The Phoenix Agents » Homeowner Help

FHFA’s new program to help underwater homeowners

Heather — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:42:28 +0000

Today the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced a new program designed to help even more underwater homeowners refinance their mortgages at today’s low rates. The plan hopefully will allow homeowners to lower their monthly mortgage payments, thus freeing up money to be spent in the broader economy and help the US from slipping back into recession again.

Previous programs had been restricted to homeowners who were no more than 125% upside-down on their homes. The new FHFA program places no cap on how much the borrower owes, or how far underwater they are. Only mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be eligible. Need to know if your mortgage is owned or managed by Fannie/Freddie? Check here and then here. Then call us for a loan officer recommendation.

Helpful links -

Does Freddie Mac own your mortgage?

Does Fannie Mae own your mortgage?

FHFA’s new program to help underwater homeowners is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

Heather Barr is a Realtor and a happy workaholic. She eats more than someone her size ought to be able, and is a runner as a consequence. Her TiVo's full of spy thrillers, police procedurals and Whedonesque sci-fi.

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Top 10 counter top options

Heather — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:54:00 +0000

Quick! What kind of counter top is this?

Most people probably guessed “granite”. Designers and foodies might have said “soapstone” because the counter in this picture is lacking granite’s shiny gloss. At first glance, this counter could also be Caesarstone or Silastone, two popular faux granite surfaces. But these guesses are all wrong. What is it?

It’s EcoTop, a new player on the already-full stage of available kitchen counter top materials. EcoTop is a bamboo & paper composite, is available in a variety of colors, and comes with a 15-year warranty. Manufacturer KlipTech says

EcoTop is comprised of a 50/50 fiber blend of 100% post consumer recycled fiber and rapidly renewable bamboo fiber, then bound with a clear 100% water-based system. EcoTop® is a repairable/renewable surface with water absorption of less than 1%, making it impossible to permanently stain. This is a highly scratch resistant product that will withstand up to 360 degrees F.

Wondering which counter top material is best for you? Here’s a starting point – a concise review of kitchen countertop options with pro’s and con’s for each.

Are you replacing your kitchen counter tops so you can sell your home? Aside from painting the home, replacing kitchen counter tops is one of the biggest bang for your buck remodeling jobs you can do to spruce up a home for re-sale. But, it’s easy to go overboard and “over-improve” for your price range. For instance, a $60,000 home in a 40-year old neighborhood does not need 2-inch thick slab granite counters in the kitchen; it’s overkill and you won’t get your money back when you sell.

Feel free to contact us for advice on which type of counter top is likely to entice the most potential buyers in your price range and neighborhood. We’ve been helping buyers, sellers and investors in the metro Phoenix area for a combined 13 years and are always happy to offer advice based on what we see selling… and failing to sell.

Image credit, ApartmentTherapy.

Top 10 counter top options is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

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Make your own non-toxic bathtub cleanser

Heather — Wed, 11 May 2011 19:42:53 +0000

I found this recipe on Apartment Therapy (they credit Natural Home magazine with originally publishing the recipe). Seems to me you could go green AND save a bunch of money using this to clean your bathtub, instead of buying expensive commercial brands of cleansers.

Silky Bathtub Scrub

1 cup baking soda in a medium-sized mixing bowl
1/2 cup liquid castile soap
5-10 drops of antibacterial essential oil, such as lavender, tea tree or rosemary (optional)

Pour baking soda into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add liquid soap a little at a time, stirring continuously. Stop adding the soap after the mixture begins to resemble cake frosting. Mix in drops of essential oil. Store in an airtight jar for up to 1 year.

This sounds really interesting to me! I’m going to give it a go, this afternoon. Would you ever think about trying it? Do you have any money-saving or green tips for household cleaning tasks?

Make your own non-toxic bathtub cleanser is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

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The New Normal: save money on laundry detergent

Heather — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 05:18:26 +0000

A while back I re-posted a money saving laundry tip from the blog HomeEc101. It mentions the many ways white vinegar can help you save money when you do your laundry at home. See the original money saving laundry tips there and over here too. Then the super-awesome Sarah Cooper of CoopCrafts dropped by and mentioned that she makes her own laundry soap.

Wha???

