• ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- Better Judgements eZine Terria Judge, Realtor CRS, ABR, GRI, Broker Associate Better Judgements is a newsletter on home matters, from Terria Judge, your Garden City, KS real estate agent! Contact Terria Judge at 620-271-2129! Terria Judge Coldwell Banker, The Real Estate Shoppe, Inc. John P. Judge, Broker 1135 College Dr. Suite E Garden City, KS 67846 1-877-275-7497 x 223 620-275-7421 x 223 http://terriajudge.com http://gardencityksrealestate.com http://gardencityrentals.com Terria@TerriaJudge.com Subscription Management at end of newsletter. Thanks for your subscription to Better Judgements, the newsletter from your Garden City Kansas Realtor, Terria Judge. ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- In this Issue ============= 1. Article: Having Your House Appraised 2. Features at TerriaJudge.com 3. Featured & New Listings 4. Special Days & Events 5. Article: How to Afford Your Dream Home 6. Happy New Year!! Fun links for kids, interesting facts, and a New Years Recipe ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- Article: Having Your House Appraised by Lee Dobbins ======================================= Having your house appraised can be a scary step in the moving process, especially if you don't know what to expect. Will your house pass muster or will they find some hidden defects and problems lurking in the basement and attic? Should you scrub the house clean? Don't worry – this isn't a test of how clean you keep your house or even if your house has problems (that will be for the home inspector to find out). The appraiser is there to determine a fair market value for your home. Whether you are selling the house or refinancing, this is a common part of the process and the inspector is quite used to traipsing about peoples homes in all kinds of disarray so you need not be embarrassed if your house is messy and it will not affect the value the appraiser puts on the property. Determining the market value of your home is necessary so that your lender knows the home is valued at or above the amount of money you are borrowing. An appraisal is an estimate of worth. It is an opinion but is not entirely a subjective process. The FNMA, Federal National Mortgage Association sets up the guidelines and assigns values to certain assets of your home to ensure a fair sale. The value of your home will be determined by comparing it to similar area properties that have sold in the past few months. The appraiser looks for properties that have the same number of bedrooms, baths, square footage and amenities like a fireplace or garage in your neighborhood or town. They start by looking at your neighborhood to find comparable sales or properties in similar neighborhoods that share similar characteristics of lifestyles, income level of residents, surroundings, average age and home values. A valid appraisal can be done when 3 or more properties similar to your own have been found. Once the appraiser has these homes, there will be some adjustments made to take into consideration features that your home has the others don't or features they have that you don't. These features have nothing to do with your décor – they are based solely on house size, rooms and amenities so your hot pink kitchen will not affect the value of your home appraisal! The process is quite methodical and done to standard practices so you need not worry. If you are moving and you have hired a realtor, you will find the appraisal will come in right on the button for what they have valued your home at. Most realtors know the market quite well so you needn't worry that your buyer won't be able to secure funding because of your home appraisal. Author Info: Lee Dobbins: Lee Dobbins writes for http://www.moving-and-more.com where you can learn more about moving. Find out about selling your house at http://www.moving-and-more.com/tips-for-selling-a-house.html ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- Features at TerriaJudge.com ===================== Looking for a home in the Garden City, Kansas area? Let Terria help you out---fill out a short form, and you're on your way! HOME SEARCH: http://terriajudge.com/homesearch.html Are you wanting to know more about the Garden City area? Terria makes it easy for you by providing some links, including the Chamber of Commerce, a complete listing of area schools, city website and more. Be informed! AREA LINKS: http://terriajudge.com/gardencityks.html ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- FEATURED & NEW LISTINGS ==================== http://terriajudge.com/featuredlistings.html Be sure to visit so you can see photos of this newly listed home! 2002 Chmelka 42 x 60 Insulated Morton Building with Concrete Floor Fenced Area and Leanto for Horses Lots of Trees for Shade & Wind Break 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, 92% Finish in Basement Pella Windows with Slim Shades; Stair Midway Landing All of this sits on 2.10 acres. Master bath has double sinks, master bedroom with walk-in closet. Bull nose corners and rough in plumbing in basement, plus an office, bedroom, and family room. Covered patio. Super setup for FFA animals, RV's and extras. Just visit Terria at http://terriajudge.com/marketevaluation.html to fill out an interest form if you'd like to list your home! ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- January Special Days & Events ======================= 1st New Year's Day 2nd 'New Year's Day' observed, 16th Martin Luther King Day Did you know that January is.... National Volunteer Blood Donor Month National Health Month National Wheat Bread Month National Book Blitz Month National Soup Month Whale Watching Month ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- Article: How to Afford Your Dream Home by Rhiannon Williamson =============================================== Is it your dream to one day own a holiday home in the sun; a beautiful house where you can escape, relax and be free of the worries that seem to go hand in hand with every day life? Well, you're not alone! A recent survey by a well known mortgage lender in the UK revealed that up to one in three Britons not only dream about owning a home in the sun but fully intend to make that dream a reality some day. And in the US the number of Americans planning to one day buy that ideal second home haven is now up to three in ten people. Now let me ask you another question: - If it is your dream to 'one day' own that beautiful home in the sun what exactly are you waiting for? Why wait for 'one day' when you can make your dream a reality today? Here are just five simple ways that could free you up to make your ideal property purchase today. 1) Location, Location, Location There are still some very beautiful and highly affordable locations left in this wonderful world of ours – destinations that are less well known, less popular with tourists, less well developed maybe; but no less beautiful, no less welcoming and certainly no less safe! You just have to look a little further afield or think outside of the box and be prepared to do some of the real estate research yourself. The most popular destinations for second homes like Florida and Spain are very well documented and there are literally thousands of real estate agents to help you find that pricey holiday villa or apartment. But if you want to be able to buy up something that doesn't have such an inflated and unachievable price tag then look to less well marketed and tourist populated areas – find the next emerging market. Did you know that property in Northern Spain is a fraction of the price of property on the Costa del Sol, property in Northern Belize is a fraction of the price of property in the Cayes and property in central France is a fraction of the price of property on the Cote d'Azur for example? Did you know Croatia and Bulgaria have beautiful summer climates and stunning beaches? Be a proactive pioneer and seek out the most affordable and desirable holiday home hotspots and make today's budget go that much further. 