newsletter: Where is it invested? - 10/30/13 04:23 AM
Where Is It Invested?
You’ve saved for a rainy day or retirement. Congratulations but don’t get too comfortable yet; where is it invested? It’s estimated that over 25% of Americans have their long-term savings in cash instead of investments like stocks, bonds or real estate.
The memories of the financial crisis of 2008 are recent enough to understand why some people may want to avoid the stock market and real estate. Even though Wall Street and housing have rebounded considerably, uncertain investors are sitting on their cash. However, trying to avoid a bad decision can have serious costs too.
If your … (20 comments)

newsletter: Get Regular Check-ups - 10/30/13 04:22 AM
Get Regular Check-ups
Following his heart surgerya few months back, after an issue was discovered during his annual physical, President George W. Bush encouraged everyone to get regular check-ups. 
Another important checkup that should be done on a regular basis and can be just as beneficial for your finances is an annual homeowner advisory. Why would you treat your investment in your home with less care than you treat your car or even your HVAC system?
Consider investigating the following:
• Know the value of your home by obtaining a list of comparable sales in your immediate area as well as … (0 comments)

newsletter: It can't hurt to wait, can it? - 10/30/13 04:21 AM
It Can't Hurt to Wait, Can It? 
It’s been said that more money has been lost due to indecision than was ever lost because of a bad decision. Regardless of whether you agree with the statement, delaying the decision to buy in today’s market is going to cost the buyer more. 
Home prices have gone up considerably in almost every market in the country in the past year and while inventories are beginning to grow, prices are expected to continue to rise. Mortgage rates jumped 1% from the beginning of May to now. They could easily reach 5% by the end … (0 comments)

newsletter: Real Estate 411 - 10/30/13 04:16 AM
Real Estate 411 - 10/28/2013 
When you’re buying or selling, the obvious source to get your real estate question answered is your agent but where do you go the rest of the time?  As a homeowner for many years to come, you’ll need reliable help and solid suggestions.
Our business goal is to have a select group of our friends and past customers who consider us their lifelong real estate professional. We want to earn that trusted position so they’ll enthusiastically refer their friends to us.  Our plan to achieve this is simply to help these people with all of their real estate … (0 comments)

newsletter: Find the "right" agent before finding the "right" home - 10/22/13 08:40 AM
Find the "Right" Agent Before the "Right" Home - 8/26/2013 
It’s a common practice for buyers to make a list of what they want in a home during the search process and to explain it to their agent. However, maybe the first list they should make would have the skills they want their agent to have.
The Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers identifies what buyers want most from their agents and as you’d expect, help with finding the right home was ranked highest most often. While it is important, it may not be the most unique of the desired area of expertise.
… (1 comments)

newsletter: Rating your best friend - 10/21/13 08:34 AM
Rating Your Best Friend
Man’s best friend enjoys many of the benefits of his master’s home besides food and shelter and a comfortable place to live and play.  In return, dog owners expect companionship and possibly, protection; after all, even a small dog can bark to signal intruders.
Few people doubt that most dog owners love their pets and treat them well.  The costs associated with having a dog can include medical and dental that rivals human expenses, premium food, toys, grooming and license fees.  However, one of the expenses not anticipated by pet owners is a higher homeowner’s insurance premium.
… (0 comments)

newsletter: Equity Dynamics - 10/21/13 08:33 AM
Equity Dynamics  
Equity is the difference in what your home is worth and what you owe. Ideally, as the value goes up and the unpaid balance goes down with each amortized payment made, the equity grows from two directions.
This dynamic leads to increasing a person’s net worth much faster than many other investments.
A homeowner has minimal control over value. It is necessary to maintain the property to avoid depreciation and make good decisions on capital improvements. After that, appreciation is generally controlled by supply and demand and the economy.
Mortgage management is something that the homeowner does have control. … (0 comments)

newsletter: Don't Do It! - 10/21/13 08:32 AM
Don't Do It! 
You’ve seen lists telling buyers what to do to find the right home but knowing what not to do can be just as important.  After finding the right home, negotiating a contract, making a loan application and inspections, buyers, understandably, start making plans to move and put their personal touches on the home.
In today’s tenuous lending environment, little things can derail the process which isn’t over until the papers are signed at settlement and funds distributed to the seller. Verifications are made by a lender at the beginning of the loan process to determine if the buyer qualifies for the … (0 comments)

newsletter: Lower anxieties and improve marketability - 10/21/13 08:30 AM
Lower Anxieties/Improve Marketability -  
One of the anxiety highpoints during the sale of a home is waiting for the buyer’s home inspection report.  Most sellers willingly disclose what they know about their home to any potential buyers.  The concern stems from the inspector finding something that they’re totally unaware of and that it will either cost them a lot of money to correct or the buyer will simply use it to void the contract.
If the inspection does reveal some unknown problem with the home, it’s probably as big a surprise to the buyer who is not as emotionally or financially invested … (0 comments)

newsletter: Why borrowers pay different rates - 10/21/13 08:27 AM
Why Borrowers Pay Different Rates - 10/21/2013 
Lenders, like any business, have to make a profit.  The cost of acquiring the funds, the operating costs to service and the expected profit margin are easily identified.  The variable in pricing is the type of mortgage and the credit worthiness of the borrower. 
A loan with a 3.5% down payment is riskier than a loan with 20% down payment.  If the lender has to take the property back to recover their expense, the margin is greater between what is owed and what the property is worth on an 80% mortgage. 
Credit scoring is a risk-based … (0 comments)

