higher costs can be offset if the home gains in value. But renters — the researchers assume — can invest the savings. And that is a big part of why the professors say renting has typically been the better deal. “I was shocked at how often renters won,” said Johnson.
Another reason had been the push to homeownership, which resulted in a premium on home values. “My dad always told me not to ‘throw my money away on rent,’” said Johnson. “This mania toward homeownership tends to drive prices up.”
But that’s changing: Homeownership has dropped to 66.4% from a peak of 69.1% in 2005, according to the Census Bureau. (See “Home prices in ‘Double-Dip’”)

American dream still home ownership
How much better buying will be depends on location. Of the 23 cities Beracha and Johnson looked at, Seattle is the best place to buy right now. When renters invest in portfolios that include stocks, the appreciation rate required over the next eight years there is 4.84% and the area’s historical average is 6.06%.
Buyers should beware the assumption that home prices will rebound, even from these depressed levels, said Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
Hiring has been slow and there are tons of potential foreclosures that could flood the market with distressed homes, depressing prices.
Even in cities where people are, theoretically, better off renting, they may not be in reality. Paying off a mortgage is a forced savings plan, said Baker. The mortgage bill comes in every month, the homeowner pays it and the mortgage balance goes down.
Renters, meanwhile, are just as likely to spend their savings. They’ll wind up with less money than homeowners, which is kind of what your dad was saying all along.

Military members who make Permanent Change of Stationone duty station to another are authorized many entitlements. Below is a quick glance of the major entitlements authorized in conjunction with moving from one duty assignment to another.

HOUSE HUNTING TRIP PRIOR TO MOVE. Military members are allowed a permissive TDY (Temporary Duty) for up to 10 days in conjunction with a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move between and within the 50 states & District of Columbia. By “Permissive TDY” that means there is no transportation or per diem paid, but members are not charged for leave.

Military members may request (from their commander) this permissive TDY anytime after they receive their written re-assignment orders. However, because there is no travel entitlement, most military members elect to use this benefit, after signing out of their old base, but before signing into their new base. In other words, they plan to arrive at their new base 10 days early, which then gives them 10 days for house-hunting, which is not charged as leave.

The “house-hunting” entitlement only applies for members who will not be living in the barracks/dormitories after arrival at the new assignment.

TEMPORARY LODGING EXPENSE (TLE). TLE is designed to partially offset lodging and meal expenses when a member and/or dependents need to occupy temporary lodging in CONUS (Continental United States) in connection with a PCS. The member receives reimbursement (for member and family members) for temporary lodging and meal expenses, up to $180 per day.

If the member is moving from from one CONUS base to another, he/she is authorized up to 10 days TLE, either at the losing duty station or at the new duty station (or any combination, up to 10 days total).

If the member is moving from CONUS to overseas, they can only receive up to five days TLE at the losing duty station. If the member is moving from Overseas to CONUS, they can receive up to 10 days TLE at the new CONUS duty station after arrival.

TLE is not paid for lodging made during the actual travel days from one duty station to another (that’s an entirely different animal, called “per diem,” rather it’s for temporary lodging (in the states) at the old duty station, before departure, or at the new duty station, after arrival.

The legal authority for TLE is 37 USC 404a. For more information about TLE, see the TLE FAQ Page, on the Military Per Diem, Transportation and Allowance Committee Web Site.

TEMPORARY LODGING ALLOWANCE (TLA). What TLE is to CONUS, TLA is to overseas. Up to 60 days (can be extended) may be paid for temporary lodging expenses and meal expenses after a military member (and his/her family) arrive at a new overseas location, while awaiting housing. Up to 10 days of TLA can be paid for temporary lodging expenses in the overseas location, prior to departure.

DISLOCATION ALLOWANCE. Military members may be entitled to a Dislocation Allowance (DLA) when relocating their household due to a PCS. DLA is intended to partially reimburse relocation expenses not otherwise reimbursed. For more information and current rates, see our DLA Information Page.

PER DIEM FOR PCS TRAVEL. Military members receive a “per diem” allowance, which is designed to partially reimburse for lodging and meal expenses when traveling from one duty station to another.

