REAL ESTATE, REALTOR, INVESTMENT PROPERTY

Insurance Kentucky

2006-08-09T07:04:00.000-07:00

If you are buying a home in Kentucky you will need to find insurance for the dwelling, you may want to consider either a Fire Dwelling policy or Kentucky Homeowners Insurance policy. You may want to check online for a good rate for Kentucky Car Insurance

KY Homes, Kentucky Homes, Homes in KY

2006-03-24T18:48:00.000-08:00

Kentucky Homes
Kentucky's only statewide real estate for sale Internet Service. Kentucky Homes is the premier Internet Real Estate Marketing site on the Web, providing information rich kentucky listings, informative agent/broker pages and a complete line of ... Kentucky Real Estate Listings Online. Kentucky Real Estate Online. "Kentucky's first statewide homes for sale Internet service

free websites for realtors

2006-03-03T02:37:00.000-08:00

You are competing against five other agents for a hot listing. Do you know what Web marketing services to offer that will knock out your competitors and cost you virtually nothing?

Web marketing is like searching for a needle in a haystack. The more places you have your needles, the more people will find you. Most agents have their listings posted on their local Multiple Listing Service (MLS), their national company site, their local company site, and on their own Web page. There are a number of other great ways to achieve maximum exposure on the Web. Last week's article looked at strategies for search-engine placement on the major search engines as well as Realtor.com. Today's issue looks at sites that will let you post your listings for free.

The ultimate online market is eBay. The rules for posting are somewhat complex depending upon whether you take a traditional ad or use one of their auction formats. If there are no bids that meet your reserve price using the auction format, then there is no fee. If you use the eBay ad format, postings range from $150 for a 30-day listing to $300 for a 90-day listing.

Craigslist.com has exploded as a free national site where agents can not only post their listings, but also find just about anything else they need, whether it's a messenger service, car, pet, or garage sale. Since visitors to Craigslist.com normally look at the most recent listings, you will want to update your entries periodically, especially if you have a price reduction or a change in terms.

If you have a listing over $1 million, www.UniqueGlobalEstates.com is a free MLS for estate properties. With thousands of international listings, this is a great way to provide your luxury listings with maximum exposure to some of the world's most qualified buyers. If UniqueGlobalEstates.com sends you a buyer, then you pay a referral fee just as you would if you worked with a relocation company.

If you have a property that is in foreclosure, you can also post your listing on www.foreclosure.com for no charge. This site obviously attracts bargain hunters and professional investors, but it can also be an excellent means to sell a property prior to the bank taking it back from the defaulting owner.

A great new place to post your listings is www.Oodle.com. Oodle is somewhat like Craigslist or eBay in terms of having multiple categories in which you can search. What's interesting is that some major companies have already jumped on the Oodle bandwagon. When I clicked on "search 5,000 San Diego Listings," Oodle took me to the Prudential IDX solution. If you post an ad in a local classified ad section, on Geebo, PennySaverUSA.com, Adpost.com, or domesticsale.com, your ad will also be posted on Oodle. Oodle also can be an excellent place for agents to advertise since the sponsored links are actually "powered by Google."

A final place to post your listings is www.Trulia.com. The folks at Trulia have the brainpower of Stanford University going for them and employ a Google maps model in conjunction with an online home search site for consumers. They also hope to become a lead generation site for agents and brokers. Although they are in California and have just launched in New York, their plans are to go national. The Trulia site searches brokerage Web sites for listings and displays that information on its site. One of the intriguing features about Trulia is that they provide accurate comparable sale information, a feature missing from most other sites. This can be extremely useful to both consumers and agents, since obtaining sales prices, square footage, and historical data can often be a challenging proposition. The price-per-square foot data can be especially useful if you are having trouble persuading reluctant sellers to be realistic about their asking price. Trulia's goal is to become the "Google" of the real estate industry. Their current business model seeks to work with brokers to publish listings and route listing leads specifically back to the listing agent at no charge.

If you were selling your home and had the choice between listing with an agent who posted your listing on three Web sites or on Realtor.com, AOL.com, WallStreetJournal.com, eBay.com, Craigslist.com, UniqueGlobalEstates.com, Oodle.com, Trulia.com and ran pay-per-click programs for Google and Yahoo, who would you hire?

