Applying For a Short Sale

If you feel that you qualify for a short sale contact the loss and mitigation department for your lender. Once you contact the lender's loss and mitigation department ask for a short sale package. Most lender have financial forms that the lender needs filled out.

A complete package consist of:

A. financial documents from the seller/owner. I am sure, as a seller/owner you may be wondering what is included in the financial documents. The items are:

1. W-2 or 1099

2. pay stubs

3. lender financial documents (This document is a written verison of above information ie listing of income, name, address, phone number, etc)

4. authorization letter (allows the Realtor to speak to lender on your behalf)

5. hardship letter from seller/owner (this letter will explain why the seller/owner got behind on payment of mortgage)

B. listing agreement with brokerage

C. purchase agreement

1. purchase agreement must have proof of funds whether it is a pre-approval letter from a lender or proof of cash to purchase the property

D. HUD-1 The HUD-1 is a settlement statement that itemizes all the charges for both the buyer and the seller. This documents gives the lender an overview of funds needed to sell the property.

Armed with the above information, the lender makes a decision on the offer that the buyer submitted. Remember a short sale allows the seller/owner to avoid foreclosure. The short sale also is often less than what the seller/owner owes to the lender. It also allows the lender to prevent holding cost, attorney fees, etc. Holding cost for the lender is preservation of the asset or home until there is a buyer. To preserve the home, the lender must secure the home from theft, keep the plumbing from freezing and bursting, etc.

I am broker and owner of Taylor-Brown Real Estate. I am licensed in Illinois and Indiana. I have been listing and selling homes in Chicagoland for over 7 years. Please visit my website at http://www.taylorbrownrealestate.com.

It Was Sucking My Will to Live!

I'm ecstatic to not be a Realtor anymore!

I spent close to 30 years thrashing around trying to get rich in the real estate industry.

Don't get me wrong, I still fully believe in the ownership of real estate. It is the foundation for wealth in this great country of ours. Right now there is a lot of doom and gloom about values dropping through the floor and a lot of it is well founded. Don't panic, The market will rebound eventually and prices will rise again. Unfortunately it may be longer than a lot of people think before this happens.

But the market is really not what I'm here to talk about today.

I'm here to talk about my escape from the residential real estate trap.......That's right! I escaped.

Selling residential real estate is a dream job for some people. I know several people who can't think of anything else they would rather do than to go show houses all day long to some young family with a couple of kids. Some of these people are very successful, even in this horrible market. I applaud them and wish them the best of luck.

As for Me?.............It slowly began to suck my will to live!

I had to go. The tanking market was just a convenient excuse.

So here I am with my entrepreneurial spirit intact. Ready for my next great adventure. What will that adventure be I can hear you asking?

Affiliate Marketing on the Internet.

I'm putting in 5-8 hours a day while holding down a full time industrial packaging sales job.

It ain't easy!

However, affiliate marketing is really the way to go if you want to start an Internet business. It's the only thing I know of that you can start and "boot strap" up from scratch with very little capital investment.

What it will take is some time, focus and commitment. Fortunately, I have plenty of all three of those.

My goal is to start and build this thing up to the $200,000.00/year range and fully document the process on my blog

My hope is that I can be an inspiration and a beacon of light for some of my fellow Realtors who are still stuck in the quick sand of chasing that next commission check.

If it's something you love to do, more power to you and go knock em dead! If deep down inside, you can feel it sapping your life force. I urge you to run towards the light.........escape, close your eyes, grit your teeth and jump!

It's really nice over here in the real world.

Yours in Internet Success.

