Patty Massare's blog

General Motors employees are receiving $4,000 bonuses, sharing in GM's profit! 

That's good news for the Mahoning Valley and the Youngstown/Warren area.  It is estimated that these bonuses will inject $16 million into our local economy.

Now would be a great time to take that money and use it to purchase a new home.  FHA requires only a 3-1/2% downpayment, and some of it can be a gift . . . and in this economy most sellers will agree to pay closing costs and pre-paids.   There is a also a First-Time-Home-Buyer Program that provides 2% of the downpayment money as a gift from the State of Ohio!

Getting pre-qualified for a loan is free, and it provides you and your Realtor with a clear direction of your options. 

If you are thinking of purchasing your first home, don't hesitate to contact me for some advice.  It's easier than you might think, and with all the 'special' programs, and all the available homes, great prices and great interest rates, the timing couldn't be better.

Is there anything sweeter than Spring?  The air fills with the sweet scents of grasses and flowers coming to life with lush new growth and the nurseries brim with fresh, colorful new offerings. 

Spring is also a busy time filled with a long list of planning, planting and maintenance tasks.  Knowing where to start can be a great help.  Here's a quick primer to get you started.

 Do you buy local and organic?  Turn the water off when brushing your teeth?  Compost food and yard waste? 

You might recycle, eat organic and use only reusable shopping bags, but does that mean you're living a green lifestyle? 

As our world changes to meet the reality of stressed resources, living green is becoming the new normal.  Every green action, no matter how small, moves us forward on the journey to sustainability.  There is no one solution, or one practice, but each new commitment to integrate green products, services and technologies into our daily lives deepens our shade of green.

Wondering where to start?  Just start where you can at home and at work. 

Here are some simple "green" ideas that you can easily implement in and around your home.

Did you know that OHFA’s First-Time Homebuyer Program offers below market, 30-year fixed interest rate loans to qualified buyers in all 88 Ohio counties!  Did you know that they also offer downpayment assistance as well as grants!

Results of a recent survey conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Trulia and RealtyTrac showed that 67% of U. S. adults would expect to pay at least 30% less for a foreclosed home than a similar home that is not in foreclosure.  And, 35% of U. S. adults would expect to pay at least 50% less for a foreclosed home.

Often this expectation is realistic!  Because many foreclosed homes have been vacant for a long time and the utilities are not on, brokers and appraisers often price properties on the assumption that the furnace is bad and there may be water leaks or worse.  Often the properties have been vandalized and have latent defect issues.  Not only that, but buyers are buying "as is" and need to be compensated for the risk of the unknown.

If you have the stomach for it (and it's not that bad), a foreclosed home can be a really great deal . . . no surprise that approximately one-third of all the properties sold locally are foreclosures.