Virtual Assistants for the Home

Virtual assistants aren't just for uber-busy business execs or jet-setting celebrities anymore. If you frequently run out of time on projects, or you find it a hassle to perform certain tasks, a virtual assistant could be your solution. 

Sites like fancyhands.com and zirtual.com are specifically geared to provide general virtual services, while Odesk.com and elance.com offer thousands of specialized virtual tasks performed by those with certain skillsets. 

Costs for these services vary, starting at $25 a month, and are typically based on the number of task requests you make per month. 

Here are a few ways you can use a virtual assistant to make life easier: 

Bookkeeping, tracking bills and staying on top of banking information are popular, albeit time-consuming tasks better left to assistants. 

Online shopping for finding and sending birthday gifts and wedding presents, or for comparing and locating items to be purchased later, is another popular task to delegate to virtual assistants. 

Data-entry can be a pain, but assistants can help with everything from bills to managing calendar events to setting up money management software. 

Managing email is a hassle for lots of busy folks. Let virtual assistants help you sort and prioritize. 

Travel and vacation research can also be delegated to help you find the best travel deals. 

Finally, Knowledge preparation for business meetings, reports, homework, potential opportunities, or anything you want to know more about, can be outsourced to save you time. 

Time is money, and sometimes it pays big dividends if you have a little help! These ideas scratch the surface of tasks a virtual assistant can handle for you. Delegating tasks you don't have time for (or simply don't enjoy) will pay off in the long run.

Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker
(910) 523-0903 mobileEmail Mewww.KenKeegan.com Click here for more information on Brunswick, County Real Estate St. James Plantation

Southport going back 'Under the Dome' for series' second season

Filming permits that would make it official are not yet in hand, but apparently Southport will be going  “Under the Dome” again this season. 

 

Scouts and production representatives for the sci-fi series were in the city last week reviewing several locations that were used in the CBS series last year, including an East Bay Street home. Interior, exterior, side- and back-yard shots and the detached garage were all featured at times during the first season. Crew members have inquired about reconstructing a façade bunker door in the property’s side yard previously featured.

 

“The production has informed us of their intent and interest in returning to Southport to shoot for a period of about six months,” city tourism and economic development director Cindy Brochure said. “No permits have been filed, so things can always change, but I think we can say with a 99-percent certainty that they will be back.”

After opening production offices in Wilmington in early January, work on episodes, the first of which will be directed by Stephen King, are to start the first week of March. The famed horror writer wrote the 2009 source novel and played a major part in the pilot episode last year. 

Crews last year also utilized inside and outside shots of Trinity United Methodist Church, Old Smithville Burying Ground and Ocean Trail Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. Southport Motor Cars and Spike’s Dairy Bar also appeared in the initial season, but only briefly. 

One location that likely won’t be seen again in the series is the pilot tower, which  stood in as the Chester’s Mill radio station, which was burned down by “Big Jim” during the show’s 12th episode, “Exigent Circumstances.”

State Port Pilot Article

Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker
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Roll-out of new 90-gallon recycling bins in St. James expected next week

As many as 2,500 90-gallon recycling carts will begin showing up in St. James before the end of the month, town council members learned during their monthly work session on Thursday.

 

Member Wayne Deutscher reported that provider Waste Industries plans to deliver the carts on flat-bed trucks to The Members Club lower parking lot beginning Monday, January 27. The rest of the week, smaller trucks will distribute the carts throughout the community. Each cart will have a computer chip installed identifying it with a specific household.

 

About 100 persons responded via an e-mail survey that they wished to continue using the 18-gallon bins they already have; Waste Industries will not deliver carts to those addresses, but if later the homeowner changes his mind and wants a cart instead, he may call and the company will change-out the containers at no cost.

Those receiving new carts may choose to keep their 18-gallon bins for another use, or they may “recycle” the plastic containers by leaving them at curbside when the carts are placed there to be emptied.

With the seasonal absence of some homeowners, “There are going to be some bins out for a while,” town administrator Josann Campanello acknowledged. Considering this, Waste Industries has said it will place the carts near the garage entrance to be as out-of-sight as possible.

“It may be tumultuous for a month or two,” Deutscher said.

Article From State Port Pilot

Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker
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What the new mortgage rules mean for you

New mortgage lending rules are going into effect Friday that aim to put an end to the worst mortgage lending abuses of the past.

The new rules are designed to take a "back to basics" approach to mortgage lending and lower the risk of defaults and foreclosures among borrowers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which issued the new rules.