Cary Richards is an ex Realtor, real estate developer and serial entrepreneur turned Internet Affiliate Marketer.
He has created The Marketing Mentor Institute.
The Institute's mission is to research, identify and catalog the best and brightest resources and tools for the beginning internet entrepreneur.
Cut through the noise and find the no hype, pure content, real stuff here at The Marketing Mentor Institute.
http://www.marketinginst.com

Worrying About Your Job is Not an Option - Five Ways to Eliminate Worry From Your Life

When you are handed that pink slip, or worry that you will be next in line for the big company layoff, what is the first thing you think about? Do you get angry? Do you get scared? Do you worry how you will make your next mortgage or rent payment not to mention how you will pay your bills? Do yourself a favor and reframe your perceptions and eliminate the worry from your life. If you cannot eliminate worry, then bring it down a notch or two. Turn down the volume of the "worry voices" in your head and relax. Relaxing will eventually lead you to re-energize yourself that will subsequently allow you to regain charge of your life. The expression, "Not to worry" can become your mantra as you eliminate worry from your thought process and change the tape.

So, why is worrying not beneficial to your job hunt, career path, and your life purpose? Because it does not allow you to move forward and let the creative energy flow. It makes you act "funny" during an interview and hiring managers will immediately pick-up on this. Your friends may be avoiding you. It can make your loved-ones not want to interact with you because of your high anxiety. Most important, what is it doing to you? Your stomach is in knots, your are always fretting, and you constantly tell folks you are "stressed-out." These are not good ingredients while searching for a job, or trying to keep the one you have. It's also not good during a time when you need the support of your friends and loved ones, not to mention the support that you can give yourself. Once you can change your worrying-ways, you will immediately start feeling and seeing a difference in the way you feel about yourself and the way other folks respond to you.

There are five ways to conquer worry, or at least turn down the volume:

1) Reducing the anxiety caused by worrying: When you are worrying all you can do is focus on that "thing" making you anxious. How often do you say, "I need to get a job before my money runs out?" ...or..."Once I get a job I will stop worrying?" You may be fretting, "What if I am next for the layoffs, and then what will I do?" Admit it; you are most likely guilty of one of these statements. Remember, worrying is not going to make any of these things easier, so why are you doing it? You need to do something for yourself that will take the "edge off." Get a part-time or temp job while you are looking for another job, work on your resume and interviewing skills to prepare yourself if you think your department may be next for layoffs, talk with your HR department and find out what types of packages are being offered during a layoff, and most of all be proactive and relax. Do whatever it takes to take the "edge off." I am recommending that you be gentle with yourself during this time and take good care of yourself with regular exercise, healthy eating, yoga, meditation, a long bath, or whatever it takes for your own relaxed being. Another mantra can be, "Take the edge off."

2) Diminishing the negative frame of mind brought on by worry and turning it into a positive frame of mind: If you are constantly worrying you can never get past the negative state brought about by all of that anxiety (see number 1). You need to shift your perspective. Start thinking positive even if you don't feel positive. If you can "act as if" you will eventually become that person who doesn't worry.

3) Eliminating worry so you can move forward in your journey: If you are always worried then you are stuck in a place where you cannot take action and move forward in your life. For example, you may get the interview but this doesn't mean you have the job yet. If you are so worried that you "won't" get the job, your anxiety will undoubtedly manifest during the interview and you will find yourself living a self-fulfilling prophecy. You now say, "See, I knew I wouldn't get that job...I never get the job....what's wrong with me?" I will tell you that nothing is wrong with you....but you need to stop worrying. You are worrying yourself right out of a job. Start creating positive affirmations for yourself:

- I will get this job.
- I have the job.
- I love my new job.

Write these affirmations down three times in the morning and three times at night and watch what can happen.

4) Creating and imagining both come from a worriless mind: If you are anxious with a negative frame of mind and cannot move forward then you will be unable to imagine and create. Once you let go of the worry and leave it at the door, the anxiety and the negativity diminishes, you start to move forward and suddenly all your creative energy will begin to flow. Immediately, you will find that all of the creativity you couldn't muster up before will flow from you naturally and beautifully.

