"WHO'S THIS EVERETT HOME LOAN KNOW-IT-ALL NAMED NICK KREHNKE ?"

WOW!...Seattle Mortgage Rates Plummet..30 year fixed is 3.75% Today!...WOW!

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:30:21 -0700

WOW!...Seattle Mortgage Rates Plummet..30 year fixed is 3.75% Today!...WOW!

As the banks open and the wholesale rate sheet are coming into my inbox, I am just So excited!
30 year fixed is now back under 4%!
One lender is at 3.75% par pricing!
They are still coming in...you know..'banker's hours' :), but I like how the days is starting.

Benefit to Current Seattle Home Owners
This is a great chance for current homeowners to lower their rate with a refinance.
A lot of people think they can't qualify for a refinance because of the value drops have left many homeowners owing more on their house than it's worth.
But if you have a VA or FHA loan, you could be in luck.
The FHA Streamline Refinance and the VA IRRL Loans do not require an appraisal!
By the way, IRRL stands for Interest Rate Reduction Loan.
Another nice thing is, by law, we cannot add closing costs on this loan, so you don't have to do that Break Even On Closing Costs Calculation in your head.
$0 fees and a lower rate, it really is just that simple :)

Benefit to Seattle Home Buyers
This makes nicer, higher priced homes affordable to you, or makes the one you were already looking at that much lower of a payment. It is much easier for me as a lender to contribute more towards you closing costs, but still keep your rate and payment low.

Benefit to Seattle Home Sellers
It increases the pool of buyers that can qualify for your home. Lower payments at the same loan amounts do this. If you are trying to do a short sale, the less of a price drop you are requesting, the greater the chance of it getting approved.

In conclusion...
I would talk about it more, maybe post a cool video or a cute picture of my dog, but I got to DO LOANS! Call me if you have any questions at 206-497-8605

p.s.-we have gotten a mid-day reprice for the better with some lenders already...at 9 am! :)

After 500,000+ Door Flyers, Here Are 5 Lessons I Have Learned

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 04:08:43 -0700

After 500,000+ Door Flyers, Here Are 5 Lessons I Have Learned

If you are currently putting out door flyers or considering doing so, let me save you some time and money based on my experience. This advice is based on a lot of blood, sweat and tears, apartment stair climbs, pissed off property managers, crappy poly bags, etc etc. This is what I learned in the "doing of it":

The Door Knob Is Much Closer To The Garbage Can Than The Peep Hole

If you tape your flyer at eye level versus putting something on the doorknob, your response will more than double. I learned that "Eye Level is Buy Level" and stuff on the doorknob equals junk mail. I started doing this when I had my cell phone business and then all the pizza places in the area starting copying me. I got some free pizzas out the deal and some co-op partners, but more on that later :)

Tape It...But Don't Use That Messy Ass Tape!

I know I said 'tape' it at eye level, just don't use tape, even the removable kind and here is why. Tape is very thin and even with the removable kind, if they don't CARFULLY peel it off straight, it will tear and leave goopy little pieces that look like crap. And guess what?...people never pull it off straight...they yank it off! After several months, you will be get a partial rep as " I always got to clean my door because of that jerk who." You don't want that rep.

I use the removable return address labels you get a Office Depot type store. Get the smallest size possiblefor economy and for less chance of goop and tearing. For speed I bend each verticle row of the labels so just a bit of the label is peeling off. That way it is super fast one-finger move to stick and go. That is a must for apartments and condos when the door are right next to each other.

Save Big $$$ With The Right Kind Of Printing In The Right Quantities

Once you got a good producing flyer, you are going to want to ramp up production. Rotary presses make your per copy price some much less it ain't even funny. The usually require a much bigger quantity, but when you get your flyers delivered by the pallet, you get some serious deals. Cold set presses are what the newspapers use, and you can get higher grade newsprint if you want, but if you want vibrant picture quality, the heat set press is the shot! It is a little bit more, but well worth it in my opinion. Some of the digital press and copy places have come WAY down in price, and if you don't have a proven flyer yet, you may want to start that route.

