Anna-Lise Troup's Tucson Area Real Estate Update: January 2011

Interest in buying foreclosures is on the rise, but so are concerns about the process. In a recent survey, Trulia found that 49% of Americans were at least somewhat likely to consider buying a foreclosure, up from 45% in May 2010. But with that, concerns also increased, from hidden costs to risks in the process.

If you plan to buy a foreclosure, check out this article on Trulia and learn about 4 tricks and traps to avoid!


---Anna-Lise TroupTucson REALTOR/Davis-Monthan AFB PCS ExpertRealty Executives(520) 906-5659---Tucson Real Estate, Condos, Homes for SaleFree Relocating to Tucson, AZ Information KitDavis-Monthan AFB Relocation Information---

Good afternoon friends,

Please scroll down to see the information about Ben’s Bells, I wanted to share this with you all, this is going to be something!

NBC Nightly News had already scheduled to include The Ben’s Bells Project in their closing segment “Making a Difference” prior to the Tucson tragedy and since that event, The Ben’s Bells Project committed to prepare and distribute 1000 of Ben’s Bells throughout Tucson in honor of the victims of Saturday’s attack to be distributed and filmed Thursday. This is quite a production!!

As I reflect on this last week, although my heart aches it continues to be filled with warmth and emotion at the kindness and selfless acts of so many people. In spite of a few, I am reminded that people are good, they are kind, and they are generous, by nature people truly want to help each other and lift them up. That is what I would like to remember as I pray for the victims, the families, and my fellow Tucsonans.

Below is an email from Ben’s mother to the Ben’s Bells Board President. Further down, is a TAR Event Summary notating volunteer opportunities for anyone in the community who can participate. If you are unfamiliar with how Ben’s Bells came to be and their mission please visit their site and click on the “About” tab at http://www.bensbells.org/ .

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Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 10:28 AM
To: Ott, Jason [GCG-NAOT]
Subject: Distribution

I am overwhelmed and profoundly humbled by the way our community is reaching out to Ben's Bells and asking for us to help coordinate healing activities and to speak about kindness. The beauty of this coming-together is incredibly comforting to me.

We have an enormous responsibility this week. Last Friday, one day before our world changed, NBC called to ask us to be on the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams "Making a Difference" segment. On Saturday they called me to tell me they wanted to get the piece done even sooner - a film crew will be here on Thursday and it will most likely air on Friday. Nearly 2 million viewers tune in to NBC nightly news so this is our opportunity to communicate our mission to a massive audience.

We often travel to grieving communities to share Ben's Bells with them as a symbol of our support and connectedness. Now our own community is grieving and we want to blanket this town with bells in memory of Christina, Gabe, John, Dorwin, Dorothy and Phyllis and in honor of Gabby, Pam, Ron and our other precious citizens. We will distribute 1,000 Ben's Bells (the most we've ever done in one distribution) on Thursday morning at 7:00 a.m. WE NEED YOUR HELP TO GET THEM OUT!! Hanging bells is a remarkable experience and I know it will touch you deeply. NBC will film the distribution.

Thank you for letting me know if you can make it (feel free to invite friends and family!!). Meeting at Ben's Bells - 816 E. University Blvd.

Big love to all of you,

Jeannette
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Jeannette Maré
Ben's Bells Project
Executive Director/Ben's Mom
520-628-2829

Family-friendly and Affordable
By Venessa Wong and Joel Stonington

No matter how hard you try, raising a family is complicated, not to mention expensive. For parents juggling concerns about their children’s safety, schools, expenses, and after school activities—and who also need to go to work on top of all this—living in the right place won’t solve all problems, but it can offer their children more opportunities and enhance the family’s lifestyle. In our fifth annual ranking of best places to raise kids, Bloomberg and Businessweek.com shifted our focus from large, urbanized places to smaller towns and cities. Click on title for link to full article.



Bloomberg Businessweek (2010). The Best Places to Raise Your Kids 2011. Retrieved Wednesday, December 29, 2010, from http://images.businessweek.com/slideshows/20101214/the-best-places-to-raise-your-kids-2011

The Department of Defense (DOD) is proud to offer the Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP) to eligible service members and federal civilian, including non-appropriated fund, employees. The program is authorized by law, and administered by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to assist eligible homeowners who face financial loss when selling their primary residence homes in areas where real estate values have declined because of a base closure or realignment announcement.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) temporarily expands the HAP to assist service members and DOD employees who are wounded, injured or become ill when deployed, surviving spouses of service members or DOD employees killed or died of wounds while deployed, service member and civilian employees assigned to BRAC 05 organizations, and service members required to permanently relocate during the home mortgage crisis.

To learn more about HAP, click on the title of this article to go to the official Dept of Defense web site. Contact Anna-Lise Troup, Associate Broker with Realty Executives, if you are interested in selling your home under the HAP program. 520-906-5659 or www.TroupTucsonHomes.com or lisetroup1@comcast.net

---Anna-Lise TroupTucson REALTOR/Davis-Monthan AFB PCS ExpertRealty Executives(520) 906-5659---Tucson Real Estate, Condos, Homes for SaleFree Relocating to Tucson, AZ Information KitDavis-Monthan AFB Relocation Information---

On January 6, Fannie Mae launched WaysHomeTM, a new interactive video to educate homeowners about their options to avoid foreclosure, motivate them to make the right decisions, and encourage them to seek help. WaysHome is part of Fannie Mae's Know Your OptionsTM consumer initiative to help today's struggling homeowners and is available on KnowYourOptions.com.

Overview
A unique and innovative learning tool, WaysHome allows homeowners to put themselves into real-life situations and make decisions -- then see the consequences of these decisions play out in front of them. Through WaysHome, homeowners can:

Participate in an interactive video simulation.
Select a character and go through the simulation "playing" that character.
Follow characters as they encounter financial hardships and challenges that affect their ability to pay their mortgage.
Choose different paths based on real-life situations.
Experience the positive outcomes or negative consequences of their choices (i.e., if they avoid taking action, foreclosure may be their only option).
Learn about options that may be available to help.
Discover the right paths to avoid foreclosure, know their options, and find their way home.

---Anna-Lise TroupTucson REALTOR/Davis-Monthan AFB PCS ExpertRealty Executives(520) 906-5659---Tucson Real Estate, Condos, Homes for SaleFree Relocating to Tucson, AZ Information KitDavis-Monthan AFB Relocation Information---