Peoria which is located northwest of Phoenix was once a farming community. It was founded by settlers from Illinois (being  Chicago girl wonder if they were from Peoria,IL). The city which is home to 150,000 + people is home to Lake Pleasant which is the State of Arizona’s second Largest Lakes. Spring is just around the corner and the Peoria Sports Complex is home to the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners two teams which brings a big following.There is also a Center for the Performing Arts located in Downtown Peoria which not only offers award winning community theater, but also offers kids summer programs, a traveling “Youth Reading Theater” along with other special events throughout the year.The Challenger Space Center located at 21170 N. 83rd Ave is a fun place for the young and old. This is a memorial to the Challenger Space Shuttle astronauts that lost there lives twenty five years ago today. With Lovely homes great hiking trails and a short drive to over 200 golf courses, Peoria, AZ is a Great City in the North West Valley of Phoenix. Best Darlene Brooks 602-670-1910 www.thebrooksteamaz.com “Turning Dreams Into Reality”

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Ways to Improve a Credit Score With identity theft on the rise, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of reviewing their credit reports. However, their thoughts about credit and its long-term impact upon their financial future typically end there until it’s time to apply for a home loan. A credit score is used to evaluate how likely a borrower is to repay their loan. There are several actions a person can take to impact their score. Here are a few to keep in mind.

If someone has a credit card which has a high balance, while their remaining credit cards have low or zero balances, it’s best to distribute the debt across the cards in order to change the ratio of debt to available credit.

Many consumers believe that they should close an existing credit card account if the card is inactive. It’s better to keep the account open and use it periodically in order to take advantage of its contribution to their long-term credit history.

With the flood of credit card offers that come in the mail, it may be tempting to open new accounts. However, these “pre-approved” offers are not approved until the companies run a credit report which will temporarily impact the applicant’s credit score. In addition, experts recommend that a person maintain between two to five credit card accounts, total, so it’s best to avoid accumulating too many.

There are several factors that contribute to a credit score. But by observing the tips above, as well as making payments on time and keeping balances as low as possible, a consumer is sure to achieve superior result

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What is the hottest topic in the Phoenix Real Estate market right now??? SHORT SALES!  Should you do it?  How will you and your credit recover?  When can you purchase again?  With this ever changing and conforming market, no one has all the answers… but here is a little glimmer of hope that some of you may be looking for…

The typical wait time for purchasing a home after a short sale or foreclosure is 3 years.  However, FHA issued a mortgagee letter in December 2009 allowing financing immediately or in less then 3 years for certain situations… very specific situations.  Although it would be hard to determine who is eligible without looking in to a buyer’s specific situation here are two things I know to be true…

1.  Borrower must have been current on ALL prior mortgage payments for up to 12 months before short sale occurred.

2.  The result of the borrowers short sale must have been due to extenuating circumstances such as transfer of job, death of primary wage earner, long term un-insured illness, ect.  Short selling due to declining market conditions or because you are way to upside down in your loan is not a valid circumstance.

Please watch this video to learn more…

That was my friend and trusted mortgage professional, Gina Chavez and we both really think that this is important information to get out to the public because there is a small population that could benefit from FHA exception rule.  If you are one of the MANY that have to wait out the 3 years, that is okay too.  Three years is probably what you need to get your credit and life prepared for buying again.

If you have been through a short sale and have questions about how it affected your credit or what to do now, the best piece of advice I have for you is to contact a Real Estate Professional that is skilled in this arena.  It is our job to counsel you on the short sale recovery process so that when your three year wait time is up, you will be ready to purchase again.

Gina and I are willing and happy to help you get on the right track to short sale recovery.  Please contact either one of us right away!

Tiffany Pettit, eXp Realty

Cell:  602-614-6493

Email:  tiffany@tiffanypettit.com

www.CometoPeoriaAZ.com

Gina Chavez, Cherry Creek Mortgage

Cell: 602-505-2688

Email: gchavez@ccmclending.com

www.ginachavez.com

Are you shopping for a new home?  My name is Tiffany Pettit and I am the Peoria, Arizona Real Estate expert.  My husband, Eric, and I live and raise our two boys in this beautiful west Phoenix suburb.  We love everything about our little city and think you will too!  Please contact me anytime at 602-614-6493, toll free at 888-897-7821 x.132 or at tiffany@tiffanypettit.com.  Please check out my website, www.CometoPeoriaAZ.com, where you can perform an MLS search just like an agent would do.  I look forward to assisting you in finding your perfect Peoria, Arizona home!

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“The day you catch an idea you fall in love with, even a small one, is a beautiful day.”

David Lynch
Filmmaker and Television Director

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Home Ownership 101: Tips from my first time to help you with yours!

As a new agent and first time home buyer, I am learning so much about the real estate process. I had no idea there was so much involved in purchasing a home or property. I had already gotten my real estate license when my husband and I began looking for our first home, and even with the amount of knowledge needed to get my license, I had a lot to learn. I have decided to document our journey and blog along the way to offer some behind the scenes looks at what exactly is involved in buying your first home.

