Although selling in a recovering market can be a challenging task, there are still steps sellers can take to entice buyers to bite. If you've already followed the usual protocol for staging and curb appeal, try the following:

Get a professional opinion. Knowing what a professional appraiser deems your house to be worth will help you set realistic expectations for your sale. You can then compare your home to others in the same price range and discover what your property may be lacking. It will also give you a good idea of what kind of loans your buyers would need to get in order to purchase the home. At least this way, you can be confident that you are in the right ballpark on price.

A pre-inspection is a must. By getting a pre-inspection, you can find out if your home has any problem areas that need attention. This tells buyers that you care about the condition of the home and also that you have taken care of these potential issues. Don't be surprised if a buyer hires his or her own inspector, however. It's par for the course. However, with less red flags around, you have a better shot at nabbing an offer close to your asking price.

Throw in an added bonus, like a home warranty. Offering a home warranty with the sale may entice some buyers to make a bid on the house. This plan will provide assurance that if something goes wrong with any major appliance, the new buyer will not have to shell out loads of money to fix the problem.

Cover some post-moving expenses. Make the move easier for your potential buyers by offering to pay for some or all of the moving costs. Alternatively, hire a contractor to take care of the yard work or pool clean-up for the first summer. Covering some of these expenses may put you in the buyer's good graces and may just seal the deal.

By remaining flexible throughout the process, you can find the right buyer in any market who will be willing and able to make a deal that supports both of your interests.

Q: Should I avoid an adjustable rate mortgage?

A: Because adjustable rate mortgages, or ARMs, fluctuate with the market, they offer less stability than fixed-rate loans. If an ARM is adjusted upward, monthly payments will increase, and for a lot of people that can be too big a risk to take. On the other hand, should rates drop dramatically, homeowners can reap the benefits of lower rates without refinancing, thereby saving thousands of dollars.

Lenders first introduced ARMs in the 1980s when interest rates soared into the double digits, forcing many people out of the home buying market. They tied the rate to a variable national index, such as U.S. Treasury bills.

Today, many first-time buyers who have difficulty qualifying for a home loan, still settle for adjustable rate loans because the initial, “teaser” interest rate of the mortgage is normally two or three points lower than a fixed rate loan. ARMs are particularly attractive if you plan to be in your home a short time. They tend to adjust yearly or every three years, usually within certain limits, or caps, that prohibit the interest rate from shooting up too high. Make sure terms such as these are spelled out in any ARM agreement you choose.

Once upon a time, Stone Street (formerly Magnolia Street) came all the way through from U.S.1 to Brevard Avenue in Cocoa Village. There was no tranquil little park, carefully tended plants and flowers or a charming gazebo. In the 1960’s there was a wonderful woman, a city councilperson who loved Cocoa and devoted herself to its improvement. Her name was Myrtice Tharpe (1913-1982). She owned Myrt’s, a popular restaurant (where the Black Tulip is) where city business was conducted over a good meal.

After she passed away, the intersection at Brevard and
Stone was closed. The Rotary Club built the Myrtice Tharpe Square landmark to honor her memory.

Today, the gazebo is used for weddings and celebrations. Story tellers tell their tales and, of course. We savor our lunches or sip our evening coffee, tapping our feet to the occasional street musician, wrapped in warm breezes and the good company around us.

Come and spend the day and walk along our historic, tree-lined streets, shop and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of a nostalgic riverside community. Dine at one of our gourmet restaurants before you catch a show at the Historic Playhouse, or visit the Florida Historical Society to find out some more about Florida times past…Have a special night out with friends and enjoy casual dining – Italian, pizza, sushi, tapas or seafood – and take in the live music at one of our buzzing night spots…Spend the day shopping in some of our exquisite, specialty stores, or just relax and enjoy a walk along our beautiful riverside boardwalk; take a sunset Paddle-Boat cruise along the Indian river or drop a fishing line in or a relaxing afternoon.

Do you like history? One of our members , the Florida Historical Society, is proud to be one of the oldest cultural organizations in the State of Florida. They meet in the Library of Florida history during lecture sierras (their calendar may be found here). If you stop by the library, someone’s always happy to help you find what you need.

Making the decision to buy a new home is a life-altering event…in a good way. But the process can be daunting. Take the following advice from CNNMoney into consideration before heading out on your home-buying journey.

1. Don't buy if you can't stay put. Given today’s challenging marketplace, don’t buy a home unless you can commit to staying there for at least a few years. The days of flipping for profit are long gone and you stand to lose money if you sell too soon after buying.

2. Shore up your credit. Securing a mortgage in today’s market requires excellent credit so take the time to clean up your credit report well before you begin looking for a home.

3. Be honest about what you can really afford. The rule of thumb is that you can buy housing that runs about two-and-one-half times your annual salary. But CNNMoney recommends using one of the many calculators available online to get a better handle on how your income, debts, and expenses affect what you can afford.

4. If you can't put down the usual 20 percent, you may still qualify for a loan. There are a variety of public and private lenders who, if you qualify, can provide options in terms of interest rates and down payments.

