Most American's spend more time planning their vacation then they do planning their mortgage - usually their largest debt. While I'm passionate about Mortgage Planning I recognize that it isn't the most thrilling activity for most people. But when we consider the current status of the mortgage market and the huge numbers of foreclosures of home owned by people who had no idea that their mortgage would adjust or they honestly believed that their rate was 1.9%. With foreclosures at all time highs, I can't help but think what would have happened if just 5% of those borrowers who have fallen into foreclosure had sat with a mortgage planner and fully understood their loan program. Below is an outline of what mortgage planning is and how it will benefit you. The mortgage planning process is d... 12/05/2007

A roofing contractor had just installed a new roof on a property that had been rehabbed. Many property owners are not familiar enough with the trades to know when a job has been completed properly. Most take the word of the contractor.I could not help but notice that the stack vents on this rehabbed property were the old ones and the roofing contractor sealed them off with tar instead of installing new ones. Leaving the old boot jacks on will leave the new owner with constant maintenance issues with leaking seals as tar has a limited life expectancy. New boot jacks cost a few dollars and need be replaced when the roof is replaced. Many roofing contractors include replacement of boot jacks as part of the price of replacing or installing new roof coverings. If you are having your roof rep... 12/03/2007

Radnor LakeRadnor Lake is one of the crown jewels in the park system in and around the Brentwood area. Located a few short miles north of Brentwood in the Overton's Hill section of Davidson County, it is easily accessible from either the east entrance off Franklin Pike the west entrance off Granny White Pike. Radnor Lake has an interesting history. Originally it was used to provide water for the Radnor train yard located off I-65 in southern Davidson County.     If you need solitude for the soul, enjoy bird watching, hiking, or just want to get away from the city, take the short dive to this Tennessee's first official "Natural Area". 11/30/2007

Brentwood is in a festive mood with Christmas decorations everywhere.  The new Galleria Mall is covered daily with busy shoppers looking for the perfect gifts.  The homes are plentiful and a buyer's dream.  Concord Road is being widened from two lanes to five lanes to accommodate all the new residents.  Subdivisions such as The Governors Club, Hampton Reserve, Bon Brook, Magnolia Vale, and Concord Hunt have beautiful homes just waiting for new arrivals.CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION. 11/28/2007

 2008 CONFORMING LOAN LIMIT $417,000                                                    Brentwood TN Real EstateWashington, DC - Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight Director James B. Lockhart today announced the maximum 2008 conforming loan limit for single-family mortgages purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) will remain at the 2007 level of $417,000 for one-unit properties for most of the U.S. Higher limits apply to Alaska, Hawaii, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands as well as to properties with more than one unit. The conforming loan limit determines the maximum size of a mortgage that an Enterprise can buy or guarantee. By law the maximum conforming loan limit is based on the October-to-October change in the average house price in the Monthly Interest R... 11/27/2007

 Brentwood TN Real Estate:Reasons To Stage Your Home For SaleIf you've been thinking of selling your investment house or your home, you should make sure that you take full advantage of home staging trends.  There are several advantages to home staging trends, which we will take a look at below.One of the best things about staged homes is that they sell in less time.  This is great news for sellers, as these types of homes will sell really fast.  In most cases, you won't have to worry about your home staying on the market for a long period of time.  Research has shown that staged homes sell nearly 40% faster than other homes on the market. Staged homes also sell for more money.  Homes that have sat on the market for a long period of time will normally get lower offers due to the fact tha... 11/19/2007

Brentwood TN Real Estate Home Improvement: Three Top Reasons NOT to Tile over Vinyl FlooringThough more and more people are tiling right over their existing flooring, there are many disadvantages to this.  Though you may think that this will save you time, tiling right over vinyl can compromise the stability and look of your ceramic tile.  Here are the top three reasons not to tile directly over vinyl flooring.1.  It won't stick well.The top layer of vinyl is similar to plastic and it is very difficult to adhere anything to it.  Vinyl is shining with an artificial shine and as your base it isn't porous which means a good bond is very difficult to achieve.  No matter what kind of glue you try to apply to the vinyl, your tiles will not bond well to the vinyl. There are some who recommend ... 11/19/2007

