Buy Local First Utah

I am a big supporter of local businesses, and I think everyone should consider buying from local business before they ourchase from any outsiders. Why?

Here is studies to aswer this questions:

A 2007 San Francisco study shows that if there were a 10% shift in spending from chains toward locally owned retailers, 1,300 jobs would be created as well as a $200 million increase in the annual output of San Francisco's economy! I think the town has something unique to offer if local businesses are present; otherwise, why travel and shop, if you bring home something from chain place, something you could have bought in your own town.

A survey recently conducted in Bellingham, Washington showed that 69% of its population recognized its Buy Local slogan, and that 58% of residents have shifted their thinking toward deliberately buying more goods from local stores!

Study Shows That Locally-Owned Businesses Circulate 70% more Dollars Back into Local Economy Than Chain Store Competitors Local business people are not going anywhere. They tend to spend money locally as well.

The Economic Impact of Locally Owned Businesses vs. Chains: A Case Study in Midcoast Maine
Big Box Retail And Austin: An Independent Review Let's be honest chain places are boring. I can understand you may want to play safe and go to the place you know and/or recognize from your home town; however, playing safe does not bring same satisfaction as finding something new and unique. Try new local places!

The Big Box Toolkit - Countering Mega-retailers- Rebuilding local business

The New Rules Project- A great resource for maintaining and creating a sense of community.

Business Directory is very easy to search: log to www.localfirst.org and "Business Directory"

I am listed there with special offer: Marina Vialtsina under "Realtor"
and, my husband: Jeremy M. Delicino under "attorney"

Next article of "A to Z" section: "B"-Before Looking...

Before Looking

1. Before you actively look at homes to buy, it's necessary to know how much you can qualify for. Use mortgage calculators to determine how much you can buy with your down payment and closing cost money and what your monthly payments will be.
2. Know Your Credit Worthiness
3. Look at your credit report before you go to a lender. It is not uncommon to find problems with reports, especially if you have a common last name. To get copies of your credit report, start at fico.com.
4. Get Pre-Approved
After you see your credit report and any problems are cleared up, get pre-approved with a lender. Take the steps necessary to get a letter from the lender stating you are "pre-approved" or "pre-qualified" for a loan in a specific price range. It's important to have this letter before you make a contract offer to buy real estate. Once you are pre-approved, you know what price range of homes you should be looking at.
5. Find a Realtor, and provide pre-approval letter to him or her, so she/he can use it correctly in writting an offer in the near future.
6. What Kind of House is Right?
Determine the specifics you want and need in a home. (Keep in mind your price range, determine what your first priorities are vs. something you would like to have)
Ø What are your day to day and future needs?
Ø Do you enjoy swinging a hammer?
Ø Older houses have great charm, but may need updating.
Ø New homes offer the latest energy efficiency and design features. (in Salt Lake County, there are certain georgraphical place where easier to find new home or older ones)
Ø Larger lots can give room for additions and swimming pools.
Ø A fixer upper can dramatically increase in worth.
Ø A PUD may have private recreational facilities such as a pool and play parks.
Ø A condo or town-house will relieve you of yard work and exterior maintenance.
7. Sit down with your real estate agent and make up a wants and needs list. Knowing your price range, your agent can determine in what neighborhoods or towns to start looking. You may find that you are limited to where you look based on your situation. There is no sense in wasting your or your agent's time in areas out of your price range. The agent will show you how the lis of available homes is getting reduced based on things (search criterias) you have to have in your future homes. The agent will advice you of either narrowing you search (by providing more criterias) or making it broader (because there are too few places to choose from).
8. Little more on Wants and Needs
Ø Price range
Ø Building style/design
Ø New construction
Ø Remodeled
Ø Fixer upper
Ø Minimum # bedrooms
Ø Bathrooms
Ø Family room
Ø Fire place
Ø Office/den
Ø Hardwood floors
Ø Swimming pool / Spa
Ø In-law quarters
Ø Workshop
Ø Central air conditioning
Ø Parking facilities
Ø Yard size
Ø School district
Ø Work locations
Ø Special zoning or location
9. With a list of houses that you can afford to buy, drive-by them and check out the surrounding neighborhood. Check insid pictures of the homes. These steps may help you eliminating homes from the list to see. Next make an appointment with your real estate agent to view the interior of the ones you are interested in.
10. After you have narrowed your selection to few houses you wish to buy it is important to visit them at different times of the day. Visit them during the morning commute time. If you visit only during the middle of the day, you might not notice if the street in front of the home is used as a minor thoroughfare or a shortcut. This is also a good time to find out how you emerge from you residential area into traffic on a thoroughfare or how long it takes for freeway access. Go back after dark and walk around the block. You might notice that headlights from approaching traffic shine into the home or hear sounds from a nearby night club or park that you were not aware of.
11. After previewing a number of homes, you will want to preview some (the ones you think of writting an offer for) a second time.This is the time to make measurements, ask questions and make a closer self-inspection. When you want to make an offer, ask your agent for sales comps to arrive at an offering price. A "seller's market" or "buyer's market" can have big effect on how much to offer. There is no sense in making a low offer on a well priced home in a seller's market.
A properly written contract will allow a buyer a number of outs if certain items are not met or approved. Get a copy of a typical real estate contract prior to making an offer and have your agent go over it with you. To find out what prices homes are listed for in areas you are considering, go to your local MLS (my site is featuring it at www.usaRUSSIArealty.com).
12. Even though you are pre-approved, the amount you are preapproved for may not be comfortable for you.

MMG Update - Tuesday, October 2, 2007 10:36am ET
Current Trend Direction: Sideways
Risks favor: Floating
Current Price of FNMA 6.0% Bond: $100.16, -6bp
Yesterday, Mortgage Bonds bounced off of support at the 200-day Moving Average and while prices did finish the day higher, the advance was stopped at the 25-day MA resistance level. This morning, Mortgage Bonds are trading slightly lower and are now directly between these moving averages.
Stocks are trying to find some direction today after the Dow closed at an all-time high yesterday and above the 14,000 level. Should Stocks continue to move higher, it may be at the expense of Bonds, but it is not likely Bond prices will fall below the 200-day Moving Average in advance of Friday's important Jobs Report.
Housing news - the Pending Home Sales Index for August reported a -6.5% drop in sales, which was lower than expectations of a -2.0% drop in sales, but not nearly as bad as July’s dismal showing of a -10.7%. The Pending Home Sales Index is reported by the National Association of Realtors as a leading indicator of existing home sales. Mortgage Bonds ticked slightly higher on the weak news.
Dallas Federal Reserve President Richard “Loose Lips” Fisher is scheduled to speak in Dallas , Texas at 1:35pm ET. A Q&A session is expected to follow the speech so bond traders will be listening closely as Mr. Fisher has been known to rifle off remarks that could impact the market.
Mortgage Bonds continue to trade above the 200-day Moving Average and we will continue to float as long as prices remain above this floor.

Good week-Good referrals from my customers

User Rating: Good
by regispcovey 09/27/2007
I would definitely recommend Marina to anyone looking for a realtor to sell their home. Marina is smart, professional, well-respected, and easy to work with. She dedicated time and energy to helping us through the selling process, doing multiple open houses, talking to potential buyers, and ultimately selling our home. Furthermore, she did all of this work while we were across the world in Singapore, keeping us updated by emails, phone calls, and faxes. Thanks, Marina, for all your good work!