Getting ready for the Spring Market

With Christmas around the corner you may want to start decorating your house early if you have it on the market. This way it will look very inviting to the Buyers.  Or, plan on putting your home on the market for the Holidays. I personally always sell homes right before Christmas.

For Sellers who are considering selling this Spring, now is the time to pick an agent, ( me if you like), J to help you get it ready and staged for the Spring Market.

Still a great time to buy a home NOW.  Look at these NEW rates!!

WOW, (I think there is one point attached to this, not sure, but still fabulous!) 2.990 % - 5/1 ARM – 30 YEARS  call Peter for details……………

The Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank

978.225.8715  |   fax 978.225.8744

Peter B. Matthews

Save Calories This Season

Today’s blog is about losing the extra fat and calories of the typical holiday feast, without sacrificing flavor and taste! As many of you know, I am a Raw Vegan/ Vegan. I have learned lots of healthy tips that I wanted to share with you. (and you may be surprised that you don’t have to be a Raw Vegan to enjoy them!)

Gaels’ Tip#1- Replace Dairy Milk with Almond Milk. Mashed Potatoes, usually rich in butter and milk; high in calories, fat and cholesterol, are delicious with almond milk and more healthy! You can purchase almond milk, but the healthiest version (without pesticides, hormones, or preservatives,) is to make it yourself.

Gael’s Tip#2- How to Make Homemade Almond Milk (it’s easy to do!) Soak 1 cup raw almonds in 3 cups filtered water for 4 hours. Rinse and put in a high speed blender. Get a Nut Bag (at any health food store), a Large Bowl and a Jar to pour the liquid into the nut bag, now, just utter it into the jar (the bowl is to catch anything that spills over).This way you are left with the nut mixture in the bag and the milk in the jar. Put the jar of almond milk in the frig until you are ready to use. You can use almond milk just like regular milk.

Gael’s Tip#3- Replace Butter with Vegan Butter.It tastes just like butter and can be found at health food stores in the freezer section. You and your mashed potatoes will never know the difference!

With the new year in sight, I just wanted to remind everyone that if you can buy before the end of this year, there are many benefits, so what are you waiting for? Not only will you be getting a great low rate, but if you close by the end of the year, you will be able to include numerous deductions on your taxes for this year!
Enjoy, and Stay Healthy! ~Gael.

Don’t press 90# on your phone or cell phone! SCAM

A friend of mine received a telephone call last evening from an individual identifying himself as an AT&T Service Technician (could also be Telus)

who was conducting a test on the telephone lines. He stated that to complete the test she should touch nine(9),zero (0),the pound sign (#), and then hang up. Luckily, she was suspicious and refused. She found out that by pushing 90#, you give the requesting individual full access to your telephone line, which enables them to place long distance calls billed to your home phone number. This scam has been originating from many local jails/prisons. DO NOT press 90# for ANYONE…

If Your House is Currently Listed- You Cannot Refinance.

This blog is on Refinancing again. I am only doing this because this has recently come up a couple of times with some of my clients. If your house is currently listed, you cannot refinance.

You must first take it off the market, depending on the bank it may have to be off the market for up to 30 days. If you need to refinance this is not a bad time of the market to do this, since it is a slower time of year. Before you do decide to refinance, make sure you find out if you can actually qualify for this. You must have at least 20% equity in the home, and that is based on what the market is saying your home is worth, not your assessed value. Once this is done and you have refinanced, you can once again put your home back on the market. I hope this helps. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving coming up! ~Gael.

Cell Phone Numbers Go Public This Month

REMEMBER-Cell Phone Numbers Go Public this month!

REMINDER- All cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing
companies and you will start to receive sales calls.
WARNING-You will be charged for these calls. 
PREVENTION- Call the following number from your cell phone
888-382-1222. It is the National DO NOT CALL LIST.
It will only take a minute of your time…
It blocks your number for five (5) years.
You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked.
You cannot call from a different phone number.
HELP OTHERS BY PASSING THIS ON- 
it’s a quick fix that will keep the telemarketers at bay.
Have a great week~ Gael

 

Get Owner’s Title Insurance!