 Brentwood TN Real EstateChristmas Tree Themes: Are They Really Worth It?  Do you celebrate Christmas?  If you do, chances are you will celebrate the holidays with a Christmas tree. Each year, the majority of Americans purchase a Christmas tree for their homes. Whether that tree is real or an artificial one, it is often decorated with Christmas decorations. Different individuals decorate their Christmas trees in different ways.  Many choose to theme their Christmas trees.  If you are planning on decorating your Christmas tree this year, you may be wondering whether or not it is really worth it to decorate your Christmas tree with a theme.  In all honesty, it depends.                  Before you can start to determine whether or not it would be worth it for you to decorate your Christmas... 11/17/2007

Brentwood TN Real Estate So, you're interested to get a mortgage for your dream house. In order to do this, there are some steps you need to get the right home mortgage for you.Step One is to order your credit report from the country's three major credit reporting agencies which are Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. Your credit report is very important in your home mortgage because this determines your ability to pay off the home mortgage you are applying for. Your credit report reflects how up to date you are on paying your credits, your outstanding balance and the amount of money you still owe. A good standing on your credit report assures the lenders that their risk in investing with you will pay off and assures them that they will get their money back as well as assuring you that yo... 11/15/2007

               Brentwood TN Real Estate                              When you are first starting out with investing in houses it is essential to have an experienced REALTOR(R) to guide you through the sometimes complicated process of finding, purchasing, remodeling and then selling a flip!You should look for ugly or bad houses that need a lot of work.  These homes are much cheaper to purchase, although they will take some work to improve.  You should start out by looking for houses that need some work, such as clean up, painting, and in some cases new carpet.  You don't want to buy something too run down, as it could cost a fortune to repair. A face lift is one thing, reconstructive surgery is quite another!                                            ~VS~    If you think of yourself as ... 11/14/2007

  Are you one of the millions of Americans who loves to celebrate Christmas? When asked, the majority of individuals respond that Christmas is one of their favorite holidays, if not their favorite.  If you love to celebrate Christmas, there is a good chance that you may be interested in decorating your home for Christmas.  Unfortunately, as you likely already know, decorating your home can get quite expensive. However, if you want to decorate for Christmas, but you do not have an unlimited amount of money to do so, there are a number of ways that you can go about decorating for Christmas while on a budget.  Perhaps, the best ways to save money on Christmas directions is to decide ahead of time what you need.  Unfortunately, a large number of shoppers, possibly just like you, have a diff... 11/13/2007

Brentwood TN Real EstateThere is no other flooring option that offers the comfort and quiet of carpet.  Now there are not only many colors and patterns of carpets to choose from - there are also a variety of types to suit any household and décor.Carpet is a good choice because it is warm and soft, particularly on children when crawling or playing on the floor.  Carpet is much quieter than other flooring options, particularly hard wood surfaces.  Carpeting is also an economical option because the product itself and installation fees are much lower than other flooring types.Here is an overview of the main carpet types.Saxony: Saxony carpet is smooth and has a cut-pile surface.  It is used mainly in traditional or formal rooms.Textured Saxony or Shag: This type of carpet has a more relaxed... 11/12/2007

 There are more flooring options than ever before, but so much variety can lead to confusion.  How do you choose which floor is best suited to your space?There are three main things you need to keep in mind when choosing a floor: your room type, amount of traffic and budget.  You need to determine what type of room the flooring is needed for and then consider how much traffic will be going through that room.  After determining that, you should consider how much you're willing to spend on flooring, because that will make a difference in terms of the flooring you choose.Here is a brief overview of the main types of flooring on the market today to make choosing your new floor a bit easier.WoodHardwood is one of the most popular options these days because the elegance of this type of floori... 11/12/2007

