How to repair my credit and improve my FICO credit score!!!

How to repair my credit and improve my FICO credit score

It's important to note that repairing bad credit is a bit like losing weight: It takes time and there is no quick way to fix a credit score. In fact, out of all of the ways to improve a credit score, quick-fix efforts are the most likely to backfire, so beware of any advice that claims to improve your credit score fast. The best advice for rebuilding credit is to manage it responsibly over time. If you haven't done that, then you need to repair your credit history before you see credit score improvement. The tips below will help you do that. They are divided up into categories based on the data used to calculate your credit score.

1. Check Your Credit Report – Credit score repair begins with your credit report. If you haven't already, request a free copy of your credit report and check it for errors. Your credit report contains the data used to calculate your score and it may contain errors. In particular, check to make sure that there are no late payments incorrectly listed for any of your accounts and that the amounts owed for each of your open accounts is correct. If you find errors on any of your reports, dispute them with the credit bureau and reporting agency.
2. Setup Payment Reminders – Making your credit payments on time is one of the biggest contributing factors to your credit score. Some banks offer payment reminders through their online banking portals that can send you an email or text message reminding you when a payment is due. You could also consider enrolling in automatic payments through your credit card and loan providers to have payments automatically debited from your bank account, but this only makes the minimum payment on your credit cards and does not help instill a sense of money management.
3. Reduce the Amount of Debt You Owe – This is easier said than done, but reducing the amount that you owe is going to be a far more satisfying achievement than improving your credit score. The first thing you need to do is stop using your credit cards. Use your credit report to make a list of all of your accounts and then go online or check recent statements to determine how much you owe on each account and what interest rate they are charging you. Come up with a payment plan that puts most of your available budget for debt payments towards the highest interest cards first, while maintaining minimum payments on your other accounts.

To view the full article from myFICO.com, visit http://www.myfico.com/crediteducation/improveyourscore.aspx.

~Why do success and punctuality go together?

Why do success and punctuality go together?

As a young ambitious TV producer, I once sat on the advisory board of an international television festival. Arriving late for a meeting one evening, the colleague I sat next to commented, "Yes you must be very busy." I was producing a massive internationally co-produced series. But he ran a national network. His comment was a subtle but unmistakable put-down I've never forgotten.

High-achievers are punctual.

Are they so successful because they are also so punctilious -- or does being so make what makes them achieve so much? I don't know but I can't help but be struck by the fact that the most successful people I know share the following habits:

They turn up on times
They reply to emails swiftly
They remember peoples' names, no matter what their status
They are reliable
We tend to think of leadership and excellence as residing in standout qualities: Mathematical genius, aesthetic dazzle. But these smaller traits contain profound messages. At the least, they signal self-discipline and good organization. More deeply, they imply a concern or at least respect for other people. Being punctual means you don't waste other peoples' time -- or think it is more important than your own. Replying swiftly allows others to get on with their work; you aren't their roadblock. Remembering names requires effort and that they do so implies they believe you matter. Being reliable frees their peers and colleagues from worrying about whether they'll deliver on promises.

All of these habits build trust -- and trust hugely reduces the friction and costs of doing business. So these habits are profoundly efficient for both the long and the short term.

Consider the opposite behaviors. Being late, ignoring or delaying emails, forgetting other people and being capricious in honoring promises sends a loud message: I matter more than anyone else. To get away with this attitude requires power -- so the caprice is also a demonstration of status. It also leaves other people feeling or being helpless. No reply to an email means other people can't progress with their work. If you aren't reliable, it means nobody can be quite sure of what is happening around them. You render others powerless while exhibiting your own status. Such wayward behavior in small things can look powerful while being insidiously costly and destructive.

This all seems so self-evident. And yet over the last few months, I've found myself repeatedly in meetings where key people are late, or working with colleagues who are unreliable. They're all senior, successful people and they get away with it. But I wonder if they fully understand or control the very clear messages that they send. I also can't help but wonder just how much further they'll get. 
.
2014 CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.

By Margaret Heffernan Money Watch January 27, 2014, 11: 27 AM
www.cbsnews.com/news/why-do-success-and-punctuality-go-together/

Santa video

Make a Santa video!!!!
Have some fun and send it to your friends and family.

http://www.portablenorthpole.com/home?emst=J7hJPJNEUA_1314687_46797_7

OF THE PEOPLE YOU KNOW, WHO WOULD BE THE NEXT PERSON TO MAKE A MOVE?

OF THE PEOPLE YOU KNOW, WHO WOULD BE THE NEXT PERSON TO MAKE A MOVE?

Here are the 5 ways I can help them with a successful transition:

1)      Provide a comprehensive market analysis on the home they are selling or provide market trends for the area they moving to.

2)      If they are “fixing up” to get ready to sell, I can provide data on which projects will get the highest resale return on dollars invested and help them to prioritize which projects are most important to a buyer so they know how to get the most from their budget and sale.

3)      I can refer them to a list of quality people, vendors and contractors to assist them with projects beyond their ability or time constraints.

4)      I will advise them to speak with their financial consultant for possible tax consequences of their sale.

5)      If they are buying, help them work with a local professional to get prequalified for their loan and complimentary credit check to make sure there are no issues to deal with, before they make a commitment. This also puts buyers in a stronger bargaining position.

6)      If they are out of my immediate market area, I will provide them with a list of professionals that will give them the same great care that I would provide; personally.

Well, okay that’s 6 ways, BUT I always go the extra mile for your referrals. All you have to do to help the people you care about is call or email me, with their contact information. The sooner, the better, friends don’t let friends talk to strangers and gamble with what is most likely their largest asset or purchase. I look forward to hearing from you soon! I’m never too busy for your referrals.

