Housing markets: Best recovery bets - Charlotte, N.C. (9) - CNNMoney.com

Housing markets: Best recovery bets - Charlotte, N.C. (9) - CNNMoney.com

Bruce starts another Pre-Licensing!!

Bruce has begun teaching another Pre-license class at Superior School of Real Estate last week. Superior School offers all classes needed for real estate professionals as well as people who are looking to enter into the profession. Feel free to contact Bruce with any questions you may have!!! 704-488-7914 Directly.

Thanksgiving is only a couple of days away

Thanksgiving is only days away and the holiday season is quickly approaching, meaning, your dining room is about to take center stage. You can count on several big, family dinners and plenty of entertaining (whether you’re the host or the guest). We love a dining room that has a personality – it simply enhances the experience – and oftentimes, the more unusual or unexpected the space is, the better! Some dining rooms to inspire:

13 Things a Burglar won't tell you

With summer approaching, many of our clients may be considering family vacations. You know who else is looking forward to their summer vacation? Neighborhood thieves!

AT Urban Realty, we want to keep in touch and help you protect your home by passing along a couple of useful articles on how burglars determine if a home is a good topic. From Reader's Digest, these two articles are great conversation starters:

13 Things a Burglar Won't Tell You
http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/13-things-a-burglar-wont-tell-you/article156709.html

8 More Things a Burglar Won't Tell You
http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/article-8-more-things-a-burglar-wont-tell-you/article156681.html

Also, you may be interested to discover this ingenious little device which simulates the look of someone watching television at night. The "FakeTV" creates the exact same sort of random illumination that a 27-inch television does, at a fraction of the electricity usage:

http://www.faketv.com/

For $29.95, its a great way to deter a casual thief! (Editor's note: We were not paid or compensated in any way to mention the FakeTV device; we simply thought it might be interesting to our community members.)

Memorial Day: Time to Buy a Home!

Memorial Day marks the traditional beginning of summer and the start of the most popular season in real estate. If you’re in the market for a new home, get a jump start by getting pre–approved for a loan by a trusted mortgage broker.

Buying a home can be an overwhelming process. A pre-approved loan agreement outlines what you can afford to buy, so when the time comes to start shopping you and your real estate agents have a set price range to follow in finding your perfect home.

There are also other reasons to get pre–approved for a loan. When you find that house of your dreams, a seller will likely feel more comfortable taking the home off the market if you are pre–approved because he or she knows that the financing has already been taken care of. Working out a mortgage agreement before shopping also takes the pressure off trying to find a loan quickly once you do find that dream home and don’t want another buyer to snatch it up.

I’d be happy to discuss mortgage options with you and help you officially commence the beginning of your home buying process!

Bruce Moyer, Ed.S. 704-488-7914

Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 Passes in House

By a vote of 246 to 161 the House of Representatives today voted to approve the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 (H.R. 5019), which authorizes creation of a national energy retrofit program for American homeowners. The vote marks a significant milestone in the progress of the bipartisan HOME STAR legislation, although it's important to note that the authorization bill passed today must be matched by the Senate, and followed up with an appropriation bill to allocate funds for the $6 billion program.
"We applaud the U.S. House on the [bipartisan] passage of the HOME STAR legislation," Efficiency First chairman Mike Rogers said following the vote. "HOME STAR will create good American jobs in construction, manufacturing and related industries. It will help American homeowners improve the efficiency of their homes and save money. And it will provide a solid foundation for our country's energy policy and energy security. We encourage the Senate to act quickly to get the HOME STAR bill to the President's desk and get our workers back on the job."
Efficiency First policy chair Matt Golden added that "Today's bipartisan passage of the HOME STAR bill in the U.S. House of Representatives shows how when industry, labor, business and environmental groups cooperate, we can find solution for America. HOME STAR will create hundreds of thousands of good quality jobs, while saving families money on energy bills. Efficiency First, representing companies in all 50 states employing over 150,000 American works, applauds Congress's leadership and vision on this important issue."

New Rule!

New Lead-Paint Renovation and Repair Rule Effective April 22, 2010


A new rule will go into effect this month requiring renovation and repair contractors to be EPA-certified to work with lead paint hazards if they will work on a residential property built before 1978 in which lead-based paint may be disturbed. HUD estimates that this could be as many as 35 million properties. The rule also applies to places where children under 6 spend large amounts of time, such as child care centers and schools. The certified contractor must provide the occupants (owner or tenant) with a new information booklet and must follow lead safe work practices.

There are several important exemptions to this rule:
1. Homeowner occupants or tenant occupants may do the work themselves without certification.
*Due to the potential hazards, EcoBrokers would recommend that these individuals be provided with the booklet mentioned below to avoid exposing the occupant families to lead hazard.
2. A residence where there are no children under 6 and no pregnant women as regular residents is a possible exemption.
3. If the area disturbed is less than 6 square feet indoors or 20 square feet outdoors, the project is exempt. Because lead paint was so prevalent on window frames in pre-1978 houses, window replacement on these homes is never exempt.
4. If a qualified lead test specialist certifies that no lead paint will be disturbed, the project is exempt.
5. There are a few additional less likely exemptions.

The required disclosure booklet is to be provided by the contractor, but you may wish to have it for your reference as well. You can get it at
http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/lead/pubs/renovaterightbrochure.pdf
(English) or http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/lead/pubs/renovaterightbrochuresp.pdf (Spanish). The EPA has also prepared a 17 minute film of information for Realtors - they appear to believe that all real estate brokerage professionals are members of the National Association of REALTORS®. That film is available to everyone at http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid25955667001?bctid=29590050001