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Telecommuting offers a lot of benefits to both the employer and employees. For the company, the set up means a more cost-effective way of operating business functions because less energy is consumed for the performance of daily tasks. There is also little need to manage a huge workspace when most of the workers are accomplishing their assigned tasks from outside the office. For employees, working from home allows them to save from the expenses incurred commuting to and from the office. It also gives them an opportunity to spend more time with their families, as in the case of WAHM (work at home mom), and reduce work-related stress.

Developing a work-at-home policy: A guide for HR managers

Managing telecommuting programs is different from supervising actual workers in person. To maximize the benefit of telecommuting, it’s important for supervisors to learn how to work with remote teams from a virtual office.

Before anything else, however, you need to devise a policy that covers flexible work options and managing virtual workers. Such concepts as maintaining workplace flexibility and wage and hour laws must be taken into consideration.

Here are top ten tips in developing a telecommuting policy.

1. Identify your business needs.
   It’s important to list how having people work from outside the office would benefit your business, and assess if the benefits outweigh the consequences. Your policy needs to sufficiently address the expectations of your company as far as work output and human resources are concerned.
2. Identify who can telecommute.
   Understand that not everyone in your company can and should be allowed to work from home. Managing telecommuting arrangements means overseeing to the productivity of people who are not within shouting distance so you wouldn’t be able check on the quality of their output until the work is actually submitted to you. As such, developing a telecommuting policy needs to include creating requirements for those who want to telecommute. For instance, you need teleworkers who are organized, exhibit strong problem solving abilities, and have excellent communication skills, among other skill sets. Your policy should constitute a clear criterion for determining who can work from home so you can easily defend your decisions later on.

   Beyond the individual’s skill sets, you must also look into which positions in your organization lend themselves to telecommuting. Some positions will not be affected at all if the worker becomes a teleworker; others may be impossible to fill with a remote worker.

3. Implement guidelines for dependent care.
   While working from home does have the added benefit of being able to spend more time with one’s family, it should not be taken as an alternative to making arrangements for dependent care. Work productivity will be compromised if the teleworker has to attend to the children while drafting documents for the virtual office.
4. Formalize agreements on equipment
   Your policies should also consider the types of equipment that a telecommuter would need to be able to work efficiently out of the office. The agreement has to stipulate who will provide the equipment for the worker. Some companies provide computers and allowances for internet services to their remote teams while there are those who don’t. In the latter case, flexible work options are usually provided as alternatives to working in the office. Employees still have the choice to show up and finish their work in the conventional workspace provided for them.
5. Ensure employee safety.
   It’s also important to make sure that your agreement clarifies who is responsible for employee safety when the worker is accomplishing his tasks from home. You can hold your workers accountable for maintaining the safety of their home workplace. In addition, you can provide a clause that allows you, the employer, to inspect the home workspace to make sure that it follows the guidelines stipulated in the agreement.
6. Ensure confidentiality.
   Company information is another consideration when managing virtual workers. Business data may be compromised since workers are accessing them from outside the office. As such, it’s important to stipulate in the agreement ownership of information and company documents in case the employee leaves your company. This should be clearly spelled out and confidentiality of work information should also be underlined.
7. Make sure that technology is available.
   If you’re going to hire virtual employees, you need to also include a technology checklist of what you require the applicant to have to qualify as a telecommuter. Technology is important when maintaining a virtual workspace, so new hires should have devices such as a dedicated phone line for business, three-way calling systems, high-speed internet access and fax machine among others.
8. Wage and hour laws
   If unprepared, a human resource manager may be forced to face a minefield of issues on wage and hour laws. You need to navigate this carefully in order to avoid liability.
   Record and track all hours worked by employees who telecommute. You may consider installing timekeeping software for the equipment / computers given to employees, as punching the usual timeclock is not possible.
   Determine a system of properly compensating telecommuting workers for all hours worked, plus overtime (if they are not exempt). The biggest problem here is how to compensate telecommuting employees who sit idly, waiting for instructions. Keep in mind that telecommuters may be considered „on call“ 24/7. Make sure that it is clear to the employees whether they „engaged to be waiting“ (as in firemen, for whom the waiting time is working time) or „waiting to be engaged“ (which means they can do what they like as long as they are available by email, cell, etc.)
9. Quality metrics
   To gauge the effectiveness of a telecommuting program, you need to devise certain metrics for quality of service. It’s important for you to make sure that your employees are still performing according to your expectations. Just like in any work situation, quality, quantity, cost-effectiveness, and timeliness ate the four main measures to review. Once you have established performance measures, you need to establish a feedback system, which helps maintain good performance. Additionally, telecommuting employees need a channel with which to keep their managers informed about their work progress.
10. Communication
    Finally, one important detail that you need to consider when developing a telecommuting policy is communication. The policies should include information on how often you expect your workers to check their e-mails, for instance, so they’re kept updated. Communication should never be one-way; thus, you also need to establish and follow guidelines on how employees can reach their supervisors – who may also be telecommuting.

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The Wild West

The Wild West refers to the period from the end of the Civil War in 1865 to around 1900.

