Painting is one of the quickest and most cost-effective ways to improve your home, especially if it hasn’t already been painted in colors that are appropriate for your neighborhood. In a new EnergizedSeller blog post, she discusses five paint finishes and recommends neutral colors for home sellers. Here are three of the five paint finishes:

Flat. A flat finish is good for ceilings and can be used on walls, especially if they have a lot of imperfections that would be more noticeable with a sheen or gloss finish.
Eggshell. An eggshell finish is good for bedrooms, living rooms and dining rooms.?This finish is washable, durable and stain resistant.
Matte. A matte finish is good for busy areas like hallways and kids’ rooms as it is a flat paint, but stain resistant and durable.
To find out the other two paint finishes and see which neutral colors are best for your home, click here.

Backyard Sanctuary

Create inviting spot

Creating a backyard sanctuary is one of the smartest things you can do to make your home stand out, says Debra Ostrus, a home stager in Gig Harbor, Wash. In a new EnergizedSeller blog post, she offers seven tips for staging your backyard. Here are three of the seven tips:

Cluster a few comfortable chairs in a conversation grouping where you can enjoy a beautiful view or quiet sheltered area.
If you have a covered porch, an outdoor rug and cushions can remain outside all summer. If your porch is uncovered, you’ll need to bring those items indoors when rain threatens.
If your cushions look tired, buying new ones will add a fresh look to the space.

Painting is one of the quickest and most cost-effective ways to improve your home, especially if it hasn’t already been painted in colors that are appropriate for your neighborhood. In a new EnergizedSeller blog post, she discusses five paint finishes and recommends neutral colors for home sellers. Here are three of the five paint finishes:

Flat. A flat finish is good for ceilings and can be used on walls, especially if they have a lot of imperfections that would be more noticeable with a sheen or gloss finish.
Eggshell. An eggshell finish is good for bedrooms, living rooms and dining rooms.?This finish is washable, durable and stain resistant.
Matte. A matte finish is good for busy areas like hallways and kids’ rooms as it is a flat paint, but stain resistant and durable.

Backyard Sanctuary

Create inviting spot

Creating a backyard sanctuary is one of the smartest things you can do to make your home stand out, says Debra Ostrus, a home stager in Gig Harbor, Wash. In a new EnergizedSeller blog post, she offers seven tips for staging your backyard. Here are three of the seven tips:

Cluster a few comfortable chairs in a conversation grouping where you can enjoy a beautiful view or quiet sheltered area.
If you have a covered porch, an outdoor rug and cushions can remain outside all summer. If your porch is uncovered, you’ll need to bring those items indoors when rain threatens.
If your cushions look tired, buying new ones will add a fresh look to the space.

Painting: Home Facelift

Inexpensive, yet effective

A for-sale home is a product that needs to appeal to the greatest number of buyers, says Donna Dazzo, a home stager in New York. Painting is one of the quickest and most cost-effective ways to improve your home, especially if it hasn’t already been painted in colors that are appropriate for your neighborhood. In a new EnergizedSeller blog post, she discusses five paint finishes and recommends neutral colors for home sellers. Here are three of the five paint finishes:

Flat. A flat finish is good for ceilings and can be used on walls, especially if they have a lot of imperfections that would be more noticeable with a sheen or gloss finish.
Eggshell. An eggshell finish is good for bedrooms, living rooms and dining rooms.?This finish is washable, durable and stain resistant.
Matte. A matte finish is good for busy areas like hallways and kids’ rooms as it is a flat paint, but stain resistant and
durable.

30-Year Fixed Rate now at 4.875%, spurred by European debt crisis

Recent events abroad have prompted an enormous investment in the United States, helping to drive mortgage interest rates to levels not seen in decades.
These excerpts from an article published in The Wall Street Journal on May 24th, illustrate why NOW is the perfect time to purchase a new home:
“Rates can’t stay low forever. If they go up over the
Next year, purchasing now will look like a really bright decision.”
“A general rule of thumb holds that every one percentage point decline in mortgage rates is the equivalent of roughly a 10% reduction in the home price for the buyer.”
“By historical standards, rates are incredibly low.”

It’s a pretty exciting time for the real estate industry–major indicators are at last pointing towards the beginning of a recovery in the housing market. After consecutive years of uncertainty, fear and an all out loss of hope that things would get better, strong first quarter numbers are showing thawing compared to last year and green shoots for the spring market. The Commerce Department last week reported that new home sales in March were up by 27 percent, hitting their highest levels since summer of 2009. And a hot-off-the press report by the National Association of Realtors stated that pending home sales in March rose 5.3% and is 21% above last March. (09)

Other than the Seeming End of the Homebuyer Credit, not much has changed. If anything, rates have temporarily improved slightly so that we are back at :

5.125%- 30 fixed conforming

5.25%- 30 fixed High Balance Conforming

5.625%- 30 fixed to $1MM

It seems to me as if we are starting to pick up a bit, particularly in the sub $1MM price range. Thank you for passing on all of the leads recently. We all expected a surge pre-homebuyer credit expiration, but I am not seeing this in Ridgefield/Wilton at all. I was particularly slow in March and April, but am optimistic based on a flurry of recent activity that May and June will make up for it.

It seems to me that the biggest question I get is how much down payment is required with different loan amounts. Naturally, this changes all the time and will differ depending on loan program, etc., but I’ve summarized what we can do at the different Loan Amounts on this chart for your reference.

We should really be maximizing the use of our 3% down conventional loan program right now, while most of our competition still cannot make this available without resorting to FHA and the 2.25 Upfront Points required. Please be advised that we still require 5% down on condos, and that full documentation is required.

in Brewster Mass. on the Ocean Edge golf course - green No. 8. Our unit is totally updated and rents in season for $2000 a week. Every year we are booked solid. The other pictures can be seen at HomeAway.com property 113389

This is a business website and I am linked on it in case anyone wants to connect. I posted a photo of our new rescue dog “Casey.”

Is here. Tonight!!!!!! While the wind is howling we’re all looking forward to spring. What a winter! The housing market is showing a little pickup but the weather other than last weekend has been holding us up. Health day is March 30th at East Ridge Middle School from 9 - 1. Toll Bros. is finally sold out here in town and currently I have one resale available for rent/sale.

For 2009 we had 220 homes sell and 43 condos. In Redding there were 70 homes sold last year ranging from $168,000 to $2,300,000. Tax credit are extended until 6/30/10.

Ridgefield Schools were awarded a silver medal this week as one of the best 12 high schools in the state.