Pink Power

Pink Power Thank you letter 2010

Tweet

Closing costs

I am asked all the time, from both buyers and sellers, about who is responsible for the ‘closing costs.’   Closing Costs are the fees that are associated with buying or selling a home or any real estate property, and certain fees are automatically assigned to either the buyer or to the seller, and other fees, or costs, can be negotiated.

**For the Buyer:
The mortgage loan costs and fees charged by the lender, the down payment, any loan fees, any prepaid interest, home inspection fees, the appraisal costs, mortgage insurance, hazard insurance, title insurance, and the documentary stamp on the note.

**For the Seller:
The seller has to pay off any loan amount due on the property when the sale closes, along with any other fees due, prior to the seller getting his profit from the sale. The other typical Sellers responsibilities are the transfer taxes, brokers commissions, documentary stamps on the Deed, title insurance, any prorated property taxes.

*Negotiated Costs:
Sometimes some of the closing costs are negotiated between the seller and buyer, so nothing is ever really cut in concrete on closing costs.

*Prorated Costs:
Some closing costs are shared between the seller and buyer, and they will be prorated.  An example of this is the property taxes.

Tweet

Participate & Shape The Next Portland Budget

My friends to the south, just across the Columbia, recently re-posted their needs for additional Community Budget Advisory Board members.  At the present time there are 3 openings for residents to participate in shaping the new City of Portland budget.  The Advisory Board also participates in City Council budget deliberations, advises Council regarding proposed amendments to the budget, and assists the Council in reviewing budget plans against the results, to date.  The Advisory Board includes five (5) community members with staggered terms who are eligible for
reappointment.  This is a great opportunity to get involved in the all-important budgetary aspects of your city government.
*Applications:
*Applications are accepted at any time and are kept on file.  Complete and submit the standard ‘City Boards and Commissions’ application form by email or postal mail to ONI, for forwarding to the Mayor’s Office.
NOTE:  The following items must be supplied along with the applications:
*Cover Letter:
*Along with the standard application form, applicants must submit some other supplemental materials including a Cover Letter which describes in detail the applicants interest in working with the Citizen Budget Advisory Board.
*Supplemental Questions:
1.    *List your experience and working knowledge of budgeting for large institutions, either public or private, and,
2.    *List your experience working with performance measures and identifying efficiencies in a large organization.
*References:
*Need at least 2 people as references:
Names, Addresses, relationship to applicant, daytime phone numbers.  The
references must be familiar with the applicants qualifications and interests.
*Ideal Qualifications:
*Ideal applicants will have a working knowledge of budgeting for either public or private institutions; an understanding of performance measures and finding efficiencies, and a basic understanding of the services offered by the City of Portland.  The Council is seeking a group that reflects Portland ‘s diversity and encourages women and minorities to apply.
*Partial Duties:
*Training and orientation is conducted following confirmation of appointments.  During the budget development period (end of January through mid-April), applicants need to be able to commit approximately 10-20 hours a week, and be available for meetings during the day, evenings and weekends during that time, for budget deliberations.  Additional quarterly meetings for budget monitoring are held throughout the year.
***For additional Information:  Contact Laurel Butman, at:  503-823-6806, or go to the website: http://www.portlandonline.com/communitybudget

(All information updated February 2010)

Tweet

All A-Buzz about Google Buzz

Google has recently announced their newest web endeavor, called: Google Buzz.  I can’t help but wonder about the real purpose of this new ‘social networking’ site.  I question if people really will use it as a ‘search tool’, since it feeds back your search results based on your own past search or web behavior.

The results are that you will get the sites you visit the most, as your top results for a search query.  I use the search tools to find different URLs, than those I have used in the past.  On the site you can share any updates, photos, videos, and much more.  You can start conversations about the things that you find interesting.  You can state your ideas to a few friends of to everyone, any comments are sent right to your in box making it easy to keep the conversation hoppin’ along.  You can connect to the sites you already use, import your stuff from Twitter, Picasa, Flickr, and Google Reader.  Get updates in real time with new posts and comments pop in as they happen, with no ‘refreshing’ required. Google says you just get the good stuff, as Buzz recommends interesting posts and weeds out the ones you’re likely to skip.

You can Google Buzz from your phone also, with all of the great features available on G Mail.  You must be logged on to Google Mail to use this tool.  Just one note:  one of the multi task social broadcasters, Ping.fm, has already added Google Buzz.

Tweet

Want to invest in foreclosures?

I know that purchasing a foreclosed home is very enticing, but you must be careful about what you bid on or try to buy. Many homes are run down and have not been maintained well, and will need many repairs to get it in shape to rent out or sell. Any home you are interested in should have a formal inspection done on it by a professional home inspector. Check for liens on the property, court judgments, hidden mortgages, etc. You can find foreclosure properties listed in the legal section of the newspaper.

Real estate professionals also are up to date on foreclosed properties and many experts advise that any investor should partner up with a Realtor to avoid costly mistakes, especially the new real estate investor. You must have all of the facts on the house before bidding on it, or purchasing the property.

Tweet

« Previous Page — Next Page »