Billionaire says Real Estate is Best Investment Possible

Billionaire says Real Estate is Best Investment Possible

Neal Paskvan is a full time Realtor specializing in Downers grove, Darien,Woodridge, Westmont and Du page county Real Estate

If natural disaster strikes, you'll want these tools and supplies

click here for the rest of the story from tim carter at the tribune

If natural disaster strikes, you'll want these tools and supplies - chicagotribune.com

y Tim Carter, Tribune Content Agency Ask The Builder 4:30 a.m. CDT, July 18, 2014 Normally in my column I answer questions from people I've never met, but the inspiration for this column came at the dinner table recently. My oldest daughter and her husband are moving to California. We had a belated birthday celebration for both of them, and the gifts they requested all centered around survival and bug-out items. My daughter had asked me to make a list of emergency tools and supplies in case a big earthquake struck. I've decided to share the list with you. Millions of people here in the USA are susceptible to a large-scale natural disaster, and if one happens where you live, you may not receive timely help from first responders. RELATED Old Lumber vs. new: Preventing warping, twisting and rot How to cut a common roof rafter Metal pegboard is the cure for storage blues Here's why. Less than two years ago I completed training that spanned eight weeks. I'm now a member of my local CERT team -- Community Emergency Response Team. The first week of class was taught by our local fire chief, and he talked about the community pre-planning list of assets he and his department maintain. This list is ordered from most-valuable to least-valuable community assets. In the event of a large disaster, the fire department will protect and defend the most valuable assets first so that when the disaster is over, these assets will be there for the community survivors. Guess what's last on the list? Your house and mine. To understand why, stop and think about the number of first responders in your community. For every thousand citizens, you might have one first responder. How many fire trucks are there in your community? Ten, 20, even 100? How many homes are there in comparison? It's not that the first responders won't want to help you in the event of a large disaster; it's just they might not show up for days or weeks. You need to realize you'll be on your own -- as will all your neighbors. It's time for you to start thinking like my daughter and son-in-law. The tools I'd want in a storage box would all be hand tools. Forget about power tools, as you may not have electricity for days or weeks. All I have to do is go into my garage and start to pull tools down off my metal pegboard or my shelves. Here's the short list of what I'd grab: --Plumb bob --Two or more tape measures --2 and 4-foot levels --Compact hand saw --Framing square --Razor knife and spare blades --Hammers (20- and

40-ounce) --Pry bars and crow bar --Carpenter's pencils --Mason's string --Hatchet and axe --Sharpening files --Curved pruning saw --Fire piston As for supplies, I'd have the following stockpiled: --Various sizes of double-laminated waterproof tarps --Two rolls of strong duct tape --200 feet of 1/4-inch rope --20 pounds of 16 d sinker nails --Three rolls of 30-pound felt paper --Dryer lint and other dry tinder --5 pounds of 1 1/4 inch roofing nails I could go on about other tools and supplies I'd love to have, but soon I'd need a warehouse or small building to store them. As we discussed how close my daughter will be living to the infamous San Andreas Fault, I mentioned that it would be a good idea to store all these things outdoors. When the big one comes, the last place you want supplies are inside your house or garage. These valuable assets could be buried under

Foreclosure Inventory Down 37% over Last Year!

According to the latest CoreLogic National Foreclosure Report, “approximately 660,000 homes in the US were in some state of foreclosure as of May 2014”. This figure is down 37% from the 1 million homes in May of 2013. May marked the 31st consecutive month in which there were year-over-year declines.

Mark Fleming chief economist for CoreLogic revealed:

“Significant gains have been made in the last year to reduce the foreclosure stock. Yet, these improvements are occurring disproportionately in non-judicial states. The foreclosure inventory in judicial states is averaging 2.1% which is more than twice the 0.9% average that is occurring in non-judicial states.”

The foreclosure process in the twenty-two judicial states can take, on average, anywhere from 180-400 days according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The lack of initial court intervention in non-judicial states, often means that the process of foreclosure takes significantly less time.

Therefore, judicial states as a whole, have taken longer to catch up to the rest of the country in liquidating

All five states with the highest f foreclosure inventory.

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Neal Paskvan is a full time Realtor specializing in Downers grove, Darien,Woodridge, Westmont and Du page county Real Estate

What is holding back the Real Estate Market?

While inventory levels remain below historic norms, it will remain a seller’s market. This being the case, if you are considering selling your home, now may be the time to list it for sale.

click here for the rest of the story from kereping current matters





 Neal Paskvan is a full time Realtor specializing in Downers grove, Darien,Woodridge, Westmont and Du page county Real Estate

Burglar uses spare key

Burglar uses spare key: A burglar used a hidden spare key to enter a home near in Orange County where he stole $400 in cash. (Video by Fox35)

Neal Paskvan is a full time Realtor specializing in Downers grove, Darien,Woodridge, Westmont and Du page county Real Estate

Man Arrives To Find Family Living In His Home « CBS Miami

 South Florida renter came home to find people living inside his house but the family illegally squatting inside said they are not leaving.

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Your Home Has 3 Zones

YOUR HOME'S THREE ZONES

Did you know every well designed home has three basic zones?  Each of these zones is for a specific need, including

Service

 Social

 Private.

 How they work together will determine how well your home will serve you. Let's take a look at the three zones.

