Halloween Safety Tips

Halloween is here again! Spooky goblins, eerie zombies, creepy witches...most of them under 5' tall! Halloween has always been my favorite holiday - even more than my birthday, and that's saying a lot. (Yes, I did just declare my birthday to be a national holiday.) This year, two of my older kids have crossed that line to "old enough that if they go trick or treating it's creepy", so I'm down to the two youngest. My 13-year-old, who knows that he's rapidly approaching that age himself, has a bloody clown mask that he's going to wear with an all-black outfit. My five-year-old, however, is still very much in the throes of the holiday; he'll be out there breathing the joy of running of from house to house, receiving candy and being dressed as a superhero. I'm smiling just thinking about it. 

Halloween night travels beg care, though. There are a lot of safety precautions to remember when you're out and about this evening. I've compiled a list that hopefully will be helpful to you when you're out there with your own little goblins. So with that, I bid you a spooky good evening! 

Why You Need A Realtor!

A licensed real estate professional provides much more than the service of helping you find your ideal home.

Realtors® are expert negotiators with other agents, seasoned financial advisors with customers, and superb navigators around the local neighborhood. They are members of the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) and must abide by a Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice enforced by the NAR. A professional Realtor is your best resource when
buying your home.

Washington DC area Labor Day weekend events

Labor Day weekend in the Washington, DC area is around the corner, and many homeowners and renters are leaving town. Many others of us will stay closer to home and will be looking for fun things to do. My daughter will be performing with her high school marching band in both the Kensington and the Gaithersburg Labor Day parades. I’m not sure what else I’ll be during this long weekend, but I know there will be plenty of fun activities and events to choose from! I’ve compiled a list of some of the local Labor Day events:

FOR SALE: 19171 Roman Way

FOR SALE: 19171 Roman Way, a set on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Large four- or five-bedroom, contemporary home with solarium addition. Beautiful enclosed glass porch. Nice hardwood floors throughout both levels. Main level office/den/library/bedroom - your preference - with full bath attached. Family room with fireplace and doors out to brick patio and fenced yard. Courtyard setting with no maintenance. Four large bedrooms upstairs, also with wood floors. Stunning brickwork on some interior walls and exterior of house.

Welcome to 4907 Wigville Road!

For Home Buyers: 5 Best Websites for Credit Score Information

© 2011, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

If you’re planning to buy a home in the near future, you should know your FICO credit score. In fact, your credit score is one of the three most important factors considered by mortgage lenders (along with your debt and income levels). If your score is high, you’ll have a much better chance of getting approved for a loan. You’ll also qualify for a better interest rate, which could save you thousands of dollars over the life of the loan.

It’s important to check your FICO score early on in the home-buying process, because it takes time to improve a low score. While you’re entitled to a free credit report per year, you’ll have to pay a small fee for the credit score. They are two different things. You can purchase your score from MyFICO.com — this is the company that actually designed the FICO scoring model.

But what if you check your score and find out that it’s low? You could qualify for certain types of loans with a score in 600 range, but you’ll be much better off in the mid- to upper-700 range. The question now becomes: How do I Improve my score? And that brings us to the purpose of this article.

Adopt A Boob!

Well, we’ve all heard the term “Laughter is the best medicine” countless times. Most likely, we’d also chuckled at the retort, “Actually, medicine is the best medicine,” as well. The truth of the matter is that they’re both very true, but in order to engage in the effort of assisting the healing power of actual medicine, the Seven Sisters Group has established our “Adopt A Boob” program! 

Our first group donation has just been collected to the tune of $300.00 toward one of our colleague’s Three Day Walk. 

You can make your own donation by visiting her website. You'll see that there are several levels of donation available. In some instances you can really feel the tangible effect of your donation: for example, a donation of $120.00 covers the cost of a mammogram for one person; $35.00 covers the expense of transportation for someone to a treatment center.

In the near future, we hope to expand the program so that others can donate through our program as well, increasing the breadth and exposure of our collective search for a cure.

Quote from Rhonda Byrne's The Secret

"Be creative and use powerful actions in line with what you want. If you want to attract the perfect partner, then make room in your closet. If you want to attract a new house, then tidy up your current house so it is ready for easy packing. If you want to take a trip then get out your suitcases, surround yourself with pictures of the location, and put yourself in the pictures.

"Think about what you would do if you had your desire, and then take creative actions that make it clear you are receiving it now."

Home Equity Loans - 3 Common Scams to Avoid

© 2011, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

Home equity loans remain one of the most popular financing tools among homeowners. It can give you quick access to cash by leveraging the equity (or ownership) you have in your home. It can be an effective way to finance a home renovation, education costs, or even a second home.

