April 2009 Economic Summary in Graphs
April’s CalculatedRisk real estate data collected for the month of March.
New Home Sales in MarchThe graph shows new home sales (NSA - Not Seasonally Adjusted).
Note the Red columns for 2009. This is the lowest sales for March since the Census Bureau started tracking sales in 1963. (NSA, 34 thousand new homes were sold in March 2009; the previous low was 36 thousand in March 1982)..
Selecting an Exterior Paint
It could save you more money if you got the motivation and some basic knowledge about paints. If you think painting the exterior of your house is for professionals alone – think again.Below are tips on selecting exterior paint and how to do the painting the professional way.
There two basic types of exterior paint to choose from, one is the Oil-based paints are very durable and water-resistant. They result in hard finish and are often used by professional painters. Use an oil-based if the surface you are painting has already been painted with oil-based paint.
And the other oil is the Stir oil-based paint which is frequently the type of paint that tend to separate quickly.
If using oil-based paint, be sure to use a brush or roller specifically designed for use with oil-based paint.
Latex exterior paints have undergone many improvements, and some can be as durable as oil-based. They are also considerably easier to work with. Be sure, however, that you select an exterior latex for use on the outside of your home, not the same latex used on interior walls.
To determine whether you have acrylic or oil-based paint on your homes, first, peel off a large paint-chip. If the chip bends slightly before cracking, it's probably latex. Oil-paint chips tend to snap easily. If this test doesn't work for you, take a paint-chip sample to your local paint store or home center and have them test it.
Latex is easy to apply, dries quickly, is durable and is resistant to the effects of direct sunlight. Clean-up is easy, and just requires water.
Acrylic latex is the highest-quality latex paint. It will cover just about any building material including masonry and properly primed metal.
There you have it! Painting your home exterior won’t be this hard once you get the basic about how to paint.
Remodeling with the Right Person
Once we think and do everything on our own in remodeling our homes, we save a lot of valuable time and precious money. However, with enormous tasks this usually means you'll spend more and more money…having a right person on your side might be the right thing to do.Sometimes, you cannot finish one project for one reason or another. Either you'll torn out a wall or fix some electrical wiring in the kitchen. Nonetheless, it would be great to have someone, who’s professional work and ethics can do the right job for you.
In this way, you can analyze the risk of possible mistakes you’ll end up with. It is better to get the right person to do it on the first time while saving a lot of headache.
Get the right person, and as a homeowner, at the end you’ll get the right luxury!
Having a Bad Credit Home Loan
If you’re having a bad credit and desperately need a home loan, the bad credit home loan is the best option to get a home loan. Although, you need to pay high interest rates in order to avail this loan, the most important thing about bad credit home loan is that you get a second chance to improve your credit situation. Before you apply for bad credit loan, you need to take into consideration the value of home that you are interested in buying. Just in case something bad happens and you are not able to pay the monthly installments of loan, you may need to sell the house.To get the best out of bad credit home loan, it is advisable that you shop around in the market and find lenders that are providing loan at low interest rates. Some people think of shopping around as a waste of time, what they don’t realize is the fact that interest rates varies from one lender to another.
Basic Mortgage Loan Guide
Before you apply for a mortgage loan, it’s a great idea to gather some key information that will be needed for the financing process.1. Find out your current credit rating, otherwise known as your FICO score, because lenders certainly will. A poor credit history usually means higher interest rates, or the possibility that you may not even qualify for a loan. If your credit isn’t stellar, then take time to improve your credit score or shop around for a reputable lender specializing in difficult credit situations.
2. Figure out how much you can afford to borrow. Develop a home buying budget. A mortgage payment should not exceed one-third of your monthly income because you have to pay for utilities, homeowners insurance, taxes, home repairs and other everyday expenses. Many online lenders and financial sites have loan calculators to help you figure out what you can borrow.
3. Determine the cost of borrowing money. Be aware of the current Annual Percentage Rate (APR) to get the most competitive rates. Carefully review terms, fees and rates before committing to the loan.
Be very careful in inherenting these loans. After all, we ended up with the real estate bust and a mortgage loan crisis to boot, due to poor home financing decisions made by both lenders and homeowners alike!