5) Eliminating worrying will allow you to get in touch with your feelings: Why do you worry? What is it that makes your worry if not worrying can feel so good? Worrying can keep you from feeling deeper feelings that you may not want to feel such as sadness, anger, and loss. As a coping mechanism, worrying masks the deeper feelings that you may not necessarily want to deal with. Once you become aware of your feelings you become worriless, or less worried, and you can move forward with your creative energy.

Ann Ruecker is a Certified Professional Career Coach who lives in the Hudson Valley, New York. For more information about Ann please visit her website at http://www.afaksolutions.com, or email her at annruecker@afaksolutions.com

Web 2.0 For Real Estate - Why Everyone Needs Social Media Tactics to Sell a Home

Web 2.0 simply stands for "interactive". Often described as social media or social networking, the process is a 4-step one that might seem time consuming and a solid distance away from making a sale. It is. But you will find you have that time: Gen X and Y buyers tend to start their process of searching for a new home a good 12 - 18 months ahead of when they actually want, or have, to move.

The National Association of Realtors, the NAR, has data to prove that the average age of all 2007 home buyers was 39 - i.e. the post Baby Boomer generation. While boomers understand, enjoy and indeed prefer email as a way of keeping in touch with people, the Gen X and Y folks (those born after 1964) find email to be noisy and annoying. They prefer social media, where they can drop in, opt out, participate, play and interact on their own terms, in their own time.

How, then, does web 2.0 work for real estate? How can modify standard social media tactics to fit a model of selling homes that has existed successfully until now for many years?

As I said, it's a 4-pronged approach:-

1. Publish

Information gets published. This refers to the listing, but can also cover your expertise as a realtor and knowledge of the local area. A blog, a lens on Squidoo, a series of articles, a profile posted on Trulia, Zillow and Linked-IN, even a recorded "chat" on BlogTalkRadio are all valid tactics here.

2. Share

Sites like Facebook are ideal for sharing information because they allow for comments and discussion. "Sharing" may sounds like a semantic spin on "selling" but really is a state of mind. It's about making knowledge available to others, with your endorsement -- and the more you do it for other people, the more you can expect it done for you. Consider, also, sites like Digg. Del.icio.us, StumbledUpon, Reddit, etc.

3. Discuss

When you comment on someone else's blog post, you sign that comment with your name and your link. That is then called a "linkback" and it's the best way of improving your online "credibility" and "authority". It usually encourages the author to come back and comment on your post. Forums are a great place for this tactic, and for those of us in Real Estate there is no better place that ActiveRain. (and their sister site, Localism) Groups on Facebook, Squidoo, Ning all create "watering holes" where like-minded folks gather to talk about topics of interest.

4. Update

Keep your content fresh and then tell people about it. The web (in 2.0 format) is remarkably efficient here - offering microblogs as a means of updating your "peeps" (your tribe of followers) on all the new information. The best known of these micro-blogs is Twitter. There's Plurk, and Pounce and for some, the RSS feeds seem to work well - but not for those of us dealing with the post 1964 gang. Remember,they don't like email.. and for the most part, the RSS feeds tend to be delivered in a drip-email campaign. (the way around this factor is to drop the RSS feed into another "watering hole" like your page on Facebook, and your Squidoo lenses.

These 4 prongs form the basis of all the most successful web 2.0 marketing campaigns. They work for internet marketers and they work - just as well - for us in the Real Estate space.

And now I'd like to invite you to join my free preview calls for my webinar 'Web 2.0 for Real Estate' that will teach you, step-by-step, how to set up your own social media marketing campaign to sell homes...by visiting http://www.web2-0forrealestateseminars.com

From Juliet Johnson, author, speaker and leading authority on home staging luxury real estate in suburban New Jersey.

Mold Behind Bathroom Wall

Special Offer For the First Time Home Buyers

Have you spent your whole life in earning and saving money to buy home? Still you are unable to save enough. Your dream to have a house can soon come true if you are a first time purchaser. You can benefit from the many concessions of government for the first time purchasers which is available to help the low income and the first time buyers to make their dream come true.

