FHA LOANS The punch of inflating prices in grocery and gas has also affected the potential home buyer's power of purchase and even sale of there current homes in the fear of mortgage under the cloud of stricter rules and requirements. This situation aroused due to the superficial nature of the government as it allowed selling and insurance of foreclosed properties at deflated prices so that these properties can be later marked up and sold at an inflated price tag. It came out to be a fiasco because these homes were purchased with the sub-prime loans and this created a mess. The anti-flipping rule was brought into limelight in order to combat this situation by the government. It states that properties owned by the current seller wouldn't be insured for less than 90days by the FHA .This h... 08/18/2008

Baton Rouge Real Estate Market Info According to the "CNN/Money Magazine" the Baton Rouge real estate market is currently ranking at #9 in the country.  Whether this is from natural ebb and flow of the market or from sincere dedication is still to be determined.  With prices still rising in the economy, it shows that real estate in Baton Rouge is still an excellent investment for those of you considering or attempting to enter the real estate market. Although the prices are good and the economy is supporting the drive for buying real estate investments, the homes are taking longer to sell now, than they did in years passed.  With a greater number of home owners choosing to sell their homes and move to various locations, the inventory of homes currently for sale has increased by over 25%... 08/18/2008

FHA Secure Program This FHA Secure Loan Program will benefit those homeowners for whom the refinancing of payments is a major headache. This is done through FHA insured mortgages. This program was laid down by the President Bush himself. As already mentioned, this program helps the homeowners to avoid the foreclosure of their property. The FHA Secure Program will aid around 250,000 families who are in the risk of foreclosure of their properties, thus allowing them for qualification of FHA's mortgage insurance. But all this is to your avail only when you have a credit that can be considered as reasonably well. This was not possible earlier; as such delinquent borrowers were not able to qualify for the FHA loan program. All in all, it is a big relief for all the stressed homeowners to ref... 08/18/2008

http://fhaappraiserbatonrouge.info/ - Baton Rouge Real Estate: Sherwood Forest Home Prices Increase In Previous 12 Month Period. This is commentary on Sherwood Forest Terrace S/D.   Sherwood Forest Terrace is located just west of Sharp Road and is close to Broadmoor Area.   So, commentary is included for Sherwood Forest and Broadmoor.  An MLS CMA of Sherwood Forest from 8/13/07 to 8/14/08 reveals: The Average Sales Price: $174,335The Average Sold Price Per Sq. Ft.: $79.98/sfThe Median Sold Price: $169,500Low Sales Price: $101,850High Sales Price: $355,000Average # of Days On Market: 68 Days On Market# of Sales: 98 An MLS CMA of Sherwood Forest from 8/13/06 to 8/13/07 reveals: The Average Sales Price: $171,568The Average Sold Price Per Sq. Ft.: $79.97/sfThe Median Sold Price: $165,000Low... 08/15/2008

http://fhaappraisersbatonrouge.com/ - Baton Rouge Real Estate: Did Woodland Ridge Property Values Increase Or Decline In Most Recent 12 Month Period? To discover the answer, let's look at two different periods of time - 8/07 to 8/08 (Post National Mortgage Meltdown) and 8/06 to 8/07 (Pre National Mortgage Meltdown) Solds from 8/9/07 to 8/13/08 reveals:Average Sales Price: $240,254Average Sold Price Per Sq. Ft.: $93.38/sfMedian Sold Price: $243,500Low Sales Price: $183,500High Sales Price: $295,000Average # of Days On Market: 99# of Sales: 13Excludes 2 REO Sales Solds from 8/9/06 to 8/13/07 reveals:Average Sales Price: $245,100Average Sold Price Per Sq. Ft.: $86.02/sfMedian Sold Price: $239,500Low Sales Price: $180,000High Sales Price: $400,000Average # of Days On Market: 97 Days# of Sal... 08/14/2008

Monday I posted about my brand new listing in Azalea Lakes Subdivision.  And at 8 AM this morning we received an accepted offer.  This past Friday my assistant and I went out to photograph this home and by the end of the day we had all our marketing ready and flyers ready to go for when we inputed it into the MLS.  Monday morning I inputed it into MLS and within 5 minutes of inputting and before I could put it into Showings.com (CSS) we had a call from someone who wanted to preview it.  The agent previewed it and then showed it to their clients later that day.  Another agent from our office also showed it.  Early Tuesday morning we had an offer on our Lake Camelia home.  After counters and several negotiations we received our accepted counter offer this morning!!!  Only 4 days on the ma... 08/14/2008

