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Susan Hermes
186 Cramer Ave
Dousman, WI 53118
Phone: 414 254-4324
Fax:  262-922-4352

Email: suehermesrealty@earthlink.net

Welcome

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Welcome to the premier resource for all real estate information and services in the area. I hope you enjoy your visit and explore everything my realty website has to offer, including Metro Area real estate listings, information for homebuyers and sellers, and more About Us, your professional Waukesha County Realtor.

Waukesha is a city in and the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. The population was 64,825 at the 2000 census, making it the largest community in the county. The city is located adjacent to the Town of Waukesha. Milwaukee County is due east of Waukesha County. In 2006, Money magazine ranked Waukesha 36th on its list of the "100 Best Places to Live", in the United States. In 2007 Americas Promise ranked Waukesha one of the "100 Best Communities for Young People" in the United States.
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Looking for a new home? Use Quick Search or Map Search to browse an up-to-date database list of all available properties in Waukesha, Milwaukee, Washington, Walworth, Jefferson County or use my Dream Home Finder form and I'll conduct a personalized search for you.

If you're planning to sell your home in the next few months, nothing is more important than knowing a fair asking price. I would love to help you with a FREE Market Analysis. I will use comparable sold listings to help you determine the accurate market value of your home.

Thank you for visiting today. If this is your first visit, take your time and look around. I have plenty of information and resources available to you. If you are a return visitor, thank you. I would love to hear from you and tell you how I can serve all your real estate needs.

Realty News

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Buying in an HOA

Jan 25 2012

An HOA, or Homeowner's Association, can be very appealing to buyers. It can be the perfect way to have control over the appearance of your neighborhood as well as the look of your common areas. Many HOA's offer neighborhood activities (dances, mixers, etc), pools, gyms, walking trails, tennis courts, and of course beautiful landscaping.


Super Bowl Host Indianapolis Stepping Up Its Game In The Housing Arena

Jan 25 2012

The Indianapolis area housing market has been dropping back to punt every year since 2006, but short term statistics reveal it could be ready to score. Fortunately, when the New England Patriots and the New York Giants roll into Lucas Oil Stadium for Superbowl XLVI on Feb. 6, Super Sunday will give the town something to celebrate.


Active Rain News

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Correctly Identify the Sites and Win a Kindle

The Chatter (ActiveRain), Jan 26 2012

Want bragging rights and a Kindle?  Yeah, me too!  Correctly identify 6 Websites based on Facebook recommendations and the prize could be yours. Leave a comment below with your best guess for A, B, C, D, E & F by midnight on Sunday, January 29th, Pacific Standard Time.  All correct answers will be entered into a drawing with one lucky winner getting a Kindle (not a Kindle Fire but still a very cool prize).

This is a tough one so I wish you much luck Rainers!

 

A                B


C               D  


E                F




 

How to Avoid the Handyman

Jon Solomon (Javic Homes), Jan 26 2012

People are usually surprised when I tell them that I’m one of the least handy homebuilders around.  It’s not that I can’t do the typical maintenance items around the house.  I just don’t want to.

Just to be clear, I’m not lazy.  My dad instilled in me a solid work ethic and I live by it, but I generally abhor home maintenance.  It always takes longer than I expect, and more importantly, it takes me away from my limited time with my family.

It seems the more people I talk to, the more I realize that I’m not an alien on some isolated planet.  Given a choice, most people would like to eliminate or at least minimize the time they spend doing home maintenance.

So how do you do it?

Certainly, outsourcing (e.g., lawn services) is a viable option, but why not simply minimize the amount of home maintenance that’s required in a home. As much as you might enjoy fixing a running toilet, older homes tend to have more maintenance requirements.  Sometimes, it’s the natural life cycle of major systems (e.g., appliances, AC), but other maintenance is simply due to the age.  Fading paint, leaking roofs or plumbing, and wood rot are all typical ways that homes age due to our Florida weather conditions.