It tells the stories of the pioneers, the settlers, the cattle kings, gold mining, railroads and steamboats, the cowboys, Indians, outlaws and gun slingers.

Famous characters of the Wild West include Whyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson, Billy the Kid, Calamity Jane and Belle Starr.

After the first European settlers arrived in America, many move westward seeking a new life and the promise of prosperity.

The West offered land, good soil for farming and new opportunities to get rich that could not be done in the East.

The Two-Fisted Town Tamer

Thomas James Smith, also known as „Bear River Smith“ (12 June 1830 – 2 November 1870), was a lawman in the American Wild West and a marshal of cattle town, Abilene, Kansas.

Smith was a quiet-spoken lawman with a rugged reputation who came from New York City, where he worked as a police officer.

While working as a police officer in New York City in 1868, Smith was involved in the accidental killing of a fourteen-year-old boy, after which he resigned.

He also served as a lawman in small towns in Wyoming, Bear River and in Kit Carson, Colorado.

Marshal of Abilene

Abilene, Kansas, was a wild cattle town with numerous saloons, brothels and lawlessness.

From 1867, crime had increased to the point where murder and shootings were a regular occurrence.

Tom Smith was commissioned as Deputy US Marshal to bring law and order to Abilene in 1869 and insisted that he could enforce the law by using his fists rather than using guns.

Soon after taking office, Smith overpowered both, „Big Hank“ Hawkins and „Wyoming Frank“ and banished them from Abilene, after beating them both at the same time using only his bare hands.

Smith also introduced a „no guns in the town limits“ law which was extremely unpopular.

Over the next two months, Smith survived two assassination attempts.

His tough reputation and several arrests of law-breakers led him to become widely respected and admired by the citizens of Abilene.

On the 2nd of November, 1870, Smith and a temporary deputy went to serve a warrant to Andrew McConnell and Moses Miles about the murder of another Abilene citizen.

They located the suspects ten miles outside of Abilene where a gunfight erupted.

Smith was badly wounded in the chest and his deputy fled the scene.

Moses Miles then took an axe and decapitated Tom Smith.

McConnell and Miles were captured and arrested in March 1871.

Andrew McConnell got 12 years in prison and Moses Miles spent 16 years and released.

Tom Smith was buried in Abilene, and a huge tombstone was erected with a plaque to honor his service in Abilene.

Smith was replaced as marshal by legendary lawman and gunfighter „Wild Bill“ Hickock.

Ronald Reagan, as the host of the syndicated western television series, Death Valley Days, played Smith in the 1965 episode „No Gun Behind His Badge“.

Colter’s Run

John Colter (c.1770-1775 – May 7, 1812 or November 22, 1813) was a mountain man and explorer who was a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803 to 1806 commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson, to explore and map the newly purchased American Northwest from Napoleonic France, and beyond after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.

Colter also became the first person of European descent to enter the region which later became Yellowstone National Park and to see the Teton Mountain Range during the winter of 1807-1808.

Blackfeet Indians

In 1809, Colter teamed up with John Potts, another former member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition to trap for beaver for the lucrative fur trade near the Jefferson River in what is now Montana when they encountered several hundred of the dreaded Blackfeet Indians while traveling by canoe.

The Blackfeet demanded they come ashore.

Colter complied and was disarmed and stripped naked.

Potts refused and was shot and wounded.

Potts then killed one of the Indian warriors and was immediately riddled with arrows fired by the Indians from the shore.

His body was then brought to shore and hacked to pieces.

Run-For-Life

After the Blackfeet deliberated how to kill Colter, the chief decided to allow him to run for his life and to be chased by the Indians with spears.

They took him to a nearby plain and gave him a three to four hundred yard start.

Colter, knew that he must outrun the Blackfeet if he had any chance of surviving.

He started his run-for-life across the plain and had out-paced the Indians except for one who was about twenty yards behind him.

Determined to avoid the expected spear-throw, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and spread out his arms.

The surprised Indian, too exhausted from running, fell when he tried to throw his spear.

Colter immediately snatched up the spear and killed him then, continued his run with the rest of the Indians following at a distance.

Colter reached the Madison River, five miles from his start, and hid under driftwood near a beaver lodge.

He could hear the yells of the Blackfeet, who looked up and down the river to find him.

He waited till night, then climbed out and walked completely naked and frozen, toward a trader’s fort.

Colter became weaker from hunger and exhaustion, surviving only on roots and bark and had bloodied feet from prickly cactus thorns piercing his feet.

Miraculously, Colter reached Manuel Lisa’s Fort within seven days where he was greeted by his friends.

After a few weeks when he regained his strength, he headed back to Blackfeet country that winter to collect the traps he had left behind.

John Colter lived five more years after his incredible run, dying of jaundice in Missouri, where he lies in an unmarked grave.

Alexander Todd

Former clerk, Alexander Todd got gold fever so, he went to California to seek his fortune.

He soon realized that he didn’t have the physical stamina to endure the backbreaking work at the gold fields in the freezing rivers of the Mother Lode (rich source of an ore or mineral).

However, it didn’t take him long to find opportunities to make money without having to pan for gold.

