The Market Is Heating Up

Don't think for a second that you're going to get a steal of a deal when trying to buy in the Omaha market. It's heating up out there. Just this week we have lost two offers in multiple offer situations and another offer turned down. Buying low and selling high sounds good on TV but it's not working around here.
And it's working the same way nationwide, too. This article shows that most markets are picking up.

Why is all this happening? There are several factors in play, most notably:

• The number of foreclosures and short sales are shrinking.
• Large investor groups are scooping up properties because it's a great time to buy.
• Home builders are building fewer houses, scared of the so-called "fiscal cliff."
• In the Omaha market particularly, the number of houses for sale has declined while the number of houses sold has increased. And they're selling in less time.

When the market tightens up like this, houses don't stay on the market as long and they go for higher amounts. Compared to this last January, houses have gone from being on the market for 75 days to 66 days last month. And they went from selling for 96% of the asking price to 98%. Although I don't think it's a seller's market here yet, I think sellers are tired of being kicked around. Things are looking up in their favor.

Christmas Safety Tips

Don't you just love all the Christmas lights this time of year? We keep them up around our house and already have the tree decorated and shining bright through the front window. Lots of people do, and this sometimes leads to house fires and some pretty tough times for everyone.

Here are some ideas for keeping that tree beautiful and smoke-free:

• Don't use any string of lights with worn, frayed or broken cords or loose bulb connections.
• Always unplug Christmas tree lights before leaving home or going to sleep.
• Don't use lit candles to decorate a tree, and place them well away from tree branches.
• Keep live trees as moist as possible by giving them plenty of water daily. Don't purchase a tree that is dry or dropping needles.
• Choose a sturdy tree stand designed not to tip over.
• Use only artificial trees labeled as fire-retardant.
• Make sure the tree is at least three feet away from any heat source and try to position it near an outlet so that cords aren't running long distances.
• Don't place the tree where it may block exits.
• Get rid of the tree when it begins dropping needles. Dried-out trees are highly flammable and should not be left in a house or garage, or placed against the house.

In addition to the tree, here are some other tips to keep your Christmas a joyous time:

• Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the U.S. Keep an eye on the stove!
• Provide plenty of large, deep ashtrays for guests who smoke and check them frequently. Or ask them to smoke outside.
• After a party, always check on, between and under upholstery and cushions and inside trashcans for cigarette butts that may be smoldering.
• Keep matches and lighters up high, out of sight and reach of children. When smokers visit your home, ask that they keep smoking materials with them.

And how can we forget the fireplace? If you have a wood-burning fireplace, keep this in mind:

• Use care with "fire salts," which produce colored flames when thrown on wood fires. They contain heavy metals that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation and vomiting if eaten. Keep them away from children.
• Don't burn wrapping papers in the fireplace. That stuff ignites quickly and burns intensely.
• Remove all greens, boughs, papers, and other decorations from fireplace area before lighting a fire. Check to see that the flue is open.

Christmas is a wonderful time of year. Don't ruin it for you and your family with a fire or tragedy. Leave a comment if you have any other suggestions or tips to make Christmas a safe time of year.

Christmas in Omaha 2012

We all love Christmas, with the lights, hot chocolate, beautiful music and the wonderful memories of Chrstmases gone past. I know we all get a little frustrated with the din and all the headaches of preparing, so it helps to relax with some activities and maybe we can start feeling like we did when we were kids. Here are some Christmas activity ideas for you in the Omaha metro:

Where	When	Activity
Henry Doorly Zoo	Dec. 8, 15 and 24 at 10:15 a.m.	Christmas characters diving in the Scott Aquarium. Regular zoo admission.
Henry Doorly Zoo	Dec. 20th through Dec. 23rd from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.	Supper with Santa. Regular zoo admission plus $15 for zoo members or $20 for non-members. Pre-registration is required.
Downtown	Each night at dark through Jan. 6th	The downtown is lit up with Christmas lights. Free!
Con Agra campus, downtown	Sun - Thurs from 1 p.m. - 10 p.m. Fri - Sat 1 p.m. - midnight Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, 1 p.m - 5 p.m. Closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day	Ice skating in the rink. $5 admission includes skate rental. Canned donations are also encouraged.
Lauritzen Gardens	1 p.m. - 5 p.m., Dec. 1st - Dec. 31st.	Poinsettia show with a 20-foot poinsettia tree. Admission is $6 for adults and $3 for kids six to twelve. Garden members get in free.
Stuhr Museum	Dec. 7th and 8th, 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.; Dec. 9th from 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.	Lamp lit tour of Railroad Town, cooking, crafts and gorgeous decorations through Railroad Town, live music and the sights, sounds and smells...and the spirit of Christmas. Normal museum admission.
Stuhr Museum	Dec. 16th, 12 p.m - 4 p.m.	Fantasy of Trees exhibit reception. See over 100 lavishly decorated trees. Food and drink provided; normal museum charge.

Do you have any activities you'd like to let others know about? Leave a comment with the information!

Ten Home Safety Tips

10 Tips to Safeguard Your Home

We all know the basics of home security – strong locks, keep the bushes trimmed out front, have neighbors watch over the place, and so on. HouseLogic put together a list of 10 items that burglars don’t want homeowners to know.

