Erin Blaise's (erinblaise) Blog

I received an email last night talking about how Realtors need to help home buyers avoid predatory lending practices. The email talks about mortgage companies who use a bait and switch type of scenario. For example, a loan officer tells you they can get you a loan and what they need from you. The...

I was recently complaining that it was taking a lot longer to sell homes than in the past. My mother, an agent in another area, suggested I check the data comparing this year to last year. I found out that our sales volume has only decreased 6%. I don't think it's really worth complaining over a ...

I just went to a community meeting to discuss affordable housing. I thought the people there might be in agreement on some ideas of affordable housing but was surprised by people's ideas. There were people who said old houses that cost less to buy or rent are not affordable because they cost to m...

I just went through and 8 month ordeal to get an error on my credit report corrected. It made me wonder why it seems no one is requiring them to report accurate information. I wonder if there is something we can do. Regions bank reported to the three credit reporting agencies that I made a paymen...

Yesterday I got some information in the mail about InstantCreditBuilders.com. I went to their website and it looks like you pay to become an authorized user on the accounts of people who have great credit. It looks like you can make your home ownership dream come true just by using your available...

Last night I watched a documentary about the residents of Bayview Virginia. Up until 1999, this community of 100 people was living in homes without indoor plumbing. They were heating their homes with wood or kerosene and using shallow wells for water. All the businesses that had previously been t...

In Columia, Mo we have a neighborhood known as North Central. People like to buy houses there because they are close to our downtown and each house is different. This neighborhood is not a "cookie cutter" type of community. There is a group of people who want to preserve this but they are proposi...

The week the city council in Columbia, Missouri voted unanimously to raise fees for develpers to connect new homes to utility service. This couldn't be coming at a worse time. In our area, the construction industry is struggling and building permits are at a low point. This is the same city counc...

Every morning there is an infomercial that promises for $39.95 to show you how to do this. Save your money. I will tell you how to do this in my area (Boone County, Missouri) . In your area it's probably just the same or a very similar process. In our county they do not advertize this yearly tax ...

Recently property has been taking longer to sell than in the past. Homes that used to go under contract in under 30 days are now taking up to 90 days to sell. As people become more weary of waiting for that one special buyer to come along, they've started to employ some unique techniques for sell...