New Movers Advice

The world needs a little help. In the past year, the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile have left thousands without homes. The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has caused ecological damage to the area and the damages are expected to spread as far north as New Jersey. Plus, cancer, autism and other rare conditions have rates that continue to rapidly increase. In addition, the poverty rate in American is about 17%. With everything that is going on, something needs to bed done to try and fix this broken world of ours.

The solution is simple. Leaving these problems up to the government is NOT the answer. Having individuals lend a helping hand IS the path we should be taking. Much of the population today appears to be too wrapped up in their own lives to reach out and help. The ones who do want to assist do not know how to get involved or how they can personally contribute to those in need or the areas in despair.

Many people believe the only way to help is by donating money, which subsequently most cannot afford. However, giving money to charities is not the only option available. Most charities have sponsored events and volunteer positions.

Habitat for Humanity offers individuals a great opportunity to help the less fortunate. The nonprofit organization finds whats to provide shelter to homeless people worldwide. You can volunteer to assist in the building of homes and living quarters for the less fortunate in our society.

The Ronald McDonald House provides inexpensive accommodations close to hospitals for families with critically ill children. This charity offers Americans an easy way to give back, and only involves a very small amount of time. RMH has a great plan to help it’s organization by asking people to collect tabs from aluminum cans and deliver the, to a local RMH. The tab contains the purest aluminum and is worth the most money. It is so easy to pop the tabs off of cans and collect them in a jar at your house.

Another great way to help those in need of help is to become a role model
through the Big Brothers, Big Sisters Organization. Volunteers are matched with a child in the organization and is given the opportunity to spend time, offer guidance and love the child in need. As little as four hours a month could make a positive impact on the life of a child.

If you do not have the time to volunteer on a regular basis, participating in awareness walks is a great way to support a cause. Autism Speaks sponsors walks throughout the United States to raise money and promote awareness for those with Autism. Ask coworkers, friends or family to spend a small amount of money to sponsor you. Participating in the walk could potentially improve the life of a child with Autism.

It is true in today’s economy, Americans have a difficult time finding jobs and do not have the extra money lying around. However, just because you do not have the money to donate to a cause does not mean you are helpless. Habitat for Humanity, The Ronald McDonald House, Big Brother, Big Sister Organization, Autism Speaks and many more nonprofit organizations offer ways to help make the world a better place.

In today’s society, banks are exploring many different strategies in their services.  ING Direct, for example, is a completely paperless, online banking community. They do not even use paper checks or mailing statements. All of your banking needs, including sending checks via mail, automatic online bill pay, mortgages, and so much more can be handled through their user-friendly website.

My mother, who is very old fashioned, wants her paper checks and the access to a physical person whom she can seek out at her local Wachovia Branch. However, I like to do all of my banking conveniently from my lap top and even my cell phone!

Finding the right bank is a mission based purely on personal preference. In my scholarly opinion, paperless banking is the banking of the future – everything but paperless banking will soon be obsolete.

So Happy Bank Hunting!

40 million U.S. households move their primary residence each year. Not only will these movers change their primary residence, but they will have to make changes to their everyday stores such as grocery stores, banks, Cable TV providers and restaurants to name a few.

A total of 24% of movers change their banks during residential moves each year. The further they move, the higher the percentages of bank changes are made. Out of state movers make up 53% of bank changes! When switching banks there are a few things you should remember:

1. Find the Best Bank for You!

You do this by constructing a list of what you want and need out of a bank – then go ahead and research the banks in    your area that meet this criterion.

For example…

• Local branch locations?
• Online convenience banking?
• Interest rates for savings accounts and/or credit cards?
• Quality customer service?
• Any fees, minimums?
• FDIC insured?

Once you can happily answer these questions, you have found the best bank for you.