Bags Are For The Birds...And So Are Rubber Bands

This kind of goes back to the doorknob bit, but if you have a multi page catalog or brochure type piece, DO NOT poly bag it and doorknob it. That is doom for your response rates. Poly Bags take more time to prep before you distribute, and all it is is a handy container to to throw in your trash can. Same goes for rubberbanding and door knobing....... DON"T DO IT.

I have found that the trolley marks made by the press do good enough to hold a multi-page product together just fine, without you having to pay extra for binding or stapling. Ask your pressman about this and your trimming options.

Why Pay For It All Yourself When A Co-Op Partner Can Split It With You?

Guess what?.....There are people out there that are not in a competing business with you that are looking for the same customers are you are. Team up and save money. I got some co-op stuff going that is almost FREE for me! Sure I spent some time and money getting things set up, but if you got a winner for everyone involved, if is all milk and honey after that.

Speaking of Co-Op Partners, if you are in Washington State and want to do something like this, give me a call. Like the Law of Synergy says :"1 + 1 = 3....That Is The Power of You And Me"

P.S.-- I got a few more tips...BUT it's 12:47 and it's sleepy time:) For now I leave you with a pic of my yummy double bacon double blue cheese burger I had at Luna Park Cafe.
Note the old school juke box wall selector in the back.
Talk to you soon, Nick

Did you see this?--> Vancouver Hockey Riots Picture of Couple Kissing

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:40:34 -0700

Did you see this?--> Vancouver Hockey Riots Picture of Couple Kissing

I guess I could talk about how mortgage rates on 5/1 arm are at 2.5% par...OR...

....about how most of my deals are appraising for way more than sale price....BUT,

I won't because I got something that is WAY BETTER than that (I know..hard to believe:) he he

As you all know after the Vancouver Canucks lost the Stanley Cup finals to Boston Bruins, all hell broke loose in the streets up north. Car were set on fire... porta-a-potties dumps over.... tons of fights... injuries... looting... vandalism... you name it.

Yet, in the middle of all that mayhem, a special picture was taken. I don't know what the story is behind the picture, there is some speculation that it is fake or maybe staged, but someone is trying to build some anonymous buzz for sure! Check it out and tell me what you think.

If it indeed is real, the benefit to you (and me) is this:

"Despite the turmoil and the pain that some of you may be facing in your real estate and

mortgage business, there is something good and wonderful for you right in the middle of it all"

Now go find you something WONDERFUL! Have a great weekend :) ---Warmest Regards, Nick

Are There No Zero Down Home Loans in Lake Stevens for 2011?

Sun, 08 May 2011 23:29:34 -0700

Are There No Zero Down Home Loans in Lake Stevens for 2011?

As the title asks, Are There No Zero Down Home Loans in Lake Stevens For 2011?

Last year, the super popular USDA Mortgage program ran put of money toward the end of April. This was because the demand for the program was more than expected.

There is no news of a similar shortfall of funds for 2011, but it is still early in the year. The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) program for Rural Development has been key factor for helping homeowners obtain a Zero Down Home Loan in Lake Stevens.

Zero Down Home Loans in Lake Stevens are very hard to come by these days due to the sub-prime market meltdown. However, the USDA Rural Development program offers 100% financing (no money down) and also requires no mortgage insurance. Seller concessions are not as limited and the borrowers can be gifted the money for closing costs. The credit requirements are modest and actually don't have a minimum credit score limit!

There are 2 programs within the USDA Rural Development agenda. The Direct program and the Guaranteed program both offer the same benefits but the income requirements are different. The Direct program is for low income borrowers and the Guarantee program is for medium income borrowers.

Hopefully we will not run into the same shortfall of funds for this loan program like we did last year, but there are a few home market factors in this area that that seems to show more demand. Because Home prices have dropped so much, on many trasactions as of late, we have seen multiple offers. Boeing is hiring 11,000 workers in Washington State this year, so that will increase demand for this $0 Down Home Loan.

