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        <title>Alabama Real Estate Blog- News, Information, and Tips</title>
        <link>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/</link>
        <description>Alabama Real Estate Blog- Real Estate Agent Barry Lynn Miller gives his thoughts about the Real Estate Market - In and around Alabama - Covering Alabama Real Estate News and Information</description>
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            <guid>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/credit-cards-can-sometimes-help-a-poor-credit-file.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/credit-cards-can-sometimes-help-a-poor-credit-file.html</link>
            <author>miller.exec@gmail.com (Barry Lynn Miller)</author>
            <title>Credit Cards can sometimes help a poor Credit file</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
When you have bad credit, poor credit, and or limited credit it is often hard to get a lender or bank to take a chance and extend any type of credit to you.  There by making it diffecult to every establish or rebuild your credit rating.  A solution to this problem could be a secured line of credit or better known as a secured credit card.


 


There are several ways opening a secured credit card can jump start your credit file in the right direction.




Opens a new line of good credit that reports to the credit companies such as Equafax


A new credit card with a zero balance (or less than 30%) will jump your credit score up about 3-15 points




There are some situations were a new credit card will negativly affect your credit file.




Your balance exceeds 30% of the card limit - say you have a $1000 limit if you balance exceeds $300 your score may drop.


If you miss a payment and the credit card company reports a late payment




 


So when your ready to get your credit back on the right track be sure to consider a secured credit card, it might just be the best solution to your credit problems.


Applied Bank® Secured Visa® Gold Credit Card
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            <pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:40:51 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/405-paradise-isle-riverside.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/405-paradise-isle-riverside.html</link>
            <author>miller.exec@gmail.com (Barry Lynn Miller)</author>
            <title>405 Paradise Isle Riverside</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
405 Paradise Isle Riverside Al 


Logan Martin Lake Condo-   This property 
has been completely remodeled and has all the bells and whistles. 
Community has Pool, tennis courts and boat launch.  If you every wanted 
to live on Logan Martin lake here is your chance.


The seller is very motivated and willing to be creative with fianincing.  So lease purchase option is avaiable as well as trade equity, meaning if you are looking at selling your property, so that you can be on Logan Martin Lake- my client might be interested in buying your property on the condition that you buy his.  So that being said if you are looking to live on Logan Martin Lake be sure to give me a call and lets see if we can get something worked out.
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            <pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:18:56 -0600</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/new-upgrade-to-alabama-homes-website.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/new-upgrade-to-alabama-homes-website.html</link>
            <author>miller.exec@gmail.com (Barry Lynn Miller)</author>
            <title>New upgrade to Alabama Homes website</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
You should notice that all of the listings you find will have similar properties located at the bottom, this should help you with searches and insure you don't miss any great properties. So lets say you were on the Birmingham Homes page and you clicked on a property for $400,000 you would see related or similar properties at the bottom. I hope you like the updates and still to come is a mobile application with should be installed by the end of the month.


 


Below you will find some Birmingham Homes in the $200k price range as examples.
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            <pubDate>Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:32:54 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/3-biggest-seller-mistakes-priceconditionmarketing.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/3-biggest-seller-mistakes-priceconditionmarketing.html</link>
            <author>miller.exec@gmail.com (Barry Lynn Miller)</author>
            <title>3 Biggest Seller Mistakes (Price/Condition/Marketing)</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Given the current state of the economy, it has never been more important to be sure you are doing everything right to sell your home. After all, it is no secret that most housing markets are still overflowing with inventory. As such, whether you're selling Alabama or Lake Austin real estate, you need to make your home stand out from the rest of the competition. 


The first step toward making this happen is to avoid making these 3 most common seller mistakes.




Seller Mistake #1:


 Setting the Wrong Price
Perhaps the biggest mistake a seller can make is to set the wrong price. Many sellers mistakenly think they should set the price higher than what they hope to get. This way, they hope to have some room for negotiation. While this may seem like a good way to make the buyer feel as if he is getting a good deal while still getting the price you want, setting the price too high is a very bad idea. First, most buyers set a price range before they start looking at homes. If your home is outside of that price range, you will automatically lose a score of potential buyers. Furthermore, when you set your price far above its market value, even those who are interested in a home will not give your property a second look. After all, who wants to do business with someone who clearly doesn’t understand the value of his property?



