OUTDOOR CONCERT FEATURING ACOUSTIC MIX - RICHMOND, VA

Please join us in the support of the seventh annual Music For Massey benefit concert to be held at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, VA. Featuring The Waybacks with special guest and grammy winner Jim Lauderdale. Presented by Dominion and hosted by Lewis Ginter, all proceeds go to VCU Massey Cancer Center for Pediatric Cancer Research. Tickets: $15.00 Advance, $20.00 at the Gate; and children 12 and under free when accompanied by an adult. Purchase tickets online at TicketstoBuy.com or at the gate. All ages, family friendly show! Food and beverages are available. This is a rain or shine event!

Music For Massey - October 6, 2011 - Gates Open 5:30pm/Music Begins 7:00pm

We invite you to join us in the support of the seventh annual Music For Massey benefit concert to be held at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, VA. Featuring The Waybacks with special guest and grammy winner Jim Lauderdale. Presented by Dominion Virginia Power and hosted by Lewis Ginter, all proceeds go to VCU Massey Cancer Center for Pediatric Cancer Research. Tickets: $15.00 Advance, $20.00 at the Gate; and children 12 and under free when accompanied by an adult. Purchase tickets online at TicketstoBuy.com or at the gate.

Thank you for your support!

Napier Realtors ERA Proudly Supports the USO Center in Richmond

Napier Realtors is proud to be a founding sponsor of the new USO Center at Richmond International Airport.

Since the USO’s primary mission is to enhance the quality of life of the U.S. Armed Forces personnel and their families, partnering with the USO right here in the Richmond area is a way for Napier Realtors to show their heartfelt thanks to our men and women in uniform and their families.



The agents and staff at Napier's area offices are collecting items to donate to the Center -- snacks, drinks, paperback books, magazines, and toiletry items such as travel size hand sanitizer, lotion, and lip balm -- and committing to volunteer their time to work in the Center one day a month. The cart of donations has been overflowing with goodies for "our" troops!

A huge THANK YOU! to everyone for donating items that were on the Center's wish list or giving of your time by volunteering at the Center!!

22nd Annual Big Brothers Big Sisters Duck Race

Saturday, July 30th, 2011 on Brown's Island starting at 11am.

This is a completely free, family event with inflatables, characters, rock walls, vendors, free snow cones provided by Captain D's. Get your “ducks” for the BIG SPLASH of up to 20,000 ducks swimming their way down the Canal and competing for prizes. There are 12 prizes this year with the top prize being a 2011 Nissan Versa courtesy of Sheehy Nissan Mechanicsville.

All proceeds go to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Richmond & Tri-Cities.

Homebuyers Make Lifestyle Options Priority

The adage when it comes to real estate has been "location, location, location." A recent survey, though, shows that lifestyle options are a priority. These include health and safety, access to cultural activities, and family-friendly neighborhoods.
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Source: realtytimes.com

Commercial/Multifamily Real Estate Markets Show the Turn of the Real Estate Cycle

RISMEDIA, July 15, 2011—The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its Commercial Real Estate/Multifamily Finance Quarterly Data Book for the first quarter of 2011. First quarter data on the commercial real estate markets show the natural effects of the turn of the real estate cycle. Broader economic indicators were positive in the first quarter, but provided less of a tail wind to commercial real estate markets than they might have. Despite this softness, real estate fundamentals have stabilized and are beginning to show signs of mending. Transaction volumes are picking up, and pricing and loan performance are showing initial signs—inconsistent though they are—of improvement. Any pick-up in economic growth will speed the healing; any slowdown will draw out the cycle.
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Seven Out of 10 Renters Say Owning a Home Is a Top Priority

RISMEDIA, July 8, 2011—Most Americans still believe that owning a home is a solid financial decision, and a majority of renters aspire to homeownership as a long-term goal. According to the 2011 National Housing Pulse Survey released recently by the National Association of REALTORS®, 72 percent of renters surveyed said owning a home is a top priority for their future, up from 63 percent in 2010.
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Source: rismedia.com

