Wow! Mortgage Rates Continue to Drop .

Falling rates on U.S. government securities helped push mortgage rates down to the lowest level so far this year.

What does this mean to the average buyer? Well, it comes down to this. If you can afford the down payment and you have decent credit, it may be a lot cheaper to buy a home than to rent. Add the tax benefits and the peace of mind of owning, and it's a win-win scenario.

Let's face it; the rates and home values can only hold so long. Eventually, both will go up, it's only a matter of time.

If there's every been a great time to buy - it's now.

A picture is worth a thousand words -- maybe...

I love the internet and all the information that I derive from it. Where else can you sit down on a computer and get most of your data you need for a particle neighborhood or home.

We can look up demographics, crime stats and what our neighbors home sold for. We can even get a satellite view of the home or area we like.

With this information, we can make informed decisions, speed the process of searching for that perfect property and decide what we see and what we don't see.

What happens when we place all of our decisions on this data? What if the information is wrong, incomplete or obsolete?

Case in point. A client of mine seemed to find the perfect home, until the aerial view revealed an empty lot directly behind the property. The vacant area was large, over grown with vegetation and random dumping was evident.

You guessed it -- cancel the showing and let's keep looking.

Several weeks later we discovered that the empty lot was built into a beautiful park. Unfortunately, the home was now under contract.

What happened with the vacant lot? It seems the aerial photo was five years old and depicted the area before the park was built.

As for my client, we found them a home and learned a good lesson. A picture is worth one word; verify.

You say tomato, I say tomato...

A recent email from a client.

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Hi Chris,

I'm thinking of buying a rental property, but I'm confused as to what's the difference between rental property and investment property.

Thanks,

Jeff M.

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Jeff,

I've heard both terms used interchangeably for the same thing. Although, each term may have slightly different characteristics, in the end it should produce income.

It's real estate that currently produces income or income at a future date. It may be a condo that you rent out or raw land that you may sell later for a profit.

I personally prefer the term Income Property. This term reminds me that my goal is to find and to have income producing real estate.

Listing Tip #15: Making your home appear larger.

Recently, I had a listing appointment with a prospective home seller. As we sat down in their over filled and over decorated living room, my eyes and attention began to focus on my surroundings. Looking around I noticed 70's vintage wall coverings, eclectic oddities and room decorations that spanned three decades of decorating fads.

Interesting, would this happen to prospective buyers when they toured this home? Like me, they would instantly become lost in a sea of eye distracting clutter.

An overcrowded, clutter packed home can give the illusion of being small and confined. Add the distractions and the buyer is already feeling this home is too small for their needs.

Sell it, pack it or throw it away. De-clutter each room and put away non-essentials items. If you're not going be using it right away, put it away. Family pictures, personal items and extra furniture should be packed away.

This strategy includes closets and bathrooms. Make the closets and bathrooms look functional, clean and neat. Do the same with sheds, patio areas and garages.

Your goal is to let buyers feel like your home is open, bright and spacious.