In fact specific concessions of government are made to the first time purchasers to provide them part of financial aid necessary for the initial payments and some other expenses for acquisition of a new house.

According to the value of your property you could note that your closing installment and costs can be paid upwards with this free money. These funds are almost free without the monthly interest or payments to be made. They remain with the background like mortgages to refund only on the sale of the house. The government was also known to forgive the loan in the case after you reside in the house during 30 years.

Each state has a policy adapted to the customer requirements to grant such money. One must carry out a refined work of research before the request relating to such concessions. Some of these concessions are for specific group of people.

Thus if you are a purchaser at the house for the first time or your income is low, the first step in buying the home should be to look on line for the financing which is undertaken by your people of the country or Council of State of housing.

Do a little bit of homework and do not miss the opportunity, by taking an advantage from the almost free grants available all around the world for the first time buyers.

Start doing the research your first step in accomplishing your dreams could be visiting Home Loans In Detail and get a special discount.Here you will also get mortgage tips for free.

Upside Down Room Vent

Connect With Customers & Prospects on THEIR Terms to Increase Sales

Undoubtedly you offer a product or service to your customers or potential customers. Have you seriously taken time to consider how you or your business benefits your clients?

If you haven't done this lately, take a moment to consider your customers. It's super important.

Your marketing content should be all about what your product or service will do for the consumer. One of the most common mistakes made in marketing, advertising and promotional materials is not focusing on the features and benefits of a product or service and HOW they directly benefit your core audience or target market.

Think about your customers likes and dislikes, figure out what makes them tick and incorporate that information to move them towards the sale. Connect with your customers on their terms with language they'll relate to.Of course, your background and expertise is important but it's not the most important thing to consumers. People want to know "what's in it for me (WIIFM)". While they may be interested in your credentials, this isn't solely how people make decisions on who to work with.

Example: A promotional brochure for a Realtor focuses only on his experience and awards. The Realtor fails to make an emotional connection with prospects because he doesn't include how his service will deliver what his prospects are looking for.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith are looking for their first "home". Joe Realtor is great at selling houses but doesn't take time to truly connect with the Smith's starting with his marketing materials. His brochure reflects his awards and sales track record. It doesn't connect with the Smith's because he doesn't clearly demonstrate his ability to find them the "home" of their dreams. The Smith's don't really care that Joe Realtor can move property. They don't want to buy just any house. They want a home, preferably with room to grow and raise a family. They want a Realtor who listens, will pay special attention to their needs and tells them so, upfront. Joe Realtor overlooks this vital key to connecting. It's the reason the Smith's don't call Joe Realtor.
Would you rather work with someone who touts their expertise or someone who first shows you how their expertise will work for you and then has experience to back it up?

Take Action Challenge: Review one piece of your marketing or promotional materials today. Consider your business card, brochure, website, broadcast copy, billboards and even storefront signage if this applies. What message are you sending to your potential clients? Brainstorm ways you can connect to begin building relationships and move your prospects towards a sale. Now update your copy to reflect what you have to really offer your prospects (remember the WIIFM factor).

Don't have time to focus on your copy? You know investing in updating your marketing content is a great idea nevertheless you aren't sure you can fit one more task into your busy schedule? Instead of constantly trying to change hats, consider handing the copywriting hat to someone else. Imagine partnering with a skilled copywriter who understands your business, takes the time to build a relationship and helps you make the most of your marketing efforts. If writing content for your marketing, promotional and advertising materials is overwhelming, consider partnering with a copywriter who wants to establish a long-term business relationship. Someone who believes in your business and wants you to succeed. Wouldn't it be nice to strategize with a professional copywriter who truly understands what motivates a sale (not to mention takes one more task off your to do list)? Again, when making your selection consider the WIIFM factor.

