Company NameMeservier & Associates, Keller Williams Realty Mid Maine
Telephone Number207-784-2525
Fax Number207-689-9801
Email AddressJulia@meservier.com
Web site addresswww.meservier.com
HOME BUYING CLASS OFFERS EDUCATION & HOME TOUR
Auburn, Maine, June 22, 2009 — Meservier & Associates of Keller Williams Realty Mid Maine is launching Home Buyer University(HBU), and offering its first free HBU workshop for home buyers to learn the ins and outs of buying real estate on Saturday, July 25 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. at their offices located at 34 Center Street in Auburn.
HBU is designed to educate today’s buyers on relevant issues in the home-buying process. Topics include understanding today’s buying process, information on the $8,000 tax credit available to first-time home buyers, mortgage options, the value of inspections before you buy, and understanding the legal aspects of home buying. Licensed, experienced professionals in the respective fields will present the topics and a free lunch will be provided. Following classroom time, attendees will be given the opportunity to participate in a tour of local homes to apply what they’ve learned. Anyone interested in purchasing real estate including first time home buyers and renters who want to explore what the home ownership process entails will benefit from this event.Seating is limited. For more information, to request a flyer, or to register, please call Meservier & Associates, Keller Williams Realty Mid Maine, at 784-2525.
HBU is an initiative to educate today’s consumers in purchasing real estate by providing accurate information and practical application of that information through viewing local properties for sale. Meservier & Associates is a local established real estate team lead by Sue Meservier, a top producing agent and licensed team with a combined total of over 40 years of real estate experience.
For more information, please contact Meservier & Associates, Keller Williams Realty Mid Maine, 34 Center Street, Auburn, Maine, 784-2525.
Visit http://www.meservier.com for a printable flyer.
Meservier & Associates of Keller Williams Realty Mid Maine, is pleased to announce the release of their new web domain and a blog facelift. The old name of MaineMLS.info is now www.MaineRealEstateExperts.com and the blog has a new warmer look with the same great content of Maine real estate information you would come to expect from Maine Real Estate professionals; the Maine Real Estate Experts.
On the home page of the site, you'll be able to:
Search all Maine properties for sale from the Maine MLS system
Find the value of your Maine home
Get preapproved for a home loan
Sign up for the latest, up to the minute Maine market trends report
Get a preliminary credit score
Read the latest news on the blog for Maine housing, sales stats, mortgage issues, etc.
Get school and neighborhood reports
Get in touch with a Professional in the Maine real estate industry
The REALTORS of Meservier & Associates of Keller Williams Realty Mid Maine offer exclusive seller and buyer representation, the most innovative online marketing system and over 40 years of collective professional service. They want to be your REALTORS for life! You'll like what you see.
Interested in vacationing on the Maine waterfront? Visit MaineWaterfrontRental.com to view availability on the website calendar. Hurry before the prime summer weeks are taken!
Well it's done and we rolled it out today! It's a new buyer's guide to inform Maine home buyers. We had this wonderful idea of helping Maine real estate buyers feel more comfortable and knowledgeable about the home buying process through the use of a user friendly website at http://www.HowToBuyAHomeInMaine.com
Here you won't be in the least bit intimidated by the Maine real estate home buying process with great content like an easy to understand flow chart, link bookmarks and a glossary with definitions of real estate terms. We discuss key points needed to make informed decisions on your journey into home ownership. Whether you're a first time home owner or an investor, you'll see great value in these free tools, documents and information. We are here for you and want to be your REALTORS for life!
So if you are currently renting, moving to Maine or investing in Maine property, visit http://www.HowToBuyAHomeInMaine.com and you'll soon see why the professional REALTORS at Meservier & Associates of Keller Williams Realty Mid Maine are your trusted resource to home ownership.
Find out how the Maine Real Estate market is doing in your Maine neighborhood. Get monthly up to date statistical data on the Maine housing market by visiting MaineMarketSnapshot.com
Are you a Maine real estate homeowner? You probably have lots of questions regarding the value of your home, especially in todays market. Maybe your questions sound something like this:
How do actual selling prices compare to listing prices in my Maine area?
How are Maine homes within a 5 mile radius selling?
