Quad Cities Favorite Realtor Lucky Lang October 2008 Call Lucky for all of your Davenport, Iowa and Quad City area Real Estate needs at (563) 676-9031 Copyright © 2008 Realty Times All Rights Reserved. Five Key Areas to Pay Attention to When Buying a Home   Looking for a new home can be exciting and frustrating. You can help alleviate the frustration by paying close attention to five key areas of the homes you're considering buying; it may save you money in the long run.       Don Walker is an inspector and owner of Ace Home Inspections. He says there are five areas in homes that he frequently reports problems with. They are electrical, foundation, plumbing, the attic, and landscaping.       Electrical. Walker says sometimes homeowners assume with newer homes that all will work just fine but that's often Mortgage Rates U.S. averages as of September 25, 2008: 30 yr. fixed:   6.09% 15 yr. fixed:   5.77% 1 yr. adj:        5.16% 30 yr. jumbo:  6.98% View current rates not the case. "I inspected a brand new house-four years old but the electrical was all done incorrectly," says Walker.       Having a complete home inspection will help to rule out any problems and CONTINUED >>> Wondering What Your Home Is Worth? Let me show you. Deploy A Strategic Assault On Your Mortgage Application      Today's volatile housing market demands that home buyers take an exacting, almost surgical approach to completing a mortgage application in order to speed the paperwork through the narrowed arteries of the home loan pipeline.       Profusely sweating the details of a mortgage application gives lenders fewer reasons to reject your quest for the American Dream. And the need for speed is crucial if you want to beat today's realty market clock which frequently resets itself.       The real estate market's mortgage credit squeeze tightens one day then eases the next. So there's no room for vagueness or foot dragging when completing a mortgage application.       Here are your marching orders.       Tighter underwriting regulations, fewer mortgage options, appraisers trying to keep tabs on value changes, and several recent federal interventions to help cure the housing hangover this year alone, are all conditions that reflect the CONTINUED >>> Too Much To Store And Too Little Space      Do you have too much to store and too little space? If you're like many homeowners, finding enough storage space can be a challenge. Thankfully, remodeling professionals can help you create new ways to tuck away your family's treasures in a resourceful and sophisticated way, according to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI).       Finding storage solutions doesn't always mean undertaking a major remodel. Sometimes it's about using the square footage you already have. Remodelers can help you plan and reallocate storage to accommodate your family's changing lifestyle. Getting creative with storage can improve daily living and boost the resale value of your home.       Look in Unusual Spaces       Veteran remodeler Don Van Cura, CR, CLC, CKBR, and owner of Chicago-based Don Van Cura Construction, recently won a regional CotY Award for a clever storage solution he designed for stashing canned goods under a kitchen staircase. "I'm a space freak and I don't believe that any part of the house should be wasted," he explains. "Almost every section of home has a void in it that can be made into storage -- and the older the house, the more nooks and crannies you CONTINUED >>> Read My Blog!!! You can find many great Davenport real estate agents and loan officers on ActiveRain.com Lucky Lang is a proud member of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network, a free online community to help real estate professionals grow their business. Fall Lawn Care      One of the most important decisions you will make in your lifetime is to sell your home. And getting your house ready for resale is vital to a quick and successful sale, especially when many parts of the country are experiencing a buyers market. In addition to the remodeling projects and staging that you're preparing inside the home, remember that the very first impression a prospective buyer gets is the moment they drive up. A lackluster lawn can cost you in the end.       Having a clean and well-maintained front lawn goes a long way to creating interest. Fall is the perfect time to repair summer-damaged lawns and prepare for the winter season. Fall lawn care is also your window to a spectacular lawn come CONTINUED >>> Local Market Conditions Daily News and Advice Read about the events shaping the Real Estate market today, find current interest rates, or browse the extensive library of advice and how-to articles written by some of the top experts in Real Estate. Updated each weekday. More Articles September Round Up: Mortgage Rates Up Finding Discounted Homes For Sale Ten Fall Maintenance Tips Understanding Your Electrical System Can Help You Spot Problem Areas Lucky Lang E-mail: llang@melfosterco.com Web: http://www.LuckyLang.com (563) 676-9031 Mel Foster Company (563) 823-2213 3211 E 35th St. Ct. Davenport, IA 52807 Equal Housing Opportunity

We are turning the corner!  This is a great time to buy a home!

For more information on what this recent market information from the Quad Cities means to you please call:

LUCKY LANG, QUAD-CITIES FAVORITE REALTOR^®

Lucky Lang, SRES®

Licensed in Iowa & Illinois 

Mel Foster Co., Inc., 3211 E. 35th Street Ct., Davenport, IA  52807-2585

Cell: (563) 676-9031    Office: (563) 823-2213    Fax: (563) 459-6720    Toll Free: (800) 791-8132 Ext. 2213

LuckyLang.com

Don't let this great Real Estate buying opportunity pass you by!!!

This is a great time to buy a home! Low Prices & Low Interest Rates!

For more information on this Sensational Property and other Homes for sale in Iowa and the Quad Cities please call:

LUCKY LANG, QUAD-CITIES FAVORITE REALTOR^®

Lucky Lang, SRES®

Licensed in Iowa & Illinois

Mel Foster Co., Inc., 3211 E. 35th Street Ct., Davenport, IA 52807-2585

Cell: (563) 676-9031 Office: (563) 823-2213 Fax: (563) 459-6720 Toll Free: (800) 791-8132 Ext. 2213

LuckyLang.com

Don't let this great Real Estate buying opportunity pass you by!!!

We receive a lot of e-mails and most are junk.  This one really hit the mark and needs to be shared.  I don't know if this is truly from David Letterman, that seems a little far fetched, but regardless of who wrote it, how true it is!  The best thing I've read all year!

Try to read this article without thinking Democrat or Republican as we all need to be grateful!  David Letterman supposedly wrote this; it's the David we don't often see: 
 
As most of you know I am not a President Bush fan, nor have I ever been, but this is not about Bush, it is about us, as Americans, and it seems to hit the mark.
 
The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some Poll data I found rather hard to believe.  It must be true given the source, right?  The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President.  In essence 2/3 of the citizenry just aren't happy and want a change.  So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, "What are we so unhappy about?''

A.  Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

B.  Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?

C.  Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?

D.  Maybe it is the ability to walk in to a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

E.  Maybe it is the ability to drive our cars and trucks from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state?
 
F.  Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?

G.  I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough either.

H.  Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

I.  Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home.

J.  You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames, thus saving you, your family, and your belongings.  
 
K.  Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.
  
L.  This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.
 
M.  How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?
 

Maybe that is what has 67% of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are.  The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.
 
I know, I know.  What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out?  The President who has a measly 31 percent approval rating?  Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11?  The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks?  The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show?  Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad? Think about it......are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the 'Media' told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day.

Make no mistake about it.  The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom.  There is currently no draft in this country.  They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an other than "honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable" discharge after a few days in the brig.
 
So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans?

Say what you want but I blame it on the media.  If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner?  The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations.  They offer what sells, and when criticized, try to defend their actions by "justifying" them in one way or another.  Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way......Insane!
 
Turn off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage.  Then start being grateful for all we have as a country.

There is exponentially more good than bad.  We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative. With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, "Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

David Letterman (or another great thinking American)

Lucky :)