FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Guaranteed Rate Chosen Lender of the Year – Again

Chicago,IL. December 5, 2011-For the second year in a row, Guaranteed Rate was voted Lender of the Year by Chicago Agent Magazine. Although there was plenty of stiff competition, local agents, builders and developers agreed that Guaranteed Rate’s straightforward business model structured around its customers is the best of its kind.

“Guaranteed Rate is delighted to be chosen Lender of the Year by the Chicagoland Realtor community.” Victor Ciardelli, CEO and president of Guaranteed Rate states, “We help our Realtor partners succeed in part by offering great mortgage rates and products, but we also go the extra mile by offering several unique and innovative tools to our Realtor partners that help differentiate them from the marketplace.”

Originally opening their operation in Chicago, Guaranteed Rate now covers 43 states with over 70 offices. With their forward-thinking approach and customer-orientated mindset, Guaranteed Rate has become one of the largest and fastest growing independent mortgage lenders in the country, while still keeping a neighborhood vibe.

“Guaranteed Rate’s business model has always placed the highest emphasis on helping our Realtor partners grow their businesses,” continues Victor Ciardelli, “so winning this honor is especially rewarding for us. Thank you again for this award and be assured that Guaranteed Rate will continue to work diligently in the years ahead in helping Realtors succeed in growing their own businesses.”

Media Contact:

Tiffany Cummins

TRC & Associates

(925) 212-4200

Have you ever wondered why some of the nicest houses in the neighborhood seem to stay on the market forever? Or why some of your neighbors seem to settle for less than their home is probably worth?

The right real estate agent is critical. In today’s market, it’s more important than ever that you choose to work with an agent that has the experience, knowledge and systems to get you the most money for your house, including:

As your local real estate expert, I understand:

1) How to set a price that will attract the most buyers.
2) The most likely buyer for your home and how best to reach them.
3) What features buyers are looking for and expect from the homes in our neighborhood.
4) What marketing techniques are driving the most buyer traffic.

Why settle for an agent who will simply put a “For Sale” sign in your yard, when you could have one that will get the “SOLD” sign up as soon as possible! As your local real estate expert, I would be honored to work with you on your next move. I work on referral base or sincere need base only. I’m not about numbers….just RESULTS!

To better cut your energy cost, you should know the thermal boundaries of your house. The boundary is usually determined by the area of the house that is conditioned (heated and/or cooled). To minimize energy usage, the boundary should be surrounded by insulation and an air barrier. Unconditioned spaces might include attics, crawl spaces and attached garages. Once you have determined the thermal boundary of your house, you should identify those areas lacking insulation and consider completing the thermal envelop. An energy audit of your house can assist in this review or you can play the detective and figure it out for yourself.

Consideration should be given to including unused basements and crawl spaces in the thermal boundary. Factors that favor inclusion are:
1) surface area
2) possible future occupancy of the basement
3) use of waste heat from the furnace or hot water heater to reduce heat lost through the floor
4) relative difficulty of insulating and air sealing the floor
5) possible freezing of basement pipes if they occur outside the thermal boundary.

There have been marked improvements in the efficiency of refrigerators and freezers over the past 25 years. Prior to 1990 the average, KWH/YR usage for a refrigerator was 1250 kilowatt hours. The 2001 standard is now 476 kWh per year, about 60% less. Similarly, the pre-1990 kWh usage per year for a freezer was 1025. The 2001 standard is 413.

In selecting a new refrigerator consider the following: automatic defrost models waste energy, chose a manual defrost if available in the size you want
side-by-side refrigerators/freezers use more energy than units that have the freezer apartment on the bottom or top
upright freezers use more energy than chest freezers operating two refrigerators uses far more energy than one larger model. Updating your kitchen is one of the most important considerations when preparing your home for sale. These are good options to think about when doing so.