California Gold Rush

California had grown fast with the gold rush that getting a letter from San Francisco to the Mother Lode country was difficult.

The federal government was shipping mail to California by way of the Isthmus of Panama, a route that was as lengthy and uncertain for the mail service as it was for the Forty-Niners (gold seekers in the California gold rush of 1849).

Todd scoured the mining camps and signed up hundreds of lonely miners who yearned for word from home.

The nearest post office was in San Francisco which was a two-week trip there and back.

The miners couldn’t leave their claim that long so they signed-up for the mail service.

On July 14, 1849, Todd began carrying mail to the San Francisco post office charging $2.50 a letter and an ounce of gold, $16 for personal delivery of any mail that he found for addresses in the mining camp.

On his first trip, he delivered $150,000 in gold for some merchants to a company in San Francisco and was paid $7,500.

When Todd handed the clerk at the San Francisco post office the long list of names, the clerk swore Todd in as a postal clerk so he could search the stacks of letters himself charging twenty-five cents for each letter he found.

That didn’t bother Todd because he had discovered another way to make money.

He bought old New York newspapers for a dollar each and sold for $8 back at the gold fields.

Another money-making business he introduced was packing gold from the mining camps to deposit in San Francisco in exchange for five percent of its value.

Everything he Did Turned to Gold

Without having to touch a pick or a shovel, Alexander Todd made a fortune using good old American ingenuity.

Charles Marion Russell (1864 – 1926)

Charles Marion Russell, „the cowboy artist,“ storyteller and author (also known as C. M. Russell, Charlie Russell, and „Kid“ Russell) was born in St. Louis, Missouri on March 19, 1864.

He was an artist of the American Wild West who created more than 4,000 works of art during his lifetime, working in paint, bronze, ink, and wax of cowboys, Indians, and landscapes, set in the Western United States and in Alberta, Canada.

Russell loved the „Wild West“ and would spend hours reading about it and enjoyed speaking to explorers and fur traders who came through Missouri.

He learned to ride horses at Hazel Dell Farm near Jerseyville, Illinois, on a famous Civil War horse named Great Britain from Col. William H. Fulkerson, who had married into the Russell family.

At the age of sixteen, Russell left school to follow his dream of the Wild West as a cowboy on a sheep ranch in Montana then, moved on to work with Jake Hoover, a hunter and trapper who had become a rancher.

From Hoover, he learned much about life in the Wild West and they remained lifelong friends.

In 1882, at the age of eighteen, Russell worked as a cowboy for a number of outfits in Montana.

It was in 1885 when he began to work as an artist.

During the winter of 1886-1887 while working on the O-H Ranch in the Judith Basin of Central Montana, he painted a number of watercolors.

When the ranch foreman received a letter from the owner, asking how the cattle had weathered the winter he sent a postcard-sized watercolor that Russell had painted of a haggard steer being preyed by wolves under a gloomy winter sky.

The ranch owner showed the postcard to friends and business acquaintances and eventually it was displayed in a shop window in Helena, Montana giving Russell his first taste of publicity and to receiving commissions for new work.

His watercolor, „Waiting for a Chinook“, became one of his best-known works.

Native American Culture

In 1888, Russell gained valuable knowledge of Native American culture when he spent time with the Blood Indians, a branch of the Blackfeet.

He became an advocate for Native Americans and supported the Chippewa to have a reservation established for them in Montana.

In 1916, Congress passed legislation to create the Rocky Boy Reservation.

Marriage

In 1892 he settled in Great Falls, Montana and in 1896 he married his wife Nancy.

Between 1904 until his death in 1926, he also modeled 46 subjects to be cast in bronze.

His 1914 painting „When the Land Belonged to God“ is a nostalgic work from an ageing artist looking back on his youth in the Wild West..

Worlwide Acclaim

Charles Marion Russell had now become a celebrity and gained worldwide acclaim.

*Four Russell paintings sold for more than $100,000.

*“Water Girl (No. 1),“ sold for $220,000.

*“Blood Chief“ brought $200,000.

„Portrait of Indian“ sold at $150,000.

His 1918 painting Piegans sold for $5.6 million.

In 1955, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

The Iconic Stetson Hat

John Batterson Stetson (May 5, 1830 – February 18, 1906) was an American hatter who founded the John B. Stetson Company manufacturering the classic cowboy hat in 1865 during the Gold Rush.

The Stetson is probably, the best known hat in the world and is synonymous with the cowboy lifestyle.

It has become an American classic like baseball, apple pie and the Fourth of July.

Stetson, had his name, John B. Stetson Company, embossed in gold in every hatband and became the most well-known hat in the West.

He sold his first hat for five dollars and by 1900, he had the largest hat factory in the world.

John B. Stetson

John B. Stetson was born in New Jersey, the 8th of 12 children.

His father, Stephen Stetson was a hatter so, as a youth, John worked with him until he was diagnosed with terminal tuberculosis.

In 1859, he left the hat-making business to explore his passion for the American West and hoped to cure his tuberculosis in a more natural environment.

While there, he worked during the Gold Rush at Pike’s Peak, Colorado, where an estimated 100,000 gold seekers took part in one of the greatest gold rushes in North American history.

