Western Mass Homes Lesley Lambert

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Do’s and Don’ts for Home Buyer’s Mortgage Process

Seen while driving to show houses in the hills...

If you are buying a home, most likely you will be applying for a mortgage.  The process of getting approved for a mortgage is a delicate and very careful thing and home buyers need to be aware of the Do’s and Dont’s.

Russ Poe, mortgage officer for Top Flite Financial 413-241-6940 shared this helpful list.  There are several things that he stresses importance upon so that the mortgage process can go as smoothly as possible.

 

 

DO’S AND DON’TS

DO

  • Continue to make all loan/credit card payments on time
  • Continue to make rent/mortgage payments on time
  • Continue to maintain good employment history
  • Continue to work at least your normal work hours

DON’T

  • Any gift cannot be in the form of cash
  • Do not change jobs or leave your present employment
  • Do not make any large deposits to your bank account that are not regular payroll deposits
  • Do not open any new credit cards unless advised to do so by your mortgage officer
  • Do not make any cash advances on your credit cards
  • Do not charge any more on your credit cards than currently there
  • Do not finance or lease a new car
  • Do not overdraw your checking account or bounce checks
  • Do not take out any loans of any kind
  • Do not consign a loan for another person

If you are considering buying a home, I hope you found this list helpful.  I would love to help you in your home search!

Lesley Lambert, Western MA REALTOR with Park Square Realty 413-575-3611

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Planning a Remodel and Wonder What the Eventual Value to Your Western MA Home Will Be? 2014 Cost vs. Value Remodeling Report for Springfield, MA Area

Wood deck

Whether you plan to sell your home in the near future or have no plans, it is wise to know how the investment of a home improvement or renovation may impact your Western MA home value.

Not all home improvements are created equal and you should enter your renovation investment with some understanding of the resulting home value.

You might be surprised to learn that replacing your entry door with a steel door has a huge rate of return.  According to the Cost. vs. Value Report a steel door replacement could give you a 104% return!

A minor kitchen remodel could gain  you 90% and a wood deck upgrade or addition could bring back over 77% of the investment made.

To read more and discover what your home improvement plans might bring in resale improvement take a look at the Cost vs. Value Remodeling Report for Springfield, MA. 

If you are considering selling your Western MA home, I would love to meet with you.
Lesley Lambert, Western MA REALTOR with Park Square Realty 413-575-3611

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Find Out What a Home Improvement Project Will Mean to Your Western MA Home’s Value

Home Improvement (TV series)

If you are considering making a home improvement to your Western MA home, you may wonder what that improvement will do to the bottom line of your home’s value.

Some renovations make a bigger impact than others and it is smart to know an estimate of the value before making the investment.  Even if you aren’t thinking of selling your Western MA home now, it makes sense to keep up to date on market values.

I have access to a tool that can calculate a reliable figure for most common home improvements.

“Hanley Wood, a provider of housing development market data, is the source of the home improvement data that supports (the) “Refine Value Based on Home Improvement”.  Hanley Wood is known for collecting and aggregating residential and commercial construction data, and for publishing magazines such as Remodeling.

The home improvement data are produced at a regional level, and refactored at the ZIP code level for the most accurate results. The data are updated annually.”

home improvement value

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tool supports improvements from window replacements, decks, kitchen renovations and even additions.

If you are considering a home improvement on your Western MA home in the near future, let me work up a report for you!

Lesley Lambert, Western MA REALTOR with Park Square Realty 413-575-3611

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Lesley Lambert on her favorite park in Westfield, MA : Grandmothers’ Garden

Grandmothers' Garden my fave park in #westfield #westernma http://bit.ly/1093MZj

This week the Abouthomes Girls assignment was to discuss our favorite local park. Westfield, MA is blessed with many beautiful parks and public spaces, but my favorite park is Grandmothers’ Garden on Smith Avenue in Westfield, MA.

I hope you will be able to join us for the garden gala weekend June 14-16, 2013! You can get your tickets here.
Statues at Grandmothers' Garden

Does Your Western MA REALTOR Do This? Online Open House

house for sale at 81 woodmont, westfield, maEveryone is busier than ever and many of us don’t have the free time to visit open houses, even if we do want to buy a home in Western Massachusetts.

Today was an especially cold day, the kind that no one leaves home unless they really need to. Park Square Realty had already scheduled an open house for my new listing at 81 Woodmont Street, Westfield, MA and decided that I would use the time at my property to try a new technique: Online Virtual Open House.

I used my iPhone to live stream from the property. The format shows the viewer a live video along with sound and a chat room so that viewers can type questions or converse with each other. While showing the property I offered to answer any questions the viewers may have about the house or real estate in Westfield, MA. As they typed their questions to me, I answered them out loud in real time.

I got wonderful feedback from the viewers that attended, in a poll of the the viewers 100% of them thought it was a good format and enjoyed being able to see a house this way.

If you want a Western MA real estate agent that is innovative, hard working and can provide proven results, call me, Lesley Lambert at Park Square Realty. I am working every day to provide new marketing services to augment my strong traditional marketing techniques. I would love the opportunity to meet with you personally and discuss all the tools I use to get my Western MA homes for sale SOLD.

Here is the video from the open house at 81 Woodmont Street, Westfield, MA:

What do you think? Do you like this added service? Would you like your REALTOR to offer services like this?