WAITING ON RATES? READ THIS

If you are a buyer that is on the fence thinking rates will drop even more..... I'd like to show you this .....

175,000 mortgage 200,000 mortgage
$993.63 a month 5.5% 1135.58 a month
979.95 a month 5.375% 1119.94 a month
966.36 a month 5.25% 1104.41 a month
952.85 a month 5.125% 1088.97 a month
In other words approximatley 14 to 15 bucks a month is what an .125 rate drop does for your payment. And with signs pointing towards a spring/summer pick up and the possibility that prices might rise a bit. Can you afford to wait?

This is from a blog by Michael Russell in Overland Park Kansas.

Here's another quote. This is from Drew Matus, an economist for Lehman Bros. The decline in sales is "a function of both hesitant buyers and stubborn sellers. Potential buyers are sitting on the sidelines waiting for home prices to bottom and for financint to become more attractive. At the same time some sellers are hesitant to lower their offering price."

Don't be the hesitant buyer or the stubborn seller. Two Full-Time Realtors are ready to help you with your real estate purchase or sale in the Des Moines, South East Polk area.

Bob 979-2883 Bill 770-2455

UPDATE INSURANCE RECORDS

January would be a good time to update your insurance records. Here's a suggested plan.

1. Take pictures of every room. Zoom in on small items, open drawers to show belongings.

2. Photograph valuable items individually. Placing them against a white background will make details stand out. Use good lighting.

3. Use macro mode on your camers for jewelry, watches and other small items.

4. Get a picture of serial numbers on electronics and software.

5. Burn the picture files to multiple CD's. DVDs or Flash drives. Keep one copy in a fire and waterproof safe and the other copy in at a safe off-site location.

6. Hope you never need them!

The National Media Moves on...

Whew, that was a long political season for Iowa wasn't it? The T.V. ads, the newspaper articles, the mailings, and the dinner-time phone calls. It almost feels a little empty without it....almost! Do you have any stories you want to share? Bob got a picture of himselfand Kristin with Mitt Romney. More Important, he got a personalized autograph from the president of E-Bay for me(was at the same rally)! Framed it and gave it to me for Christmas. I guess with that distraction out of the way, we'll have to concentrate on selling real estate again! If you need info on anything for sale in the Des Moines/Pleasant Hill/Altoona area, or selling a house....give us a call. It's a great time for buying and selling.

Spot Light on Iowa

The spotlight on Iowa is soon to be over. Enjoy it while you can. Go downtown, East Village, look for the media satellite trucks and see who you can spot. Email us your photos so we can see who you've spotted. We have the opportunity to see people like Magic Johnson, President Clinton, Oprah Winfrey...and the list goes on. Then there's our favorite "talking heads" they've all been here, are here or will be here. We'd love to know who you're trying to see...and how you manuever yourself to make it happen.

Too Many Party Invitations? You need this site!

This fun site will help you lighten your schedule during this busy time. Tell the site a little about your party, your hosts, why you do not want to go. It will generate a well-worded excuse to your host/hostess and even send it if you want. Party Excuse Maker It will make you smile!

Olde Town Altoona Christmas

We participated in the Olde Town Altoona Christmas celebration. It was cold and it was fun. We were assigned a warm spot in the back of the Insurance Station (thanks Mike and crew) with the cookie decorating. The families that came in were thankful for a chance to warm up and the kids enjoyed having their pictures taken with Frosty. Then they decorated a frame for the picture, packaged snowman seeds and colored a paper mug for hot tea.

Drake Bulldogs Tickets - Men's Basketball

We've purchased 2 season tickets to the men's basketball tickets at Drake. They do a great job entertaining you at the Knapp Center. Check out the website for dates..http://godrakebulldogs.com/ . We'll be having some trivia questions so you can win them, or let us know if there's a special game you really want to go to.