I can help you with purchase home loans as well as refinance loans with the USDA loan program. If you or a friend are looking for a Zero Down Home Loans in Lake Stevens, it could be a great loan for you, but there are some guidelines for qualifying. You can't make too much income to exceed the limit that USDA sets for. Also, they won't lend in the city core of say Seattle, as this is a home loan aimed at helping what they define as 'rural' communities.

Don't let that fool you, as pretty much everything East of HWY 9 is eligible. We can check the USDA map for you and also see if you qualify based on the income chart for the Lake Stevens area. The funds are currently available for this loan program bu be aware of the issues last year. Even though this is the USDA Guarantee Zero Down Home Loan Program, we can't guarantee funds will be available all year long. Call me now at 206-497-8605 to see if you can enjoy the benefits of this loan!

Zero Down Home Loans in Bonney Lake are still available...but for how long?

Fri, 06 May 2011 22:12:53 -0700

Zero Down Home Loans in Bonney Lake are still available...but for how long?

As the title suggests, Zero Down Home Loans in Bonney Lake are still available...but for how long?

Last year, the super popular USDA Mortgage program ran put of money toward the end of April. This was because the demand for the program was more than expected.

There is no news of a similar shortfall of funds for 2011, but it is still early in the year. The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) program for Rural Development has been key factor for helping homeowners obtain a Zero Down Home Loan in Bonney Lake.

Zero Down Home Loans in Bonney Lake are very hard to come by these days due to the sub-prime market meltdown. However, the USDA Rural Development program offers 100% financing (no money down) and also requires no mortgage insurance. Seller concessions are not as limited and the borrowers can be gifted the money for closing costs. The credit requirements are modest and actually don't have a minimum credit score limit!

There are 2 programs within the USDA Rural Development agenda. The Direct program and the Guaranteed program both offer the same benefits but the income requirements are different. The Direct program is for low income borrowers and the Guarantee program is for medium income borrowers.

Hopefully we will not run into the same shortfall of funds for this loan program like we did last year, but there are a few home market factors in this area that that seems to show more demand. Because Home prices have dropped so much, on many trasactions as of late, we have seen multiple offers. Boeing is hiring 11,000 workers in Washington State this year, so that will increase demand for this $0 Down Home Loan.

I can help you with purchase home loans as well as refinance loans with the USDA loan program. If you or a friend are looking for a Zero Down Home Loans in Bonney Lake, it could be a great loan for you, but there are some guidelines for qualifying. You can't make too much income to exceed the limit that USDA sets for. Also, thery won't lend in the city core of say Seattle, as this is a home loan aimed at helping what they define as 'rural' communities.

Don't let that fool you, as pretty much the whole town, even right on HWY 410 is eligible. We can check the USDA map for you and also see if you qualify based on the income chart for the Bonney Lake area. The funds are currently available for this loan program bu be aware of the issues last year. Even though this is the USDA Guarantee Zero Down Home Loan Program, we can't guarantee funds will be available all year long. Call me now at 206-497-8605 to see if you can enjoy the benefits of this loan!

Osama Bin Laden and American Home Buyer Confidence: Is This The Pivotal Event???

Mon, 02 May 2011 16:55:14 -0700

Osama Bin Laden and American Home Buyer Confidence: Is This The Pivotal Event???

So, apparently a few things happened yesterday from when I started my yard work till I finished and came in the house!

That is the understatement of the year!

A lot of big changes in history can be tracked down to single event. I remember for the dot com bubble it was the 1st announcement that Microsoft had lost one of it's monopoly court cases. Sure, some of the stocks had already started coming back to reality, but just after that court case announcement, the stock market started it's major free fall.

So with this HUGE announcement about Bin Laden, is it going to change the mindset of the average American for the better? While I am not one to 'celebrate' death, I can see how this could be a big positive in peoples outlook.

Now that a bad chapter in American history has closure, will people stop focusing on the negative and try focusing on the positive?

Will You personally?

How will this effect our industry?