Lisa Manyon specializes in POWERFULLY communicating your marketing messages to increase results. She's a Professional Copywriter dedicated to making life easier for business owners and entrepreneurs by knocking one more thing off your "to do" list. Manyon is the Copywriting Expert for The International Association of Web Entrepreneurs. Get a Free Copywriting Action Plan & discover 7 Power-packed Insider Tricks of the Copywriting Trade to Dramatically Increase Sales of your Products & Services http://www.LisaManyon.com

Subfloor Joist Reinforcing

Try These Two Sales Tips to Create a New Marketing Strategy For the Current Economic Times

Maybe the market is tough out there, maybe the product is a high end product and therefore a tougher sell in itself, you can still make a good living even if you're on strictly commission sales. The best sales tips for our current economic market are Negotiating and Outsourcing. Change is always inevitable; we know that. "When the going gets tough...." Yea, yea but what do we really do. I've heard people say to look for opportunities in every market. Well that's true but can't you be more specific. Maybe a few people see the opportunities but some are busy worrying about paying the bills and maybe don't see the opportunities. So please be more specific."

Well here we go. Take a good hard look at the following: Do people want your product, are they aware of your product, and is the price point current with the times? For instance, say I was selling gadgets for $2,000 each and making $500 commission on each gadget I sell. Now, no one seems to want to spend $2,000 for a gadget given the current economic times. What do I do? With sales down I'm reluctant to spend money on advertising. My old sales approach is not working.

The first approach may be this: work with the company in everyone's best interest, negotiate for a fair commission at a good price point of the product (current with the present economic times) and plan a campaign.

A second approach example: say I have 10 friends now currently out of work. I offer them $200 for every gadget sold. Even if I can get $300 out of each sale if I've got 10 others helping me out sales would be much better. You'll get some fresh ideas. Even if they only sell one per month times 10 people you'll still make $3000 per month, not including your own sales. Most selling is a numbers game, the more people you have promoting the product the better chance of sales. Now if I can negotiate a better price point with the company/owner I can really make this work. Outsourcing works.

Once, as a real estate agent I was asked to give a referral of 25% to another realtor from another company who had been at an open house when my customer had gone through. Now, even though I had previously shown the house to my customer, the realtor still asked for 25% of the selling commission when my customer decided to buy that particular house. In response too this request I replied "No, it's 30% or nothing". The realtor was pleasantly surprised at my offering more that she had requested. I heard later through the grapevine that this realtor mentioned this in the next office sales meeting and I did more business as a result of that 5% than I ever imagined. I became known as an outstanding salesperson to do business with.

Be generous, give referrals and bonuses! Now is the time to offer bonuses and good money for referrals, get others excited to sell and assist in the sale of your product. Negotiate with the consumer, negotiate with the manufacturer, negotiate with the company owner, negotiate, and negotiate. Then outsource, give lead fees, referrals and bonuses. Negotiating and outsourcing, 2 great tips to create a new marketing strategy.

http://www.businesswomeninsales.com

My background has been working as a Real Estate Assistant, Real Estate Agent, and finally an owner of 4 Real Estate Companies. I have owned and run several businesses including clothing manufacturing and sales, fitness equipment sales and sales for home renovation products. More recently I have worked as a Moderator & Instruction for a global education company, I instruct "Image in the Workplace" classes for women and I mentor and provide sales training classes for individuals and companies.

I've been in sales for more than 20 years, the challenges women face hasn't changed much but how we deal with it can make a big difference for us and our success. I've taught others how to succeed in male-dominated industries and I can help you as well.

Floor Joist With Mold

Lies Realtors Tell - Ten of Their Favorites

Realtors are agents of sellers. It is their job to obtain the highest possible sale price for a piece of real estate. By law they cannot misrepresent any facts about the property, but when it comes to opinions about the investment potential of the property, or the state of the real estate market, Realtors can say whatever they want. There is currently no restriction on the exaggerations or outright lies realtors are allowed to tell regarding residential real estate market performance.

