Buying a Home Can Be Scary... Unless You Know the Facts [INFOGRAPHIC]

Some Highlights:

Many potential homebuyers believe that they need a 20% down payment and a 780 FICO® score to qualify to buy a home, which stops many of them from even trying! Here are some facts:

• 40% of millennials who purchased homes this year have put down less than 10%.
• 76.4% of loan applications were approved last month.
• The average credit score of approved loans was 724 in September.

Safety Tips for Halloween Trick or Treaters and Family Pets

2017 - Safety Tips for Halloween

Trick-or-Treaters & Family Pets

Halloween and Trick-or-Treating is supposed to be lots of fun ... 

And scarrrrrryyyyyy!  

Outlandish costumes.  Free candy.  Parties.  Trick-or-Treating with friends. 

It's the perfect holiday for kids ... right?

But danger and dangerous situations can lurk on Halloween too.  Extra preparations, planning, and precautions are needed in order to  ensure that  Halloween is fun and memorable for all the right reasons. 

For both kids and adults alike ... the selection of Halloween costume is important.  Whether purchased or homemade, a costume needs to be safe, comfortable, and hazard-proof.   

While making your costume selection, consider these tips: 

• Make sure that ALL costumes are made of flame retardant materials  
• Choose light-colored costumes, if possible       
• When wearing a mask, do not limit or compromise your eyesight in any way
• Wear sturdy comfortable shoes.  (Think about foregoing high heels)
• Pre-Test any Halloween makeup you will be wearing in advance for possible reactions. 
• Wear/apply only non-toxic makeup 
• Place reflectors, flashing or glowing lights, reflector ropes, etc., on a costume that will be worn at dark.  Or have your child carry a light stick or flashlight (remember to check the batteries) to heighten visibility
• Make sure that a costume fits properly, as to avoid tripping or pieces of clothing (or Props) getting in the way or snagged on objects
• Place your telephone number somewhere on your child, just in case you get separated from them  
• Do NOT let children carry hard plastic items, such as swords, scythes, or other safety hazards.  Items such as these should be flexible to prevent harm if fallen on

Before or During Trick-or-Treating:

• Have children eat a meal/healthy snack prior to heading out to Trick-or-Treat.  They are less tempted to indulge themselves with candy if you do.
• Do not eat homemade treats received from households
• If your child has allergies, think about utilizing gloves in their costume.  This is an added protection for them during a vulnerable time.
• Children should be accompanied by an adult.  The larger the group of children, the more adults needed
• Make sure children have "buddies" or Trick-or-Treat in tandem with another
• Plan a safe route and stick to it.  If older children are allowed to go in a group, make sure someone within the group has a cell phone
• Restrict routes to main, well-lit areas.  Tell children NO Alleys
• Stick to Trick-or-Treat hours established for your area ... or curfews
• Instruct your children to not eat any candy until you have inspected it
• Instruct children to NEVER enter the home they are visiting ... or a car of a stranger without your permission
• Have "that talk" with your child about destroying property and vandalism and respect for others 
• Remember to check both ways when crossing a street.  Hold the hands of little ones within the group, to make sure they do not dart into traffic

And for Teen Trick-or-Treaters and Adults: 

• If driving to a party, please drive safely.  Remain extra vigilant and aware 
• Take a cell phone with you
• If driving, make sure you have plenty of gas to get to your destination and back.  Halloween is not the night to run out of gas
• Follow curfews.  Law enforcement is strict  surrounding Halloween
• Should plans change, let your parent(s) or another adult know
• Vandalism is wrong, no matter the season or holiday. Don't get caught-up in the moment and come to regret it
• Download the Red Cross Emergency First Aid App.  One is available for humans ... and pets too 
• Carry your child's emergency medications with you, just in case

And don't forget to protect the safety of your furry family members: 

• If out Trick-or-Treating, do NOT provoke animals, whether in a doorway or in a yard
• Do not ever feed a pet any candy.  Candy, especially  chocolate, can be lethal to an animal.  Think about stashing the treats
• Sugar-free (artificial sweetener xylitol) can also cause serious health issues for pets
• Halloween can be a day of stress for family pets.  Place them out of danger.  Restrict them to an area where they can find quiet and less-stressful activities
• If you are the owner (or caretaker) of a black cat, bring them inside.  People can be mean, especially on this particular holiday
• Should you dress-up your pet, do not restrict their movements or eyesight, impede their breathing, or have anything dangling off them or their costume
• If your pet will be wearing a costume, try it out before Halloween day.  Let them get accustomed to the costume
• Never leave your pet unsupervised while they're wearing their Halloween costume
• Do not allow your pet near pumpkins, especially if they contain an open flame
• Be mindful of electricity sources or electrical cords.  No chewing!
• If your pet is accompanying you while Trick-or-Treating, make sure they have updated tags and ID's on their collar ... or consider having them micro-chipped
• Pick-up and dispose of all empty candy wrappers and Trick-or-Treat bags.  Place glow sticks, etc. up and out of reach. They can be hazardous if ingested
• Be aware of mischievous activities and people during Halloween season