During his time in the West, Stetson also met drovers, bullwhackers and cowboys and noticed their flea-infested coonskin caps, sea-captain hats, straw hats and wool derbies worn by many offered no protection.

He thought that an all-weather hat was better suited for the rugged environment of the West and decided to invent a waterproof, felt-hat that was durable, lightweight and natural in color with a four-inch crown and wide brim with a plain strap band.

„Boss of the Plains“

In 1865 Stetson returned to Philadelphia and founded the John B. Stetson Company as a manufacturer of hats designed in the style worn by the Vaqueros (cowboys) of Northern Mexico for the demands of the American West.

He mass-produced the „Boss of the Plains“ hat as a symbol of authority and elegance.

The wide brim protected people from the hot sun.

The crown could be used to water a horse.

The brim could be used by the owner as a cup to drink.

The hat could be used to shunt cows in certain directions.

And, it could be used to fan a fire.

Famous People Who Wore a Stetson.

Western icons such as Buffalo Bill Cody, Calamity Jane and Annie Oakley wore Stetsons.

So did famous cowboy actors like Tom Mix, Will Rogers, Roy Rogers, the Lone Ranger and John Wayne.

Many U.S. Presidents wore Stetsons which included Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan.

The company also made hats for the Texas Rangers, U.S. Cavalry soldiers and employees of the National Park Service.

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Makler Heidelberg

Earning a certificate or degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography can lead to a rewarding career. An important consideration for students is finding a way to pay for their education or cut down their education cost. Sonography scholarships are popular because they do not have to be repaid like student loans or federal grants. Following are some of the quality scholarships funding students taking classes for sonography.

AMVETS Scholarships

Deadline: April 15

Description: Numerous scholarships are available to active military and veterans, and their children and grandchildren. Scholarships include six $4,000 scholarships for high school seniors attending 4-year undergraduate programs or accredited technical schools; three $4,000 scholarships for veterans attending a 4-year undergraduate program or technical school certificate/degree program; and one $1,000 scholarship for a JROTC high school senior. There are numerous other scholarships available for veterans and active military attending accredited schools and are listed on the AMVETS site.

Contact Address: 4647 Forbes Boulevard Lanham, MD 20706

Contact Phone: 877-726-8387

Alan D. Waggoner Sonographer Student Scholarship Award

Deadline: November 30

Description: The scholarship award includes $1,000, registration fee for the Foundation’s Annual Scientific Session, and an amount up to $500 to fund travel expenses to attend the conference. Students must be enrolled in a CAAHEP accredited echocardiography or cardiac ultrasound program. Membership in the ASE is required for scholarship eligibility.

Contact Address: 2100 Gateway Centre Boulevard, Ste. 310, Morrisville, NC 27560

Contact Phone: 919 – 861-5574

Jerman-Cahoon Student Scholarship

Deadline: February 1, 2014

Description: The scholarship awards $2,500 to several entry-level students each year. Students must be enrolled in one of several accredited areas of study, and one of them is sonography. It is a renewable scholarship if students meet requirements each year.

Contact Address: 15000 Central Ave. SE, Albuquerque, NM 87123-3909

Contact Phone: 800-444-2778

IFSER Scholarship

Deadline: June 30, 2014

Description: The foundation with the acronym IFSER awards scholarships in an amount up to $500 to students enrolled in a CAAHEP accredited Diagnostic Medical Sonography program.

Contact Address: 929 East Main Street #175, Mount Joy Pa. 17552

Contact Phone: 520 300-2222

Ingham County Medical Society Alliance Health Scholarship

Deadline: January 31, 2014

Description: This is a good example of the many scholarships available to local residents. Two $1,500 scholarships are awarded annually to residents of Michigan’s Clinton-Eaton-Ingham tri-county area or to graduates of the tri-country schools who will enroll in designated Allied Health Programs, one of which is Diagnostic Medical Sonography. Students looking for scholarships should check with local foundations, businesses, and community organizations. Many scholarships are not well-published because they are designed to assist local community residents.

Contact Address: 10034 Oak Island Dr., Laingsburg, MI 48848-8718

Contact Person: Dee Loge-Wacker

Royce Osborn Minority Student Scholarship

Deadline: February 1, 2014

Description: Five $4,000 scholarships are awarded annually to entry-level minority students majoring in sonography or one of several other allied health programs.

Contact Address: 15000 Central Ave. SE, Albuquerque, NM 87123-3909

Contact Phone: 800-444-2778

SDMS Foundation Sonographer Advanced Degree Scholarship

Deadline: June 30

Description: Students who have already worked for at least two years as sonographer may be eligible for a $2,500 scholarship to complete sonography training online that leads to a degree. Eligibility requirements include being a SDMS member who is in good standing and who is accepted into or enrolled in an accredited ultrasound technology program.

Contact Address: 2745 Dallas Pkwy Ste 350, Plano, Texas 75093-8730

Contact Phone: 214-473-8057

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Paying someone else for a job, even if they have done a good job, is never something to look forward too. The same is true with Playa del Carmen Realtors. Some consider real estate agent fees to be a necessary evil. Some simply cannot spare the time and resource to sell their home, or buy their home on their own. Most Realtors work hard for their commission; still it is difficult to see thousands of dollars leave your hands and enter the pockets of your Realtor.

