Chance Gates' Blog

Image via Wikipedia

RENO, Nev. – The University of Nevada softball program has announced the dates for its 2011 Summer Camps at Hixson Park.

Head coach Matt Meuchel and his staff, assistants Melanie Meuchel and Andy Dominique, will offer two camps and be joined by additional college coaches.  Currently set to instruct alongside the Nevada coaches are Josh Taylor, the head coach at Feather River College, and Leah Wentworth, the head coach at Western Nevada College.

The elite camp, for girls entering grades 9-12, will be held June 20-23 from 8 a.m. to noon.  The four-day camp will focus primarily on improving each participant’s skills in individual and team situations.  A large portion of the camp will include live game situations in an effort to hone each camper’s skills on the diamond.

Registration for the elite camp will cost $175 before April 29, and $200 after.

The general camp will feature a younger age range, offering instruction to girls entering grades 3-8.  It will be held over the same dates as the elite camp, June 20-23, but from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.  The general camp will offer young players the opportunity to improve their overall softball skills.  It will include various competitions and games throughout.

Registration for the general camp will cost $155 before April 29, and $180 after.

Additional and more specific information in regard to registration, transportation, on-site training staff, availability and cancellation fees for both camps can be found in the attached brochure.

www.nevadawolfpack.com

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com http://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable For a free copy of my report   “5 Steps For Reno/Sparks Homeowners To Prevent Foreclosures” go to my about page http://chancegates.com/about and ask for more information on preventing foreclosures. or   to request a modification.  If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney.

Image via Wikipedia

A balanced program for tax reform based upon the common sense idea of lowering taxes out of surplus revenues.

Gentlemen prefer bonds.

Strong men have sound ideas and the force to make these ideas effective.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.comhttp://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable For a free copy of my report   “5 Steps For Reno/Sparks Homeowners To Prevent Foreclosures” go to my about page http://chancegates.com/about and ask for more information on preventing foreclosures. or   to request a modification.  If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney.

Image via Wikipedia

Is now a good time to buy a foreclosure?

This is a very common question from both real estate professionals and prospective buyers. Obviously, because local market conditions vary, the answer is different from market to market. But there are questions that buyers in any market should be asking before they make an offer on a property in foreclosure.

What’s the first step buyers need to take?

Require buyers you work with to be preapproved for a loan before you help them shop for a foreclosure. If they’re thinking of buying a foreclosure as an investment or second home, they need to understand that financing the home will be more difficult and more expensive than financing a primary residence. Lenders typically charge higher interest rates and require a larger down payment for investment or second homes.

How can you tell a bad foreclosure from a good one?

Certainly there are great deals in many markets for both investors and buyers looking for a primary residence. But making a sound deal can be tricky. Buyers need to be wary of unpaid liens, including mortgage debt, taxes, construction loans, home equity lines of credit, and possibly a second or third mortgage. Any or all of these financial obligations could become your clients’ responsibility when they purchase a property in foreclosure. Unless the property goes through a foreclosure auction and becomes a bank-owned REO, the outstanding foreclosure liens and fees could be simply transferred to the new owner—your clients. Don’t let them fall into the same financial trap as the previous owner.

If I’m a qualifying borrower, can I appeal to banks for better loan terms?

Lenders are drowning in defaults—particularly in hard-hit real estate markets such as Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, and Ohio—so they may be motivated to cut a deal. If your clients have a good credit score, many banks will offer them a below-market-rate loan on a bank-owned home. Unlike paying down with points, this doesn’t cost anything in fees, and it gives them the ability to spend more for the home.

What are the costs of buying a foreclosure?

It takes money to make money. The best opportunities are for buyers with cash. If your clients are planning to rent out the property or even resell it for a quick profit, make sure they consider the carrying costs, including sales commissions, marketing costs, vacancies, taxes, insurance, and maintenance costs. Once you’ve calculated all the expenses, add on another 10 percent to 15 percent. If they don’t build in a “surprise fund,” your clients might be the next foreclosure statistic.

How does choice of neighborhood affect foreclosure investments?

Clients looking for a good investment should generally avoid neighborhoods overrun with foreclosures, particularly newer subdivisions in overbuilt exurban areas. Investors will be tempted to buy foreclosures in these areas because they offer the steepest discounts—but they also carry the most risk of further depreciation. Look in well established neighborhoods with good schools and transportation. If you’re in a market where prices are still falling, encourage your clients to factor falling prices into any offer they submit on a foreclosed property.