5. Schools affect home values. Even if children aren’t a part of your life now or in the near future, look at homes in areas supported by a good school system. Good schools are paramount for many homebuyers and have a direct impact on the value of your home.

6. Work with a real estate professional. Even though the Internet gives buyers unprecedented access to home listings, most new buyers (and many more experienced ones) are better off using a professional agent. Today’s market requires expert guidance through every stage of the home-buying process.

7. Choose carefully between points and rate. When picking a mortgage, you usually have the option of paying additional points – a portion of the interest that you pay at closing – in exchange for a lower interest rate. If you stay in the house for a long time – say three to five years or more – it's usually a better deal to take the points, says CNNMoney. The lower interest rate will save you more in the long run.

8. Get pre-approved. This will help you avoid the emotional rollercoaster of falling in love with houses you can’t afford. Not to be confused with pre-qualification, which is based on a cursory review of your finances, pre-approval from a lender is based on your actual income, debt and credit history.

9. Make an educated bid. Work with your real estate professional to make the right opening bid. Bids should be based on the sales trend of similar homes in the neighborhood, so review with your agent sales of similar homes in the last three months.

10. Hire a home inspector. In addition to the appraiser your lender hires, you should also hire your own home inspector, preferably an engineer with experience in doing home surveys in the area where you are buying. His or her job will be to point out potential problems that could require costly repairs down the road.

By John Voket

One of the things we hope to see less of in 2012 is short sales.

This brings me to a blog by Bion Grady, (bionsellshomes.com) who specializes in loan modification assistance and short sales in Paulding County, Ga. Grady says if the only alternative for distressed homeowners is to walk away from their property, a short sale may still be a viable alternative for a number of reasons .

Grady advises homeowners to remember these four things:

1. Debt Eraser. The upside down debt is erased in most cases. If you are selling because of a financial hardship, then the upside down debt will be automatically erased in most cases. If your loan is owned or insured by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA, and/or VA, and you are short selling because of a financial hardship, their policies state that your debt will be erased.

2. Faster Rebound. You are eligible to buy another home much sooner compared to a foreclosure. The most common loan program, Fannie Mae, stipulates that you can buy another home under their program in two years. FHA, a popular low down payment loan program stipulates that you can qualify for an FHA loan within three years.

3. No Cost to You. According to Grady, all of the expenses are paid for by your lender. That includes the title insurance, any county taxes or fees on the sale, attorney fees, and the real estate agent. If the lender foreclosed on the house and then tried to sell it, they would have to pay all the costs.

4. Less Credit Damage. Upon completion of the short sale, Grady says your credit score will drop between 50 and 100 points. However, it will rebound fairly quickly, and you will have a lower debt to income ratio, which will boost your credit. In addition, anything and everything bad on your credit can be fixed through the dispute process.

Want to add curb appeal, but don't have much money to spend? Here are some simple things you can do for under $100.

• Clean up the yard.
Put away unused items, like lawn furniture. Clear leaves and branches out from under shrubs, other plants, and the house foundation. Make sure the lawn is free from debris and that grass clippings are not left on the driveway or sidewalk. Borrow or rent a power washer to clean off the driveway, steps, sidewalk and porch.

• Trim, prune and divide.
Overgrown plants can block light from getting inside the house, and they make the house and yard look unkempt. Trim shrubs, making sure to remove dead branches. Get rid of dead or diseased plants in the landscape. If you have perennial plants that have gotten too big, divide them and plant them in other places around the landscape.

• Add new mulch.
Mulch not only helps your plants, but it gives garden beds a neat and tidy finish. Wood mulch comes in different colors, but to showcase your plants the most, consider a dark brown mulch — it resembles fresh, healthy soil, so your eyes are drawn toward the plant and not the mulch itself.

Whether it’s for a down payment for a home, college tuition or a retirement nest egg, investing in the future is a wise financial decision. The two most pressing questions are, understandably, “How much can I afford to save?” and “What is the best way to make my money grow?”

Financial experts agree that long-term investing is the surest way to build savings—and also that you do not need a lot of money to get started. What is critically important, however, is that you save on a consistent basis.

There are classes you can take, books you can read, and experts you can consult in order to learn the finer points of investing. To begin with, however, there are three fundamental steps you must take:

   1. Determine your savings goals. You need to know what your savings goals are in order to figure out how to get there. Let’s say you want to retire at age 65 with the same standard of living you have now. You can find retirement calculators online to help you determine how much money you will need in order to reach that goal.

   2. Evaluate the stock market. Guaranteed investments and savings bonds are great for reaching short-term goals. They generally return about 2-5 percent at best. But if you have some time to reach your goal, investing in the market will likely be your best approach. Averaged out over the last 25 years, despite some trying times, DOW returns have paid around 9 percent or 10 percent. Here’s the difference: Over 25 years, a $10,000 investment at a 3 percent rate of return will grow to $26,000. A 9 percent return will give you $86,000.

