Land inventory for sale has reached record levels and the length of time homes are staying on the market continues to increase. Buyers are in a strong negotiating position and second market rates are lucrative. Andrew Bryant of Bank Midwest recently sent a rate list for potential buyers to consider:

30 Year Fixed Rate - Portfolio
# 5.75% and an APR of 5.914% with 1.0 discount points and $0.00 rebate
# 5.875% and an APR of 5.993% with 0.5 discount points and $0.00 rebate
# 6.0% and an APR of 6.072% with 0.0 discount points and $0.00 rebate

30 Year Fixed Rate - Secondary Market
# 4.125% and an APR of 4.309% with 1.24 discount points and $0.00 rebate
# 4.25% and an APR of 4.360% with 0.36 discount points and $0.00 rebate
# 4.375% and an APR of 4.455% with 0.0 discount points and $0.00 rebate

15 Year Fixed Rate - Portfolio
# 5.5% and an APR of 5.775% with 1.0 discount points and $0.00 rebate
# 5.625% and an APR of 5.822% with 0.5 discount points and $0.00 rebate
# 5.75% and an APR of 5.869% with 0.0 discount points and $0.00 rebate

15 Year Fixed Rate - Secondary Market
# 3.75% and an APR of 3.888% with 0.0 discount points and $0.00 rebate

These interest rate quotes are based on information you provided. You indicated that the purpose of your loan is to purchase a property. The loan amount you desire is $150,000 and the estimated value of the property is $200,000. The property is located in the City of Branson, County of Taney, State of Missouri. The property is an existing single family home and you use it as a primary residence. An escrow (impound) account is required. The rate we will provide will be for a 30 Day Rate Lock Period.

Interest Rates can change at any time, and cannot be guaranteed until you complete our on-line application and your application is approved.

Bryant manages Midwest Banks Branson Offices and can be reached at 417.334.6864

While it might seem like a good idea to shave a couple points off the purchase price, a dyi method of real estate purchasing could have a substantial impact on property value in the not-so-distant future.
The Branson Tri-Lakes board has hundreds of geo-political entities with houses and businesses on the market and understanding the impact on property values is something our agents spend time studying. It’s a constant education process of which experience is key.
Stone County for instance has a ballot initiative allowing citizens to choose whether they want a full time planning and zoning board. On one hand long term growth, safety concerns and “neighbor” ordinances can help increase value. On the other hand the business you might purchase property for could be held up in a legislative cycle that could prolong, raise expenses or make opening a business impossible.
In Taney County, Branson has been pushing legislation that requires a $250 fine for cutting down a tree. Doing so without permission is a misdemeanor and though you probably won’t go to jail it’s good to know that the cost per uncleared acre could amount to a $2,000 fee.
Buying that new house or new business is often the culmination of dreams. Without consulting a broker or real estate agent at 76realty.com these dreams can quickly become nightmares. Our firm consists of not only real estate but business professionals too. Call one of our agents today to hit the ground running before you learn firsthand what invasion of property rights feels like first hand.

Nearly five years ago, entrepreneuer and http://76realty.com owner/broker Mike Cooper commissioned me to lead the web development project that you’re looking at now.

Cooper’s intention was to bring best of breed technology to the consumer. At the time Geographic Information Systems (GIS) web integration was in its infancy.

It was clear that integrating geo-location data into web applications promised Internet users would have greater access to real world data.

The project involved a team of local and overseas participants. It required the work of web developers, engineers and business professionals.

Since the project’s conception much has changed. Both Google, Yahoo and a host of web companies have invested millions of dollars into developing real estate technology.

And though seemingly hundreds of companies have now integrated mapping into their display of Multi-List-Service (MLS) data, few made new contributions to the way real estate is displayed on the Internet.

A few months ago, 76Realty.com broker Mike Cooper asked for my assistance to revamp and assist in marketing the website we created together many years ago.

As the website was ported to new servers and a new engineering team was deployed to create a new site - we discovered something. The 76realty.com website remained best of breed. After a month working with a team in California (we choose to employ domestic engineering talent this time) we realized that most of the hard work had already been accomplished.

Our competitors never advanced the offering, in fact, our competitors never really caught up. We decided to stop the project and help our customers understand the tools and give them an opportunity to make requests before we move to the next phase of developing best of breed tools for our customers.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be discussing and demonstrating our unique custom search technology. While most companies now provide access to the MLS listings, there aren’t any companies in the area that integrate data not found in the standard listings.

We’re still the only company in the Branson Real Estate market that offers the offender database overlay with real estate listings. This may be unpopular to some, but, we believe that an informed buyer is a satisfied buyer.

We’ll be tracking segments of the real estate market and evaluate market trends. Feel free to contact us with concerns or information you think is valuable as you navigate the real estate market.

There are unique properties and tools on this website that aren’t available anywhere else online. In fact, we have listings that aren’t in the MLS and aren’t available anywhere else on the web.

We have services available on this website that other real estate brokers and agents use to evaluate and understand the market.

Whether you’re planning on buying now or just want to see whats on the market, We’re here to help by web or phone. All feedback is appreciated, 76realty.com is the Branson Area Real Estate investors choice and we want to keep it that way

William Woods University, which has been offering degree programs for working adults in the Branson area since 2002, is setting up shop in the entertainment capital of Missouri.

The University is pleased to open for business on March 29th at the Grand Vista Center, 3027 W. 76 Country Blvd.  The Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce will be conducting a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new site, at 1 p.m.  Our hope is that Williams Wood University will become a valued member of the Branson community.

 76Realty.com for all your residential/commercial real estate needs. Serving Branson, Branson West, Kirbyville, Forsyth, Blue Eye, Lampe, Nixa, Cape Fair, and the greater Branson area.

A lot of people here in the Ozarks own vacation home properties.

With the slow season approaching us, here are a few helpful hints to keep your cash flowing.

• Post lots of photos and information on your Web page. Make sure the information you provide is complete and accurate, and don’t exaggerate. That will help avoid disappointment from renters who expect more than there is. “I, as a consumer, would not rent a place without seeing photos of each bedroom and the living room.”

• Replace the furniture often. The normal wear and tear on upholstery and linens can prove a turn-off for vacationers. They’re much more satisfied when everything is crisp and new.

• Hire a caretaker. You need someone on-call nearby if there’s distance between you and your rental property. That way, if there’s a problem — the heat goes off, the oven won’t light, etc. — there’s someone who can offer quick problem solving.

Hopefully with some of these helpful hints, you can get that vacation property rented out for the off season, and bring in some extra cash for the holidays.

Christine Karpinski, author of How to Rent Vacation Properties by Owner.
Source: BusinessWeek Online, Maya Roney (07/18/07