2. Make the switch, but remember…

• Once you’ve found the best bank for you, open a new account.
• Stop using your old account, but leave some cash to cover any outstanding checks, automatic withdrawals or automatic payments.
• Give you employer your new bank information so they can direct deposit your paychecks.
• Move all automatic withdrawal and online bill pay information to your new bank account. You’re fully committing to your new bank, so don’t forget anything important!
• If you are using an automatic transfer to move your account from one bank to another, keep both accounts open until the transfer is complete. Also, your old bank may charge a fee for this transfer, so ask them about any fees before initiating the process.
• Ask your old bank what their procedure is for closing the account, and be sure all outstanding checks and automatic debts have cleared the account before officially closing it.

Source: http://www.saavysugar.com/What-Consider-When-Switching-Banks-104006

Follow these SIX bank switching tips and it will be HAPPY BANKING for you!

Helpful Links

• http://www.depositaccounts.com/blog/
• http://www.banklawyersblog.com/3_bank_lawyers/
• http://yourfinishrichplan.com/blog/2008/04/21/switching-banks-step-by-step-guide-and-tips/
• http://wethesavers.ingdirect.com/

People move their primary residence for a number of different reasons. Below is what we believe are the Top 10 reasons why:

1. Home is too small.
Many people outgrow their “first home”. Growing family size (e.g.; kids!) is usually one the top reasons people say they need a larger home but sometimes it’s simply because they can now afford a larger home and all it offers.

2. Moving UP.
More expensive, expansive and grander – an upscale home – how 1990’s is that!

3. New Job – Corporate Transfer.
The ‘man’ says you’re needed someplace else or the company will immediately fail – usually it’s not Paris but you go anyway.

4. Got married?
Almost always results in one of the blissful couple needing to sell, especially if the newlyweds both owned homes prior to the commitment but true even if they have separate apartments – not living together before taking the plunge – now that’s old fashion but also somewhat refreshing.

5. The Other End of the Spectrum – Divorce.
Unfortunately, marriage/relationship break-up will result in home owners or apartment dwellers to move on – don’t believe the silly media stories of divorced couples ‘sharing’ a house – once a relationship is over, a move occurs – period!

6. Current Neighborhood Changes.
This is more common than most people think – it may not always change for the bad but just different and a new scene is needed.

7. ‘Empty Nester’ or Down-sizing Syndrome.
Your ‘children’ have gone to college (hooray!) and haven’t moved back post graduation (double hooray!) or they tied the knot and moved on- now it’s time for you to do the same – smaller home, less costs, easy to maintain/clean usually equals more time for travel, golf or fishing – now that’s one of the best reasons to move!

8. See your family more often – or not!
Some people want to be closer to their relatives such as parents want to be near children. But many move for the ‘opposite’ reason – to get away from unwanted family commitments and truly get on your own or simply escape – ‘remember you can pick your friends but….’

9. Family Loss or Health Problems.
Inevitable as it is, the death of an immediate family member will often cause a move. Same can be said for health issues or other changing physical conditions or ailments.

10. Sell to Access Home Equity.
Home values or equity is a false perception in many ways. Until one sells their home, the money is not in their bank account – these ‘paper gains’ are just that, paper – as in the movie Jerry Maguire, ‘show me the money’ often drives a home sale to take that ‘paper’ gain and turn it into old green backs.

Pending home sales have risen for three consecutive months, reflecting the broad impact of the home buyer tax credit and favorable housing affordability conditions, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator, rose 6.0 percent to 110.9 based on contracts signed in April, from an upwardly revised 104.6 in March, and is 22.4 percent higher than April 2009 when it was 90.6. That follows gains of 7.1 percent in March and 8.3 percent in February.

Pending home sales are at the highest level since last October when the index reached 112.4 and first-time buyers were rushing to beat the initial deadline for the tax credit. The data reflects contracts and not closings, which usually occur with a lag time of one or two months.

Resources:
www.realtor.org
www.realtytimes.com www.onlinemovingcenter.com

Are gym memberships really worth it?