The most common ploy realtors use it to attempt to create a sense of urgency in a buyer. In a seller's market, prices are rising, and buyers already feel a sense of urgency. In a buyer's market, prices are falling, and there is no urgency on the part of buyers. This fact does not stop Realtor from trying to create urgency even if the truth is cast asunder.

The most counter-intuitive part of buying in a buyer's market is to create a sense of urgency with the seller. Ordinarily sellers, or more accurately the seller's realtor, try to create a sense of urgency to buy the house. They want the buyer to think other people are looking, there is going to be a bidding war, and the buyer needs to get an offer in today. Realtors thrive by creating fear in buyers. They will use lines like:

1. It is a good time to buy!
2. Hurry. This one won't last.
3. Don't throw away your money on rent.
4. If you are serious, you had better buy now or you might be priced out of the market.
5. They are not making land anymore.
6. Rates are creeping up, so you better get in now.
7. This property is priced at below market value.
8. I will show my client the offer, but I just want to let you know that we have another offer for more coming in this afternoon.
9. Trust me.
10. It's not just the commission. I really care about you.

In a buyer's market these ploys are all lies (the truthfulness of these statements is questionable in all market conditions). Generally, the buyer is the only prospective buyer, and they can take as long as they want to buy the house. The buyer's task in negotiating is to create a sense of urgency and panic in the seller. This is why buyers should make their first offer their best offer.

When people were watching prices rise during the housing bubble, they felt a heightened sense of urgency to buy. This made many potential buyers even more gullible with respect to the nonsense realtors peddle. Perhaps in the future, people will be wiser to these ploys. Either that, or realtors will become even more vociferous in defending them...

Lawrence Roberts is the author of The Great Housing Bubble: Why Did House Prices Fall?

Learn more and get FREE eBooks at: http://www.thegreathousingbubble.com/

Read the author's daily dispatches at The Irvine Housing Blog: http://www.irvinehousingblog.com/

Car Runs Into Garage Damage

3 Tips on How to Sell a Home in Lakewood Ranch

These days many people are being forced to lower their price if they truly want to sell a home in Lakewood Ranch.

Unfortunately, due to the current market, many people simply can not lower their price any more. Once they factor in the real estate commissions that must be paid they realize they have gone as low as they can go.

However, as it often occurs to anyone selling a home in Lakewood Ranch, if they could just get rid of that commission then they could lower their price. This leads many people to try to sell a home in Lakewood Ranch without a real estate agent.

The problem is, these FSBOs (For Sale By Owners) don't realize how difficult it can be to sell a home in Lakewood Ranch on their own. The problem is they miss out on the expert advice of the real estate agent as well as the marketing of the real estate agency. Not to mention having to run all your own open houses and being available for all showings. And let's not forget the biggest drawback of all...not being listed in Manatee County MLS and Sarasota County MLS.

So what's someone who is trying to sell a home in Lakewood Ranch to do? On the one hand they need to do away with their real estate agent so they can lower the price of their house, but on the other hand, they need the real estate agent for all the reasons described above.

Fortunately, there are solutions to many of these problems and to some extent you CAN have the best of both worlds and actually sell a home in Lakewood Ranch on your own.

Here are some tips for how to sell a home in Lakewood Ranch (on your own):

(Important note: realize that since you are saving money in commissions you are going to have to use some of that money to try to sell you home. The trick is to use the money in a way that is going to give the best results)

