"Tonya M.Williams HGTV Real Estate &Lifestyle Expert--"Talk To Tonya": Happy New Year

"Tonya M.Williams HGTV Real Estate &Lifestyle Expert--"Talk To Tonya": Happy New Year

Happy New Year

Home Staging for Sale: MyFoxATLANTA.com

Happy New Year...now what are your plans for sprucing up your space?  Take a look at my Staging segment on Fox 5 Good Day Atlanta  on Jan. 4, 2011. Its loaded with good tips on how to Stage and Decorate your home! Enjoy!  TMW

Packers vs Redskins Game

Packers vs. Redskins game...It was a blast! We won in overtime!

Go Redskins!!

At the Packers Redskins game...the weather was beautiful!

I have had a bunch of people emailing to ask me "who is the guy in the white shirt?"

This is Donovan McNabb the QB for the Redskins(former Eagles QB) I met him after the game and took a picture with him....I forgot to ask him if he tunes in to HGTV! LOL! :-)

This is called "Field Yoga"...stretch those inner thigh muscles.

Can somebody please hike the ball?

The stadium was SOOOO loud...it was great!

River dancing...but with a flag

This was during the coin toss to start OT!!

Hercules! Hercules!

This is after the overtime win! Go Skins!

Are you ready for some football!

On the way into the game.

Great weather, great seats, my team is won..in the words of 'Ice Cube' "today was a good day!"

My Guest Appearance on FOX5 Good Day Atlanta

Hi Everyone!

The last few weeks have been very busy. My presentations as the Celebrity Home Stage Speaker at The Fall Atlanta Home Show was a success.  Here is my guest appearance on FOX5 Good Day Atlanta promoting the Home Show and my line of Pillows & Throws that will launch in 2011.

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/good_day_atl/Improving-Your-Chances-to-S

Bye For Now!
Tonya :-)

Tune in to my In-Studio Guest Spot on Good Day Atlanta @ 9a.m. on FOX5 on Friday 9/24/10

Hi Everyone!  The Fall Atlanta Home Show is here!! Sept. 24th-26th at the Cobb Galleria.

Tune in to FOX 5 Good Day Atlanta this Friday morning at 9a.m.  I will be an In-Studio guest promoting the Home Show on Good Day Atlanta. I will be speaking on the Home Stage at 3pm each day of the show: Fri., Sat. & Sun.  My topic is entitled: My House Is Worth What! I will give you information, tips and suggestions on how to make improvements to your home in this "unique" market AND on a budget! 



Hope you can make it! There will be tons of vendors there with great ideas for your home and landscape!

http://www.neighbornewspapers.com/detail.html?sub_id=162411&edit_result=live&msg=Item+saved

New FHA Loan Policies Effective mid 2010

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SHOPPING FOR AN FHA MORTGAGE? Know the new rules...

So, you are thinking about purchasing a home this Spring, but unsure about the new FHA Loan policies.  Well, get a pen and a pencil and jot down the rule changes that I am about to share with you below.  Some of these changes are VERY important because they impact the amount$ of $$ a borrower is required to put down as well as the upfront fees charged by FHA.

First let me give you some basic Real Estate jargon that is very important:

Up Front Mortgage Insurance Premium--most FHA programs require the borrower to pay two mortgage insurance premiums (MIP's) once at closing and an annual premium paid monthly.
Down Payment--The amount of cash a purchaser will pay at the time of purchase.  Even though down payument usually includes the earnest money deposit, the terms are not synonymous.  Earnest money is applied toward the total amount of cash down payment due at the closing.
Example:
A home with a purchase price of $250,000.00 with a 3.5% downpayment means the borrower will need to have $8750.00 for the downpayment. With a 10% downpayment on the same home a borrower will need $25,000.00 for the downpayment. **The downpayment amount in addition to any closing costs or fees required to close**.

UPDATED FHA Guidelines Effective mid-2010
On January 20, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Commissioner David Stevens announced a set of policy changes to strengthen the FHA's capital reserves and better position the FHA to manage its risk while continuing to support the nation's housing market recovery.

FHA announced changes in the following areas:

• The upfront mortgage insurance premium (UFMIP) will increase to 2.25 percent  of the base loan amount up from 1.75 percent. Streamlined FHA refinances (refinancing an FHA underlying mortgage) will increase from 1.5% to 2.25%.  The UFMIP is usually financed into the purchase price.
Contrary to reports, FHA will continue to allow the financing of the UFMIP.

• Borrowers with a credit score below 580 will be required to have at least a 10 percent down payment. The minimum down payment will remain at 3.5 percent for all other borrowers.

• FHA will seek legislative authority to increase the annual premium (currently capped at .55 percent). Over time, increasing the annual premium may allow FHA to reduce the upfront premium.

• Seller concessions will be reduced from six percent (6%) down to three percent (3%).

FHA will make the following lender enforcement changes:

• FHA will implement credit watch terminations at lender underwriting.

• Public reporting of lender performance through scorecard system will be implemented.

• FHA will implement, through notice and comment, indemnification against lenders. Indemnification will be expanded beyond fraud and misrepresentation.

• FHA will seek legislative authority to enforce indemnifications against direct endorsed (DE) lenders.

• FHA will seek legislative authority to sanction lenders nationwide based on performance of a local branch.

