How your move goes depends to a large degree on your interaction with the moving company you hire, and communication plays a key role in that. Here are some tips to help things go smoothly:

1. When the moving company estimator comes to your home to give you moving quotes, be explicit about what you want and don’t want moved. First, it will likely affect your long distance moving cost — the more stuff you have, the pricier it will be. Also, if you want something to stay at the house but the moving company is unaware of that, you might pay more because of the greater weight — and you’ll have the extra hassle of getting it back.
2. Make sure the moving company has a clear understanding of move-out and delivery dates. If there are things that could change the move date — closings, building move-out dates, etc. — let your moving company know. If something does come up, tell the movers right away. This is particularly important during mover’s busy season in the summer.
3. If there’s a special item that you’re very concerned about because of its value or fragility, let the mover know that so they can prepare accordingly.
4. The moving company needs to know about any obstacles to the move at the origin home and the ship-to home. Knowing this ahead of time will ensure the moving company has the proper equipment and workers to handle your move.
5. The moving company also must know about any items that need special packaging or services. Certain items in a typical household, like appliances, may require servicing by a 3rd party company instead of the moving company.
6. For the unloading, tell the mover, or map it out for them on a schematic, where moving boxes and furniture will go in your new house. This will ensure things go more smoothly for your move.
7. Finally, give the workers refreshments or lunch, and if they earn it, tip them like you would for any other service. A happy worker will be that much more apt to do good work for you.

Get free moving quotes from licensed and professional movers.

Source: Relocation.com

Today eppraisal.com released its National Real Estate Market Analysis report for 184 markets across the continental U.S. This report, which tracks median sales price of residential homes, compares data on homes sold in the last three months ending April 2009 with homes sold in the previous three months beginning on November 2008 and ending January 2009.

During this time period, 119 markets across the U.S. saw a decrease in the median home value, which accounts for 64.7 percent of the markets tracked by eppraisal.com. This is down from the 143 markets that saw declines in the previous eppraisal.com report for first quarter. An upward trend in median home value continues in smaller markets, like Punta Gorda, Fla., with a 9.5 percent increase in the median home value to $115,000, Wausau, Wisc., up 8.8 percent to a median value of $117,500, and Binghamton, N.Y., with a 14.5 percent increase to a median value of $226,600.

Even though smaller markets continue to dominate the list of areas showing increases in the median home value, eppraisal.com shows a few larger markets with home value gains. For the first time this year, San Francisco-San Mateo, Calif., shows an increase in the median home value, which is up 0.2 percent to a median value of $600,000.

Other California markets that appear to be reversing the trend are the San Jose-Santa Clara area, which is up 1.2 percent to a median home value of $430,000, and the Santa Barbara-Santa Maria area, which is up 4.6 percent to a median home value of $250,000. While we have a few gainers, overall the California market is still in negative territory with 75 percent of the 28 markets tracked by eppraisal.com seeing declines in home values.

In other areas the bleeding continues. In Florida, Jacksonville drops even further with a 5.8 percent decline to a median home value of $150,700. The Orlando-Kissimmee area decreased 8.4 percent to a median home value of $156,500. It’s not much better in the Carolinas, with Wilmington, N.C., declining 6.5 percent to a median value of $187,000.

The eppraisal.com National Real Estate Market report is attached. It shows the median sales price of existing single-family home sales in the last three months ending April 2009 in comparison with homes sold in the previous three months beginning on November 2008 and ending January 2009.

See a complete list of rankings.

June is National Homeownership Month, and everything seems to be falling into place for first-time home buyers. It’s a buyers’ market, interest rates are at all-time lows, and first-time home buyers can qualify for a new, hefty federal tax credit.  Yet, potential buyers should ask themselves several key questions before making this important decision.

1. What will monthly costs be, and can I afford the payments?
   Keeping mortgage payments under 30 percent of your monthly income is a good rule of thumb. If you can’t keep mortgage payments below that, you may be better off renting for awhile.
2. What other debt do I have?
   Total rent or mortgage payments plus credit obligations should not exceed 35 to 40 percent of monthly income.
3. What is my credit score? Can I qualify for a good interest rate?
   A high credit score indicates strong creditworthiness, and that qualifies you for better interest rates on a mortgage. Maxing out on your credit lines and paying bills late will lower your credit score. The impact of a credit score on interest rates can be significant. For instance, a borrower with a score of 760 could pay nearly two percentage points less in interest on a mortgage than someone with a score of 620. Lower interest rates mean lower monthly payments. If your credit score is low, you may want to delay buying a home until you can improve your score.
4. How much will taxes, monthly maintenance, or other fees cost?
   Owning a home means you’ll have to pay real estate taxes and other costs like insurance and maintenance. On the other hand, owning a home brings big tax savings at the end of the year. As a renter, the owner pays those costs for you.
5. How many years will I stay here?
   Generally, the longer you plan to live someplace, the more it makes sense to buy. You’ll build equity in your house and its value will likely increase over the years.

If you’re still unsure, the Amercian Bankers Association (ABA) has a “buy or rent” calculator you can use to compare the cost of renting versus buying a home.

Whether you’re a broker selling or leasing an unlimited number of properties, or an owner looking to sell or rent a single property, TweetLister makes it easy and convenient to promote your listing(s) using social media. Here’s the low-down:

• TweetLister creates Twitter-friendly listings that are 140 characters or less based on the listing information you provide.
• You can schedule listings to tweet when you want – immediately, later, or again and again until the property is sold or leased.
• Each listing links to its own profile page, where more detailed listing information is available, including pictures and a contact form that sends you leads via email. The detailed listing page also includes the coveted “backlink” to your website, which can help your site’s search engine ranking.
• Your listings appear on both Twitter and Tweetlister.

By posting listings, either on Twitter directly or through TweetLister, you can instantly put them in front of potential buyers and renters for free. If you already have a Twitter login, sign in to TweetLister now to try it out. If you don’t have a Twitter account, perhaps it’s time to create one.

Earth Day is inspiring Realtors^® nationwide to obtain the Green Designation created by the National Association of REALTORS^®.

The program is designed to help Realtors^®:

• Understand what makes a property green
• Explain to clients and customers the cost benefits of green building features and practices
• Distinguish between industry rating and classification systems
• List and market green homes and buildings
• Discuss the financial grants and incentives available to homeowners
• Guide buyers in purchasing resource-efficient homes

To earn the Green Designation, Realtors^® must complete 18 hours of coursework.  Realtors^® attending the NAR mid-year conference in Washington, D.C., can register for the Green Designation courses.  For more information, visit NAR’s Green Designation website.