SUMMER LANDSCAPE SPRUCE UP

Summer in Maine may be Short

but we sure enjoy the time we have

to spend outdoors in the sun. 

 

Summer is a great time to spruce up your landscape

to make your yard more enjoyable or

to add value if you are planning on selling your home. 

 

Photo from HGTVRemodels

 

Here are a few tips to help you spruce up your lawn this summer

1.  Make your small yard look more spacious by planting flower beds in each corner.  
2. Give your shrubs a boost by covering exposed roots and fertilizing.  Over time, topsoil tends to wash away from roots which may cause the shrubs to become thin. 
3. Mulch but not too much.  Just a few inches of mulch is all you need.  Mounds of mulch may attract pests.
4. Create privacy using shrubs or trellises covered with vines.  Climbing vines are also a great way to dress up a fence.
5. Coordinate colors.  Using 3 colors that complement your homes exterior color scheme will tie the space together and improve curb appeal.
6. Mix it up.  Choose plants that have a variety of shapes & textures.  If you want to enjoy color longer, choose plants that bloom at different times.

According to Realestate.com, a 5% investment

in the landscaping of your property can increase its value

by as much as 15% and may reduce the amount of time

a home stays on the market by up to 6 weeks! 

 

Summer is short....dig in the dirt...enjoy the sun...and add value to your home!

 

If you are interested in more ways to improve the value of your home, 

call us at (207)784-3800 or e-mail brenda@fontaineteam.com. 

 

 

 

CAN YOU STILL GET A NO MONEY DOWN MORTGAGE?

Are you interested in buying a home...

 but worried about coming up with the down payment? 

If so, you are not alone...

 

of recent home buyers in Maine were first-time buyers.

(according to the 2012 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers by the National Association of Realtors). 

 

Good News!!

There is still some no-money down

mortgage options available! 

Here are a couple of options:

• Rural Development  - This program offers no money down loans if you meet income eligibility and credit requirements.  There are also restrictions on where the property can be located.  There is a RD Direct Option as well as a RD Guaranteed Housing Loan program that is offered through private lenders. 

• VA Home Loans - This program is offered to Active Duty Service members, Veterans, and National Guard and Reserve members.  To be eligible, you must have a good credit score, sufficient income, a valid Certificate of Eligibility, and meet certain service requirements.

 

If you don't qualify

for one of the no-money down options,

don't worry...

 

• Maine Housing First Home Program - offers mortgages to first time buyers with little or no down payments if you meet the income limits. 

• FHA offers a mortgage with only 3.5% down!  The purchase price amount that can be financed varies from state to state (see Maine's loan limits here). 

 
Setting up a meeting with a couple of reputable lenders is the first step in finding out what program will work best for you.  Not all lenders offer all mortgage options so you may have to shop around a little bit to find the best fit. 
 

Be Prepared:

When you meet with a lender, what will you need?

 

2 years of tax returns with W2's

30 days of pay stubs

2 months of bank statements

 

If you are interested in purchasing a home

 with little or no money down,

call us at (207)784-3800

or e-mail brenda@fontaineteam.com

 to get started today!

 

HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED A WATERFONT HOME?

If you have always wanted to own

a waterfront home in Maine... 

 

Now is a great time to purchase one.  

Prices are affordable and interest rates are at all time lows.

 





If you are considering purchasing waterfront property,make sure you are familiar with shoreland zoning in Maine.  

 

What is Shoreland Zoning?

 

 Land withing 250 feet of the normal high-water line of any great pond or river,

upland area of coastal wetland or defined freshwater wetland,

and within 75 feet of normal high-water line of streams.

Click here

 

Besides restrictions set in place by the State of Maine, each individual town may have additional shoreland zoning rules and restrictions, so make sure you do your homework if you are considering a waterfront home.    

 

Click here

A few things to consider when you are looking at waterfront property are:



Non-conforming structures

Expansion possibilities

Clearing trees and other growth

Minimum setback requirements

Lot Coverage

Flood Elevation

 

Click here

Your real estate agent can be a valuable resource to help you find the information you need to make an informed choice.

