fha mortgage specialist: Benefits Of Owning A Green Home You May Not Have Considered - 05/17/13 10:40 AM
Going green is not just a new trend; it is a way of life that benefits not only the environment, but also your health — and your pocketbook.
Green living cuts down on carbon emissions and creates a healthier environment both inside and outside of a home. While green structures sometimes cost more initially, the money (and environment) saved in the long run is well worth the investment.
Health Benefits
Owning a green San Carlos home has significant health benefits. Many conventional buildings are not properly ventilated and indoor air quality is often more polluted than the air outside.
Poor air … (0 comments)

fha mortgage specialist: Home Builder Future Sales Confidence Rises To New Highs - 05/16/13 03:45 PM
Home builders are gaining confidence in current and future market conditions for new homes, but continue to see below-average foot traffic in new homes.
The reading for May's National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) /Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) increased by three points to a reading of 44 as compared to April's revised reading of 41. The HMI measures builder confidence in current sales conditions for newly built homes, buyer foot traffic in new homes and builder expectations for future sales conditions.
Builder Confidence In Future New Home Sales Highest Since February 2007
The HMI reading for current sales conditions … (0 comments)

fha mortgage specialist: 7 Tips To Make Your Living Room More Appealing To Home Buyers - 05/15/13 12:23 PM
Everyone knows that first impressions are important. By carefully staging your home, you can positively influence the feelings your potential buyers have when they are viewing the property.
Staging is the art of decorating and arranging the spaces within your house to make it more appealing to buyers. If you can adapt the rooms to create an attractive and welcoming zone that home buyers can see themselves in, they will be more likely to buy your property.
One of the most important rooms to stage is the living room, because it is such a central part of the house. This is … (1 comments)

fha mortgage specialist: Know Your Real Estate Disclosure Laws Before You Sell Your Home - 05/14/13 12:19 PM

When deciding to sell a piece of Burlingame real estate, there are certain things you must disclose about the property to the buyer before the sale can go through.
Disclosure laws are put in place to protect the buyer from unknowingly purchasing defective property. Not disclosing certain information about the property can jeopardize the sale, or worse, invite a lawsuit.
This has become more of an issue lately as some sellers are tempted to gloss over deficiencies in the home they are selling in order to try to get a higher sales price.  In fact, a recent poll of real … (1 comments)

fha mortgage specialist: What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week - May 13, 2013 - 05/13/13 06:30 PM
 
Mortgage rates rose last week with average rates a 30-year fixed rate mortgage rising from last week's 3.35 percent to 3.42 percent with buyers paying all closing costs and 0.7 percent in discount points.
Average rates for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage rose from 2.56 percent to 2.61 percent with buyers paying their closing costs and 0.7 percent in discount points.
Freddie Mac also reports that average rates for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage rose from 2.56 percent last week to 2.58 percent with buyers paying their closing costs and 0.5 percent in discount points. 
Here are noteworthy points from … (1 comments)

fha mortgage specialist: May 2013 RealtyTrac Foreclosure Report Shows Strength - 05/10/13 03:27 PM
RealtyTrac recently reported that national foreclosure filings are down while foreclosure filings are seeing marked increases in some states.
There are two systems for foreclosing residential real estate in the United States; judicial and non-judicial foreclosure. The states individually decide which foreclosure process will be followed in their state.
Click Here To Download An Overview Of The Foreclosure Process
Judicial foreclosure requires action by the courts because the mortgage is not written including a "power of sale clause". Judicial foreclosure proceedings generally take longer than non-judicial processes due to this court involvement.
A log-jam of delayed judicial foreclosures are beginning to … (0 comments)

fha mortgage specialist: Mortgage Interest Tax Deduction - 05/09/13 02:00 PM
The American Tax Payer Relief Act of 2012, passed early this year, re-instated a law enabling U.S. homeowners to deduct their annual mortgage insurance premiums from their taxes.

