The first sign of mold you notice may be a musty smell in your home. After looking around, you spot what looks like mold -- don't panic! You can remove unhealthy mold from your house without it costing a small fortune. Check To Be Sure It's Really Mold Mold can look many different ways, which depends on the type. Some are grayish-white or black and can look like a dirty smudge. If you're in doubt that a spot is mold, you can do a test with chlorine bleach. Simply put a drop on the spot. If the color immediately fades away, you have mold. Mold Infestation Usually Means Leaks Too Mold needs moisture to grow. If you find mold, you know that you probably also have a water problem in your Parkland home. So first, you'll need to find the source of the leak and repair it. After that, you can b... 03/22/2013

The Federal Reserve's statement after yesterday's Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting left no doubt as to the Fed's dual commitment to keeping long term interest rates down and encouraging economic growth. No changes to the Fed's current bond-buying program were made during today's FOMC meeting. The Fed's monthly purchase of $85 billion in bonds and MBS works by boosting bond prices, which typically helps with keeping mortgage rates lower. The Fed reaffirmed its position that it will not withdraw or reduce monetary easing until the unemployment rate is substantially lower. Unemployment Rate Improving Nationally Fed predictions for the national unemployment rate improved; December's outlook for 2013 estimated the unemployment rate at between 7.4 to 7.7 percent; the Fed now expec... 03/21/2013

Staging is the art of preparing your home for sale before showing it to prospective buyers. The point of staging is to highlight the house's strengths, downplay its weaknesses and make it more appealing. With the right decorating techniques, you can win buyers over the moment they step through the door. Below are a few staging tips to help make your house irresistible to potential buyers. Put Everything Away The first step is to put away anything that is not essential. This will open up the house so that it appears more spacious. Even if you have to rent a storage unit, finding a new home for all of your family's projects and collections should clear some space and help buyers imagine their own belongings in your home for sale. Pay special attention to entryways and narrow hallways to i... 03/19/2013

Last week's positive employment reports were good news for the economy, which typically causes mortgage rates to rise, but mortgage rates ended the week lower. As of Thursday, Freddie Mac reports that the average mortgage rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage was 3.63 percent with borrowers paying their closing costs and 0.8 percent in discount points. The average mortgage rate for a 15 year loan was 2.79 percent with borrowers paying their own closing costs and 0.8 percent in discount points. Strong Retail Sales Show Consumer Confidence Improving In other economic news, retail sales for February surpassed Wall Street expectations and grew by 1.1 percent against predictions of 0.5 percent and January's reading of 0.1 percent. Retail sales account for 70 percent of the U.S. economy and ... 03/17/2013

When you are looking to buy a home, it is important to keep in mind that no real estate price is set in stone. There is always room for negotiation, and with the right techniques you may end up saving thousands of dollars on your dream house. However, it can be tricky to get the right reaction when you are negotiating. Here are a few tips that will help you to haggle your way to the best deal. Find Out The Seller's Motivation If they really need to move and sell the property, it will be easier to convince them to negotiate on price or other deal points. For example, they might be relocating for a job or the house might be close to foreclosure, which would give them the motivation to sell quickly at the price you offer. Investigate How Long The Property Has Been On The Market If the sell... 03/14/2013

Parkland's High School principal is being forced out!!  According to several news sources in the Broward County area, the school board is not renewing contracts with approx. 10 principals.  To the suprise of Stoneman Douglas High School parents and Parkland Mayor Michael Udine, Washington Collado is included in the group. This is, despite the fact that Stoneman Douglas is an "A" school and ranked in the top 1% of the nation.  Mayor Udine told Channel 10 News  "This came out of left field for us and was very concerning as parents and community leaders." There are rummors as to the school board's motivation for this decision.  Reagardless of their reasons, Parklanders should be concerned. As a long time realtor in Parkland, I know our superior schools have a major impact on our property v... 03/13/2013

Last week's jobs report -- a combination of the Department of Labor's Non-farm Payrolls Report and Unemployment Rate -- provided investors and job seekers with unexpected good news. Job growth for February handily exceeded most economists expectations of 160,000 by adding 236,000 new jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment increased in business and professional services, construction and healthcare: Business and professional services added 73,000 jobs Construction added 48,000 jobs. Of these, 17,000 jobs were for residential construction. Healthcare added 32,000 jobs Since September, construction employment has risen by 151,000. This increase in construction jobs may point to a strengthening in the home building sector. Stronger home building numbers may lead to in... 03/12/2013