I am sure everyone has heard the news about the Property Foreclosure Nightmare…

If you are still willing to go forward and purchase a foreclosure in this mess… just make sure you purchase Owner’s Title Insurance. There are different degrees of insurance with this policy, so make sure you ask questions  so that you are protected in case ANYTHING goes wrong.

Signing Off for Today! ~Gael

Maintain your Property and Your Health!

Well, everything is not about Real Estate. You hear a lot about taking care of your house and your property to maintain it for a long and healthy life.

Well, don’t forget about yourselves. Unless you keep yourself healthy and keep it clean as well, it also starts to break down. I personally do regular cleanses for my body. It is a gift of health I give myself. We are lucky that there are quite a few wellness centers in our area now to help with this. You can do a 3,5,12,18, or 24 day cleanse that will greatly benefit your body and overall well being. I am not talking about the cleanses you buy over the counter…. taking pills, or the extreme fasting cleanses where all you can do is think about food, or the one item cleanse which is not very good for you and you feel hungry all of the time. I am talking about a very healthy cleanse where you actually eat lots of food and you will lose weight as a bonus!

Revitalive Health and Wellness Center in Newburyport, MA, makes cleansing easy for you! They prepare the food you need, and will even deliver it for a fee. You just pick it up first thing and you are all set for the day. No problem continuing your active life style while doing this cleanse… you will have lots of energy! Learn more on their website at www.revitalivehealth.com or call them at: 978-462-1488. They also offer other services. Tell them Gael sent you. If you sign up for a 7 day or more cleanse and mention my name, you will receive a free smoothie. I had fantastic results and ersonally lost 80 lbs in 8 months. That was 3 years ago… just by changing the way I eat. I have never felt better or younger!~This is Gael Meyer signing out.

What are You Waiting For?

Hi, this is Gael Meyer on Tuesday Oct. 12^th. This will be a short blog today. This past weekend the rates were at 4%!!! They are hovering between 4-4.1% right now.

So, what are you waiting for?? You should be out buying up properties!

IF you are a buyer on the fence, why are you waiting?? If the prices dropped next year even more, but the interest rates went up to the 5’s, you will still be doing better by purchasing now. So, give me a call! You may want to refinance as well. Bye for now ~ Gael

I Use Organic Coconut Oil For Sunscreen

This blog today is a bit off the real estate market, but thought it was worth sending as we are winding down the summer months. I have been using organic coconut oil (the unflavored kind) so you do not smell like a coconut. It comes in a jar and is white and kind of hard, but it melts very quickly when you put it in your hands, or if it is warm outside. I put that on my body once or twice a day, and especially before I go out into the sun. I do this in place of sun screens, which we are finding out that a lot of them are cancer causing themselves because of the things put in them. Remember this goes into you skin, the largest organ in our body, so into your blood stream as well. Organic Coconut Oil goes into the skin but is good for you! Since I have been doing this for the past 2 years, I have never burned once. I know, one would think that putting oil on your skin would cause you to burn, but it does not. I can’t guarantee this for everyone of course, but I can tell you, I used to fry and burn every year, and have not since. I just brown. In the winter you can also put virgin olive oil on your body, including your face, as a moisturizer. It may be a bit oily, so you may have to wipe it off, but this is known to be great for your skin as well, without all the chemicals of moisturizers. Will get back to Real Estate next week, we are expecting a great Fall Market by the way! ~This is Gael Meyer signing off.

Should I Refinance My Property Now?

Absolutely! That is if you can… There is always a catch isn’t there? Rates are the lowest I have seen in my 25 years in real estate. The banks like to see 20% equity in a property, so if you have enough equity in your home then you can probably refinance, (with good credit that is…)  It’s true that the lending atmosphere is stricter these days, but these rates present a great opportunity to lower your monthly payment in today’s market! The current interest rates are in the mid 4% range with no points. So if you have a present rate of 5-6% you can save some serious money every month!! I recommend giving Bobby Licare, from Prospect Mortgage a call and he will walk you through the process to see if you qualify. Don’t put it off- Because rates are not going to stay this low for long! It’s a Great Time to Buy as well, so if you have some extra money to invest… Give me a call and I will be happy to answer your questions~ Gael.