Things To Do and Not To Do

1. Alarm your second floor and keep ladders locked up.   Don’t give thieves a chance to get into the upper floor because it’s less likely it will have an alarm.
2. Break down the boxes your new toys came in.   Throwing out the boxes so they can be easily seen is just advertising to the wrong people. Break down the boxes and put them in the recycle bins, or put them in trash bags.
3. Trim up around the house.   Untrimmed bushes can give thieves a place to work without being seen. Keep the bushes trimmed, or plant something with thorns.
4. Make the doors more difficult.   Use steel or reinforced doors and use deadbolts on hardened frames. Make the thief work for it or find a different way in – preferably one the neighbors can see.
5. Reflections.   Don’t position mirrors so the alarm panel can be seen from the door or the outside.
6. Mow the lawn and pick up.   Not keeping up with the grass, letting the newspapers pile up and so forth are just advertising that no one is home. Ask a neighbor to pick up the newspaper and hold the mail with the post office. Make sure someone is mowing the lawn so it looks like someone is home.
7. Don’t keep valuables in something that can be easily carried.   Invest in a wall safe or find somewhere else to put valuables.
8. Don’t talk about vacations until you’re back.   Don’t alert your social networks know you’ll be gone. That gives thieves a leisurely time to ransack your house.
9. Don’t broadcast your whereabouts.   Using geotagging in social applications just lets people know you’re not home and not likely to catch them.
10. Don’t invite trouble.   Inviting people over to see something you’re selling gives would-be thieves a chance to see how your house is set up – alarm, easy access, etc.

More Information

For more information on these tips, you can find the original article here.

Omaha's Creepy Crawlies

It’s a Bad Summer for Spiders

We have spiders in Omaha – lots of them. The place isn’t exactly crawling with them but they are worse this summer. The news says it’s probably because of the mild winter and really warm summer we’ve had.

Spiders in Omaha

Wolf spiders are pretty common in Omaha. They’re big but beneficial. They don’t build webs; instead, they go out and hunt insects. They love crickets.
Brown recluses are the ones really growing around here. They are not aggressive but do have a nasty bite. It’s rarely fatal but does cause big red spots at bite area.
Black widows can also be found around here. Like the brown recluse, the black widow’s bite is rarely fatal but does cause nasty sores.

Dealing with Spiders

Spiders are really creepy and you don’t want them around. I can relate. Here are some steps for controlling them:

• Get rid of other insects. Don’t just kill them. Get rid of them because the brown recluse favors dead insects.
• Vacuum the corners of the house.
• Reduce the clutter in the house.
• Use glue traps with bait.
• Remove litter around the house, inside and outside.
• Repair holes in the screens.

A Little More Information

You can check out the Brown Recluse Spider site. It covers all kinds of spiders, not just brown recluses.

VA MPRs

VA Loan Property Requirements

Around here in Bellevue and in Sarpy County, we see a lot of VA loans because of Offutt Air Force Base and the large military community. VA loans are great loans for our military members to use when buying homes. And like FHA loans, VA will have some things to say about properties it guarantees. It wants to make sure the property meets basic safety, sanitary and structural integrity standards.

The Loan Process

The lender will schedule an appraisal with the VA. The VA will send out one of its inspectors to look over the property and make recommendations. These items will need to be remedied in order for the loan to proceed. Some items can be appealed but not if they relate to structural integrity or safety.

What Are Some of the Things the Appraiser Looks At?

The appraiser wants to make sure the house meets local codes. The VA will want any items not in line with local code to be fixed. The house cannot be under power lines. The heating and air conditioning units need to be big enough to service the house. The house must be accessible from a public or private street and not go through another property – i.e., it’s not landlocked.

The Specific Guidelines

The guidelines are several pages long and are a bit much for a blog post. However, you can find a Word document from the VA here. It’s called “Chapter 12, Minimum Property Requirements.”

You can also see VA’s website.

FHA Repair Requirements

Sellers used to be loath to approve a sale to an FHA buyer because FHA required so many expensive repairs to property before approving the loan, and it was the sellers who had to pay for the repairs. But FHA softened their rules in 2006 and now dealing with them is less painful. They concentrate on the three Ss: Safety, Security and Soundness. Basically, it has to be a safe home to live in and get out of.

The New Guidelines

While there are no hard and fast rules about which items will be required, here are some ideas:

• Occupants can’t safely get from the bedrooms to the outside of the house.
• Peeling paint in a house built before 1978.
• Roofs that may have less than two years of life left, or that are leaking.
• Excessive settling and/or cracks in the foundation.
• Leaky pipes or water connections.
• Wood rot
• Exposed wires, open electrical boxes.

Repairs

Either the buyer or the seller can repair these items. However, in most cases, these will need to be done before closing. If the repairs have to be put off until a later date (such as something outside during the winter), funds will be escrowed. If a repair is simple enough that a homeowner can do it, HUD considers it a minor repair. Other repairs will need qualified workers and completed HUD forms to verify the work has been done.

Find Out More

FHA has some good information here.
HUD has a page you can find here that talks about this.
Rural Development has a PDF here that lists items.