The law expired in 2011, but with the Tax Payer Relief Act, Congress extended the deduction for 2012 and 2013. In addition, it retroactively applies to any mortgage insurance premiums paid after Dec. 31, 2011. Borrowers with an annual adjusted gross income of less than $100,000 filing an itemized return are able to deduct 100 percent of their annual mortgage insurance premium. Individuals with higher incomes are still eligible to deduct their premiums, … (2 comments)

fha mortgage specialist: Upswing In April 2013 Jobs Report Signals Good News For Real Estate - 05/08/13 01:52 PM
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its monthly Non-farm Payrolls and National Unemployment Rate for April last Friday. These two reports are collectively called the Jobs Report.
165,000 jobs were added in April, while the unemployment rate dropped from 7.60 percent in March to 7.50 percent in April. 673,000 jobs have been added since January. Jobs were added in employment sectors including business and professional, health care and eating and drinking establishments.
The main impact of the jobs report on home sales and mortgage lending is the ability of would-be home buyers to qualify for mortgage loans.
Long term unemployment and … (0 comments)

fha mortgage specialist: How To Maximize Those Awkward Spaces In Your Home - 05/07/13 11:40 AM
In almost every Burlingame home, there are awkward spaces that are difficult to utilize.
Especially in older houses, there are rooms, closets and nooks that once had a purpose that is now outdated.
So before you try to cover it up or fill it with junk, take a look at the smart solutions below to see how you can revitalize those problematic spaces and turn them into something useful.
The Space Under The Stairs
While this is likely to be more of a hiding spot for dust-bunnies than teenage wizards, it is valuable space that you don't have to board up. … (3 comments)

fha mortgage specialist: What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week - May 6, 2013 - 05/06/13 12:52 PM
Mortgage rates fell last week and approached or reached record low levels.
According to Freddie Mac, the average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage (FRM) fell from 3.40 percent to 3.35 percent. Average rates for a 15-year FRM moved from 2.61percent to 2.56 percent.
Average rates for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) fell to 2.56 from last week's average of 2.58 percent Discount points for last week's mortgage rates ranged from 0.7percent for 30 and 15 year FRM loans to 0.5 percent for a 5/1 ARM.
Rock-bottom mortgage rates can offset the impact of rising home prices.
Last Week … (0 comments)

fha mortgage specialist: Can The Right Color Help Sell Your Home Faster? - 05/03/13 12:28 PM
When it comes to selling your home in Burlingame , you've probably thought of the most common staging tricks, such as clearing out the clutter to make your rooms look bigger and bringing in more light to brighten things up.
However, have you considered that the colors in your house might affect whether buyers are interested?
First impressions are everything when you are selling a house, so think about how the colors you choose will likely influence your potential buyers. A new coat of paint could be a simple and effective way to make your house more appealing.
Here are a … (2 comments)

fha mortgage specialist: Fed Meeting Statement Points To Continuing Low Interest Rates - 05/03/13 12:03 PM
Wednesday's Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) statement indicates the Federal Reserve's commitment to keeping long term interest rates and inflation under control.
The Fed will continue monitoring inflation, but does not expect inflation to rise more than 0.50 percent above its target rate of 2.00 percent over the next one to two years.
Ongoing monitoring of inflation and unemployment, as well as developing economic news, will guide the Fed in its future determinations concerning policy for its present iteration of quantitative easing (QE3).
Currently, the Fed purchases $85 billion of treasury securities and mortgage –backed securities each month with the goal … (0 comments)

fha mortgage specialist: Case-Shiller Home Price Indices Post Highest Growth Rates Since 2006 - 05/02/13 12:21 PM
Housing markets continue to improve according to the S&P Case Shiller Home Price Indices released April 30 for February's data.
The Indices consist of a 10-City Composite Index and a 20-City Composite Index with housing markets for each city reported based on a three-month rolling average of home prices.
Case Shiller Posts Highest Growth Rates Since 2006
The data released yesterday comprised the Indices' highest growth rates since May 2006.
For the 12 months between February 2012 and February 2013, the 10-City Composite Index reports that average home prices posted a gain of 8.6 percent and average home prices for the … (0 comments)