There’s a simple solution – get a new or newer home.  Sure, we’d love to build you a new custom home in Tampa, but the simple fact is that a home that is less than 5 years old has significantly less maintenance than a 20 year old home.  The beauty of a Javic custom home is that the 1st year is virtually maintenance free.  Our homes have a 1-year material and labor warranty.  Additionally, we provide a 10-year structural warranty, so the foundation, trusses and other structural elements are covered for an extended period.

So with apologies to all the Handymen, stay away from my new home, I just don’t need you.

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Dropping the Ball

James Quarello - Connecticut Home Inspector (JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC), Jan 26 2012

There are times when we put forth our best effort and come up short of our goal. If it’s a personal goal, we have usually disappointed no one but ourselves. When working / playing on a team, it can be a let down for the entire group. Reminds me of the kicker from the game on Sunday. Who would want to be that guy?

It seems of late I have been inspecting quite a few modular homes. First of all I do not think they are inferior to stick built homes. In fact there are some qualities of the construction process I think are superior to site built houses.Modular home wire splices in an attic

And some I think are not.

One of these aspects is the house wiring. Since the house is built in sections or modules, the wiring has to be connected from section to section. This is accomplished by splices done using a type of locking plug. These connections are in addition to the splices made during the course of wiring up the house. Splices are weak points in any circuit and should be kept to a minimum. Knowing that these splices exist I tend to check the electrical outlets a bit more thoroughly. I do this by using my fancy tester. This tester has features I will never use, but has a few that give me very insightful information. One of these is voltage drop.

Measured voltage drop at an outletVoltage drop is what happens in a circuit when a load is applied, like when you turn on your TV or the microwave. The appliance draws current causing a drop in the voltage. The amount of voltage drop should be minimal, ideally no more than 5% according to electrical industry standards. The other parameter is the voltage associated with the drop. Ideally it should not be less than 108 volts under load.

When I tested the first outlet in the house, the drop was over 22% with a measured voltage of 93.8. I found many more outlets throughout the newer, modular structure with similar amounts of drop. A large amount of drop is indicative of high resistance in the circuit. High resistance is created at connection points.

The culprit more often than not is the connection at the outlet. Removing the cover plate I wasn’t at all surprised to see the outlets had been connected by “back stabbing”. This method is acceptable though not what would be called a best practice. Back stabbing is connecting the wires to the back of the receptacle inside a pressure type connection. The wire is inserted into a hole and is locked in place. The connection however is not as strong as one made using the screws at the sides of the outlet. Basically back stabbing is done because it is faster and easier.

Back stabbed outlet in a Connecticut modular home

What are the consequences of excessive voltage drop? Over heating wires, and with use over time potentially a fire. In addition with low voltage damage can occur to appliances.

With this amount of voltage drop in the houses wiring, I think the quality control at the factory may have dropped the ball.

 

James Quarello
Connecticut Home Inspector
Former SNEC-ASHI President
NRSB #8SS0022
JRV Home Inspection Services, LLC

To find out more about our other high tech services we offer in Connecticut click on the links below:

Learn more about our Infrared Thermal Imaging & Diagnostics services. Learn more about our home energy audits, the Home Energy Tune uP®.

Serving the Connecticut Counties of Fairfield, Hartford, Middlesex, New Haven, Southern Litchfield and Western New London.

 

APPRAISER GUIDANCE REGARDING DISTRESSED VALUATIONS

Right Trac Financial Group, Inc, Jan 26 2012

“Appraiser Guidance Regarding Distressed Valuations”

Appraisal Updates

The appraiser world feels that they are being wrongly blamed for any decline in real estate values. We see 100 appraisals a month and can certainly speak from real life experiences. When there is an appraisal issue and we look closely at the values, the comparables that are used are very often the root of the problems.

what is the correct value of a house?

I know that most appraisers to a really good job, they don’t go out of their way to come up with the lowest possible value. However, AI speaks to the issue about using comparables that are distressed sales, which should absolutely not be used.

 

Appraisal Institute Issues Guidance to Appraisers on Distressed Valuations

Answering complaints that appraisers are using uncomparable 'comparables' on which to base their valuations, the Appraisal Institute has published new guidance to help valuation professionals know when -- and how -- to use distressed sales in appraising real estate.

