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Archive for the ‘foreclosures’ Category

DIY preforeclosures

Saturday, April 3, 2010
posted by Craig

After contact has been established the home owner will have to hand write a “hardship letter” to the mortgage servicer. At this point in time it will be the first chance of getting an idea of what the condition of the home is in. Therefore the time to make the necessary mental judgement’s for any rehab or diy home improvements deemed your ROI, the lender will be best suited for you to hand over an estimate of repairs, included in the pre foreclosure package submitted to the loss mitigation department.when applicable linoleum flooring has its perks

Depending on your team member, the Realtor can aide with a CMA, this will set the bar as to what your exit strategy will be and help you decide, whether or not a new ceramic tile kitchen floor will be applicable or just as well replacing the shabby existing linoleum flooring that needs attention.

DIY and do it better

Sunday, March 28, 2010
posted by Craig

Home affordable foreclosure alternatives. As for banks, they’ll face loan losses, but HAFA could trim expenses.”The new plan doesn’t keep people in their homes, but it does eliminate the costs of foreclosing properties and the deterioration of value associated with vacancies,” Cooper said.Banks often spend $20,000 to $40,000 to take a home all the way through foreclosure. Short sales can be the cheaper option, says Eli Tene, president of Woodland Hills, Calif.-based I Short Sale.

“Any savings through short sales will help,” Tene said. “But once (HAFA) kicks off, it will have limited success as it reaches only about a quarter of homeowners in trouble.”crown molding cuts made bettter

Short sales have become more common, but they’ve been hard to pull off. They can take months, even more than a year to complete, says Leonard Baron, a real estate professor at San Diego State University. To understand all the complexities the investor needs better knowledge of the tools he can obtain. Just like the weekend DIY warrior, tools make the job! That new combo slide miter saw that enables quick and accurate crown molding cuts for the fixer needing a face lift.

Diy short sales

Wednesday, March 24, 2010
posted by Craig

Interestingly enough and more often than not the Realtor’s are getting in the way of too many home owners that are upside down in this real estate market. They have found most of the NOD’s that have the lenders { mortgage servicer’s } all up in arms over their ever growing long list of non performing assets. While very few investors have the magic pill that can fix most of these peoples problems, some do know how to execute short sale potential properties, and save the home owners themselves 7 years of misery, as well as, getting the banks closer to doing what they do best, ” lending money “.

keeping the current President smiling during the realestate crisisOne major snafu that’s not working is the way the Realtor goes about this tricky process, causing lengthy negotiations and or no buyers during the home owners time of need. The caveat here lies in understanding exactly what it is that the banks are truly looking for, and securing a huge opportunity for several entities.

When it does go smoothly and a fix and flip might be the exit strategy, a full blown kitchen remodel will take place, Home Depot can employ more help, and the real estate investor has upgraded a home that will create jobs in the consrtuction industry enabling the home to appraise higher and the state can collect more revenue to repair the roads…… etc. etc.

How to weatherstrip A DOOR [DIY]

Tuesday, March 9, 2010
posted by Craig

Saving dollars make more sense than anything these days, so by weatherstripping an exterior door correctly, indeed you will save money by keeping the cold air out in the winter time, as well as during the hot summer months, not “trying to cool off the whole neighborhood”. Mother knows best perhaps, and will often remind us of this.

From door bottoms or door shoe applications, all will effectively seal the interior from the exterior. But before installing either of these there hes to be a threshold on the floor first. Tools required for door weather stripping can be as simple as a hacksaw and a reversible drill/driver and a tape measure. full wrap door bottom 1 3/4"Buying the right one is important to note here, typically an interior door will be 1 3/8″ thick and exterior doors are thicker at 1 3/4″. The anodized aluminum comes in several finishes so you can choose a match per the rest of the doors hardware.

measuring from top of installed thresholdIt’s possible you may have to cut the door down a little, depending on the existing conditions. An accurate measurement is required to get the most out of your DIY Door sealing efforts, but on a scale of difficult being a 10, this door weather strip installation is rated at a 3. All products bought can vary so be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions first. Entry doors have that sweet closing sound with shutting and you will know the difference after your done. Snug as a bug…… Save money and our resources by doing it right the first time!

how to repair a frozen plumbing line

Saturday, March 6, 2010
posted by Craig

push on plumbing pipe repair fittings

While on a recent trip to the northwest doing some research, during a walk through inspection in a 2 story home the kitchen ceiling showed visible drywall water damage. And directly above the ceiling was the upstairs bathroom. They had cut an inspection hole for access and discovered a frozen copper water line that was very near an exterior wall, ironically there was no visible signs of insulation in the exterior wall that was causing the extreme cold temps to permeate the pipes and freezing a section here. cutting out a section of copper pipe

Using a wrench and tapping on the lines it was evident where it became solid and damaging the connections, we had cut this small portion out and removed it and simply added 2 SharkBite fittings for the repair in all of 10 minutes. SharkBite slip locking connector fittings have saved us tons of expense and time with labor costs and their ever present availability.

In this particular short sale acquisition of real property, we did not exert much effort in influencing the lenders BPO agent for it became very clear there were enough visual damages to validate a discounted CMA. Having these tools and knowing how to facilitate them has changed our financial futures forever.

