City Maps and Aerial Photos

The new mapping and aerial photos that the search engines are providing us are interesting to explore. One can actually see the location he's considering buying! The one I've been using is http://virtualearth.msn.com/. Try it! Put "Tyler, Texas" into the search block and take a look at our city.

New Product

Hi-Tek Rubber Inc., an Isanti company with its roots (pardon the pun) in the potato industry, is raising cash to help launch its new venture -- housing shingles made from recycled rubber! The shingles, made from discarded tires, resemble cedar shakes or slate but are far more resistant to damage from fire or hail. "We've showed these to people in the housing industry and the only response we get is, `How quick can we get them?,' " CEO Gordon Cell said.

I predict that this product, which is about a third of the weight of a composition asphalt shingle, will be the roofing product of the future.

Tax-free Deposit!

If you've owned your home in Cal., Fla., NY (or dozens of other places) for a couple of years or more, why not sell it and move to Tyler, Texas? The median priced home in California (for example) is now over $500,000. In Tyler, the median priced home is $140,000! Except maybe for family or business reasons, I can't imagine why one wouldn't wish to have 360,000 tax-free dollars to deposit in his personal bank account!

I'm replete with examples of past and present customers, but let me explain it this way. Your $3,000,000 to $10,000,000 home in San Diego, or Santa Barbara, or San Jose (and a number of other areas) can be matched in Tyler for $400,000 to $600,000! Unless it's a water-front mansion on Lake Tyler, rarely do we ever have a home available to the market even approaching $1,000,000!

HOME STAGING TIPS

Walk through the house and pick out things that would enhance the value of the the home if they were different. You'll be better able to prioritize this way. For example, repainting a child's bubble-gum pink bedroom may attract more buyers than something not as apparent.

Direct potential buyers' eyes away from something negative, and toward something positive. Art work, fireplaces, etc., are positives.

Remove furniture that tightens space. Nobody wants to feel restricted; everybody wants more space.

Potential buyers often feel uncomfortable in bedrooms and bathrooms because they are, by definition, very personal, private places. To counter this reaction, make your bedrooms and baths "model home ready". Toss the "live-in" feel when it comes to these rooms. Clear all surfaces. Get rid of the toothpaste tubes and soap dishes, and put up nice, fresh towels and washcloths. Your bed should look like a furniture store model. Make the rooms comfortable to a buyer that's never been in your home before, and he just might make an offer on it!

For Sale By Owner

Nationally only about ten percent of property owners successfully sell their own homes. There are several really good reasons for this low percentage. Not being prepared to deal with an onslaught of buyers who perceive FSBOs as targets for *low balling* is probably the biggest reason. "Target" is a good designation for those who put up a For-sale-by-owner sign in the yard, because there are lots of folks who "prey" on them for a living!

The challenge of selling a home is screening unqualified prospects and dealing with low-ballers. It often goes unnoticed that much time, effort and expertise is required to spot these people quickly. Settling for a low-ball bid is usually worse than paying any type of professional fee or commission.

EMINENT DOMAIN

The recent supreme court decision in New London, Conn. is a chilling blow to property rights, but the door was opened by the framers of the Fifth Amendment. Eminent domain is a statist doctrine. It is an assertion of sovereignty that goes back to absolute monarchs of antiquity. The word originated at the beginning of the 17th century, interestingly enough, when powerful modern European monarchies were developing the modern nation-states. Eminent domain assumes the ownership of all by the state; ownership and sovereignty that originate in and ultimately remain in the state or its monarch. Private property is then not a right but a holding derived from the sovereign state, and eminent domain is the reassertion of ownership by the state and sovereign power. Like all legal and political theories based on natural law, its historical argument is an artificial construct. It is a theory based not on precedent, but on a mythological historical development.

HOME STYLES

French Provincial—Balance and symmetry are the ruling characteristics of this formal style. Homes are often brick with detailing in copper or slate. Windows and chimneys are symmetrical and perfectly balanced, at least in original versions of the style. Defining features include a steep, high, hip roof; balcony and porch balustrades; rectangle doors set in arched openings; and double French windows with shutters. Second-story windows usually have a curved head that breaks through the cornice.

More styles later. Stay tuned.

HOW LENDERS RATE YOU

With scores from three different sources, here's how lenders rate your credit worthiness:

Credit score:
720 - 800 Superb! You get what you want
700 - 719 Wonderful! You get top rates & terms
680 - 699 Good! You get good rates & terms
660 - 679 All right. You pay higher costs & rates
640 - 659 Okay score if good income
620 - 639 Weak. You need good income & some money
600 - 619 Poor. Use creative loan broker & pay more loan costs
580 - 599 Almost impossible without large down payment
Under 580 Work on fixing credit without delay.