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Appleton, WI Real Estate News

By Gwenn Tanvas, The Mortgage Gal, 920.267.7891~ SMART - INNOVATIVE
(NEXA Mortgage LLC an Equal Housing Lender NMLS # 1660690)
Housing and Mortgage Industries Benefit from the 2009 Economic Stimulus Plan  Signed . . . Sealed . . . Delivered . . .Tax cuts and spending programs are the target to revive the US Economy. Yes the $787 Billion Economic Stimulus Plan is signed sealed and delivered to the American people. Scaled down from nearly $1 Trillion (with a BIG T), the plan will stand as the largest anti-recession effort in the U.S. since the great World War II. Key provisions in the plan are Tax Credits for first-time home buyers, tax incentives to jump start energy savings, repair public housing and expand housing assistance to promote neighborhood stabilization. Keep your eye open in the coming weeks for an expanded plan to assist struggling homeowners before they are faced with foreclosure. Birds flying arou...
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By Gwenn Tanvas, The Mortgage Gal, 920.267.7891~ SMART - INNOVATIVE
(NEXA Mortgage LLC an Equal Housing Lender NMLS # 1660690)
Happy Friday! I just love this thought and I hear it more and more these days from both sides. A day does not go by with out hearing the jingle from that well known radio station WFMW or WIIFM (What's in it For Me). "Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, 'What's in it for me?'" by Brian Tracy, author, speaker, consultant All of the money you'll ever make in your entire life currently belongs to someone else. You can ask for it; you can beg for it, you can even trick someone into giving it to you. But you'll never get it UNLESS you give them something of value that they want or something they need. The second you help them, they'll gladly open their wallets and give freely. Make it a Fabulous Friday! Gwenn Tanvas is ...
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By Gwenn Tanvas, The Mortgage Gal, 920.267.7891~ SMART - INNOVATIVE
(NEXA Mortgage LLC an Equal Housing Lender NMLS # 1660690)
This story, RANTshould bring it right home for the good people of Wisconsin - I am quite sure that this is happening all over this great land. This is a personal opinion from a professional mortgage planner who is tired of the snide comments and back lashing we have endured over the course of the past 12 months. I am a professional and have practiced ethically and with my client's best interest in mind. No one is throwing a party for me and my colleagues. And by the way . . . where is my reward for being good and showing a profit? - wheeeew - now I feel better:) Oh Not So Fast - More RANT- We have been thrown in the pit to defend our industry and our livelihoods as the result of the bad loans originated in the minds of the greedy sitting in Ivory Towers. I did not dream that our local t...
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By Gwenn Tanvas, The Mortgage Gal, 920.267.7891~ SMART - INNOVATIVE
(NEXA Mortgage LLC an Equal Housing Lender NMLS # 1660690)
Less than 30 days into the new administration, Fannie Mae released information on their new change to roll back a very unpopular guideline change that occurred less than 12 months ago. Information from the revision to the Selling Guide says" Fannie Mae is committed to providing financing opportunities for high-credit quality, bona fied investors. Experienced investors play a key role in the housing recovery and Fannie Mae's continued support for investor borrowers is consistent with its mission to provide stability, liquidity, and affordability to the nation's housing system". On the onset of Spring, Investors will once again have the opportunity to own and finance up to 10 individual properties. The change is in effect on March 1, 2009 but it is important for Investors to be aware of t...
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By Gwenn Tanvas, The Mortgage Gal, 920.267.7891~ SMART - INNOVATIVE
(NEXA Mortgage LLC an Equal Housing Lender NMLS # 1660690)
Closing on your new home is an exciting time. You have just received word from your Realtor that your offer has been accepted, the closing date is set and you are pulling together all the final details. The final step is the settlement or closing.    If not prepared, the settlement statement (ie: good faith estimate), breakdown of the loan cost from the lender can be a real eye opener. You ask yourself, where on earth did all these closing costs come from; and do you really have to pay all these fees? Regardless of how you negotiated your purchase contract and the structure of your loan with your mortgage professional, it is important to understand the fees associated with your new loan. Some fees represent actual costs to the lender imposed on them by third parties, and are NOT negotia...