But these loans also get a lot of homeowners into trouble each year, and in the worst-case scenarios they can even result in foreclosure and loss of the home. On top of that, there are some common scams associated with equity loans and lines of credit. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is constantly tracking the latest scams and warning homeowners about them. Here’s a summary of some of the more common scenarios you should watch out for…

Six Steps to Becoming a Real Estate Agent

by Kim Gibbons

If you connect well with others, enjoy a commission-based career, and love working variable hours, you are off to a good start for a career in real estate. On the other hand, if you require a stable monthly income and a standard Monday through Friday nine-to-five type job, a real estate career will not be the best match for you. Before beginning your career as a real estate agent you want to make sure that your personality is an ideal match. If so, here are the six necessary steps to becoming a real estate agent.

5 Reasons to Save Money Before Buying a Home

© 2011, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

First-time home buyers are often surprised by the total costs associated with buying a home. Some buyers don’t even realize that a lack of cash reserves can hurt their chances of getting a loan. But it happens all the time. In fact, a lack of up-front cash is one of the most common reasons for mortgage rejection. That’s why it’s important for future home buyers to start saving money early on. The more you can save the better.

Why is this so important? Here are five good reasons to save up for your home-buying process:

Common Misconceptions About FHA Home Loans

© 2011, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

FHA home loans are a popular financing strategy for home buyers. They’re especially popular with first-time buyers who don’t have much of a down payment saved up. But FHA loans are also commonly misunderstood. Here are some of the biggest misconceptions about these loans.

The Accidental Landlord

by Chandra Wright 

Homeowners come to the decision to rent out their property for many reasons. If you are considering this as an option, you also have some decisions about how you will accomplish this. You may be thinking about this because you want to avoid selling for a loss or you may want an alternative to facing foreclosure. You may have an imminent move or life change and not be sure about letting go of this house. There are certainly benefits to renting; however being a landlord is a level of responsibility that requires a new outlook on home-ownership. Whatever is making you curious about being a landlord, and especially if you are going to be outside of physical proximity to your house, take the time to learn about the process and build a plan.

Looking for fireworks in the DC Area?

Whether you're a new home or apartment buyer or renter, or if you're a long-time resident of the DC Area, most likely you'll be heading out to watch the fireworks this Monday night. I've lived in Montgomery County for most of my life, and a year hasn't gone by when I haven't enjoyed the tinny, patriotic tunes that are piped in over the outdoor loudspeakers; in high school, friends and I headed over to Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville (this was the "old" RMHS - before it was remodeled).

Getting the Best Mortgage Rates in the New Economy

© 2011, Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

All home buyers want the lowest mortgage rate possible when applying for a home loan, because it directly translates to a smaller payment each month. And who doesn’t want to shrink their monthly expenses?

But how does one obtain a low rate on a mortgage loan and, for that matter, why is it important in the first place? These are the subjects we will discuss in this tutorial for first-time home buyers.

Are you looking for something fun to do this weekend?

Maybe you just purchased a new home or rented a new apartment, and you're looking for an excuse to take a break from unpacking...even if you're already established, if you're looking for something fun to do this weekend, look no further. Here's a smattering of some of the happenings around our local area in the next three days. Hopefully one or more of them will strike your fancy!  

The First Steps of the Home Buying Process

© 2011 Brandon Cornett. All rights reserved.

Establishing a budget. Checking your credit. Getting pre-approved for a mortgage loan. These are three of the most important steps during the first phase of the home buying process. Here’s how to navigate them.

For Sale by Owner- A Good Idea or Not

Many people who are ready to sell their homes think that For Sale By Owner (FSBO) is the way to go. After all, you get to cut out the real estate commission, so technically you can sell the home yourself cheaper and keep all the profits.

Many do not realize the headaches and costs of selling by owner. Certainly, you cut out the commission, but usually the realtor just adds this 5-6% to your asking price so that the buyer actually pays the commission.

Recycling Event in Kensington for Unused School Supplies!

SCRAP began in Portland, Oregon, in 1998. It was an organization founded by teachers who began storing and re-using their leftover classroom materials at the end of each school year rather than throwing them away. It quickly grew as the word spread; more and more teachers from around the area began bringing their classroom and art supplies.

National Report: MCPS #1 in Graduation Rate for a Third Straight Year

This just in from MCPS (just another reason to buy a house in Montgomery County if you're raising a family): 

"Montgomery County Public Schools, for the third year in a row, has the highest graduation rate among the nation’s largest school districts, according to a national report released today (June 7).