10 Simple Steps for Easy Spring Cleaning

10 Simple Steps for Easy Spring Cleaning

1. Play lively music
2. Use simple household cleaners like vinegar
3. When dusting & vacuuming, start from the top first, Dust settles
4. Put away winter clothes
5. Replace filters
6. Check your water heater
7. Clean under clothes dryer, exhaust duct & damper
8. Replace all worn, brittle and damaged extension cords
9. Inspect and clean dust from the covers of your smoke carbon monoxide alarms
10. Have fun!

AL GRANT
AL GRANT REALTY GROUP
REMAX ALLEGIANCE: 202-256-8592
WWW.ALGRANT.SELL4.COM
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Education Update: Great News for Prince George’s Schools!

Education Update: Great News for Prince George’s Schools!

School Improvements and Construction
The Maryland Board of Public Works recently approved funding for 86 school construction projects in FY 2011. Many Prince George’s schools were approved for capital improvements, including our very own Greenbelt Middle School. The middle school will be rebuilt, with state-of-the-art classrooms, on the fields behind the existing school. The historic parts of the current middle school will be preserved in the replacement project. Funding was also approved for a brand new Hyattsville Elementary School to be built next to Nicholas Orem Middle School.

Hyattsville Middle School, Creative and Performing Arts Program Approved!
Many of my colleagues and I have been working diligently over the past several months to save the Hyattsville Middle School Creative and Performing Arts (CPA) program. Well, I couldn’t be more proud to announce that the CPA program has been approved for continued funding by the Prince George’s County Board of Education. The CPA program is a unique academic tool used to engage and educate our students through musical performance, theater, dance, visual arts and creative writing. It is an honor to have such a successful program in my district and I will do everything in my power to see that it is properly funded in years to come.

Maryland Eligible for Federal “Race to the Top” Funding
As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, President Obama included $4.35 billion in competitive grants, known as Race to the Top grants, to encourage states to implement innovative education reform. Maryland is currently eligible for up to $250 million in education funding during the second round of applications. If Maryland receives the maximum Race to the Top grant funding, every county in the State could receive additional education funding.

AL GRANT
AL GRANT REALTY GROUP
REMAX ALLEGIANCE: 202-256-8592
WWW.ALGRANT.SELL4.COM
WWW.ALGRANTSBLOG.WORDPRESS.COM

 

The Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller Home-price Index Shows Home Prices Continue Rising for Seventh Straight Month

Showing a 0.3 percent growth from November to December, home prices climbed for the seventh month showing slow recovery in the housing market. Michael Larson, who is an analyst at Weiss Research, says, “These are healthy numbers. It’s not a runaway market. Some markets are still down, but the degree to which prices are shrinking in those markets is smaller.”
To Read More, CLICK HERE

AL GRANT
AL GRANT REALTY GROUP
REMAX ALLEGIANCE: 202-256-8592
WWW.ALGRANT.SELL4.COM
WWW.ALGRANTSBLOG.WORDPRESS.COM

 

Drinking water at the correct time maximizes its effectiveness on the Human body:

Drinking water at the correct time maximizes its effectiveness on the Human body:

2 glasses of water after waking up – helps activate internal organs
1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal – helps digestion
1 glass of water before taking a bath – helps lower blood pressure
1 glass of water before going to bed – avoids stroke or heart attack

 

Bathroom Addition: Return or Investment

Bathroom Addition: Return or Investment

As an investment, a new bathroom should be carefully considered. The cost of a new bathroom ranges from $39,000 to $75,800, but the return on that investment averages a modest 59%, according to Remodeling Magazine’s annual Cost vs. Value Report. That value had been steadily declining over the past several years due to rising construction costs.
Nevertheless, national averages may not be a reliable-predictor of value in your particular neighborhood. Before committing to a bathroom addition, call your REALTOR to evaluate whether an additional bathroom makes sense in your situation. Buyers tend to prefer house where the number of bathrooms equals the number of bedrooms.

AL GRANT
AL GRANT REALTY GROUP
REMAX ALLEGIANCE: 202-256-8592
WWW.ALGRANT.SELL4.COM
WWW.ALGRANTSBLOG.WORDPRESS.COM

 

Put Your Tax Return to Use

Put Your Tax Return to Use

Tax season can be a challenging time of the year. Some people wait until the last minute to file their taxes, while others filed and received their funds before the mid April deadline, or paid the IRS if the case may be. But if you are one of the lucky who get a return, what will you do with those long awaited green backs? A popular choice amongst consumers is to pay off credit card debt; another is indulging in something extravagant. But why not consider how your tax return can help maximize your mortgage product?
Consider refinancing if you have an ARM or a high interest rate loan. Refinancing into a fixed rate and/or a lower interest rate can save you money in the long run. Why not do it now when rates are at all time lows? You could use your tax return for closing costs.

