Eventually almost everyone will buy; or attempt to buy a home. Many will succeed in the process, but some will walk away frustrated and decide that renting is the solution. That doesn't have to be the case, maybe things beyond their control caused the transaction not to occur. When the time comes to purchase real estate, follow this process and you will greatly reduce surprises. 1- Go to several lenders in your area and begin the loan process. you will need past tax returns, current pay stubs, and evidence of any additional income. A list of your current liabilities will also be needed. 2- Once you have given all the information the lender requested, and received from the lender a dollar amount that your income will support you can begin the search. By completing all of the lending res... 12/22/2009

It seems that recently all initial offers are considerably below listing price. Maybe it is because buyers assume everyone is desperately selling, or because competition is higher for certain price levels. It does present challenges when presenting these lower initial offers to your seller. Many sellers become almost offended by these offers at 15- 20% below list. If the selling agent has done their homework the pricing should be relatively close. It does seem that when you begin negotiating from these lower starting points you will inevitably end up with a lower sales price. The best a listing agent can do is get lots of comps from the area, which is becoming more difficult with less sales to utilize in marketing analysis. Agents should also inform sellers of possible potentially low o... 03/12/2009

Feb 25-27 at Lakeland College in Mattoon IL. Information on Government grants, vendors and seminars on adopting wind energy on the consumer level. To register go to www.energyconf.org 02/17/2009

Regardless if you agree with the stimulus bill or not, and it seems like it doesn't matter as this was passed against many Americans wishes. The Stimulus bill which will be signed on Tue. the 17th of Feb. has a provision for the housing industry. This tax credit of up to 8000.00, or 10% of the purchase price if less than $80000.00 to 1st time home buyers. A first time home buyer is defined as someone who has not owned a residence in the past 3 years. The purchase must occur between Jan 1 2009 and Dec 1 2009 to be filed on 2009 taxes. An example of the credit would be, purchasing a home costing $100000.00 in the required time frame. The buyer files taxes in 2010 and owes $1500.00 to the IRS. This buyer will receive a $6500.00 tax refund ($8000.00 tax credit minus $1500.00 tax due = $6500... 02/17/2009

  In today's competitive real estate market, the more tools available to the seller, the greater the advantage you bring to your listing. For instance, have you ever looked on the Internet for properties and found a brief description and 1 picture of the house? So you call to see the property, because its the price and area you are looking for, only to find out that the home hasn't been updated and needs extra work. After a couple of showings like this its no wonder you start to give up!   As a seller the advantages of having detailed information and photos on the internet via a high traffic site are exposure, exposure, and yes exposure. On the Brinkoetter.com website the statistics are the proof, from Jan 19,2009-Jan 25,2009, the site received 6995 visits, 150336 page views, and avera... 01/29/2009

 The importance of pre-inspecting a property has relevance in that all the possible problems that may come up before closing are clearly defined and can be addressed before an offer is accepted. This allows the owner to correct problems ahead of the closing time constraints. It also provides a higher comfort level to prospective buyers. Granted the expense of inspection usually falls on the buyers plate, but the benefits outweigh the expense.   01/23/2009