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Displaying blog entries 1071-1080 of 1998

Real Estate Predictions For 2015

by The Hat Team

A new year has begun and it seems to me that time goes faster and faster each day. The economy is predicted to grow around 3% in 2015 and as you can guess that is good news for the real estate business!  The real estate market holds a few more predictions for 2015…

  • 2015Interest rates are still low compared to what they have been in years passed but Freddie Mac is predicting that interest rates will rise above the low 4% they had dipped to in 2014 to up to 5% by the end of 2015.  Still these interest rates are extremely low so if you are in the market for a new house you should go ahead and plan on making a purchase sometime in the year of 2015. 
  • Prices for houses by the end of 2015 are predicted to be a little higher than in years passed but not so high that they won’t still be affordable.  Home appreciation will likely move to 4.5 percent instead of 9.3 percent as in 2014.  It may be that home appreciation will drop to 3 percent by the end of 2015.
  • If building a home is in your plans then you are apparently on target with a lot of other folks. The building of new homes is expected to rise 20 percent from 2014.  If you don’t find the house that fits your every need this coming year on the market, it will be a great year to build it to your own specifications. 
  • Not as many folks will be refinancing in 2015.  As a matter of fact refinances will drop to make up only about 23 percent of single family orientations this coming year.  In 2014 refinances made up roughly more than half of single family orientations. 
  • It will be a bit easier to get a loan for your new home purchase in 2015 as some of the restrictions that were once placed on new home buyers will be eased.  Funding sources will grow for new home buyers in 2015 as well. 

As you can see there is a lot of good news for the real estate market in 2015.  If you are considering buying a home, don’t wait another day longer…get on the phone and call a qualified Real Estate agent today to get you started in the right direction. 

Information courtesy of Montgomery Realtors Sandra Nickel Hat Team!

Montgomery AL Home for Sale: 2059 Woodley Rd

by The Hat Team

Montgomery AL Home for Sale:

2059 Woodley Rd, Montgomery AL 36111
MLS# 314246

Don’t Pass This One Up!


Don't pass this up - literally! One block south of Huntington and across the street from Edgewood, backing up to Allendale, it's tucked away behind a wall of trees and you would never know it's there. This spacious cottage style house is full of 1920's character and charm with the hard wood floors, high ceilings, transoms, crown molding and plantation shutters. The updated gourmet kitchen with Viking gas range with grill, huge step down den with gas fireplace and French doors to deck, pool and guest cottage make it the perfect setting to entertain family and friends. This traditional yet contemporary home is a rare opportunity for the neighborhood.

Marketed by Montgomery Alabama Realtors, Sandra Nickel Hat Team.

Montgomery AL Home for Sale: 1815 Highland Ave

by The Hat Team

Montgomery AL Home for Sale:

1815 Highland Ave, Montgomery AL 36107
MLS# 314247

Trouble Free Investment!

1815 highland ave
Old world charm including high ceilings, big rooms and huge windows that provide wonderful natural light. Up-to-date mechanicals for trouble-free ownership. Just-redone modern open concept interiors that will attract and retain quality tenants. Good ones already in place--management, too--so snag this investment now!

Marketed by Montgomery real estate experts Sandra Nickel Hat Team, REALTORS.

ICE Can Save Lives

by The Hat Team

Everyone knows that ice can make a drink cool or reduce swelling, but if you put it on your cell phone, it might just save your life.

ICEThe concept is simple.  Make a contact record in your address book with the name “ICE”, which stands for In Case of Emergency.  In the note section of the record, you would list your name, blood type and medical conditions along with prescriptions and physicians.  You’d also list the people and their phone numbers that can be contacted in case of an emergency.

Several years ago, a British first responder came up with the idea when his emergency unit responded to a call where the victim was unable to communicate due to illness or trauma.  The victim’s wallet didn’t indicate specific persons to be notified in an emergency.  The fireman went through his cell phone to try to identify a relative and wasn’t successful.

That’s when he came up with the idea of a universal entry into the address book for ICE where the necessary parties and special information could be kept.  The story received a considerable amount of publicity and spread across the pond to the United States and into many other countries.

While it isn’t recognized everywhere, it is becoming increasingly more popular.  Even if emergency technicians didn’t find it, the slight possibility that they would find it and it would make a difference would justify the few minutes it will take to create it.  Click here to download a card to carry in your wallet or purse.

Information courtesy of Sandra Nickel Hat Team REALTORS.

Montgomery AL Home for Sale: 3844 Dalraida Place

by The Hat Team

Montgomery AL Home for Sale:

3844 Dalraida Place, Montgomery AL 36109
MLS# 313493

Tip Top Condition!