http://batonrougerealestateappraisers.com/ - Baton Rouge Real Estate: Are Shenandoah Estates Property Values Increasing Or Declining? To discover the answer, let's look at two different periods of time - 8/07 to 8/08 (Post National Mortgage Meltdown & Credit Crisis) and 8/06 to 8/07 (Pre National Mortgage Meltdown)  Solds from 8/9/07 to 8/12/08 reveals:  Average Sales Price: $198,049Average Sold Price Per Sq. Ft.: $92.46/sfMedian Sold Price: $196,950Low Sales Price: $139,000High Sales Price: $282,000Average # of Days On Market: 65# of Sales: 70  Solds from 8/9/06 to 8/12/07 reveals:  Average Sales Price: $192,409Average Sold Price Per Sq. Ft.: $93.07/sfMedian Sold Price: $189,000Low Sales Price: $119,000High Sales Price: $280,000Average # of Days On Market: 39 Days# of Sales: 93 A compa... 08/14/2008

Baton Rouge Weekend Events- August 8-10, 2008 Pennington Balloon ChampionshipsThe 3-day Pennington Balloon Championships begins on this Friday, August 8 and ends on Sunday, August 10.  This is the sixth year of the nation's top hot air balloon festival!  Attending will be more than 90,000 spectators and there will be 60 participating hot air balloons. It will take place at the Pennington Property and BREC Park along Perkins Road and Kenilworth Parkway.  Races begin at 6:30 am and last till about 9 am daily!  Activities resume at 3 pm daily with the opening of BREC's Children Village-pony rides, water slides, rock walls, face painting, arts and crafts, & more!!  Festivities continue with an entertainment stage, U.S. Army Demonstration Parachute Team, Nightly Fireworks, and so much more! ... 08/08/2008

    My name is Anthony Rushing, I'm an agent with Keller Williams in Baton Rouge, La and am new to Active Rain so I figured I would start my blog introducing myself.  I've been an agent for just over a year now, but became full time just over a month ago.  I was a full time musician before but decided to switch my focus from that to a more stable carreer.  I'm excited to be part of Active Rain, I can tell it is a great tool for networking and for learning new ideas, (I learned more from a blog about staging a home during my first 5 minutes on this website than I have in the past year.)  I look forward to meeting new friends and business partners through my new profession and through Active Rain. -Anthony  08/07/2008

"One big factor that's changed mortgage lending is widespread use of automated underwriting software, which is required for lenders to be able to sell loans on the secondary mortgage market.  This software takes certain things into account, like credit scores, that weren't considered before." - Mark Steele, President of Howard Hanna Mortgage Services in Pittsburgh   As home buyers, you may be feeling the pressure of tougher restrictions when trying to receive approval for a real estate loan.  What advice can I give you?  Know your credit score.   Why?   Everything these days is becoming more credit scored focused.   Following I will give you advice on how to find your credit score, what is a good credit score, and how to approve a low credit score. What is a credit score?  In lay mans t... 08/07/2008

Here is a cool yet addictive new feature that has just been provided for Baton Rouge... "Street View" in Google Maps! Although this has probably been around for major cities, Baton Rouge is just now catching up and I'm catching on! Think Google Earth but at street level and 360 degrees! If your town does have access to Street View (go check now!) all you have to do is: 1. Go to maps.google.com 2. Enter the address & city of what you are searching for 3. When your targeted location comes up click 'Street View' within the box 4. From here you can get the full 360 degree experience by moving up and down the street and turning around What a great tool for adding an extra 'pop' to your Localism posts! 1. After going through the above steps, keep your location you want to post about in view 2... 08/06/2008

Don't miss this opportunity to have fun and learn.  AUGUST 8, 9, AND 10, 2008.  Right in the heart of Baton Rouge Homes and Properties at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and adjacent BREC park the sky will fill each morning and some evenings with vivid color and excitement as the Balloon Competition gets underway.  There's just something that takes your breath away to watch a sky full of balloons in the crisp, early morning sunlight.  They need the sunrise and sunset thermals for lift.  It's worth getting up for. Here are some highlights copied from their website, but to get full details visit their website http://www.laballooning.com/special-events.html   Balloon CompetitionEach morning you should plan to be at seated the field by 6:30 to see what many people believe is the b... 08/05/2008

Kitchens Photo by:phelpsrenovations.com  Kitchens have always been a selling point for home buyers and are likely to make or break a deal.  Buyers want to see an updated kitchen that they can envision themselves preparing meals like gourmet chefs.  It is important to note that kitchen upgrades will bring you the biggest return for your money.  Here's a few to get you started: • First and Foremost, Make sure your kitchen is immaculate.  The kitchen is the last place a home buyer wants to see a dead bug in the light fixture or grimy grout on the tile.  • Update your cabinets!  Paint or Stain your cabinets to give them a new look and add some updated hardware! • Update the counters!  Remember buyers want to envision themselves cooking on those cabinets.  So if they are outdated or stained ... 08/05/2008