Unsold Maine homes in my neighborhood?
Where can I get answers to pressing questions I may have abour real estate?
Just fill out this simple form and you'll get up to the minute information right into your email. You'll get a new report about every three weeks automatically. That way you'll always stay on top of how the Maine real estate market is doing in your Maine nieghborhood.
On Tuesday, www.MaineMLS.info rolled out its new feature...a blog. Now consumers searching for real estate in Maine need not look to far for Maine information.
The site features the ability to search for more than 25,000 Maine properties, request a free market analysis, apply for a loan, view virtual tours on the featured listings page and view an interactive map of more featured properties with Trulia.
Now, with the rollout of the information blog located at www.MaineMLS.info/wordpress , buyers and sellers of Maine real estate can get full access to newsletters, tips, mortgage and loan information, Market reports, Maine Green news and agent listings, etc.
MaineMLS.info is the product of Meservier & Associates of Keller Williams Realty Mid Maine. They are one of Maine's fastest growing real estate teams, dedicated to customer service and commited to excellence.
They are located at 34 Center street Auburn, Maine 04210. Call them at (207)784-2525 or email at mike@meservier.com
They are "Today's Real Estate Professionals, Opening New Doors"
SALES AND MEDIAN PRICES OF MAINE REAL ESTATE BOTH UP OVER FOUR PERCENT IN JULY
SOUTH PORTLAND (August 28, 2007) - Unit sales and median sales prices of Maine's single-family homes rose over four percent in July. According to the Maine Real Estate Information System, Inc., Realtors reported selling 4.26 percent more homes this July when compared to July 2006. Not only did sales increase: the median sales prices for the homes sold increased 4.74 percent.
A total of 1,247 homes changed hands during July 2007, up from last July's sales of 1,196 homes. The median sales price reached $199,000 -- a 4.74 percent increase from July 2006's price of $190,000. The median sales price indicates that half of the homes were sold for more and half sold for less.
Nationally, sales of existing, single-family homes dropped 9.3 percent from July 2006. According to the National Association of Realtors, the median sales price dipped a slight 1 percent during the 12- month period.
The Northeastern United States witnessed 2.9 percent fewer sales this July. However, the regional median existing sales price jumped 5.9 percent to $290,900.
Buyers are beginning to perceive the value in available listings, according to Kevin Robert of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Saco. "Some buyers have lost out on properties because they waited too long, in anticipation of a lower price, before making an offer to the seller," he said. "Buyers are realizing that they must pay more so as not to lose out on an available offering."
John Bragg, co-owner of deRochemont Realtors, LLC in Rockland, addressed the current mortgage market. "While the national headlines carry stories about sub-prime lending and large mortgage companies, mortgage rates and availability of mortgages remains good, particularly with local banks."
How will Maine real estate fare during the next 12 months? Sheryl Gregory, Broker of Homestead Realty in Winthrop said, "This is the correction period and I expect the fears will subside and we will return to business as usual."
Source: Maine Real Estate Information System, Inc. Note: MREIS, a subsidiary of the Maine Association of REALTORS, is a statewide Multiple Listing Service with over 5,800 licensees inputting active and sold property listing data. Statistics reflect properties reported as sold in the System within the time periods indicated.
My "in-house" mortgage consultant sends me these articles several times a month. Of course, I couldn't even begin to explain this, even after reading as it is not my area of expertise. Everday, there is news about the real estate market and the mortgage industry keeping consumers on the edge of their seats. It is prudent that we remain well informed.
An Inverted Yield Curve: What It Means to Mortgage Rates & Programs
The U.S. economy, interest rates, and the housing market are frequent topics on the nightly news. Viewers are told about leading economic indicators, how the stock market has performed, and whether the Federal Reserve is planning on changing interest rates. What isn't explained is how these items are interrelated and how they may impact which home loan is best for you.
The Federal Reserve attempts to keep the U.S. economy healthy through its use of monetary policy. As fears of inflation increase, the Fed will raise certain short-term interest rates such as the federal funds rate, which is the interest rate banks pay each other for overnight loans. Such an increase causes a ripple effect, with banks raising their prime lending rate. This, in turn, causes an increase in Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) rates and the indices they're tied to, such as the 12-Month Treasury Average (MTA), the 11th District Cost of Funds Index (COFI), and the 1-Month London Inter Bank Offering Rates (LIBOR).
