sacramento home buyers: Sacramento Home Buyers - HomePath® Financing Incentives - 10/01/10 09:21 PM
When you are saving to buy a home, every cent helps. It's no secret that right now is a great time to purchase a home in Sacramento.
Did you know that Fannie Mae has a special program to help?
Fannie Mae Announces New Incentives for HomePath® Properties
REO or Real Estate Owned properties that are owned by Fannie Mae are being sold with special financing incentives.
Under the new incentive program, owner-occupants and public entities that buy a HomePath Property between now and the end of the year can receive up to 3.5 percent of the purchase price … (0 comments)
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sacramento home buyers: First time home buyers in Sacramento - Start Here - 09/21/10 01:08 AM
Are you thinking about buying your first home? House shopping can be a lot of fun, huh? Driving around in your favorite neighborhoods, going to open houses and looking online at the local inventory. That's when the dream of owning your own home is in full bloom. It is a dream. You oooh and aaaah over the spacious rooms, gorgeous landscapes, while debating if the upkeep of a pool is worth it. Hmmm.... Oh, and lets not forget kitchens. Brilliant, bold and all yours. You know what you want. It's ALIVE in your mind's eye just waiting for you to come … (2 comments)
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sacramento home buyers: Why rent when you can afford to buy? - 09/11/10 05:54 PM
Photo by Claudia Castro
Last night I was going through the rentals on Craig's list to see what the market looks like for houses and apartments in the greater Sacramento area. It was amazing to see how high the rent is for a house. Even more amazing that someone would pay more on a rental than it would cost them to own the very same home themselves.
Interest rates are so low and there is a lot of good inventory on the market. Are you waiting for the housing market to bottom out? Once home prices start to rise, you'll … (1 comments)
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sacramento home buyers: Sacramento home buyers - Getting a good interest rate locked in. - 09/10/10 01:59 AM
This is part 2 of the series for Sacramento home buyers, called, Loan Application -What do I need and how long will it take.
Knowing when the best time to lock in the interest rate is not an easy task. While there are indicators that affect interest rates, we cannot always be certain which way they will go from day to day.
As a general rule, a good economy will tend to drive interest rates up. A declining economy with increased unemployment and poor consumer confidence will bring lower interest rates.
Rates can change daily and even go … (0 comments)
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sacramento home buyers: Would you rather grow up in one place or move around? - 09/08/10 05:23 PM
Growing up in a military household, our family moved to a new place every two or three years. As a child it was difficult leaving friends behind and having to start fresh in a completely new environment. Oh, and to go to a new school every couple of years was the hardest!
Early on I developed a sense of disconnection. I didn't allow myself to get too close to people because saying goodbye was heartbreaking.
There have been a few friends I reconnected with through the Internet. Still, they only knew me during one season in my life. They didn't … (4 comments)
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sacramento home buyers: Loan Application - What do I need and how long will it take? - 09/05/10 06:43 PM
Buying your first home in Sacramento can be exciting and frustrating. But it doesn't have to be frustrating if we work together. Where do you begin?
When it's time to talk to a lender about getting a home loan, many first time home buyers are not sure where to begin. If you know what to expect, you can be well prepared, and save yourself from a lot of headaches along the way.
What documents are needed?
During the initial interview and loan application, I'll ask questions to see if there are any potential challenges that may need to be addressed during … (0 comments)
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sacramento home buyers: Three habits that will help you buy your first home. - 09/05/10 01:17 AM
Here are three important tips to help you prepare for buying your first home.
When applying for a mortgage, lenders not only look at your credit score, but will also consider how you use your available credit.
Keep your credit card balances low. Try not to owe more than 30% of your allowable credit limit. For example, if your credit limit is $1000 then don't owe more than $300 on that card. Always pay more than the minimum payment and make payments on time. Act like you already own your home. Another tip to help you on your way to … (5 comments)
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sacramento home buyers: Goodbye August - 08/28/10 06:21 PM
Summer is coming to a close. Before we know it, we'll be out shopping for Halloween costumes.
The season is shifting. We still have some hot days ahead but I can already smell autumn in the air.
I'm looking forward to wrapping up in my cozy throw and sipping hot chocolate in the evenings. My favorite is hot cocoa with no sugar and foamy melted marshmallows stirred in. Without the sugar I can really taste the chocolate and the marshmallows give it just the right blend of sweetness.
