Easy Ways to Add Curb Appeal to Your Home

As always, HGTV has it goin' on. Check out this treasure chest of ideas for spicing up your curb appeal. Curb appeal is the first makeover home sellers should to consider implementing when selling a home.

Enjoy ------>

Jennifer Bunker CRS GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker

How To Protect Yourself From Mortgage Fraud

This a fantastic article. See it in table format here ...


Jennifer Bunker CRS GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker

HUD Auditors Find Widespread Mortgage Fraud

(Note: This is a good one. Recommended for anybody contemplating buying, or who has recently purchased a home)

As the government’s head of the investigations in the savings and loan industry collapse of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Kenneth Donohue is no stranger to mortgage fraud.

Today, as inspector general for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Donohue is looking into fraud and abusive lending practices related to mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration.

In the past three years, the roughly 650 investigators and auditors in Donohue's office have conducted 190 audits, developed cases leading to some 1,350 indictments and generated some $1.3 billion in restitution orders.

In an interview with MSNBC.com, Donohue reviewed the scope of his office’s work, the root causes of the jump in fraud and abusive lending practices, and his concerns about proposed changes at the FHA in response to the turmoil in the subprime mortgage market. More ...

Jennifer Bunker CRS GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker

Borrowers in Trouble May Get Some Relief

WASHINGTON - Several major participants in the home mortgage market have agreed to adopt a set of principles for dealing with homeowners with high-priced loans who face possible foreclosure, the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee said Wednesday.

Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., had urged such voluntary action by mortgage lenders and other players two weeks ago when he convened a meeting of their officials and federal regulators to discuss possible solutions to the crisis gripping the market for high-risk loans. Such industry initiatives are preferable, in Dodd’s view, to any government bailout to cover mortgage loans in default.

Those agreeing to the principles include the Mortgage Bankers Association; Wall Street powerhouses Citigroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. HSBC Holdings Corp. and Bear Stearns & Co.; government-sponsored mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; AARP; and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. Several activist and community groups receive money from financial institutions and work with homeowners to refinance high-rate loans. More ...

Jennifer Bunker CRS GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker

Mortgage Lender Fails to Sell Troubled Unit; The Axe Falls on 2,000 Workers on Friday

LOS ANGELES - Financially strapped subprime mortgage lender New Century Financial Corp., failed to receive any bids for its mortgage loan origination business, forcing it to shut down the unit and lay off around 2,000 employees, the company told employees Thursday.

The Irvine-based company, which has been preparing to sell off its assets under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection since last month, notified employees during a conference call that they would be laid off effective Friday.

Speaking on the call, New Century President and Chief Executive Brad A. Morrice said despite a number of potential buyers for its wholesale and consumer-direct operations, “none of those potential deals have come to pass.” More ...

Jennifer Bunker CRS GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker

Shipping Containers Find New Life as Homes

By Roger O’Neil
Correspondent
NBC News

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - This takes a little inside- and a whole lot of outside-the-box thinking. What looks like and lives like a house is actually a shipping container.

"I call it my bunker," says Rosalynn Kearney of her container home.

Used to import almost everything we use and wear, shipping containers are now a new concept in affordable housing. More ...

Jennifer Bunker, CRS, GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker

Utah Leads Nation in Home Price Growth

The state's 18% gain is more than double the U.S. average. California shows a rise of 4.6% in the fourth quarter.

From Bloomberg News
March 2, 2007

The real estate boom has gone West. And Northwest.

The state with the fastest-growing home prices in the fourth quarter was Utah, at 18%, more than double the U.S. average, a government report showed Thursday. Wyoming was No. 2 at 14.3% and Idaho was third at 14%. Washington gained 13.7%, and Oregon was fifth at 13.5%.

California came in at No. 35, with a gain of 4.6%, compared with 21% a year earlier.