Most real estate agents are paid through a commission plan that most often ends up being a percentage of the selling/purchase price of the home. Percentages for the commission rate will vary from real estate agency to real estate agency, but most neighboring agents will have comparable rates. A common Realtor fee is 5-7% of the selling price.

Once you do the math you will realize that 5-7% is a lot of money (enough in fact to drive people to do their own buying and selling despite the difficulty). However, it may console you to know that the Realtor is not the recipient of the entire commission amount. After you pay your Playa del Carmen Realtor the agreed upon percentage, the Realtor must then split their earnings with the agency they work for. If there were other brokers involved in the purchase or sale than these brokers will also get a cut of the sale. The agency that the broker splits his commission with (usually paying out 50%) is compensated for the real estate agent’s work space, marketing, support and other resources needed to help in the sale.

Although it is possible to find fees that are lower than 5% in Playa del Carmen, it may be difficult especially in markets with a lot of real estate business and little competition between agencies (no competition means little incentive to be priced competitively). Some agencies are open to negotiating prices. Below are two suggestions for lowering your Realtor fees.

1. Agents who do not have to give as much money to the agencies that they work for have more flexibility in negotiating price with you. When a Realtor works for a company that requires 50% of the commission it puts the Realtor in a difficult position to have to compromise the small percentage that she is actually going to end up with. Some real estate agents are only required to pay 15% to their agencies. These are the types of Realtors that are more likely to give you some kind of discounted price.

2. There are Realtor services that you can opt out of in order to save money. Marketing methods such as newspaper advertisements are rarely what ends up selling a house. Telling your agent that you are not interested in such low yield expenses saves the agency money that they can then pass on to you.

If you are still unhappy with what you can expect to pay a Playa del Carmen Realtor consider all of the costs that you would be incurring had you chosen not to employ a Realtor. Remember that when you sell your home on your own you are responsible for paying for all forms of advertising, you pay to get your home listed with a service, you pay for legal council, you pay for copies, office supplies and documentation. You sacrifice money and time that could be saved had you not needed to spend so much time selling your property or looking for a new property. Consider the time lost working and the time lost with family and friends because you are responsible for being present at open houses, meeting with potential buyers, inspector reviews, etc. If you do not follow all of the laws and file the appropriate documents you could also be facing having to pay a great deal of money in a lawsuit. All of the costs add up fast.

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Makler Heidelberg

If you are a first time home buyer, you may want to have the right strategies to save a down payment, apply for a mortgage, and buy a house that you desire. Just like any large project, you need to get the details right for a successful home buying experience. With these steps, you can navigate the process and get a great deal. Given below are some of the tips that can help you purchase the best home. Read on to find out more.

1. Start Saving as Early as Possible

Make sure you start saving as soon as possible. This way you will have plenty of money to spend on the best house. You need money for making a down payment and meeting closing costs and move-in expenses. Generally, the down payment is 10% of the full value of the property.

2. Decide on your Budget

Find out how much you can spend on the property prior to starting your search. You can use an affordability calculator in order to set a price range on the basis of a lot of factors, such as your credit rating, down payment, and income, just to name a few.

3. Work with a Real Estate Agent

Working with a reliable real estate agent can help you check out homes that can meet your needs. They can make it easier for you to negotiate with sellers and get the best deal possible. You may also want to get referrals from other home buyers. We suggest that you interview at least five agents and ask them for references. Make sure that the agent has at least 10 years of experience in the field.

4. Go for the Right type of House

You may want to compare the advantages and disadvantages of different types of properties based on your budget and lifestyle. Unlike a single-family home, a townhome or condominium can be a much better choice. Another great option that you may want to consider is a fixer-upper. They come with lower price tags. But you may want to set some money aside for remodeling these properties.

You may want to consider your long-term needs, especially if you are planning to expand your family. In other words, you may want to purchase a house that has additional rooms.

5. Stick to your Budget

You may not want to spend more than what you can afford. Therefore, it is not a good idea to spend more than what you can payback. This is important if you want to avoid financial stress in the future. It is better that you consider properties that are priced lower than your maximum budget.

Long story short, if you are a first-time home buyer, we suggest that you follow these steps and you will be able to buy your first home without getting into trouble. Just make sure you have set a budget and taken into consideration all the important pointers given in this article.

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Makler Heidelberg

1) How much of a Down Payment do I need to come up with?

In the recent past, people used to think 20% down was necessary to qualify for a home loan or to have a reasonable mortgage payment. For the most part, this is no longer the case. There are many types of mortgage programs that allow for low down payment options or no down payment in some cases. You also don’t have to be a first time home buyer to qualify for these programs either.

FHA Loans are one of the most popular types of mortgages applied for in today’s market, this is mainly because of low down payment options and the flexible qualifying requirements. Without down payment assistance, you just need a minimum of 3.5% down. A lot of people think FHA is strictly for first time home buyers, but that is not true. it’s a government-backed home loan, but they don’t require you to be a first time home buyer. FHA stands for Federal Housing Administration.

