Archive for October, 2008

Look on The Bright Side – Hurricane Ike May Offer New Opportunity

Thursday, October 16th, 2008


The south has been hit hard by Hurricane Ike. And because of the damages to the housing industry the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary announced that HUD will offer federal disaster assistance in a timely manner to several counties in Texas and Louisiana. According to Dean Graziosi this is good news! This means that homeowners in these areas will have the assistance they need through the Federal Housing Administration.

When Hurricane Ike hit Texas and Louisiana, it brought with it winds at 100 mph and a lot of rain. Many homes now either need to be rebuilt or repaired and HUD is offering the following assistance:

1.      They are making mortgage insurance available to disaster victims. Victims have the ability of rebuilding or buying another home and are eligible for 100% financing and that includes closing costs.

2.      They are offering Section 108 loan guarantee assistance. HUD will make available to these states federal guaranteed loans to help with housing rehabilitation, and economic development.

3.      HUD is offering the state and local communities the ability to use money set for other projects for disaster relief. This will include housing and services for the tornado victims.

If you have recently bough property, or own a home in any of these areas that were hit by the natural disaster, then be sure to check with your local authorities to get the funding you need to either repair your home of to find the right mortgage for the right new property. Remember the key to being successful is being able to handle whatever comes your way, and take advantage of the good things that can come from it.

Don’t wallow in despair, now is the time to start acting and getting the help you need to make those repairs, buy that home, or change something that was affected.

How Do You Make Property More Appealing?

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008


Today with the real estate market being in such a slump, you want to do anything you can to make your real estate property more appealing. Actually there is a great way to make your property stand out against all others. The most popular houses on the market today are those that are energy efficient. An existing house can be retrofitted to both save and produce energy. This new type of energy efficient home is becoming very popular and houses that are environmentally friendly sell more quickly and produce more profits than comparable houses that are not environmentally friendly.If you pay attention to the news, you will know that energy costs are rising and people are becoming more aware of alternative fuels, and want to save whatever existing energy we do use. There are some things you can do to make a traditional home more energy friendly and according to Dean Graziosi more appealing to buyers.

1.      Create high performance insulation of the entire home using both air barriers and insulation. Use form fitting doors and windows that don’t allow air to escape.

2.      In stall energy efficient lighting and appliances. These are extremely attractive to potential buyers.

3.      Use solar panel cooling and heating systems. These have come way down in costs and are extremely helpful when saving energy. Dean Graziosi believes that the use of solar panels even if it’s just for water heating will improve the attractiveness of your home.

4.      If you can find someone to install a photovoltaic system to offset electrical costs, this is another great addition to a home.

Whatever you can do to make your home more energy efficient will help improve its marketability, your investment, and the price you get for it. Some of these remodeling projects are not that expensive, and others cost a bit more, but are still well worth it.