"No debt traps. No surprises. No runarounds. These are bedrock concepts backed by our new common-sense rules, which take effect today," said CFPB director Richard Cordray in remarks prepared for a hearing Friday.

Related: Million-dollar housing markets

Mortgage lenders are being asked to comply with two new requirements: The Ability to Repay rule and Qualified Mortgages. Here's how they will impact borrowers:

Ability to Repay

• Lenders must determine that a borrower has the income and assets to afford to make payments throughout the life of the loan. To do so, the lender may look at your debt-to-income ratio, which is how much you owe divided by how much you earn per month, including the highest mortgage payments you would be required to make under the terms of the loan. To calculate your debt-to-income ratio, add up all your monthly obligations -- including student loan, credit card and car payments, housing costs, utilities and other recurring expenses -- and divide it by your monthly gross income.

Calculator: How much house can you afford?

• In an effort to put an end to no- or low-doc loans, where lenders issue risky mortgages without the necessary financial information, lenders will be required to document and verify an applicant's income, assets, credit history and debt. For borrowers, that means more paperwork and longer processing times.
• Underwriters must also approve mortgages based on the maximum monthly charges you face, not just low "teaser rates" that last only a matter of months, or a year or two, before resetting higher.

Qualified Mortgages

• To make sure you aren't taking on more house than you can afford, your debt-to-income ratio generally must be below 43%. This rule is not absolute. Banks can still make loans to people with debt-to-income ratios that are greater than that if other factors, such as a high level of assets, justify the risk.
• Qualified mortgages cannot include risky features, such as terms longer than 30 years, interest-only payments or minimum payments that don't keep up with interest so your mortgage balance grows.
• Upfront fees and charges cannot add up to more than 3% of the mortgage balance. That includes title insurance, origination fees and points paid to lower mortgage interest rates.

The rules also restrict "steering," or practices that give financial incentives to loan officers or mortgage brokers for pushing people into higher-interest loans that they can't afford -- a practice that was all too common leading up to the housing bust, Cordray said.

Related: American dream homes: What you'll pay in 10 cities

"We think the new rules are balanced and well-drawn. They will offer consumers protection without limiting credit to qualified borrowers," said Gary Kalman, the policy director for the Center for Responsible Lending.

Lenders don't seem to be too worried about the new rules, according to Keith Gumbinger of HSH.com, a mortgage information provider. "It's no surprise; everybody has been preparing for the change for months," he said. "Because there will be additional underwriting scrutiny, it could gum up the works initially and slow loan processing, but it's really just the codification of things that are already in place."

A significant factor is what's not in the rules. There's no minimum down payment or credit score requirement.

"[The qualifed mortgage] is not taking a one-size-fits-all approach. It ensures that first time homebuyers can still come to the table," said Kalman.

Related: 5 most and least affordable housing markets

If the rules required a minimum down payment of, say 10% or 20%, it would eliminate many first time buyers who would have a difficult time raising that much cash.

The lack of a credit score requirement will enable lenders to loosen currently tight underwriting standards in the future should conditions warrant, according to Gumbinger. For the moment, most loans will still have to be backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and, with a few exceptions, they won't approve applicants with scores below 620.

Original CNN Article

Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker
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Incentives that Help Seal the Deal for Home Buyers

As a home seller, it is your job to make your St. James Plantation home seem so desirable that a potential home buyer can’t turn away. If you can tell you have a home buyer that is close to making an offer or that is contemplating your counter-offer, there are a few ways you can help sweeten the deal for them.


By offering little incentives for the home buyer, they will be more likely to commit to making the purchase. Sometimes, it really are the little things that count and if you make the extra effort, you will be more likely to seal the deal!

Consider offering potential home buyers one of the following incentives:

• Offer to pay the buyer’s closing costs associated with the sale.
• Offer to leave home furnishings you might have otherwise taken, for example, a porch swing you had built specifically for the home.
• Offer to pay for any inspection fees associated with the home.
• Offer to pay the property taxes the new homeowner will have to pre-pay when signing the deal.
• Offer to pay for any moving services or moving expenses that will be involved for the new homeowner.

In comparison to the cost of the home these simple incentives are nothing, but it could be something this simple that gives the potential home buyer the push they need to commit to buying your house.


Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker
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Pending Home Sales Continue Up-Trend Nationall

Pending home sales improved further in December, marking the fifth gain in the past six months, according to the National Association of Realtors®

The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator, increased 2.0 percent to 93.7 based on contracts signed in December from a downwardly revised 91.9 in November. The index is 4.2 percent below the 97.8 mark in December 2009. The data reflects contracts and not closings, which normally occur with a lag time of one or two months.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, credits good affordability conditions and economic improvement. “Modest gains in the labor market and the improving economy are creating a more favorable backdrop for buyers, allowing them to take advantage of excellent housing affordability conditions. Mortgage rates should rise only modestly in the months ahead, so we’ll continue to see a favorable environment for buyers with good credit,” he said.



“In the past two years, home buyers have been very successful, with super-low loan default rates, partly because of stable home prices during that time. That trend is likely to continue in 2011 as long as there is sufficient demand to absorb inventory,” Yun said. “The latest pending sales gain suggests activity is very close to a sustainable, healthy volume of a mid-5 million total annual home sales. However, sales above 6 million, as occurred during the bubble years, is highly unlikely this year.”

The PHSI in the Northeast increased 1.8 percent to 73.9 in December but is 5.3 percent below December 2009. In the Midwest the index rose 8.0 percent in December to 84.6 but is 5.1 percent below a year ago. Pending home sales in the South jumped 11.5 percent to an index of 101.9 and are 1.7 percent above December 2009. In the West the index fell 13.2 percent to 105.8 and is 10.7 percent below a year ago.



Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker
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Some interesting stats from NAR!

Among the findings of NAR’s “American Attitudes About Homeownership” survey:


The vast majority of both home owners and renters say that owning a home is a smart decision over the long term. Even in today’s challenging economy, 95% of owners and 72% of renters believe that over a period of several years, it makes more sense to own a home.

Home owners are much more likely to be satisfied with the quality of their family and community life than renters. While more than half of owners (56%) are “very” or “extremely” satisfied with the overall quality of their family life, only about one-third (36%) of renters report the same levels of satisfaction. Also, 43% of home owners are “very” or “extremely” satisfied with their community life, compared with 30% of renters.

An overwhelming majority of home owners are happy with their decision to own a home. A full 93% of owners surveyed would buy again.

Most renters aspire to home ownership. The majority of renters (63%) say they are at least somewhat likely to purchase a home at some point in the future. Among them, young adults (18- to 24-years-old) have the strongest aspirations for home ownership.

The survey also confirmed that home owners and renters continue to have concerns about the economy:

In today’s market, many aspiring home owners face worries about job security and credit worthiness. Among renters who are “very” or “extremely” likely to buy a home in the future, three out of five consider confidence in job security or creditworthiness to be an obstacle.

Home owners and renters both believe that the mortgage interest deduction should not be targeted for change. 74% of owners and 62% of renters say it’s “extremely” or “very” important that the MID remain in place.
 
Original Stats
 
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Home sales in Wilmington area higher than previous year for fifth month in a row!

Has Wilmington finally turned the corner on the housing slump?
Home sales climbed last month for the fifth straight month compared with year-earlier levels.
“It’s giving us a positive momentum that we are coming out of it,” said Mary Martin, president of the Wilmington Regional Association of Realtors.

Sales last month totaled 266, down from December’s level, but up from a paltry 197 in January 2009, home sales were reflecting the mood of the country following the financial meltdown,
Last month’s figures, however, are “telling us that we’re slowly coming out of this,” Martin said Friday.

There is more than one reason for the improved sales, Martin said. One has to do with price.
The average price of a home sold in January was $214,571, according to WRAR data. Though down from a year earlier as well as from December, average prices have been hovering near $225,000 for several months.

The average median price of a home sold in January – median being the point where half of homes sold for more and half for less – was $180,000, down from $195,000 a year earlier, but up from December’s $175,000.

Martin didn’t see the decrease as a negative, because it has moved in a narrow range for months.

But it does show that the most sales are still happening in the starter market of $140,000 to $160,000, she said.

“The sellers are really understanding the market now,” Martin said. “In early 2009 they still were not accepting what the market was. Now we are finding that they are, pricing their homes more realistically.”

Another reason for the sales increase is the government’s tax credit for home buyers.
“I think the tax credits have helped,” Martin said. “They weren’t sure it was going to be extended.”

There was a period when people didn’t know whether it was going to extended, Martin said and might have brought sales down in November.

The extension is starting to show up in sales, she said.

Under the tax-credit extension for first-time buyers, a home must be under contract by the end of April, Martin said.

Full Article

Ken Keegan
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