2) Jet to Let If you need to borrow to finance your property purchase consider buying an apartment, villa or house that can easily be rented out during the peak season in your dream destination. The weekly rental income you can generate from your property purchase will pay off the extra money you had to borrow to buy your dream home now rather than waiting until tomorrow. Once the peak season is over and you've generated the highest rental yields possible you can free up the home for a couple of weeks and you can take time out to travel to it and enjoy an out of season break in your very own dream overseas home. Once the holidaymakers who let your home have helped you pay off your mortgage you can either continue to take an income supplement from the property or refuse to rent it out and have it all to yourself – either way, jet to let is the latest way to afford that second home overseas. 3) Pool Resources If you and your friends or family members all share the dream of owning a second home overseas you could consider pooling your financial resources together to get on the second home property ladder. This will enable each of you to make your financial contribution go so much further - and if you draw up a contract between you all at the start which details who can have access to the house during which weeks of the year there will be no possibility of arguments later on! 4) Get a Fixer-Upper Many first time buyers in the local market consider buying a home in need of repair, renovation or just a cosmetic overhaul. It's a well known fact that homes in need of some TLC get sold far cheaper than perfectly presented show homes. Well, the same applies in every house market regardless of where in the world you're looking to buy. Therefore spend a little time learning about the local real estate market in your preferred country, find out about average costs of houses and then look for homes priced under this ceiling…all of them will be priced down because they require work. Always make sure you get a survey done on any home you're interested in to ensure you're fully aware of the work required then get building quotes etc., and cost the work up – obviously the more work you can do yourself the less money it will cost – and then go get yourself a fixer-upper and use some of your holiday time turning your second home into your dream home. You will be amazed at how well you can potentially push up the value of a second home by taking this path – in many countries overseas run down homes are undervalued because local people have no desire to take on the work. If you put in the effort and turn the house around, when you want to sell it you will probably be handsomely financially rewarded! 5) Release Equity If you have equity in your principal home – i.e., your house is worth more than the mortgage you have on it – you could consider re-mortgaging to free up this equity and you could then use this equity for a second home purchase. There are some major considerations to think about before taking this path however because it involves increasing your debt ratio. On the good side you can often reduce your overall mortgage interest rate when you re-mortgage and you will be putting the money you free up straight back into property. On the bad side you will be increasing your debt and your loan will be secured on your primary residence. This option can suit many people but you should speak to a financial adviser before taking this path. Hopefully these five simple ways have given you some food for thought – there are many ways to stop putting off until tomorrow that dream that you could be living today. Why wait until you're too old to enjoy a home overseas before you buy one! About the Author: Rhiannon Williamson is a freelance writer whose many articles about buying investment property abroad have appeared in real estate and financial publications around the world. To read her latest articles about property investment in Cyprus visit this link: Property in North Cyprus Article source: ArticleWorld.net Free Articles ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- Happy New Year!! ============= Do you have your resolutions made and ready to go? 2006 is just about here ! Here's a place to visit with the kids, with links to fun stuff like a New Years jigsaw puzzle, word searches, even a fireworks display to start off 2006 with a BANG! http://www.billybear4kids.com/holidays/newyears/fun.htm Learn to say "Happy New Year" in many different languages! http://www.merpy.com/newyear/ New Years Food Traditions =================== Eating noodles at midnight is customary at Buddhist temples in Japan. A German/Pennsylvania Dutch tradition is to eat pork and sauerkraut on New Year's day for good luck. It is a Cuban tradition to eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight. The 12 grapes signify the last twelve months of the year. German folklore says that eating herring at the stroke of midnight will bring luck for the next year. Eating pickled herring as the first bite of the New Year brings good luck to those of Polish descent. In the southern United States, it is believed eating black eyed peas on New Year's eve will bring luck for the coming year. Also from the south comes the custom of eating greens such as cabbage, collard greens, mustard greens, kale or spinach to bring money. One more from the Southerners: eating cornbread will bring wealth. The Southern custom of eating greens can be found in other cultures as well, although the cabbage can take many forms, such as sauerkraut or even kimchee. In the Philippines, it is important to have food on the table at midnight in order to insure an abundance of food in the upcoming year. Boiled Cod is a New Year's Eve must in Denmark. Olie Bollen a donut-like fritter is popular in Holland for New Year. Black-eyed peas, fish, apples, and beets are eaten for luck at the Jewish New Year's celebration (not celebrated on Jan 1). New Years Jambalaya ================ 1 1/2 pounds Andouille or other smoked sausage 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 large chopped onion 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped 3 stalks celery, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning 2 cups chicken stock 2 tablespoons minced pimiento 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice 1 1/2 cups cooked black eyed peas 1/4 cup chopped green onion, both white and green parts for garnish Serves 6-8 Brown the sausage in the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic and Creole seasoning. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Add the stock, pimiento, rice and black-eyed peas, bringing the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and cook until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed, 20 - 25 minutes. Serve in bowls garnished with green onions. ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- That's it for this edition of Better Judgements, Happy New Year to you!! May 2006 be a year of health & happiness! This newsletter is compiled and published by Mitone Griffith, http://BIGad.org

  December 30th, 2005 at 12:10 pm

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