Mike's 203k Blog

"The Hurricane House Hustle"A special kind of optimism grips a person right before they buy a fixer-upper. Some call it madness. I call it “HGTV Syndrome.” That’s precisely what I had when I signed the dotted line for a house in coastal North Carolina with “a little water damage,” according to th...

The old Victorian creaked, a symphony of settling wood and whispering drafts, as Sarah stepped across the threshold. Sunlight, fractured by dusty windowpanes, illuminated swirling motes of forgotten time. She'd found it with the help of www.203konline.com, a diamond in the rough, a sprawling, neg...

Appraisal photos - no people in them, right?The Comp PhotoThe sun beamed down on the freshly painted house, its cheerful colors reflecting the joy within. It was a day of triumph for the Patel family, a day they had long awaited. After years of hard work and sacrifice, they had finally achieved t...

High Tension Towers and the FHA GuidelinesThis is why you must stay up on the HUD Handbook 4000.1 as a consultant.  In 2008 or 2009 when I did this consultation. The underwriter was poised to close escrow the following day but noticed the Pest Report called out a structural beam to be replaced. T...

All right, settle in, because this is the story of Maria, and how she turned a house filled with memories into a home filled with new life.Maria's grandmother's house, a charming but weathered Victorian, held a lifetime of stories. It was where Maria had spent countless summers, where the scent o...

Become an FHA/HUD 203k consultant.If you have ever thought about becoming a consultant for FHA loans, now would be a good time to do so. There is a national shortage of qualified consultants. Our pay has about doubled after thirty years last November 4th (2024)If you know of a home inspector or c...

Honk if you see me on the roadNot really, you might scare me, LOL. If you need a 203k consultant anywhere in the country, call us, or better yet, go to our website and "order a consultation". Say hi if you see me around lunchtime, and I'll buy your lunch. I don't miss many lunches and always look...

Why did the chicken cross the road?Ah, now that’s a sight you don’t see every day—chickens, law-abiding and patient, waiting for the right moment to cross the street like seasoned pedestrians.This was back when I was overseeing an FHA 203k renovation project just down the road. The property was a...

Renovating a Colonial Revival style home, also sometimes referred to as Neocolonial.On a quiet summer evening, the old white house stood proudly at the end of Maple Street, its porch lights casting a warm glow on the American flag fluttering gently in the breeze. Inside, the Johnson family gather...

As the camera lens captured the moment, the older man's smile radiated warmth, his eyes twinkling with a sense of accomplishment. He stood tall on the sandy surface, his white space suit a testament to his dedication to the vast expanse of space exploration, as he searched for Alice Cramden. I've...