 

Click here

 

 

Call us at

784-3800

to find your dream Maine waterfront home today!

 

SHOULD YOU LEAVE YOUR APPLIANCES WHEN SELLING?

 

In the latest episode of

Your Real Estate Solutions

with Brenda Fontaine...

 

 

Join Brenda Fontaine as she discusses whether it is a good idea

 to include appliances when selling your Maine home.

 

 Julie Poulin from Mortgage Network discusses no money down loan options.

 

DeeDee Whittemore from Phenix Title talks about the dangers of

discounted title searches and title insurance.

 

Do you have a question about real estate that you would like

to have Brenda or one of our experts answer? 

 Just e-mail us at brenda@fontaineteam.com 

or call

(207)784-3800

 to schedule a private meeting with one of our skilled agents.

8 EASY WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR IDENTITY

 

 

Identity theft is in the news more and more often. 

Nothing is worse that finding out the hard way

that someone has stolen your identity. 

 

For example - a week before you are scheduled to

 close on your new home, you get a call from your lender

to tell you they can no longer grant your loan

 because of the furniture you charged on your credit card...

except you did not buy any furniture.  

Yikes!

 

Once someone has started using your identity

you are fighting an uphill battle to fix the problem,

 but there are some easy things you can do to protect yourself

so you don't end up in that situation.

  

8 Easy Ways to Protect Your Identity:

 

One

Don't share your personal information on social media

or by e-mail.  This includes your Social Security number,

address, and date of birth, etc...

 

Two

Make sure you have anti-virus software, anti-spyware software

and a firewall installed on your computer. 

 

Three

Use strong passwords on any accounts you access on  your computer. 

Don't use the same password for every site.

 

Four

If you keep a file of bills or personal information at home,

make sure it is locked...and don't leave the key in the lock.

 

Five

Shred anything with personal information (such as bills)

that you don't need before you throw it away.

 

Six

When you go away, request a hold from the post office

so mail with personal information is not left in the mailbox. 

 

Seven

Check accounts for unauthorized activity and

your credit report on a regular basis.

 

Eight

Ask the company who insures your home if they offer

identity theft insurance and purchase it.
 

 

Are you interested in more tips to help with 

buying or selling a home in Maine? 

 

Let us help! 

 

Call us at

(207)784-3800

or e-mail us at brenda@fontaineteam.com. 

 

 

TAX BREAKS FOR HOMEOWNERS

It is that time of year again....Tax Time

 

Photo by danielmoyle

 

Time to start gathering up your W2s, 1099s, bank statements and receipts...

and looking for any deductions you can find. 

One of the benefits of being a homeowner is that you may be

able to take advantage of a number of tax breaks. 

In order to take advantage of most of these deductions,

you will have to itemize your taxes.  It does make preparing your taxes

 more complicated, but the payoff can make it worth it. 

Here are list of a few tax breaks you may want to check out as a homeowner:

Mortgage Interest

If you paid interest at closing when purchasing your house,

you may be able to deduct all or part of that interest.

Points

If you paid points to obtain a mortgage when you purchased your home,

 you may be able to deduct that amount.

Property Taxes

State and local real estate taxes may be able to be deducted. 

It gets a little more tricky if your taxes are escrowed,

but worth checking into.

Selling Costs

The cost of things to promote the sale of your house

 such as broker's fees, advertising expenses

and repairs might be able to be deducted. 

 

Mortgage Insurance Premiums

If you qualify, you may be able to deduct

the premiums paid for private mortgage insurance.

 

Home Improvement Loan Interest 

Interest on loan to make capital improvements on your home,

you may be able to deduct the interest you pay on that loan.

 

Interest on Construction Loans -

If you build a home using a construction loan,

you may be able to deduct the interest paid

on a qualified home for the first 24 months of the loan. 