Your Homes Value? Zillow.com

2006-02-09T03:02:00.000-08:00

What is your home worth today? A new service is out called Zillow.com

In the past, I’ve either called a realtor or used one of those housing sites like HomeGain; with those you can get a free drive-by evaluation of your home (without getting the realtor’s hopes up). The site says it has data and valuations (Zestimates) on 60,000,000+ homes in the U.S., and there are an estimated 85 million single-family homes in the country according to Spencer Raskoff, Zillow.com’s chief financial officer and vice president of marketing.

Very informative article from Real Tech News

HoustonRealNews.com - EXCLUSIVE: Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) Considers Realtor Feedback System

2006-02-01T03:28:00.000-08:00

HoustonRealNews.com - EXCLUSIVE: Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) Considers Realtor Feedback System: "The growing numbers of realtors actually produce benefits for consumers. The more realtors, the greater the competition for service. However, the inability for consumers to evaluate realtors means that the most successful licensees may not be the best ones.

Houston Real Estate investing does not require a real estate license. Real Estate Investors who are licensees will watch with interest as HAR deliberates."

Allstate Reports 2005 Fourth Quarter Net Income EPS of $1.59; Fourth Quarter Operating Income EPS of $1.49; Provides Guidance on 2006

2006-02-01T03:22:00.000-08:00

Allstate Reports 2005 Fourth Quarter Net Income EPS of $1.59; Fourth Quarter Operating Income EPS of $1.49; Provides Guidance on 2006: "'Allstate finished the year with a solid performance in the quarter. Operating income was $975 million despite the sizeable influence on our results from catastrophe losses,' said Edward M. Liddy, chairman and chief executive officer, The Allstate Corporation. 'Hurricane Wilma, which struck south Florida as a category 3 hurricane in late October 2005, cost Allstate more than $500 million and will be one of the ten most costly catastrophes in U.S. history. Catastrophe losses in the quarter exceeded the average expected catastrophe losses we use in pricing by $0.30 per diluted share. Our book value per share increased by a strong 4.6 percent over the third quarter of 2005."

RecruitingPLUS! For Realtor/Brokers! - ProspectsPLUS!

2006-02-01T03:20:00.000-08:00

RecruitingPLUS! For Realtor/Brokers! - ProspectsPLUS!
Recruiting Plus has 12 complete recruiting systems. They are both active and passive by nature and designed to get recruits from three distinct sources, experienced agents, agents in the real estate pipeline and those people not yet exposed to the opportunities available in a career in real estate.

Woven through these 12 complete systems are 65 recruiting strategies in the form of “goof proof success tips”. The tips show you not only what to do for the best results but more importantly, what not to do. In field-testing Recruiting Plus!, we have been successful in recruiting 28 agents in 60 days utilizing just one of the 12 systems in this program.

To compliment these 12 systems, there is 106 high-quality recruiting pieces, personalized to your company and targeted to those three groups. 5 recruiting campaigns for new sales people, 5 complete recruiting campaigns for experienced sales people, 10 powerful personalized recruiting brochures, 24 camera ready ad layouts, 34 Hi impact recruiting flyers, 34 professional postcards and 4 comprehensive press releases, a great way to get the word out.

Several examples of Recruiting Plus! systems are:

1. Agent Appreciation Ads which gets your existing agents to act as your advocates.
2. Our Business Base System that gets all of your potential recruits to think of you as their next broker.
3. Voice Mail recruiting provides potential recruits with 24/7, 365 day a year source of information about your company.
4. Career Conference calls that you would run every quarter.
5. How Much? How Fast? Campaign for new agents
6. Corporate Life for some one in corporate America who may be between jobs.
7. Free Marketing course and we (Prospects Plus) come along with this system.
8. Telerecruiting, the most powerful weapon in the recruiting arsenal.
9. Direct Response Marketing for new and experienced agents

Those examples are just the tip of the iceberg of what is available in Recruiting Plus. Please feel free to visit our web site at www.recruitingplus.com.

Kentucky Insurance - Homeowners Insurance, Property Insurance

2006-01-20T18:34:00.000-08:00

Kentucky Insurance - Homeowners Insurance, Property InsuranceKentucky Insurance Blog. Where to find low rate Kentucky Homeowners Insurance....

its a good time to review your home insurance

2006-01-20T12:50:00.000-08:00

Its a good time to review your home insurance

I
LAST weeks torrential rains and widespread flooding came as an unexpected surprise to many, but a bigger surprise lies ahead.