3844 dalraida pl

Workshop to die for!! Owner built with intention of staying forever, but new job has him moving to a new city! If Dalraida school district and move in ready are on your check list look no further! Beautiful real hardwood floors through-out! The kitchen in this home has been updated with granite counter-tops and tile backslash. Opening from kitchen to great room gives a very open feeling. Covered area for entertaining just off kitchen and great room. Fenced, level, and private rear yard for family, friends and pets. All in tip top condition by current picky owner, will leave little if anything for you to do except move in and start Living!! Please call us or your agent of choice to see this super clean well laid out home today!

Marketed by Montgomery Real Estate Expert Sandra Nickel Hat Team.

 

Montgomery AL Home for Sale: 1204 Federal Drive

by The Hat Team

Montgomery AL Home for Sale:

1204 Federal Drive, Montgomery AL 36107
MLS# 313873

Located In Beautiful Montgomery Heights!

1204 federal dr
This well maintained brick home sits on a large corner lot in beautiful Montgomery Heights. Traditional floor plan provides spacious living and dining rooms. Eat-in kitchen has a wonderful built-in banquette table/sitting area, and sports some really cool display shelving for collectibles. Third bedroom (between kitchen and hallway, often called a "swing" room) has original REAL knotty pine paneling, and has most recently been used as a den/TV room. Other bedrooms are well proportioned, and bathrooms are original but retro-cool! Nice patio out back overlooks huge pecan tree, and single carport is accessed off side street for convenience.

Marketed by Montgomery AL Realtor Sandra Nickel, Sandra Nickel Hat Team.

 

Seriously? I Want To Sell During the Holidays!

by The Hat Team

If your home is currently on the market, you may be tempted to take it off during the busy December holiday season that is currently upon us.  I would suggest that you leave your home on the market regardless of what time of year it is and do your best to make sure that it shows better than any of the other houses out there for sale.  Selling your home during the holidays  doesn’t have to be overwhelming.  Here are a few tips for selling your home during the busiest time of the year!

  • christmas treeDecorate your home like you have never decorated it before to make it stand out above all the other homes that are for sale during the holiday season.  You may not feel like doing this because you are most likely ready to move out and get on with your life, but if you take the time to make your home look beautiful for the holidays, it is most likely going to get the attention of several buyers that might not otherwise take a second look at your home.  Be sure to have a few showings during the evenings if your Realtor will agree so that you can show off your awesome light display.
     
  • Have tea or hot cocoa waiting for your potential buyers when they walk through your door for a showing.  You may also want to have holiday music playing throughout your home as well.
     
  • Offer some sort of small gift if your potential buyer is willing to purchase your home during the holiday season.  You can make this gift as small or as elaborate as you wish and may want to gear it towards your buyer’s personality.  Your Realtor will be able to help you know what your buyer likes and what kind of incentive will get their attention. 
     
  • If anything in your home needs updating, you may want to go ahead and make these improvements,  However if you don’t have enough money in your pocket to take care of the holiday for your family and make the updates at the same time, you may want to take that into consideration when setting an asking price.  You don’t have to jump through hoops to sell your home, however you DO want to get the best price you possibly can, so weigh the pros and cons of going ahead and taking care of updating versus lowering your price and then figure out which one works best for you and your family. 

Don’t let the holidays overwhelm you and make you think that you can’t sell your home during this time of year.  There is no reason to take your home off the market in December.  All you need to do is bling out your home like a huge Christmas present and I am sure folks will take notice! 

Information courtesy of Montgomery AL Real Estate Experts, The Sandra Nickel Hat Team.

Being a Good Neighbor

by The Hat Team

A good neighbor might be characterized as someone who’ll look after your home when you’re out of town by picking up your mail and watering your plants.  You’d most likely reciprocate for anyone who’d be so generous toward you.

good neighborIn some cases, you might only be able to name one or two of your neighbors who would step up to that level of service.   Wouldn’t it be nice if more people on your street would be happy to make that offer?

The solution may just start with being a better neighbor first.  The following suggestions go a long way to improving your neighborhood and making new friends at the same time.

