Land Surveys

Whether you are building a new home, remodeling, or selling your home, a survey of your property can be very beneficial. When a land surveyor is hired to perform a survey, he will do several things. One of the first things he will do is to research, through several sources including the County Clerk’s office, in order to gather information about anything that affects the property and it’s boundaries. The surveyor will then perform a field survey of the property. He will find any physical evidence that will affect the boundaries as well as note any improvements made. After all this has been done, the surveyor will determine where the property lines are based on his research and data. He will then put the data into the computer to verify and draw a plat.

There are various types of surveys that can be performed.

• A boundary survey is simply for the purpose of locating the boundaries and corners of a piece of land.
• A topographical survey is used to locate elevations, land contours, streams, fences, etc.
• A subdivision survey divides the land into smaller pieces with their boundaries.
  
• A mortgage location survey must meed the requirements for title insurance.

Whatever your reasons for considering a survey, remember to tell the surveyor. They can help you determine which survey is you need.

For more information about surveys required before your Tulsa real estate closing, contact Karen Burnette of FirsTitle at 918-493-2241 or www.firstitle.com.

For Tulsa mortgage needs, contact Steve Currington of Currington Mortgage, 918-394-5626 or www.curringtonmortgage.com.

For all your Tulsa OK real estate needs, contact Darryl Baskin, McGraw Realtors, 918-258-2600 or www.darrylbaskin.com.

Want to buy or sell your Tulsa home, visit www.homeguidetulsa.com for helpful tips on selling your home, buying your home, and Tulsa homes for sale.

Your Responsiblity During Your Move

When anyone, whether it is you or a moving company, moves household goods over the highway, there are responsibilities and rights that you and the moving company have.

1. Moving companies are not legally required to provide an estimate for services. You should however ask for one.

2. Moving companies are required to prepare a bill of lading for any shipment being transported. That is the contract you have with the mover. You must be provided with a copy before your furniture is loaded and should read it carefully before accepting it.

3. Make sure that either you, or the moving company, inventories everything in the shipment. Sign each page of the inventory copy after checking it carefully.

4. Moving companies do have to assume some degree of liability for the goods they transport. Mare sure you are aware of the different levels of liability and the cost to you for each one.


For more information or an estimate for Tulsa area moving services, contact Mike Ellingson at Relocation LLC at 918- 4159-6683 or www.relcationllc.net.

For Tulsa area junk removal, contact David Tittle at I-Haul USA at 918-852-2146 or www.ihaulusa.com.

For Tulsa real estate needs, contact Darryl Baskin, McGraw Realtors, 918-258-2600 or www.darrylbaskin.com.

Get Ready for Spring

With Spring just around the corner, we can expect beautiful Spring weather as well as Spring storms. Taking some time now to prepare your family, home and landscaping for Spring can prevent possible disaster and added stress later.

• Have a Tulsa air conditioning company service your A/C and Tulsa roofing company inspect your roof.
• Inspect your windows, doors, and siding.
  
• Have regular pest control treatments on your Tulsa home to help prevent problems later.
• Review your Tulsa area insurance coverage with your agent.
• Install good quality air filters to reduce allergens.
• Plan your landscaping projects now.
• Practice your fire escape plan and tornado drills now.

For more information on Preparing For Spring, read the full article at www.darrylbaskin.com.

For all your Tulsa home maintenance professionals, visit www.tulsahomecare.com or contact one of the professionals below:

Tulsa, OK Pest Control- Mother Natures Pest and Lawn, 918-362-2000 or www.pestsecret.com.
Tulsa Roofing Installation- Judy Smith, A-Best Roofing, 918-587-1426 or www.abestroofing.com.
A/C Service in the Tulsa, OK area- Stephen Taylor, Air Assurance, 258-COOL or www.airassurance.com.
Tulsa Homeowners Insurance- Mike Tedford, Tedford Insurance, 918-299-2345 or www.tedfordinsurance.com.
Tulsa area Electrical Service- Larry Murray, Murray Electric, 918-254-5771 or www.murayelectric.com.
Tulsa Plumbing Service- Markwayne Mullin, Mullin Plumbing, 918-258-6636 or www.mullinplumbing.com.
Air Filter Replacement- Filters4Me, www.filters4me.com
Glass Mulch in the Tulsa area- Garden Glass of Oklahoma, 918-232-0210 or www.gardenglassofoklahoma.com
Tulsa area Disaster Restoration- Reset Restoration, 888-917-3738 or www.resetrestoration.com.
Tulsa area Building and Remodeling- Rick Oberlender, US Building Systems, 918-734-1293

Exterminating Pests in the Winter...

During the winter, many property owners don't think about pest control. It can be, however, a great time to think about pest control. Failure to plan for your pest control needs now, can cause greater pest problems in the Spring as pests emerge from the walls and eggs hatch. During the Winter, some pests can tolerate the cold weather, others must find a way to stay warm. For pests that need to stay warm, they will often come inside your home and walls or burrow into the ground for warmer soil.