Logging in allows you to save your favorite properties and get instant updates price changes,  new pictures and open houses on the property.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.comhttp://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable For a free copy of my report   “5 Steps For Reno/Sparks Homeowners To Prevent Foreclosures” go to my about page http://chancegates.com/about and ask for more information on preventing foreclosures. or   to request a modification.  If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney.

www.nevadawolfpack.com

Image via Wikipedia

RENO, Nev. - The University of Nevada women’s tennis team (1-4, 0-1 WAC) will travel to take on two opponents this weekend, playing at UC Irvine (1-2) Saturday and at No. 42 Long Beach State (2-1) Sunday.  Both matches will take place at 11 a.m.

The Wolf Pack dropped its last contest and first conference match to Fresno State Sunday, February 6 by a score of 5-2.

Fighting back from an ankle injury suffered at last season’s WAC Championships in Fresno, Calif., Sophie Stevens has played well for Nevada in recent matches.  Stevens, who is 2-2 overall in dual play, has won her last two singles matches. Her victories have come against No. 50 ranked Arizona’s Debora Castany, 6-3, 6-7, 6-1 and Fresno State’s Olga Kiripcheva, 6-4, 7-6.

UC Irvine got its first win of the year in their last outing, defeating Hawai’i 6-1 on Sunday, February 6.  The Anteaters fell to San Diego State and Pepperdine in their first two matches.

Long Beach State, ranked inside the top 50 by the ITA, has won its last two matches.  Most recently the 49ers defeated Loyola Marymount University 6-1.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.comhttp://www.myspace.com/chancegates . You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates . If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable For a free copy of my blog titled “5 Steps For Reno/Sparks Homeowners To Prevent Foreclosures” go to my about page http://chancegates.com/about and ask for more information on preventing foreclosures. or to request a modification. If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home. To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney.

www.nevadawolfpack.com

RENO, Nev. - The inaugural University of Nevada Tennis Fundraiser is set for Monday, January 31 at J.J.’s Pie Company in Reno.

“We feel like this is a great opportunity for entire tennis community in Reno to come together,” head coach Sylvain Malroux said.

The event will begin at 5:30 pm at the local pizza staple and a handful of tickets are still available.  Each ticket will cost 40 dollars, with all of the proceeds from the event going directly to the men’s and women’s tennis programs.

Tickets can be purchased at J.J.’s, and by contacting Michelle McKibbin at (775) 544-8104 or Malroux at (775) 682-6939.

In addition to contributing to the programs, those who attend will be served dinner by the players themselves.  Attendees will also have a chance to talk with the players during the event and win items at both live and silent auctions.

J.J.’s is located at 555 West 5th Street in Reno.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com or  http://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable to request a modification.  If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney. For a free copy of my blog titled  “5 Steps For Reno/Sparks Homeowners To Prevent Foreclosures” go to my about page http://chancegates.com/about and ask for more information on preventing foreclosures.

A major source of objection to a free economy is precisely that group thinks they ought to want. Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.

And what does reward virtue? You think the communist commissar rewards virtue? You think a Hitler rewards virtue? You think, excuse me, if you’ll pardon me, American presidents reward virtue? Do they choose their appointees on the basis of the virtue of the people appointed or on the basis of their political clout?

Columbus did not seek a new route to the Indies in response to a majority directive.

Concentrated power is not rendered harmless by the good intentions of those who create it.

Every friend of freedom must be as revolted as I am by the prospect of turning the United States into an armed camp, by the vision of jails filled with casual drug users and of an army of enforcers empowered to invade the liberty of citizens on slight evidence.

Governments never learn. Only people learn.

Hell hath no fury like a bureaucrat scorned.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com or  http://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable to request a modification.  If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney. For a free copy of my blog titled  “5 Steps For Reno/Sparks Homeowners To Prevent Foreclosures” go to my about page

RENO, Nev. – The University of Nevada Sports Network will break down the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl will expert analysis and special guests during an hour-long bowl preview show, live from Gordon Biersch in San Francisco on Saturday afternoon.

Hosted by Nevada play-by-play voice Ryan Radtke and analyst Chris Vargas, the bowl preview show will break down the matchup between Nevada and Boston College and recap the historic WAC Championship season for the Wolf Pack. Radtke and Vargas will be joined by a number of notable former Wolf Pack stars on the show, including Nevada Hall of Famers Alex Van Dyke, Trevor Insley and Shar Pourdanesh.

The show is presented by Discount Tire and will air live on ESPN Radio 94.5 FM and Fox Sports Radio 630 AM in Northern Nevada as well as on other affiliates throughout the state. The show will also be available free via audio streaming at nevadawolfpack.com.

Gordon Biersch (2 Harrison St. in San Francisco) will serve as the official “Watch Party” location in San Francisco for Nevada fans as the Wolf Pack men’s basketball team will take on Utah State on ESPNU at 1 p.m. The bowl preview show will begin immediately following the conclusion of the men’s basketball game, approximately at 3 p.m.