When traveling by Privately Owned Conveyance (POC), military members are paid a flat rate of $85.00 per day for each day of authorized travel used. When the member travels cy commercial means, they are paid the established per diem rate, (under “Lodging Plus”) for the new Permanent Duty Station (PDS), or the rate for the delay point if the member stops overnight.

Per diem for dependents is 3/4 of the member’s applicable rate for each dependent 12 years old or older and 1/2 of the member’s rate for each dependent under 12 years.

TRAVEL BY PRIVATELY OWNED CONVEYANCE (POC). When members elect to travel to their new duty station by POC (auto), they are entitled to receive a mileage allowance, in lieu of cost of airline ticket. The reimbursement rate depends on the number of authorized travelers in the vehicle. For complete information, see our PCS/TDY Travel Mileage Rates Information Page.

DEPENDENT TRAVEL WITHIN CONUS BY OTHER THAN POC. Within CONUS dependents may be authorized to travel by commercial means (air, rail, bus), unless they elect to travel by POC, from the old PDS to the new PDS. The military member can be reimbursed for this travel, up to what it would have cost the military to purchase an airline ticket.

HOUSEHOLD GOODS TRANSPORTATION. Military members can ship Household Goods from their old duty station to their new duty station. Authorized up to 18,000 pounds, but varies by grade & whether or not the member is with or without dependents. See our Household Goods Weight Tablefor more information.

In addition to allowing the military to arrange for movement of Household Goods, the member can elect to move it themselves, and receive reimbursement if the move is within the CONUS. For details, see our article about “Do-It-Yourself,” or “DITY” Moves.

The American dream of homeownership is a very feasible aspiration for 2012.
There are many benefits of owning a home. Yet some first-time buyers are skeptical of purchasing with the uncertainty surrounding the housing market.
The uncertainty many reference when speaking about the housing market involves a specific date when home values will increase. Since no one can pinpoint this date, the word uncertainty (when paired with the housing market) often reveals a negative connotation.
There are some factors we can be certain about in this housing market such as home values rebounding. This is true; the housing market often moves in cycles.
It’s safe to assume that many Americans harbored the same uncertainty during the George H. W. Bush administration in the early 1990s when the national homeownership rate fell from its previous historic high of 64.4 percent in 1980 to a low of 64.1 percent in 1991.
In the 1960s Lyndon Johnson illustrated a correlation between homeownership and accountability by stating “owning a home can increase responsibility and stake out a man’s place in his community…The man who owns a home has something to be proud of and reason to protect and preserve it.”
This statement is still true more than 50 years later. There are many reasons to take pride in homeownership such as:
Appreciation – Buying a home now (at the current rates) can almost ensure your home’s appreciation in the future. Mortgage rates are near historic lows and home prices in many parts of the country are down. This is the perfect recipe for home appreciation. Additionally, many foreclosed homes are available for a fraction of the original cost. This can translate to a higher profit if you decide to sell once the market rebounds.
Property Tax Deductions – For income tax purposes, real estate property taxes for a vacation home and first home are fully deductible. The IRS (Publication 530) provides detailed tax information for first-time buyers that may answer many questions about what deductions homeowners are eligible for.
Preferential Tax Treatment – If you own your home for more than a year and receive more profit than the allowable exclusion after the sale of your home, the profit will be considered a capital asset. Capital assets are given preferential tax treatment.
Equity Building – Many factors such as credit qualification, loan flexibility, and annual percentage rate (APR) contribute to the final decision of what type of mortgage loan best fits your goals. Yet, a new trend being used by some homeowners is to actually add money to their monthly payment to decrease the principal balance of their loans at a much faster pace. This trend is called equity building. Equity builders usually select a home loan with a lower interest rate (and a shorter term loan such as a 15-year fixed) to help build equity faster. This rapid payment process allows borrowers to:
Pay off the principal balance faster
Lock in near-record-low interest rates
Shorten the length of their home loan
Own their home faster
Pay substantially less mortgage interest
Equity building is a beneficial trend that’s becoming more and more popular with fiscally responsible homeowners. Also, home equity is the largest single source of household wealth for most Americans.
Pride – Homeownership offers many benefits to many different types of people. For some homeowners, playing your music as loud as you want and painting the walls the color of your choice is a perk.