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By Gwenn Tanvas, The Mortgage Gal, 920.267.7891~ SMART - INNOVATIVE
(NEXA Mortgage LLC an Equal Housing Lender NMLS # 1660690)
Have you ever been so afraid and pushed yourself right through it? Felt that sinking feeling and forced yourself forward? It is said that F.E.A.R. is an acronym for "False Emotions Appearing Real". I have heard that statement on numerous occasions, but it wasn't until I was faced head on with it that I truly understood. I like to think of myself as an adventurous gal, so climbing up a pole and jumping off appeared to be a piece of cake... right? Well I climbed that pole like a little monkey and then I got to the top. Everything changed! That 20" pole appearedto be all of 50' and my legs began to shake. Oh my goodness, now what. I had to some how get my feet ON TOP of this tiny wobbly disk, LET GO, stand up, turn around and jump - NOT WITHOUT A NET!!!!! The F.E.A.R. set in and I was shak...
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By Gwenn Tanvas, The Mortgage Gal, 920.267.7891~ SMART - INNOVATIVE
(NEXA Mortgage LLC an Equal Housing Lender NMLS # 1660690)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAFFY - Saffy is a 2 year old Australian Shepherd - The owner was living in an apartment and could no longer care for her. I got her when she was 4 months old. She looks so much like my Neenah, who died a few years back. I just couldn't resist that face.  
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By Gwenn Tanvas, The Mortgage Gal, 920.267.7891~ SMART - INNOVATIVE
(NEXA Mortgage LLC an Equal Housing Lender NMLS # 1660690)
Did you know that identity theft often occurs when you are obtaining your Government Free Annual Credit Report? Therefore, you must protect yourself before you become another victim of America's fastest rising crime.  So How Is Identity Stolen With The "Free Credit Report" Scam?  1.  "Phishing" is the name of one of the primary scams. It has become increasingly popular. It happens when you receive emails requesting your contact and social security number from individuals pretending they are a legitimate company.  For instance, your bank will never request your social security number or private information so that they can verify your account or check your credit. 2.  Another popular way is to go to a website advertising a "Free Credit Report."  It asks you for your name and social secur...
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By Gwenn Tanvas, The Mortgage Gal, 920.267.7891~ SMART - INNOVATIVE
(NEXA Mortgage LLC an Equal Housing Lender NMLS # 1660690)
When the House Is Not Selling Remember . . .  "Presentation is Everything!" As a private seller, you have to make sure that your home is presentable to a potential buyer, and keep in mind that, in a competitive market with more inventory than we've seen in some time, Presentation is Everything! By eliminating points the potential buyer may find fault with and by bringing out the positive amenities, you are more likely to sell your home and get the price you are asking for. Here are just a few tip to help support your efforts.    1. Let There Be Light. Buy some 100­watt bulbs to brighten the rooms, and open curtains or blinds to let light in. Unless a window faces a brick wall or some type of eyesore, open the drapes! 2. Garage, Not Garbage. Have a garage sale to clean out the clutter a...
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By Gwenn Tanvas, The Mortgage Gal, 920.267.7891~ SMART - INNOVATIVE
(NEXA Mortgage LLC an Equal Housing Lender NMLS # 1660690)
It is sad to say but our society seems to decide our value by our credit line or credit worthiness. With a good credit report, it is likely you will participate in and enjoy many of the finer things in life. However if your credit report is "challenged", you probably will not. Few creditors, if any, will extend individuals with bad marks on their credit history loan options. But what if you had no other option? What if you were forced to choose between buying food, and making the payment on your car? What if you were prevented from making timely payments by a lack of employment, a medical emergency or some other personal crisis? Should just one late payment result in up to ten years of being punished by having to pay higher rates and fees? One wonders why this system is allowed to opera...