It is important to seek the advice of a tax professional

to determine if you qualify to take advantage of some or all of these tax breaks.  

Preparing your taxes is complicated...especially when itemizing,

 but why not take advantage of all the benefits of being a homeowner? 

We would love to hear if these deductions helped you out? 

Did it reduce the amount you owed or maybe even get you a refund?

Do you want to know about all the advantages of homeownership? 

Call (207)784-3800 or e-mail brenda@fontaineteam.com

BRENDA ANSWERS YOUR REAL ESTATE QUESTIONS

 

In the latest episode of

Your Real Estate Solutions with Brenda Fontaine...

 

Brenda answers this question from a viewer...

 

"Should you get a building inspection before listing your house?"

 

 

 

Also in this episode...

 

Julie Poulin from Mortgage Network talks about

who is eligible for a Maine State Housing Loan

to purchase a home.

 

DeeDee Whittemore of Phenix Title discusses

whether you need to have a title search

on a newly constructed home.

 

Dan Roux of Roux Insurance gives homeowners

 some great tips for homes with pools. 

 

Do you have a question you would like for us to answer? 

We would love to hear it! 

(207)784-3800

brenda@fontaineteam.com

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SELL A HOME IN MAINE?

You are considering selling your home and

want to know how long it takes to sell a home in Maine.

 

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a concrete answer to that question? 

The truth is, how long it takes a home to sell depends on

a lot of different things and is difficult to track. 

 

Pricing, staging and marketing have a great deal to do with

how quickly a home sells.  Buyers are looking for the nicest house at the best price. 

If you are priced at the lower end of homes comparable to your home

the chances of your home selling quickly improve.  You may even get

 multiple offers and sell for more that you would have listed at a higher price. 

If your home is uncluttered and staged, buyers will be more likely to

feel that the home is well taken care of

and worth more money. 

 

The key to getting an offer on your home is having it seen. 

All the staging and price reductions in the world won't do any good if

your house is not seen by buyers.   This is why making sure your agent

has a good marketing program is key.  For example, in Maine 97% of buyers

use the Internet to search for a home. 

 

 Does your agent have a website and

a good Internet marketing program?

 

The best way of tracking how long it takes homes to sell may be

the days on market on the MLS (Multiple Listing Service).  Of course this

only takes into account the time the property was listed by an agent

who uses the MLS. The property could have been listed by an agent who

does not use MLS, could have been listed differently in MLS, or

could have been for sale by owner.   Just like most things related to real estate,

the time it takes to sell can vary greatly from location to location. 

 

Check out the latest Days on Market for properties sold in Maine

 according to the MLS as of March 12, 2013.

 
 
 

    

    Androscoggin County   136 days

    Cumberland County      118 days

    Franklin County            254 days

    Kennebec County          197 days

    Oxford County              234 days

    Sagadahoc County        135 days

    Maine                            182 days

 

Fontaine Family - The Real Estate Leader has

an average Days on Market of 84 Days!

 

Would you like to hear about or marketing plan

to get your home sold for top dollar faster? 

Contact us today for a FREE, no obligation consultation! 

Call (207)784-3800 or e-mail brenda@fontaineteam.com.

BUYING AND SELLING AT THE SAME TIME

 

 

What happens if you find your dream home

and are ready to sign the contract,

but your current home has not yet sold? 

 

In the February episode of Your Real Estate Solutions,

Brenda talks about how to protect yourself in this situation.

 

Julie Poulin of Mortgage Network explains

what is an APR and tells us what some of the costs are

when obtaining a mortgage.

 

DeeDee Whittemore of Phenix Title tells a story

about at title issue after closing and how title insurance

was able to help solve the problem.

 

Dan Roux of Roux Insurance give some great tips

on how to avoid having a claim on your homeowner insurance. 

 

 

Click here to watch on YouTube

 

Like us on Facebook and

don't miss any of the great tips

our professionals in the business have to share!

 

 

Do you have a question 

about buying or selling real estate in Maine? 