What are your thoughts on this?

p.s.-I forgot to post pictures. Here is what happens when the drive thru runs out of tartar sauce :)

My title rep drove 106 miles to sign my client's Home Loan!...Thank You Tia Lumsden of Ticor Title in Tacoma! :)

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 19:01:56 -0700

My title rep drove 106 miles to sign my client's Home Loan...Thank You Tia Lumsden of Ticor Title in Tacoma! :)

I am so thankful.... I didn't even have to beg...too much:) She was happy to do it for me and

didn't charge me a dime extra, so I figure I owe her a good public shout out for going above and beyond. If you know the Seattle-Puget Sound Area at all, just look at the map on the right and you know that is a HAUL! Aside from when I had docs sent to Iraq, I think this is the farthest I have known someone to drive to sign a client.

it wasn't a big money loan, just a little $125,000 refinance, heck I think I grossed $600 on it, but it ended up to be so much more for me thanks to her hard work.

You see the loan we were paying off was an owner-financed home loan from the previous owner of the property. He provided the financing to my client to make it easier for her to qualify for the house initially, but now he needed the money to finish construction on a $2.5 million dollar home he was building. Apparently he likes to do things such as buy land and build stuff, and preferred using home loans to do so. He also owned a Windermere office and was previously a founder and board member of a regional depository bank. Needless to say, he was very happy to get the loan proceeds from this loan to finish his construction project, which he was needing to have refinanced in the very near future....AND... wanted me to provide the loan:)

Thanks again to Tia Lumsden of Ticor Title in Tacoma (University Place). Without your hard work this would not have been possible. If you need title and escrow services in the Puget Sound area, how could I not recommend her? She can be reached at 253-278-0217 or ActiveRain.com/TiaLumsden.

P.S. FYI.... the area where my client's home was located does qualify for the $0 Down USDA Mortgage. And Gig Harbor just across the Narrows Bridge From Ticor Title Tacoma office right on HWY 16, qualifies for 100% Financing as well. But I'll tell you about that later :)

My title rep drove 106 miles to sign my client's Home Loan...Thank You Tia Lumsden of Ticor Title in Tacoma! :)

My Active Rain 60 Day Challenge---Update #1---2 weeks in

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 13:12:32 -0700

Ok, maybe the new Dodd-Frank Act had me a TAD bit distracted....BUT...honestly even with that as an excuse, my first post since becoming a Active Rain Rainmaker went to number #1 in Google almost immediately for the term "Zero Down Home Loans Everett" Here is the post :

It also went to #1 or close to it for all variations, like 'loan' instead of 'loans' or 'mortgage' or 'mortgages' It didn't seem to matter much what order the words were in. So that was really cool until something LAME happened....it disappeared from Google!

I didn't change anything! I don't know if it was the server outage at Active Rain or what, but this post disappeared for my intended search phrase! I was bummed! But for every cloud there is a silver lining. Maybe due to the cross linking with this AR post and my other free blogs with wordpress, blogger and such, they all rose to the top of Google! So as of TODAY, April 12, 2011, I have 5 of the top 8 results in Google and here is the proof:

Not too bad for a fat lazy old man with a pocket full of excuses :) I guess if I could say what I have learned so far as a Active Rain Rainmaker is

1.Take all the webinar classes at Activerain University--they are free and will help you make money!

2. Follow the 'order of creation' in the Tuesday SEO class--I got on this webinar about 15 minutes late and I missed that part and it would have saved me HOURS of stupid boo boos with this AR post editor as I am not an 'html dude'! I can't tell you how many times everything looked fine in the AR editor and then when I published it, it looked like crap! Thank you Scribe Fire and Thank You Active Rain's Steven Graham!

3. Take the ActiveRain Classes AGAIN--I better do so before I give any more 'advice' :)

So next up for me is burning this into my brain so I can go into production mode and I think I am going to throw some listings on here as well. Oh yeah, plus add my opt in forms for my autoreponder. Thanks for stopping by..stayed tuned. Warmest Regards, Nick Krehnke XOXO

PS--If you are not an Active Rain member, click the link below to join so I get credit :)

http://activerain.com/action/referrals/nickage

Zero Down Home Loans in Everett, Wa are still available...but for how long?

