Dover Delaware Community Events In And Around Dover Delaware! This clothing drive is for a worthy cause to benefit People's Place which is a domestic violence shelter with homes in both Kent & Succex County Delaware. This worthy cause will Assist Women and children victims of domestic violence so please make every effort to come out to make a donation with us.When : SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2009Time : 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.Where:  At these following collection points: MainStay Suites-Dover, DE 201 Stover Blvd. (left at light across from DMV) People's Place-Milford, DE 1131 Airport Road What we are looking for:  Clean, up-to-date, new or gently used clothing and linens; monetary donations (checks payable to People's Place)    This is a look at your community events in and around Dover, Dela... 10/31/2009

As reported by the Kent County Levy Court, the October 2009 edition of Treatment Plant Operator magazine featured Kent County's Wastewater Treatment Plant. The magazine is a national trade publication for municipal and county wastewater operations. The article focuses on Kent County's water treatment advancements which resulted in the plant winning the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Operations and Maintenance Award for Advanced Large Plants in 2007. Its standing is a model plant for wastewater operators from around the world. Plant operators from around the world, such as Brazil, South Africa, Germany, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia, and Russia have visited the plant to learn more about Kent County's Wastewater operations. 10/25/2009

Dear Colleagues,  Time is running out for the first-time home buyer's tax credit. While it may not help some, it may help others.  Let your representative know you care and this is an important issue for you and your clients, who also happen to be voting constituents. NAR has again put out a Call to Action.  Here is the link, very easy to do. http://takeaction.realtoractioncenter.com/campaign/hbtc?rk=h13Dn7Mal5hHE. 10/06/2009

Delaware Continuing Ed, Post Brokers, and Post Sales On-line Courses. Let your Career Begin Here with Rowlett Real Estate School.  Captain Wayne Rowlett and the Career School welcomes you to the best online Real Estate School in Delaware. Please take a few moments to explore our site where you will find detailed information on our full service online courses. www.rowlettcareerschool.com The Rowlett Career School.com is one of the leading online real estate schools in Delaware. We provide state approved online courses for Continuing Education (CEU)and Appraisal for the Real Estate industry and many other professional state licensed occupations. http://www.rowlettcareerschool.com/de-delaware.htm Please feel free navigating around this site and our links. http://www.rowlettcareerschool.com... 09/23/2009

I constantly have clients who insist on buying a home under short sale status. Here's my advise to those buyers that have this strange penchant for aggravation. There are some great buys out there, provided you are a very patient person. If you are the type person that has to honk your horn at the car in front of you the micro-second the light turns green, if you are the type person that constantly checks your watch to see only 15 seconds has passed since you last checked it, if you are the type of person that jumps on the phone because the repairman has yet to show and it's only 30 seconds past the due time, or if you are the type of person that would rather run over the squirrel in the road rather than wasting a split second by braking, then perhaps a short sale may not be what you ar... 09/22/2009

On Oct 5, 2009, the Kent County Department of Public Safety will be holding an open meeting to present the update of the Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) and to get your input. The meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. at the Kent County Emergency Services Building on Rt 113. If you have an interest in properties located in hazard-prone areas, or have property that could be affected by regulatory changes, be sure to attend.  This is the first public meeting in the planning process. The second meeting will be on Oct 21, 2009 to present to the public further updates. 09/20/2009

With the looming date just over the horizon, the National Association of Realtors will begin a push campaign in the next few weeks to get Congress to extend the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act tax credit beyond the deadline of November. It has been a boom for first-time buyers and NAR is trying to help prevent a slowdown as a result of the tax credit end. Send your Congressional Representative a note to support this extension. Today, being September 14th, leaves little to no room for first timers to take advantage of this credit and with short sales, it would be virtually impossible to qualify if someone contracted today. Let's not lose the momentum, contact your representative today.   09/14/2009

With the growing emphasis on 'going green,' there is a niche in housing manufacturing that has been rearing its green head and is right in the forefront of this revolution. Many prospective buyers say they don't want to look at modular homes, mistakingly believing they are inferior to on-site stick built homes. When you look at the process, modular homes are actually more efficiently built and cheaper to purchase than stick built homes.  The manufacturing process itself is more prone to controlled efficiency. There are no sub-contractors that may or may not show up at the job site like with a stick built home. The warehouses in most manufactured building plants are stocked with all the necessary lumber and hardware, so there's no wasted time and fuel driving to the hardware store gettin... 09/13/2009

I was recently in a seminar where the ugly topic of short sales was part of the discussion. The usual horror stories and screaming in the night, you know what I mean. In any event, someone made the suggestion that before you take a listing for a short sale, do a lien search (no, not a title search) on the property in order to determine who has a piece of the pie. For example, a person may be short selling their home and completely forgot about a local bond loan they took out that does not have to be paid until selling. How many people would remember that after 10 or 15 years? They haven't been paying on it so they figure it was a freebe. Most folks would believe it was something the state government gave them (how generous right?) as a gift to buy their home. It's also good to know how ... 09/12/2009

Each year in May, Keller Williams Realty participates in the Keller Williams Community RED Day. RED stands for Renew, Energize, and Donate.  It is an initiative focused on giving back to our local communities in the form of rehabbing a home, cleaning up local sites such as walking trails, roadways, parks and playgrounds, providing food for the hungry at the local food kitchen, or any other service that improves the community. Our next service date is May 13, 2010.  This RED Day is a small part of what we do at Keller Williams Realty Central DE. As a local market center, we are constantly working on projects with KW Cares, local and national.  One of our local ongoing programs (with great love and care) is Kevin's Room. Here is Kevin's remarkable story:     Kevin is 18.  At age 12, follo... 09/09/2009