When helping you set a price for your property, your real estate agent will consider many factors. These include neighborhood statistics, current market climate, the condition of your home and the amenities your home has to offer. While you don’t have to price your home according to the agent’s recommendation, you should stick as close to this recommendation as possible. Otherwise, your home will likely sit on the market for a very long time. Not only will this be frustrating to you, but buyers also tend to question homes that have been on the market for too long. This will only make it more difficult to get your home sold. By setting the right price from the start, you can avoid many potential headaches.




Seller Mistake #2: 


Selling a Home that is in Poor Condition
Most people who are interested in purchasing a home are not looking for a fixer-upper. Rather, they want a home that is in move-in condition and features modern amenities. Therefore, it is always a good idea to invest a little money into the home in order to ensure it is of good condition. While it is easy for you to focus on the highlights, buyers will focus on the low points. To get the most out of your home, be sure to make all of the necessary repairs and upgrades that your real estate agent suggests.




Seller Mistake #3: 


Poor Marketing Practices
While it is your real estate agent’s job to market your home, you will still have a say in how your home is marketed to potential buyers. To ensure your home is marketed properly, be sure to discuss marketing with potential real estate agents as you interview them. The best agents will market your home through a variety of different channels, including the Internet and social media.



 


About The Author - Eric Bramlett specializes in Steiner Ranch real estate and is broker &amp; co-owner of One Source Realty, a boutique Downtown Austin condos firm.
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            <pubDate>Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:10:50 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/new-real-estate-tools-finally-here-check-them-out.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/new-real-estate-tools-finally-here-check-them-out.html</link>
            <author>miller.exec@gmail.com (Barry Lynn Miller)</author>
            <title>New Real Estate tools finally here!  Check them out.</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 


Google Street View




Now on our website you can see actual street-level views of neighborhoods surrounding a property.  


Google Street View is a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides panoramic
 views to it's users from various positions along just about all streets in the world. Google Street View was 
launched on 5/25/07, originally only in select cities in the 
U.S., and has since gradually expanded to include most urban cities 
and rural areas worldwide.





GSV displays images taken from a small fleet of specially 
adapted cars and areas not accessible by car, like pedestrian areas, narrow
 streets, alleys and ski resorts, are sometimes covered by Google Trikes.
















Microsoft Bird's Eye View 


We love all of Google's little gadgets and the mapping technology they provide, but as awesome as 
they are, there are other platforms that I have found that offer goodies not yet available
 through Google Mapping such as Microsoft's "birds eye view" – Very 
cool!






 


 


 


 


 


Local (Demographics) Module


This is a new tab on the Alabama
 property details pages of each listing which, when clicked, will provides detailed 
statistics and other demographic information about the community area. It also details 
community characteristics, population statistics, financial statistics, crime rates, weather
 &amp; climate, and much more!


 


 


 


 


 


 


I hope you find these tools useful and please be sure to share on Facebook, should you find a listing deserving the merit.





These new features can be found on the listing details pages of all properties listed in our Alabama Real Estate data base.




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            <pubDate>Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:31:19 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/bills-before-congress-do-you-know-what-happens-in-washington.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/bills-before-congress-do-you-know-what-happens-in-washington.html</link>
            <author>miller.exec@gmail.com (Barry Lynn Miller)</author>
            <title>Bills before Congress - Do you know what happens in Washington</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
Everyday it seems that Congress changes laws and makes new laws that affect you.  Do you know what they are and how they affect you, if not then you need to take 20 minutes and check out some of these bills before Congress.  If by chance you disagrees with any of the bills currently before Congress, now is the time to act.  Call your representative today and let them know how you feel.  It is your job to express your opinion before the bills before Congress become a Law you have to follow.  Also before I get to involved with this post, I need to get my pluge in "When your ready to start looking at Birmingham Homes be sure to give our Executive team a call."


There are currently "bills before Congress" pertaining to Real Estate matters


S.1616 - H.R.2989  Real Estate Investment and Jobs Act of 2011


A bill before Congress to amend the IRS Code of 1986 to exempt certain stock of real estate investment trusts from the tax on foreign investments in United States real property interests, and for other such purposes. Sen. Menendez Introduced this Bill before Congress. This bill was presented to both the House of Representative on Sept.21 2011 and the Senate on Sept. 22 2011  Note: This was a Bill brought before the 112th Congress.