Conventional Loans have been gaining a lot of traction over the last few years and will soon replace the FHA loan program as the most popular loan product on the market. Conventional loans allow for a minimum down payment as low as 3% down and also allows for several creative ways to buy out the monthly PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance). This strategy helps reduce the monthly payments while increasing your buying power.

Minimum Down Payment requirements for each loan type below:

VA Loans – No Down Payment required

USDA Loans – No Down Payment required

FHA Loans – Minimum 3.5% Down Payment required

Conventional Loans – Minimum 3% Down Payment required

You can use gift funds for any of the programs listed above. Also, If you are a first time home buyer be sure to ask your loan consultant if you qualify for any down payment assistance program.

2) What Credit Score do I need to qualify for a Mortgage?

Aside from income verification, one of the biggest determining factors in qualifying for a mortgage is your credit score. The higher the credit score the better your chances will be in qualifying. When a mortgage company or bank checks your credit for a mortgage application they will pull what is known as a tri-merge. That is when a credit report is combined with data and individual scores from the 3 major credit bureaus. Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. The middle of the 3 scores will be used to determine your qualifying score. Ideally, you want to have a middle credit score of 680 or above. In most cases, the higher your credit score is, the better your rate and terms will be as well.

There are minimum credit score requirements for every loan program, but to ensure you get qualified for the most competitive terms it is important that you do everything you can to learn how to increase and improve your credit.

Below are the minimum credit score requirements for each loan program:

VA Loans – 620 (some lenders may allow for as low as 580+)

USDA Loans – 620

FHA Loans – 580

Conventional – 620

3) What are the Income Requirements and Guidelines for a Mortgage?

Proving your ability to repay the loan is one of the most important requirements in the qualifying process. That is why showing sufficient and consistent income documentation is crucial when going through the pre-approval or qualification process. If you are a W2 employee and paid a salary then the verification process is fairly simple. However, can be more difficult for people that receive and/or rely on commissions, bonuses, overtime, etc. For borrowers that are self-employed and/or receive a 1099 it can be even more difficult and complex especially since you can have a lot more write-offs and deductions when you’re self-employed.

First and foremost you need a 2-year work history to even qualify using any income source. However, for full-time hourly or salaried employees that doesn’t mean you have to be at the same company or industry for 2 years. That used to be a requirement but not anymore unless the lender/bank has their own overlay. If you receive and want to use commission, bonus, overtime or other types of income then you have to show a minimum of a 2-year history and the bank/lender will use a 24 month average for qualifying purposes. Self-Employed borrowers are now able to qualify with 12-24 months bank statements for certain nontraditional (non-QM) loan programs.

Qualifying Income Sources:

* Full-Time W2 Income/Salary

* Income from Part-Time Jobs (must be at the job for a minimum of 1-2 years in some cases)

* Income from a second full or part-time job

* Overtime, Commissions, Bonuses (must average over 24 months)

* Seasonal (must prove 2-3 years consistency)

* Self-Employed Income

* Bank Statements (12-24 months)

* Permanent Disability

* Retirement/Pension

* Child Support/Alimony (Sufficient documentation required)

* Asset Depletion

What are the Required Documents Needed?

There are specific required documents needed that your loan consultant will request in order to process your loan approval. You should at least have the below list of documentation readily available and be ready to provide more depending on your particular situation.

* Complete Federal Personal and/or Corporate Tax Returns for the past 2 years (ALL SCHEDULES)

* W2’s for the past 2 years

* 1 Month worth of Pay Stubs

* Bank Statements (may need anywhere from 2-24 months)

* Retirement/Pension and/or Social Security Award Letters

* Disability Award Letter

* Divorce Decree

* Business License

* Asset Documentation

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

The sunniest time of the year when sun is shining brightly is surely a great time for exploring new neighborhoods and visualizing future patio parties during viewings. If you are planning to buy home this summer then it is important to understand the housing market prior starting any serious shopping. You must have to know what housing market is like for buyers now and what you can do to end up the best home with best price that fits right in your budget.

Owning a home is an investment in your future and with that in mind you wants to make sure that you are making educated decisions so that you could get the best possible deal. Housing market in 2018 should be just as strong this summer as it’s been all spring. List prices and existing home sales have risen this year but there are perks to house hunting right now, too. We present you some of the facts and tips to help you get the most out of this year’s summer housing market.

SUMMER MARKET FACTS

DURING THE SUMMER PRICES DROP: Although summer is busy home-buying season but still it is not crazy as prices drop from May through October. Anyhow if you hang out until late August then you could find a really great deal-that is when nearly 14 % of listings get a price cut.

Private Mortgage Insurance Is GETTING MORE Reliable: PMI or Private Mortgage Insurance getting cheaper after PMI lenders MGIC and Radian lowered their rates this spring; it is great financing news for homebuyers. That’s going to cause most of these PMI companies to be competitive with each other which in result going to bring them all down. Less than 20 % of down payment makes the home buyers to get PMI. It means it will be cheaper for some buyers to get into homes sooner.

