Boise Idaho Blog

There are many things to consider when buying a home - years before actually looking. Buying a home can be a great investment for building assets and long-term security. However in order to do this you need to set long-term goals and figure out how you are going to meet them.

When doing financial planning there are two key things you want to avoid 1) bad debt (credit card) and 2) credit problems. High debt and misuse of credit cards makes it tough to save for a down payment. Instead of putting money in the bank you are forking it out to cover interest on your credit card and these days credit cards are charging over 15% even if you have good credit. What a waste! Americans need to learn to live within their means and if you can avoid credit card debt you should at all costs. The money you save over the years will far outweigh any instant gratification you may get when buying something on credit.

Not all debt is bad but too much debt can lead to missed payments and credit problems. If used wisely there are such things as good debt. Good debt would include things that provide a financial payoff such as; buying a home, home remodeling, paying for education for your children, or advancing your own skills. Bad debt is when you buy things that don’t provide financial benefits such as; dining out, buying a cell phone, vacations, buying furniture, etc. These things don’t pay anything back. It is better to save your money and pay cash for them.

Making wise choices early in life can go a long way when preparing to buy a home.

It wasn’t too long ago the Statesman ran an article in the paper talking about the national foreclosures to exceed 3.5 million homes. This coming after what so many realtors have been telling us how the market is improving. The sad truth is the market is not improving and if you take the time to look at the past few months, home sales are no better this year than last. A few months ago the Associated Press ranked Boise in the top 30 for home foreclosures, that is across the nation folks!

According to RealyTrac there are nearly 500 foreclosed homes on the Boise real estate market, 1 out of every 236. About 34% of those homes are have a zip code of 83709.

Based on the numbers it doesn’t appear that things are improving across the board. There is still a lot of work to be done and with the unemployment rate nearly at 10% for the valley it is likely we are going to continue to see a rise in foreclosures. However we need to remember that 90% of the population that wants to work is working. Granted things are tough but at this point it seems to me that we will get through it. So those of you that can help please do so, give food, clothing, etc to those in need. Lets get through this together.

We all make mistakes, some more than others and depending on the mistake it can be quite costly, especially when it comes to selling your home. When selling your home you want to avoid making costly mistakes that can cost you thousands of dollars.

The biggest thing a home seller needs to do is to understand the Boise real estate market. If you plan on selling your home yourself it is important to do your homework. An overpriced home won’t sell an underpriced home will sell quickly but you may leave thousands of dollars on the table.

Also if you are going to sell your home yourself it is important to know the buying and selling process and what to expect each step along the way. Know how to deal with potential buyers, how to make them comfortable, and how to negotiate effectively.

Whether selling your home yourself or hiring a professional real estate agent to handle things for you it is important to understand what is going on all through the process.

We all make mistakes and the consequences for those mistakes vary but when it comes to selling a home the consequences can be thousands of dollars. One of the biggest mistakes a person can do, if they don’t know what they are doing, is not hire a professional real estate agent. I am not saying that you can’t but if you don’t know what you are doing then you may get yourself into some hot water.

If you do hire a Boise real estate agent it is important to hire the right agent, one that will work hard to sell your home and not just sit on their hands waiting for buyers to come to them. Whether you are selling your home yourself or not you need to know the buying and selling process and be up to speed on what the Boise real estate market is doing. If you are on board with the above you should minimize any surprises along the way.

In most instances if you are selling a home to buy a new home you still need to consider how much home you can afford. First you are going to need to calculate the bottom line on the sale of your home, looking at what you still owe on the mortgage, how much equity you have, and any fees you may be required to pay.

You are still going to need to take into consideration your income and expenses and the difference this year than in previous years is that it may be a bit more difficult to get as much money for a home purchase. If you can afford a new home and you aren’t completely reliant on selling your current home this may be a good time to buy. The important thing is to sell your home before buying a new one if you can’t afford 2 home payments.

This is a great question when considering moving. Often times we have to move because we or our significant other got a new job and in the long run it will improve the quality of our lives. But unfortunately that means leaving old friends behind and, if you have kids, pulling your kids out of schools to start fresh somewhere else.

But what if you are simply moving because you want too? There are many more things to consider than how much home you can afford. You really need to take a hard look at how it will affect your family. Of course there is going to be some change that requires patience and time to get through.

It is important to consider how moving is going to affect you family, particularly the kids. Look at things such as schools, access to friends, would it be better to wait a year or two before moving?

When looking at setting an asking price you must remember that the asking price and selling price are often 2 different numbers. There typically needs to be some wiggle room when setting the price, especially in a buyer’s market. There will be negotiating going on and unless your home is perfectly priced or under priced you can expect a lower number. In the Boise real estate market and from market to market within Boise a seller will typically get 95 to 98 percent of the asking price. In most cases this is pretty darn good.

As you set the price of your home it is important to know what the real estate market is doing in the neighborhood in which you live. Look at homes for sales, recent sales, and take time to look at expired listings. Expired listings is a good way to see what people aren’t willing to pay for a home in your area. Contacting a Boise real estate agent is a great way to get detailed market information.

After reading the article below I was a bit shocked at the findings. I have a daughter getting ready to start school and to hear that the food in our public schools may not be safe disturbs me, especially if there is a recall. Continue reading…

School nutrition program under scrutiny

(FoodBusinessNews.net, October 06, 2009)
by Food Safety Monitor

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WASHINGTON — Despite its efforts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (U.S.D.A.) Food and Nutrition Service (F.N.S.), which oversees federal school meals programs, did not always ensure states and schools received timely and complete notification about suspect food products provided to schools through the federal commodity program, according to a report published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. As a result of the report, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York has authored legislation that would make many of the recommendations outlined in the G.A.O. report into law.