We want to hear them...

you may just get your answer

on a future episode of Your Real Estate Solutions! 

 

 

WHAT DOES YOUR CREDIT SCORE NEED TO BE TO GET A MORTGAGE?

 

What does your credit score need to be

to get a mortgage?

 

Do you need to purchase title insurance

if you have a title search?

 

Is it a good idea for the buyers to move in

before closing?

 

How can snow damage the roof of your home?

 

 

Find out the answers to these questions and more

in our latest episode of...

Your Real Estate Solutions with Brenda Fontaine!  

 

Just click on the photo above to start the video or go to http://youtu.be/1Tzw7KxBM54.

 

Do you have a topic you would like for us to discuss

on a future episode?  We would love to hear from you. 

Just send your suggestions to brenda@fontaineteam.com!

 

THE BENEFITS OF AN UNCLUTTERED HOME

If you are thinking of selling your home,

I am sure you have heard someone say

you should start by de-cluttering your home.

 

Did you know there are benefits of an uncluttered home

whether you are selling or not? 

1.  BETTER PHOTOS - If you are selling your home, you obviously want the photos used to market your property to be the best they can be.  After all, if you don't have photos or have bad photo, buyers might assume there is something wrong with your home and choose not to view it. 

Even if you are not selling...the holidays are coming up and wouldn't a de-cluttered home look nice in the photos you snap on Christmas morning? 



View here to view tips on uncluttering your kitchen


2.  EASY CLEANING - An uncluttered home has a place for everything so when you get a call from a friend who wants to stop by in a few minutes to wish you "Happy Holidays" or you get a call for a last minute showing...you can be ready in no time.  Once your home is de-cluttered, everything has a place and all the "extra" stuff is out of the way.

3.  REDUCED STRESS - Who couldn't use a little less stress?  Have you had those mornings when you can't find your keys or you other shoe to get out the door in the morning?  Do you look around your family room and dread moving all the knick-knacks to dust?  These little things cause stress.  Remove the clutter and removes at least some of your stress.  

So how do you get started? 

Conquer one area at a time.  
It is probably not reasonable to de-clutter the whole house in a weekend, but conquering one area is.  Maybe start with the bathroom...throw out outdated items from the medicine cabinet, organize the linen closet with boxes for alike items, toss or donate extra towels and toiletries. 
 
If you don't use it regularly - donate it, sell it or toss it.
If you have boxes of craft supplies, tools, or other items that "might come in handy one day" it is time to move them out.  Do you know someone who can use them now?  Donate them to a school or shelter.  Sell them on Craigslist.  Recycle them. 

If it's not in use - put it away.
We all have those appliances we leave on the counter just because.  If you don't use the waffle maker a couple times a week...it needs to be put away between uses.  Less clutter on surfaces has a calming affect and makes it easier to use your space on a daily basis.

Everything needs a home.
As soon as something is brought into the house, it need a permanent "home"...a place where it is put when not in use and I don't mean piled in the corner of the dining room!

Removed unneeded furniture.
Take a look at each room in your house and ask yourself "When was the last time I used that furniture...except for to pile stuff on?"  If it isn't being used, then get rid of it. Click here for tips on arranging furniture.

Clear the floors.
Do you have extra area rugs or piles of books on the floor?  Find a new home or get rid of anything on your floor that makes it easier to vacuum or sweep.

Minimize decor. 
Less is more when it comes to decorating.  If you have just a couple of nice piece of art or photos on your wall, you will be apple to appreciate them more that if the walls are full.  Same goes for thing on tabletops or shelves.  Same goes for the surfaces in your home.  A couple nice things will be more appreciated and provide space to use your furniture instead of filling it with knick-knacks.

The bottom line is, you have the power to de-clutter your life. 

Just start small and conquer a little at a time. 

I bet the result will be a more relaxed,

less stressful home in 2013!

 

If you would like more information on how to prepare your home to sell
for top dollar faster, call Brenda at (207)784-3800
or e-mail brenda@fontaineteam.com!