As the days get shorter and darkness comes before 6 PM, there … (6 comments)
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sacramento home buyers: FHA buyer down payment assistance making a comeback? - 08/12/10 03:52 PM
According to Frank and Brian, of Think Big Work Small, if the government pays out millions for the tax credit, and VA Loans offer 100% financing, as does USDA Rural and HUD offers homes for $100 down; then why not bring back options to help FHA buyers get down payment assistance?
Down payment assistance programs used to make it easier for first time home buyers to get into a home with an FHA purchase. My opinion is that it was not these programs that broke our system. I think it was the 80/20 stated income programs that got people in trouble. … (2 comments)
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sacramento home buyers: About 50% of Sacramento home owners quailify! YOU may qualify for the Home Affordable Mortgage Program. - 04/07/10 04:32 PM
Before you walk away or consider a short sale, consider this! You may qualify for this program and not even know it!
Sacramento home owners may qualify for the Home Affordable Mortgage Program which was announced on March 29th, 2010.
ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES SECOND ROUND OF ASSISTANCE FOR HARDEST-HIT HOUSING MARKETS
The HFA (Hardest Hit Fund) was designed to help the families in states with the most concentrated areas of economic stress. It is for responsible home owners who have been struggling to keep up with their mortgage payments.
If this is your primary residence and you owe less than $730,000 … (5 comments)
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sacramento home buyers: What makes a strong offer? - 02/19/10 05:50 PM
When it comes to purchasing their first home, many people will start looking at real estate ads, driving around neighborhoods, peeking in windows of vacant homes, and dreaming about finding the perfect home to move into. It's magical, exciting and kind of scary since not everyone has a clear idea of where to start. You want to pick the home that has what you're looking for and buy it. Sounds simple enough. Right? Buying a home in today's market can be a challenge. With an abundance of short-sales and foreclosures up for sale and many buyers wanting to take advantage of … (2 comments)
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sacramento home buyers: Re-thinking our vision... - 01/31/10 05:44 PM
Buying a home in today's market? It takes patience and tenacity and wishing on a star.
Buying a new home is a source of anxiety, frustration -- and a huge sense of accomplishment. You may have to put in several offers and get rejected a few times but your house is out there waiting for you and you will get an accepted offer if you keep moving forward. The first step is to get pre-approved for your mortgage. I like to quote Walt Disney. He said, "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because … (1 comments)
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sacramento home buyers: Disclosure, disclosure, disclosure! Everything is to be disclosed. No secrets, no surprises. - 01/15/10 03:23 PM
I just finished reading an insightful article on the CNBC blog about Big Banks Accused of Short Sale Fraud. You can read about it by following the link.
The article is discussing how second lien holders have been taking cash on the side from the real estate agents or the buyers outside of the escrow so that the first lien holder would not know that they were getting paid in order to drop the lien.
That is not legal.
Disclosure, disclosure, disclosure! Everything is to be disclosed. No secrets, no surprises.
Under no circumstances is there to be any compensation … (9 comments)
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sacramento home buyers: Internet Lead Conversion - Being Present in the Here and Now! - 01/07/10 05:01 AM
The Bribe Reward: 1200 points. Okay. I'm in on this one. =) For my readers, I'm being rewarded 1200 Active Rain points for writing this article. See the article under this one.
There has been a great deal of discussion and debate going on at the Active Rain Real Estate Network lately about the pros and cons of paying companies for leads. Bob Stewart believes we could all get better at turning leads, no matter where we get them, into clients. So, together, the Active Rain community is discussing what works best for us.
One company I worked with … (4 comments)
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sacramento home buyers: Stuffed to the gills - 11/28/09 04:12 AM
Thanksgiving "Day" is over but I am still feeling the effects of all that food. Wonderful, delicious, dishes that I don't care if I see again for another year! I'm turkey-ed out. Stuffed. Maybe tamales for Christmas, eh? Anything but a big bird and all that dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, etc. It is late and I should be in bed but I am too full from left overs to lay down just yet. Feels like I have lead in my gut.
This holiday has been extra special for me because it seems that more people in my life reconnected this … (5 comments)
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sacramento home buyers: Will the tax credit be extended beyond December 1, 2009? - 08/26/09 04:49 PM
H.R. 2801: Home Ownership Moves the Economy (HOME) Act of 2009 is a bill set to go before congress to extend the Home Buyer Tax Credit to U.S. citizens. The current home buyer tax credit allows first time home buyers (buyers who have not owned a home in the last three years) to receive a credit of 10% of the purchase price up to $8000. There are some restrictions.
Income must be under $75,000 or $150,000 filing jointly. There is a reduced credit for individuals earning up to $95,000 or $170,000 jointly. The home must be a first time purchase. The … (1 comments)
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