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Free App For Your iPhone: HGTV – Plus More Real Estate Apps! | Maine Waterfront Real Estate

February 10, 2011

Design tips at your fingertips! Offering the “best of” from the HGTV network, this app allows you to look up real estate videos, photos, tips and review their advice. Watch clips from popular shows, “Curb Appeal” and “Designed to Sell.” Getting ready for an open house? Look up design tips, and tutorials for staging and designing your home for more buyer appeal. Also fun, you can see before and after photo slide shows of their room transformations. Especially great if you you’re like me and don’t have time to watch much TV!

Looking for more Real Estate app choices? Visit http://www.topappcharts.com/search.php?show=search&string=real+estate&start=0&price=free to review or download the top 16 free iphone / ipad apps for real estate. Choose from top names like Realtor.com, Zillow, Loopnet, Trulia, Redfin, Homes.com and more. View Photos of…

…read the whole story via Free App For Your iPhone: HGTV – Plus More Real Estate Apps! | Maine Waterfront Real Estate.

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What did the new tax deal mean for home owners?

January 7, 2011

According to USA Today, home owners were among those who benefited from the tax compromise President Obama signed last month. The most friendly provisions towards home owners are:

• Deductions for private mortgage insurance: The agreement extends through 2011 a provision allowing home owners to deduct mortgage insurance premiums. To qualify for the full deduction, homeowners must have an adjusted gross income of $100,000 or less. Taxpayers with AGI up to $109,000 can claim a partial deduction. Borrowers cannot deduct mortgage premiums on home loans that closed before 2007.

• Tax credits for energy-efficient home improvements. Home owners who installed insulation, new windows or other energy-saving improvements in 2010 are eligible for a tax credit worth 30% of the cost up to a lifetime maximum of $1,500. Improvements had to be bought and installed by Dec. 31. Those who delayed improvements to 2011 still get a tax credit, but it is capped at $500.

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Maine Home Builders Diversify to Survive Slowdown

October 8, 2010

Builders are finding that their survival in the weak new-home market depends upon creativity. We have seen them branch into interior renovations. High-end custom builders are serving homeowners who have decided to stay put, erecting new decks, sun rooms, trellises, arbors, potting sheds or other structures to make their existing homes more enjoyable. Additionally, some builders now serve as consultants, helping real estate agents identify and fix structural defects that impede home sales.
If you are in need of a good builder or structure consultant, please call Meservier and Associates at 784-2525. I will be happy to offer a few suggestions for the Lewiston-Auburn area, along with surrounding towns.

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Households Are Doubling Up During Troubled Times

October 8, 2010

I was just reviewing some information from “The State of the Nation’s Housing,” a report issued each year by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. It is an overview of the U.S. housing market including analyses of market forces, demographic drivers, rental housing, and challenges for the future.

Something in the report caught my eye: A contributing factor to lower household growth was a drop in household headship rates caused by “doubling up.” In other words, some people were forced into combining households to save money during difficult financial times, possibly due to loss of their home or by foreclosure. Household headship rates for all age groups have also fallen since 2005, especially among those under age 35.

Of course, what is going to happen to headship rates in the future remains uncertain. If economic conditions and the foreclosure crisis do not improve, rates may continue to fall. But given the improved affordability conditions, employed workers may soon form households and thus boost headship rates. In most cases, doubling up is only a temporary solution for people — they will eventually prefer to find their own places to live.

The good news, according to the Joint Center, is that the “echo-boom” generation — those born between 1986 and 2005 — will have a tremendous impact on starter homes over the next 15 years. The echo-boom generation, currently at 80.8 million, is even larger than the baby-boom generation. It is projected to grow to 92.9 million by 2025. Meanwhile, baby boomers will boost demand for senior housing.

For household formation to return to normal rates, improvement in the unemployment rate is critical. One study estimates that if unemployment rates fall by a little more than 2 percentage points by the end of 2012, household formation would increase by about 2 percentage points from current levels by 2012.* That would mean that by 2012, normal rates of household formation should come back — roughly around 1 to 1.5 million new households per year.

More good news? Meservier and Associates is prepared to assist both the boomers and the “echo boomers” with their searches for new homes!

*Gary Painter, “What Happens to Household Formation in a Recession?” (Washington, DC: Research Institute for Housing America, 2010).

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-07-11

July 11, 2010

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-07-04

July 4, 2010

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Great News For Lewiston Maine Home Buyers

July 1, 2010

Congress has passed a bill extending the Homebuyer Tax Credit closing deadline to September 30, 2010.  This is a huge win for homebuyers, and the National Association of Realtors worked closely with members of Congress to make it happen.

The extension applies only to transactions that had ratified contracts in place as of April 30, 2010, and have not yet closed.  There will be no gap between June 30 and the date the President signs the bill into law.

Additionally, Congress has extended the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) through September 30th.  The bill is retroactive and will cover the lapse period from June 1, 2010, to the date the law is enacted.  NAR will continue to work with Congress on the NFIP Reform bill.

For additional information on both the tax credit deadline and the NFIP, visit Realtor.org/Government_Affairs.

Stay informed!

Brought to you by the Realtors of Meservier & Associates of Keller Williams Realty Mid Maine

http://www.meservier.com

207-784-2525

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-06-06

June 6, 2010

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-05-23

May 23, 2010

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2010-05-09

May 9, 2010

  • New blog post: Listing Details: Harpswell, Maine Real Estate Listings & Homes For Sale Provided by Sue Meservier http://bit.ly/cJz5vb #

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Sue Meservier
Meservier & Associates
The Maine Real Estate Network
34 Center Street
Auburn, ME 04210
office: 207-784-2525
email: agent@meservier.com
Sevices Include:
New Homes For Sale in Lewiston Maine
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Luxury Golf Homes and Communities
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Did you know 7 out of 10 homeowners don’t reach out for help when they are facing foreclosure?

We are real estate professionals and consumer advocates. It is our job and our privilege to help homeowners understand all of the options available to them so they can make the best possible decision concerning their property and future. We can help! Call us today 207-784-2525

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Don’t let Time Run out! Call Meservier & Associates Today For Your Free No Hassle, No Obligation Professional Consultation

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Copyright © 2012 Sue Meservier ~ Meservier & Associates of The Maine Real Estate Network
(Formerly of Keller Williams Realty Mid Maine)
34 Center Street Auburn Maine 04210 Phone: 207-784-2525
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