   3. Understand that time is money and plan accordingly. For saving money to be successful, it must be approached as a long-term plan—there are no get-rich-quick plans that really work. Therefore, it makes sense that the earlier you start to save, the more money you will have at retirement. In these scenarios, assume a 10 percent rate of return compounded annually:

• Begin investing $100 per month at age 30 until you reach age 65. At that point, you will have about $345,000 in investments. You will have put in $42,000 over the 35 year span. The other $303,000 is from the growth of your money over time.

• Begin the same $100-per-month saving plan at age 20. At age 65, you will have about $916,000. You will have invested $54,000. The other $862,000 is from the growth of your money over time.

There has been a flurry of media stories regarding the latest housing data that suggest the recent momentum in the housing market has stalled and the industry is heading toward another downturn.

Although the latest monthly housing data showed modest declines, the less volatile quarterly data have continued to show modest improvement. Consequently, there is plenty of evidence for retaining a cautious optimism for a gradual recovery. While the February new-home sales rate dipped a nominal 1.6 percent, sales are still running 11.4 percent above their year-ago level and at the rate expected for the slow recovery. Meanwhile, the inventory for new-homes for sale remains at an all-time record low.

While combined U.S. housing starts lost some ground in March, this was almost entirely due to typical month-to-month volatility on the multifamily side. The fact is that single-family and multifamily starts and permits were all stronger in the first quarter of 2012 than they were in the fourth quarter of 2011, indicating that the market continues to slowly strengthen, albeit in fits and starts.

We are also seeing the long-term improvement in housing conditions continuing to take hold in a growing number of local markets. The April NAHB/First American Improving Markets indicates that 101 individual metros are showing measurable and consistent signs they are heading in the right direction.

Total job growth continues upward, providing added consumer confidence and pushing personal income up.

No one is anticipating that an upward path for housing will run in a straight-line trajectory. The economy is in an uneven recovery and we can expect some corresponding ups-and-downs in the housing market in the months ahead.

However, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) believes that on the whole, we can expect a slow and gradual recovery in housing starts, home sales and the overall housing market in 2012. We will provide more details on our perspective on national and regional housing trends at the Spring NAHB Construction Forecast Webinar on Wednesday, April 25 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time.

Those who wish to register can do so by logging on to www.nahb.org/cfw.

By John Voket, RISMedia Consumer Confidant

I recently looked over the earthy and Easter egg varieties of new colors that designers and DIY-ers will be slapping on this season. From chili pepper oranges and yellows to cool grays or blues, there's plenty to soothe or stimulate.

Don't just say blue. Sample deep cobalt blue or blue green shades of peacock and turquoise. Even neutrals are spicier this year, with khaki and gold standing in for black and white.

Gray is popular, as are the nearly neutrals, like lilac tones. These purples are so subtle that they look gray, with reds so deep they look brown.

Pantone’s Chicago unveiling of the Spring/Summer 2012 Color Trends Report revealed nine palettes for 2012: Nonchalance, Subtleties, Resilience, Indigo Effects, and Transcending Time, Back to the Fuchsia, Reflections, Nouveau Neon and The Comics.

Anyone looking to paint on the cutting edge of the latest color schemes can match their mood to any of the appropriate Pantone offerings:

Nonchalance – These are easy to read and enjoy, according to Pantone. The reassuring colors coax a feeling of tranquility and relaxation with no suggestion of anxiety in the surroundings. The comforting pastel pinks, ethereal blues and soft egret white wrap us in carefree baby blanket colors, harmoniously blending with the more mature taupe, gray and grape tones.

Resilience – This represents a group of sturdy hues that work very well together. It speaks of hand-hewn objects of substance, sustenance and solidity in a range of natural, outdoor shades. There are nuances of the deepest browns, varietal mushroom tones, foliage green and greenish yellow. A dash of flamingo orange adds an exotic touch to this otherwise organic grouping.

Indigo Effects – These shades evoke a mood of broad expansiveness and depth – enveloping and protective, yet mysterious. The colors are variations on a blue theme – celestial and majestic blues, purpled and deep blue indigos – all deftly brushed with contrasting strokes of maroon, mauve and moody gray.

Metallics – These are taking the lead in a season in which modern materials are key. Transparent plastics and highly polished surfaces like lacquer and polished metals are everywhere, but you’ll see them in combination with vintage looks.

Many folks work in Orlando and live here. That's why we're called Orlando's Seaside Suburb that stretches 70 miles along the Atlantic Coast. There are many communities that are unique to Florida's Space Coast.

Aquarina is a…
Quiet and peaceful ocean-to-river Aquarina Country Club in Melbourne Beach – The South Beaches. Rich wildlife thrive on this barrier island, halfway between the SR192 and Wabasso causeways, and 30 minutes from the Melbourne and Vero malls. Play Aquarina Golf Course or fish the remote mangrove islands just 5 miles north of San Sebastian Inlet's ocean access. No other community offers these wide sandy beaches on the Atlantic ocean, plus a boat launch ramp on Indian River Lagoon! Close to major ecotourism sites.

This upscale community offers residents a plethora of amenities to choose from including:

• State of the art clubhouse with kitchen facilities
• World class Aquarina Golf Course
• Golf pro shop
• Fitness center with the latest equipment
• Several tennis courts
• Several waterfront boardwalks