Water-Saving Landscaping Tips

As signs of sunshine start to peek through the fog of winter, we grow nearer to the season marked by the hum of lawnmowers and the smell of freshly churned soil. Spring, and the joys (or chores) of landscaping, are nearly upon us.

Depending on your point of view, gardening and yard work can either be a necessary evil or a cherished escape into the fresh air. But whether you’re a minimalist landscaper or have the greenest of thumbs, the added expense of landscaping water bills can be an unpleasant reality every spring and summer. The tips below are just a few ways you can responsibly make it rain without draining your wallet dry.

Harvest the Downpours -

Setting up your own rain barrel is an easy way to save a significant amount of money each season. For every inch of rain that falls on 750 sq ft of roof, you can collect 450 gallons of water. That means many areas can gather upwards of a thousand gallons of water every year. That’s water you can use to hydrate your houseplants, flowers, vegetable garden or lawn. In addition to saving you money on water bills, using natural water is environmentally sustainable (cities spend a lot of money and energy treating and pumping water into homes). Plants will also grow better with rainwater compared to chlorinated and fluoridated tap water.

Rain barrels can be fairly easily constructed out of old garbage cans, a few washers, a spigot, caulking, and a hose clamp. By connecting one of your home’s downspouts to the barrel, you will harness some of the rain collecting power of your roof. If Do-It-Yourself is not your cup of tea, premade rain barrels can be purchased at most home improvement stores, usually ranging from $100-$200. When setting up your rain barrel, make sure to place it on a platform (bricks, etc.) roughly a foot or so off of the ground to make it easier to fill up watering cans and also to give more pressure if you decide to hook it up to a hose.

Mulch Ado -

Adding a layer of mulch to landscaped areas doesn’t just serve as an aesthetic touch; it’s also one of the most effective and environmentally-friendly defenses against weeds that threaten to steal moisture from your plants. Mulch layers are air and water permeable, making them easy to plant into. Organic mulches such as hay, grass clippings, leaves and shredded bark will also improve the soil quality as they decay over time. Rubber, plastic or rock/gravel mulch layers can also be used with positive results.

Clamp Down -

Nothing wastes water quite as much as a needlessly running hose. Attach spray nozzles to all garden hoses to avoid leaving the water running. Spray nozzles also provide you with a little extra “oomph” of water pressure for watering hard to reach plants.

Hold the Sprinklers -

Using sprinklers can be a hassle-free way to water your lawn and plants, but if left on too long they can cost you a bundle while over-saturating your landscaping. Some sprinklers nowadays are equipped with built-in timing mechanisms and routines. As an alternative, you can install a simple faucet-mounted timer that remembers to shut off the water supply so that you don’t have to.

Pay Attention to the Weather -

Overwatering your plants and lawn costs you money, isn’t good for the plants and results in a great deal of water runoff. Keep in tune with just how much rainfall (roughly speaking) your yard is soaking in. This can be accomplished either by monitoring local weather sites or by setting up a simple rain gauge in your yard. Typically, plants need about an inch of water per week during the growing season. If you have sprinklers set on an automatic timer, make sure to adjust it as needed during periods of seasonal rainfall.

Let it All Soak In -

Unlike traditional sprinklers, soaker hoses aren’t susceptible to water loss through evaporation. Soaker hoses slowly drip water into the soil. When covered over with mulch, they have proven to be an extremely efficient watering method.

The tax break for buying a home was signed by legislation on November 6th and will extend the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit to contracts signed by April 30, 2010 and closed by June 30, 2010. The controversial credit, which many say has boosted home sales in recent months, was set to expire after November 30, 2009.The bill also creates a $6,500 credit for those who buy a home after living in their current house at least five years. That measure would apply to contracts signed by April 30, 2010 and closed by June 30, 2010. The current credit defines a first time homebuyer as someone who has not owned a residence within the past three years.

The bill will raise the adjusted gross income cap to $125,000 for single filers and $225,000 for joint filers. The amount of the credit currently begins to phase out for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income is more than $75,000 or $150,000 for joint filers.