The mortgage bank that I work for, Alpine Mortgage Planning, has issued a challenge to the Eugene/Springfield area to bring in a Million Dollars ($1,000,000) in First Time Home Buyer Tax Credits as part of the Stimulus package. You can check out the challenge here.
All of this means that the loan advisors teaming with their Realtor partners will be working to bring the dream of homeownership to at least 125 first time home buyers between now and November 30, 2009, the date the tax credit expires.
Check out the http://www.alpinemilliondollarstimuluschallenge.com/ website for information about upcoming seminars for new home buyers. Down Payment Assistance programs will also be addressed during the seminars, helping prospective home owners get the money together for the down payment.
If you have any questions about the seminars, or to start the process, give me a call at 541-342-7576/541-221-3455 Cell or e-mail me.
As a person who makes their living online, I wonder how many people visit auction sites like www.rockybid.com and why. I know there are trade publications that can give you statistical information on such sites. These publications can definitely provide some valuable information about auctions but they lack the human factor. With that said, I turn to you, the internet savvy members of Active Rain.
If you do use these sites, how often do you turn to them for products? I am under the impression that many people who frequent these sites do so when they are looking for a particular product, like a Playstation 3 80GB or a particular video card for your PC. For me, I have perused these sites when looking for gift ideas around Christmas and sometimes birthdays. The variety of merchandise available can sometimes be the inspiration for a gift. But what about the rest of the year?
Another time I have found myself visiting auction sites is when a really hot product that I or a loved one just has to have is released. A prime example would be the craze cause by the nintendo wii. When these game systems came out they were virtually impossible to get a hold of. Many auction sites however had new ones available. Granted the price you paid was not the 'blue light' price but then again you didn't have to fight the crazed person whose kid just had to have it, nor did you have to fight the crowds these superstores generally have.
I have often been worried about quality when buying something online. With the guarantees that many of these sites offer those worries have been almost entirely laid to rest. Another stumbling block to ordering online has been the extra cost of shipping an item. This issue has also been almost entirely eliminated with many places offering free shipping. The more I have ordered merchandise online, the more accustomed to it I have become. I find myself ordering certain types on merchandise online on a regular basis now. My query here regards auction sites and your experience with them.
Most people in the real estate industry understand the importance of using a reputable title company. Many consumers however don't know what a title company actually does so they may also be unaware of why they are important. Liens, judgments, closings, escrow...these buzzwords that many consumers may have a passing knowledge of are very important when conducting a real estate transaction. Let's take a look at these four terms as examples of what a title company does and why it is important.
Liens and judgments are issues that affect title. According to dictionary.com title is defined as,
a.legal right to the possession of property, esp. real property.
b.the ground or evidence of such right.
c. the instrument constituting evidence of such right.
Liens, the legal claim of one person upon the property of another person to secure the payment of a debt or the satisfaction of an obligation (dictionary.com), and judgments, the obligation, esp. a debt, arising from a judicial decision (dictionary.com) can both directly affect title as they are often levied against it. Liens and judgments against a title mean that the it is not clear of other claims and will hamper most lenders from extending a mortgage. A title company will perform a title search to discover any liens or judgments against a property. This title work and its findings are then taken as true and correct by the lender. The veracity of the clear title and properly executed closing documents are backed up with title insurance. This title insurance helps to protect both the lender and the homeowner.
Another important function of a title company is to oversee the execution of the closing documents. States have varying laws governing who may close a loan and recourse for advice given about the paperwork. In most states, the title company is responsible for verifying the identity of the people signing the documents and for receiving any funds specified on the HUD1.
Another important responsibility of title companies in most states is the holding of funds and dispersing of those funds according to the lender's instructions. Holding of funds is called escrow. Escrow is defined by dictionary.com as, a contract, deed, bond, or other written agreement deposited with a third person, by whom it is to be delivered to the grantee or promisee on the fulfillment of some condition. There are generally legal avenues that can be pursued against a title company if they fail to execute the duties for which they are retained. This legal recourse may be the only option available to a homeowner or lender if questions arise about title. These are just a few examples of what a title company does and why it is important to a real estate transaction.