HOMEBUYING TIPS FOR SUMMER 2018

DON’T DISCOUNT OLDER LISTINGS: At the times when homes are flying off the market within days due to strong competition, it is easy to think a listing that’s a week or so old is a red flag. But keep in mind that it is not always the case. It is often because buyer got cold feet and pulled out of a deal on a perfectly good house. But thanks to the assumptions home buyers make about older listings in busy markets, the delay can cause the price to come down.

There are just more of these in market. The number of homes in market is shrinking but still there are 8.3 % more fixer-upper among them than there were six years ago. If you are dead-set against a fixer-upper to be prepared to move quickly then there is only ever going to be a couple of options at a time. And when new listings come up it’s going to be pretty ferocious.

GET TO KNOW THE NEIGHBORHOOD: The plus point of competitive market it gives you temptation to make an offer on any available property that fits your criteria but if it’s in the wrong neighborhood, you may never want to purchase the house. It is better to take some time and do community scouting before making an offer. You can even find out what your future neighbors have to say about the area by communicating with them.

MAKE THE STRONGEST OFFER: To stay in the market make the strongest offer, even your offer is not the highest because now is not the time for low ball-offer. No doubt, coming up with cash offer could be tough for many home buyers but there are some ways to make a strong offer that don’t require gobs of money. Substantial eventualities like a shorter closing or inspection period and writing a great offer letter can help make your offer stand out.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Most people define luxury majorly in terms of price but there is so much more to luxury than just the amount of money you spend. It is very hard to define luxury homes in an exact way because this is something made up of several factors. If you are looking for a posh home to buy, there are some general qualities expected within it and they are what together create the luxury that is the home. Below are some of the features that such homes tend to have in common.

Prime location

Luxury homes tend to in coveted locations like on the beach or overlooking a sea for that matter. Others are in secluded mountainous areas or atop one while others may be overlooking a beautiful city. It all depends on whether you wish to have your home in the city or the country but generally they will be prime located attracting high end buyers for that reason.

High price

Like mentioned earlier price does interpret luxury and most homes under this category will be highly priced. Different areas attract different prices but you cannot expect to pay anything lower than half a million when looking for a luxurious home to and the prices can go way up into tens of millions depending on the magnitude of the property.

Exquisite amenities

Luxury home carry the most exquisite amenities in that you can conduct your life right from your home without needing other services out of it. Most will have a gym, spa, swimming pool, Jacuzzis, arcade rooms, movie theaters and even decontamination rooms. Some luxury homes come with outrageous amenities and they are what attract the buyers because they make the property unique, self-sufficient and convenient in every sense. They are some of the factors commanding prices apart from location.

Premier quality

Luxury homes have everything selected with care from the appliances, finishes, design and even materials used for construction and décor. They are all cut above standards so you the buyer can have something to pride yourself in. Hardwoods, marbles, crystals and Venetian plasters among others are common components in the homes.

Exclusivity

High end buyers including high profile individuals and celebrities treat their homes as serene refuges hence privacy is given center stage in luxury homes. If the home is not located in a secluded land large in size, then privacy will be achieved using foliage covers, high walls and tightly gated entrances sometimes complete with guards to keep the peace.

Luxury homes without doubt have so much to offer to buyers; as long as you can buy it, you can enjoy it. Some buyers actually look for homes that have interesting stories or histories behind them to give them that edge that everyone yearns for. Whatever the choice you make, you can definitely expect much more from a luxury property than a standard normal home. The choices are numerous so finding your ideal luxury home should not be too much of a task.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

When the owners of houses want to sell their own house without the help of any real estate agent or broker, they are called for sale by owner. The National Association of Realtors did a survey report in 2006 that showed that only 7 percent of all sellers were FSBO. There are a lot of hurdles that they have to face when selling their house without the help of any professional. Some of the hurdles may be marketing techniques, timing among others, preparing and designing the house for sale and negotiations.

They need to undertake these hurdles and have to do proper planning because only then you can sale the property successfully. There are many advantages of having for sale by owner, because when there is no middleman, there are no commission fees, so profits are more. Another benefit of this method is that when the owner of the house makes the sale himself, he takes care of all the conditions and clauses in the contract. In case you take the help of a real estate agent for selling your house, the broker is more concerned for the commission and thus forgets other aspects.

If you want to go for FSBO, then you must take care of all the paperwork yourself, and therefore you need the complete knowledge of the market. First of all, you must consider the market price of your house. If you overestimate the cost, you will not find buyers, and if you underestimate the price, you will be at a loss, so proper cost analysis is required. Once you get the market price of your property, you need to get all the papers that are needed to do the sale.

After all these things, now you have to place an ad of your house to attract potential buyers. For this, you can use multiple listing services, and there are various websites for this purpose. You can get the opportunity of allowing tour of your house as a lot of websites give you this kind of service. If you do not want that, you can just include the images of your property so that buyers can have an idea about your property.

