Most people love to get out and mingle with their fellow neighbors throughout their communities during the holidays and in Lake Havasu, there will be a few holiday events going on that will help make that happen.
21st Annual Turkey Trot
11/21/2009 - Come join the fun in the 5K race / 2 mile fun run or you can just walk. Race begins at 7:30 a.m. at Sara Park. The entry fee is now $27. For more information, contact the Lake Havasu City Parks & Recreation at (928) 453-8686.
Western Welcome Club of Arizona Holiday Boutique
11/21/2009 - Bring the whole family for this free event at the Community Aquatic Center on 100 Park Avenue from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. For more information, contact Willie at (928) 855-2238 or Carolyn at (928) 855-5583.
London Bridge Thanksgiving Regatta
1127/2009 - Here's a great day of fun for everyone at the London Bridge Yacht Club from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The race begins and ends in Thompson Bay.
If you have visitors coming into town this Thanksgiving holiday season or you just want something to do yourself, check out some of these great events. They are sure to keep you and your visitors happy and busy while they are in town.
Finding the perfect retirement community in Lake Havasu City can be as simple as 1, 2, 3. Since Arizona is so popular for its pleasant climate, vast public land and recreational opportunities, it's just plain easy to find the perfect retirement community for any senior.
Arizona is a crossroad of heritage and culture where several diverse traditions have met and combined into the unique state that has defined Arizona today, which has helped make Lake Havasu City a popular place to retire.
Best known for the London Bridge, Lake Havasu is also known for its abundance of recreational opportunities and perfectly mild winters to enjoy them in.
Lake Havasu City's retirement communities are made up of two different types of people: permanent residents and snowbirds. The permanent residents are those who have found that Lake Havasu's climate works for them year-round. The snowbirds are the retirees who are looking for a warm alternative to the biting cold winters from the state they reside in the rest of the year.
When it's time to retire, be sure to research all that Lake Havasu City has to offer. You may be surprised with what you'll find.
Homeownership is one of the biggest dreams of many Americans. Due to record numbers of homeownership and cheap mortgage rates, many homeowners are prime targets for scams. Therefore, I'd like to take the opportunity to point out three of the top current real estate scams to help homeowners, buyers and sellersfrom losing thousands of dollars or their home.
The top three real estate scams that can be found right now include identity theft via mortgage request, loan flipping and the old bait and switch.
The bait and switch technique is a fraudulent method where a loan product is publicized at a beneficial rate (bait). Later, the product or rate is subsequently changed for the gain of the lender (switch). For example, one interest rate is guaranteed to you at the time of selling a loan, but a higer rate is given at the time of closing. This practice is deceitful and illegal.
When obtaining a mortgage quote or getting pre-approved for a mortgage, many consumers believe that their financial details are secure. However, on many occasions, your financial details can be hacked within 24 hours of your credit bureau inquiry and even your loan officer is unaware of your financial details being swiped away.
Loan flipping is another type of mortgage scam that is common in the real estate industry. Loan flipping denotes frequent refinancing of a mortgage within a short time, giving very small gains to the borrower. Lenders who flip loans ask too much for an origination fee with every consecutive refinancing. These fees are usually asked for based on the whole loan amount, not only on the increased amount summed up with the loan principal through refinancing.
If you are considering a mortgage refinance, a home equity loan or buying a home, you should find a lender you can trust. It is very important to shop around and do your homework before making a final decision and never give your personal details until you are confident that the individual or company you are talking to is someone you can trust.
To protect yourself from being scammed, the best offense is a good defense. Research and make inquiries often.
Today, there is a variety of choices of lenders to choose from and often homebuyers find themselves asking which lender is right for them. Today's choices include mortgage brokers, banks, Internet lenders and home builders. And each lender has its own advantages and disadvantages of using them. Therefore, I would like to go over the different types of lenders to help homeowners make a sound choice when it comes to buying a home.
Types of Lenders:
Banks - Advantages of banks are that they are regulated by state and federal agencies, many branches provide you with one-on-one access and your current banking relationship can get you a reduced mortgage rate. Disadvantages of banks include being limited to only offers the bank has to offer, some may lack negotiation leverage when it comes to publicized rates and you may not get the best rate.
Mortgage Brokers - Advantages of mortgage brokers include having access to a wide variety of lenders, you can shop for the best rates to save money and you can quickly find another lender if your first application is turned down for some reason. Disadvantages of mortgage brokers include that they are free to set their own pricing and many will mark-up the wholesale rates to whatever they want, services will vary from broker to broker and many function as a lender's agent and have the lender's best interest at heart, not yours.
Home Builders - Advantages of home builders is that it's a good way for first-time homebuyers to qualify and the buyer doesn't take title to the property until the home is complete. Disadvantages of home builders include them favoring lenders who offer higher rates and sometimes they can pressure you into getting their loan instead of using a lender of your choice.
Internet Lenders - Advantages of Internet lenders are that they allow you to shop for competitive rates online. Disadvantages of Internet lenders include a greater learning curve for the homebuyer to understand the borrowing process and the abundance of spam that comes with it.
With careful planning and consideration, you can choose the right lender for the loan you need. I hope this article helps make that choice.