As the skies cleared and the water receded, many homeowners were given a second rude awakening. Most, if not all, the damage experienced in our area is not covered by standard homeowners insurance.

While some mortgages require flood insurance if you live in a federally designated flood zone, homeowners living outside flood plains probably never considered whether having supplemental insurance for something like a flood.

And maybe the word flood is too strong in describing much of the widespread damage here. A better phrase would be water damage, but it doesnt make it any cheaper to repair no matter what you call it.

According to wire reports from last weeks storm coverage, flooding — the kind that comes when water rises — is not covered in most homeowner policies. Rain damage that results from a loss of roofing material, for example, likely would be covered, says Tully Lehman, a spokesman for the insurance information network of California based in Pleasant Hill.

Water and mud seeping into basements, through doorways or into garages wont damage a homes foundation, but it will ruin carpets and flooring, as well as introduce nasty mold in areas that will have a tough time drying out.

Suddenly, the average $400 a year premium doesnt look so expensive if you find yourself ripping up carpet and combating growing mold.

If you are in this same boat, so to speak, you are not alone. Only some 250,000 Californians have flood insurance, and most of those live in a flood plain.

We recommend you begin checking with your current insurance agent on coverage and premiums, as well as checking the federal Web site, http://www.floodsmart.gov, to get additional information that could help decide if adding flood insurance is wise.

And while you are reviewing your options on flood insurance — or lets call it water damage insurance — we suggest you do the same with earthquake insurance.

The same rules generally apply. Your standard homeowners insurance policy will not cover the majority of damage caused by an earthquake.

Whether or not you buy a policy for floods or earthquakes, you should understand the risks and gaps in coverage.

inside real estate

2006-01-15T13:02:00.000-08:00

Inside Real Estate
Realtors, Regulators Wrangle Over Access To Home Listings

Dawn and Carl Weinberger sold their home west of Portland, Ore., by themselves in the kind of deal that gives traditional, full-service real estate agents indigestion.

Using a discount broker, the Weinbergers paid $295 to put their three-bedroom rancher on the complete, up-to-date, multiple-listing service accessible only to brokers. The listing specified they'd pay a 2.5% commission to an agent who brought them a buyer.

In three weeks the house drew two bidders and sold for $202,000, just above the $199,500 listing price.

Such sales tactics have spread the past few years as home prices have climbed. And they've become a battleground where real estate groups claiming the right to protect their livelihood and sales lists are facing off against antitrust regulators.

Among the skirmishes is a federal suit against the National Association of Realtors under way in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

The suit is over a policy that let brokers pick which competitors could see their listings by limiting access via password.

By suing and scolding local and national realtor groups, regulators aim to force them to accept what appears to be the inevitable dismantling of the commission system that controlled how Americans sold property the last 60 years.

The Weinbergers' sale shows what's at stake. In all, the couple paid $5,434 to sell their house, including the commission, listing fee and $89 for an unlimited number of professional-looking lawn and other signs from the discounter, ForSaleByOwner.com. That was $6,686 less than the $12,120 they would have paid a full-service agent charging the usual 6% commission for their area — and most of the U.S.

The savings were enough, Dawn Weinberger says, to pay for cherry hardwood floors and upgraded appliances in their new home.

Real estate groups aren't happy with such deals. They've tried to enforce rules limiting access to the multiple-listing service. And they've lobbied states, sometimes successfully, to pass laws mandating minimum real estate services or barring commission rebates.

The Federal Trade Commission and the Justice Department took an interest three years ago. Kentucky passed a regulation that kept brokers from offering commission rebates or inducements like gift certificates to woo clients.

The Justice Department sued, charging the rule violated the antitrust Sherman Act and forced consumers to pay higher prices. Kentucky withdrew the regulation, as did other states with similar rules.

From there, the Justice Department took notice of pending legislation in several states that essentially made it illegal for discount brokers to offer minimum services if they put the customer's property in the multiple-listing service.

Various forms of the laws have been passed in 15 states, most recently Texas, Missouri and Illinois.

When such a law came before Michigan's legislature early this year, the Justice Department and FTC pushed to prevent its passage. The bill stalled in committee.

"We see no reason for limited-service brokerage restrictions — no evidence that any consumers have been harmed" by using discount brokers, said Maureen Ohlhausen, director of the FTC's Office of Policy Planning.