The G.A.O. report said that during three recent food recalls, the F.N.S. notified states, but in only one case did it inform schools to hold and not serve suspect foods prior to an official recall of the commodity products. When videotape aired by the media showed inhumane treatment of cattle at a plant that provided beef to the commodity program, the F.N.S. told states to have schools stop serving the company’s beef weeks before the official recall of commodity beef was announced. However, when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (H.H.S.) Food and Drug Administration (F.D.A.) recalled suspect peanut products and canned vegetables in two other cases, the F.N.S. did not inform states and schools to hold and not serve the companies’ commodity products until the recalls were expanded weeks later.

In addition, the F.N.S.’s initial notification to states regarding recalls did not provide complete information on the full range of products affected, according to the G.A.O. report. Instead, states and schools continued to receive information on multiple other recalled products over time. It sometimes took states and schools a week or more to determine what additional products were subject to a recall, during which time they unknowingly served affected products.

The F.N.S. provided instructions for disposal and reimbursement of recalled products to states that, in turn, provided instructions to schools but some schools experienced problems. Some schools reported to the G.A.O. problems in finding landfills that would accept large quantities of recalled products. Some schools also reported that reimbursement instructions were not clear, reimbursement was delayed for months, and that all of their expenses related to the recalls were not reimbursed.

Although both U.S.D.A.’s Food Safety Inspection Service (F.S.I.S.) and the F.D.A. procedures direct them to conduct recall quality checks, neither included thousands of schools that received recalled U.S.D.A.-commodities products for the beef and peanut recalls because officials with both agencies thought the F.N.S. conducted the checks. As a result, they were unable to ensure the recalls were being carried out effectively by schools.

To improve communication efforts and the recall process, the G.A.O. made several recommendations, including calling for the development of guidelines to help determine whether a hold should be placed on suspect commodities; the development for more timely communications throughout the supply chain; and more specific instruction to institutions on how to dispose of recalled products.

“Parents should have confidence that the food their children are served at school is safe and free of contaminants,” said Ms. Gillibrand. “But schools aren’t getting the information they need from the federal government to keep our kids safe from tainted products. Food items that are being pulled from grocery store shelves across the country are still being served to millions of school children. It’s wrong, it’s dangerous, and we need to take action.” FSM

There are many questions to consider before selling your home.  Sometimes we have a choice whether to sell or not, other times it isn’t quite that simple.  If you are one of the many Americans faced with foreclosure you may not have much of a choice to sell or maybe you are going through a tough time and need to sell because of divorce or loss in the family.  However, if you do have options and can afford not to sell there are several things you should consider before putting your home on the Boise real estate market.

We know that the Boise real estate market is a buyers’ market right now, however that doesn’t mean that selling isn’t the thing to do but it does give the buyer a bit of an advantage when negotiating the sale.  You should really take a good hard look at if selling is the right thing to do and if this is a good time to sell.  There are several different markets in the Boise area and the over all price for homes as fallen nearly 17 percent from the first of the year.  Homes tend to be on the market for 2 to 3 months which can feel like a long time and create problems if you have already found the home you want to buy but haven’t listed your current home yet.  Depending on your circumstances, how much you owe on your home, and the market you are in you can still sell your home and come out on top.

Another huge aspect that needs to be considered before selling your home is can you get financing for a new home?  Don’t assume you can because you were able to in the past.  New restrictions and requirements have been put on the lending industry to help prevent past mistakes from occurring again.  Check out your options before selling your home and make sure you can qualify.

In this market, or any market for that matter, you will want to take a look at what would happen if your home did not sell or if you are under a time constraint what if it does not sell in the time allotted?  These are very important things to consider before selling.  Organize and develop a plan just in case.  The better prepared you are will greatly reduce you stress levels when things don’t go according to plan.

With all the advances in green energy technology, it is easier than ever to start converting your home into a green energy home. A green energy home utilizes renewable resources to provide electricity, hot water, heat and peace of mind.

There are several ways to implement your green energy home plan. The first is solar energy. In a green energy home you can install solar hot water panels which heat and store water for use and you can install solar panels, which use photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into electricity. These systems can be pricing if purchasing them and having them installed by a professional, but there are many great resources available to build your own solar panels and solar hot water systems that can reduce the cost greatly.

If you are just building your home, a great way to make it a green energy home is to implement passive solar design during construction. This means taking advantage of south facing sides of the house for heating and cooling. By installing lots of highly efficient windows and heat retaining bricks and stone on your south facing areas, you are taking advantage of passive solar techniques to develop your green energy home.

Another addition to the green energy home would be a windmill. Windmills are used to generate electricity from the renewable resource wind. Windmills can be installed on rooftops or in yards and offer pollution free electric. Windmills can be purchased from retailers or there are a wide variety of affordable kits available for the motivated do-it-yourselfers to handle the implementation of their own green energy home plans.

If you have a stream on your property, you may also add to the efficiency of your green energy home with hydroelectric power. This is also a great pollution free option that is easy to maintain and works as long as there is water available.

The ultimate green energy home would combine all of these resources. By using wind, water and solar to generate electricity you are looking not only at huge savings and possible profits from your electricity usage, but you would truly be green as each of these options contributes little to global warming. To further combine passive solar design and solar hot water systems, you are reducing your energy needs exponentially and truly living the dream of going green.

A green energy home doesn’t require more maintenance than traditional homes. Solar technologies require little to no maintenance and wind and water turbines require only regular oiling for peak performance. There is no better time to create your green energy home and start living your dreams in green.