When Buying a Home Be Sure to Check Out Possible Landscape Hazards

Landscaping is something most of us think about from the perspectives of what pleases our eyes and what will give us privacy. But the American Society of Home Inspectors, (ASHI) is encouraging homebuyers to consider how a property's landscaping may affect the home.
"Sometimes people tend to look at the house briefly and then go inside and then start looking at where they will put their furniture or just kind of enjoying the layout of the house," says Frank Lesh, President of ASHI.
What ASHI wants is for homebuyers to make sure they give a property a good look from both far and close up. That's why Lesh says it's a good idea to drive around the neighborhood.
"You want to know if you're in a valley, on a hill, on the side of the hill, is there a river or a creek nearby or a lake -- or a retention pond -- really you want to know what kind of water is around your house or what kind of water could be around your house," says Lesh.
He recommends that buyers pull up across the street from the home they're interested in and take a good hard look at the trees and foliage. Lesh says look to see if trees are touching the house, if power lines are too close to the roof, or if there is anything else that could pose a risk.
After you do that, Lesh says it's time to walk the property and inspect for uneven surfaces. Look to see if the driveway is heaved or cracked near a tree.
"That could show that there are roots pushing up against the sidewalk and that could be a trip hazard or it could be a maintenance nightmare; if water gets in there under the sidewalk or the driveway it could undermine it. If you live in an area where it's cold, the water could turn to ice which would lift up the sidewalk or the driveway -- those are all problems that could be re-occurring," cautions Lesh.
Check grading within a few feet of your house. Check the level of homes to the left and right and the front and rear. "How are those houses situated compared to yours? If you're the lowest one, chances are when it rains; you're going to get some water coming toward your house," explains Lesh.
"Water intrusion is one of the biggest headaches everybody has in their homes and we want to eliminate that from being a problem right off the bat," says Lesh.
What's most important is that you don't simply fall in love with a home without first seeing the overall picture.
"Looking at the carpet and maybe the size of rooms are all good to do, but you need to know about other things too," says Lesh.
Inspecting those other areas will help determine if the landscaping is adding to or detracting from the property. Paying close attention will give you an idea of what types of investments you'll have to make in the property in the future.
Published: October 1, 2007
Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws -- http://www.loc.gov/copyright.

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See where your credit standsby viewing the same type of information lenders and creditors see! Try for better interest ratesand terms on loans and credit cards, armed with your important credit information! Check for possible inaccuraciesor signs of potential Identity Theft!

http://www.freecreditreport.com

Cleaning up Your Credit

Mortgage lenders generally check with three credit bureaus in order to evaluate your past payment history. Your goal in cleaning up your credit report should be to clean up each of the three bureaus. If you only work on one, this does not effect the reporting to the other bureaus.
Get A Copy of Your Credit Report
The first step is to get a copy of your merged credit report, which shows all three of the major bureaus, Experian (formerly TRW), Equifax (formerly CBI), and Trans-Union. Most mortgage lenders will obtain data from all three of these bureaus in analyzing your credit history. The exception is that some portfolio lenders (usually adjustable rate lenders) may only review one. To make it easier for you, iCredit allows you to order a Merged Report on-line. Just click on the preceding link. It costs about $29 and is delivered to you by mail in a couple of days.
What to Say When You Call Your Creditors
There are two efforts that must be made. First, call any creditors reporting a negative and ask them to remove the negative item. Ask in a nice calm voice and do not get upset when they say no. Simply repeat your request over and over in your nice pleasant voice. If you get nowhere, then ask to speak to the supervisor. Make sure you keep a log of your conversation, noting the date, time, who you spoke to and what they said. Repeat this procedure over and over. In a high percentage of cases, it works.
Get Written Confirmation of Agreements
Be sure to ask for a letter by mail or fax that shows the creditor is correcting the negative information. You may need this letter for two reasons. First, they may not actually make the changes. With the letter, you can appeal directly to the credit bureau and they will make the correction. Second, if you are applying for a mortgage before the changes actually hit the credit bureau's report, your lender will need this documentation.
If you have a charge off or collection account that shows as unpaid, don't just send them a check and pay it off. Call the creditor on the phone, explain that you have the funds to pay the account in full, and calmly explain why it should not have been reported on your credit in the first place. Then ask if they will provide you a letter deleting the account entirely from all credit bureaus if you pay off the account. Try to get them to fax it to you. As before, be sure to document all of your telephone contact and always keep a nice pleasant tone in your voice. In a large percentage of cases, this also works.
Disputing the Report -- When Your Creditor Will Not Remove an Item
There will be cases when the creditor does not agree to remove the negative credit item. If it is an item that is definitely not yours, call the credit bureau immediately (except for Equifax, who only responds by mail). When on the telephone, do not discuss any negative items that are accurate. Do not discuss any items that may be accurate in general but have some small error in detail that you can dispute by mail. Once you confirm any accuracy at all, you cannot dispute it later by mail.
For the remaining items, you need to dispute them by mail, writing directly to the credit bureaus. Write a letter to the appropriate bureau including your name, social security number, address, disputed accounts, and account numbers. You must sign the letter. Inform the bureau that you are disputing the data as it appears on your credit report.

How long does a mortgage last?

There is no right length (term) to a mortgage. The standard term is around 25 years, and most of us tend to have a mortgage throughout our working lifetime. With the large sums involved, this spreads the cost and makes your monthly payments more manageable.
However, you can choose a different term if it suits you and the lender agrees that you can afford it. If you can afford a shorter term you may have higher monthly payments but pay less in total (see table below). With a longer term, you may pay less each month but more in total.
Ask for about this mortgage documents showing different mortgage terms and use Section 5 to compare the total cost of a mortgage over different terms. You can also use our Mortgage calculator to see how different mortgage terms will affect your monthly payment.
Try not to make financial commitments that go past the age you retire unless you're sure you'll be able to afford the payments.
Example of how the term alters the cost of a repayment mortgage if interest is 6% a year
Mortgage term in years
Monthly payment for a £100,000 repayment loan
Total amount you'll repay, including the amount you borrowed
10
£1,110
£133,200
15
£843
£151,740
20
£716
£171,840
25
£644
£193,200
30
£600
£216,000
Interest calculated monthly

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