1. Get listed in MLS. The fact of the matter is, if you want to sell a home in Lakewood Ranch you must be listed in the Sarasota MLS and the Manatee County MLS (as well as Realtor.com). Therefore, you MUST spend a little money to get listed in all three services. This is going to vary in price anywhere from 299.00 to 799.00 depending on who you get to list you for a flat fee. This is definitely the biggest tip to selling a home in Lakewood Ranch. If you are not in MLS other realtors will NEVER know your house is for sale and they will NEVER know to tell their clients about it. Remember, if you sell your home on your own you will still have to pay a commission to an outside agent, but you are still saving 3% which can be quite a lot when it come to selling a home in Lakewood Ranch.
2. Have a "for sale" sign with "take-ones". The good news is if you are listed in MLS you don't have to pay too much money on other advertising. However, you should obviously have a "for sale" sign. However, due to the strict restrictions in Lakewood Ranch you must have a specific sign approved by Lakewood Ranch which will cost $75. However, you can get your sign for free if you use a listing service that will also provide the sign.
3. Get a lock-box. No reason to be listed in MLS if you are not going to have a lock-box. By having a lock-box you are making it much easier for outside real estate agents to show your house. In fact, without a lock box many real estate agents won't even bother to show your home at all. Therefore, if you are going to list your house in MLS (which is a must) you must also get a lock-box. A lock box will run you between $24-$99 depending on the type of lock box. However, you can get your lock box for free if you use a listing service that will also provide you with a lock-box.

The real estate market has made it quite difficult to sell a home in Lakewood Ranch these days. It becomes even more difficult if you are trying to sell your home on your own. However, if you follow the three tips in this article you CAN sell a home in Lakewood Ranch and you CAN keep your half of the commission. Doing so will allow you to lower the price of your house and still make more money on the sale.

If you want to sell your home in Lakewood Ranch you MUST be listed in Sarasota MLS Manatee County MLS, and Realtor.com. Tanya Waxler will list your home in all three services plus provide you with a free sign and lock box for just $299.00 - that's 60% less than the competition. If you truly want to sell a home in Lakewood Ranch make sure to visit: http://www.uKeepCommission.com

Bottom Of Wall Damaged From Water

UK Property Market Prospects For 2009

With the UK property market ending 2008 showing significant falls in both prices and number of sales attention has turned to the prospects for the coming year.Opinion is divided on what we can expect for 2009.Some property experts predict that the market will stabilise or even begin to recover whilst others less optimistically expect things will continue to decline further.For anyone involved in UK property from home owners to estate agents and mortgage lenders the future prospects of the housing market is clearly of great importance.

In a recent survey major UK estate agents and lenders were asked to make predictions for property sales and valuations in 2009.The bad news for home owners is that there is little hope that house prices will recover over the next twelve months.On average it is expected that property values will drop a further 10-15 percent this year.None of the property experts questioned predicted a general increase in prices.For number of property sales predictions were a little more optimistic.Whilst some experts estimate that the number of house sales will fall others more confidently predict that sales will increase by as much as 10 percent.

The above predictions represent the UK housing market as a whole.Of course the market is much more complex and diverse than this.Although the overall picture may not be great there are some sectors and locations where significant signs of recovery are expected.For example there is some confidence that the property market in London will 'bottom out' in 2009 and begin to recover by the end of the year.

Similarly it is hoped that the number of first time buyers in the market will increase.The rising property prices of the last decade have left many first time buyers unable to afford to get a foothold on the property market.With prices now falling and a high number of people waiting to buy it is predicted that this sector of the housing market will contribute to a large part of sales in 2009.

Overall although house prices and sales may not increase this year the general consensus from property experts is that 2009 will see the market stabilising.This stabilisation should then pave the way for a housing market recovery in 2010.

WOW Property are a national firm of UK online estate agents. Visit our website to advertise your home for sale and to search property to buy online.

Shear Panel Water Damage

Synchronicity and Abundance

Do you know how to create more abundance in your life? Dream of something you really want and then let synchronicity take care of the rest!

I look at my house every time I drive down the hill and round the corner into the driveway, and think, "I love my house!" It's a 25 year old ranch home on maybe a quarter of an acre of land and on the corner of the two busiest roads in my subdivision. But this dream home would've never been mine except for a few synchronicities kicking in.

