If you have enough equity in your home to refinance your mortgage, be prepared to jump through some hoops, because banks have tightened the restrictions on lending. And if you’ve been sitting on the fence waiting to buy your first home, now is the time to get pre-approved for a mortgage. Even if you have blips on your credit, a good lender can help you get your ducks in a row, so that you can try to take advantage of these incredible record low rates and affordable home prices.

• Buy an inexpensive shredder and use it to destroy any documentation that includes your name, address, or other personal information. This would include credit card and bank statements, cancelled checks, junk mail and credit card offers, and medical bills. Throwing out (or recycling) this “paperwork” makes your information available to anyone willing to sort through the trash.
• Do not give out your social security number or any personal information to anyone you don’t know. This includes scary or official-looking letters or emails from your bank or credit card company that require you to update security information. If you receive such a notice, contact your bank (not by the phone number posted in the letter) to verify that it came from them.
• Never sign a blank contract and allow a salesperson to fill in the rest. Understand everything on the contract before signing, and get oral promises in writing.
• If you are scammed, don’t let your embarrassment stop you from filing a complaint with the proper authorities (Attorney General, Better Business Bureau, or police). Even the savviest consumers sometimes get stung. The only way to attempt to recover what was lost and prevent others from being scammed is to go on the record.

Start out by comparing the market from now back to 2006. In Lombard, the median price of a home in 2006 was $291,750, which would require a monthly payment of $2,317.46. In 2010, the median home price in Lombard is $232,250, with a monthly payment of $1,729.17. That means the average homebuyer is saving $588.29 per month on their mortgage payment.

Now, if you’ve been waiting for the right time to plunge in and buy your first home, it’s pretty obvious that the time has come. But what about the move-up buyer? More and more, we’re seeing homeowners take a lower price on the house they own to get a great deal on the home they’ve been dreaming of. With interest rates at historic lows and home prices competitive, it often makes good sense to move now, when buyers are finding they can skip the “move-up house” and go right into the one they plan on staying in for the long run.

Needless to say, every situation is different. But if you’ve been wanting a new home, now might be the time to make it happen.

You have to buy the supplies, why not take advantage and save a little?

If you have a recurring problem with sewer backup, the village has an Overhead Sewer Grant program available in which the village will pay up to $7,500 in costs, with the homeowner paying 10% up to $1,000. For more information on the storms and Sewer Grant program, visit the Village of Lombard website.

During the end of 2009 and the first four months of 2010, home buyers flooded the market in hopes of obtaining the $8,000 buyer’s credit. While this stimulus was much needed and very effective, a different type of stimulus is still out there. With incredibly low interest rates (such as the ones we’re seeing right now) potential homeowners still have the ability to save big bucks, but now it’s with lower payments and interest rates that will save them thousands over the lifetime of the loan.  Add to that the fact that home prices are also incredibly low, and the question is not should I buy, but how soon can I buy?

Here’s an example. If you purchased a $250,ooo home with 5% down ($12,500) at an interest rate of 5.5%, you would pay $272,699 in interest over the 30 year lifetime of the loan. If you purchased the same home with the same downpayment but at today’s interest rate of 4.625%, you would pay $223,131 in interest over the next 30 years. That comes to a savings of almost $50,ooo over the life of the loan, or over $1,600 a year.

Of course, this example is very simplistic, but you get the point. This is still a great time to buy, and there are a lot of  houses out there, most of which are NOT run-down short sales or foreclosures.  The time to realize your dreams is right now!

When you really need something chocolaty, these brownies never miss. They’re super easy to make and work as well for parties as they do after school snacks. Store them in the refrigerator, but for best taste, take them out about 30 minutes before serving to allow them to come up to room temperature.

 Brownies:

1       Cup Butter

4       Eggs

2       Cups Sugar

1       Cup Flour

¾  Cup Unsweetened Cocoa

¼ Tsp. Salt

½ Tsp. Baking Powder

2       Tsp. Vanilla Extract

Ganache:

1 ½ Cups Semisweet Morsels

¾ Cup Heavy Cream

1       Tsp. Vanilla

1       Tbsp. Softened Butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9×13 baking pan.

In a large glass bowl, melt butter in microwave until liquid, or for about 2 minutes. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, stirring after each. Mix in dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. Spread into prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until brownies start to pull back from edge of pan.  Cool brownies completely.    

Put Morsels and heavy cream in a medium bowl. Melt in microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until chocolate is smooth and shiny. Stir in vanilla and butter until completely incorporated and pour over brownies. Cool in refrigerator until frosting is firm.  Cut and serve.

If you know me at all, you’ve probably seen me zipping around town in my Prius hybrid, and it’s no surprise that I would feel the need to blog about the importance of Earth Day. 

No matter how conscious we are of the environment, we all have a carbon footprint. The question is, how big is it? Even the most “Green” people succumb to convenience or aesthetics in lieu of environmentalism from time to time; it’s human nature. But day to day, how can we make a difference?

Well, I am no Al Gore, but my philosophy is baby steps. For me it started with CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs), which were not only good for the Earth, but my pocketbook…they last forever. Before I knew it, I was buying energy saving appliances, organic food, and cutting out the weed killer I used to spray all over my lawn. Somehow, once you do it, it just doesn’t seem like a sacrifice anymore.

So in honor of Earth Day, make a pact to try one new thing and continue to do one a month. CFLs are an easy start, as is turning out the lights when you leave a room.  Turn off your computer (and printer, etc.) at night or while you’re gone during the day. Carpool whenever possible, and plan errands carefully to cut down on gas usage. If you don’t already recycle, start, even if it just means using the blank sides of paper that has already been printed on. Organic foods are carried in most grocery stores (even Walmart) and are becoming increasingly more affordable, an important point in these economic times.

There are probably a million ways we can reduce our carbon footprint, and it just comes down to starting with what works for you. Once you start, more things will seem less like concessions, and you’ll most likely save money, too. And while you’re at it, involve the kids. Teaching them (or letting them teach you) how to live greener will create good habits for a lifetime, or at the very least give you a little help pulling those weeds.