Sign...or Else

I had a wake-up call last week while getting things together for the purchase of our first REO property. The list of addendum included liabilities to the tune of $100 per day if we don't close on the specified date. But what surprised me the most was there was no quid pro quo. The bank could be as late as they wanted to closing and they experienced no ramifications at all.

When I balked at the notion that I should pay a per deim, my agent talked to the other agent. He said that we were only $500 higher than the next highest bidder. Which reading between the lines you can see what that meant.



In a recent post on Activerain.com an agent posted a blog about a sellers use of the property after the sale. According to the "Arms Length Transaction Notice" that both seller and buyer had to sign on a short sale, the bank was forcing the parties to say they will never let the seller rent or buy the property.



Now, I understand that the seller could be trying to get out from under the house just to buy it again, but who cares? If the bank got a fair price for it, then why do they give a crap what happens to it afterward? It seems a bit draconian of them to insist that the people who know the most about the house, want to keep their kids in the same school and have made connections in the neighborhood to have no recourse to stay. This is not good for neighborhoods, communities and the country in general. Having to move in the middle of job loss is a recipe for dysfunction, which will be carried onto the taxpayers who are still working by way of new housing assistance, welfare payments and other subsidies.



We who are in the real estate business need to call these REO sellers to account. What is happening is not good for the industry either. How much more time are you spending on deals because of increased paperwork and time affiliated with these transactions? How much liablity are you as an agent opening yourself up to with all these fine print addendums and notices? I say Fannie and Freddie need a refresher economics course in free market society. All this red tape is raising some red flags and I'm beginning to smell something funny, and it's not just the stench of a stuffy vacant property.

CCWS News - Elance

Look for me, Christine Emmick, on Elance.com. Here you can request services, inquire about rates and browse my portfolio. Click here to visit me on Elance.

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Writer's Resume - Samples

When taking the time to review your work history and create that winning resume that is sure to make that employer or client choose you over the other guy, be sure to include top quality samples of your work. Choose samples that show your writing style, as well as your expert knowledge of your subject.

And don't even thing about plagiarizing content. Most hiring editors will take the time to check your samples with an authentication site such as Copyscape to make sure you didn't try to pass of someone else's sample as your own. Besides, if they don't check the copy and you get the job, you won't keep it long.

If you don't have published samples of your work, how do you get them? You can start by creating your own blog, this gives both writing practice and a potential audience. Then start looking for opportunities for writing web content. These don't pay well, but they are a great way to expand your work experience, learn to work with an editor, and get a little cash on the side. You can find opportunities at sites such as Elance and Freelancer.

Delmont Subway Restaurant inside Wal-Mart Offers Customers Big Discount in Exchange for School Supply Donation

“Subway Helps Students in Need” promotion lets this Subway's Customers Help Give Kids a Great Start in School

By Christine Emmick

Now through the end of September the owners of Subway Restaurant inside of the Delmont Wal-Mart store will offer $1.00 off any item on their menu with a donation of new school supplies. They will distribute the school supplies to the families of students at Greensburg Salem, Jeanette, Penn Trafford and Christian Fellowship Academy schools.

The idea sprung from a wish to help those families struggling during these tough economic times. When assistant manager Jessie Staymates decided to offer an incentive to help give kids get a great start in school, she never dreamed her customers would be so giving. Folders, notebooks, pencils highlighters and stickers poured in. Because of the generosity of their customers, the Delmont Subway will have hundreds of dollars of school supplies to distribute to families in these school districts.

To get more information or to make a donation, call Jessie at 724-468-3010, or simply stop by the restaurant. To get directions to the Delmont Wal-Mart Subway, visit www.subway.com and click the “Restaurant Locator” tab at the top of the page. The “Subway Helps Students in Need” promotion runs through September 30th.

Christine Emmick is a freelance foods and business writer based in the Pittsburgh area. You may contact Christine through her blog site at www.glutenfreefantasy.blogspot.com or www.activerain.com/cemmick.

Real Estate Success Bus Tour

Search Real Estate Property the Easy Way by Taking a Ride with Staged for Success on the Pittsburgh Foreclosure Bus

By Christine Emmick

In today’s economy, foreclosures are inevitable, but the current market is great for Pittsburgh. In February of this year, Pittsburgh was named one of the best places to ride out the recession by Business Week. With a solid job market and plenty of affordable housing, Pittsburgh and the surrounding tri-state area could see home prices actually increase over the next decade. This is good for the local real estate market, especially since real estate is on sale right now. The market plunge has caused the Pittsburgh real estate value to dip slightly, about one percent according to real estate market reports found at Zillow.com. With news like this now is the time to buy.

Real estate foreclosures present exciting buying opportunities for first time home buyers and those interested in investment property. You could comb through the real estate property listings filled with bargain basement money pits or go to one of those questionable real estate auctions requiring thousands of dollars cash up front to find foreclosures. Or you could take a ride on The Success Bus. Staged for Success, the premier staging company in the Pittsburgh region, is hosting real estate bus tours in many Pittsburgh regions. This hassle-free way of looking at real estate from Staged for Success takes you on a comfortable bus ride, using their gasoline, and lets you examine properties that are worthy of your time and money, with no pressure to buy any of the houses they show.

A ride on The Success Bus lasts from about 10am until 4pm and features full viewing of approximately twelve foreclosure properties. These real estate listings are hand selected so you won’t waste your time looking at houses that need torn down and made into a parking lot. The real estate tour also includes advice from experts in the Pittsburgh real estate markets and experienced negotiators to help get the best price for the home. Not only that, Staged for Success provides lunch, including chips, drink and sandwich. For those that choose to make a purchase, take any of the classes available on their website or use any of their staging services, they offer 25 to 50 percent off their services. The cost of the tour is only 50 dollars per person or 90 dollars per couple and you receive a full refund of the tour admission when purchasing a home through the program. For upcoming tour dates and Pittsburgh neighborhood locations, visit www.thesuccessbus.com or call 724-757-9291. For any questions about the online home buyer’s class, visit the Staged for Success website at www.mystagingpros.com.

