Simple ways to pay down your mortgage quicker...

If you decide that paying down your mortgage is a priority for your family, there are a few ways that this can be done painlessly.

1.  Bi-weekly Mortgage payments.  These programs are often offered by your lender, but if they aren't you can use a third party service.  My lender doesn't offer this service, but they suggested a specific third party service they like to work with and I use them with no problems.  This is a GREAT option if you get paid every two weeks.  You make half a mortgage payment every two weeks and you end up making one extra mortgage payment every year.  Buyers can pay off their mortgage 6-8 years early by paying bi-weekly!

Here is a Bi-weekly Mortgage calculator to see what a difference it would make for your particular circumstance!

2.  Make extra principal payments.  It's important to remember this rule: faster is better.  The faster you make a principal payment, the better it will be.  Try not to wait until the end of the year to make one big lump sum payment on your principal.  It's better to make principal payments monthly.   The sooner you can get a lower loan balance, the lower your monthly interest expense will be!

Last minute hurricane preparations.

It looks like hurricane Isaac might be coming our way, so here are some last minute hurricane tips:

A while ago I posted  two blogs about hurricane preparation.  Here is a post about being prepared.  Also, go back to this post to get a refresher on some great Hurricane apps for your phone.

Need some last minute tips:

To buy:
1.  Gas
2. Water
3. Batteries
4. Non perishable food items
5. Flashlights

To do:
1. Bring in lawn furniture, grills, umbrellas, etc.
2.  Board up your windows.
3.  Get cash
4. Take pictures and video of your stuff.  Just in case you need to make an insurance claim, this will make things easier!

Don't Let Dead Animals Kill Your Home Sale!

AOL.com features a "Listing Fails" article about every week and sometimes they are so ridiculous (and often funny) that I don't bother posting, but I thought this particle "Listing Fail" was appropriate for our South Louisiana way of life!  AOL's title says it all, "DON'T LET DEAD ANIMALS KILL YOUR HOME SALE!" Obviously, keeping your dead animals on your wall to sell your house is an option, but sometimes less is more!

Check out these Listing Photos:

House Beautiful's Color Report!

Housebeautiful came out with a color report for 2012 and this is what they concluded:

P.S.  I also read about this on Benjamin Moore's website, but for some reason the most of the pictures weren't showing up!  If you click on the link, maybe you will have better luck!?!

1.  29% of people said their favorite color was blue!

2.  After polling readers on their favorite colors for a room, they learned that yellow kitchens were a favorite, winning narrowly over white kitchens!

3.  Orange was a popular color among bloggers and readers.  Also, brown was voted as "out"!

4.  After polling designers, they chose red as a favorite for dining rooms and white as a favorite for living rooms and kitchens.

5.  Each regions has favorite colors.  The West coast prefers blue bedrooms, the Midwest is big into yellow kitchens, and orange is the chosen favorite for the Southeast.

6.  Readers and designers chose blue as their chosen bedroom color!

7.  Green and purple are in!  Here are some of Benjamin Moore's favorite greens and purples!

8.  People over 45 years of age, generally chose white living rooms, green dining rooms, and yellow kitchens.  People under 45, generally chose gray living rooms, blue dining rooms, and white kitchens!

For Sale By Owner vs Realtor

Anyone who has sold a home has asked the question, realtor or no realtor?!!?!  Selling your house For Sale Buy Owner (FSBO) can be tempting for the lone fact that you don't have to pay a realtor a commission.  However, there are a lot of downfalls that go along with it.

I found this great article on REALTOR.com about FSBO woes.  Click here to read it in detail, but I'll give you the main points.

1.  FSBOs can't list their home on the MLS.

2.  Agents won't show FSBOs homes.

3.  FSBOs usually overprice their homes.

4.  Buyers will feel intimidated.

5.  FSBOs are likely to stumble into legal trouble.

I also read on REALTOR.com that only 10% of FSBO are actually successful in selling their home and most of those already knew the buyer (i.e. sold to family or a friend).

Want a dream yard?!

I know so many of us dream of the perfect backyard.  A colorful, lush garden, an outdoor kitchen, a deck with a fire pit... there are so many things!  DIYnetwork is offering a sweepstakes (<--- this is the link) to win $10,000, an outdoor design consultation, and a garden gift basket!  I entered and so should you!  You can enter once a day until October 31!

5 Go To Neutral Paint Colors

On Benjamin Moore's website, Candice Olson, shares her favorite neutral colors.  Considering the fact that Candice Olson is one of the nation's top interior designers and is also the host of HGTV's Divine Design and Candice Tells All, I think it's safe to trust her expertise.  Here are her list of 5!

Nimbus Gray

Gray Mirage

Pale Oak

Niveous

Cloud White

Should You Buy a Home?

Are you wondering if you are ready to buy a home?  Here is another one of those Kiplinger quizzes that can help you answer that question, Should You Buy a Home!

How did you score?

July's Market Report Is In and It's GOOD NEWS!!

This Report is for Lafayette Parish only and it is looking good for our area and I am beyond thrilled!  Look at the jump this July compared to last July!  We sold almost 100 more houses this July!  WOWZERS!  I can't wait to see what August brings!

Number of Home Sales in July 2012: 268

Number of Home Sales in July 2011: 179

We did +49.72% better in July 2012!  GOOD NEWS!

Cumulative total, January - July 2012: 1,522

Cumulative total, January - July 2011: 1,262

We've sold a total of 260 MORE HOUSES in 2012, which is a +20.60% more!

Average Days on the Market July 2012: 102

Average Days on the Market July 2011: 114

That is 12 days less this year!  

This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the REALTOR Association of Acadiana Multiple Listing Service. Neither the Board nor its MLS guarantees or is in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the Board may not reflect all real estate activity in the marketplace.

HGTV'S August color of the month?

August: White

HGTV's site describes white as cool and crisp, classic and modern, all at the same time!  My hesitation with white is keeping it clean, but if you think you can manage that task, I do love the look!  Here are a few pictures I found on Pinterest.

Take a quiz about how long major home items should last!

I found this great website (Kiplinger) that has lots of useful information.  Among my favorites are short quizzes to show how much you know!

I'll post my favorites every now and then for you to take, but try this one called, "How Long Should It Last!"

It will help you answer questions about how long major home items stand up to everyday use!

I scored a 6 out of 10!  How did you do!?!

More Organization Tips!

I found some clever organizing tricks on Realsimple.com.  Here are a few of my favorites!

1.  Use shower curtain hooks to hang your purses.

 2.  Use an old tissue box to store grocery bags.

 3.  Use a paper towel rack to organize your ribbon.

 4.  Use a dish organizer to store coloring books and colors.

 5.  Use velcro (or a zip tie) to keep wires  organized.

6.  Use a coat rack to hang necklaces.