Does it sound crazy that someone would give up an interest rate in the low 4's to take an interest rate of 5-5.25% - AND spend thousand of dollars to do it? Many people today are doing just that. "Why?!?!?" you might ask. Well let's look at some history and basic Econ 101. What eventually happens
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12/31/2008
A long-time, good client of mine recently asked "how do I know when it makes sense for us to refinance? Is there a set rule of thumb we should follow?". Well, there really is no set in stone rule, as there are so many variables involved in determining this. I know a lot of people use a very rough
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12/31/2008
For a while in 2008, high dollar home purchasers and homeowners in Southern Oregon had a window of opportunity to get reasonable pricing if the loan amount they wanted was higher than $417,000, placing them in the "non-conforming Jumbo" loan category. Party's over folks. We're back to $417,000 as
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12/23/2008
There are options out there for struggling homeowners, albeit only a few truly helpful to these families trying to figure out how to stay in their homes. One program is the Streamlined Modification Program, a legitimate program that represents the efforts of a collaboration with the Federal Housi
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12/19/2008
I am a big fan of the Oregon Bond loan program for first time home buyers. It has been very sad not having this tool in my chest, while the State of Oregon grappled with the stagnant bond market, unable to sell the bonds that fund this program except for a few higher priced buyers in the bond mar
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12/19/2008
Are you in the process of getting a home loan for a home purchase you are planning to make here in Southern Oregon? Or, maybe you heard about the incredibly low interest rates we've been seeing for qualified homeowners looking to get a lower interest rate than they have presently? Want to grab th
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12/19/2008
The mortgage industry has been undergoing drastic changes in 2008. From the demise of the subprime market taking place in only a few months, to the disappearance of the private secondary market as we have known it since the Clinton administration said help more Americans become home owners, to th
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12/17/2008
Whew, Fed Funds/Discount Rates at zero-1/4% were not what I expected tosee in my life time! There are some serious jump-starting efforts being made to get the US economy back on the road to prosperity again. The reporting of these efforts have my phone ringing again, with homeowners looking to se
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12/16/2008
With the economy being what it has been lately, more and more families in the Rogue Valley are finding it necessary to reach out for help in order to meet their basic needs for food, clothing and shelter for their family. Most people living here in Southern Oregon know to go (or refer) to ACCESS,
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12/16/2008
There are bright rays of sunshine gleaming through the present real estate market here in Southern Oregon. For the first time in a long time, prices are in the range of the entry level home buyer. How did we get to this place? Many economists and industry professionals believe that the price po
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12/12/2008