Additionally, the Nevada Sports Network pre-game show on Sunday will be extended to 90 minutes prior to kickoff. Radtke and Vargas will take the air at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday for the pre-game show.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com or  http://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable to request a modification.  If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney. For a free copy of my blog titled  “5 Steps For Reno/Sparks Homeowners To Prevent Foreclosures” go to my about page

A true man of honor feels humbled himself when he cannot help humbling others.

Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less.

Get correct views of life, and learn to see the world in its true light. It will enable you to live pleasantly, to do good, and, when summoned away, to leave without regret.

I cannot trust a man to control others who cannot control himself.

I have been up to see the Congress and they do not seem to be able to do anything except to eat peanuts and chew tobacco, while my army is starving.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com or  http://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable to request a modification.  If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney. For a free copy of my blog titled  “5 Steps For Reno/Sparks Homeowners To Prevent Foreclosures” go to my about page http://chancegates.com/about and ask for more information on preventing foreclosures.

Image by jbdenham via Flickr

By Paige Tepping

RISMEDIA, November 20, 2010–For many prospective buyers, the thought of going through the home-buying process is often filled with a lot of stress. From finding a qualified real estate agent, to narrowing down your choice of homes and then packing your belongings and moving across town can be an overwhelming process.

-Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions you will make in your lifetime, and along with the finances come emotions. When you are choosing a real estate agent to work with, be patient and take the time you need to find an agent that you connect with. Finding a highly-skilled agent who fits with your personality is crucial.

-Every home buyer and seller is in a different situation, so it is important that you don’t compare your timeline and decisions to anyone else’s. As you make your way through the home buying process, remember that there is no right time to buy, just as there is no perfect time to sell. If you find a home that fits your needs, don’t let it slip out of your hands by waiting for interest rates to drop lower as you run the chance of losing out on the home of your dreams.

-It is natural to want to get opinions from those you trust before you make your final choice, but too much input will ultimately make the decision process much harder. Remember to focus on what your immediate wants and needs are so that everyone will be happy with the final decision.

-You probably aren’t going to find a home that is 100% perfect, so it is important to make a list that includes your top priorities that you can’t live without. Be sure to stick to the items on your list and let go of the minor things.

-Negotiation is an important part of the real estate buying process, but be sure you don’t take your negotiating too far. Trying to get an extra-low price or refusing to budge on your offer may cost you the home in the end. Successful negotiation depends on give and take, so make sure you are being fair in your requests.

-Don’t get too caught up in all the physical aspects of a home and forget about the more important issues. While the size of the rooms and the layout of the kitchen might not be exactly what you expected, be cognizant of issues such as noise level, location to amenities and other aspects that will have an impact on your day-to-day life.

-Getting approved for a mortgage should be taken care of well before you find a home and make an offer.

-Create a budget before you move into your new home and be sure to include maintenance and repair costs. Even if you buy a new home, there will be extra costs, so it is important to not come up short and let your new home deteriorate.

-After purchasing a home, a little buyer’s remorse is inevitable, but it will pass. Buying a home is a big financial commitment, but it also yields big benefits. If you are feeling remorseful after buying your home, remind yourself why you wanted to buy a home and what made you fall in love with your new property.

-When choosing a home, buy it because you love it. A home’s most important role is to serve as a comfortable, safe place to live, so don’t get bogged down with thinking about your home’s appreciation.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com or  http://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable to request a modification.  If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney. For a free copy of my blog titled  “5 Steps For Reno/Sparks Homeowners To Prevent Foreclosures” go to my about page http://chancegates.com/about and ask for more information on preventing foreclosures.

Jerry Rice made the decision and we honestly tried to accommodate him the best way we can.

Once a Raider, always a Raider.

Wake up, Carolee, the plane is waiting for us, we have to get to the game.

Why should I talk to you? I don’t know where you’re from.

You don’t adjust. You just dominate.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog. Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search the houses available in the Reno/Sparks and most Northwest Nevada neighborhoods. I can be reached by email @ chance@ballard-company.com or  http://www.myspace.com/chancegates .  You can also follow me at http://www.twitter.com/chancegates .  If you are behind on your house payment and looking for a loan modification, go to making homes affordable to request a modification.  If the modification fails, contact your local real estate professional to help short sale your home.  To make sure there is no deficiency judgment a homeowner might find it necessary to hire an attorney. For a free copy of my blog titled  “5 Steps For Reno/Sparks Homeowners To Prevent Foreclosures” go to my about page http://chancegates.com/about and ask for more information on preventing foreclosures.