AL GRANT
AL GRANT REALTY GROUP
REMAX ALLEGIANCE: 202-256-8592
WWW.ALGRANT.SELL4.COM
WWW.ALGRANTSBLOG.WORDPRESS.COM

 

Obama Targeting Homeowners with $1.5 Billion in Assistance

Obama Targeting Homeowners with $1.5 Billion in Assistance

Facing millions of foreclosures and high unemployment, President Barack Obama recently announced a $1.5 billion fund to help unemployed homeowners and other struggling borrowers in a handful of states.
The program, known as the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), seeks to aid borrowers by allowing them to modify their mortgages and lower monthly interest rates through any participating lender. Under this plan, the lender voluntarily lowers the interest rate, and the government provides subsidies to the lender and borrower. The Obama program has so far only helped 116,000 troubled borrowers modify their mortgages from three-month temporary plans into more affordable permanent loans. The HAMP program, which is set to run through 2012, was announced on Feb, 18, 2009. As part of the program, five states—Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan and Nevada—have home prices that have fallen enough to qualify for the additional assistance. Obama said that price declines in homes and high unemployment in these regions have created major challenges for families.
He argued that too many lenders were too focused on “making a quick buck than acting responsible,” that “too many borrowers acted irresponsibly by taking on mortgages they couldn’t afford” and government regulators turned a blind eye to the problem.”
According to Obama, three sorts of problems may be addressed with funding: unemployed borrowers, underwater borrowers and those with second mortgages on properties. “This fund is going to help out-of-work homeowners avoid preventable foreclosures. It will help homeowners who owe more than their homes are worth find a way to pay their mortgages that works for both borrowers and lenders alike.”
The program could be expanded to other regions in the future, stay tuned.

AL GRANT
AL GRANT REALTY GROUP
REMAX ALLEGIANCE: 202-256-8592
WWW.ALGRANT.SELL4.COM
WWW.ALGRANTSBLOG.WORDPRESS.COM

 

WHY FORECLOSURES ARE PROFITABLE

WHY FORECLOSURES ARE PROFITABLE

Banks own real estate because the banks have acquired the homes through foreclosure. Homes on a bank’s books are called REOs, which is an acronym for “real estate owned.” Realize that when banks receive property deeds to homes through foreclosure, it’s because no one showed up on the courthouse steps to bid the minimum amount of the existing mortgage.
On the surface, it might not sound as though foreclosures are profitable, especially if the bank wants to sell its inventory on the open market for the amount that was once owed to the bank by the previous mortgagor. However, here are at least two reasons why an REO can be profitable to you:

* If two loans were secured to the property (which is common these days), the second lender sometimes does not foreclose. If the second lender does not make up the back payments to the first lender and commence its own foreclosure proceedings, the second lender gets wiped out in the foreclosure. Many second mortgages comprise 20% or more of original market value.
* The bank does not want to sit on its inventory. Since it did not receive its minimum bid from an investor or home buyer during the foreclosure sale at the courthouse, the bank is likely to price that REO home for less, just to get rid of it.

For more information and a list of current foreclosures feel free to give us a call @ 202-256-8592

 

Home construction rises – future still murky

Home construction rises – future still murky

By Blake Ellis, staff reporterFebruary 17, 2010: 11:09 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — New home construction rose more than expected in January, while the number of building permits issued in the month dropped, according to a government report issued Wednesday.

Construction of new homes climbed to an annual rate of 591,000 during the month, up 2.8% from December’s revised rate of 575,000, the Commerce Department said. This is an increase of 21.1% from the 488,000 rate in January 2009.

Economists surveyed by Briefing.com expected January housing starts to rise to an annual rate of 580,000.

“We’re continuing to see signs of stabilization,” said real estate analyst Mike Larson of Weiss Research. “We had this Olympic ski slope-looking plunge starting in 2005 and 2006, and it looks like we’re almost getting to the bottom of that.”

Larson said that housing starts picked up in January as the new home supply dwindled.

“All the excess inventory that had built up has been exhausted, and when the supply gets so lean, builders start constructing homes again,” he said.

The number of building permits issued during January fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 621,000. That was 4.9% below the revised December rate of 653,000, but up 16.9% from the January 2009 rate of 531,000.

Economists had expected building permits would fall to 620,000.

The decline in permits and gain in housing starts were each led by activity in the multi-family sector: Multi-family building permits plummetted 26% while starts jumped 17.6%.

Meanwhile, single-family housing starts and building permits were both up last month. Single-family starts climbed 1.5% from December and permits edged up 0.4%.

Larson said that the increase in single-family activity was an encouraging sign of stabilization, but with such a large supply of existing homes, “nothing suggests a vigorous upturn.”

“I think we’re going to be treading water in this range for some time,” he said. “We’re going to be making small gains or losses throughout 2010, we’re not going to be making new lows or rebounding.”

 

6 ways to ensure a remodeling project pays off

In this time of trying to stretch our money and resources, this is valuable information to add value to your existing home whether you hold on to it or sell it.

6 ways to ensure a remodeling project pays off

1: Repairs get the biggest returns
2: Remodeling beats adding on
3: Eco-friendly upgrades can save cash
4: Tech infrastructure trumps cool gadgets
5: Let the Joneses be your guide
6: The new payback time is five years

For detailed information see LINK BELOW:

http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/04/real_estate/tips/home_remodeling_investment.moneymag/index.htm