H.R.1567 - Foreclosure Prevention and Sound Mortgage Serving Act of 2011


A bill before Congress to amend the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974 to require mortgagees for mortgages in default to engage in reasonable loss mitigation activities, and for other purposes. This bill was presented by Representative Maxine Waters D-CA.  This bill was brought before Congress on April 14, 2011


Highlights of Bill H.R.1567 




No Foreclosure allowed until loss mitigation requirements have been meet


ACTIONS BASED ON CIRCUMSTANCES - I take this as a proven hardship may allot for more time


Can not charge large fees for mitigation


REQUIREMENT OF SINGLE POINT OF CONTACT  (my favorite- One person)




H.R.1713 - Federal Cost Reduction Act of 2001


A bill before Congress to reduce Federal spending associated with data center real estate and electricity consumption.  Basically trim some fat save tax dollars, presented by Representative Gerald Connolly - Note: this might take more than 20 minutes


S.329 - Safety From Sex Offenders Act of 2011 - A bill before congress to prohibit sex offenders from using property management or maintenance functions to access the residence of an individual.


Other Bills and Resolutions of interest


H.R.2495 - Tax Equity and Middle Class Fairness Act of 2011-To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to eliminate certain tax expenditures- This one is very long and I will have to do some other research on this one. TO BE CONTINUED


H.R.2446 - RESPA Home Warranty Clarification Act of 2011 To clarify the treatment of homeowner warranties under current law, and for other purposes


H.R.2191 - Home Inspection Act of 2011  bill brought before Congress adding requirements to that of any home inspection conducted in connection with a purchase of residential real property that involves a federally related mortgage loan such as FHA, USDA, or VA


H.R.1755 - Home Construction Lending Regulatory Improvement Act of 2011 


S.390 - Blue Star/Gold Star Flag Act of 2011


S.Res.60 This is not a bill before Congress it is a Resolution - They want to recognize a good law that was created 50 years ago about the REITs - Real Estate Investment Trusts - more or less a retirement fund.


I hope you found this blog post about bills before Congress useful, please leave any comment you might like to share and if by chance I missed a Bill presented to Congress, please let me know by adding the bill H.R.# or S.# and I will be glad to research it. TP5QDEJT6NWF


Some other Bills before Congress, besides Real Estate related that you might want to review:


H.R.358 - Protect Life Act | S.1619 - Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act of 2011 |S.1660 - American Jobs Act of 2011 | H.R.822 - National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011 


Contact your elected government officials


 





 


 







News Widgets &amp; TickersPowered by BlastCasta





 
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            <pubDate>Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:29:04 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/get-a-second-opinion.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/get-a-second-opinion.html</link>
            <author>kathyberrios@charter.net (Kathy  Berrios)</author>
            <title>Get A Second Opinion!</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
I had a customer contact me wanting to do a lease purchase on a house. She said she talked to a bank and they told her she did not qualify to buy. I suggested that she speak to a lender before she made that decision. After talking to one of my preferred lenders, she was approved for a conventional loan and we are going house-hunting on Thursday! It is sort of like going to the doctor - - getting a second opinion is a smart idea!
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            <pubDate>Tue, 04 Oct 2011 13:36:36 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/logan-martin-real-estate-and-marketing.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/logan-martin-real-estate-and-marketing.html</link>
            <author>miller.exec@gmail.com (Barry Lynn Miller)</author>
            <title>Logan Martin Real Estate and Marketing</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
When marketing your Logan Martin Real Estate listings or any listing for that matter it is always a good idea to write your description keeping in mind good SEO.  What that means is, in today's market were you have likes of zillow, trulia, and Realtor .com you need to keep in mind keywords to help your listing stand out on those websites.  Take for instance these Logan Martin Real Estate listings the agents here are doing a good job of optimizing their listings, by adding descriptive keywords especially the use of Logan Martin Lake.  One of them picked this little trick up from me and I only thought it fair to let all the Logan Martin Lake Realtors in on this little secret.  The reason this works is, lets say you started off your description with "Logan Martin Homes with 4 bedrooms" and someone searches just that then your listing should be on the front page of GOOGLE and if you do some other optimization then you could be in the first position which is great for your seller and for you.


On the flip side you are driving buyer traffic to your competitor if they are optimized better then you are. (just like I am doing here) That is OK in the grand scheme of things because you are marketing your listing not marketing for buyers. The only way to control your listing totally is to opt out of showing your listing online there by disallowing the big dogs your listing data.  Doing this would only be recommended if you have a lot of listing in one area, there by limiting your competitions data and allowing you to have more information about a specific city or town.  This would also be a hard sale to your sellers who want to see their property on every site.


