Smaller Homeowner Relief Already In Place Don't wait for home owner bailout provisions to trickle down from the $700 billion Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008," (H.R. 1424) recently rushed through Congress. When it comes to help from new federal legislation for distressed home owners, the $300 billion "Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008" (H.R. 3221), signed earlier this year, can provide more immediate relief. The $300 billion recovery act has both a mandated mortgage modifying provision and a voluntary "Hope For Homeowners" (H4H) refinance program, for home owners who qualify.
Mortgage Rates U.S. averages as of October 30, 2008: 30 yr. fixed: 6.46% 15 yr. fixed: 6.19% 1 yr. adj: 5.38% <!-- <B>30 yr. jumbo: 6.98%</B>--> View current rates
President Bush signed the larger $700 billion stabilization act on Oct. 3, 2008, but it is, in-part, "stay tuned" legislation. Exactly how it will be implemented to help home owners -- or the economy at large, for that matter CONTINUED >>>
Good News For Qualified Buyers A recent survey released by Trulia, a real estate search engine, community forum center, and reporter of market trends and data, found that a "crisis of confidence" exists among key groups of U.S. homebuyers. Not surprisingly, much of the lack of confidence in the real estate market stems from the mortgage fallout, the instability of the real estate market, uncertainty of economic times, and the upcoming election. According to the survey, which included about 1,500 respondents, 70 percent of non-homeowners have no plans to purchase a home in the next 12 months and nearly half in the 18 to 34 age group say the reason is because it's too costly. While those in the 35 to 44 age group are concerned that they might not be able to qualify for a home loan. The survey also found that only 12 percent of the non-homeowner respondents said they expect to buy a home in the next 12 months. In a press statement, Pete Flint, CEO of Trulia said, "This combination of CONTINUED >>>
Credit Unions To The Rescue Been down to your friendly neighborhood credit union lately? You could find that elusive home loan you been unable to get anywhere else. Credit unions didn't need a bail out during the Great Depression, they didn't need federal intervention during the Savings & Loan debacle and they don't need government assistance now. In fact, right now, they are rolling out the red carpet for home loan borrowers. During the boom, credit unions avoided writing subprime home loans and other easy-money mortgages. They also shunned selling packages of mortgages to Wall Street moguls who packaged them into now low- to no-return securities. That means credit unions are relatively untainted by the credit squeeze and they have both money to burn and a sound business foundation that allows them to keep on lending. Instead of fearing the next Great Depression, member-owned credit unions are bracing for what could be their boom time in home loans and other financial services, now that banks and mortgage lenders are crashing and burning. Mortgage production among credit unions is small by comparison to banks and mortgage lenders, but their originations rose a whopping 10.1 percent during the first half of 2008, according to the industry's federal regulator, the CONTINUED >>>
Improving Indoor Air Quality At Home Over the past few years energy efficiency within homes has been greatly improved upon. The modern approach to home design goes another step further by also greatly improving indoor air quality. By following a few simple tips and guidelines, you can work to better your family's repertory health. Here's a room-by-room checklist for homeowners looking to achieve optimal health at home. Let's start on the lower level. Basements are prone to water leakage. Once the walls or floors have become moistened, mold can begin to grow in the drywall or carpet making you or your family sick. According to Dan Vandervort of HomeTips.com, gutters are an easy solution to routing water runoff away from CONTINUED >>>
Daily News and Advice <!-- <BR> --> Read about the events shaping the Real Estate market today, find current interest rates, or browse the extensive library of advice and how-to articles written by some of the top experts in Real Estate. Updated each weekday.
If you are thinking of purchasing a home in the next 6 months the time to buy may be now. I know with all the negative news about the stock and housing markets you might be asking yourself is this really a good time? According to the latest data Dallas has one of the strongest housing markets and economies in the Nation. We are also one of the top 4 cities when it comes to relocation, which means company's are flocking to the area. With interest rates still near record lows we feel this is a great opportunity to buy a home at a discounted price. Over the years it is my experience that when all the SO CALLED experts tell you not to invest in a home or the stock market I have found that is always been the best time to buy, after all they are the same experts that told the consumer to buy homes three years ago and to invest in the market at 13,000. IF you would like more information or our thought on the current housing market please feel free to call or email anytime.