Finally, the Justice Department took on rules that the National Association of Realtors created to make it hard for discount brokers to fully use the multiple-listing service. Brokers did not have to tell sellers their listings would be withheld from some buyers. The Justice Department suit called this restraint of trade. "Many brick-and-mortar brokers fear the ability to use Internet technology to attract more customers and provide better service at a lower cost," the complaint in the Chicago court claimed.

As the suit was being filed, the Realtors group did away with selective listings. It set a new rule barring any broker who subscribes to a multiple-listing service from listing homes on the Web without approval of the seller's agent. The rule also forbids Web-based brokers from referring customers to other brokers for a fee.

The Justice Department refiled the suit. On Dec. 6, the realtors filed for dismissal. The government has 60 days to reply.

The National Association of Realtors maintains the government has overstepped its bounds.

"The MLS isn't a public utility and it isn't eBay," said Steve Cook, NAR vice president of public affairs. "The MLS is a private database paid for and maintained by member real estate professionals to provide information to each other."

Out in the trenches, real estate agents are less concerned about matters of principle than they are about preserving a way to make a living.

"When discount agencies get involved, the commissions go down," complained Diane Saatchi, vice president of Corcoran Group, a full-service firm in New York City and the Hamptons on Long Island. "In many cases, the hourly rate would be better if I were cleaning houses rather than selling them."

Other agents say if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Patrick Whitty has been in the real estate business in Tualatin, Ore., for 16 years. He worked as an agent, then as a broker in a large agency. He belongs to local and national realtor groups.

Three years ago, he idly Googled FSBO, the acronym for For Sale By Owner, and was startled by the number of listings that popped up.

"It blew me away," he recalled. "I said, 'If I don't get ahead of the curve, I'm going to be left behind.' "

Whitty started his own agency, Premier Properties. He offers home sellers various discount packages from as low as $295 to a full-service offering at 4%, still a bargain in a 6% world. Business is brisk. He can afford to ignore the attitudes of realtors who see him as a threat.

"They say to me, 'Pat, why are you doing this to us?' I say, 'I'm not doing anything. Times are changing. People are mad about having to pay $20,000 to $30,000 to sell their house. Either we come up with ways to assist these people, or they will find a way to get around us.
Real Estate

REAL ESTATE LISTING NOT SELLING

2006-01-12T02:35:00.000-08:00

real estate, realtor, homes,
Real Estate: Listing is Not Selling
Fact is, many FSBO sellers try to sell their homes themselves to save commission money, but eventually list with a real estate agent if they fail. Smart Realtors view FSBOs as potential clients.

But local Realtors are still upset at a story in the Herald-Tribune last spring about selling by owner. And I imagine this headline in Tuesday's paper reopened the wound: "A 6 percent solution that Realtors hate."

The story was about FSBOMadison.com, a Web site in Madison, Wis., that lists For Sale By Owner properties for six months for a $150 fee. The story promoted the Web site as an alternative to paying a 6 percent Realtor commission.

I visited the Web site, and it is spiffy. If you search by selling price, all listed properties come up instantly, separated by dwelling type. Search by neighborhood, and the properties are separated by the area of town. A map has green dots showing the location of listed homes; point at them and a thumbnail photo with price caption pops open; click on them and you get the property description with photos. It's a useful, easy-to-navigate site.

But is it a "solution"?

No. It is an advertising service, not a substitute for the services of a Realtor. And in today's market, those services are needed more than ever. It may have been easier to sell as a FSBO a year ago, when the market was white hot, but now the number of homes for sale (the competition) has jumped dramatically.

So if you want or need to sell your home yourself and don't already have a ready, willing and able buyer, keep in mind that:

Many buyers will expect to share in your commission savings.

Marketing and advertising your home is costly, time-consuming work.

If you price your property incorrectly, you will either lose money by selling too low, or watch your house stagnate because it's overpriced.

You may not be able to tell serious buyers from phony ones who waste your time with lowball offers.

Your negotiation skills will be sorely tested, with thousands of dollars at stake.
Real Estate
Homeowners Insurance Quote
Kentucky Insurance

KREIA - Real Estate Investing For The Beginner,Intermediate and The Old Pro

2006-01-06T02:27:00.000-08:00

KREIA - Real Estate Investing For The Beginner,Intermediate and The Old Pro
Kentuckiana Real Estate Investors Assoication. KREIA is a networking forum to educate real estate investors from the basics to the complex. A forum for meeting other investors, Idea exchange, Investment Enthusiam, Knowledge of market and investment techniques.

