What are you doing on Mother's Day?

I am going to do one of my favorite things on Mother's Day and that is host an open house at this adorable and affordable home.

723 16th St. N, Bismarck, ND

The open house will be from 1-2:30 pm on Sunday, May 12th, 2013.  I hope to see you there!

www.bismarckbethhomes.com

Organized and Happy.

I am officially organized and happy thanks to Sarah Murphy of www.organizedandhappy.com 
Sarah came in and straightened up my family room and both of my boy's rooms.  The kids had taken over the house and I needed her professional organization skills to take back control. 

Family Room Before

Family Room After

 What a difference! 

No School Days....

School is back in session today, but we did have a long weekend with the Easter holiday.  My older son has been sick on and off for about week now.  Yes, I did take him to the doctor and it seems to only be a stomach bug.  My 7 year old was not well yesterday and my 5 year old had energy to spare. 

I took my 5 year old to Leaping Lizards http://jtinflatables.com/ in Mandan.  He had fun playing with the other kids, bouncing on the inflatables, and playing air hockey.  The best part of it was he went to bed around 10 pm and that's a big deal for him.  Mission accomplished for this Mom during a no school day. 

Real Estate should be warming up with the weather also.  Call me if you're ready to start your home search or want to get a home sold. 

Beth Posey, REALTOR®

Keller Williams Roers Realty

Bismarck, ND

(c) 701-390-9343 or 701-240-6416

(o) 701-223-2120

Ready, Set, BUY

The market is heating up fast.  I am hearing stories of offers, counter offers, counter offers to the counter offers!  Oh my, it's the time to be prequalified from a local lender!  Don't be scared to get prequalified with a lender.  It only makes you a stronger buyer and ready when the right house becomes available for you to purchase. 

1. Get prequalifed with a lender.
2. Bring that letter to me or your favorite REALTOR (also me).
3. I will set you up on an online home search that includes homes that meet your criteria.
4. We check out those homes that you like.
5. I will help you write up the strong offer that the seller is looking for.
6. Offer Acceptance if it was the best offer.

It's really an easy process if you have the right team.  That team includes YOU, lender, and your REALTOR (me).  Let's GO!

-Beth Posey, REALTOR(R)
Keller Williams Roers Realty
(c) 701-390-9343
(o) 701-223-2120

Tips for Buyers

I saw this article and thought it was great information to pass onto buyer's. The information is simple, but still an eye opener.

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4 Ways Buyers Can Mess Up a Loan Approval

Daily Real Estate News | Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Your home buyers have gotten approved for a mortgage and now they’re just waiting to make it to the closing table. Make sure they don’t throw their loan approval into jeopardy by making one of these common mistakes:

1. Making a big purchase: Tell your buyers to avoid making major purchases, like buying a new car or furniture, until after they close on the home. Big purchases could change the buyer’s debt-to-income ratio that the lender used to approve the buyer’s home loan and could throw the approval into jeopardy. 
2. Opening new credit: Inform your buyers that now isn’t the time to open up any new credit cards. 
3. Missing any payments: Home buyers need to be extra vigilant about paying all their bills on time, even if they’re disputing one. 
4. Cashing out: Avoid any transfers of large sums of money between your bank accounts or making any undocumented deposits — both of which could send up “red flags” to your buyer's lender.

Source: “How to Keep Your Mortgage Approval Approved,” Realty Times (Jan. 14, 2013)

Fun in North Dakota

I saw this this Hunting and Fishing guide for North Dakota and wanted to share it with you! http://www.ndtourism.com/about/digital-hunting-guide/

New Year, New Resolutions

I am finally back into the swing of things at work. I love the Christmas and New Year's holiday fun, but it seems like it lasted a little longer this year. Thankfully, we avoided the Fiscal Cliff Fiasco for now. I suppose you could say it was a resolution made by Congress. These are a couple of notes that I was able to find that relate to real estate. Real Estate Tax Extenders  Mortgage Cancellation Relief is extended for one year to January 1, 2014  Deduction for Mortgage Insurance Premiums for filers making below $110,000 is extended through 2013 and made retroactive to cover 2012  Leasehold Improvements: the 15 year straight-line cost recovery for qualified leasehold improvements on commercial properties is extended through 2013 and made retroactive to cover 2012.  Energy Efficiency Tax Credit: the 10% tax credit (up to $500) for homeowners for energy efficiency improvements to existing homes is extended through 2013 and made retroactive to cover 2012. Courtesy of the National Association of REALTORS(R) My personal resolutions are general. Live healthier, be more patient, and find that balance in life that everyone is looking for. Overall, I just look forward to a happier and more successful year than the previous and wish the same for you!