I hope this helps the Logan Martin Real Estate agents market their listings a little easier and drive more buyers to the door no matter if they represent the buyer or not.  After all your job to the seller is to get the property sold.
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            <pubDate>Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:46:45 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/alabama-real-estate-buyer-and-seller-tools.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/alabama-real-estate-buyer-and-seller-tools.html</link>
            <author>miller.exec@gmail.com (Barry Lynn Miller)</author>
            <title>Alabama Real Estate: Buyer and Seller Tools</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
I pride myself on having the best Alabama Real Estate website in central Alabama.  That being said there are some tools that I do not have on this website but that I do have on other websites managed by Barry Miller's "Executive Team" 


1. Market Insider  


The information on this web page is consolidated from multiple resources and includes active listings, recently sold property, and much more. It does not matter if you're a buyer or seller, the knowledge you obtain will help put you in control of your Alabama real estate transactions. It has Community Information, Local Schools, Insider Tips, and an option to compare areas of interest.


2. Marketing Report 


For all our current home sellers and/or Alabama Real Estate clients. To view the marketing campaign for your home simply enter your property ID.  You will receive an instant report of activity.


3. Buyer Resources 


A list of reports and questions that ever Alabama Real Estate buyer should ask themselves, and tools to help in a buying decision.


4. Mobile Phone Alabama Real Estate Search


I have not worked out all the issues with this program but soon you will be able to search homes via you cellular phone.


 


For the most part this Alabama Real Estate website has everything you need and we are always working to bring you more tools and information.  Another great tool that this website has and often gets over looked is a Mortgage Calculator that gives you more detailed information then you will ever need. Alabama Mortgage Calculator 


 


If you have a question about Alabama Real Estate and would like more information or if you are needing the use of a tool be sure to give Barry Lynn Miller a call and I will be glad to find the information or tools that you need.
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            <pubDate>Fri, 23 Sep 2011 17:28:19 -0500</pubDate>
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            <guid>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/alabama-real-estate-market-supply-demand-and-financing.html</guid>
            <link>http://www.alabamahomesandcondos.com/blog/alabama-real-estate-market-supply-demand-and-financing.html</link>
            <author>miller.exec@gmail.com (Barry Lynn Miller)</author>
            <title>Alabama Real Estate Market: supply, demand, and "FINANCING"</title>
            <description> <![CDATA[ 
After reading all the news papers and listening to all the news television spots about the housing market.  It's a wonder how most Alabama Real Estate Agents get out of bed in the morning, the negativity is enough to put the average person over the edge.


The "Executive Team" of Keller Williams Trussville, an Alabama Real Estate sales team, meet last week and discussed this very issue and come to the conclusion that although Alabama has it's rough spots for the most part we still have seller's who want to sell and buyers who want to buy.  We know it's not the Alabama Mortgage Rates they are at an all time low.


Most economic equations are simple supply and demand, as long as keep the a good balance, just about any business will be OK. Our problem with the Alabama Real Estate market is not  just supply and demand, it's supply, demand, and "FINANCING" 


So what do we as Alabama Real Estate agents do to fix the problem?  Well the only thing we can do is educate our clients on all Mortgage nit-ch products.  You ask what is that? A nit-ch product is something an Alabama Mortgage Lender hangs there hat on so to say.  They may do all FHA loans or just VA loans, but you have some that do low credit score loans too.  So that being said take a look at the scale below and if you would like more information about a particular lender send me an email with the Alabama Mortgage Lender code in the subject. OK MY EMAIL JUST GOT FLOODED WITH QUESTIONS - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A CERTAIN SITUATION I HAVE MORTGAGE LENDERS REVIEWING MY BLOG THEY WILL ANSWER THEM SO PLEASE USE THE COMMENT SECTION AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS SCREEN.


 


TJLow     Low interest          Large selection of Mortgage Products


Ke580     580 Credit            Can do loans down to a 580 credit score with 10% Down


LibFast    Fast turn              Can close you loan fast with good rates


KeTrad    Limited Credit       Limited Credit OK 


USAge     100% Low            Low income family loans, Low rates


TJLow      Lake Homes         Specializing in Second home financing 


WeBeo     Manufactured       Manufactured Home Financing


Lease       Lease                  Lease Purchase is an option but not your last


 


If you have a situation that does not fall into the categories listed above give me an email and I will be glad to brain storm with you to come up with a solution to help you buy your piece of Alabama Real Estate.


OK MY EMAIL JUST GOT FLOODED WITH QUESTIONS - IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION 
ABOUT A CERTAIN SITUATION I HAVE MORTGAGE LENDERS REVIEWING MY BLOG THEY
 WILL ANSWER THEM SO PLEASE USE THE COMMENT SECTION AT THE BOTTOM OF 
THIS SCREEN.
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            <pubDate>Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:29:49 -0500</pubDate>
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