curt baumgarth: 4 alternatives to a traditional mortgage
- 06/27/11 05:24 PM
4 alternatives to a traditional mortgage If you want to buy a home but don't qualify for a traditional mortgage, you have other options. Here are a few. By Amy Fontinelle of Investopedia
Whether you're a first-time homebuyer, a repeat buyer or an investor, you might have reasons that you don't want to — or can't — obtain a traditional mortgage. Maybe lenders don't see you as being in ideal financial health because of a foreclosure or bankruptcy in your credit history. Or maybe you have plenty of assets in the bank but can't show sufficient monthly cash flow … (1 comments)
curt baumgarth: Why is housing market stuck? This family offers one answer: 2 years of paperwork for a loan mod.
- 06/27/11 03:03 PM
By Bob Sullivan CHICAGO — Ron and Cheryl Schmalz think they know one reason the U.S. housing market is stuck. They just spent more than two years and created about 50 pounds' worth of paper trying to get a $300-per-month modification to their mortgage. Nearly every month for the past two years, the Schmalzes received a warning from their mortgage holder, JP Morgan Chase, that the bank was about to foreclose on their home and that late fees were mercilessly piling up. Nearly every two months, the couple would dutifully fax in a pile of paperwork reminding the firm that they … (4 comments)
curt baumgarth: Best and Worst Cities for Renters
- 06/24/11 02:06 AM
Best and Worst Cities for Renters By Morgan Brennan, Forbes.com Jun 20, 2011 Provided by: The population of New Haven, Conn., grew a robust 5% from 2000 to 2010. With demand for housing outpacing construction of new multi-family buildings over the past few years, the home of Yale University is a great place to be a landlord. But, by our measure, it’s the worst city in the country to be a renter. With a low rental vacancy rate of 4.5%, average rent in New Haven is up $57 over last year to $1,504 per month, exceeded only by notoriously pricey markets … (3 comments)
curt baumgarth: Signs of a Real Estate Recovery?
- 06/23/11 01:54 AM
Signs of a Real Estate Recovery? The number of home owners who were put on notice for defaulting on their mortgage payments dropped last month to the lowest level since 2006, RealtyTrac reports. Meanwhile, foreclosure filings for the eighth straight month also were down as filings fell 33 percent in May compared to a year earlier and 2 percent month-over-month. Also, lenders took back fewer homes in May, the second straight month of declines. And bank repossessions were down in May too — down nearly 30 percent over the last 12 months. Is this a sign of a recovery in real … (2 comments)
curt baumgarth: Google Hits One Billion Visitors in Only One Month
- 06/22/11 05:57 PM
Google Hits One Billion Visitors in Only One Month By TIM WORSTALL We’re told that finally an Internet company has done it. Google has managed to get to one billion visitors in only one month. Yes, this does mean that one seventh of humanity hit a Google web page in just that one calendar month. As the WSJ tells us: Google’s websites had more than a billion unique visitors in May, the first time an Internet company has hit that benchmark, according to comScore data released Tuesday. Over the past year, Google’s unique visitors per month have increased 8.4% to just … (5 comments)
curt baumgarth: As recovery falters, here come the regulators
- 06/21/11 06:45 AM
As recovery falters, here come the regulators Commentary: Ethical code with teeth would beat more rules By Lou BarnesInman News™ Share This Domestic data vied with the European circus for control of financial markets, for once pushing in the same direction. Down. Both stocks and rates. Greece seems certain to default in some form this summer, and European efforts have switched to containing contagion in the aftermath. When Bear Stearns went down in March 2008, with some Fed safety net in place, no dominoes followed; six months later, when Lehman and AIG tanked, not even an all-out Fed and TARP could … (1 comments)
curt baumgarth: 3 ways to justify your real estate commission
- 06/20/11 06:58 AM
3 ways to justify your real estate commission Don't underestimate the power of expireds, 'premium service' By Bernice Ross Have you ever wondered why sellers and buyers constantly grind on you about your commission? If you want to stop the grind, today's column looks at three proven strategies to protect yourself from commission depression. When it comes to defending your commission, a key point to remember is that 15 percent of all sellers make their listing decision based solely upon the commission rate. They view all real estate agents and companies as being the same. Consequently, it makes no difference … (5 comments)
curt baumgarth: Wells Fargo and U.S. Mayors Form Foreclosure Prevention Alliance
- 06/20/11 06:23 AM
Wells Fargo and U.S. Mayors Form Foreclosure Prevention Alliance By: Heather Hill Cernoch 06/16/2011 The U.S. Conference of Mayors and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage have joined forces to create a national alliance focused on foreclosure prevention, property disposition, homeownership promotion, and community development. The three-year initiative will address housing challenges with strategies and outreach initiatives that will involve mayors and their constituents. The U.S. Conference of Mayors is a nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are 1,210 such cities in the country today. Each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the … (0 comments)
curt baumgarth: Home Refinancing Basics
- 06/19/11 02:52 PM