KREIA "is a networking forum to help real estate investors create wealth. The focus of the organization is education-teach all aspects of the real estate investing process from the basic to the complex. The goal is to establish a forum whereby a real estate investor can get the information needed to make informed decisions which will enhance the investors' wealth. "
KREIA main page
KREIA member page
.....................................Rental Property Insurance

Kentuckiana Real Estate Investor Association....
Kentuckiana Real Estate Investor Association
KREIA
Investment Property
Real+Estate

Kentucky Real Estate Commission

2006-01-06T02:17:00.000-08:00

Kentucky Real Estate Commission
here is a link to the Official Web Site of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Commission is charged with the responsibility of protecting the public interest through regulation, examination & licensing of Kentucky Real Estate Brokers. Covers Licensing Laws in Kentucky for 2005 . Kentucky Brokerage Firms, Kentucky Licensees. Kentucky E&O Excess Coverage . Kentucky License Law Tutorial.
Real Estate
Kentucky Real Estate Commission
Insurance Quote

Kentucky Real Estate

2006-01-05T05:38:00.000-08:00

Kentucky Real Estate
Here i a great blog about Kentucky Real Estate, you may want to visit this site!
Kentucky Real Estate
Real Estate
insurance

Kentucky Insurance - Homeowners Insurance, Property Insurance

2006-01-05T05:33:00.000-08:00

Kentucky Insurance - Homeowners Insurance, Property Insurance
This is a great blog that covers Insurance issues in Kentucky, including auto insurance, homeowners insurance, Rental Property Insurance, Motorcycle Insurance, & Renters Insurance
Real Estate
Homeowners Insurance
Homeowners Insurance Quote
insurance quote

FSBO gives Realtors Run for Money

2006-01-05T03:12:00.000-08:00

Across the country, the National Association of Realtors and the 6 percent commission that most of its members charge to sell a house are under assault by government officials, consumer advocates, lawyers and ambitious entrepreneurs. But the most effective challenge so far emanates from a spare bedroom in the modest home here of Christie Miller.

additional Homeowners Insurance Resources

Christie Miller, left, and Mary Clare Murphy in a garage with sale signs. Their Web site charges $150 to list a home and throws in a sign.
Related Animated map of listings on fsbomadison.com over time
Readers
Forum: Owning and Renting a Home

Ms. Miller, 38, a former social worker who favors fuzzy slippers, and her cousin, Mary Clare Murphy, 51, operate what real estate professionals believe to be the largest for-sale-by-owner Web site in the country.

They have turned Madison, a city of 208,000 known for its liberal politics, into one of the most active for-sale-by-owner markets in the country. And their success suggests that, in challenging the Realtor association's dominance of home sales, they may have hit on a winning formula that has eluded many other upstarts. Their site, FsboMadison.com (pronounced FIZZ-boh) holds a nearly 20 percent share of the Dane County market for residential real estate listings.

The site, which charges just $150 to list a home and throws in a teal blue yard sign, draws more Internet traffic than the traditional multiple listing service controlled by real estate agents.

Madison is home to the University of Wisconsin and a city where the percentage of residents who graduated from college is twice the national level. It is also a hotbed of antibusiness sentiment, which turns out to be the perfect place for a free-market real estate revolution. Bucking the system is a civic pastime here.

"It may be an extension of the 1960's, when we stuck it to the man by protesting the war," said Mayor David J. Cieslewicz, who notices all the FsboMadison signs around town. "These days we stick it to the man by selling our own home - and pocketing the 6 percent."

Elsewhere, the Justice Department, free-market scholars, plaintiffs' lawyers and countless entrepreneurs are vowing to make real estate more competitive and to bring down sales commissions. To do that, they advocate forcing the Realtors' association to share control of its established listing services. Those critics seem to view the listings as an unassailable monopoly.

And who can blame them? Those 800-plus local listing services, controlled by local branches of the Realtors' association, help dole out about $60 billion a year in commissions to real estate agents and the firms that employ them. Despite numerous attacks, the association has been remarkably successful to date at protecting its turf. Through lobbying, litigation and legislation, the Realtors' group has managed to keep control of the crucial listings.