Under normal circumstances, long-term interest rates would also increase even though they are determined by market trading of bonds and mortgage-backed securities rather than monetary policy. However, in certain instances, the market responds in an unexpected manner.
Long-term interest rates are driven by a desire to place money in a steady vehicle that will provide a decent rate of return. When the stock market is underperforming, many corporate and individual investors will sell stocks, and invest their money in bonds. Typically, the longer the holding period of a bond, the higher the yield it will offer. This makes sense because the longer an investor's money is tied up in that investment, the more they should receive for it. However, when there is an increased demand for bonds, the law of supply and demand comes into play. As the demand for bonds increases, the need to attract investors decreases, so the yield offered on those bonds declines.
When the Federal Reserve pursues an aggressive policy and raises short-term interest rates repeatedly over an extended period, and the bond and mortgage-backed securities markets are booming so their yields are lower, an unusual situation arises. Short-term interest rates are high while long-term interest rates remain lower. This leads to a shift in the usual yield-versus-term paradigm, known as an inverted yield curve.
So what does this mean to a consumer who is trying to determine what type of mortgage would be best under these economic conditions? It means that the cost of an Adjustable Rate Mortgage is not significantly lower than that of a 15- or 30-year fixed mortgage. Rather than taking out (or keeping) an ARM, which is variable and will increase if short-term interest rates keep rising, it may be better to pursue a 15-year or 30-year fixed rate mortgage.
Because economic conditions are constantly changing, it's important to consult with a mortgage professional who is knowledgeable about the markets and how they impact the different loan programs available. This will ensure that homeowners obtain the best mortgage available despite market fluctuations.
If you would like to discuss this topic further, please give me a call! We can explore how to assist our clients in this unusual rate environment.
John Dugan Mortgage Consultant Approved Home Mortgage
These stats came in today's email by the Maine Association of Realtors. MREIS is "Mine Real Estate Information Services"
NOTABLE STATISTICS: Recently MREIS looked at the data for the first 685 sales reported with the new data field - Buyers Previous Zip Code. Statistics show that of those, 75% of all properties were purchased by those in Maine, with 25% from out-of-state. While single-family residential and condo property types each had 75% of purchasers from Maine, multi-family had over 90% and mobile home had 86% of purchasers from Maine. However, nearly 40% of land purchasers were from out-of-state. Nearly 49% of all out-of-state purchasers were from two states - MA (32.6%) and NH (16.3%). REMINDER - that data field is a mandatory field in MREIS. You cannot use 00000. For Canadian or International purchasers use INTL in that alpha-numeric field.
If you think about, this is a great tool for your marketing campaign. Where you advertise may directly affect how long your listings are on the market, and therefore putting more money back in your pocket. Does your information service offer this field?
This just In... the Maine State Housing Authority indicates, "A federal law was passed which enables housing finance agencies to waive the first-time homebuyer requirement for veterans who: a) served in active military, naval or air service; and b) have been honorably discharged, and c) have never received a mortgage financed in any state with Mortgage Revenue Bonds (which MSHA uses to finance loans)." MSHA has announced their expansion of the exception to include active duty military personnel who have owned a home within the last three years. Effective immediately, veterans and active duty military (including their spouses) who are non-first time homebuyers, but meet the above requirements and all other MSHA eligibility requirements will qualify for MSHA financing. The waiver applies to all MSHA programs. MSHA is unable to determine the number of bonds that will be issued in 2007 or how long eligible funds will be available. Therefore, the funds for eligible veterans/active duty military are on a first-come, first-serve basis.
We all owe a debt of gratitude to our Vets. I wish our government would do more to help improve those programs already in place, mainly, health care.
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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.
The U.S. economy, interest rates, and the housing market are frequent topics on the nightly news. Viewers are told about leading economic indicators, how the stock market has performed, and whether the Federal Reserve is planning on changing interest rates. What isn't explained is how these items are interrelated and how they may impact which home loan is best for you.
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