10 Secrets of Home Staging

In a tough market, sellers need all the competitive edge they can get. Home staging is a great way to make your home appear to its best advantage. Staging is about appealing to a broad range of buyers. It's about creating an image of a lifestyle that buyers can't resist. They need to be able to imagine themselves living in your house.
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Source: realtytimes.com

30-Year Fixed-Rate Mortgage Unchanged at 4.50 Percent

MCLEAN, Va., -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), which shows mortgage rates mixed but holding steady for the second week with the 30-year fixed matching last week's 4.50 percent average and the 15-year fixed edging up to 3.69 percent.
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Source: realtytimes.com

3 Tips for the First-Time Home Seller

RISMedia, June 14, 2011—Today’s buyer-take-all bonanza is a boon for fence-sitters and buyers with great credit and deep pockets. But sellers are steeling themselves to new realities that include paying (rather than making) money at the closing table, providing extras to sweeten the deal, and spending more time and cash making the home camera-ready.
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Source: rismedia.com

Owning a Home Essential to the American Dream, Survey Shows

RISMedia, June 10, 2011—Despite the ups and downs of the housing market, home owners and non-owners alike consider owning a home essential to the American Dream.
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Source: rismedia.com

NAR Grants Help Make Home Ownership an Affordable Opportunity

RISMedia, June 3, 2011—Seventeen local and state REALTOR® associations have been awarded over $60,000 through the Housing Opportunity Program Grants, a National Association of REALTORS® grant program. The funds will be used by the associations to promote and expand affordable housing opportunities in their communities.
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Source: rismedia.com

Fixed Mortgage Rates Continue To Find New Lows

MCLEAN, Va., May 26, 2011 -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), which shows slower economic activity pushing fixed-rate mortgages slightly lower for the sixth consecutive week. The 30-year averaged 4.60 percent; the 15-year averaged 3.78 percent, marking new lows for 2011.
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Source: realtytimes.com

To Buy or Rent – Now’s the Time to Follow the American Dream

RISMEDIA, May 19, 2011—With home prices dropping, minimal interest rates and the cost of rental properties on the rise, now may be the time for renters to seriously consider buying a house, according to HouseSavvy, a premier real estate and relocation organization headquartered in Massachusetts.
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Source: rismedia.com

Existing-Home Sales Rise in Most States in First Quarter

RISMEDIA, May 12, 2011— Existing-home sales continued to recover in the first quarter with gains recorded in 49 states and the District of Columbia, while 22 percent of the available metropolitan areas saw prices rise from a year ago, according to the latest survey by the National Association of REALTORS®.
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Source: rismedia.com

30-year Fixed-Rate Mortgage Matches Yearly Low of 4.71 Percent

McCLEAN, Va., -- Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), which shows mortgage rates drifting lower with the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage matching the yearly low of 4.71 percent, and the 15-year fixed hitting a new yearly low of 3.89 percent.
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Source: realtytimes.com

Low Mortgage Rates a Plus for Improving Housing Market

This past week's released economic data reports came from several housing market areas, all of which showed some improvement over the past month. At the same time, Freerateupdate.com's daily survey of wholesale and direct lenders show that mortgage rates have continued to remain stable and at low levels for the past week.
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Source: realtytimes.com

Existing-Home Sales Rise in March 2011

RISMEDIA, April 21, 2011—Sales of existing-home sales rose in March 2011, continuing an uneven recovery that began after sales bottomed last July, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, increased 3.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.10 million in March from an upwardly revised 4.92 million in February, but are 6.3% below the 5.44 million pace in March 2010. Sales were at elevated levels from March through June of 2010 in response to the home buyer tax credit.
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Source: rismedia.com

ERA Real Estate Launches Technology Offering that Mirrors Its Culture of Collaboration

RISMEDIA, April 14, 2011—ERA Real Estate, an innovative franchising leader in the residential real estate industry, announced the launch of a new broker and agent intranet solution, teamERA.com, that brings the company’s collaborative culture to life in an online environment.
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Source: rismedia.com

Diverse Groups Respond to Proposed Rule for Qualified Residential Mortgages

RISMEDIA, April 8, 2011—The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) hosted a media teleconference recently, along with other industry and consumer groups and finance experts, to discuss the negative impact that overly restrictive lending rules recently proposed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. would have on the housing market and larger economic recovery.
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Source: rismedia.com