Neal Paskvan Baird And Warner

The first is the Service Zone.   This is where the busy work takes place, such as laundry and cooking. It's usually the place where you'll find major appliances, a utility area, kitchen, hobby room or garage. The hum of the washer and dryer, odors of food being prepared, along with the noise of power tools let's you know this is where it all happens. Having this area away from the social and private zones facilitates the reduction of noise and it's safer.

The second zone is the Social Zone.   It's where family members enjoy the company of each other, dine with guests, watch TV or play games. These activities take place in the dining and living rooms, the family and rec rooms, breakfast room, den or on the deck and patio. We usually pay more attention to the decor in these spaces, making them attractive, inviting and comfortable.

The Private Zone is the third area.   It's the most personal and important of all spaces. This is where family members sleep, bathe or just spend quiet time alone. Good design calls for these spaces to be the most secluded and buffered from the social zone.

There are exceptions to the above rules. For instance, some owner's suites will include a stackable washer and dryer in the private bath. It can offer great convenience. Likewise, many people entertain in the kitchen, making this a combination social and service area.

Whether staying put, remodeling or buying, take a look at these zones and see how your home stacks up. Just keep in mind that the best arrangement is the one that works for you.

Copyright PropertySource Network 2009

How to Pay Off an Ex-Spouse When Seeking a Mortgage

How to Pay Off an Ex-Spouse When Seeking a Mortgage

Buying your spouse out of a property can be dicey.

By Scott Sheldon Stuck paying for a house that's no longer yours? Buying your spouse out of a property can be dicey, especially if both parties disagree with one another on the debt and equity objectives. So here are some ways to separate and pay off an ex-spouse when getting a mortgage. Net Yet Divorced or Separated?: First, if you and your ex are still legally married, but are not yet legally separated or officially divorced, this can pose problems related to the scope of the desired split when separating property and liens (loans). If you're buying a home for yourself, your spouse would have to sign a quit claim deed releasing their interest in the property you are buying since you are still legally joined with that person. The key is that the spouse must consent to releasing their interest in the transaction. Divorced & Still Tied to Another Property: Let's say you're trying to purchase a home, you are legally divorced and the previous property has been awarded to your ex-spouse in the divorce decree. However, for whatever reason your ex-spouse is not able to qualify for a new mortgage to refinance you off of it. Your credit report shows a mortgage that your name is tied to on a property you no longer own nor have responsibility for. In the eyes of the mortgage lender, because the liability (loan) is tied to the property and has not been paid off with your name associated with it, the liability is still considered to be joint.

How to Pay Off an Ex-Spouse When Seeking a Mortgage

The problem here is that your credit history and credit score are directly affected by your ex-spouse's sole ability to make timely mortgage payments on the joint credit account. The only way to remove the responsibility from you, beyond the divorce decree, is for the other party to sell the house or refinance the mortgage, and taking your name off the loan, thus omitting the

liability from your debt-to-income ratio on your new purchase. Refinancing to Buy Out the Ex-Spouse: Say both you and your spouse own a home together. Without the divorce degree and without a separation agreement, both parties collectively agree that one spouse will stay in the pro

Thinking of Selling? New Construction Will Soon Be New Competition

Thinking of Selling? New Construction Will Soon Be New Competition

Bottom Line

If you areFor the last several years, home sellers had to compete with huge inventories of distressed properties (foreclosures and short sales). The great news is that the supply of these properties is falling like a rock in the vast majority of housing markets. Many homeowners are now thinking of selling as the impact of this substantially discounted competition has disappeared.

However, every seller of an existing residential property must realize that there is a new form of competition about to hit the market: newly constructed homes.

As the economy improves, builders will again be bringing their housing developments to the market. Trulia recently reported that the purchaser, given a choice, actually prefers new construction. Here are two charts showing the results of the Trulia survey: thinking of selling, perhaps you should do it now to avoid the additional competition that will come to the market later this year.

click here for the rest of the story from keeping current matters

Time to downsize? Not for baby boomers

In an edited interview, the director of strategic planning for Fannie Mae's economics group said that though such a wholesale change probably is inevitable, boomers these days show little inclination to leave the single-family home lifestyle that, to an extent, has defined their generation:

Q: Isn't there a general story line that boomers hit 65, become empty nesters, look around at the unused bedrooms that the kids once occupied in their houses, and announce that they're paring down to a smaller space where somebody else will handle the maintenance?

click here for the rest of the story from Mary Umberger- Chicago tribune 

A: Yes. There's a perception, particularly in many media reports, that this massive generation born between 1946 and 1964 is altering its "housing consumption." It's true that they're becoming empty nesters in droves.

DOWNERS GROVE REAL ESTATE
Baby boomers not ready to downsize - chicagotribune.com

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Keep the Bugs Out « Baird & Warner

Keep the Bugs Out « Baird & Warner

Neal Paskvan is a full time Realtor specializing in Downers grove, Darien,Woodridge, Westmont and Du page county Real Estate





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hot off the press july 2014newsletter

Yes, hot off the press the July 2014 Baird Warner newsletter is out chock-full of money-saving ideas and other stuff just makes senseFind out where the closest drive-in movies are to get out there and see one Neal Paskvan is a full time Realtor specializing in Downers grove, Darien,Woodridge, Westmont and Du page county Real Estate