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By Gwenn Tanvas, The Mortgage Gal, 920.267.7891~ SMART - INNOVATIVE
(NEXA Mortgage LLC an Equal Housing Lender NMLS # 1660690)
SHOPPING AROUND? HERE'S THE INSIDE SCOOP ON HOW TO DO IT RIGHT! First: make sure you are working with an experienced, professional loan officer. The largest financial transaction of your life is far too important to place into the hands of someone who is not capable of advising you properly and troubleshooting the issues that may arise along the way. But how can you tell? Here are FOUR SIMPLE QUESTIONS YOUR LENDER ABSOLUTELY MUST BE ABLE TO ANSWER CORRECTLY. IF THEY DO NOT KNOW THE ANSWERS...RUN...DON'T WALK... RUN...TO A LENDER THAT DOES! 1) What are mortgage interest rates based on? (The only correct answer is Mortgage Backed Securities or Mortgage Bonds, NOT the 10-year Treasury Note. While the 10-year Treasury Note sometimes trends in the same direction as Mortgage Bonds, it is not ...
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By Bob Edwards, Fox Cities Real Estate Hotline, SFR- Appleton, WI
(Coldwell Banker- The Real Estate Group, Inc.)
Thursday, June 12th, 2008 Kaukauna, WI will host a Town Hall meeting at the Kaukauna High School with Barack Obama right here in the Fox Valley. I pondered about attending this historic event and then this morning I was in Kaukauna previewing a home and decided to swing by the school and see if tickets were still available. There was a moderate line of people and it seemed to be moving fairly quickly so I parked the car and got in line. Ten minutes later I had two tickets in my hand and I was on my way. I'm curious as to what the event will be like, the inter-party mud slinging should be done so what topics will Obama focus on now? As a Realtor with Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group my interest will be in what specific steps Obama and his Administration would take to alleiviate the ...
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By Bob Edwards, Fox Cities Real Estate Hotline, SFR- Appleton, WI
(Coldwell Banker- The Real Estate Group, Inc.)
No it's not an April Fool's joke and it's not a typo; Donald Driver, wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers is taking over Brett Favre's position, as host for the annual Packers Offense-Defense softball game that is. The game which will be held at the Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium  and home to the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers is a Fox Valley summer tradition. Brett Favre has been host for the event for the last seven years until his retirement at which time Double D took over the position. The game is scheduled for June 15, 2008 at 1:00 pm and features Donald Driver with the Green Bay Packers Offense against the Green Bay Packers Defense. All of the proceeds from the game go to The Donald Driver Foundation helping homeless families and addresses lack of quality education i...
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By Bob Edwards, Fox Cities Real Estate Hotline, SFR- Appleton, WI
(Coldwell Banker- The Real Estate Group, Inc.)
I wanted to share a little trivia with you about the Fox Cities in Outagamie Co., WI. Did you know that the Fox Cities are a combination of ten communities along the Fox River in what is known as the Fox Valley? They are Appleton, Neenah, Menasha, Kaukauna, Kimberly, Combined Locks, Grand Chute, Little Chute, Freedom and Vandenroek. Wisconsin became a state in 1848 and Outagamie County was created in 1851 (it was originally a part of Brown County). The first inhabitants in the Fox Valley were Native Americans of the Winnebago, Menomonee and Outagamie tribes. Europeans settled along the Fox River in the early 1600's; Jean Nicollet, a French explorer was the first to the Outagamie area. The name, Fox Cities, came from the Outagamie Indians because the French nicknamed them "les renards", ...
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By Bob Edwards, Fox Cities Real Estate Hotline, SFR- Appleton, WI
(Coldwell Banker- The Real Estate Group, Inc.)
Through the years I've always enjoyed working with first time home buyers and in particular commendable first time buyers who take the proper steps to make the home buying process enjoyable for themselves and in turn their agent.  Not too long ago I was covering the phones when a call came in from a young man inquiring about a home which happened to ba a duplex. I gave him the pertinent information and we set up a showing to take a look on the upcoming Saturday morning. As it turned out the home required more work than he was willing to put into it and quickly ruled it out. We talked a little about his home buying goals and he did have an underlying goal, buy his first home and start investing in real estate. I offered to do a further search for him and set him up with a Listing Cart wh...
