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 | | | | Your REALTOR:
Warren Beckmann
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| Copyright © 2007 Realty Times
All Rights Reserved.
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| | Staging Takes Center Stage
 You don't have to be a star to be in Beth Ann Shepherd's show.
Sheperd is one of those "to the stars" service providers, in this case, setting the stage to position a home for sale or staging. It's a smart marketing move when it's time to move a home in just about any kind of market.
Staging is to the interior of a home what curb appeal is to the exterior -- nipping and tucking, furnishing and accessorizing, buffing and polishing until the place looks like a model home, without being clinical. But it can also include curb appeal.
With just the right special effects, the
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effort can transform a home into a house of dreams and help potential buyers visualize potential.
Done wrong and a home can become more like the set of a horror movie, a real
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Seven Steps To A
Credit Score Makeover
 You can mitigate the effect of tighter mortgage underwriting standards by improving your credit report profile and, as a result, your credit score.
Just don't expect that your knee-jerk reaction to tighter money will generate overnight success. Chances are, you didn't get all those credit report blemishes during a single credit buying binge. And, if you are like many consumers, you don't even know what you are up against.
BankRate.com recently found that 32 percent of Americans surveyed never check their credit reports and have no idea what shape it's in. It's time to find out and do something about it.
Local lenders say the incidence of credit report knowledge is even higher when borrowers sit down to apply for home loans. "Less than 10 percent have seen their report and among those who have, most of the reports are old, many are only from one bureau and so they don't have a complete picture," said Joel Spolin, president of Absolute Mortgage in Palo Alto, CA.
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Coping with Higher
Summer Energy Costs
 Air conditioning is costing consumers more this summer.
The Energy Information Administration, the statistical division of the U.S. Department of Energy, predicts that the price of electricity will climb about 2.6 percent during 2007. Demand for electric power will grow about 1.5 percent during the year, which the EIA says is normal.
This means that if the typical consumer paid $150 for electricity to run central air conditioning in a 2,000 square-foot house in each of the summer months in 2006, for example, that bill will be $153.90 for June, July and August this year. That might not seem like a lot of money, but multiply that by the increase by the number of households in the United States and that means hundreds of millions of dollars.
These costs fall on low and moderate income homeowners the most. Diane-Louise Wormley, who oversees a program to improve Philadelphia neighborhoods, said that a key to making homeownership affordable for younger buyers is to make these older houses energy efficient so that "everything won't be going to the gas company."
Much of the housing stock in Philadelphia, Baltimore and other cities was built before 1950, when energy costs were low and insulation was not part of
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Head Count Shows
Shifting Population
 The country's fifth largest city is in the desert, according to the latest Census Bureau estimates. And though it is only half the size of the next largest city, the nation's No. 1 city in terms of population has more than twice as many people as its closet rival.
Yes, New York reigns supreme as the largest city in the United States, with a population of 8.2 million. The next largest city is Los Angeles, which has just 3.8 million residents.
Chicago is third with 2.8 million inhabitants and Houston is fourth with 2.1 million.
Phoenix, the aforementioned desert city, moved into fifth place, according to the latest count, moving ahead of Philadelphia. The head count in Phoenix in 2006 was 1.5 million. In Philadelphia, it was 1.45 million.
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About Warren Beckmann
When selecting a real estate agent to work with when it comes to buying or selling a home, there are numerous questions that you want answers to. Of these concerns, the two I hear the most are, (1) How long have they been a REALTOR? (2) What are they going to do for me?
Obviously the second should be of most concern to you. However to answer the first, I am in my seventh year as a licensed real estate professional. Over this time frame I have worked with a lot of Buyers and Sellers and offer plenty of experience. I have helped clients purchase new homes from Builders, and I have assisted clients with less than prefect credit. I have also work with a number of foreclosure and short sale listings.
What am I going to do for you? Buyers, any agent can show you available inventory. Helping you to find the right home is what I do. I listen to you, I figure out your wants and needs are and then find it for you.
Sellers, any agent can list you home on the MLS. Be careful about hiring the discount agent or one that seems desperate to get you listing. Some agents will give you the three Ps, Put a sign in front of your house, Put it on the MLS and Pray that someone makes you an offer. Properly marketing your home requires a number of things, to numerous to list here, but contract me for details.
Negotiating, this is what I do for you. Whether you are a buyer, seller or both, working the offer, negotiating to get you the best price terms and conditions. Once we have a contract I keep in contact with the other agent, the title company and the mortgage company to ensure that we get to closing with as few complications as possible.
Now a little about myself, I was born in Kansas in 1961, the son of a Kansas farmer. Yes I am a farm boy; I still have the honor, integrity and work ethics that were instilled in me growing up a rural American country boy. I moved to north Texas in January 1987, worked for several different companies while attending local colleges. Started a small business in January 1990, got my real estate license in 2000, sold my business in 2002 and have been a full time Realtor ever since. Over the years I have gotten to know the DFW areas, especially north Dallas, Collin and Denton county areas and the local real estate markets extremely well.
Finally, I believe what others say about me is more important that anything I can say about myself. So, I invite you to find out what clients are saying about me. I do hope that you will choose me as your REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONAL.
Warren Beckmann
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