fha mortgage specialist: 7 Fun and Easy Housewarming Gifts for A New Homeowner - 04/30/13 01:12 PM
Whether you have new neighbors next door or old friends moving across town, a housewarming gift is a great way to show you care.
New owners always appreciate anything that relieves the pressures of moving and settling in to an unfamiliar neighborhood.
Here are seven fun and easy housewarming-gift ideas for your friends moving into their home.
A Door Wreath
You can choose a wreath that fits the season or that is simply attractive on the front door.
Include a wreath door-hanger and storage box so they can easily hang it or put it away.
A Pair of Candlestick Holders
Candlesticks … (0 comments)

fha mortgage specialist: What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week - April 29, 2013 - 04/29/13 10:38 AM
Mortgage rates fell again last week and are again near record lows. According to Freddie Mac, the average rate for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage did achieve a record low of 2.61 percent as compared to 3.1 percent one year ago. The average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage fell to 3.40 percent and near the record low of 3.31 percent. Low mortgage rates are helping homeowners with refinancing and are boosting housing markets as more buyers can qualify for mortgage loans. Home Values Continue To Rise Last week's economic news was mixed; The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees … (0 comments)

fha mortgage specialist: 7 Tips To Get Your Home In Tip Top Selling Condition - 04/26/13 01:32 PM
 
A clean, uncluttered home is very likely the single most important thing to get your home sold quickly and for top dollar.
In fact, a recent survey by HomeGain showed a whopping 568% return on investment for money put toward cleaning and organizing a home for sale!
And other experts say that a well-put-together home can shorten the time on market drastically as well.
Before your real estate agent lists your Burlingame home, it's essential for it to look its best.
7 Tips To Get Your Home In Tip Top Selling Condition
Examine your living space and see it as … (3 comments)

fha mortgage specialist: How To Have the Best Garage Sale Ever At Your Home - 04/25/13 04:48 PM
It's getting close to that time of year again — time to have a garage sale at your home!
Here are a few tips to help you have your most successful garage sale ever.
Advertise Your Sale In Local Newspapers And Online
Many of the habitual Saturday morning garage sale patrons around Burlingame use the paper to plan their treasure hunts.
They do this to make sure they hit all of the sales in certain neighborhoods.
In the ad, mention your home address, date and time of your garage sale and any big or popular items you'll be selling.
Open Your Sale … (3 comments)

fha mortgage specialist: Existing Home Sales Numbers Show Value Gains Across America - 04/24/13 11:33 AM
The National Association of REALTORS® released its Existing Home Sales report for March on Monday.
Sales dipped from February's seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.95 million to 4.92 million existing homes sold in March, a decrease of 0.6 percent month-to-month. 
This reading was lower than Wall Street's consensus of 5.03 million existing homes sold, but there is also good news.
Sales of existing homes are up by 10.3 percent as compared to March 2012.
Economists note that existing home sales have performed within a narrow range of 4.90 to 4.96 million since November 2012.
This illustrates the impact of lower numbers … (0 comments)

fha mortgage specialist: 5 Important Questions To Ask Before You Invest In Solar Power At Home - 04/23/13 05:45 PM
If you've been considering taking your home in a green direction, April is the perfect month to make an environmentally friendly update.
Installing a solar energy system may be a very smart way to help the environment.
Plus, solar panels turn sunlight into energy that can save you money!
The federal government and many states are now providing tax incentives and rebates for installing solar panels in 2013 which make this an excellent opportunity to go green this spring.
However, there are many installers that might not have the necessary experience, so be sure to ask the questions below when searching … (2 comments)

fha mortgage specialist: What's Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week - April 22, 2013 - 04/22/13 01:54 PM
Mortgage rates fell for the third consecutive week.
According to Freddie Mac, the average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage fell by two basis points to 3.41 percent as compared to last week's 3.43 percent and 3.90 percent year-over-year.
The average rate for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage was 2.64 percent as compared to last week's 2.65 percent and 3.13 percent year-over-year.
Falling mortgage rates were attributed to reduced consumer spending.
Last week's economic news includes the NAHB Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), with a reading of 42 for March.
This is four points below investor expectations and two … (0 comments)