Marcie Geffner: April 2016

Mortgage rates creep higher

Mortgage rates creep higher

By Marcie Geffner - Bankrate

Homebuyers might want to keep a close eye on mortgage interest rates.

Recently, rates have "inched up just a bit," says Justin Lopatin, vice president of residential banking for PERL Mortgage in Chicago.

The rise could be due to higher demand at the start of the spring-homebuying season or anticipation of Wednesday's statement from the Federal Reserve, among other factors.

The Fed's Federal Open Market Committee left its benchmark federal funds rate unchanged at 0.25% to 0.50%. This rate is used primary by banks.

In its statement, the FOMC said job markets, housing and household income had improved, yet consumer spending had moderated and economic activity apparently slowed. Inflation remains low.

Read more:
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/mortgages/mortgage-analysis-042816.aspx

What happens when you write a check

By Marcie Geffner - Bankrate

Americans wrote 12.2 billion fewer checks in 2012 than they did in 2006, according to the most recent Federal Reserve data. Consumers increasingly favored electronic payments and debit and credit cards for spending. Even so, financial institutions processed 18.3 billion checks in a single year.

That's a huge amount of paper transactions that go ... somewhere. Here's what happens after you cut that check for your granddaughter, donate money to a nonprofit organization or pay your home repair contractor.

Read more:
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/checking/happens-write-check.aspx

4 Ways to sell your home fast

By Marcie Geffner - LendingTree

Some for-sale homes sell quickly. Others languish on the market for weeks or even months. If you need to move in a hurry, you might well wonder how to sell your home fast.

Here are four tips from the “how to sell your home fast” file:
1. Price to sell
2. Clean, declutter and depersonalize
3. Paint and stage
4. Hire a Realtor

Read more:
http://blog.lendingtree.com/2016/04/06/4-things-that-will-help-you-sell-your-home-fast/

ProCritiques at WC2's Greater Los Angeles Writers Conference

Writers looking for education, inspiration and professional feedback on any work of fiction, nonfiction or memoir can find me at The Greater Los Angeles Writers Conference, produced by West Coast Writers Conferences (WC2), June 17-19, 2016, at Los Angeles Valley College.

I will be participating in panel discussions (topics and schedule to be announced) and offering ProCritiques throughout the conference.

My critiques include:
- An advanced read of up to ten standard manuscript pages (2,500 words) of your work.
- Detailed notes on your pages. A copy, marked with copy-editing suggestions and comments, will be emailed to you after the conference.
- A consultation of at least 15 minutes (usually up to 20-30 minutes, time permitting) at the conference.

My critiques focus on elements of writing craft, including mechanics, voice, tone, character, dialog, plot, pacing, theme and much more. Writers will receive detailed feedback on what's working well, what could be improved—and how to do it.

All genres and literary/mainstream fiction, nonfiction and memoir are welcome.

All writing levels are welcome from beginners to experienced or published authors.

Sign up here:
http://www.wcwriters.com/aglawc/editors.html

How to improve your credit after divorce

By Marcie Geffner - LendingTree

Divorce can wreak havoc in your financial life, leaving you with bad credit and a low credit score. Fortunately, there are ways to protect yourself and even improve your credit after divorce.

Here are seven steps:
1. Pay your bills on time.
2. Close joint accounts.
3. Review your credit reports
4. Open new accounts in your name only.
5. Consider a secured credit card.
6. Create a monthly budget
7. Don't obsess about your credit

Read more:
https://www.lendingtree.com/credit-reports/how-to-improve-your-credit-after-divorce-article

3 Reasons your mortgage refinance was denied

By Marcie Geffner - LendingTree

Many homeowners refinance their mortgage to lower their payment, lock in a fixed rate, shorten or lengthen their payback term or cash out equity. But not everyone can qualify. If you're in that group, there could be several reasons your mortgage refinance was denied. The top three are an appraisal of your home's value, your creditworthiness and your debt-to-income ratio (DTI).

Read more:
https://www.lendingtree.com/refinance/top-reasons-your-mortgage-refinance-was-denied-article

Should you buy a home with termite damage?

By Marcie Geffner - Bankrate.com

Many for-sale homes have some damage caused by termites or other wood-destroying insects. But "some" isn't the same as "a lot." That raises a question for homebuyers: How much damage is too much?

Mike Merchant says he wasn't too concerned about the presence of active termites when he bought his home in Dallas. Merchant is an entomologist, a scientist who studies insects, for the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, a public education arm of Texas A&M University. He runs a blog about urban entomology called Insects in the City.

"As far as I knew," Merchant says, "our house didn't have structural damage. We've done some remodeling since then, and there was some damage to showers, but nothing that would have caused the house to fall down around us."

Still, Merchant knows a lot about wood-destroying insects, and he says he can envision a house with so much damage that he'd think twice about buying it.