  Review of Last Week LOTS OF ROCK 'N ROLL BUT NO PARTY... What a wild ride down Wall Street-a 552-point weekly slide for the Dow, as everyone fretted over the financial sector's exposure to more subprime losses. The fun began with the resignation of Citigroup CEO Chuck Prince and ended with Wachovia reporting a $1.1 billion write-down of their collateralized debt obligations, just for October. Along the way, Cisco reported $.40 earnings per share, $.04 ABOVE expectations, but still got hammered. GM deserved its hammering following a record $39 billion loss for Q3.All week was jittery anticipating Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's Thursday testimony before the Joint Economic Committee. Rowdy Wall Streeters quietly listened as Big Ben gave Congress his sobering view: he expects U.S. economic g... 11/12/2007

 As winter approaches and the temperatures drop, many will be turning on "the heat" for the first time this season and find a problem somewhere.  Before you start losing it and screaming at your furnace in the dead cold , stop and take a deep breath. Your furnace might not be working because of a few simple issues that can be fixed quickly. Sometimes the simplest thing is right before your eyes, and when you're agitated you can miss them. Take a few moments and read about 3 common things that can go wrong, and more importantly what you can do to keep your furnace working.Here are 3 tips to use before you call your service repairman.Check your Setting. People have actually called a service technician and they've found out that the only problem was that their temperature setting on their ... 11/11/2007

  Mortgages are going to be what enables you to buy a home unless you are rich in cash. If you aren't rich in cash, then you need to begin doing some mortgage lending research. Otherwise, when you sign on the dotted line to make a new real estate purchase, you'll be signing something promising to buy real estate with no idea of how you will pay for the property. Now, doesn't that sound like a plan? When you set out on your quest to buy real estate, you need to recognize you will need a home loan to secure your real estate purchase. It is likely you already know this but often,  people forget it until it is too late to back up and punt. The idea of using mortgages for home loans is something which has been around since the idea of lending itself but for some reason people will put off lo... 11/11/2007

   Mortgages can be tricky. It is hard to decide which mortgage is right for you when you are unsure if you can afford a home. In fact, if you are in the market for a home, then you likely need to begin talking with a mortgage broker before you begin your search for homes. Sometimes, national real estate chains with real estate offices across the county will have mortgage counseling available through their licensed real estate agents. These agents are able to tell you what you can afford and let you know what you need to do to begin to look a little more appealing to a loan officer. Then, in all likelihood, they can point you in the direction of a good loan officer at a local mortgage company or bank. If you don't have very much money, then the real estate agent can tell you what you ca... 11/10/2007

  Household nightmares often begin when you discover that your children begin to cook when you are still at work and these kitchen savvy kids aren't just stirring up some chicken noodle soup. No, that's not what they choose to eat when they dine in! Maybe it's time to choose some things to put into the pantry that will have you and your kids feeling secure about what's easy to cook or bake when mom and dad aren't there to help. Keep in mind while you can easily put things into the pantry for your children to fix in a hurry, it might be wiser to choose things that can go into the microwave oven quickly and save a mess for you after a long day at work. Pizza pockets and sandwich pockets are easy to fix and kids like to feel like they can whip up a good meal when friends catch a ride to th... 11/10/2007

Thinking of refinancing? Then, stop and think again. You may need to refinance, you may want to refinance, but why are you really going to refinance? The fact is, many people find something they want and discover they have a little equity in their home and often rush right out to take out the equity for something frivolous which they could have later if they started to save now for it. Instead, the "have to get it now" syndrome sets in and before you know it, another refinance is in the works.If you are thinking of refinancing, then do it for legitimate reasons. The best reason in the world to refinance is actually for obtaining a much lower interest rate or to lower your monthly house payments. It's not smart to refinance to get the equity and go on a trip to Las Vegas to place a thirt... 11/08/2007

  Household budgets are not the favorite topic for the heads of households. Still, the fact remains that many people must face the music sooner or later in regards to budgeting and the fact also remains that the music can ring loud constant reminders of a thing called debtors prison if you don't get it together sooner rather than later!Household budgets are usually tight when raising a family. However, you can certainly do something about that if you just put a pen to paper and plan ahead. While planning your family household budget, think of tips to cut the household budget in half or to at least help with cutting costs where costs can be cut. Slash the budget in half by finding ways to save on every day expenses. Grocery bills can be cut in half if you learn to buy the off-brand thing... 11/08/2007