DIY Wood Home Construction

Monday, March 1, 2010
posted by Craig

Building with wood ? Wood construction is here to stay folks and here is only a few of the major reasons why ! Thinking about adding on ? Well you’ll be going greener if you use lumber…… read more below !!
# No other material can match wood’s unique combination of benefits, including strength, affordability, ease of use and environmental superiority.2x4 - 2x6 - 2x8 -2x10 made in the USA building with wood
# Wood-frame construction has a 100-year track record for safety and dependability. That’s why nine out of 10 homes today are built with wood.
# Building codes require all materials to provide the same degree of protection, even for extreme events such as earthquakes and hurricanes. Wood-frame construction is as safe, sturdy and dependable a building material as any other.
# Wood is the best insulator against heat and cold, which makes it the most energy-efficient material that can help keep home energy bills in check. Unlike steel and concrete, wood doesn’t conduct heat and cold. Wood is 400 times less heat conductive than steel, so homes built with wood studs take less energy to heat and cool.
# Wood is the most affordable building material. The economy of wood construction is one of the many reasons why wood-frame construction has remained the preferred method for residential construction.
# Wood is easy to use and widely available. Its practicality and workability make construction simple and efficient for use in residential or commercial applications, including multi-story projects.
# As the world’s only renewable building material, wood can not only be recycled, but regenerated as well. What’s more, trees provide benefits to the environment while they grow, taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.
# Wood contributes fewer greenhouse gas emissions than its non-renewable counterparts, steel and concrete. While wood accounts for 46% of all industrial raw materials worldwide, it uses a mere 4% of the energy required to produce raw materials into useful products.

DIY tub spout diverter repair

Monday, February 22, 2010
posted by Craig

Hey, tired of the way this economy seems to keep dragging? Let’s face the facts folks, every penny adds to a dollar and so on and so forth…. now take the water bill IE, it can be lowered within a few well invested penny’s on a daily count and of course this goes back to that ever elusive dollar again.diy tub diverterbathtub to shower valve

Your bathtub / shower combo has a diverter that when pulled slightly upward stops the tub fill and redirects the water to the shower head. IF the diverter is in proper order it will not allow little , if any water going into the tub. Rather when it’s ready to be replaced or repaired, the volume of water going up and out the shower head has been significantly decreased, because the diverter seal is not sealing 100% and losing/wasting gallons of water straight to the drain below. The end result is more time for rinsing off and higher water/utility bills. The rough plumbing 1/2′ nipple holds the tub spout in place and is very easily screwed off by spinning counter clockwise [lefty loosy-righty tighty] and replacing with a new energy efficient one. Although some replacement parts are available at some of your better home improvement stores in the do-it yourself plumbing repair section, if need be.

designer tub fill spout brands also online Remember that bath and kitchen remodels will bring you the best ROI on your diy home improvements, if done with taste and done correctly.

Even more reasons to DIY

Sunday, February 21, 2010
posted by Craig

On Thursday February 18, 2010, 5:31 pm EST

In any aspect of home repairing the article below hit the press this week and regardless of flooring, plumbing, siding or cabinetry in today”s market the new rich will overcome all the economic woe’s to live the life that we are all supposed to live. Get your DIY tip today and save again for that sunny day that’s just on the horizon.DIY plumbing repair with SharkBite

The real estate crisis has gutted house prices, tipped millions into foreclosure, and rattled the global economy to its core. But for many would-be home buyers, the historic boom and bust have been a blessing in disguise. During the first half of the previous decade, easy credit and speculative excitement worked to make houses increasingly expensive. By the fourth quarter of 2005, median home prices had reached 2.77 times median household incomes. That is sharply higher than the 1.92 average of the 15 years ending in 2003 and too expensive for many families. But the subsequent crash in home prices–values have fallen roughly 30 percent at the national level from their 2006 peaks–has helped restore affordability to this once inflated market. By the third quarter of 2009, the price-to-income ratio–a key measure of housing affordability–had fallen below its 15-year average, to 1.84 for the nation as a whole.

mortgage variables {know the DIF}

Saturday, February 20, 2010
posted by Craig

There are more loan options available than ever before, your home or home improvement project needing financing [kitchen remodel/tile flooring] in IE, so take advantage of all the choice’s. Look for a lender who offers a wide variety of loan types, from conventional fixed-rate and adjustable-rate to newer ones such as hybrid ARMs and option ARMs. Your lender should be able to match you with a mortgage that’s right for your financial situation and risk tolerance.real estate investors [no-no]

Your home will eventually be worth more than you owe on it today, and all the lenders know this almost for certain, the caveat here lies in when and how much time it will take before this economy turns and heads for higher ground. The lenders also are aware of the fact that as long as the ratio of good to bad existing mortgages are out there than they will continue to have what they deem as non performing assets. Some guru’s believe it will still be heading downward through this year and the deals for investors could mean 50 cents on the dollar, that’s not to say in every market, but what it does say is that the time to acquire the tools is running out and no smart entrepreneur is willing to try and catch a falling knife.

Pre Paint Prep with BONDO

Thursday, February 18, 2010
posted by Craig

Thats right folks the same 2 part epoxy mix that autobody shops use on cars. In SOCal where some of the new rich reside is also Satisfaction Gauranteed seal of approvalwhere some of the best professional house painting occurs. Magazine model material, custom multi-million dollar homes with the same home improvement center paints the rest of us buy and use on our biggest investments in our IRA plans, the biggest dpainting preparation BONDOifference though is the prep work being done to create some of the finest home painting on the prestigious west coast.

I only emphasize this painting prep point, because I see the difference. Bondo or whatever brand you buy will change your homes detail of paint grade finish like night and day. Case and base nail holes, vacuum dents, mars and gouges, offset splices and even some miter joints go from nice job to vavoom. Interior spackling never really can give you that it truly is “all one piece look” but bondo does and does not shrink.