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interest rate: Timing the Real Estate Market? Don't forget the impact of rising interest rates. - 12/12/10 05:48 PM
Are you trying to time the real estate market?  Don't forget the impact of rising interest rates. Many home buyers are struggling with the decision to purchase.  Are home prices at the bottom? Will they decline further?  Should we buy now or wait?  But there is another factor that many home buyers fail to consider when making their decision to buy or wait, the impact of rising interest rates.  Mortgage lenders issue their loan approvals based on a Qualifying Monthly Payment which is typically the maximum payment at which the lender will provide your mortgage financing.  The qualifying monthly payment is … (4 comments)

interest rate: EVALUATE YOUR BUYER'S LENDER AS A VALUE-ADDED SERVICE - 07/31/07 07:57 PM
There have been a number of blogs about non-performing lenders, incompetent loan officers, bad loan programs (or at least a derth of buyer education regarding the pros and cons of those programs) and useless approval letters with the end result being a call for LEGISLATIVE ACTION.  Are you kidding me? You want the same people who created Truth-In-Lending, - a flawed piece of consumer-protectionism - to fix the problem?
I am going boldly as to suggest a more immediate and proactive approach.  EVALUATE YOUR BUYER'S LENDER AS A VALUE-ADDED SERVICE.  Before I throw out the concept in its entirety, let's review … (8 comments)

interest rate: A SELLER CREDIT IS A BETTER OPTION THAN A LOW OFFER - 07/25/07 11:46 AM
As housing inventory and interest rates increase, it is time to dust off an age-old tool:  seller credits.  While seller credits have typically been used to assist first-time homebuyers, they are equally effective in the higher price ranges.
I live and work in the East Bay area of Northern California where a "starter" home can easily cost $500,000 and a 3 Bdrm, 2 bath home in a good school district is $750,000 or more, therefore it is a good market to demonstrate the benefits of a seller credit versus a low offer at any price range.  The best way to make my … (6 comments)