Rates Remain Stable In Freddie Mac's results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.16 percent for the week ending March 29, 2007, unchanged from the previous week. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.35 percent. "Despite concerns about possible spillovers from the troubles in the subprime market, rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages remain stable. The ample liquidity provided by Freddie Mac in the conventional conforming mortgage market has
Mortgage Rates Source: Realty Times U.S. averages as of March 29, 2007: 30 yr. fixed: 6.16% 15 yr. fixed: 5.86% 1 yr. adj: 5.43%
helped keep rates down, supporting affordability and aiding in the ultimate recovery of the housing market," said Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist.
Give Your Kitchen A Boost Most experts agree it is not always cost-efficient to remodel a kitchen in anticipation of selling. There are ways to make your kitchen sparkle before you put your home on the market. Repair leaky faucets and remove stains from the kitchen counters and sink. Clean the interior of your oven and dishwasher, as someone is sure to open them. Dirty appliances can convey an impression that will extend to the rest of the house. "Before taking out walls or committing a lot of money, you have to ask, does it need a facelift or major surgery," said Jason Feldman, director of style, innovation, and design for Home Depot. "There's no point in replacing cabinets or making structural changes if all that's needed are a few cosmetic improvements."
Property Assessments Increasingly Online Around the country local assessors and property tax offices are placing real estate records online, such items as property size, plot location, assessed valuation, and current taxes. Such sites raise a question: Is this data a substitute for the comparative market analysis (CMA) done by your REALTOR®? Tax assessments and CMAs both look at real estate data, each has value, but each are very different. Tax assessments in different communities nationwide are typically updated every one to three years. A CMA will reflect current sales and your Realtor will discuss homes for sale but not yet sold -- homes which nevertheless compete for buyer interest and attention and may impact local pricing patterns.
Spring Sales Set To Bloom, Says NAR While all the numbers aren't in yet, local Realtors are reporting that their winter inventory overhang is selling. Buyers are starting to respond to continuing low interest rates, falling prices and smorgasbord inventories in buyer's markets across the country. Could these robins be heralding a spring comeback in housing? Existing homes should fare well, but new homes will lag, says National Association of Realtors Chief Economist, David Lereah. "After reaching what appears to be the bottom in the fourth quarter of 2006, we expect existing-home sales to gradually rise all this year and well into 2008," he said. "New-home sales should continue to slide, but we look for that sector to turn around later in the year. When you put it all together, home sales may appear weak in comparison with the record surge in 2005, but they will be sustained at historically high levels that are in line with long-term demand." NAR believes that mortgage rates will rise this year, but well below the original forecasts for 2006 at 7%. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is forecast to rise to 6.7% by the second half of the year. "Mortgage rates remain favorable, and a gradual rise means potential buyers have some time to weigh purchase decisions," Lereah said. "When existing-home supplies become more balanced between buyers and sellers this spring, we'll see some modest price gains."
Equal Housing Opportunity
Joseph Cannella 972-467-8295 Direct Cannellajoseph@yahoo.com http://www.northdallasexperts.com
Coldwell Banker Jane Henry 2710 W. FM 544 Wylie, TX 75098
Rates Drift Lower In Freddie Mac's results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.16% for the week ending April 26, 2007, down slightly from last week when it averaged 6.17%. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.58%. "Recent economic data releases showing weaker existing home sales in March, coupled with lower consumer confidence in April, caused the market to pause and reevaluate the potential growth of the
Mortgage Rates Source: Realty Times U.S. averages as of April 26, 2007: 30 yr. fixed: 6.16% 15 yr. fixed: 5.87% 1 yr. adj: 5.43%
economy this year," said Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac vice president and chief economist. "This allowed all mortgage rates to decline slightly this week.
Practical Advice For Home Sellers Clean and staged homes are important. Buyers needs to be able to envision themselves living in the space. For some quick tips, all Sellers should: Mow the yard and weed the flower beds. Tone down the color. You love the red, but use a neutral tone, such as beige. You are selling the room, not the color. Declutter and clean, especially before an open house or a walk-through. If you don't want to clean, hire a maid service for a day. Have them mop and dust and scrub -- especially in the kitchen and bathrooms. Compare your home to other homes in your own community "apples to apples!" Then paint, clean, fix, update, and still price your home competitively!
