Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Vacation Home Checklist

Going on vacation is an exciting time and there can be all kinds of last minute problems and annoyances that can arise that can keep you from taking care of things that you should before you leave. Unfortunately, remembering those things that you should have done later on is not going to help, so here are some things to be sure to check off on your list before you leave on vacation:


1. Lock all doors and windows throughout the house.


2. Unplug most electronic items especially those that are expensive or may have valuable data on them. These can include your TV set, stereo, and especially computers. If a storm comes through while you are away, these items can be damaged beyond repair simply by being plugged into the wall outlet, so remove that possibility before you leave. Also, if you use a modem it would be good idea to unplug it as damage can also happen due to the phone connection used.


3. There is no need for your water heater to continue to operate at a high level since it will not be used throughout the time that you are gone, so turn it down to a low setting.


4. Call and cancel your paper and mail delivery while you are gone. You certainly don't want newspapers and mail piling up outside your home and sending a clear signal to burglars that your house is an easy target.


5. Leave a radio or something going in the house that makes sound and can be viewed as an indication that someone is home.


6. Disconnect the garage door so that it cannot be operated by remote control from the outside. Usually there is a lever that you can pull on the opener that can accomplish this easily.


7. Unplug your washing machine hoses. These can easily break and if they do while you are away for several days it could cause near catastrophic flood damage to your home before you would be able to do anything about it.


8. If you have pets make sure that they have an automatic feeder and plenty of food and water, if you choose not to board them in a kennel or leave them with someone else. Also be sure that the heating/AC system is set to keep things comfortable for them in the house while you are gone. If you do choose to leave your pets at home it's a good idea to arrange for someone to stop by daily and check on them and spend a little time with them too.


There are other reminders that would be good to have on your away list too, but these should be a good start to help keep you focused on necessary items to take care of before leaving on any family vacations.

Market Update

The Real estate market continues to be slow. Homes are selling, but at a very slow pace.
We (Cathy & Jim) have sold 31 Homes so far this year, which is at the top of the market average for Realtors. Our marketing plan is reaching the buyers that are looking, but there are few buyers actually purchasing homes.

Some good news is that Internet Views of homes, on Realtor.com, the #1 home search site in the country, are as high as ever, indicating that there are many interested buyers, but they are not making the move to purchase due to low consumer confidence... A sign that the economy is still in trouble. We send these Internet View reports to our clients on a regular basis.

New statistics show that 84% of the home buyers start their search on the Internet. Again showing the importance of Internet marketing with an enhanced webpage like we provide our clients.

The most critical factor for housing in 2010 is what happens to employment. People who have jobs are becoming much more risk-averse to buying a more expensive house; for one they worry will they keep their job and two, can they sell the existing home.”

As consumer confidence in the economy is restored, then it is likely that a more robust rebound in sales will occur; in the interim, a high percentage of the housing transactions will be from households relocating as a result of job changes and, with the continuing aging of the Illinois and U.S. populations, there will be housing sales as a result of retirements.

In the last hours for congress to get the Home Buyer Tax Credit deadline of June 30th to get extended to September 30th for closing, has hit several road blocks. This was an amendment attached to HR 4213 “American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010” or “The Unemployment extension bill”. This hit several political hurdles that stalled the bill and could not get enough votes to pass the Senate.
What has happened now is you have a couple of stand-alone bills, one for unemployment and for tax credit extension. The tax credit extension bill has passed the house on Tuesday, so we will need the Senate to pass with no changes then the president can sign it into law. Will this happen before the end of the day, it is very possible, BUT as of now for home buyers to get their tax credits they need to close by June 30th and had their sales contract written by April 30th.