8 Ways to Improve Your Credit
December 31, 2007
Credit scores, along with your overall income and debt, are a big factor in determining if you’ll qualify for a loan and what loan terms you’ll be able to qualify for.
1. Check for and correct errors in your credit report. Mistakes happen, and you could be paying for someone else’s poor financial management.
2. Pay down credit card bills. If possible, pay off the entire balance every month. However, transferring credit card debt from one card to another could lower your score.
3. Don’t charge your credit cards to the maximum limit.
5 Things to Do Before You Sell
December 30, 2007
1. Get estimates from a reliable repair person on items that need to be replaced soon, such as a roof or worn carpeting, for example. In this way, buyers will have a better sense of how much these needed repairs will affect their costs.
2. Have a termite inspection to prove to buyers that the property is not infested.
3. Get a pre-sale home inspection so you’ll be able to make repairs before buyers become concerned and cancel a contract.
4. Gather together warranties and guarantees on the furnace, appliances, and other items that will remain with the house.
Home Prices Decline But Not In All Markets
December 28, 2007
| 12 Month Change By Top 30 CBSAs (Core Based Statistical Areas) | As of October 2007 |
| Honolulu, HI | 17.91% |
| Salt Lake City, UT | 11.63% |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | 8.62% |
| San Antonio, TX | 7.89% |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | 4.56% |
| Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX | 4.52% |
| Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC | 4.47% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 3.92% |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 2.18% |
| Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA | 1.73% |
| Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI | -0.22% |
| Philadelphia, PA | -0.61% |
| New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA | -1.83% |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA | -2.13% |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | -2.76% |
| Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI | -3.16% |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | -3.33% |
| New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ | -4.13% |
| Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, FL | -4.85% |
| Boston-Quincy, MA | -6.01% |
| Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH | -8.10% |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | -8.11% |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | -9.21% |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | -10.08% |
| Orlando-Kissimmee, FL | -10.16% |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, CA | -10.45% |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, FL | -10.89% |
| Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA | -11.44% |
| Las Vegas-Paradise, NV | -11.65% |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL | -14.01% |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | -15.70% |
Data provided by First American LoanPeformance.
SAWS Special Service Fees Effective Jan. 1, 2008
December 26, 2007
San Antonio City Council recently approved the implementation of new San Antonio Water System special service fees. These new fees will become effective Jan. 1, 2008.
Many of these fees have not been updated in nearly a decade and fall short of covering the actual costs of the services provided. Increasing the fees will help make sure SAWS ratepayers do not subsidize the cost of services they do not use.
While most of the fees are industrial and commercial in nature, the meter trip fee and account deposit fee will affect some residential customers as well.
5 Factors That Decide Your Credit Score
December 21, 2007
Credit scores range between 300 and 850. Scores above 620 are considered desirable for obtaining a mortgage. These factors will affect your score.
1. Your payment history. Whether you paid credit card obligations on time.
2. How much you owe. Owing a great deal of money on numerous accounts can indicate that you are overextended.
3. The length of your credit history. In general, the longer the better.
4. How much new credit you have. New credit, either installment payments or new credit cards, are considered more risky, even if you pay promptly.
10 Ways to Make Your House More Salable
December 20, 2007
1. Get rid of clutter. Throw out or file stacks of newspapers and magazines. Pack away most of your small decorative items. Store out-of-season clothing to make closets seem roomier. Clean out the garage.
2. Wash your windows and screens to let more light into the interior.
3. Keep everything extra clean. Wash fingerprints from light switch plates. Mop and wax floors. Clean the stove and refrigerator. A clean house makes a better first impression and convinces buyers that the home has been well cared for.
4. Get rid of smells. Clean carpeting and drapes to eliminate cooking odors, smoke, and pet smells. Open the windows.
Texas Homeowners Insurance Premiums still the highest in U.S.
December 19, 2007
Insurance Costs
Average premiums for the most common homeowners insurance policy, according to data from 2005:
| Top 5 States | Premium |
| Texas | $1,372 |
| Louisiana | $1,144 |
| Florida | $1,083 |
| Oklahoma | $996 |
| Mississippi | $939 |
| National Average | $764 |
Read the entire article at The Dallas Morning News.