Ms. Miller and Ms. Murphy, however, built a separate and alternative listing service - a parallel market, much like the Nasdaq, which rose in recent decades to challenge the New York Stock Exchange's dominance and sparked competition that eventually reduced transaction costs for all stock investors.

The price competition is startling. FsboMadison listed about 2,000 homes in 2005 and said that about 72 percent of its listings sell. If those 1,440 houses averaged $200,000 per sale, the real estate commissions under the 6 percent system would have been about $17.3 million. Ms. Miller and Ms. Murphy collected about $300,000.

"They don't care - they're not profit-driven," said François Ortalo-Magné, an associate professor of real estate at the University of Wisconsin who has studied residential sales in Europe and the United States.

That lack of profit motive - big profit, anyway - may be the reason FsboMadison is succeeding. Most entrepreneurs want to quickly grab a piece of that $60 billion in commissions by offering a price lower than what most real estate agents charge to attract consumers. Ms. Miller and Ms. Murphy, working patiently, are focused on providing a place for buyers and sellers to meet and exchange information.

"I don't think we've done anything unusual," Ms. Murphy said. "We are not out to take over the market, to eliminate the real estate world. We're just here to offer this service."

For hardship cases, divorces mostly, they waive the $150 fee. They refuse to accept referral fees from real estate agents, lawyers or others. Advertising on their Web site costs $150 a year - $250 with a corporate logo. And payment for listings is by personal check only, an anachronism in today's world of immediate credit card transactions. The policy is aimed at keeping people from listing their house on a whim. "Some people are impulsive; they're not ready," Ms. Murphy said. Homeowners Insurance....
rest of the article : FSBO
For Sale By Owner Madison NY

mortgage rates

2005-12-29T03:00:00.000-08:00

mortgage rates...
The benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell 1 basis point to 6.33 percent, according to the Ba national survey of large lenders. A basis point is one-hundredth of 1 percentage point. The mortgages in this week's survey had an average total of 0.30 discount and origination points. One year ago, the mortgage index was 5.75 percent, and four weeks ago it was 6.32 percent.

The benchmark 15-year fixed-rate mortgage fell 1 basis point, to 5.91 percent. The benchmark 5-year adjustable-rate mortgage rose 2 basis points, to 5.9 percent. There wasn't much news to move bond yields in the past few days, and that meant steady mortgage rates.

Better-than-expected news about housing starts added some helium to the mortgage rate balloon, but a smaller-than-expected increase in core inflation tethered it firmly to the ground....

Rental Property Insurance

2005-12-28T06:20:00.000-08:00

Rental Property Reporter The landlord guide to profitable property..... Rental Property

Rental Property Insurance- Rental Property Insurance, Vacant Home Insurance, Rehab Properities....

Home Rental Ads- Home Rental Ads, Rental Property

Rental Homes Rental Houses .....

Kentucky Insurance--- Kentucky Insurance, Rental Property Insurance

Homeowners Insurance- Home Owners Insurance, Homeowners Insurance, Kentucky- Rental Property Insurance, Vacant Home Insurance

Mold Impacts Real Estate Kentucky Insurance

2005-12-28T03:41:00.000-08:00

RealEstate, Insurance, Kentucky Insurance
Research shows that mold problems continue to add a new element of risk to real estate transactions.

Ninety-nine percent of builders and real estate lenders polled for a recent survey said mold can influence the value of a property deal, while 60 percent said they were aware of cases in which prospective buyers backed out of real estate transactions because they feared potential mold problems. Seventy-six percent of respondents cited possible mold liability involving investment properties as a concern.

Presently, most property-casualty, business risk insurance, and directors and officers policies do not cover mold. When it comes to supporting mold prevention protocols, 59 percent of respondents said a preferred mortgage rate would be the biggest factor in approving a protocol; while 49 percent said having mold included in their insurance coverage would be the biggest factor...........from Realtor.org

homeowners insurance kentucky, home insurance

2005-12-27T18:28:00.000-08:00

Homeowners insurance provides financial protection against disasters. A standard policy insures the home itself and the things you keep in it.

Homeowners insurance is a package policy. This means that it covers both damage to your property and your liability or legal responsibility for any injuries and property damage you or members of your family cause to other people. This includes damage caused by household pets.

