Posts from June 2014

At Old Colony, we understand the stress that moving can bring. It can be even more stressful moving with pets. For many of us, pets are a part of our family and we want to make their transition as smooth and comfortable as possible. Here are a few suggestions for making your pet's experience better.

Before moving, make sure all information on your pet's tags is updated. When moving to a new address, it could happen that a pet could get lost or become frightened and run off. It is important to provide the most up to contact information so you can be reached immediately. 

Make sure to find a veterinarian in the area that you are moving to that comes with good recommendations. Also, it is a good idea to get copies of all of your vet records to take with you to your new area of residence. Try to find out if there are any issues/diseases in your new area that could affect your pet. 

Another good idea is to have your pet's medications and a first aid kit ready. N...

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One of the most important and time saving steps during your quest to find a home is prequalification for your mortgage. By doing this, you have an idea of what you can afford and can narrow the search for a home and you will have already completed some of the steps necessary to close on a home. Normally, lenders don't charge prequalification and the process is somewhat similar to the actual loan application process itself.

What will you need to get prequalified? A good list of items includes:

• Credit report
• W-2 forms
• Tax returns
• Bank statements
• Recent pay stubs

What is next? There are some steps to prequalification. These include: 

Step 1

It is a smart move to go online to use a mortgage prequalification calculator before talking to a lender. This way you can get some idea of what you can afford. You can plug variable things such as the percentage rate and loan terms.

Step 2

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Do you ever hear REALTORS® talking and wonder what in the world they are talking about? Real Estate has its own unique set of terms. Here are some of the most popular and what they mean so you can help "speak the language."

Addendum – these are the additional documents that go into a real estate contract.

Appraisal – this is how a loan officer determines if the property is worth as much (or as little) as the buyer is willing to pay for it.

Closing – this is the date that the buyer's purchase will record at the County and become their property.

Closing Costs – All of the expenses paid by the buyer and the seller when the real estate deal closes. These can include the brokerage commission, mortgage-related fees, escrow or attorney's settlement charges, transfer taxes, recording fees, title insurance and so on. Closing costs are generally paid through escrow.

Commission – this is the amount the real estate agent makes from the sale. It...

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At Old Colony, we like to give back to our community. Part of this is sharing information and news about different events going on. During the summer, many families are looking for a variety of camps not only to provide care for children, but to give children an opportunity to have fun and learn new skills. Listed below are a variety of organizations in the greater Kanawha and Putnam County area offering camps this summer.

YMCA (Tri-County YMCA and YMCA of Kanawha Valley)

YMCAs in our area have offered camps for over 20 years and are one of the leading providers in childcare in West Virginia. YMCA of Kanawha Valley has locations in both Charleston and Cross Lanes (Kanawha County) and offer Summer Day Camps and Sports Camps. Tri-County YMCA located in Scott Depot (Putnam County)also offers Summer Day Camp and Sports Camps for a variety of ages ranging from age 5 through high school. The older...

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