I know allot of people that have spent big money on joining a gym only to later realize it was a waste of money – now I’m not saying that gyms or working out in general are worthless – actually quite the opposite.

Especially after experiencing the stress of a residential move, either getting or keeping in shape is very important.

But I do question whether it is better to sign up for an annual gym membership with all the right intentions of using the facilities and everything a gym offers to its fullest extent – or is it better to spend less money and buy a home gym that serves the same purpose (maybe even better) and have the ease and comfort of exercising at home.

Takes away allot of the excuses we all come up with for NOT exercising more regularly doesn’t it. There are seemingly thousands of home gym options on the market but I have heard that Total Gym (yes, the one with Christie Brinkley and Chuck Norris standing there looking great) gives you a complete workout, whether it is aerobic or muscle strengthening, it seems to do the trick.

If you buy a home gym like Total Gym (http://www.totalgymdirect.com) you can get a full workout in less than 20 minutes – usually it takes me that long to drive one way to gym or YMCA! Go to the site above and enter code 11001 at checkout and get a steep discount.

I also like the idea to work out when it’s most convenient for me, sort of my my terms so to speak – having a complete gym system at home lets me do just that.

And probably the best thing of having a home gym versus joining a community gym or YMCA is I don’t have to sweat and look exhausted in front of allot of people – I just avoid the mirror after a work out (and no that’s not me in the photo but if I had a home gym like Total Gym, there is always hope!)

Existing Home Buyers seemingly are now beginning to vent some of that pent up desire to get back into the real estate market.

Existing home sales rose 6.8% in March 2010.

Perhaps it has something to do with the traditional spring surge in home sales, but some experts believe it may also be a signal the ‘bottom’ has been achieved and consumers are starting to realize home prices will not likely drop much further than there are today.

In other words, it just may be the right time to make that move.

Existing home sales was up a whopping 16.1 percent above sales in March 2009.

According to the National Association of Realtors’ Chief Economist, “Sales have been above year-ago levels for nine straight months, and inventory has trended down from year-ago levels for 20 months running. The home buyer tax credit has been a resounding success as these underlying trends point to a broad stabilization in home prices. This is preserving perhaps $1 trillion in largely middle class housing wealth that may have been wiped out without the housing stimulus measure.”

“Foreclosures have been feeding into the inventory pipeline at a fairly steady pace and are being absorbed manageably. In fact, foreclosures are selling quickly, especially in the lower price ranges that are attractive to first-time home buyers. With home values stabilizing, a revival in home buying confidence will likely help the housing market get back on its feet even as the tax credit impact disappears.”

The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $170,700 in March, up 0.4 percent from March 2009.
According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage dipped to 4.97 percent in March from 4.99 percent in February; the rate was 5.00 percent in March 2009.

Single-family median prices rose in 14 out of 20 metropolitan statistical areas reported in March in comparison with a year earlier. Five metro areas experienced double-digit increases, including San Diego, St. Louis and Boston.

Existing home sales in the Northeast increased 6.0 percent to an annual level of 890,000 in March and are 25.4 percent higher than a year ago. The median price in the Northeast was $249,800, up 8.9 percent from March 2009.

Existing-home sales in the Midwest rose 7.2 percent in March to a pace of 1.19 million and are 15.5 percent above March 2009. The median price in the Midwest was $139,300, up 0.2 percent from a year ago.

In the South, existing-home sales increased 7.1 percent to an annual level of 1.97 million in March and are 13.9 percent higher than a year ago. The median price in the South was $154,800, up 5.2 percent from March 2009.

Existing-home sales in the West rose 6.6 percent to an annual rate of 1.30 million in March and are 14.0 percent above March 2009. The median price in the West was $209,400, down 7.9 percent from a year ago.

Encouraging news…….finally!