I was baffled, and intrigued. I googled around her site and found the CoopCrafts recipe for homemade laundry soap. I got more intrigued. I went shopping. I decided to give it a whirl.

retail box of 20 Mule Team Borax household cleaner

retail box of Arm and Hammer "washing soda" laundry additive

Retail bar of Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap

retail box of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda

First you grate the bar castile soap very finely (this is especially important for cold water washing).

I used the smaller of the 2 lemon zester options on my kitchen box grater.

box grater for kitchen use

Then I mixed the soap crumbles with 1 cup each of the Borax, Washing Soda, and baking soda.

Et voila! Laundry detergent.

Estimated total cost for about 5 cups of detergent = maybe $2.00. Use 1 tablespoon per laundry load, 2 for big loads or very hard water.

GoogleCalculator tells me that’s 80 loads of laundry worth of detergent… for about $4! I stored it in my laundry room, in an old heavy-duty plastic bucket with lid.

: retail package of Kirk’s Original Coco Castile soap

Dr. Bronner’s isn’t the only castile soap out there. It does come in many scents, but it’s a bit pricey at a little over $4 per bar. I found a cheaper version at my local supermarket where Kirk’s Original Coco Castile soap is about $1.39 per bar. I found all the ingredients I needed locally, at my regular supermarkets.

I also have begun adding about 1/3 cup of white vinegar to the rinse water and gave up my regular fabric softener. Holy laundry revelation, Batman! I can hardly even begin to describe the positive difference: Soft, fluffy towels. Super clean and clean-smelling laundry. No static cling. No more chemicals going down my drain into the public water supply. No more rendered animal fat on my clothes.**

Making my own laundry detergent and using white vinegar in the rinse water has been a revelation to me. I can’t believe I spent a fortune for all those years on commercial laundry soaps. Never again will I buy All, Cheer or any of the others.

You should try this at home. It’s a ridiculously easy way to start if you’re baffled by how to live a little greener and reduce your carbon footprint on the planet. Plus your laundry will come out cleaner with no static cling.

**you do know that fabric softener is largely made of rendered animal fat, don’t you? that’s a bunch of dead, boiled animals all over your clothes

disclaimer – I do not own sticky-stain-makers, otherwise known as children. Your mileage may vary. Parents, you might want to try this on your own laundry first and work your way up to the truly nasty piles of laundry-like filth kids can create.

The New Normal: save money on laundry detergent is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

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How to appeal your Arizona property tax valuation notice

Heather — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 21:40:23 +0000

Shocking Phoenix-area "Property Valuation Notice"

Did you get your Maricopa County (Arizona) Property Valuation Notice in the mail yet? The Maricopa County Tax Assessor’s office mailed their small, white postcards of love to 1.5 million property owners on February 25, 2011. You should have received yours by now.

When you saw the assessed value of your home, did you shout out a string of really naughty words? Yeah, me too. Before you panic, here are several important things to remember about your Maricopa County Property Valuation Notice:

The Full Cash Value (FCV) shown on the Assessor’s postcard Notice is NOT what your property is worth on the open resale market;
The Limited Property Value (LPV) is also NOT what your property is worth on the open resale market;
You can file an appeal of the Valuation Notice, but afterwards your assessed Property Valuation could go up OR down; and finally,
If you decide to appeal you must file the appeal by April 26, 2011.

The dollar value for your property shown by the Assessor probably dropped, a lot. You are not alone. Property values across the Maricopa County region are down 40% to 60% off their peak prices from 2006, with some older homes and outlying areas hit even harder. Condos have been hit especially hard, with some condo conversions seeing 2011 sales prices that are 70% to 80% lower than their 2006 and 2007 peak resale prices.

More Information

More info on Number 1 & Number 2 above – The Property Valuation Notice value is used by the county Assessor to compute your property taxes. It is not a statement of what your property is “worth”. Only a ready, willing and able buyer can help you determine what your property is worth. Although there’s no guarantee, a lower value on the Assessor’s form means that you might be paying less in taxes next year because of that little white postcard.

More info on Number 3 & Number 4 above – To file an appeal of your Maricopa County Property Valuation Notice, you fill out a fairly simple form from the Assessor’s office on which you:

state what you think your property is worth,
include sales information on recently sold properties that you believe support your claim of value, and
submit your appeal by April 26, 2011.

