It has been a very long time since I have blogged! My step-mother blogged me just today and I realized I better get started again!

Life has been fast! Simmer went fast --but in the blink of an eye that it was, this is what we did....my summer was a busy with cheer leading as I am the coach for PWMS --my two daughter's are on the team! I love it! The girls are great and I think this is my second calling!! I found out my step-mother has breast cancer and if that was not enough, my father in law was diagnosed with cancer as well. God never give us more than we can handle, right? So prayers, coaching, raising children - and selling real estate in this different market!!

Real estate is slower than normal-my first 6 months were fabulous. This last 2 months have been S-L-O-W. But I am representing banks with their assets-I have listed two REO properties. The buyer's that are out there are looking for a steal of a deal which bank owned properties can be great deals so long there is not too many repairs. Traditional sales are still going -buyer's sometimes try to offer 20% below the asking price-just because they saw it on TV) It take about 10 contracts or seller's before you find one that has equity and wants to take that much of a hit on their sales price. With that being said, selling homes is more difficult than in the past five years, but I am adapting and changing with the times. Thank goodness for my Notary and paralegal skills-that has been bringing home the paychecks lately.

Prayers for my family and friends and if your are looking to sell or buy a home-Call me. Put my 15 years of experience in your corner!

First Time Buyer's Credit

First Time Buyer's Credit is approaching very fast-the deadline is November 30, 2009. If you are a first time buyer and wanting to purchase a home and exercise your possible $8,000.00 credit, these are some good tips to follow:
1. Try to close the transaction by November 20, 2009 to be on the safe side and to protect your right to the First Time Buyer's Credit.
2. If you cannot close by the 20 of Nov., try to close before the 30 of November in the event that there are some "snags" at the closing table-one December 1, 2009 arrives, the credit disappears!
3. Be careful-make sure you are buying a home you love and really want to live in - not just buying to earn the credit!
4. Always get a home inspection when purchasing a home
5. Contact me if you are in the Pueblo Colorado area and would like a "First Time Buyer" Realtor to assist you in your best investment of a lifetime: a place to call HOME!

Facing Foreclosure?

facing Foreclosure? Please do not "ignore" the issue. If you are a homeowner facing foreclosure, the number one item to do is, call your servicing company (the company you make your house payments to). Some mortgage companies or banks have a work out program if you are in a hardship. Ask for the work out department when you call so you will be placed to the right department. There may be a chance that your mortgage company or bank can do a loan modification, a forbearance or something. And, if they cannot work something out with you, call me so we can go over a plan to see if we can save you from a foreclosure. Call me, Marlene, (719) 547-8135, a Realtor who cares and wants to help! Or go to this web site and you can get a wealth of information on foreclosure and what you can do to maybe stop the foreclosure process: http://www.hopenow.com/ or http://www.makinghomeaffordable.gov/

Short Sale Answers to many of my client's questions!

Hello all - I just wanted to give some insight into the short sale process. I have many client's and friends who are asking me what a short sale is. Many think it is a short sale- the time it takes to sell a home. That is definately not the case. A short sale is when a borrower owes a certain loan amount and an offer is made for less than what is owed to the lender for the loan amount. For example, if the loan is for $100,000.00 and an offer (a sales contract) comes infor $90,000.00, there is a difference of $10,000.00 plus some other expenses. A borrower can go to the lender (the company that you make your house payment to) and ask the lender to consider the offer. The bank will then do their process to see if it is in their best interest to take the offer for an amount short of what is owed, hence the term, "Short Sale." Now there are many steps to this short sale world. An experienced real esate agent will be able to assist you and offer some information to the transaction. It is not for everyone, and there are some reprecutions to doing a short sale. If you are in the Pueblo/Pueblo West area and would like more information about the short sale process, please give me a call so we can make an appointment to discuss this type of sale further.