Step 1: Searching for Your Dream Home

Whether you are just browsing the market to see what’s out there or if you are actively searching for your new home, looking for houses is easier today than ever before. With resources like the internet, you can shop for homes from the comfort of your couch. That’s how we started our search for our first house.  We would get online and Google the night away looking for homes in Bellingham. With no specific criteria in mind, we were quickly overwhelmed by the amount of properties available. After signing on with eXp Realty, I was able to access all sorts of resources that made our home search significantly easier, more in-depth and relatively stress free. With the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, agents are able to search with broad or specific search criteria, see property history, photos, and do market analyses to get ideas on property values. I have had an amazing mentor to help me learn how to access this information and how to present it to client- the average first time home buyer won’t have access to these kinds of resources. Having an agent to help with your search is an invaluable resource, and I highly recommend working with one if you are seriously looking for property.

There are a lot of things we needed to consider when searching for our first home. Did we want acreage? How many bedrooms? What was our price range? After sitting down to go over our goals and resources we had available, we had decided to look at houses in poor condition with acreage and plan to rehabilitate the existing home. With those criteria in mind, it was time to go out and view some properties! This was another huge learning experience for me. The photos that are posted with the listings are a great way to get an idea of what the home looks like, but you really need to see it in person to get the whole story. Those photos are taken to show the home in its best perspective, so as a potential buyer, you need to go look at the bad things too. We looked at quite a few homes that were much different in person than they appeared in the photos.  This is another reason that working with an agent is so important- get together a list of homes that you might like and go out and VIEW, VIEW, VIEW!! Keep your options open and plan some time to go look at any that you may potentially like, because just like buying a car, you never know how you’ll like it until you get in it.

Watch for next week’s blog: Step 2:  Making an Offer. If you have any questions about real estate, the buying or selling process, or would like to see how eXp is changing the real estate world, please contact me

Mikki Flaherty –Realtor

Direct: ( 360)402-8968

mikki.flaherty@exprealty.com

homesweetbellingham.com

exprealty.com

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Hello out there I just want to introduce myself. My name is Tracy Cobbin and I’ve recently joined Seattle real estate group and exprealty. I’ve been selling real estate for 12yr’s and blogging for the last three. Some may know as ^the Cobbin Group or my other blog title Edmonds Undressed. I’m looking forward to working with the Seattle team and blogging. Bye for now but you’ll hear from me again soon.

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Edmonds Washington

Water damage accounted for about one-fifth of all insurance claims in 2007, says the Insurance Information Institute, with an average amount of $5,531. But think twice before submitting a water-related claim, which insurers say may reflect poor home maintenance and better odds that you’ll eventually file even bigger claims for mold-related expenses.

Depending on your insurer, filing two water-related claims within a five-year period could earn you a premium hike at renewal time or get you dropped altogether. It could also make it harder to find a new policy because all insurers consult a giant database called the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange, or CLUE, which records all claims against a property over a seven-year period. It might be cheaper to write a check from your emergency fund or take a small loan.

Some water claims aren’t covered, anyway. Homeowners and renters insurance policies typically cover damage from water that comes from the top down, such as rainfall, a burst pipe or an ice dam. But most policies don’t cover rising water from any source, including a drain or sewer backup. A rider to cover a sewer backup will cost about $50 annually. If a water problem is covered, your insurer will probably pay for you to hire a restoration company.

If you’re in an area at risk for flooding, you may need flood insurance. The average policy costs $540 a year, according to the federal government’s National Flood Insurance Program.

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Fountain Hills, AZ…A January Afternoon

This is why I live in Fountain Hills, AZ and you should too.

I shot this beautiful January afternoon at the Fountain Park and around town. It was in early January and the 75 degree day was perfect for a walk, jog or bike ride. Walking around the Fountain is one of our towns favorite past time. It’s a great way to meet some of our friendly residents and winter guests. They’re easy to tell apart. Residents will be wearing a light jacket and visitors will be in shorts and a T shirt. We get a kick out of them wearing a swim suit in January trying to get a tan.

I’ve live in Fountain Hills since 1973 when I moved here from Michigan, never to return.

Charming Fountain Hills, AZ Houses for Sale Have Something for Everybody

Fountain Hills, AZ Houses for Sale are attracting home shoppers from near and far, and it is not surprising. There is no reason to delay your hunt for a house in Fountain Hills, AZ, and your search should begin right now. Fountain Hills, AZ residents know they reside in a lively city close to Saguaro Lake, Tonto National Forest, McDowell Mountain Regional Park and the Mayo Clinic. A home in Fountain Hills, AZ is not far from these attractions and more, due to a state-of-the-art system of highways and a refurbished transportation system. Warm weather, with lots of Arizona sun, promises that your weekends will be spent doing something enjoyable in the vicinity of your Fountain Hills, AZ home and everywhere in the Valley of the Sun. Whether you opt to buy Fountain Hills AZ Golf Homes or Eagle Mountain Fountain Hills AZ Homes, entertainment is yours as soon as you walk outside of your home.

If you’d like more info on our small town located in the foothills of the McDowell Mountain contact me. And if your thinking of relocating to the “Valley of the Sun” be sure to put Fountain Hills on your must see list.

Visit www.LiveInFountainHillsAZ.com for Real Estate Available in Fountain Hills and the surrounding communities.

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Seattle Growth Outlook

The Seattle metro region has several advantages that should help its economy to outperform the nation as a whole:

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