Such knowledge is particularly crucial in the current market where distressed sales are common, creating complex valuation challenges, says AI, the nation's largest professional organization of real estate appraisers.

Builders, and brokers maintain that appraisers often rely on distressed sales to bolster their valuations even though those properties are often rundown – and sometimes even vandalized.

According to AI's Guide Note 11, “Comparable Selection in a Declining Market,” while appraisers “cannot categorically discount foreclosures and short sales as potential comps,” they don't necessarily have to use them, either.

“Due to differences between their conditions of sale and the conditions outlined in the market value definition,” the guidance emphasizes, distressed sales “might not be usable.”

Mortgage bankers and loan brokers have been complaining about lowball appraisals scuttling deals for several years, pointing to valuations in the distressed market.

The AI Note calls on appraisers to use their experience and education in deciding whether to use distressed sales and make whatever adjustments are necessary. But it also reminds them that when there are no current sales in the market area to analyze as comps, they are free to expand their geographic search area and/or use less recent sales.

The guidance points out that foreclosures and short sales usually do not meet the conditions outlined in the basic definition of market value. While they may or may not involve a motivated seller, it says, they often are sold without a typical marketing effort and are sometimes stigmatized or in inferior condition.

If that's the case, the Note says, the comps “might” need to be adjusted if they are used by the appraiser in making his valuation

Joe Petrowsky, NMLS #6869

Right Trac Financial Group, Inc. NMLS #2709

110 Main St.

Manchester, Ct. 06042

Office: 860 647-7701 x16

Fax: 860 647-8940

Cell: 860 836-9294

Email: joe@righttracfg.com

www.righttracfg.com

www.joepetrowsky.com

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Joe Petrowsky does not guarantee nor is in any way responsible for the accuracy of the information provided herein, and provides said information without warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied.

I remember the first time I ever …

Richard Weisser Coweta Fayette Real Estate, Jan 26 2012

I remember the first time I ever …I remember the first time I ever …

Saw a color TV. It was at my great-uncle’s house. I was told that he was very wealthy!

Used a touch-tone phone. We all marveled at the fact that we no longer had to “dial” the phone number.

Ate my first piece of shrimp. I was eighteen years old. Back in those days, we didn’t get around much, and shrimp was not as readily available as it is today.

Warmed food in a microwave oven. We take it for granted now, but it was quite a revolution back in the day!

Used my first computer. It was an IBM 360 and I used a keypunch to enter my program via a cardreader.

Bought my first house. It was 1979 and was much easier than I thought that it would be. I saved up my down-payment and after signing a few papers, I had a brand new home with an FHA 245 negative amortization but fully assumable loan.

Was I apprehensive about taking the plunge and buying a house? Actually, not at all. Owning a home was the American Dream and although I was relatively naïve about the process, I have never looked back.

In the ensuing six years I purchased four different homes. I actually enjoyed moving in those days. Then I settled down and stayed in a house until it was owned free and clear.

There is nothing frightening about buying a house. You have to live somewhere anyway, so why not have complete control of your residential destiny?

As far as I am concerned, nothing matches the self-satisfaction that results from owning your own home.

Is it still the American Dream?

That’s up for each individual to decide.

But to me, the notion of living in a house that belongs to someone else is a nightmare!

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All content, including text, original art, photographs and images, is the exclusive property of Coweta Fayette Real Estate, Inc., and may not be used without the expressed written permission of Coweta Fayette Real Estate Better Homes and Gardens Metro Brokers, Newnan Georgia. All information is believed to be accurate but is not warranted, Copyright 2003-2009. Richard Weisser REOS, E-Pro. licensed Auctioneer. 770-827-6225.
Learn more about Coweta County and Fayette County Georgia Real Estate, and to search the entire Georgia MLS for free with no registration required visit CowetaFayetteRealEstate.com! Photos of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. North Georgia Photos.

 

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Contact Information

Susan Hermes
186 Cramer Ave
Dousman, WI 53118
Phone: 414 254-4324
Fax:  262-922-4352

Email: suehermesrealty@earthlink.net