It’s time to get on the bus!

Content sponsored by Staged for Success, a full service home and business staging company serving the greater Pittsburgh area. For more information about Staged for Success, visit their website at www.mystagingpros.com.

Christine Emmick is a freelance business and real estate writer based in the Pittsburgh area. You may contact Christine through her blog site at www.activerain.com/cemmick.

Latrobe Area School to Get Free School Supplies through Campbell’s Soup Label Program

Mountain View Elementary to Receive Over 20,000 Labels for EducationTM from Morella’s Route 30 Shop-n-Save

By Christine Emmick

Since February 2007, the owners of Morella’s Route 30 Shop-n-Save have donated over 26,000 Campbell’s® Labels for EducationTM to Latrobe area schools, and they are set to do it again. Through a partnership with the company, the Latrobe Shop-n-Save will donate over 23,000 more Labels for EducationTM certificates to Mountain View Elementary School in Latrobe.

With these certificates, the school can select anything from Crayola® art supplies, Merriam-Webster’s® reference books and Math Blaster® learning software, to playground equipment, a MiniDV camcorder or a wireless PA system. The program also includes earning points for video projectors, iMac® and Dell® computers, flat panel TVs, educational games, science kits and models, microscopes and even an electronic scoreboard.

The Morella’s encourage members of the community to join their efforts by simply donating Labels for Education UPC codes from the products they use. Just drop them off at the box located at the front of the service desk. Many Campbell’s® soup UPC codes qualify for the Labels for EducationTM program, and Labels for EducationTM points are also found on selected Spaghettios®, Franco-American®, Prego®, Pepperidge Farm® and Swanson® products. Selected V8® juice caps and certain Campbell’s® Foodservice products are even accepted. For more information on what to collect, visit http://www.labelsforeducation.com/default.aspx and click on View Eligible Products.

For more information about the Labels for EducationTM program, weekly specials or other sales promotions, contact the Morella’s Route 30 Shop-n-Save at 724-532-3939. Look for Morella’s on the web at http://www.rt30shopnsave.com/index2.html. Click the Jobs & Community sidebar to learn more about what the store does for the Latrobe area, and click Special Promotions to find out about their specials.

Christine Emmick is a freelance foods and business writer based in the Pittsburgh area. You may contact Christine through her blog site at www.activerain.com/cemmick.

Get Your House Ready to Sell This Spring

Strategic Home Improvement Increases Your Home Value, Inside and Out

By Christine Emmick

Spring is a great time to do home improvement and when you’re selling a home, you need every one of those investment dollars to count. When a home buyer looks for houses for sale, curb appeal is not the only important factor anymore. Multi-photo listings and virtual home tours mean you need to have your house looking its best, both inside and out, before the real estate agent does a home appraisal.

Start with your home interior. Tackle the clutter and get rid of anything you do not use at least on a weekly basis. Give away what you don’t use, throw away the junk and store the rest. You’ll find dozens of storage facilities listed at uhaul.com. Then decide whether you’ll hire a carpet cleaner or carpet installer. If your carpet is more than five years old or it is stained, it’s best to replace it with new, neutral colored carpet. Finally, get a few estimates from a painting contractor to give the interior walls a fresh look. Again, make sure you choose neutral house paint colors.

Next tackle the outside of the house. Attack the clutter here as well, and then consider new improvements like roof, windows, siding and exterior house paint which will ultimately raise the sale price of your home. Again, keep with neutral shades and be sure to choose colors that complement one another. In general, avoid blue with reds, and any purple, pink or orange hues. Also, make sure to get a copy of the insurance certificate of any roofer, window installer or painter before they do any work and check the references for each contractor as well.
Don’t forget the landscaping. People get their first impression of a property from the landscaping and simple inexpensive changes, such as adding an accent shrub or replacing mulch, can make a big difference. A general landscape contractor can bring an established landscape back to life, but it’s best to hire a landscape architect to re-design a badly maintained site. Early spring is the perfect time to hire a landscape contractor since most are eager to get to work after the off season.

You can do all this yourself, if you have the time and resources. Most people selling a house don’t have time to check a contractor’s references, let alone have the experience required to inspect their work. This is where a good staging company, like Staged for Success comes in. A staging company hires experienced contractors for you who have a proven record of reliability. Also, the staging company is often times able to negotiate a better contract price than a homeowner, mostly due to the volume of business they bring to that contractor.

Staged for Success, the premier staging company in the greater Pittsburgh area, provides free consultations to all prospective staging clients and offers online classes for both those looking to buy and sell a home. Try the Home Buyer Class if you want to know more about real estate agents, credit scores. The Home Sellers Class, which is geared to help you make the most of the selling process, gives details on what to look for in a real estate agent, as well as the particulars on how to make your home look its best. You can reach them at their website, http://www.mystagingpros.com/, or by telephone at 1-877-615-3294.

Spend some time on home improvements this spring. This is the way you “Set the Stage” to sell your home successfully.

Content sponsored by Staged for Success, a full service home and business staging company serving the greater Pittsburgh area. For more information about Staged for Success, visit their website at www.mystagingpros.com.
Christine Emmick is a freelance business and real estate writer based in the Pittsburgh area. You may contact Christine through her blog site at www.activerain.com/cemmick.