Resources:
www.realtor.org
www.freddiemac.com

There are a million and one articles written on how best to stage your home prior to putting it on the market – this article will not tell you all the things the experts say you should do or not do. I have listed some resource articles below that can help you with that information.

The reason for writing about this subject matter is more focused on not over spending, regardless of what your Realtor or others may suggest. There are few inexpensive things you can yourself that can make a big difference.

One obvious thing you should do before showing your house is ‘de-clutter’ – this falls into the category of ‘your treasures are someone else’s junk’. Get rid of stuff that you don’t need, that may give off the appearance you belong on the TV show ‘Hoarders” (I have never seen the show and quite frankly don’t care to but have been in ‘hoarder’ type houses before and it’s not pretty).

You should consider sprucing up the house to showcase its positive features while down playing items that may need updating, but in general what you spend on staging needs to be carefully managed. Many things that you may spend big money on in the end really doesn’t help with selling your home sale faster or for more money and basically it’s money down the drain.

But there are a few inexpensive things you can do yourself such as ‘paint’ a few rooms baton.com/common/sherwin.html (good discount coupon for Sherwin Williams Paint), focusing on inexpensive improvements in the rooms where most people spend most of their time such as the kitchen, family room and even bathrooms.

The most important thing to remember is to try to make your house feel like a ‘home’ – everybody has different tastes and styles but the one thing that will resonate best with a potential buyer is getting the sense when walking throughout the house that this is a place they can call home!

Helpful Resources:
“http://www.servicemagic.com/article.show.Preparing-a-House-for-Sale.8278.html”>
“http://www.prep4sell.com/#1″>
“http://www.realtytimes.com/rtpages/20000228_prephome.htm

Seems like selecting a real estate agent for either selling your house or finding a new one should be relatively easy – yeah right!

From personal experience, I can tell you it’s very important to take the time and put forth the effort to interview potential Realtor’s in depth and clearly convey what you want and expect from a prospective Realtor.

Once when I was moving from one state to another through a corporate relocation service, I was introduced to a Realtor that was to ‘take care of all my real estate needs’.

We spent over one hour talking about what type of of house my family and I were looking for – from style of home, to the number of bedrooms, property size, etc. I am pretty sure I was clear with what we wanted and also thought the Realtor was listening.

But when I flew to my new location to meet with the Realtor, we looked at 8-10 homes that was told to me prior to my visit that would perfectly meet my needs and ‘fit the bill’.

Well, I found none of the homes I toured were anything near what we were wanted as described to her over the phone. In fact, the Realtor showed us only ranches and farm homes than the traditional brick two-story colonial I told her we were interested in a number of times throughout our hour long phone conversation.

My point in telling this story is simple – first, make absolutely sure you know what you want in a new house and clearly convey that to prospective Realtor.

Then make sure they understand what you want and that they have experience in finding homes for buyers that meet your needs.

Same with selling your home – make sure the Realtor you meet with understands everything about your current house, neighborhood, key selling features, etc. It’s also important to know if they are accustom to selling your particular type of house, price range and neighborhood.

All this seems logical – right?

But too often mover’s find themselves wasting time, money and adding to their already stressful life while moving by not taking the time to ask the Realtor the tough questions and be absolutely sure you are both on the same page.

Good luck!

With the growth of the ‘baby-boomers’ generation now reaching the age of seriously considering retirement from full-time employment and moving into their next stage of life, our society as a whole will be changing (perhaps even for the better).

It seems the recent economic turmoil we all have endured the past 18-24 months, have caused many of us to reassess our careers, real needs and value of our family life – a sense of better balance some would say.

Some people that are nearly the age of potentially retiring are looking at various options – even a ‘part-time retirement’ of sorts.

There are some companies in an effort to better manage costs yet at the same time retain much need management and senior leadership experience offers a ‘phased retirement program’ – which in many ways basically allows employees the best of both worlds if they elect not to fully retire.

