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Don't Wait To Plan
Your Estate
Making
excuses to delay estate planning is easy. In fact, maybe
you've already thought: "I'll worry about it when I'm
older." Or "My estate is too small to be affected." Or even,
"I don't know what I'm going to do with my assets yet."
However, if you are unprepared when incapacity or death
strikes, your family's financial future may not be
protected.
While there is no designated age for beginning to plan
your estate, waiting too long may rob your beneficiaries of
much of their inheritance. That's why it's important to take
the time now - before you need an estate plan.
Start with the Basics: What if you
were to die intestate
- that is, without a will? As the foundation of your estate
plan, a will provides for distribution of your assets, names
a guardian for your minor children, and appoints an executor
or personal representative to see that your
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Mortgage Rates
U.S. averages as of September 26, 2002:
30 yr. fixed: 5.99%
15 yr. fixed: 5.41%
1 yr. adj: 4.22%
Get today's rates
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Don't Overlook a Home's Potential When House Hunting
Home
shopping. For first-time homebuyers it's an exciting, albeit
nerve-wracking, experience. If you're like others in the market
for their first home, you probably have in mind exactly how your
soon-to-be home will look.
But it's important not to fall into the bad decorating,
dingy walls, and dirt-bare back yard equals bad-home trap. If
you don't see past the hideous wallpaper, funky light fixtures,
and avocado green carpeting, you may miss out on a home with
great potential.
And, if you're looking for a home in a seller's market
where homes are being snatched up as soon as they go on the
market, you'll come to realize you can't be choosy if you want
to make a competitive offer.
One of the first things to do is to get pre-qualified for
a loan and determine the maximum you can afford to offer for a
house. Don't look at homes that are asking for more than 5
percent above your maximum, otherwise
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Tips for Showing Your
Home in Fall
Fall
often signals a slowing down in the real estate business. While
steady home sales are expected to continue through the year,
many regions will likely slowly shift from a sellers market to a
moderate or buyers market, meaning if you're selling, you'll
want to do everything you can to make you house look its best.
As you set out to put your home on the market and add your
home sale to this year's statistics, keep the following fall
tips in mind:
Curb appeal. A home shopper's first impression is
everything. The moment they pull up to the curb, they'll make an
instant judgment. You'll want to be sure it's positive. You can
begin by making sure leaves are raked, and your shrubs and
bushes are pruned.
Make sure your walkway is free of leaves and debris.
Trim trees so unexpected winds don't knock down branches
that could damage your home or hurt anybody.
If it is rainy, be sure you have a good doormat so all
potential homebuyers can wipe their feet and not traipse mud and
water through the house.
Make sure gutters are free from debris and are draining
properly.
If you already have snow, be sure you
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Keeping Your Home
Playground Safe
As
kids head back to school, you're bound to notice the kindergartner
whose wrist is in a cast after falling from the monkey bars. But
it's not just on the schoolyard and neighborhood park that injuries
occur - in fact, more deaths to children occur in backyard
playgrounds than on public play equipment.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that from 1990
to August 2000 there were 150 deaths to children 15 and under
stemming from unsafe playground equipment. Ninety of those deaths
occurred at home. About 75 percent of the home deaths resulted from
hangings from ropes, cords, homemade rope swings, and similar items.
And when it comes to injuries, there were more than 200,000
playground-related injuries in 1999 - almost 47,000
Daily News and Advice
Read about the events shaping the Real Estate
market today, find current interest rates, or browse the
extensive library of advice and how-to articles written by some
of the top experts in Real Estate. Updated each weekday.
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