     Cute 3 bedroom has newer floors, brick in kitchen and ceramic tile in bath. Choose your own flooring for living, hall and bedrooms at seller's expense to closing. Pretty kitchen countertops and nice painted cabinets. Refrigerator remains. Clean, neat and airy. Heat & a/c new in 1997. Back yard is privacy fenced with mature pecan and live oak trees. Concrete slab laid for metal building to be moved onto it prior to close. Nature lover's dream with nice gardens. All measurements are approximate. Sale to be As Is after inspections and flooring and storage building additions.   MLS   B08197317 Virtual Tour: http://www.shockwave.com/rd/photojam4/?4501522/1217460128325_63   08/01/2008

Special Real Estate Buyers   I had the privilege of helping two special people purchase a home.  They actually closed on their home just a few days ago.  They had signed up on my website, JenniferDazet.com.  I followed up by calling them and set up a consultation appointment to assess their needs and get them pre-approved.  Jewell and Andy came in both were very nice however; Jewell had a very bad experience with not just one real estate agent but two and was very skeptical about my services.  This is very understandable it’s just like getting burned in a bad romantic relationship, trust in others diminishes.    As a Baton Rouge Real Estate Consultant I was embarrassed however; determined to show Jewell that I am a professional and their needs come first bottom line.  I did just that, J... 08/01/2008

Red Stick Farmers Market The Red Stick Farmers Market is a market in downtown Baton Rouge with 55+ independent vendors that has been in operation for nearly ten years. Open every Saturday morning from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm in conjunction with The Main Street Market which is a six day a week public marketplace located on the first floor of the Galvez Garage in downtown Baton Rouge. Saturday vendors range from selling fresh fruits & vegetables to poultry to pastries to spices. A not to miss event! The first Saturday of every month also features local artists. The RedStick Farmers Market and Main Street Market are operated by BREADA (Big River Economic and Agricultural Development Alliance). Read more here.   View Larger Map ---------------------- For the Kids: Build your Own Rocket!!! This... 08/01/2008

‘Raw foodism' or  ‘rawism' is a lifestyle which promotes the consumption of uncooked and unprocessed foods as a large percentage of a person's diet (usually 75%).  This can sometimes mean raw foodists do not eat eggs and milk but others eat meat and fish (if it's raw).  It depends on the lifestyle and results desired.  Raw food is considered in the raw when it is not brought up to any temperature past 116 degrees Fahrenheit.  Why eat raw food?  It has been scientifically proven that cooking not only destroys nutrition, enzymes, vitamins, but chemically changes foods from the substances needed for health into free-radicals and poisons that destroy your health!  When a food is not cooked it retains enzymes and valuable nutrients that help in breaking down and absorbing food and nutrients.... 07/31/2008

East Baton Rouge Parish Active Sold Total 2041 343 Total List $588,267,956 $78,967,721 Total Sold n/a $76,168,415 Average List $288,225 $230,227 Average Sold n/a $222,065 Average DOM 110 81 Median Price $210,000 $188,000 %SP/LP n/a 96%         Information from Baton Rouge GBRMLS. 07/31/2008

There's nothing like sitting out on the boat on a Saturday afternoon waiting for a bite. I always love to go fishing. Of course, the only thing I can't stand about it is that you have to use icky worms. Ew, their so slimy. I had a friend tell me the other day that you can use corn to fish and it actually works! No more gooey, ewwwy worms for me!   For information on hunting and fishing regulations please visit: Louisiana Department of Wildlife Boating Licenses: All people that are born before Jan 1, 1998 must complete a mandatory boating education course and also carry proof of completion to operate a boat. The course is 6-8 hours and can usually be done within a day. It's also offered year round and is no charge. You can get more information on registration, applications and more at th... 07/31/2008

Real Estate is more than just bringing a buyer and a seller together, it's more than just closing the deal, and it's more than just the money involved.  It's building strong relationships with your clients, gaining their trust and  bringing to your clients something of value that they can not find anywhere else.  Many agents don't plan for the future and do not have a game plan lined up.  I  must say that I have been guilty of the same exact thing.  That was until I started Keller Williams Red Stick Partners serving the Baton Rouge Real Estate Market.  I was not running a  business I was allowing the business to run me!  Don't get me wrong I was making money, closing the deals but did not see the big picture.  My whole philosophy on Real Estate Sales has changed from night to day.  Kel... 07/31/2008