The Maricopa County Assessor’s website is fairly user-friendly and you can use it to find property sales close to and similar to your property. Use the resale values of those properties to support what you think your property is worth.

Want Help?

Want a Realtor’s help finding recent metro Phoenix property prices in your area for properties like yours? Contact me and I’m happy to help. Or do your own Detailed Property Search on The Phoenix Agents website (warning, search software is not for the timid… really, contact me and I’ll help as much as I can).

For more information, you can read the County’s cover letter that came with the Property Valuation Notice, or you can read the Assessor’s complete explanation of the terms used on the Maricopa County Property Valuation Notice.

How to appeal your Arizona property tax valuation notice is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

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Clean your dryer lint trap

Heather — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 11:59:00 +0000

Did you know that the stuff they put in dryer sheets to make your clothes soft comes from…

…well forget about it. Trust me, you don’t want to know what it comes from. Suffice it to say that I found out what it comes from one day when I stumbled on a vegan lifestyle website.

But, did you know that your laundry fabric softener builds up on the dryer lint catcher? That decreases air flow and makes your clothes dryer work harder. You won’t see the waxy film but it’s there.

Pinch a few pennies and keep the planet a teensy bit greener by cleaning your dryer’s lint catcher every once in a while. Old Republic Home Warranty company recommends you do this every 6 months. Even Snopes.com says “clean your dryer lint trap.”

Remove the lint catcher and wash it in hot, soapy water. Scrub it with an old toothbrush to remove the built-up fabric softener. Air dry and replace. (save this up for that random, dateless Friday night when you re-organize your sock drawer)

disclaimer: this blog does not accept sponsored/paid product or service reviews. Blog authors received nothing of value in exchange for writing this post. But if anybody wants to offer to clean our clothes dryer lint catchers, we’re totally open for that. totally.

Clean your dryer lint trap is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

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Quickie Around the House

Heather — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 14:03:00 +0000

Quickie Around the House an occasional series of helpful homeowner tips. The series name has changed over time but it’s always focused on making your life easier.

This Quickie is courtesy of Moxie Girl, a personal concierge-type service that you really should check out.

Frustrated when cleaning scorched food from your stainless steel cookware? Add a squirt of ketchup or tomato sauce to the still warm pan when you are done cooking and watch the burned food magically disappear!

Moxie Girl offers an alternative approach to home services by combining the duties of a house cleaner with the touches of a personal assistant. Moxie Girl provides you with more than just a clean house; We provide sanity in your home.

Moxie Girl offers these services and more:

home organizing
home cleaning
personal assistance, errand running and concierge services
home/pet sitting and vacation checkups
event hosting
new baby services
home maintenance

Friend Moxie Girl on Facebook, or visit the Moxie Girl website. You’ll be glad you found them!

Disclaimer: Moxie Girl did not provide any services, products or discounts to ThePhoenixAgents.com or its owners, Chris Butterworth and Heather Barr. This review is provided only because we know the folks who run Moxie Girl and we think their services are pretty darn cool.

You can see other entries in the Quickie Around the House series, here.

Quickie Around the House is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

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Save money on your phone bill

Heather — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:15:18 +0000

I stumbled on this money saving tip by accident this morning. Do you have a land line telephone in your home? I do. Never use it. It exists only to keep my TiVo happy and full of programming data.

I called the phone provider – who is also my internet provider – and asked them to drop the line. Almost immediately, the phone company offered me a 25% discount off the price of the phone portion of the bill, good for six months. In hindsight, I probably could have negotiated for a bigger discount.

So I guess if you’re seeking savings wherever you can find it, you might benefit from a quick call to your land line phone provider.

Save money on your phone bill is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

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Short sales, loan modifications and checking accounts

Heather — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:44:00 +0000

image credit, user sgback at StockExchange

If you’re trying to complete a short sale or loan modification on your home, do not keep money in a checking or savings account with the bank that holds your mortgage.

Open accounts with another bank, savings and loan, credit union (or whatever) that is not related to your mortgage(s) and move your money there.

Of course, if you’re doing a short sale or loan modification, you should hire an attorney or a CPA/accountant, or both. Don’t take my advice as gospel. I’m a Realtor, not an attorney or CPA or accountant. Hire an expert who looks at your unique situation.

