How to Run a Great Neighborhood Watch Meeting

Not-to-be-missed neighborhood watch meetings draw more neighbors, boosting community morale and safety. Three ways to get more butts in the chairs at your next neighborhood watch meeting.

Are your neighborhood watch (http://www.houselogic.com/articles/start-a-neighborhood-watch/) meetings a little too same-old, same-old? Spice them up by inviting the police to visit, adding some party to the meeting mix, and luring powerful speakers.

Call the cops

Nothing beats a first-hand account of the crimes happening in your neighborhood (http://www.houselogic.com/articles/do-neighborhood-watch-groups-cut-crime-and-insurance-costs/). Get it by inviting the local police department to send its community outreach officer to your neighborhood watch meeting. The officer can share crime updates for your area and train everyone to use the weapons of choice-eyes, ears, and a phone-for the competent neighbor watcher. "Nothing is more hazardous to a criminal than a witness," says Ted Cimino, a watch captain in Surprise, Ariz.

Why stop there? Tap the state police, sheriff, constables, district attorneys, and the local bar association for speakers, too.

 Put the neighbor in neighborhood watch

You don't want your neighbors to groan at the thought of going to some boring meeting after working all day. Keep your neighborhood watch meetings short (no longer than an hour), offer refreshments, and keep the discussion lively by getting people to honestly share opinions.

Controversy is interesting. So use meetings to air concerns. A Manassas, Va., watch group confronted police about a facility in their neighborhood that housed paroled sex offenders. "The police brought in their parole officer to show us how closely these people were being monitored, which put our minds at ease," says Cindy Brookshire, a neighborhood watch captain in the area.

If your neighbors have a mix of different schedules, vary the times and days of your neighborhood watch meetings so that everyone gets a chance to attend.

Keep it spicy

It sounds simple, but the same old agenda will lead to dropouts. Pepper meetings with a variety of topics, speakers, and presentation tactics, like videos.

All watching and no fun makes for a tiresome neighborhood watch. Alternate formal meetings with casual block parties, potluck dinners, yard sales, or community clean-ups. Ask any local businesses that benefit from the neighborhood watch to donate food or door prizes.

Don't get together too often. Some neighborhood watch advice suggests meeting only twice a year. But if your 'hood is a big one, or you've got recurring problems, meet as often as it takes to keep everyone informed and get issues under control.

John Morell has been covering home repair, home design, and real estate as a writer and editor for nearly 25 years, for such publications as HGTV.com, Log Home Living, and The Los Angeles Times. He's also a long-time officer on his homeowners association and a former member of the neighborhood council in Woodland Hills, Calif.

Visit Houselogic.com for more articles like this. Reprinted from HouseLogic.com with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.

Article From HouseLogic.com

By: John  Morell
Published: November 12, 2010

5 Tips for Buying a Foreclosure

Get prequalified for a loan and set aside funds, and you'll be ready to purchase a foreclosed home.

When lenders take over a home through foreclosure, they want to sell it as quickly as possible. Since lenders aren't in the real estate business, they turn to real estate brokers for help marketing their properties. Buying a foreclosed home through the multiple listing services can be a bargain, but it can also be a problem-filled process. Here are five tips to help you buy smart.

1. Choose a foreclosure sale expert. Lenders rarely sell their own foreclosures directly to consumers. They list them with real estate brokers. You can work with a real estate agent who sells foreclosed homes for lenders, or have a buyer's agent find foreclosure properties for you. To locate a foreclosure sales specialist, call local brokers and ask if they are the listing agent for any banks.

Either way, ask the St. Louis Park real estate professional which lenders' homes they've sold, how many buyers they've represented in a foreclosed property purchase, how many of those sales they closed last year, and who they legally represent.

If the agent represents the lender, don't reveal anything to her that you don't want the lender to know, like whether you're willing to spend more than you offer for a house.

2. Be ready for complications. In some states, the former owner of a foreclosed home can challenge the foreclosure in court, even after you've closed the sale. Ask your agent to recommend a real estate attorney who has negotiated with lenders selling foreclosed homes and has defended legal challenges to foreclosures.

Have your attorney explain your state's foreclosure process and your risks in purchasing a foreclosed home. Set aside as much as $5,000 to cover potential legal fees.

3. Work with your agent to set a price. Ask your St. Louis Park MN real estate agent to show you closed sales of comparable homes, which you can use to set your price. Start with an amount well under market value because the lender may be in a hurry to get rid of the home.

4. Get your financing in order. Many mortgage market players, such as Fannie Mae, require buyers to submit financing preapproval letters with a purchase offer. They'll also reject all contingencies. Since most foreclosed homes are vacant, closings can be quick. Make sure you have the cash you'll need to close your purchase.

5. Expect an as-is sale. Most homeowners stopped maintaining their home long before they could no longer make mortgage payments. Be sure to have enough money left after the sale to make at least minor, and sometimes substantive, repairs.

Although lenders may do minor cosmetic repairs to make foreclosed homes more marketable, they won't give you credits for repair costs (or make additional repairs) because they've already factored the property's condition into their asking price.

Lenders will also require that you purchase the home "as is," which means in its current condition. Protect yourself by ordering a home inspection to uncover the true condition of the property, getting a pest inspection, and purchasing a home warranty.

Be sure you also do all the environmental testing that's common to your region to find hazards such as radon, mold, lead-based paint, or underground storage tanks.

More from HouseLogic

What you need to know about the homebuyer tax credit (http://www.houselogic.com/articles/homebuyer-tax-credit-what-you-need-know/)

How to claim your homebuyer tax credit (http://www.houselogic.com/articles/claim-your-homebuyer-tax-credits/)

 Other web resources

How to buy a foreclosure from Fannie Mae (http://www.fanniemae.com/homepath/homebuyers/buying_fanniemaeowned.jhtml)

What to consider when buying a foreclosure as your first home (http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/article-29589.html)

 G.M. Filisko is an attorney and award-winning writer who purchased a foreclosed condominium and found herself in the middle of a months-long dispute between the former homeowner and the bank over whether the foreclosure was conducted properly. Six months after paying the full purchase price, she was finally able to enter the property. A frequent contributor to many national publications including Bankrate.com, REALTOR® Magazine, and the American Bar Association Journal, she specializes in real estate, business, personal finance, and legal topics.

Article From BuyAndSell.HouseLogic.com

By: G. M. Filisko

Published: March 29, 2010

Visit Houselogic.com for more articles like this. Reprinted from HouseLogic.com with permission of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®.