Bob's Thoughts About Everything

As a real estate agent, I am constantly thinking of ways to make a home more presentable to buyers. This interesting market that we are in right now makes home presentation more important than ever. Sellers are required to compete with a wide variety of homes and marketing strategies. One of the quick-wins that can be done to stand out from all the rest is to do some simple Home Decorating. With the home improvement television shows and home tradeshows, there are plenty of guides available to help you do-it-yourself. Below are some helpful tips that add life and comfort to your home!

Get Organized.

Take a few minutes a day to organize some simple things such as the bill pile or magazine rack and soon you will be inspired to do more organization throughout your home.

Here are some simple tasks to help you get organized:

• Weed out 5 file folders
• Sort your mail pile
• Delete 20 emails from your inbox
• Grab a basket and pick up anything that doesn’t belong in a room and put it in its proper place, 1 room a day
• Manage your plastic containers – any containers that don’t have a matching lid, toss
• Organize your clothes closet – put pants together, shirts together, etc.
• Photo filing – utilize your time and organize your photos, i.e. when you are watching television at night

Get Colorful!

Go exotic. Add a feeling of warmth and excitement with darker, exotic colors in your family and living rooms and even your bedroom. New paint trends are shifting towards dark exotic colors like deep red, purple, gold and ivory. These jewel tones add comfort and richness to any room.

Stay neutral. Neutral tones are very popular if the exotic tones aren’t striking you. Hues of soft browns, blues and lavenders are sure to spruce up those white walls. They also work great when paired with an accent wall or as the background for a bold art piece. Neutral hues also can open up a small space to feel larger and airy.

Shed Some Light.

Track Lighting. Track lighting can be viewed as both a beautiful and dramatic addition to your home décor. There are many options with track lighting such as glass pendants and monorail tracks to add to your room design. You can make your look distinctive and add great lighting to spaces like your kitchen and office. Track lighting is also easy to install with preexisting wiring.

Wall Lighting. Use wall sconces to add direct or indirect lighting to bathrooms, bedrooms and dining rooms. Sconces can add unique lighting and enhance the room’s atmosphere.

Chandeliers. Crystal chandeliers are particularly beautiful, but can give a formal feel to a dining environment. For less formal purposes you can find chandeliers in more modern and contemporary styles to fit any room. Chandeliers with beading, cloth and even antlers can express your style while providing adequate lighting to your space.

For more home decorating ideas visit: www.hgtv.com, www.getdecorating.com, http://homeandfamilynetwork.com/decorating

Credit for these ideas goes to my wife, Janet, and Shawntese Ruch at Arizona Title Agency. I actually tried the closet organization tip and it looks great. Now I need to get to work on those files.

From the National Association of Realtors

Tell Congress that Market Conditions Demand FHA Reform

The increased loan limits for FHA that were included in the Economic Stimulus package are set to expire at the end of the year. NAR supports an FHA Reform Bill that includes realistic and permanent increases in the loan limits.

Please Take Action in support of making the increases permanent. Tell your local Senators as well as your Representative that realistic loan limits will help all areas of the country to bring lasting stability to the marketplace.

What's At Stake:

Early evidence shows that the increased FHA loan limits will provide a much needed infusion of stability, liquidity and security into the market. If Congress lets the new limits expire, the fragile housing market will once again be thrust into a period of turmoil.

We cannot wait any further for permanent FHA reform. Help us pass a FHA reform bill NOW to give American homebuyers and homeowners the peace of mind they so desperately need.

Send this sample email to your Senators and Representatives:

Subject: Permanent Loan Limit Increase Key to FHA Reform Bill

Dear [insert your congressman's name],

As an American Homebuyer, I want to stress how important it is for FHA reform legislation to be quickly enacted. These bills, passed the House and Senate in 2007, are now stalled in conference. Permanent increases in the FHA loan limits, lowered FHA downpayment requirements, and new opportunities for condominium purchases are needed to create safe and affordable mortgage options for our state's homebuyers and those wishing to refinance. These changes will also provide much needed stability to our local housing markets and economies.

The new loan limits passed in the recently enacted Economic Stimulus bill will expire in less than 10 months. Dramatically reducing these limits at year's end will push our nation's fragile housing markets into turmoil once again. Realistic loan limits that permanently help ALL areas of the country are needed to bring stability to the marketplace.

FHA's downpayment levels led many borrowers to opt for the exotic, risky mortgages that have been the hallmark of the foreclosure crisis. The FHA reform bills will allow FHA to modify downpayment requirements and offer flexible financing to eligible borrowers.

In many areas of the country, condominiums remain the most affordable option for homeownership, but FHA owner/occupancy and documentation requirements, make it very difficult to purchase a condominium using FHA mortgage insurance. The FHA reform bills will move condominium financing programs into FHA's single-family program where they belong and ease the way for condominium purchases.

We cannot wait any further for FHA reform. Pass a permanent FHA reform bill NOW to give American homebuyers and homeowners the peace of mind they so desperately need.

Sincerely,

(Your Name and Address)

Here is a link to Congressional Email Addresses

http://usgovinfo.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/congress/conemail.txt

To Conclude
Here are some key things you should always and never do in writing to your elected representatives.

Always

1. Be courteous and respectful without "gushing."
2. Clearly and simply state the purpose of your letter. If it's about a certain bill, identify it correctly. If you need help in finding the number of a bill, use the Thomas Legislative Information System.
3. Say who you are. Anonymous letters go nowhere. Even in email, include your correct name, address, phone number and email address. If you don't include at least your name and address, you will not get a response.
4. State any professional credentials or personal experience you may have, especially those pertaining to the subject of your letter.
5. Keep your letter short -- one page is best.
6. Use specific examples or evidence to support your position.
7. State what it is you want done or recommend a course of action.
8. Thank the member for taking the time to read your letter.

Never

1. Use vulgarity, profanity, or threats. The first two are just plain rude and the third one can get you a visit from the Secret Service. Simply stated, don't let your passion get in the way of making your point,
2. Fail to include your name and address, even in email letters.
3. Demand a response.

Thank you.