From Inman.com newswire service:

Banks routinely obtain a “right of offset” in agreements with depositors, which allows them to take money from one account to settle a debt in another account with the same bank.

. . .

[normally this doesn’t apply to mortgages and checking accounts but] Rosemary Ybarra, lead foreclosure intervention counselor [with] Neighborhood Housing Services of Phoenix, said she was aware of instances in which banks have exercised their right of offset against delinquent mortgage borrowers. (emphasis mine, not Inman’s)

Although Ybarra could not say how common the practice is, when clients seeking loan modifications are unable to cure their loans, “we let them know that the servicers will exercise their right (of offset), and that if they have an account open with them, to liquidate it.”

This seems like just common sense and street-smarts. You wouldn’t take a loan from a loan shark and then tell him “I can’t pay you” while clutching a wallet full of $100 bills. Would you?

What’s left in your checking/savings account might be only a couple of hundred dollars, but you’ll be really, really angry if your bank takes it and applies it to your mortgage balance.

The quote above is from an article posted August 23, 2010 on Inman.com which is a subscription news service for the real estate industry. Like a lot of news sites, Inman has a fee section and a free section. The article the quote comes from was free on August 23, 2010 and pay-for-viewing after that.

Short sales, loan modifications and checking accounts is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

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Design Ideas for Teenage Boys’ Rooms

Chris Butterworth — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:04:17 +0000

Sometimes looking at pictures can be a spark for inspiration, and I thought these pictures were great!

I see a few common elements to most of these rooms:

Lots of Storage – shelves, cubbies, and closets
Going Vertical – efficiently getting the most out of the available space
Clean & Organized – sort of an oxymoron to have a teenage boy’s room be clean and organized, but it’s a great goal to shoot for!
Calming Colors with bold accents
Work Station for homework (or more likely for late-night video chatting and multi-player gaming…)

Hats off to www.Freshome.com for putting these together – they actually have 25 pictures posted, so click on over if you’d like to see more!

Your doesn’t have teenage boys quite yet Realtor,

Chris Butterworth

Design Ideas for Teenage Boys’ Rooms is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

Chris Butterworth is: Realtor. Analyst. Husband. Father. Writer. Amateur Photographer. Triathlete. Soccer Dad. Big fan of technology, efficiency, and the Arizona Wildcats.

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Recommended blog and handyman

Heather — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:35:00 +0000

Psst… I found a really outstanding blog and an excellent craftsman who does home remodeling projects in the Greater Phoenix area: The RemodGeek. I can’t say enough good stuff about him, but his resume actually speaks for itself:

…spent years in construction, residential and commercial, and remodeling from foundation to punch list. I have been a Union Carpenter, (both wood and steel stud), Remodeling Contractor, Crew Foreman, Superintendent, Project Manager, Cabinet Maker, (both custom and production) Professional Drywaller, (from single family houses, and commercial drywall, including fire safety renovations, multi-hour drywall assemblies, elevator shafts, lead-lined radiation rooms, and fire rated partitions. If it can be covered in drywall, I have probably done it, multiple times.

I worked in the auto recycling (junkyards) and bodyshop business for 9 years. When I am not remodeling, I build websites, specialty computers, and networks for my internet clients.

That’s his blog masthead; it’s him reflected in a shiny engine block. It’s a good example of the creative level of photography the RemodGeek posts. In the funny way of the Internet, RemodGeek and I haven’t met in person, yet. We’ve emailed, and his blog’s in my feed reader.

No matter. The high level of quality craftsmanship he puts into his remodeling projects is crystal clear. If you need remodeling work done around the house, or just need advice on your next Do It Yourself project, check out his site. http://www.lemurzone.com/rfg/>

Note: Author was given nothing of value other than goodwill in consideration for writing & posting this piece. Whenever you’re hiring people to do work on/in your home, do your homework: references, licenses, Better Business Bureau, Registrar of Contractors, etc. ThePhoenixAgents recommends vendors from time to time because we were impressed by them, not because we guarantee their work.

Recommended blog and handyman is a post written by The Phoenix Agents at Thompson's Realty. If you're reading this anywhere other than a feedreader (rss subscription) of ThePhoenixAgents.com, the site you're reading this on is guilty of copyright infringement.

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