Nationally, the real estate market stagnated, with a gain of 5.87% from a year earlier, the slowest pace since 1999, the Washington-based Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight said. The report doesn't give an average price, only the percentage change. The West and Northwest benefited from strong job markets, more affordable housing, population growth and vacation home sales. Read more here ...

Jennifer Bunker, CRS, GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker

House Flipping Still Offers Opportunity

Fad fading, but smart, patient investors can make a profit

By Scott Bernard Nelson
Entreprenuer.com

Has the house flipping bloom finally fallen off the rose? HomeSmart LLC in San Juan Capistrano, California, which tracks real estate deals in 150 metro areas coast to coast, found that in every region, the proportion of home sales for properties owned six months or less has fallen dramatically since hitting a peak in 2005.

HomeSmart President Mike Ela says he assumes most of that quick buying and selling was intentional, which fits his definition of "flipping." Not only are flips becoming less prevalent, but they're also becoming riskier.

In Florida, for example, only 2.6 percent of home sales were for flipped properties in the third quarter of 2003. But that percentage had more than doubled to 5.8 percent by the third quarter of 2005. As the real estate market cooled, the percentage dropped, hitting 2.4 percent in the final three months of last year. More ...

See also: Las Vegas "House Flipping" Ends Up Like Most Bets

Jennifer Bunker, CRS, GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker

Lenders Willing to Help Struggling Homeowners

To stop rise in foreclosures, mortgage modifications are more common now.

"NEW YORK - As home foreclosures mount, mortgage companies are knocking on doors, sending letters and making phone calls with a simple message for struggling homeowners: They’d rather modify your loan than foreclose." More from MSNBC ...

See also, "Six-month Halt to Foreclosures Urged"

Jennifer Bunker, CRS, GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker

Be Careful What You Feed Your Pet

Did you know that raisins and tulip bulbs can be hazardous to your pet's health?

I actually didn't until I found this article on MSNBC. Turns out a lot of things we all have around our home can be deadly to our cats and dogs. I have a cat who will chew anything green and growing. I didn't know that some of it was actually dangerous to her health. Read the story and see the list ot dangerous items here.

Jennifer Bunker, CRS, GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker

Women Are More Likely to Receive Subprime Loans

Not surprisingly, women are statistically more likely to end up with a subprime product than men. This is due to the fact that many women are single parents and head of household. They still make significantly less than men do, and typically shoulder the lion's share of the burden of raising the children alone, both economically and emotionally. This of course, makes them more of a lending risk.

However, in the big picture, if a subprime loan is all a woman can secure due to her economic factors, that I believe she is still better off purchasing her own home than continuing to rent. It is more expensive, but still worth the investment in the aggregate. This should be done only with good counsel from her REALTOR and Mortgage Professional such that she doesn't get in over her head. The best strategy in my opinion is to buy a home that is a solid investment with a strong likelihood of appreciation. Even if this ends up to be a tiny cottage, most of the time it's still a better option than continuing to rent.

See the article from National Realty News here ...

Jennifer Bunker. CRS, GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker

Mortgage Rates Up .02% to 6.16%

What an incredible rate! Read the complete story here ... Also, check out this one from National Realty News: Conflicting Economic News Keeps Rates Low.

Jennifer Bunker, CRS, GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker

Apartment Complex for Homeless Prepares to Open In SLC

Salt Lake City aims to "wipe out homelessness." Read the story here.

Jennifer Bunker, CRS, GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker

Gee Whiz, We're Awfully Proud of Him

A Hero's History
By Kristen Moulton The Salt Lake Tribune

Hammond was destined to be a cop. This Ogden officer's mom remembers when, as a teen, he chased restaurant patrons who stole a carafe.

OGDEN - A screenwriter would have a tough time coming up with a character more inclined to act like a hero.

Ken Hammond, the off-duty Ogden police officer who kept the Trolley Square shooter engaged in a gunbattle Feb. 12, not only was in the right place at the right time - limiting the victim casualty count to five dead and four wounded - but he also had the right stuff:

Confidence. A sharp sense of right and wrong. A passion for excitement.