Damage caused by most disasters is covered but there are exceptions. The most significant are damage caused by floods, earthquakes and poor maintenance. You must buy two separate policies for flood and earthquake coverage. Maintenance-related problems are the homeowners' responsibility. Homeowners Insurance

Homeowners Insurance Financial Planning

2005-12-27T02:44:00.000-08:00

Insurance, Homeowners Insurance, Financial Planning

What's the most important step you can take in 2006 to improve your personal finances? If you're not sure, here are some suggestions from financial planning experts around the nation.

Ted Beck, president and chief executive of the National Endowment for Financial Education, a nonprofit organization based in Englewood, Colo., that specializes in personal finance education:

"We believe there is no time like today to prepare for tomorrow. This means making the commitment to allocate as much money as possible each month for retirement, and then following through on that commitment - by participating in a 401(k) or other retirement plan, or increasing your contribution to such a plan. Whether you think of it as 'paying yourself first,' 'investing in your future,' or 'another type of spending,' the day will come when you appreciate having made this commitment. And, no matter your age, it's never too early or too late to start!"
more Insurance & Financial Planning.....

National Association of Realotrs. More Single Women buying homes

2005-12-24T17:30:00.000-08:00

Home Buyers, Homeowners Insurance
When it comes to buying a home, more single women are going it alone, according to the National Association of Realtors, which has posted some telling statistics about women and homeownership.

The trade group says that single women accounted for 18 percent of all home buyers last year, and that from 1994 to 2002 the number of unmarried women owning homes climbed to 17.5 million from 13.9 million.

But the road to homeownership is often paved with plenty of expenses, especially for single women with children. The trade group notes that about a quarter of single mothers spend more than half of their incomes on housing, compared with one-tenth of households headed by single fathers.........Rest of the Story

Homeowners Insurance

2005-12-24T06:40:00.000-08:00

Homeowners Insurance , competitive rates can be difficult to find...Kentucky Homeowners Insurance..... Homeowners Insurance Quote

When Cheryl and Randall Cupples of Dallas recently started shopping for a
mortgage to finance their first home, one thing was certain: They wanted a
fixed-rate.
"We didn't even think about an adjustable-rate mortgage," said
Cheryl Cupples, a business administrator and financial secretary for a
church.
"I deal with an adjustable mortgage with our church, and I see how
quickly the interest rates are rising. Each and every month, they rise. I wanted
to be able to budget."
The days of gambling on low mortgage rates are
over.
With rising rates and the narrowing spread between fixed- and
adjustable-rate mortgages, it's not worth risking that your mortgage payment
will skyrocket down the road.
"If you're buying a house, now's the time you
should take the safety and security of a fixed-rate mortgage, because there's
not enough spread to entice you to do an adjustable-rate that may backfire on
you five years from now, seven years from now," said Craig Jarrell, a mortgage
banker and president of the Dallas region of Pulaski Mortgage Co.
"In a
rising-interest-rate market, why take the gamble?" he said.
Jarrell said
homebuyers he deals with are going with fixe... more from Kentucky Mortgage News

homeowners insurance

Mortgage Rates..Low Mortgage Rages

2005-12-23T19:55:00.000-08:00

Mortgage Rates, Rental Property, Homeowners Insurance, Vacant Homes
So which major city has the best mortgage deals? When it comes to the 30 year fixed Mortgage, the winner goes to Minneapolics according to stats from HSH Associates The National Average is 6.37%. Orlando has the highest rate with 6.53%.....More Rental Property information....More Homeowners Insurance info visit our Homeowners Insurance Blog

Kentucky Real Estate Agents

2005-12-14T03:51:00.000-08:00

In the fiercely competitive battle among Kentucky real-estate agents to sell homes and gain clients, the opening shots have been fired under new marketing freedoms.

So far, there haven't been too many direct hits.

Bowing to pressure from the U.S. Justice Department, the Kentucky Real Estate Commission agreed in July to stop enforcing its ban on inducements and rebates that Realtors can offer consumers to win business. The Justice Department had sued the state in March, claiming the ban restricted competition and caused homebuyers to pay higher prices.

Agents can now legally offer all kinds of perks. Among the first salvos:

Global 1 Realty offers to pay moving costs of up to $1,500 to consumers who buy particular properties.

Fairman Realty offers a $500 rebate to the seller if a house isn't sold within 90 days, under certain conditions.

