Cedar Rapids Real Estate Blog

Once a year, I like to blog about me.  This is the only time that this blog will be all about me, but I think it's important to know who you are working with, especially when it comes to one of the largest transactions you will ever undertake in your life.  If you want to cut to the chase and miss a great article, you can go to ...

Statistics always play a huge role in the real estate game, but now, they are huge!  Almost weekly, there is a report on the national news of the great decline in the housing market and how everything is collapsing because of sub prime lender tightening of the belt, higher interest rates, foreclosures looming in the near future, etc. Well, ...

Buyer's Alert!!!!  Folks, this is the most beautifully conditioned house in this price range for the entire city of Cedar Rapids.  What other property in this price range offers a oversized 2 stall, heated garage with a workbench the entire width of the garage.  What other property in this price range offers over 1900 square ...

Everyone wants to know, "What is my bottom line."   "What is my total, total, total."  "Does this include taxes, insurance, and the dreaded PMI?"  All of these questions and more can be answered by your Cedar Rapid's Realtor, Christopher Smith.  Here is what you do? If you see a property ...

Being a former elementary school teacher, I couldn't go very long without adding some content for the kiddos, and this site has it!  Websites for children under six, children seven and older, preschoolers, and gradeschoolers.  I'll add content from time to time, and delete links that are no longer active.   Kids, make ...

When you are relocating to another state, it is a harrowing experience at best.  You are not only uprooting you and your significant other's lives but your childrens as well.  I'm speaking from experience here as I've moved to Austin, Texas in 1985 and then moved back to the Cedar Rapids area in 2004.  Five homes later, ...

Have you updated your computers for this Sunday's Daylight Savings Time switch?  If not, you need to. This year, we're springing forward three weeks early.  Typically, we turn our clocks one hour ahead on the first Sunday in April.  But the government changed the rules without much fanfare back in 2005. The reason is to ...

When you apply for a mortgage loan and are approved as a buyer, this is your ticket to buy.  This gives you the clout to drive around with your Cedar Rapid's Realtor, view houses, choose a house, bid on a house, and buy that house.  Without credit reporting agencies or top loan officers like Jeff Harding of Skogman Mortgage ...

Owning a home is the American dream and it should not be denied to anyone who wants to be part of this dream.  However, owning versus renting comes with a certain level of financial responsibility that rewards the owner with one of the greatest investments still not taken by the IRS.  One of the items a lender looks at is debt to ...

You've been extremely busy working with Cedar Rapid's finest Realtor (that would be me), and all of a sudden, you find the home of your dreams.  Every nook and cranny of this home speaks to you in your own special language, "Buy Me Now, Buy Me Right Now, Buy Me Right Now or Else Someone Whom I Don't Like Very Much Will Buy Me ...