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 03:09:31 -0700

Zero Down Home Loans in Everett, Wa are still available...but for how long?

As the title suggests, Zero Down Home Loans in Everett, WA are still available...but for how long?

Last year, the super popular USDA Mortgage program ran put of money toward the end of April. This was because the demand for the program was more than expected.

There is no news of a similar shortfall of funds for 2011, but it is still early in the year. The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) program for Rural Development has been key factor for helping homeowners obtain a Zero Down Home Loan in Everett, Wa.

Zero Down Home Loans in Everett, WA are very hard to come by these days due to the sub-prime market meltdown. However, the USDA Rural Development program offers 100% financing (no money down) and also requires no mortgage insurance. Seller concessions are not as limited and the borrowers can be gifted the money for closing costs. The credit requirements are modest and actually don't have a minimum credit score limit!

There are 2 programs within the USDA Rural Development agenda. The Direct program and the Guaranteed program both offer the same benefits but the income requirements are different. The Direct program is for low income borrowers and the Guarantee program is for medium income borrowers.

Hopefully we will not run into the same shortfall of funds for this loan program like we did last year, but there are a few home market factors in this area that that seems to show more demand. Because Home prices have dropped so much, on many trasactions as of late, we have seen multiple offers. Boeing is hiring 11,000 workers in Washington State this year, so that will increase demand for this Zero Down Home Loan.

I can help you with purchase home loans as well as refinance loans with the USDA loan program. If you or a friend are looking for a Zero Down Home Loans in Everett, WA, it could be a great loan for you, but there are some guidelines for qualifying. You can't make too much income to exceed the limit that USDA sets for. Also, thery won't lend in the city core, as this is a home loan aimed at helping what they define as 'rural' communities.

Don't let that fool you, as some Everett areas are 5 minutes off I-5 and eligible. We can check the USDA map for you abd also see if you qualify based on the income chart for the Everett area. The fubnds are currently available for this loan program bu be aware of the issues last year. Even though this is the USDA Guarantee Zero Down Home Loan Program, we can't guarantee funds will be available all year long. Call me now at 206-497-8605 to see if you can enjoy the benefits of this loan!

My Active Rain 60 day Challenge

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 20:52:19 -0700

Now that I got a couple loan processors that can tolerate my BS, I am able to delegate with a bit more confidence and free up some of my time. The folks here at Active Rain have been calling with this 60 day Rainmaker deal, and I was like 'yeah yeah', but knowing I was too busy to really give it the attention it deserves.I never gave them my plastic....until now.

Abe is my dude at Active Rain I signed up with. While he's not as cute as the girl from Active Rain who called previously, his timing and follow up were spot on, so I signed up :) So this weekend is my mom's birthday and I'm setting up the raised beds for my veggie garden, but I will still have time to study a lot of the Active Rain training material. Next week I will take all the Active Rain classes so I can get up to speed ASAP.

So what is My 60 Day Active Rain Challenge? It is the fact that I will do EVERYTHING Abe says for me to get the most out of Active Rain as possible, with getting transactions in process the goal. I have the time to do so, and I will be blogging keyword rich quality content that my over 1,500 closed transactions of real estate knowledge has afforded me. I will be reporting back to you once a week to let you know of my progress. See you in escrow! :)

Ok…I know Everett Real Estate Agents ALWAYS tell you this….BUT……

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:51:17 -0700

Ok…I know Everett Real Estate Agents ALWAYS tell you this….BUT……

“Now is the time time buy!!!!”….. screams the Everett real estate agents, who pretty much say that ALL THE TIME.To the person shopping for a home, when the deals seem lousy, they just plug their ears when they hear the Real Estate agents saying this, because they say it all the time. The home buyers just don’t always believe it because sometimes the good deals are like looking for a needle in the haystack. They are hard to find.

However, there are other times when the great deals are so plentiful, it is almost a ”No-Brainer Market”. Now is one of those times.

