Moving is never an easy experience for anyone involved. But for children moving can be a particularly disconcerting experience. How can you help them understand the idea of moving and get adjusted in their new surroundings? Lay the groundwork. Show your kids a map of the U.S., and help them locate your old state and new state. Having them involved with the discussions make them feel important. Once you move show them the address change cards so they will know that your friends and family would know your new address. Write to the chamber of commerce to get information and pictures to show the kids before the move and take them on the first house hunting trip so they can see the new area.

Daedra can take the stress out of your move. Give her a call or email today.

• Sweep the sidewalk, mow the lawn, prune the bushes, weed the garden and clean debr
• Clean and make attractive all rooms, furnishings, floors, walls and ceilings. It's especially important that the bathroom and kitchen are spotless.
• Organize closets.
• Make sure the basic appliances and fixtures work. Be sure that the doorbell works. Get rid of leaky faucets and frayed cords.
• Ensure that the house smells good: from an apple pie or cookies baking, for example. Hide the kitty litter.
• Put vases of fresh flowers throughout the house.
• Pleasant background music is a nice touch.

Patricia has lots of ideas to make your home sell faster and for more money. Give her a call or email today.

Bear in mind, however, that lenders will look at more than just your income to determine the size of the loan. Likewise, you may find that there are some creative financing options that can help boost your purchasing power. One of the best ways to determine your budget is to let me prequalify you for a loan. Prequalification is different from preapproval, because it is only an estimate of what you'll be able to afford. On the other hand, preapproval is a more formal process where a lender examines your finances and agrees in advance to loan you money up to a specified amount.

Banks and lending institutions will use several criteria to determine how much money they'll agree to lend. These include:

• Your gross monthly income
• Your credit history
• The amount of your outstanding debts
• Your savings--or the amount of money you have available for a down payment and closing costs
• Your choice of mortgage (i.e. 30-year, FHA, etc.)
• Current interest rates

Jenny knows the market and can help you work with your mortgage lender to bring about a successful transaction. Give Jenny a call or send an email today.