Asifa Zia -The Realtor YOU want

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR(R) Magazine What is luring home buyers to new homes? Technology, the outdoors, and “super kitchens” are among what Nick Lehnert, executive director at KTGY, and Mollie Carmichael, principal at John Burns Real Estate Consulting, recently shared with BUILDER Online  on some of the design drivers in the new-home market. Here are some of the trends they point to: 1. Super kitchens:  The kitchen is not just a hub for cooking but has become a center of the home for entertainment and conversations. Builders have been opening the kitchen to other rooms and the kitchen island is becoming key to separating the spaces. The island adds more seating along with extra prep space. As kitchens become more open, pantries are getting bigger to accommodate the need for storage. Transitional Kitchen  by  Asbury Park Kitchen & Bath Remodelers   Robert Legere Design 2. Outdoor/indoors merged:  The interiors are feeling stretched by carving out spaces tha

       Not all real estate practitioners are REALTORS®. The term REALTOR® is a registered trademark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of REALTORS® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. Here's why it pays to work with a REALTOR®. Navigate a complicated process . Buying or selling a home usually requires disclosure forms, inspection reports, mortgage documents, insurance policies, deeds, and multipage settlement statements. A knowledgeable expert will help you prepare the best deal, and avoid delays or costly mistakes. Information and opinions . REALTORS® can provide local community information on utilities, zoning, schools, and more. They’ll also be able to provide objective information about each property. A professional will be able to help you answer these two important questions: Will the property provide the environment I want for a home or investment? Second, will the property have resale value when I

                                             By:  Anne Miller Summer may be real estate’s busy season, but winter offers great opportunities for buying a house, especially for renters looking to become homeowners , growing families trading up to larger houses and baby boomers seeking homes to fit their evolving lifestyles. Generally speaking, your housing choices during the late fall are still healthy. October and November are great months to go house hunting. December is usually sparse, market-wise, but if that fits your timeline, you could luck out. The benefits to buying a house at the end of the year include the following: 1. Tax savings If you close by December 31, you can deduct mortgage interest, property taxes, points on your loan and interest costs. These deductions are significant, especially in the early years of your loan when you’re paying off a lot of interest. 2. Motivated sellers Many sellers want to enjoy tax savings on the next home they purchase. They ma

                                                                    When you apply for a mortgage loan, one of the first things your lender will do is check your credit history, but they don’t read through your credit reports page by page. They get a snapshot of your credit called a credit score. Credit score is a number that helps lenders and others predict how likely are you to make loan payment on time! You need a good credit score whenever you need to buy a car, rent an apartment, buy a house, or any credit card etc. They will change your interest rates according to your credit score. There are 5 parts of your FICO  score 1. Your payment history – about 35% 2. Your debt (how much you owe) – about 30% 3. Length of credit history – about 15% 4. New credit – about 10% 5. Credit mix – about 10% When lenders talk about credit scores they usually mean, FICO (Fair Isaac Corporation). They range from 300-850. Scores from 600 - 800 are considered good credit scores. Sc

                                            When temperatures drop below freezing or rise to the point of sweltering, does it seem like your wallet develops leaks? If keeping your home comfortable year-round taxes your budget or tempts you to forgo comfort, you need to find a better way. Try implementing simple methods to lower your heating and cooling bills. Save on Air Conditioning If you didn't have to heat or cool your home, you could easily  cut your energy bills  in half, as the Department of Energy points out. Few people want to return to the days before air conditioning and central heat, however. The problem, then, is balancing comfort with affordability. Try implementing these cooling strategies to save money while keeping cool. Raise the AC temperature.  Most experts suggest  setting your thermostat  to about 78 degrees when you're at home and around 85 degrees when you will be gone four hours or longer. For every degree higher you set the thermostat, y