3 Really Easy Ways To Deal With Bathroom Mold

1. Keep a mold-killing spray bottle under the sink

Fill a spray bottle with a few teaspoons of tea tree oil and water and spray onto moldy areas. Keep the bottle handy and spray the same areas after you take a bath or shower to keep the mold from returning. Tea tree oil has a strong scent which will dissipate in a day or two.

Hydrogen peroxide in your spray bottle will also work and smell less pungent, but requires that you scrub away the mold after leaving it on for about 10 minutes.

2. Reduce moisture

Try not to leave wet towels on the floor or hanging on the edge of the tub near mold-friendly surfaces like caulking or grout. Keep your bathroom ventilated —open a window or run (or install) a fan during and after you take a bath or shower.

3. Seal the deal

Grout is a haven for mold — you can seal tile grout once a year with a standard grout sealer from a home improvement store to make it waterproof, and thus mold-proof.

For more tips on keeping mold out of your bathroom, check out these resources:

• Kill mold naturally: 5 eco-friendly ideas (Mother Nature Network)


• Eliminate Mold From Your Bathroom (How Stuff Works on TLC)


• 3 Non-Toxic Ways to Clean Mold (The Maids)

 

 

How to tackle a big organization project : Stltoday

College Hunks St. Louis mentioned in the STL Today article!

How to tackle a big organization project : Stltoday

5 Real Estate Trends to Look for in 2013

5 Real Estate Trends to Look for in 2013

1)     Rates will continue to remain low

Rates should stay below 5% forthe year, and will probably continue to be below 4% for most consumers for most of the year.  However, consumers have seen the rate floor continue to drop, so will these rates be looked on as low enough?

2)     Demand for housing will continue to surge

2012 showed that a lack of inventory may be more of a challenge in some areas than a lack of demand.  Many other areas that were most devastated by the real estate meltdown have begun to show signs of improvement.

3)     Prices will continue to increase

Pricing is simply a mechanic of supply and demand, and demand for housing will remain strong in 2013.  Supply of homes in many areas has started to normalize with only a few areas (NY, NJ, CT, IL for example) still fighting large inventories of distressed properties. Expect appraisals to be an issue though as HVCC and the real estate meltdown have made appraisers and lenders wary of any price inflations, even ones natural for the market.

4)     Move-up sellers will return

With housing prices recovering and rates remaining low, many homeowners will realize that now may be their greatest opportunity to make the move to a lifestyle they always wanted.

5)     The consumer will continue to demand more from their Realtor and Mortgage Loan Officer

Consumers will continue to expect both the improbable and the impossible. Shorter escrow and closing cycles, low rates, and a problem free process just to name a few.  More than ever fates of MLOs and Realtors are entwined.

Last Week’s Mortgage Rates Recap

After a quiet holiday time period of steady mortgage rate improvements, last week proved our forecasts correct with a very quick spike in rates caused by the “solution” of the Fiscal Cliff dilemma and the stock market rally because of it.  Thursday was the worst day, with many lenders repricing mortgage rates multiple times through the day.  Many consumers saw not only rebate credit disappear, but actual rate increases of .125%-.250%.

This Week’s Mortgage Rates Forecast

Risks Favor: LOCKING

The stock market is still rallying from the aversion of the Fiscal Cliff, as well as news from the FOMC minutes.  Expect this week for mortgage rates to rallya bit from the rise we saw last week. Consumers will likely have an opportunity this week to lock in a great rate on the market retracement, and should take advantage of it.  The technical indicators are showing that it is evident we are not going to again see the lows that we saw in July of 2012 unless there is some kind of serious economic crisis.

What Is "Seller Rent Back"?

What Is "Seller Rent Back"?

What Does QE3 Mean for Home Loan Rates?

September 20th, 2012 5:12 PM

What Does QE3 Mean for Home Loan Rates?

On September 13, 2012, the Fed announced another round of Mortgage Bond buying, known as Quantitative Easing or QE3. This could have a big impact on anyone looking to purchase or refinance a home.

Here’s some important information to know and to share:
What is Quantitative Easing? Quantitative Easing is the concept of the Fed becoming a buyer of Treasuries and bonds to try and stimulate the economy. Oftentimes, the Fed does Quantitative Easing when they are hoping to (1) create inflation and avoid a deflationary economy, (2) lower the unemployment rate, and (3) boost Stock prices.
Why did the Fed announce QE3? With our economy still struggling (especially our housing and labor markets) and inflation appearing tame, QE3 was widely expected. Over the next several months, at the very least the Fed will be buying Mortgage Bonds at an annual rate of nearly $800 Billion. The Fed also noted that QE3 will continue until there is a self-sustainable recovery in our economy, as long as inflation doesn’t rise too high or quickly.
What does QE3 mean for home loan rates? The Fed is buying such large amounts of Mortgage Bonds each month to keep home loan rates (which are tied to Mortgage Bonds) near record lows, which they hope will help strengthen our housing market and economy overall. However, as the economy starts to improve and if inflation heats up, Bonds could face some selling pressure…which could impact home loan rates negatively as a result.
What is the bottom line? Now remains a great time to consider a home purchase or refinance, as home loan rates remain near historic lows. If you or anyone you know wants to learn more about taking advantage of today’s low rates, call or email me anytime. I’m always happy to help.

Gary BussardVP Mortgage Banker Pulaski Bank Home Lending Phone: (314) 993-6690 Cell (314) 283-0098 Kelly Deven- Client Services Advisor gbussard@pulaskibank.com www.4stlloans.com

Build a Great Team You Are the Quarterback!

There comes a point in time in every business professional's career when he or she is tired of being a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none. At that point, they look to take their business to another level, either to create more income, more balance in their life, or both. When you find yourself in this situation, you must know it's time to become an employer. The first rule of teamwork is that a team can never be completely dependent upon any one individual. The most common mistake made is the leader of the team failing to delegate activities, therefore stunting the growth of the team. The next important point to remember is that as a leader, part of your job is to build a team of decision makers. This can only be done by observing, directing and training your associates at a very high level. As a leader you are responsible for the job security of your people. The clearer the vision of the leader, the more people will follow. When building your team, as the chief, you must lead by example. One of the great problems leaders have is failing to practice what they preach! Each team must have a Visionary and a Manager. A single person should not hold these positions. In many cases, one person tries to fill both roles. This is the classic case of a workaholic. These are the people who put in 60 or 70 hours a week and have no balance in their lives. You must let go of this attitude if you wish to achieve success in building a strong team and surround yourself with supporters. Surround yourself with people whom you can trust, and whom you know will get the job done. You must engage yourself with people who will follow your lead. Your classic implementation person can attain the results that you, the visionary, are seeking to achieve in your business plan. You are the quarterback of your team, and as such, you must have people around you who will protect you and block for you. Make sure that your working environment is enjoyable and satisfying, because this is the place where your people spend most of their waking hours. They spend more hours in the workplace than anywhere else in their lives. If this is not a satisfying, gratifying and enjoyable place, how can you expect your employees to flourish? With this in mind, make sure you avoid the temptation of micromanaging. While delegating is a critical part of your role as the Manager or Visionary, keeping too close an eye on your employees makes them feel untrusted and hesitant. Let employees know you expect them to make some mistakes, but that you trust them to excel at their work without you hounding them or watching their every move. You'll be grateful for employees who aren't afraid to use their own initiative, and who have confidence in themselves.

Pre-approved Buyers: Disaster-Proof Your Deal

Pre-approved Buyers: Disaster-Proof Your Deal