"It's just him," said his mother, Diana Hammond, of Lake Havasu, Ariz. "He's done the same [kind of] thing for as long as I can remember."

Hammond said he would not have been able to live with himself if, instead of taking on the shooter, he had retreated to Rodizio Grill, where he and his pregnant wife had just finished dessert.

The 33-year-old cop put it this way to a group of Ogden fourth-graders: "Police officers, we kind of have a weird mind." Read more here ...

Jennifer Bunker, CRS, GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker

Ogden's Proposed Gondola Project Attracts High-powered Peeps

According to an article in Sportsguide Magazine, Ogden Utah is setting the stage to become the next major ski hub of the world. Thanks to local developer Chris Peterson's idea to install a gondola across the city, next to Weber State University, and up to a new ski area in Malan's Basin, city officials have been working on attracting ski companies and the like to Ogden. So far, it's working. Twelve companies are expected to relocate here.

These 12 companies, who are in various stages of commitment and arrival are:

* Descente - Ski, golf and athletic apparel
* Scott USA - Products for wintersports, snowmobiling, motorsports, biking and paintball Rossignol - Skis, snowboards, boots, bindings, poles, softgoods and accessories
* Goode - Skis, poles, water skis and accessories
* M.I. Distribution Company/Nidecker - Snowboards
* Snowsports Interactive - Ski area and resort management solutions
* Salomon - Footwear, apparel, skis, boards, bindings, boots, and accessories
* Atomic - Bindings, boots, and accessories for alpine, cross-country and backcountry skiers
* Suunto - Sport watches and clocks
* Kahuna Creations - Snowboards, longboards, skatebaords, apparel and gear
* Dynamic - Skis
* Volant - Skis

Said the article's author, "The first to come was Descente, headed by Ogden native Curt Geiger. The maker of performance winter sports apparel moved into the former Eccles Steel Foundry, and others have begun to cluster in the same area. Geiger said that couldn’t have happened in a larger city such as Salt Lake; and ‘clusters’ are good for business. “Retailers can come in here and visit 12 different companies and never have to get in a car,” he explained.

The companies gather around what they hope will become a base for a gondola transportation system that would allow someone to walk out their office door, step onto a gondola and be on the slopes in 20-30 minutes. The gondola project is but a glimmer at this stage, awaiting approval by the appropriate government agencies. Several environmental groups are opposed to the plan, but the mayor and the ski companies are passionate about getting it approved.

Even after Geiger showed Descente’s board of directors in Japan that he could cut operating expenses 30 percent by heading to Weber County, the board asked why he wasn’t considering Salt Lake. Some 18 months later, they gave him the green light to move the company’s North American headquarters to Ogden upon seeing the gondola proposal.

“They could see this was a one-of-a-kind place, the only place in the world with something like that,” Geiger said. “They wanted to be part of that.” "

Jennifer Bunker, CRS, GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker

Buying a Home With Bad Credit

Subprime lenders are sinking faster than the Titanic these days. Still, people with bad credit (defined as FICO's in the 500's and low 600's) can still get a home loan. However, it's getting tougher. If your credit is very bad, be prepared to put some money down. Also, you can say goodbye to the "stated loan". Prepare to provide documentation regarding what you can and can't pay.

I enjoyed this article in Newsweek about this subject. The author gave some very good advice at the very end:

"Many subprimes today want a minimum score of 600 or 620. So pay off as much debt as possible and don't let your credit-card balances go above 33 percent of their credit limit. And start saving for that down payment.

For those already in danger of sinking in subprime debt, try your best to stay afloat; a lifeboat may be on its way. Sen. Christopher Dodd says he plans to introduce a law that would essentially allow you more time to solve loan problems before foreclosure. In the meantime, lenders urge troubled borrowers to keep in touch. It's in everyone's interest, they say, to keep you in your house. Try to work out a deal—your home may depend on it."

Jennifer Bunker, CRS, GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker

Know Your Zone? Utah's Gardening Zone is ...