Many people who are buying homes today are young, first time buyers. Because of the enormous financial responsibility that buyers are taking on, it is important to do a bit of research into the different options that may be available. With the soft sellers’ market that many areas of the country have been experiencing over the past few years many Realtors®, builders, and sellers are offering more incentives to buyers. Keep in mind that there is no one single, monolithic market when it comes to real estate but thousands of local and hyperlocal markets that are as unique as snowflakes. With that said, one of the most common incentives offered to buyers is the home warranty.
As an Internet business, Positive Real Estate Professionals understands the need for an Internet presence. For the most part, that is a given when you run a Real Estate network such as ours. The great thing is that our members understand the importance of this. However, this post is not about the people that are members here nor is it about our network. It is about the people that do not understand that to build your business on the Internet, you first have to build an Internet presence. Before I take that any further, let me state this; Internet presence is not achieved by playing games on the computer all day and waiting for a potential client to locate you.
Just the other day a friend of mine told me that he had bought a second home in another country. It got me to thinking that with the economy the way it is, now might be a great time to invest in an second home overseas. That is what got me drawn to ThracianCliffs.com. If you get a chance, check out the golf property they have to offer.
If you are a REALTOR® in the state of Arkansas, then you want to be reading The Arkansas REALTOR®. Ethan Nobles, Media Director for the Arkansas Realtors® Association is the main author for this new blog site and he and his staff are ready to keep you abreast of the happenings in Arkansas. Check out their opening post at
Over the last few years, the housing industry has been in turmoil over most of the world, not just here in the US. The great thing in this turmoil is that home prices are lower in most areas that we have seen for some time. Finding a market that will rebound from the hard hit this crisis has dealt is the trick of the trade.
Orlando is one of those markets. Whether you are looking for Condos in Orlando Fl or a single family home in Lake Mary, I am sure that there is something well worth the investment in that area. With that said, these homes and/or condos are not going to come looking for you. You need to get out and check out what Orlando has to offer.
For those of you that do not realize or know this, Orlando is home to the Magic, a NBA franchise. In the outskirts of Orlando is Universal Studios as well as all of the Disney Theme Parks. Orlando is also home to the Predators, an Arena Football team. With attractions like this, investing in a condo, town home, or single family home in the Orlando area would seem to be a smart bet.
The last few months have been a huge whirlwind for me. For all of my friends and followers here in ActiveRain, I have not completely disappeared. Even though I am not posting in the RAIN as much as I have in the past, I am still active. There are now other priorities that now take precendence over blogging.
Recently, I took a huge leap of faith and created a new real estate network to help people dominate google. It seems that most of my time is spent working to make the system the best that it can be, not that it needs to be fixed. What we are doing is adding more and more tools to it to make it better. But, that is another story in itself, as I am not here to promote our site. If you want to know more about it, the email Rich or myself. If that process is to slow for you, then call us in the office at 865-951-0522.
Even though I have been working hard at getting this site to turn magical tricks, my main goal has been on helping people dominate Google. With that said, we have managed to have great success in doing that in conjunction to the platforms our members already use. That in itself takes almost all the time that I have, but it seems that I still have time to write a few articles here and there.
Below is a list of other articles that I have recently written. Some of them will piss you off, some will make you laugh some will bring a tear to your eye, some you will agree with, and some you will not agree with. If you get a chance, check them out.
Just the other weekend, I was out riding around and I noticed a lot of the homes in the area that had massive driveways with large lots and no security. Personally, I thought that leaving the access wide open would be a mistake. However, I guess it is up to the homeowner in whether of not they would want to use something like apollo gates.
We came across this one property that had everything gated all the way around the entire property. I thought that this was great until the Realtor had to get out and manually open the gate. If the owner has sprung for an apollo 1500, then the Realtor would not be doing this. Once I witnessed this, it left me with a bad view on the property as every time that I want to leave of I get back, I have to manually open and close the gate. Personally, this can be resolved by using the sliding gate like the apollo 1500 or by using a double sided gate like the apollo 1600, Either way would be better than having to get out and open and shut the gates.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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