Home Refinancing Basics Before you refinance, know the pitfalls as well as the advantages Provided by .yreArticle .text h5, .yreArticle .text h4 { color: #DB5800; } .yreArticle .text ul li { margin-bottom: 2px; font-size: 12px; } .yreArticle .text td, .yreArticle .text th { padding: 0; font-size: 12px; text-align: center;} .yreArticle .text b { font-weight: bold; } .yreArticle .text i { font-style: italic; } .yreArticle table { width: 500px; margin-bottom:10px;} .yreArticle th { font-weight: bold; text-align: left; padding-left:5px;} .yreArticle tr { border-top: solid 1px #000000; } .yreArticle tr.first { border-top: double #000000; } .yreArticle tr.last { border-top: none; } .yreArticle p.table { … (0 comments)
curt baumgarth: 8 Factors That Devalue a Good Home
- 06/15/11 05:27 PM
If you're considering selling your home, there are a number of factors you should consider regarding the resale value of your property. Some of these issues may devalue your home or scare some potential buyers away entirely, even if your home is an otherwise outstanding property! Consider these eight factors when listing your home. 1. Location, Location, Location Many real estate television shows repeat this phrase over and over. Buying a home in an area that provides residents with access to services and effective transportation is important - though many buyers don't wish to live too close to airports and busy … (0 comments)
curt baumgarth: Tips on Burglar Proofing your home:
- 06/15/11 09:40 AM
BURGLAR PROOFING * Have lights in all entrances. * Have good locks (deadbolt) on all doors and windows. * Use timers to turn lights and radios on when you are not home (noise is a great security enhancement). Stop mail and newspaper delivery when you are out of town. * Do not use your first name on your mailbox or in the phone directory – use your first initial. Don’t use a message on your answering machine that says you’re away from home or on vacation, etc. * Know which of your neighbors you can trust in an emergency. * Check … (2 comments)
curt baumgarth: 5 nasty surprises that can stop your home purchase cold
- 06/12/11 06:12 AM
When a seller wants to sell a home and finds a buyer who wants to buy it, you'd think they'd have a deal. What could go wrong? These days, plenty. In this tough financial climate, there are both longstanding pitfalls and a crop of new ones. At best, these can cost you time or money. Or both. At worst, the home you want could slip from your grasp. 1. The appraisal kills the dealEven after you and the seller have agreed on a price, the appraiser — the expert assigned by the bank to authenticate the home's value — can ruin … (1 comments)
curt baumgarth: Please put me over the 100,000 mark!
- 05/24/11 06:25 PM
I've been beating my brains trying to come up with a clever post for my 100,000 mark... I want to try to write an original way to say I have learned a ton, made several friends, learned a ton, got some laughs, learned a ton, etc. But, getting anywhere in this business takes help, from your friends, co-workers, clients, agents on the other side of the transaction, lenders, title, banks, buyers/sellers etc. I need help getting over 100k points! I'm a tad short, maybe if I get enough comments, you can help me break the BIG barrier. Please lend me a … (29 comments)
Edward James Olmos has signed on for season 6 of Showtime's "Dexter" as a guest star, the network announced on Tuesday. The actor, will play "a brilliant, charismatic professor of religious studies," according to Showtime's announcement. Olmos joins a cast that will be filled with an impressive roster of guest stars, including the previously announced Colin Hanks and Mos (formerly Mos Def). The sixth season of "Dexter" begins production on Wednesday in Los Angeles for premiere this fall. … (3 comments)
curt baumgarth: Call to Action: 20% down payment Puts the American Dream Out of Reach
- 05/18/11 12:37 PM
Could your clients afford a 20% down payment? Could you? Can you envision what your prospective client pool will look like if new regulations governing Qualified Residential Mortgages (QRM) take effect this year? Neither can we. And neither can many elected officials in Congress who did not intend for these regulatory provisions to be so narrowly defined. We must continue our efforts to explain how detrimental the new QRM rules would be to the ongoing housing and lending crisis in America. According to NAR Research, 60% of recent home buyers made less than a 20% down payment, and it would take … (1 comments)
curt baumgarth: Microsoft: One in 14 Downloads Is Malicious
- 05/18/11 04:04 AM
The next time a website says to download new software to view a movie or fix a problem, think twice. There's a pretty good chance that the program is malicious. In fact, about one out of every 14 programs downloaded by Windows users turns out to be malicious, Microsoft said Tuesday. And even though Microsoft has a feature in its Internet Explorer browser designed to steer users away from unknown and potentially untrustworthy software, about 5 percent of users ignore the warnings and download malicious Trojan horse programs anyway. Five years ago, it was pretty easy for criminals to sneak their … (4 comments)
curt baumgarth: Housing options in Phoenix AZ
- 05/16/11 02:25 PM
Plenty of options to call homeThe Phoenix area may be in the Southwest, but it offers a lot more than Southwest-flavored houses and neighborhoods. While there are many neighborhoods featuring stucco homes with tile roofs, there are also historical houses with mature trees, homes from the post-World War II boom years, homes in desert areas and luxurious mansions. One of the most exciting developments is the rise of hundreds of new condos in urban settings, particularly in downtown Phoenix, Scottsdale and near a man-made lake in downtown Tempe, home of Arizona State University. The downtown Phoenix and Tempe areas will be … (0 comments)
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