In October 2009, FHA announced that its capital reserve fund had fallen below the congressionally mandated level of 2 percent. The drop in capital reserves has led Congress and the Administration to call for changes to strengthen FHA.

Talk with your lender about what programs are available and exactly what the requirements are for the program/loan type you are interested in obtaining.

xoxo TMW

Little Repairs That Give A Big 'Bang For Your Buck'

Get Your Home Ready for the Spring Market                            
By: Tonya M. Williams
http://www.facebook.com/tonyamwilliams.tv      http://www.tonyamwilliams.tv/


Simple Maintenance is one of the most important and financially rewarding activities a homeowner can perform on their home. Simple maintenance consists of completing all minor repairs around the home or yard. Correction of these items, keep the home from being a scratch n’ dent purchase. Potential home buyers view properties with an unforgiving eye.
The more ‘scratches and dents’ a home displays, the deeper the price discount on the bottom line. Remember, simple maintenance items often seem more significant to prospective buyers than to the homeowner. Every defect a potential home buyer sees, whether real or imagined, becomes a deduction from the sellers’ asking price.

Homeowners reading this article should take a moment to list the simple maintenance tasks around their home:
Include the leaky garden hose, the blown bulb and missing light cover in the master bath, missing outlet covers, the unsightly clump of cables --that should be inside the wall-- presently dangling like a tail below a wall mounted flat screen TV, any missing or damaged window screens.
Simple maintenance items are minor in nature and have a “20/20 rule”:
 items take less than 20 minutes to correct and cost less than 20 dollars total.

• Homeowners should take a few minutes to decide which items on the list are within their scope of knowledge and which ones will require help to correct.
• Review the list for accuracy and make sure the correct tools are available to perform the repairs.
• If they are unsure about how to start/complete a project there is a plethora of do-it-yourself information available via the internet, local Home Improvement stores and on HGTV.
• Homeowners who are unfamiliar with the required skill set or tools, it’s a great idea to take the time to investigate.                                                                                                

Below are sample photos of simple maintenance items you can find in and around your home:

1. Never let water stand on wood floors. The floors may begin to buckle as a result of water damage.
2. The lip of recessed lighting shoudl be flush to the ceiling with no noticeable gaps.
3. Garage door seals at the bottom of the door should be straight and intact, sans any gaps between the seal and the concrete.   Electrical boxes and any/all wires should be covered and their boxes securely fastened to sheild the wires from the elements and also for safety reasons.
4. Caulk joints and/or seams where moulding meets.

The following questions come to mind: 

1. 
   
   Is all the effort and fixing warranted?  YES
   
   
   
2. 
   
   Does simple maintenance make a difference?  YES
   
   
   
3. 
   
   Is this a waste of time and money?  NO
   
   
   

Remember, the value of addressing simple maintenance items before putting a home on the market will be positively reflected in the bottom line when the house sells.

xoxo TMW

Expert Advice: 5 Winter Weather Healthy Home Tips

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Hi Everyone,

Well it seems we have a reprieve from the cold weather for a few days! Let the sun shine in!! Let’s take this time to do a few important things on the outside of your home, because 'old man winter' is far from going away...there is more cold weather on the horizon.

Rocket Dog says: "I wish I could help...but I have short arms... I'm heading back  to Meerkat Manor and the sunshine!...But the tips below are great!"
The following items may seem small and unimportant but they are in fact VERY important to your 'home health'.

EXPERT ADVICE : 5 Winter Tips


1. Make sure your gutters are clean and free of pine needles, leaves and debris. While you are up there, check to make sure all gutter nails or screws are present and securely in place
Reason: When it rains and then gets cold the water turns to ice which is heavy, if your gutters are full of leaves/debris when the debris gets saturated with water it gets soggy and heavy, if you couple that with the water freezing in cold temperatures the weight could cause the gutters to sag and separate from the house.

Clean & Clear

                                                                    Full & Falling
2. Insulate any outdoor pipes that are visible in unheated areas of the home. Ex. Unfinished space in garages with exposed water lines. Purchase pipe insulation (it’s usually black and made of a spongy-foamy material) it’s very inexpensive.
Reason: Can save homeowners the hassle of a pipe bursting in extremely cold weather.

3. Invest in an outdoor water spigot cover...they generally cost about .98 cents at any home improvement store. They are simple to install, just affix the foam over the spigot and pull the lever to secure the cover snuggly against the house.
Reason: Easy way to protect outdoor water sources from the elements.

4. Make sure the weather strip at the bottom of the garage door is intact...the garage stays a lot warmer if this stripping/seal is intact.
Reason: Lots of cold air can enter/escape if this seal is compromised...and any type of uninvited 'winter warriors' of the 4, 6, or 8 legged family may see that opening as a 'welcome' sign. Yuk!

5. Put porch lights on a 'dusk to dawn' sensor. It gets dark earlier in the winter. Walkways should always be well lit.
Reason: The dusk to dawn sensor will ensure that you have lighted walkways/porches/doorways for safety and security. These sensors also save electri$ity. Cha-ching!

These are just a few simple tips that can save you a lot of time, money and maintenance in and around your home this winter.

Stay tuned for my next blog about a very cool item I found at Pier 1 Imports!!

xoxo TMW