I am a single woman and somehow had the perception that I wouldn't be able to afford a home by myself. There is a lady, whom I shall call Ellen, who runs her own shop not too far from where I live. I consider her to be a wise-woman and her advice is always thought provoking. One day I happened to mention to her my thoughts about home ownership and Ellen helped guide me into a more balanced perception that home ownership was possible for anyone. Then I was concerned that I would get ripped off because I didn't know anything about mortgages or the closing process. Well, shortly after that I got a job as a Funder for a mortgage company. One of my main responsibilities was to go through mortgage closing documents and make sure they were correct before funding the loan. So now I knew a thing or two about mortgage brokers and the paperwork required to close on a home.

Two years into apartment living in Fort Wayne, IN (I'm a transplant from Michigan) I had such a bad experience with my apartment complex that I decided I was tired of renting and ready to own my own home! On top of that, I wanted to buy a house that I would be able to move in to at the end of my apartment lease so I wouldn't have overlapping payments.

I found a realtor and told her what my time frame was. She looked at me as if I was crazy but I was perfectly serious. It was the beginning of March and I wanted to move into a home by the end of May. So I started looking at home after home, but none of the homes for sale in my price range were even close to the quality that I wanted. I then found a home that was about a quarter mile from my workplace. It had an attractive exterior and even though it needed some major repainting and minor repairs on the inside it was "close" to my price range. My realtor had mentioned that many people add a little "pad" to their asking price for negotiation purposes. I thought it likely that I would be able to get the price I wanted to pay. If only it were that simple. The owners of the home knew what the neighbors had paid for their home when they bought it two years ago and would take no less than that for their home. The amount their neighbors paid two years ago was when housing values were much higher and was out of my price range. The owners wouldn't budge and I knew that I needed to withdraw my offer on the house.

The next day I checked out the homes for sale online and wrote out a list of some homes I wanted to look at. Normally I'd drive by the homes on my own just to be sure that I liked the neighborhood and to see what the pictures don't show you. I found my way to a little subdivision on the north side of town where a couple of the houses on my list were located. I saw the exteriors of those homes and thought they would be OK to take a closer look at, but then noticed another home on the corner that caught my eye and had a "For Sale" sign on it as well. I didn't remember seeing that home online, but as soon as I got back to my apartment I looked online and there it was in exactly the price range I was willing to pay! I called up my realtor and she set up viewing appointments for all three homes on that road for the next Saturday.

I looked at the first two homes and knew they weren't right for me. Finally I got to see the inside of the third home. It was beautiful! Many of the walls were painted my favorite color, the layout of the home was exceptional and everything in the home worked and was relatively new. I knew right then that I wanted to make an offer on the house but normally I liked to think things through at least overnight before making important financial decisions. It was such a nice home, in such a reasonable price range, that my realtor recommended if I really wanted a shot at this home, which had been on the market just a few days I would be well advised to write up an offer that afternoon. I agreed and that was one of the smartest decisions I have ever made. There was one counter-offer involved and then in just a couple days, the owners of the house of my dreams accepted my offer. That was at the beginning of May and they were willing to accept my terms of possession of the house at close, which was the last day of May. I did it! My realtor was incredulous that I found a great house in such a short period of time, in such good shape AND was able to move in when I wanted to.

Also, remember the first house I made an offer on? One of its biggest qualities was that it was very close to work. A few months after I bought my house, the mortgage business took a dive and the company I worked for left Fort Wayne. Don't worry, I got another job shortly after (in the financial industry) but I mention this only to show that the first house was really not meant for me.

There are so many synchonicities in this story that it would take another page to point them all out. I do hope that it does inspire you to dream big and be open to what can happen.

Connie Higgison is a licensed Spiritual Health Coach and Reiki Master/Teacher. She enjoys singing, reading and writing inspirational stories. Connie currently works full-time in the financial industry but dreams of being a full-time writer. She can be reached at connie.higgison@gmail.com

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