Deborah Benavides
December 16, 2009 at 04:43 PM · Posted under Deborah Benavides
Two Gifts in One for Home Buyers!
If you are a first time homebuyer - where do you start? Let’s keep this simple:
- First find out if you qualify for the tax credit by clicking here
or here.
- Find out what interest rate you qualify for click here.
- Talk to a Realtor® about what you can afford.
A recent Business Week article put it very bluntly: “If You Don’t Buy a House Now, You’re Stupid or Broke” (kind of a rude but truthful wake up call). The author points out “pay more attention to the interest rates than the price of the home. If you have a steady job, good credit, and the down payment, then you really are being offered the gift of a lifetime.” To read the full article, click here
After helping a few family members in the past months with their first home purchase, I realized how important it is for first time home buyers to have someone to talk to. Still waiting to make the first move? Then call me or someone you know in real estate - we are happy to help you get the present you deserve.
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Deborah Benavides
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December 07, 2009 at 06:02 PM · Posted under Deborah Benavides
Many cities have officially named sections of their interstate highway: The Jersey Turnpike, the Kennedy in Chicago. Even Madison, Wisconsin has the “Beltline” (think of Wisconsin as Santa and the Beltline would be right where the shinny black belt buckle goes) running east/west across the metro area. These names show up on road maps and are officially registered names.
But not Milwaukee’s highways. Historically, the traffic reporters began to give highway segments nicknames – The Rock Freeway, Plainfield Curve. But you won’t find these labels on any AAA maps.
So, if you are traveling in town with your radio on and hear about an accident at a particular interchange - here’s a key to their whereabouts:
Plainfield Curve – after arriving in Milwaukee at Mitchell International Airport and heading north towards downtown on I-94, you will come to a short stretch of highway that curves right then straightens back to the left, known as the Plainfield Curve. (Growing up in Milwaukee – but never seeing this on a map – I always thought the announcers were calling this the Playing Field curve).
Marquette Interchange – OK – this one is fairly easy to spot as you travel west from downtown past Marquette University. It’s our newly renovated artery serving the downtown connections, surrounding Marquette University’s east and north sides
Zoo Interchange - intersection of 894 and I-94 at the northwest corner of 894 (with multiple exits leading to Milwaukee County Zoo grounds)
894 Bypass – bypassing downtown on 894 from the Airport Interchange to the Zoo Interchange
Hale Interchange – Southwest corner of 894 (with exits to Hales Corners) and the start of the
Rock Freeway - the portion of road extending from 894 heading southwest to Rock County (or Rockford, IL)
Hoan Bridge – the Bridge over the Summerfest Grounds or 794 leading south out of downtown along Lake Michigan
Another tip: I-94 comes up from Chicago, past our airport, then heads west from Milwaukee to Madison and continuing across Wisconsin. When you are traveling on I-94 in Milwaukee, you will see signs that say I-94 East (towards downtown or the lakefront) or I-94 West (towards Madison). However, if you are heading to Chicago – you’d look for the East signs – even though you are heading south!
Click here for a site does provide a map with highway labels.
Posted by:Deborah Benavides
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December 07, 2009 at 04:40 PM · Posted under Deborah Benavides
The recent announcement by Republic Airlines to move jobs from Denver to Milwaukee had our relocation staff looking into the similarities and differences between our two cities.
While most employees considering a relocation will first factor in home price comparisons and school rankings, they quickly look to weather as an important consideration.
Surprisingly, Milwaukee and Denver share similar average temperature ranges, with our average low temperatures in January both around 14 degrees and average low temperature in July around 60 degrees. However, the high temperatures in January average 45 for Denver and 30 for Milwaukee. The average high temperatures for July are 88 for Denver and 81 for Milwaukee.
So – really – what is the big concern here? It’s our humidity. According to cityrating.com, relative humidity is probably the second most popular factor that people take into consideration when looking for the weather of a city to live in (aside from temperature).
Denver has relatively low humidity – sporting around 70% in the morning and 40% in the afternoon hours. Milwaukee, on the other hand, has 80% humidity in the mornings and 65% by the afternoon. Now that it is winter, our higher humidity makes it easier to make a snowman or throw a snowball (nice to know parents – huh?) while the snow in Denver is lighter and blows around. But what about the summer when our temperatures rise along with our humidity? What is it really like living with higher humidity in the summer months?
As a life long Milwaukeeian – I can tell you it’s not all that bad. First, we have the lakefront, which offers a breeze to combat the humidity levels. Second, our higher “average” humidity happens a few weeks out of the summer – pushing our averages up. Most days are comfortable, breezy, and great for experiencing our out-of doors.
And while we are on the subject of weather, overall, Milwaukee’s weather risk (which factors in hurricanes, earthquakes, tornado, wind, and hail) is much lower than Denver. In Milwaukee, we have a lower risk for hail, tornados, and earthquakes. Both cities rate low for hurricanes, and only is the wind a greater factor in Milwaukee versus Denver, making our overall weather risk a 55 compared with Denver’s 132 (average being 100).
So, take a dive into our climate and you’ll find it is most comfortable living here – with our breezy windy air and all!
Posted by:Deborah Benavides
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