Now Is the Time to Get Your Home’s Exterior in Tip-top Condition

RISMEDIA, March 31, 2011—According to DIY shopping and support website Trades Supermarket, the improved spring weather means more than giving the lawn a trim for homeowners; it signifies the time to undertake necessary repair and maintenance checks, not only to make sure the house and garden look good and are safe for summer but also to save expenditure on major improvements in the long run.
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Source: rismedia.com

Consumers Agree – It’s A Good Time to Buy Real Estate

RISMEDIA, March 25, 2011—According to the latest Spending and Saving Tracker from American Express, more than two in five (41 percent) of Americans said that it’s a buyer’s market for real estate. However, over 61 percent agree that a seller’s market is at least a year away.
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Source: rismedia.com

First-Time Home Buyers Prepare for Best Buyer’s Market in Recent History

RISMEDIA, March 18, 2011—While affordable housing prices, ample inventories, and historically low interest rates signal ‘buyer’s market’ for investors or move-up buyers in many U.S. markets, inexperienced first-time buyers may not know if the time is right to make a move into real estate.
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Create a Memorable First Impression through Successful Curb Appeal

RISMEDIA, March 9, 2011—(MCT)—Now that virtually all the winter’s snow has melted (in some areas of the country) and it’s easier to navigate the streets, let’s consider something calculated to get people slamming on the brakes: curb appeal, that special something that makes prospective buyers stop for a better look at a house for sale.
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Source: rismedia.com

February Housing Scorecard Shows Increase in Existing Home Sales as Home Affordability Remains High

RISMEDIA, March 4, 2011—The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury released the February 2011 edition of the Obama Administration’s Housing Scorecard. The latest housing figures show increased existing home sales as home affordability remains high, but officials caution that the market remains fragile, as prices are unsettled.
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Source: rismedia.com

Make Moving Day a Breeze

It's a dreaded part of buying a new home. It can be costly and time consuming, and can even cause you physical pain. What could possible wreak all this havoc? Moving day. Moving days can be quite the headache! To help you prepare and to avoid potential hang-ups, try out these great tips.
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Source: rismedia.com

Home Price Stabilization Seen in Most Metro Areas during Fourth Quarter 2010

RISMEDIA, February 11, 2011—Home sales rebounded in 49 states during the fourth quarter of 2010 with 78 markets—just over half of the available metropolitan areas—experiencing price gains from a year ago, while most of the rest saw price weakness, according to the latest survey by the National Association of REALTORS®.
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Source: rismedia.com

New Variety of Reverse Mortgage Aims to Cut Costs

RISMEDIA, February 4, 2011—(MCT)—Reverse mortgages allow seniors to use their home equity while staying in their homes, but have been criticized for their high upfront fees, among other things. A new loan has hit the market, however, offering sharply lower start-up costs in exchange for a tighter limit on the amount that can be borrowed.
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Source: rismedia.com

Making Your Home Picture Perfect

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, in real estate, that picture's worth translates to dollars and then, if it's an excellent picture, you can add a few more zeros to that number. That's why getting the right photos of your home are critical.
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Source: rismedia.com

Top 5 Home Improvement Projects Based on Average Cost and Return on Investment

RISMEDIA, January 20, 2011—HomeGain.com, a website to offering Web-based, free instant home values, announced that it has released the results of its nationwide home improvement and home staging Home Sale Maximizer survey. HomeGain surveyed nearly 600 real estate professionals nationwide and configured a list of the top 10 do-it-yourself home improvements that cost under $5,000 and benefit sellers most when they sell their homes.
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Source: rismedia.com

Mortgage Rates Down for Second Week

McLean, VA – Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®). The survey results showed lower mortgage rates for both long- and short-term rates, with the 30-year reaching a four-week low.
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Source: realtytimes.com

Long and Short Term Mortgages Drop This Week

McLean, VA – Freddie Mac (OTC: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®). The survey results showed lower mortgage rates for both long and short term rates.
Full story

Source: realtytimes.com