  • Meet your neighbors and exchange phone numbers and email addresses.  Agree with each other that you’ll let them know if you see something strange going on at their home. 
  • Slow down when driving through the neighborhood; it will make it safer and everyone will appreciate it. 
  • Control your dog: keep it on a leash; pick up after it; don’t let it bark too much.
  • Don’t park in front of your neighbor’s home.
  • Notify your immediate neighbors when you’re having remodeling done and ask them to let you know if any of the contractors cause damage to their property.
  • Let your neighbors know when you’re having a party and that there will be more cars on the street than usual.
  • Maintain your home and yard so that it adds to the beauty of the neighborhood.
  • Put your garbage out for collection on the correct day and bring the containers back in promptly.

In reality, it is fairly obvious; you just have to think of the things that you’d want from your neighbors.  Be friendly; don’t be noisy; offer a helping hand when available and respect each other’s boundaries.  Having a sense of community and that you all share the neighborhood can be underlying principles that will guide your behavior.

A good neighbor would be aware of suspicious activity and would call their neighbors and the police if warranted.  This might be something you can discuss with your neighbors.  Click here for a template to record your immediate neighbor’s contact information and keep readily available if needed.

Information courtesy of Montgomery Realtor Sandra Nickel.

3 Ways to Get Your Home Ready For Winter

by The Hat Team

If you haven’t already noticed, it is getting colder with each passing day outside.  If you want to stay cozy and warm inside your home this winter, you are going to have to do a few things to make sure it is possible.  Typically folks don’t think about winterizing their home until it is already freezing cold outside.  Hopefully you still have a few weeks winter homebefore the temperatures get down too low to get your home ready for the cold.   In this blog we are going to give you three ways to get your home ready for winter.   

  • Turn your heat on close to 80 degrees and leave it there until you hear the heat come on.  If you hear the system come on and it seems to be making the home nice and toasty then you don’t have to worry about doing anything to your heat for the coming colder months.  However, if you notice that the heat smells funny or that it is not getting the house as warm as you would like it, you may have to call in a professional to do a diagnostic test to see what the problem is and fix it for you.
     
  • Get your fireplace ready for winter by making sure it is free of debris.  Sometimes birds like to make their nests in chimneys and you don’t want to start a fire with a birds nest in the way.  It’s also a good idea to make sure that the damper opens and closes as it should. This will help to insure that any fire you make in the fireplace brings the heat into your home instead of heating the outside.  A good way to check the draft of your fireplace is to light a piece of paper and put in inside the fireplace.  If the smoke rises then you should be good to go, if not then you probably have some sort of obstruction in the way and you need to clean it out properly before you make your first fire of the season.
     
  • Check to make sure that there are no drafts around your doors and windows.  You can purchase weather stripping at your local hardware store if you find that you do have some draftiness.  You would be surprised at how much cold air can get in through even the tiniest of cracks in and around windows and doors in your home. 

Hopefully these tips will get you started in the right direction for getting your home ready for winter.

Information courtesy of Montgomery AL Real Estate Expert Sandra Nickel

Montgomery AL Foreclosure Trends for October 2014

by The Hat Team

In October, the number of properties that received a foreclosure filing in Montgomery, AL was 16% higher than the previous month and 5% higher than the same time last year, according to RealtyTrac.com.

Montgomery AL Foreclosure Status Distribution

The current distribution of foreclosures based on the number of active foreclosure homes in Montgomery, AL.

Auctions accounted for 66.7% of foreclosure activity in October 2014 and Bank-owned properties accounted for 33.3%.

montgomery al foreclosure

Montgomery AL Foreclosure Activity by Month

The number of Bank-Owned properties increased 575.0% compared to the previous month and decreased 37.2% from the previous year in October. The number of Auctions decreased 18.2% compared to the previous month and increased 58.8% from the previous year.

montgomery al foreclosure

Montgomery AL Foreclosure Geographical Comparison

Montgomery AL foreclosure activity was 0.01% lower than national statistics, 0.01% higher than Alabama numbers and the same as Montgomery County statistics in October 2014.

montgomery al foreclosure

Are you or someone you know behind on mortgage payments and facing a Montgomery foreclosure? You do have options. A short sale may be the answer to saving you, your family and your home. I am a Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE) with specialized training in helping families avoid foreclosure. Give me a call for a private consultation.

Search all Montgomery AL Real Estate And Homes For Sale.

Sandra Nickel and the Hat Team have distinguished themselves as leaders in the Montgomery AL real estate market. Sandra assists buyers looking for Montgomery real estate for sale and aggressively markets Montgomery AL homes for sale. Sandra is also an expert in helping families avoid foreclosure through short sales and is committed to helping families in financial hardship find options. For more information you can visit AvoidForeclosureMontgomery.com.

Interested in buying a bank-owned home. Get bank-owned listings alerts FREE!

Displaying blog entries 1071-1080 of 1998

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