newsletter: Who is my agent? - 09/16/13 12:39 AM
Who is my agent? More often than you’d expect, homeowners refer to the person they bought their insurance from as their agent. It sounds reasonable but it’s definitely not accurate. That person is the agent of the insurance company and they legally represent the company, not the customer. Even an independent agent who can place a policy with different companies is still an agent of the company.
A mortgage officer, in most cases is an employee and represents the company. And the same is true for a title or escrow officer. It’s important to understand the actual relationship to know what you … (1 comments)

newsletter: The Rules - 09/04/13 08:06 AM
… (0 comments)

newsletter: A home is more than an address - 08/19/13 02:01 AM
A Home is More Than an Address - 8/19/2013 
A home is a place to call your own, raise your family, share with your friends and feel safe and secure. It is also one of the largest investments most people have.
Leverage is the ability to control a larger asset with a smaller amount of cash through the use of borrowed funds. It has been described as using other people’s money to increase your yield and it applies to homeowners and investors alike. Positive leverage causes the yield to increase as the loan-to-value increases. 
Even a modest amount of appreciation combined with the … (0 comments)

newsletter: Get Regular Check Ups - 08/12/13 02:47 AM
Get Regular Check-ups - 8/12/2013 
Following his heart surgery last week, after an issue was discovered during his annual physical, President George W. Bush encouraged everyone to get regular check-ups. 
Another important checkup that should be done on a regular basis and can be just as beneficial for your finances is an annual homeowner advisory. Why would you treat your investment in your home with less care than you treat your car or even your HVAC system?
Consider investigating the following:
• Know the value of your home by obtaining a list of comparable sales in your immediate area as well as what … (0 comments)

newsletter: Where is it Invested? - 08/07/13 02:26 AM
You’ve saved for a rainy day or retirement. Congratulations but don’t get too comfortable yet; where is it invested? It’s estimated that over 25% of Americans have their long-term savings in cash instead of investments like stocks, bonds or real estate.
The memories of the financial crisis of 2008 are recent enough to understand why some people may want to avoid the stock market and real estate. Even though Wall Street and housing have rebounded considerably, uncertain investors are sitting on their cash. However, trying to avoid a bad decision can have serious costs too.
If your money is not earning … (0 comments)

newsletter: It Can't Hurt to Wait, Can It? - 07/30/13 02:04 AM
It Can't Hurt to Wait, Can It? - 7/29/2013 
It’s been said that more money has been lost due to indecision than was ever lost because of a bad decision. Regardless of whether you agree with the statement, delaying the decision to buy in today’s market is going to cost the buyer more. 
Home prices have gone up considerably in almost every market in the country in the past year and while inventories are beginning to grow, prices are expected to continue to rise. Mortgage rates jumped 1% from the beginning of May to now. They could easily reach 5% by the end … (0 comments)

newsletter: If I'd Known... - 07/23/13 02:17 AM
If I'd Known... - 7/22/2013 
We’ve probably all said or at least thought “if I knew then, what I know now, I would have done things differently.” We should have stayed in school longer. We should have listened to our parents. We should have bought Apple stock in 2002 for $8.50 that sells for $400 today. Or we could have bought gold in 2000 for under $300 for a four-fold profit today.
Years from now, if we look back at 2012, we may say that it was the best buyer’s market ever. Even now, in 2013, it’s apparent that both housing and mortgage … (0 comments)

newsletter: Retirement without a mortgage - 07/15/13 01:50 AM
Retirement Without a Mortgage - 7/15/2013 
Planning for retirement is obviously important and many times, an activity plagued by procrastination. Some people plan to have their home paid for by that magical date so they won’t have payments after they retire. It makes sense to eliminate a large recurring expense before they quit working.
One strategy would be to be make regular principal contributions in addition to the payments so that it will eliminate the debt by the target retirement date.
Let’s say that a homeowner refinanced their $200,000 mortgage at 4% last year with the first payment due on May 1, 2012. … (1 comments)

newsletter: When Rates Go Up - 07/08/13 05:37 AM
When Rates Go Up - 7/8/2013 
Rising interest rates are great if you are renewing a certificate of deposit but not so much when you’re borrowing money. With interest rates on the rise as well as home prices, housing affordability is a concern for would-be homeowners.
A rough rule of thumb is that a person’s or family’s housing should not exceed 28% of their monthly gross income. While rental rates and home prices have been consistently increasing, mortgage rates have been soaring in the past month. In one week, according to the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, they jumped by .5%.
This … (0 comments)

newsletter: Get Your Offer Accepted - 06/19/13 11:33 PM
Inventory is dramatically shrinking and it is commonplace in many markets to have multiple offers on a home. While the sellers would prefer to be able to choose the best offer for them, it can be incredibly frustrating for the buyers who might consider the following tips to get their offer accepted. 
1. Remove the uncertainty that you may not be approved for a mortgage by having a pre-approval letter from your mortgage company.
2. Show your sincerity by increasing the normal amount of earnest money customary for the area and price of the home. The earnest money will be applied … (1 comments)