You have to face many challenges and hurdles in spite of having various attractive options, like saving in commission etc. You need to sort out all the matters yourself since there will not be any agent or broker to help you out.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg

Basic Real Estate Statistics Explained

We are going to define some of the basic real estate statistics that get thrown around on a regular basis. To do that, we will use one real estate market, located in Hood County Texas. Even more granular, we will use the single family numbers for homes in Granbury Tx, a small town of approximately 8,000 residents which has seen substantial real estate growth in the past 12 months. It is important when reviewing real estate statistics to use a group of numbers large enough for consistency, but granular enough to tell your story.

The statistics that we will be referencing are true and accurate for the year discussed but are being used to define the real estate statistic itself.

We have chosen Granbury Tx as our example because the growth of the local real estate market there make the statics stand out.

Anytime you are evaluating statistics, especially in real estate, the source of the numbers are extremely important. In most instances, the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) provides the most accurate numbers when referring to real estate. This is because they have all listings by all local real estate brokers in their database. For the sake of explanation of the data, we will be looking at the numbers for home sales in Granbury Tx, directly from the MLS. These numbers are meant to give an example of how to read the statistics themselves. Anytime you evaluate real estate numbers, its important to pay close attention to how the numbers are gathered. In this instance, we will be using ONLY single family properties in the city of Granbury.

Basic Real Estate Statistics

• Number of Sales – This one is pretty self explanatory. It is simply the number of single family homes sold in a particular month. In January of 2015, they had 51 single family homes sold. One thing to pay attention to when looking at this statistic is are they using the Under Contract date or the day the property actually went to closing. These two dates are usually between 30 and 60 days apart, so its critical that you know which one is being referenced. In addition, many of the homes that get calculated, if you are using the „under contract“ number may not actually close! In our example, we are using the number of homes that actually closed. In January of 2016 they had an increase of over 49% which brought the total to 77 from 51. Growth of that level is very seldom ever seen.
• Sales Volume – Sales Volume is simply the total amount of dollars spent on single family housing within that month. Once again, when reviewing this statistic, its important to keep the property types consistent. If you are comparing two areas to see which one has grown more and you include vacant land in the number for one area, you must include it in the other too. As previously mentioned, our examples only include single family properties. With Number of Sales looking at the units, you would expect the Sales Volume to go up appropriately, but in this instance, it went up even more than the units (by percentage). The total Sales Volume of single family homes in Granbury in January of 2016 was $15,191,500 as opposed to the January of 2015 number of $9,281,915. That is an increase of over 63%. Because the Sales Volume went up at a larger rate than the number of units, this reflects the average home sale being much larger in 2016 than 2015.
• Months of Inventory – This is a commonly referred to statistic when examining a real estate market. This statistic refers to at the current rate of sales, how long will it take to sell through the existing level of inventory. This reflects the supply and demand for the market. In our example, in January of 2015 the level of inventory was 9 months and in January of 2016 it had dropped to 6 months. That is a 33% drop in available inventory! This means if you are looking to buy a home in Granbury Tx, it will be a little tougher in 2016 as there is less inventory available to buy.
• Median Days To Sell – This stat simply refers to how long it takes for single family properties to be put under contract. Don’t let the „to sell“ confuse you. To accurately show the demand for active homes, you really want to track how long it takes to go „under contract“. The process of acquiring final lender approval, insurance and getting to a closing can vary on a variety of factors. In January of 2015, the Median Days to Sell was 88. That number dropped by over 30% to 61. Once again, this tells you if you are looking for homes in Granbury TX, you better get your offers in quickly as the most desirable homes are going fast!
• Average Price – This statistic can be derived in a variety of ways. We are going to use it in its most raw form and simply be the Average Price of Homes Sold within that month. Be careful when looking at this statistic printed anywhere as how the user defines the date sold can vary. Needless to say, Average Price can be used for active homes for sale or for the homes that sold. The Average Price of ACTIVE homes for sale is generally a pretty useless number as you can list a home for any price, without any possibility of it ever selling. Many homes listed for sale are at unrealistic prices thus the Average Price of Active homes for sale can fluctuate dramatically and give little insight into the market. You will want to look at the Average Price of SOLD homes. In January of 2015, the Average Home Sale was $181,998 and it jumped to $199,888 in the same month in 2016. This is an increase of almost 10%. This is not a number that truly tells the increase in home values across the board, but simply of the homes sold in that month, what the average was.
• Median Price – The Average Home Sales Price can be skewed by a variety of factors. All it takes is one 5 million dollar home sale to throw those numbers off. To get a better view of the overall increase in value, it can be better to look at the Median Sales Price. Median Sales Price takes the number that is perfectly in the middle. For instance, if you have 11 homes that you are using in your statistic, you would take the sales price of the 6th one. This leaves 5 homes sold higher and 5 homes sold lower. In this instance, they are pretty close as the Median Sales Price increase from January 2015 to 2016 was 9.69%. This shows that we didn’t have the Average Price skewed too much because of an extremely large or extremely small sale.

There are hundreds of ways to look at the same numbers, when referencing to real estate, so be very careful to read the fine print on exactly what numbers they are using. When making comparisons, you will want to make absolutely sure that both are referencing the same property types, dates etc. It like the old saying says… there are lies, damn lies and statistics.

Immobilienmakler Heidelberg

Makler Heidelberg