Sincerely,

Kerri

We are in a HOT market!!!

Hot, Normal, and Cold Markets

Hot Market

This is an extremely competitive market and is advantageous to the seller. Sometimes, homes will sell as soon as they are listed or even before homes are listed. Typically, during a hot market, multiple offers will be made on each home and more often than not, homes will sell for more than the asking price. It is even more crucial to be prepared and to be ready as a buyer when the market is hot. It can be easy to get caught up in the bid for a home, but if you are prepared (pre-approved, solid in price range, realistic about your needs), it is easier to remain focused on your housing needs and price range.

Normal Market

In a normal market, there is a fairly large number of homes available and an average number of buyers. This market does not necessarily favor the buyer or the seller. A seller may not have as many offers on their home, but he or she may not be desperate to sell either. Again, it is the buyer’s responsibility to be prepared. During a normal market, the chances to negotiate are higher than in a hot market. As a buyer, you can expect to make offers at lower than the asking price and negotiate a price at least somewhat less than what the sellers are asking.

Cold Market

In a cold market, houses may be listed for more than a year and the prices of houses listed may drop considerably. This market is advantageous to the buyer. As a buyer, you have the time to make an offer that works to your best interest. It is not uncommon to low-ball and to find that sellers are accommodating to meet your needs. Keep in mind that even though this market is a great time for buyers, you do not want to lose your dream home by being unrealistic. Your goal is to get your dream home at the best possible price.

Prices are going up....

December home sales and price report

find the article at:

http://www.car.org/newsstand/newsreleases/2013releases/decembersales

California home sales and price close on high note in December;
housing market posts strong performance in 2012

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 15) – California home sales and prices both posted gains in December, with the median price posting strong double-digit gains for six straight months, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) reported.
“A rush to complete sales of higher-priced homes by the end of the year to avoid an expected increase in capital gains due to the “fiscal cliff” pushed up sales of homes priced $500,000 and above by nearly 42 percent from December 2011,” said C.A.R. President Don Faught.
Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California totaled a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 522,510 units, according to information collected by C.A.R. from more than 90 local REALTOR® associations and MLSs statewide. Sales in December were up 0.8 percent from a revised 518,460 in November and up 0.9 percent from a revised 517,730 in December 2011. The statewide sales figure represents what would be the total number of homes sold during 2012 if sales maintained the December pace throughout the year. It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically influence home sales.
The statewide median price of an existing, single-family detached home climbed 5 percent from November’s $349,300 median price to $366,930 in December. December’s price was up 27 percent from a revised $288,950 recorded in December 2011, marking the tenth consecutive month of annual price increases and the sixth consecutive month of double-digit annual gains. The substantial increase in price was due in large part to a significant increase of higher-priced properties, while inventory constraints continued to constrict sales of lower-priced homes. Price increases are not expected to continue at a high pace into 2013.
“The positive fundamentals in the housing sector continued to attract potential homeowners and investors, which resulted in strong housing sales in the fourth quarter. Sales for 2012 rose 5.4 percent, reaching 525,120 for the year as a whole, slightly above our projection,” said C.A.R. Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young. “With sales in the higher-end market remaining strong throughout the year, the price gain at the state level surpassed our expectations, increasing 11.6 percent from $286,040 in 2011 to a preliminary $319,340 in 2012.”

Other key facts of C.A.R.’s December 2012 resale housing report include:
• California’s housing inventory was further constrained in December, with the Unsold Inventory Index for existing, single-family detached homes dropping to 2.6 months, down from 3.1 months in November and a revised 4.3 months in December 2011. The index indicates the number of months needed to sell the supply of homes on the market at the current sales rate. A six- to seven-month supply is considered normal.

• The 30-year fixed-mortgage interest rate averaged 3.35 percent during December 2012, unchanged from November, but down from 3.96 percent in December 2011, according to Freddie Mac. However, adjustable-mortgage interest rates edged down in December, averaging 2.54 percent, down from 2.57 percent in November and down from 2.79 percent in December 2011.

• The median number of days it took to sell a single-family home edged up to 38.1 days in December 2012 from 37.5 days in November but was down from 58.7 days for the same period a year ago.

 

Great news!!!!

Congress passed legislation extending the Mortgage Debt Relief Act for homeowners who do a Short Sale through 2013. When a homeowner sells their home, the IRS won't treat the debt forgiven by the bank as income, which means they won't owe taxes on that amount, therefore allowed a seller to short sale their home without immense tax consequences.

What You Can Do to Improve Your Credit

Credit scores, along with your overall income and debt, are big factors in determining whether you’ll qualify for a loan and what your loan terms will be. So, keep your credit score high by doing the following:

1. Check for and correct any 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. Transferring credit card debt from one card to another could lower your score.
3. Don’t charge your credit cards to the maximum limit.
4. Wait 12 months after credit difficulties to apply for a mortgage. You’re penalized less for problems after a year.
5. Don’t order items for your new home on credit — such as appliances and furniture — until after the loan is approved. The amounts will add to your debt.
6. Don’t open new credit card accounts before applying for a mortgage. Too much available credit can lower your score.
7. Shop for mortgage rates all at once. Too many credit applications can lower your score, but multiple inquiries from the same type of lender are counted as one inquiry if submitted over a short period of time.
8. Avoid finance companies. Even if you pay the loan on time, the interest is high and it will probably be considered a sign of poor credit management.

This information is copyrighted by the Fannie Mae Foundation and is used with permission of the Fannie Mae Foundation.