According to a Wall Street Journal article from December, 2009, “amid the economic turmoil, interest in phased retirement is on the rise. For employees, these programs offer a way to ease rather than plunge into retirement, which can pay psychological and financial dividends. Many employers…are introducing phased-retirement programs to prepare for mass retirements among baby boomers…the goal is to persuade near-retirees to stick around long enough to teach colleagues how to do their jobs”.

Interesting concept.

But if you are ready to make your retirement full time, there are few things you should consider:

- Are you financially, emotionally and psychologically prepared to enjoy retirement instead of worrying about it?
- Do you know if you want to live where you are living today or move (down-size) to a different community?
- If you do indeed retire full time and decide to stay local, do you know what you’ll do now with all your free time?
- Many associate retirement with moving – and rightfully so since such a high percentage of newly retired people do actually move – whether it’s staying in the community but downsizing to a smaller residence or moving to a different state perhaps to a retirement community to enjoy fellowship and companionship with your contemporaries.

While moving at any any age can be difficult, for most retirees, relocation and/or downsizing offers the wonderful opportunity to:

* Eliminate your current debt such as paying off a mortgage
* Lower you monthly expenses such as reduced real estate taxes
* Improving your overall lifestyle – more freedom to do what you want to do

If you do decide to relocate, whether it’s locally or across the country, there are a number of resources you can turn for assistance – one is www.onlinemovingcenter.com.

Retirement for some will be a time of renewal, enabling the pursuit of new hobbies, interests and new challenges. However, for others retirement may be more difficult as it forces us to change – and change is not easy for many people.

But like death and taxes, retirement and life changes are inevitable – and not unlike most things in life, it’s not what happens to you that determines your happiness rather it’s how you react and adopt to all this new stage of life offers.

Other Helpful Sites to View:
“http://www.ingyournumber.com/enjoy_retirement.html”
“http://http://online.wsj.com”
“http://http://www.retirementready.net/”
“http://www.yourretirementtransitions.com”

U.S. Department of Commerce/Census data as well as other studies provide a number of interesting tidbits on the when, where and why aspects of moving:

- No surprise but about 50% of all residential moves occurs in the summer months of June, July and August (primarily due to when the school year starts and ends – reminds me of the song ’school’s out forever’ but I am digressing already)- slowest month (once again no surprise) is December (holidays, snow, cold, etc.).

- Average household size is 2.4 people (wonder who can be a .4 person?) and each household moves on average once every six years.

- Between the ages of 22 and 30 move most frequently – some say that consumer group are habitual movers due to more frequent changes in careers, getting married, having a family, buying their first house, etc.

- Safest place to live in U.S.: Honolulu, Hawaii (that’s the life for me!)

- About two-thirds of all moves are considered ‘local’ – within same town, borough or county. Between 15-20% of residential moves are interstate and that percentage is decreasing due to a number of factors none the least of which are economy related.

- Top three reasons why people move: job relocation, divorce and down-sizing or retirement.

- Average household spend when someone moves into a house is nearly $10,000 on non-discretionary items such as appliances, home security systems, home improvements/repairs/paint, electronics, lighting and landscaping.

- Average household spend for an apartment move is about $4,500 on items such as soft goods, small kitchen appliances, home accents and interior paint (everybody seems to hate the bland white or beige walls typical of an apartment rental). An interesting note: house renters spend more than apartment renters. Not sure exactly why but I assume (I know I shouldn’t assume) a house just has more rooms, walls, etc. to add your personal touch.

I can go on with moving factoids and the when, where and why statistics but it does getting boring after a while – but if you are thinking of moving or have just moved, one of the important stats mentioned above is that ‘non-discretionary’ post move spend – think about how best you can allocate your money and find ways to cut costs by prioritizing, planning and seeking value.

Helpful Resources:
http://www.census.gov
http://www.onlinemovingcenter.com”
“http://moving.about.com/od/whymove/a/best_places.htm”>