According to Lawrence Yun, NAR Chief Economist, the pending home sales nationwide are clearly turning in a postive direction. The affordablility of homes with the added tax credit incentive, are driving up the home sales. A leading 'forward looking' indicator, the Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in July 2009, increased by 3.2% over the June 2009 contracts signed.  This also represents a 12% increase over July 2008 contracts. Many home shoppers seem to be seeking those gems brought to the surface by lower home prices.  According to Yun, the typical home mortgage now represents less than 25% of a middle-income families monthly income and the payments are the lowest on record dating back 39 years, to 1970. This equates to both greater affordability and rock solid financ... 09/07/2009

According to Saturday's Realty Times, more farmers and landowners are cashing in on a new boom and future wave of energy production.  Since the fed announced a half billion dollar grant project last week, a lot of farmers are picking up the scent of a tremendous investment cash cow. If you or your client has acreage that has a good wind flow of 11 to 13 miles per hour, this could be a potential money maker. Many wind turbine companies are looking for places to install their wind turbines and if your farm happens to be close to high power lines, the better your chances. Some places in Iowa for example, are leasing the space on their land for up to $5000 a year and according to the president of Hertz Farm Management in Nevada, Iowa, Lloyd Brown, those lease prices could go as high as $15,... 09/07/2009

Many Doverites recently were sent postcards in the mail about the city's plan to rezone certain properties. The plan is to rezone about 200 parcels to fall in line with the comprehensive rezoning process. The plan to rezone these parcels does not affect the current permitted use of those properties. On Wednesday, Sep 9th, the Director of Planning and Development, Ann Marie Townsend, will be available to field concerns and to show residents the parcels that may be effected. Residents that are concerned should plan to meet with the staff of the planning committee from 4 to 7pm. 09/07/2009

  As a Green Designee I have begun working with a builder who is on the cutting edge of current technology.He has just completed a Zero Energy Home and we are currently waiting for a rating from NAHB. The desired rating is Gold.  302-249-2576 09/05/2009

While housing statistics continue to show some slight improvement, there is still a huge short sale and foreclosure inventory available to prospective buyers. According to the National Association of Realtors, as reported in RISMEDIA, September 1, 2009: Nearly one-third of all existing homes sold recently were either short sales or foreclosures, according to National Association of Realtors® data. To help Realtors meet the needs of home buyers and sellers who need these services, NAR has launched a new Short Sales and Foreclosure Certification Program (SFR). "Foreclosures and short sales can offer opportunities for home buyers, but it's extremely important to have the help of a real estate professional like a Realtor for these kinds of purchases," said NAR President Charles McMillan, a ... 09/03/2009

For the second year in a row, JD Power and Associates have ranked Keller Williams Realty the number one firm in overall customer satisfaction. This is a hard earned award for all brokerage firms and agents across the nation.  As a member of Keller Williams Realty, I am proud to be associated with this award winning family of associates.   Read the Press Release   09/02/2009

FHA on track for busiest year as it backs 23% of mortgages E-mail | Save | Print | Reprints & Permissions | If you are still sitting on the fence waiting for the market to improve, here's more good news for you. By many accounts, our housing market is showing great signs of recovery.  One of those signs is the financial health and the flow of money.  When it comes to financing your new home, take a good look at an FHA loan.  According to USA Today, FHA seems to be having a banner year.  While FHA does not make loans, they do guarantee home loans through approved FHA underwriters.  By Stephanie Armour, USA TODAY, Sep 2, 2009  Almost a year after the federal government launched its rescue of the housing market, nearly one in four new mortgages is insured by the Federal Housing Administra... 09/02/2009

According to the National Association of Realtors The Washington Report, post, Aug 31, 2009, it appears FHA is not (currently) supporting the Home Valuation Code of Conduct for real estate appraisers:  National Mortgage News recently reported that, according to the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB), the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will not implement the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) for its mortgage insurance programs. According to the article, FHA Commissioner David H. Stevens met with a delegation from NAMB and discussed a variety of topics. After talking with HUD, NAR believes it is clear that FHA supports much of what the Code has accomplished. FHA is currently reviewing its appraisal policies and may adopt changes that take HVCC into account. I think ... 08/31/2009

According to TREND, the tri-state MLS, it appears our local market in Kent County is beginning to rebound slightly.  In the 2nd quarter the average home sale price rose slightly from last quarter, from $200,700 to $200,800.  Not a significant increase by any means, but it does demonstrate a positive shift. The number of homes sold however, increased from a previous quarterly 201 to 300 single family home sales, a 49% increase, and that is a significant number.  Housing starts broke from the gate from a previous quarter of 119 to 149 new homes being built this past quarter, and the number of days on the market dropped from 114 to 105. The question is, which homes are selling?  The highest number of homes sold were in the $150,000 to $199,000 category, 3-bedroom and 4-bedroom homes, 32 an... 08/28/2009

  Things to know about!   USDA: Rural Development Guaranteed Rural Housing Program   Must be a fixed rate loan for 30 years Must be compliant with VA rate plus 60 basis points No maximum mortgage limit Adjusted Income Limits:             Kent County & Sussex County:                         1 to 4 people: $74,050                         5 to 8 people: $97,750         New Castle County:                         1 to 4 people: $89,500                         5 to 8 people: $118,150 You must be planning to occupy the dwelling on a permanent basis Can not presently own a dwelling in the local commuting area (within 50 miles from present employment). You do NOT have to be a first time home buyer. The home must be in an eligible rural area, please check website for eligibility. http://eligibil... 08/24/2009