Whether you are moving to a new house with children or you are buying your first Parkland home or Coral Springs home with the intention of raising future little ones there, many factors will come into play when making your decision. You will want to find a house with the right size and layout, that has a suitable number of bedrooms and bathrooms, is in an excellent neighborhood and has all of the local amenities your family will need. Here are three important factors to consider during your new home search: Location Take a look at the area where the property is located. Is it close to a school that your kids can attend when they are old enough? Is there a playground where they can play with their friends? Are you near any convenient shopping areas or stores for picking up groceries? Loc... 03/12/2013

Mortgage rates and the major stock market indices rose last week in response to a strong jobs report and lower national unemployment rate. The Department of Labor's Non-farm Payrolls report for February surpassed expectations with 236,000 new jobs reported against expectations of 170,000 new jobs expected by Wall Street. This stronger than expected showing in jobs numbers points to a stronger economy and may lead to less pressure to hold mortgage interest rates lower. The Dow Jones Index also reached record levels last week. This strong stock market performance is to be expected with better than expected employment reports. February's numbers also exceeded January's reading of 157,000 new jobs added to the economy. Lower Unemployment Rates Help Economy, May Push Interest Rates Higher Th... 03/10/2013

Although the financial markets have tightened lending guidelines and financing requirements over the last few years, the right advice when applying for your loan can make a big difference. Not all loans are approved. And even when they aren't approved immediately, it doesn't have to be the end of your real estate dreams. There are many reasons why a mortgage loan for the purchase of your real estate could be declined. Here are a few things to understand and prepare for when applying for a mortgage: Loan-to-Value Ratio The loan-to-value ratio (LTV) is the percentage of the appraised value of the real estate that you are trying to finance. For example, if you are trying to finance a home that costs $100,000, and want to borrow $75,000, your LTV is 75%. Lenders generally don't like a high ... 03/07/2013

The previous couple of years' doom and gloom outlook is looking like it is turning more upbeat and robust for the rest of 2013. Home Prices Climb Nearly 10% Over Past YearIn fact, a recently released report by CoreLogic stated that home prices were up 9.7 percent from one year previously. That kind of increase is a very good sign that the momentum may be building for a strong real estate market this year. Many other economic experts are predicting that things might be improving this year, including increases in both home prices and sales. Here are some of the ways that these positive changes may impact home buyers and sellers this year. For Buyers: Attractive Financing Options Interest rates could remain at the lowest levels they have been in years, which can make purchasing a home more... 03/06/2013

The Standard and Poor’s Case-Shiller Home Price Indices released February 26 show strong growth in the majority of 20 cities and corresponding metro areas tracked during 2012. The S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Indices measure home prices nationally and locally by compiling data from individual indexes including a 10-City Composite Index, a 20-City Composite Index, and a 20-Metro Area Index that includes metro areas for each of the 20 cities used in the 20-City Composite. Metro Areas Show Nearly Universal Growth 19 of 20 metro areas showed higher home prices in Q 4 2012 with the New York metro area showing a decrease in home prices; this could be due in part to the impact of Hurricane Sandy. Highlights include: The Atlanta and Detroit metro areas saw Q4 2012 Atlanta home prices increase by... 03/06/2013

With spring right around the corner, you might be thinking about sprucing up your Parkland home. However, it may not yet be time to work in the garden or on other outside endeavors. If cabin fever (well not really in Florida, even though it has been pretty cold lately) has been setting in, this is a great time for indoor improvements to brighten your living space and get you warmed up to work outside when the seasons change. Whether it's over-stuffed closets or cluttered garages, everyone has a problem area or two on their property that has not been touched in a while. Below are 5 simple ideas to get you started. Maybe you can even get the kids to lend a hand! Organize That Closet Clear out the things you don't need and make it easier to find the things you do. You can build a closet sy... 03/05/2013