There are several ways to treat for pests during colder weather that will not only help kill pests now, but also prevent them when warmer weather comes.

1. The outside of your property can be inspected during the Winter weather for nests, eggs, and signs of pest damage.
2. The perimeter of your home, including windows, doors, and eaves, can be treated to kill pests trying to enter your property.
3. The interior of your home can be treated to kill any pests that may have already entered.

For a free, no obligation pest evaluation and estimate in the Tulsa area, contact Mother Natures Pest and Lawn, 918-362-2000 or www.pestsecret.com.

Family Fun Night...

Those who have had a catastrophe know how much work it is to find receipts and locate and remember all the items in your home. To prevent this problem should a catastrophe occur, here is a fun idea for the whole family. First, prepare an insurance inventory list. Think of all your electronic items, valuables, antiques, and anything else you want to list. Second, get a video camera and turn your insurance inventory list into a game for the whole family. Video everything from your sock drawers (let your kids count them) to your new TV. This will not only help teach your kids the importance of serial numbers on electronic items, but can also help your young kids with their counting skills. Finally, place the video in a safe place. A safety deposit box or fireproof safe are great locations. In the event of a fire or another catastrophe, this video will be of tremendous help. Have fun!

For Tulsa area insurance quotes or questions, contact Mike Tedford, Tedford Insurance at 918-299-2345 or www.tedfordinsurance.com

For Tulsa real estate needs, contact Darryl Baskin, McGraw Realtors, 918-258-2600 or www.darrylbaskin.com.

Had fire, wind, or water damage? For disaster restoration services in Tulsa, OK. contact PCC Cleaning and Restoration at 918-641-1111 or www.pcccr.com

Important Questions to Ask Your Mortgage Banker

Although there are many questions that home buyers have when getting a home loan, there are some basic questions that are always important.

How much downpayment do I need to buy a house? If you are a veteran or buying in a rural area you can get 100% financing and seller can pay closing costs. If you are Native American you may be eligible for a Hud 184 loan. This loan requires as low as a 1.25% downpayment, depending on the amount of the loan. FHA requires a 3.5% downpayment, Conventional a 5% downpayment, and Investment loans a 20% downpayment.

What are Points/Origination Fees? Point and Origination Fees are additional fees paid at closing to lower your interest rate. 1 point is $1000.

How do I find out exactly what my closing costs, fees, and other things are when I am comparing mortgage companies and their rates? Ask for a Good Faith Estimate. Look at fee lines 800-900. Compare the rate, points/origination fee, and other items within that range.

What constitutes a rural development loan? It is all based on the population of an area. Owasso and Glenpool are still rural and are eligible for a rural development loan. The USDA Rural Development website can give you more information about an area you are interested in.

How do Mortgage Bankers get paid? My commission is based on the volume I produce. The more I produce the higher percentage I make.

Whether you are a first-time home buyer or have purchased before, no question is stupid. Remember that rules and regulations change and some requirements and information from your previous mortgage may not be the same. Always ask first rather than be sorry later.

If you have questions about a Tulsa, OK. mortgage, contact Karen Heston at BOK Mortgage, 918-230-9432 or http://kheston-boklo.mortgagewebcenter.com

Title Insurance??

Title insurance protects your claim of ownership of your property. When you buy Tulsa area real estate, you count on the paperwork being properly reviewed. One of the important parts of a mortgage transaction is the Title Opinion. When you get a "title opinion" from an attorney, that "title opinion" is simply the opinion of the attorney you hired. It is important however, it does not provide any insurance against errors made by the attorney or insurance against a later claim of error in the title. This is where Title Insurance comes into play.

If you purchase title insurance and someone later questioned your ownership of the property, the title insurance company would be required to come defend your title.

A few things to note:

• Title insurance only covers the period of time before your purchase of the property. It does not cover from the time you purchase and beyond.
• Sometimes "exceptions" can be listed in your title policy. These would be things that were known when the policy was written such as, your driveway or storage building being on the neighbor's property.
• Title problems are often called "clouds" which mean your ownership is not completely clear - someone could raise questions about it. Even if your ownership would not be lost, it can be expensive to remove the "cloud" on your title.
• Title issues can arise from forgeries, improper paperwork filing at the courthouse, incorrectly completed forms, deaths and bankruptcies, lawsuits between other parties, and many other unknown circumstances.

For more information about title insurance in Tulsa, OK, contact Karen Burnette, at FirsTitle, 918-493-2241 or www.firstitle.com.

Having Tulsa, OK. Title Problems? Contact Chuck Richardson of Richardson, Richardson, Boudreaux at 918-663-5070 or www.rrblawok.com.

For all your Tulsa, OK. area real estate needs, contact Darryl Baskin, McGraw Realtors, 918-258-2600 or www.darrylbaskin.com.