You don’t need to ask me, a mortgage fella, or any one in Everett real estate agents to know that these 2 facts are true today:

1. Everett Home values have dropped into the toilet

2. Mortgage Rates are still WAY low.

So…. yeah…the value drop really sucks if you are currently a homeowner…who….might owe more on your home than it’s worth. But it is AWESOME you are looking to buy a home.

As far as the mortgage stuff, I’m looking at my wholesale rate sheet and see that 30 year fixed is at 4.375% and 5 year interest only arm is at…3.375%! Do the math…that’s $281 a month per $100,000…does that sound reasonable? You bet it does!

Below is a clip of Henry Blogett of Yahoo Money talking to Barbara Corcoran about the market today. You might recognize her from The Apprentice and a few other shows. It is funny she said she is “off the hook” since she is no longer a real estate agent..yeah right! But I REALLY like what she says about ‘the good old days’ and how today will be ‘the good old days’ they talk about in the future for real estate. I agree with her 100%. CALL NOW at 206-497-8605 an I can give you insider's help on how to get the best deal today.

http://www.businessinsider.com/barbara-corcoran-housing-market-08-2011-3#ooid=Z2YzdiMjrxgtY7QEHjHskpPaEIFpEq01

Why is Obama's MakingHomeAffordable.Gov website giving this Home-Wrecking Advice to Homeowners?

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:47:39 -0700

Why is Obama's MakingHomeAffordable.Gov website giving this Home-Wrecking Advice to Homeowners?

With alot of banks going out of business and the mortgage brokers painted as the bad guy, home owners don't know who they can trust to get honest information about their home loan needs. Alot of people have gone to Obama's MakingHomeAffordable website, hoping that they can get the information they DESPERATELY need. With Foreclosures and Unemployment nearing record levels, making the wrong choice is costing families the very roof over their heads. So in response to the advice I see on his website, all I can say is WHY!! WHY!! WHY!!

I got a SERIOUS beef with Obama on this one. Why does this website tell people that if they owe more on their house, they are screwed to get a refinance? I wonder when they put this website together, did they happen to consult that part of the government that is responsible for over $1 trillion dollars of today's mortgages, you might have heard of it, the FHA (Federal Housing Administration).

Then you got these so called 'experts' telling people the same thing. Like this guy : http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090906/BIZ/709069937/-1/COLUMN#What.you.can.do.if.you.can%26%23146t.refinance

Or this guy on Fox Business News (forward it to the 2:00 point)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPHu8-jJVRg

But as I have done MANY MANY times for clients, this is what I can do. It is also my response to the 'expert' who wrote the article above : "Not to disrespect you Steve, but your advice is incorrect in relation to this gentleman. While FHA has a 97.75% Loan To Value limit, it has no CLTV(Combined Loan to Value Limit). So what you can do is refi your current 1st to 97.75%, which is most likely a higher loan amount that your current 1st. The difference you use to pay down your 2nd. You send in a Subordination Agrement to the bank that has your 2nd. For them to agree to this, you must show that they are lowering their current risk, which you would be by lowering your rate in your 1st, making your 1st a fixed rate, and that you are paying them cash at closing. In the Seattle market, I have had almost a 100% success rate with this. Some banks that offer FHA have additional risk layers (they won't go over 100% CLTV), but there are plenty that still do."

HELP ME PLEASE ! Survey: Listings, Price Reductions, Time on Market, Deal Kiilers, etc

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:59:45 -0700

I will not assume I know everything and ask you all what your current experience is with these matters.And then after that, I will know everything :) Thanks for helping---Nick

1.What percent of your listings have you dropped the asking price on, pre-offer?

2.What percentage do you drop the price?

3. How long on market before your drop the price?

4. What percentage of listings do you have multiple price drops on?

5. How long on market before you drop the 2nd time? Third time?

6. What percentage of your listings expire?

7. What percentage of you expired listing immediately relist with another agent?

8. Of your listings that sell, what is the main reason they sell? )Ex: price, location, condition, property type, owner financing, convetable lease option,etc)

9. What percentage of your post-offer deal killers are finance related?

10. What percentage of your listing calls go nowhere due to buyer not being qualified for financing?