U.S. Budget Stalemate, Italian Elections Stir Concerns Mortgage rates were lower last week as investors sought safety in bonds in the wake of US legislators' failure to agree on budget cutbacks, and after Italy’s elections failed to reveal a leader committed to continuing economic reform. When bond prices including Mortgage Backed Securities rise, mortgage rates typically fall. While the March 1st deadline for passing budget cutbacks for the U.S. government passed without a resolution, emergency legislation passed last year will keep the government running until March 27. If a budget is not passed by then, the federal government could face shutdown. As it stands, $85 billion in cuts are scheduled over the next seven months, but this represents only about 2 percent of the federal budget.... 03/04/2013

April 15th seems a long way off, but it will be here before you know it. Now is the perfect time to start getting your paperwork in order. Owning real estate can make a big difference on your tax return, so make sure that you're taking advantage of all the deductions you're entitled to. We've outlined a few below: Mortgage Interest Unless you paid cash for your purchase, you probably took out a loan to buy your Parkland or Coral Springs home. Mortgage interest is one of the best tax deductions available, so be sure to hang on to that 1098 Mortgage Interest Statement from your lender. You can almost always deduct the entire amount of interest paid per calendar year. Real Estate Taxes Depending on where your property is located, you are likely paying real estate tax, either to the state o... 02/28/2013

Home sales rose for the 11th consecutive month according to the National Association of REALTORS® Existing Home Sales Report for January. This is the first time this has occurred since the period between July of 2005 and May of 2006. National Average Home Price Up Over 12% Annually The national average home price in January was $173,600, which is 12.3 percent higher than for January 2012. Calculated on a seasonally-adjusted annual basis, Existing Home Sales data is compiled using completed sales of single family homes, condominium units and co-ops. January's existing home sales rose by 0.4 percent to 4.92 million sales nationally as compared to December's revised annual rate of 4.90 million sales nationally. National sales of existing homes increased by 9.1 percent as compared to Januar... 02/28/2013

The real estate market has started to recover from the downturn over the last few years in many areas of the country, and more people are thinking about buying a new home. With this new energy in home buying, an interesting trend seems to be developing. Instead of going for larger homes, which was an overwhelming trend in years past, many people are choosing micro-dwellings. What is a micro-dwelling? There are a number of different styles of micro dwellings being built. This is a relatively new concept for homes in the United States and individual creativity abounds in this space. The most common factor in micro-dwellings are their size. They tend to be less than 500 square feet of living space. Some densely populated metropolitan areas like San Francisco & New York City are planning ap... 02/26/2013

Ideally, when you are moving to a new home, you will want to do it on a pleasant and sunny day which makes everything much easier. However, if you are moving in the winter, or an unexpected deluge shows up on your pre-arranged moving day, it can really dampen your enthusiasm and throw a wrench into your plans. It can also make you worry about your possessions being damaged as you move them into your new home. Don't worry; it's still possible to move your possessions in the rain, or cold. All you need is a little bit of technique, forethought and planning. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when you are moving on a day with terrible weather: Dress For Success Make sure everyone in the family is dressed warmly. You will be going back and forth from indoors to outdoors a lot, so it might ... 02/26/2013

A quiet past week in economic news caused mortgage rates to worsen slightly. This week, however, will be packed with economic reports which may have an impact on interest rates going forward. Freddie Mac reported that the average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage rose by 3 basis points from 3.53 percent to 3.56 percent with borrowers paying 0.8 in discount points and all of their closing costs. The average rate for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage was unchanged from last week at 2.77 percent with borrowers paying 0.8 in discount points and all of their closing costs. In other economic news, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for January fell slightly to 0.0 percent as compared to Wall Street expectations of 0.1 percent and December’s reading of 0.1 percent. The Core CPI, which measures co... 02/25/2013

Have you heard the term Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) when looking to finance real estate? You may be wondering what PMI is and how you know when you need to purchase it. These answers can be hard to find among all the real estate jargon you might be hearing lately. Below is the short version of what you need to know. What is Private Mortgage Insurance? Private Mortgage Insurance is an insurance premium required by some lenders to offset the risk of a borrower defaulting on their home loan. When you put down less than 20 percent of the real estate's purchase price, the lender will generally require that PMI is added to the loan. It is usually added into the monthly mortgage payment until the equity position in the real estate reaches 20 percent. However, there may be other options a... 02/22/2013