Ever tried to decipher one of these gardening zone maps? Unless you have a microscope to examine the minute details, you're unlikely to be able to tell what kind of plants thrive best in your area. Don't worry gentle readers, try this neat tool I found call the "Zone Finder". Once you type in your zip code, the resulting information includes links to various types of plants and gardening techniques that are appropriate for your zone.

Here is Utah's information from Zone Finder:

Zone 5

"Although gardeners in Zone 5 still experience winter cold, this zone benefits from lower latitudes and an ocean influence. In the eastern United States, it stretches across Newfoundland and Nova Scotia and along the seacoast of Maine and New Hampshire. It continues through western Massachusetts and midstate New York, northern Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, much of Michigan, southern Iowa and Nebraska, northern Missouri and Kansas, and eastern Colorado. In the interior West, this zone forms a patchwork pattern that extends from New Mexico into British Columbia, the southern Alaskan coast and the Aleutians. Gardeners here can grow apples and plants such as Cornus florida (flowering dogwood), Deutzia gracillis (slender deutzia), Ligustrum vulgare (common privet), Parthenocissus tricuspidata (Boston ivy), Rosa multiflora (Japanese rose) and Taxus cuspidata (Japanese yew)."

Far be it from me to argue with the Zone Finder, but not only am I not really sure what it actually just said, but neither do I recognize any of these plants. Further, I haven't felt an ocean breeze here for at least .... well, never. However, we do know for sure that we are zone 5, and we've got our favorite plant-junkies at our favorite nurseries to help us sort it all out.

Happy planting. :-)

Jennifer Bunker, CRS, GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker

Getting Ready for Spring Gardening

This year I have a new home and a large yard that needs a lot of color and character. I was wondering how I would pull off a transformation of epic propertions when I found this fancy-pants site on gardening ...

Also try this site for some great information ...

Jennifer Bunker, CRS, GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker

There's a New Kid in Town

It's official. My new brokerage is in full swing. I've loved starting my own venture and making my own decisions. I feel much lighter on my feet than before.

Many people have asked me why I left Coldwell Banker. I actually loved Coldwell while I was there. But fundamentally, we weren't a match. I need less red-tape and a lot more agility to serve my clients well. Also, I am much more technologically advanced than Coldwell, or any big Brokerage is. So, with fond goodbyes, I moved away from "Big Daddy" to start my own new venture.

My value added is 3-fold: Technologically superior in the use of Internet and all related technologies, my marketing plan is much more extensive than any other real estate professional in my market, and my standards for my performance and my clients' experiences are very, very high.

I appreciate your love and support as I start in this fun new venture. Know anybody who needs to sell a house? Let me know. I can't wait to use my new signs!

My new office!

Jennifer Bunker, CRS, GRIUtah Real Estate Broker

The Perks of the Job

I had the delightful opportunity to spend last Friday evening with two new clients of mine, Tony and Nicky. Rabid skiers from the UK who are visiting their holiday home in Salt Lake City, I recently met them while assisting them in a search for more property.

Once they arrived into town, they graciously invited me to their home for dinner. They wowed me with adventurous stories of their travels and the interesting people they have occasioned to meet. As I listened to their fascinating tales, I couldn't help but think that there simply weren't two more adorable people in the world. They shine outwardly with their understanding and sharing of the meaning of joy, life balance, and gratitude.

The lesson from an evening with these two is that life can be short and therefore must be lived with all the gusto we can muster. Together they gleefully keep themselves fit in mind, body, and spirit while enjoying their adventures to all corners of the world. Clearly they adore each other as well. There are a lot of lessons to learn from people who know how to live fully in the moment as Tony and Nicky do.

They fed me a delicious meal and gave me an evening to remember. Where else do you get such an opportunity to mingle with such interesting folks? It's a wonderful and special perk of the job.

Enjoy YOUR day!

Jennifer Bunker, CRS, GRI
Utah Real Estate Broker