• ---------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 620-275-7421 x 223 http://terriajudge.com http://gardencityksrealestate.com http://gardencityrentals.com Terria@TerriaJudge.com --NEW EMAIL ADDRESS!! 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: Basic things you should know about a lease purchase contract 2. New Features at TerriaJudge.com 3. Featured & New Listings 4. Article: How To Find a Real Estate Agent 5. Article: Three Ways to Add Charm and Style to Your Kitchen ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- Basic things you should know about a lease purchase contract by Amanda Shoemaker What exactly is a contract? By definition, a contract is an agreement between two or more parties to do, or to refrain from doing, a particular thing in exchange for something valuable. The parties can be individuals, businesses, organizations and government agencies. They key elements of a successful real estate contract: 1. Offer and acceptance This implies original signatures with no alterations to the contract. Don't mistake offer and acceptance for counter-offer. When the original offer is marked up and initialed by the party receiving it, then signed, you got a counter-offer and not offer and acceptance. When you come to a final agreement, you should rewrite the contract according to the agreement and this contract must be signed by both parties. 2. Consideration Usually, money is the form of consideration people use, but sometimes, a promise to perform/pay is also good. . 3. Written contract All real estate contracts must be in writing. In order to write a good real estate contract, you must keep in mind these things: You must write the full name of the parties on the contract and thus identify the parties. You must have the legal description on the contract. Sometimes, the address will do, but it's preferable to have the full legal description. By having this on the contract, you will have the property identified. You must have the amount of the sales price on the contract. The contract must be signed by all the parties involved, or it won't be enforceable. Keep in mind that minors, drugged persons, mentally unfit etc, cannot sign any contracts. Make sure that all the parties involved are competent. Make sure all parties know the essential details, rights and obligations that are stated in the contract. What exactly is a lease purchase contract? Lease purchase contracts combine the basic lease contract with the option to purchase and, during or at the end of the lease period, it gives the tenant/buyer exclusive right to buy the home under the terms to which both parties agree in the contract. But first, the tenant/buyer have to pay the landlord/seller a non-refundable option deposit that is applied to the purchase price of the home. Then, the tenant/buyer pays a sum that is typical to the rental amount and usually, it is done on a monthly basis. A portion of that monthly payment is applied to the purchase price of the home. About the Author Amanda Shoemaker owns a great directory of lease and lease purchase properties and houses for rent. Visit her site at http://www.leasebeast.com ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- New Features at TerriaJudge.com ==================================== MORTGAGE CALCULATOR: http://terriajudge.com/calculator.html OPEN HOUSES: http://terriajudge.com/calendar.html ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- FEATURED & NEW LISTINGS ======================== 1. http://702nseventh.com 2. 12060 Cactus Lane http://terriajudge.com/featuredlistings.html -- click the pic for inside view 3. 103 Wellington http://terriajudge.com/featuredlistings.html -- click the pic for inside view If you're interested in listing your house with Terria, you might be able to have your own website like www.123yourstreet.com! Just visit Terria at http://terriajudge.com/marketevaluation.html to fill out an interest form! ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- How To Find a Real Estate Agent by Alex Fir You may be of the opinion that you don't need a real estate agent and that using one will add to the cost of buying your new home. The fact is that a real estate agent's fees are typically paid by the seller of the home. So, as a buyer, you can get the services of a professional real estate agent without having to directly pay for it. Please confirm this in any paperwork or contracts that a real estate agent may provide because policies vary greatly by state and company. Be sure to ask about fees when you interview agents. Most real estate agents may work with buyers and sellers but often they specialize in working with one or the other. Make sure the agent that you choose has experience working with buyers and with no down payment transactions. Be careful if you are speaking with a real estate agent and they don't seem to recognize terms like "Down Payment Assistance Program". Start making a list of possible real estate agents to interview with referrals from your lender, friends and family. A referral from the lender is great because you get the services from people that have worked together in the past and are already familiar with each other's systems. This can help prevent any last minute surprises or obstacles. Questions to ask while you are interviewing real estate agents: Please explain your fees. Are you familiar with any no down payment financing programs? Have you been involved with no down payment buyers in the past? Would you mind providing sample contracts so I may review them? Does it clearly state in the contract who will be paying your fees? How long have you been a real estate agent? Do you mostly work with buyers or sellers? I'm looking for a home in the areas of ______. How familiar are you with those areas? What specific steps would you take to help me find the home I am looking for? You should also try to get an idea of these factors while you are speaking with the agent. - Does this person have good negotiating skills? - Do you feel this agent is trying to understand your situation so that they can properly represent you to sellers? - How much knowledge does the agent have about mortgage markets? **EDITOR'S NOTE: Terria Judge is both a buyer's and seller's agent and has the experience you need to buy or sell your home! About the Author Do you need business or finance information? Visit "Business Finance information", FREE web site for those who want to learn how to achieve success in business and finance. http://www.business-finance-site.com ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- Three Ways to Add Charm and Style to Your Kitchen by Kathy Burns-Millyard I like decorating my kitchen with a cozy, warm, inviting, homey feeling to it. Usually I'm fighting for all the space I can get in my kitchen too. If you'd like to try this style yourself, you need additional space, or if you simply want to create a different look and feel to your current kitchen decorating style: here are a few tips for you to try. 1. Hang your pots and pans on the wall. This works whether you have a matching set of pots and pans, or whether it's an eclectic collection gathered over the years. Simply put hooks in the wall, then hang the pots by their handles with the bottom facing outwards. This is particularly useful for space saving and organization too. My favorite location to hang the pots and pans is on the wall right above the stove. If you have the room, this puts the pots on display nicely while keeping them right on hand for cooking. 2. Hang your potholders and hotpads on the wall. If your pans are too heavy to hang safely, or you simply don't want them on display, or you'd like to add other embellishments to your hanging pots arrangement - potholders work quite well as kitchen wall decorations too! 3. Hang your trivets on the wall. Another great way to decorate while saving space and keeping useful kitchen essentials right on hand, is to hang your trivets on the wall. A collection of antique trivets makes an especially nice kitchen wall arrangement, but modern ones work really well too. Use solid colors or patterns to match the rest of your kitchen decor, or choose trivets that have pictures on them so your kitchen wall will have pictures on it when the trivets aren't in use. Other things I like to hang in the kitchen for both space saving purposes, decorative accents, and to have on easy hand at all times include: a manual can opener, measuring cups and spoons, serving utensils, and coffee mugs. These items usualy hang under my cabinets because they don't work well on the walls. So there you have it. Use what you already have hidden away in the kitchen to create a cozy, warm, inviting and decorative kitchen atmosphere! For more home decorating tips, advice, articles and supplies, visit The Do It Yourself Home Decorating Network @DIYHomeDecorating.com. About the Author © 2005, Kathy Burns-Millyard ---------BETTER JUDGEMENTS--------- This newsletter is compiled and published by Mitone Griffith, http://brightideagraphicdesign.com

  May 30th, 2005 at 4:12 pm

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