Check Your Homeowner's Coverage Whether your policy is paid through the escrow (trust) account maintained by your lender or paid directly by you, it's a good idea to review your coverage. Some central questions include: As the value of your home has risen, have you increased coverage? Is your home office covered? Are antiques, jewelry, collectibles, and personal items protected? Have you made a recent video of your home and unique items? What is included under your policy -- and what is excluded. How much personal liability protection is included with your policy? Do you need more? Does your policy provide for the actual replacement cost in the event of a claim? For details and information speak with your insurance agent.
Stop Junk Mail You can put a stop to those mail-box filling mortgage offers that begin arriving soon after you apply for a mortgage. Take a look at the new Federal Trade Commission alert, "Shopping For a Mortgage? Your Application May Trigger Competing Offers." When you apply for a mortgage and the lender pulls your credit report, your file becomes a target for other companies with money to lend. It's not that the original lender is selling information about your every move. Rather, creditors are taking advantage of federal law that allows credit bureaus to identify you and other mortgage applicants to companies that want to pitch their product to you in the form of "prescreened" or "preapproved" credit. It's the credit bureaus and other consumer credit reporting agencies that legally sell to lenders and others lists of consumers who meet certain criteria. Those criteria could include the fact that you just applied for a mortgage, live in a certain ZIP code, have a certain credit score, a certain number of loans and, to the creditor, appear ripe for an offer. However, they can be a nuisance. So if you'd rather do your own comparison shopping, or have already done so and don't want to be bothered by other offers, you can make them go away by calling 888-567-8688 or visit OptOutPrescreen.com. These are the only two federally-sanctioned ways to stop the flood of unsolicited offers.
Equal Housing Opportunity
Joseph Cannella 972-467-8295 Direct Cannellajoseph@yahoo.com http://www.northdallasexperts.com
Coldwell Banker Jane Henry 2710 W. FM 544 Wylie, TX 75098
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.
Don't wait for home owner bailout provisions to trickle down from the $700 billion Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008," (H.R. 1424) recently rushed through Congress. 
A recent survey released by Trulia, a real estate search engine, community forum center, and reporter of market trends and data, found that a "crisis of confidence" exists among key groups of U.S. homebuyers. 
Been down to your friendly neighborhood credit union lately? 
Over the past few years energy efficiency within homes has been greatly improved upon. The modern approach to home design goes another step further by also greatly improving indoor air quality. By following a few simple tips and guidelines, you can work to better your family's repertory health. Here's a room-by-room checklist for homeowners looking to achieve optimal health at home. 
Most experts agree it is not always cost-efficient to remodel a kitchen in anticipation of selling. There are ways to make your kitchen sparkle before you put your home on the market. Repair leaky faucets and remove stains from the kitchen counters and sink. Clean the interior of your oven and dishwasher, as someone is sure to open them. Dirty appliances can convey an impression that will extend to the rest of the house. "Before taking out walls or committing a lot of money, you have to ask, does it need a facelift or major surgery," said Jason Feldman, director of style, innovation, and design for Home Depot. 
Around the country local assessors and property tax offices are placing real estate records online, such items as property size, plot location, assessed valuation, and current taxes. Such sites raise a question: Is this data a substitute for the comparative market analysis (CMA) done by your REALTOR®? 
While all the numbers aren't in yet, local Realtors are reporting that their winter inventory overhang is selling. Buyers are starting to respond to continuing low interest rates, falling prices and smorgasbord inventories in buyer's markets across the country. Could these robins be heralding a spring comeback in housing? 
Clean and staged homes are important. Buyers needs to be able to envision themselves living in the space. For some quick tips, all Sellers should: 
Whether your policy is paid through the escrow (trust) account maintained by your lender or paid directly by you, it's a good idea to review your coverage. Some central questions include: 
You can put a stop to those mail-box filling mortgage offers that begin arriving soon after you apply for a mortgage. Take a look at the new Federal Trade Commission alert, "Shopping For a Mortgage? Your Application May Trigger Competing Offers." 
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