A Unique Approach to Marketing
Roanoke North agents add new tools



Our agents use many powerful marketing tools: the area's only network TV real estate show, the highest quality magazine, and a comprehensive local website. Now four new marketing tools have been added to the traditional methods of marketing homes by agents at Long and Foster's Roanoke North office.

• Business Cards for homes: Each time one of our agents lists a property for sale, they now have the ability to reprint their business cards to feature that home. (See sample, above.) The cards are printed in one business day, and ready to stock in the home, provide to the Seller, and distribute to contacts. Many times a buyer will come from the owner's friends, neighbors, business associates or relatives, and handing out business cards for the home is a great way to spread the word. Your Roanoke North agent will provide these cards to you free of charge.

Market Updates: We can provide comprehensive statistical reports specifically about sales in your subdivision in or around the Roanoke Valley. These will be mailed every quarter in 2006, free of charge. Call 966-5700 and ask for Trina if you're interested in receiving them.

• Multimedia Marketing: Roanoke North agents have access to a wide variety of specialty tools that enable them to promote homes with cutting edge technology. These include the ability to create moving pictures with background music which helps present the home in it's best light. See an example (speakers on, please.)
• Blogging: It's all the buzz, and the Roanoke North office is using this technology to supplement traditional marketing avenues. Our Blog is featured in the Roanoke Times.

Our agents stay on the cutting edge, using their technological expertise to add extra value for the owner, each time they list a home.

Roanoke Star Ornament Sold to Raise Funds for Local Charities

The limited-edition (1,000) Roanoke Star Ornaments commissioned by the Community Service Commitee of the Roanoke Valley Association of Realtors are available for sale. These ornaments are great for collecting or hanging on the tree and are wonderful presents for family, friends, and clients. The brass ornaments are approximately 2 3/4 inches in diameter and are gift boxed. The front of the star is red, white, and blue and is 3-dimensional. Proceeds from the sale of the ornaments go to RVAR-supported charities: Bradley Free Clinic, Center in the Square, Rescue Mission, and SPCA.

The Roanoke Star Ornaments are made by ChemArt of Lincoln, Rhode Island, the premier designer and manufacturer of photochemically-etched ornaments and collectibles. For the last 25 years ChemArt has made the White House ornament for the White House Historical Association and will make over one million White House ornaments this year. ChemArt was featured on a December 6 segment of Made in America hosted by John Ratzenberger on the Travel Channel.

Ornaments are $15 plus tax ($15.75). You can pay by cash, check, or credit card. To purchase an ornament, contact me on (540) 797-3108.

Gus Fargarson
Long and Foster Real Estate
Roanoke / Botetourt Office
1638 Botetourt Road
Daleville, VA 24083
(540) 797-3108

Licensed in Virginia

DEMAND FOR HOMES IN ROANOKE VALLEY IS STILL STRONG
The analysis of home sales I recently completed shows the demand for homes in the Roanoke Valley is still strong. The number of single family homes (including condominiums and townhouses) sold and the average and median prices of homes sold during the first three quarters of 2005 show large annual increases.

The average price of a single family home sold in the Roanoke Valley during the first three quarters of 2005 was $204,267, up 14.5% from the comparable period in 2004. The median price of $156,000 was 8.3% higher than in 2004. (The median price is the price where half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less). The number of homes sold rose to 4,642, an increase of 9.4% over 2004.

Gus Fargarson
Long and Foster Real Estate
Roanoke / Botetourt Office
1638 Roanoke Road
Daleville, VA 24083
(540) 797-3108
Licensed in Virginia

Improving your Credit

One of the biggest components of qualifying for a new home is CREDIT. Credit scoring has been around since the 1950's, and Credit Bureau Scores-scores based solely on credit bureau data-became widely available in the 1980's. Credit bureau scoring is a statistical means of assessing how likely a borrower is to pay back a loan. The score measures the relative degree of risk a potential borrower represents to the lender or investor. It is not a measure of a borrower's income, assets, or bank account, although those and other factors are still considered by lenders and investors, independent of a score.

Fair, Isaac Credit Bureau Scores (FICO), range from approximately 300 to 850 points, and are available through the three national credit data repositories (Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian). The higher the score the less likely an individual is to default on a loan. Everyone should look at their credit scores approximately once a year to ensure total accuracy. Consumers wishing to dispute items on their credit files with the credit respository can do so through the following numbers: Equifax (800) 685-1111, www.equifax.com; Experian (888) 397-3742, www.experian.com; Trans Union (800) 916-8800, www.transunion.com.

Credit scoring is based on the following:
35% Payment history-how well you pay your bills.
30% Balances-how high your credit card balances are compared to limit.
15% Credit history-age of oldest trade line and the youngest trade line.
10% Type of Credit-too many credit cards or finance company installment debt.
10% Inquires-how many times credit has been checked.

Items stay on your credit file for 7 years. The only exception is a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy which remains on a report for 10 years. Some things a consumer can do to improve the credit rating is as follows:
* Always make payments on time
* Avoid inquiries (i.e.: loan shopping) excessive inquiries will diminish rating.
* Avoid borrowing from so called "HIGH RISK" lending companies (Finance company)
* 90-day/"Same as cash" accounts count the same as open revolving accounts.
* Credit card balances exceeding 35% of available credit.
* Legal actions (i.e.: judgements, collections & bankruptcies) harm credit ratings.
* Do not consolidate debt onto one or two cards and close the rest.

Credit rating can be thought of as a snapshot of an individual's changing credit record. As derogatory data in the credit report gets older, it has less influence on the score. A missed payment from four years ago will not count as much as a missed payment that is six months old.

If an individual thinks they have less than perfect credit they should look to improve their score months before they think they want to purchase a home. There are so many mortgage programs out there now but the better an individual's score the more likely they can get the dream home they have always wanted.

If you have questions pretaining to credit or any type of financing solutions, please don't hestitate to give me a call.

Steven Underwood
Home Mortgage Consultant
Prosperity Mortgage Company
M8646-011
1818 Electric Road
Roanoke, Va 24018
(540) 725-1620 Roanoke Office
(540) 966-6128 Botetourt Office
(866) 799-3295 Faxcom
steven.d.underwood@wellsfargo.com
http://www.homeloans.com/steven-underwood