Nearly 400 Kentucky consumers could soon receive retail gift cards through RealEstate.com, an online network of Realtors.

Overall, though, agents haven't enlisted in the rebate fray in large numbers.

"I was afraid it was going to be like Wal-Mart on a Friday night after Thanksgiving with everybody at the door and piling in," said Harrell Tague, broker/owner of RE/MAX Properties East, which has about 110 agents and is Louisville's largest RE/MAX franchise. "But I really haven't seen too much of a major reaction. Change usually happens a little slower in Louisville."

Rebates aren't being offered by Louisville's largest residential realty firm, Semonin Realtors, which has about 800 agents in Kentucky.

"At this point we see no reason to make any significant changes in the way we do business," CEO Brad DeVries said. "We feel we provide a service for a fair price. In our opinion, price is what you pay, but value is what you receive."

Kevin Farris, a Realtor and managing broker for Coldwell Banker/McMahan in Elizabethtown, said many Realtors might not be fully aware inducements are legal.

In early August, the Kentucky Real Estate Commission -- which regulates licensed real-estate agents -- sent notices to 26,500 licensees informing them of the change, which took effect July 13, said Lee Harris, the commission's general counsel.

"The law basically says you can do any type of inducement and rebate you want, as long as it's disclosed in writing, to prevent any disputes or misunderstandings," she said.

Among the first agents to offer a freebie was Scott Cowles, owner of Global 1 Realty in Louisville, which offers buyers a rebate on moving costs. He hasn't sold any houses under the incentive yet, but "I've had quite a few more showings because of it. It created interest and got more people in the door, and that's really what I was looking for."

Carol Fairman, who runs Fairman Realty out of her Highlands home, offers a $500 rebate to sellers who agree to a six-month listing. The rebate applies if the house isn't under contract within 90 days and is paid only if she later sells the house.

"I moved here in October from Florida, where real-estate laws allow agents to offer inducements," Fairman said. "This was a common thing we did down there."

She's not had any takers yet because the offer has been advertised only once so far, she said.

"New concepts and new ideas take more than one ad," she said. "It may take a month or two of running the ad before people actually see it and start to respond to it."

RealEstate.com, meanwhile, extended its incentive programs to Kentucky residents about a month ago, said Mindy DuQuette, a spokeswoman for the Charlotte, N.C., company.

She said buyers or sellers who complete a transaction through a Realtor belonging to the network can receive a Home Depot or American Express gift card worth up to $1,000 per transaction, or can qualify for frequent-flier miles through five airlines.

DuQuette said 138 Kentucky Realtors are part of the network and that with the change in the law, 368 consumers who have deals pending are eligible to receive the company's incentives upon closing.

Realtors also now have access to a benefits program offered by Lowe's that includes a 10 percent discount on a one-time purchase of up to $10,000.

Farris said he isn't routinely offering inducements, but in one recent case pitched in $500 to help a young home-buying couple purchase a refrigerator. "They needed the help. They couldn't do it all on their own."

Fairman said that in Florida, "inducements were important. They were a factor -- not the only factor -- but a factor in just about everybody's marketing."

She predicted that in Kentucky, "I think you're going to see over the next year or so that it becomes more commonplace. Which I think is good. It enhances competition, and when you enhance the competition, it makes all of us do a little better and try a little harder."

Tague is more critical. "People think, because of everything they hear on TV, that the best way to pick an agent is to go out and pick the one that will give them the biggest discount, or the biggest rebate or the biggest TV. Guess who's going to be giving it to them? The person with the least education, the least professionalism -- granted, not all across the board -- but the people who can compete only on the plane of givebacks. In the long run, it could diminish the professionalism of our industry, and that will hurt the customer."

Farris countered: "It will only hurt the real-estate business if real-estate agents let it, because we're the ones that make the choice." He said if agents try to rely too much on gimmicks, "eventually, people will notice that. Clients are too smart. People are not likely to want to buy a $300,000 home because they're getting a stove or dishwasher."

Only a handful of states still ban inducements. Indiana allows them as long as there is full disclosure to all parties to the transaction at the time of offer or acceptance.

The Justice Department settlement still requires a final court ruling, expected this fall. The settlement could be accepted, modified or rejected. Kathy McGann, president of the Greater Louisville Association of Realtors, said she's not aware of any formal opposition to the change in incentive rules.