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By Bob Edwards, Fox Cities Real Estate Hotline, SFR- Appleton, WI
(Coldwell Banker- The Real Estate Group, Inc.)
In the Fox Cities area it's a Buyer's Market, unless you're selling and then it's a Seller's Market. What if you're doing both you ask, well....perhaps it's a wash. There's no question that of late the Real Estate Market has been volatile in many ways, a virtual roller-coaster if you will. So how do we define our present market conditions. Lets take a look at the terms we so commonly hear and break them down. First up is BUYER'S MARKET, this simply defined means that the market has more inventory (people selling their home) than buyers, the end result of which is lower prices or also known as a soft market. Second is the SELLER'S MARKET which again simply define means there are more buyers than sellers, the end result of which is higher prices. It all boils down to supply and demand eit...
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By Bob Edwards, Fox Cities Real Estate Hotline, SFR- Appleton, WI
(Coldwell Banker- The Real Estate Group, Inc.)
I was reading my daily email version of Realtor- The Daily Real Estate News and came across another tool to help enhance Real Estate Blogs. The Adobe Store has available a product called Vlog It which creates video blogs, according to the advertising it's faster and easier than traditional video editing software. In fact they compare it to having an automatic TV newsroom in your computer. Vlog It appears to be filled with features; drag and drop photos, video clips or music, teleprompter for narration, webcam feature for "the personal newscast", Flash video and capability to digitally replace the background behind you. Is Vlog It an indispensable tool we dare not pass up or at $29 is it one of those "if sounds to good to be true...." deals. My thought is that if it's coming from Adobe i...
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By Bob Edwards, Fox Cities Real Estate Hotline, SFR- Appleton, WI
(Coldwell Banker- The Real Estate Group, Inc.)
Appleton, Fox Cities and surrounding areas are alive with home buyers and home sellers but there's something different about them. I don't mean different in a bad way either, far from it. I've found that both home buyers and sellers are very educated on the national real estate market conditions which in turn makes them proceed cautiously. Even though buyers an sellers may be cautious they're eager to learn more about our market to help themselves get past their fears and I'm eager to tell them.As a Realtor working in the current real estate market conditions I really need to stay on top of things both locally and nationally. Why stay on top of national trends? Nine times out of ten when someone talks about real estate market conditions they're referring to what they've seen on TV or re...
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By Bob Edwards, Fox Cities Real Estate Hotline, SFR- Appleton, WI
(Coldwell Banker- The Real Estate Group, Inc.)
April Fool's day we heard the big announcement that Brett Favre was coming back for one more year, the story seemed to be picked up by newspapers and TV and spread nationwide in no time, well... it was April Fools. Then we read the official reports from Brett that he is retired and not coming back. So today I'm driving to my office and what comes on the radio but yet another report from non-less then Brett Favre. According to the news report Brett is happy with his decision to retire BUT, if the Green Packers needed him to come back in an emergency he probably would. In the back of mind I'm wondering what does that exactly mean? You don't just retire and hang out at your house and if the phone rings jump right into an NFL game. Is Brett going to continue training? Also I'm thinking he n...
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By Bob Edwards, Fox Cities Real Estate Hotline, SFR- Appleton, WI
(Coldwell Banker- The Real Estate Group, Inc.)
With all of the negative hype in the news day after day about a nation wide housing slump, the conditions here in Appleton and the Fox Cities have actually been fairly resistant to it. There certainly has been a slow down in our area but our figures do not directly reflect the National Association of Realtors (NAR) national statistics of the existing-home sales drop of 12.8%. According to the Realtors Association of Northeast Wisconsin Outagamie County; where my office is located, only saw a change of -1.3% last year. 2007 home sales were 1,898 while 2006 sales were 1,923. Now... I should expand on this by saying that Outagamie County is the exception to the Fox Cities market. We have three more counties in the Fox Valley who's numbers aren't quite as strong and again these statistics a...
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