For those wanting to buy a home with purchasing power, keeping your credit in check can sometimes turn into a guessing game. Many times, we find ourselves questioning how paying the minimum balance will affect our credit, how paying late will affect our credit, how missing a payment will affect our credit and so on. Therefore, I have compiled a list of answers to many of these questions using a 10-point scale to help you grade yourself.
Using this 10-point scale will help you keep your credit in check to help youbuy your dream home with purchasing power.
Making the minimum payment on your credit card (4) - All credit card companies like it when you take your time paying off your credit card. The slower you pay it off, the better for them. This won't necessarily affect your credit score. However, you shouldn't make this a regular practice. Paying only the minimum payment will just keep you in debt longer and you'll only end up paying more in interest. Sometimes, the amount you end up paying in interest may end up being two to three times more than what you originally owed.
Making late payments (6) - Credit card companies are notorious for adding on late fees. Payments that are made just a few minutes late will accrue late fees, interest charges and other penalties. Depending on how late the payment is made, the credit company may report the delinquency to the credit bureaus, which will hurt your credit score.
Missing a payment (9) - Credit card companies really get you when you miss a payment. They slam you with late fees, interest charges and other penalties. And, you will most likely see a rise in your interest rate. You will also have to face a hard hit on your credit report of about 35% on your credit score. This will result in paying more when trying to get a home loan or prevent you from getting one at all. Missed payments not only have immediate consequences, but also long-term consequences, too. Therefore, be sure to pay your credit card payment on time each month.
Purchasing on a card for rewards (1) - Paying off your credit card on time and in full just to grab extra rewards isn't necessarily a bad plan. Just be careful playing this game. Most people end up spending more money when paying with plastic. So, it's easy to get in over your head.
Having too many credit cards (6) - Applying for multiple credit cards just to grab discounts on clothes or other merchandise will most likely have you letting bills slip through the cracks. This also increases your chances of being a victim of identity theft. A general-purpose card is all you should need. It serves its purpose well.
Maxing out your credit cards (7) - Maxing out your credit cards will also have a serious impact on your credit score. Around 30% of our score is based on "credit utilization." This is the amount of credit you have used versus the amount you have available. It also signifies a bad trend in your personal finances when you max out your cards. Although maxing out your credit cards may not have an immediate impact on your financial pull, it will always show that you are not good at budgeting your money wisely.
Keeping up with your credit at all times will help when it comes to buying a home. With good credit, you will have more purchasing power.
Children all around Lake Havasu City, Arizona are ready for and excited about the Fall Fun Fair that is scheduled for this Saturday, October 17th. The youth of the city's residents and visitors will all be enjoying over 80 different games and various other activities at this year's annual event.
The Fall Fun Fair has been organized by the Lake Havasu City Parks & Recreation Department and will be held at Rotary Community Park from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The first 2,000 children who come to the event with a parent will receive a bag of treats. Each bag has been donated by the Havasu Community Credit Union.
This year. there won't be the usual costume contest, but a costume parade instead. Many people around Lake Havasu City already think this will be a big hit for the event. And, since this is a family-oriented event, attendees are asked to please wear a Halloween costume or a red-white-blue costume if you will be participating in the parade. This year's theme is "patriotic" to go along with the London Bridge Days parade theme. The parade will begin at 5:00 p.m.
Not so long ago, few consumers had ever heard of a short sale. However, now the term is spreading like wildfire and leaving a lot of frustration along its path. Today, when you mention the term "short sale", real estate agents and homeowners alike tend to roll their eyes.
The term short sale can be defined as selling a property for less than the amount owed on the mortgage. This strategy has recently exploded in popularity as an exit for those homeowners who are financially strapped. A short sale doesn't hurt one's credit report as much as a foreclosure would. However, the transaction must be approved by the lender or lenders holding the lien on the property.
There are some real estate agents that try to keep clear of short sales completely and even go as far as to specifically list their properties as "not a short sale."
Last May, plans were announced by the Treasury Secretary to streamline the process and offer financial incentives to investors and mortgage services that would accept short sales. Here it is, four months later, and there are still no specific details of how this plan is going to work. But, a spokeswoman for the Treasury Department says an update for the program will be ready and released within a few more weeks.
During 2009's second quarter, almost 14% of all home sales were short sales. These short sales were actually made by first-time buyers who usually had more time to wait on the process. I also must mention, two out of three short sales never close. Therefore, it is a good idea to have at least three offers or more on every completed short sale. Home buyers are also now giving a lot of verbal offers in hopes that a lender will say yes to one of them. This is only holding up the approval process at mortgage services though.
The short sale cycle has almost become an unproductive and ugly cycle. Approving a short sale involves a rather large packet of documents that includes tax returns, bank statements, a hardship letter telling why a short sale is needed and sources of income. Once the paperwork is submitted to the mortgage provider, it then has to be entered into the system and assigned to a real person. Then, an appraisal has to done on the property. It's a lengthy process.
With a wealth of inventory on the real estate market and drastically reduced prices, there are many options for sellers and buyers to choose from. Therefore, be smart and do your research to see which option would best suite your needs.
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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