Follow the above and your Halloween celebrations will be memorable for safe, fun, and tasty reasons!

Seller Know How

Thinking of Selling? You Should Do It TODAY!!

That headline might be a little aggressive; however, as August 2017’s housing market data begins to roll in, we can definitely say one thing: If you are considering selling, IT IS TIME TO LIST YOUR HOME TODAY!

In a recent article by CBS News, they explained that the number of existing home sales is shrinking, and Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the National Association of Realtors, said:

“There should be 3 million homes on the market right now…Yet, there are only 1.9 million.”

And this situation will be affected greatly by recent natural disasters. Yun continued by saying:

“Before the hurricanes I would have predicted 1.35 million in new-home construction in 2018…I’ll have to scale that down now.”

NAR, in their August 2017 Realtors® Confidence Index , indicated that:

“Amid sustained job creation and sustained historically low mortgage rates, REALTORS^® reported…that buyer demand is stronger compared to conditions one year ago… and that fifty percent of properties were on the market for less than one month when sold.”

The only challenge to today’s market is a severe lack of inventory. A balanced market would have a full six-month supply of homes for sale. Currently, there is only a 4.2-month supply of inventory, which is down from 4.5 months one year ago.

Bottom Line

With demand increasing and supply dropping, this may be the perfect time to get the best price for your home. Contact a local real estate professional today to see if that is the case in your neighborhood

You Don't Want to Hear This from Your Listing Agent

You’ve decided to sell your house. You begin to interview potential real estate agents to help you through the process. You need someone you trust enough to:

• Set the market value on possibly the largest asset your family owns (your home)
• Set the time schedule for the successful liquidation of that asset
• Set the fee for the services required to liquidate that asset

An agent must be concerned first and foremost with you and your family to garner that degree of trust. Make sure this is the case.

Be careful if the agent you are interviewing begins the interview by:

• Bragging about their success
• Bragging about their company’s success

An agent’s success and the success of their company can be important considerations when deciding on the right real estate professional to represent you in the sale of your house. However, you first need to know that they care about what you need and what you expect from the sale. If the agent is not interested in first establishing your needs, how successful they may seem is much less important.

Look for someone with the ‘heart of a teacher’ who comes in prepared to explain the current real estate market to you, and is patient enough to take the time to show you how it may impact the sale of your home; not someone only interested in trying to sell you on how great they are.

You have many agents from which to choose. Pick someone who truly cares.

No... You Do Not Need 20% Down to Buy NOW!

The Aspiring Home Buyers Profile from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) found that the American public is still somewhat confused about what is required to qualify for a home mortgage loan in today’s housing market. The results of the survey show that non-homeowners cite the main reason for not currently owning a home, as not being able to afford one.

This brings us to two major misconceptions that we want to address today.

1. Down Payment

NAR’s survey revealed that consumers overestimate the down payment funds needed to qualify for a home loan. According to the report, 39% of non-homeowners say they believe they need more than 20% for a down payment on a home purchase. In actuality, there are many loans written with a down payment of 3% or less.

Many renters may actually be able to enter the housing market sooner than they ever imagined with new programs that have emerged allowing less cash out of pocket.

2. FICO^® Scores

An Ipson survey revealed that 62% of respondents believe they need excellent credit to buy a home, with 43% thinking a “good credit score” is over 780. In actuality, the average FICO^® scores of approved conventional and FHA mortgages are much lower.

The average conventional loan closed in August had a credit score of 752, while FHA mortgages closed with a score of 683. The average across all loans closed in August was 724. The chart below shows the distribution of FICO^® Scores for all loans approved in August.

Bottom Line

If you are a prospective buyer who is ‘ready’ and ‘willing’ to act now, but are not sure if you are ‘able’ to, sit down with a professional who can help you understand your true options.

Should I Buy a Home Now? Or Wait Until Next Year? [INFOGRAPHIC]