real estate market: Rental Properties are Still a Good Investment - 05/20/10 06:33 AM
Rental properties of one to four units are both a good choice for many of today's investors, and a good area of specialization for many of today's real estate professionals.
Why rental properties? For one thing, a growing number of people will seek out new places to live, and an increasingly attractive choice will be renting. In fact, vacancy rates have already begun to ease. A recent study cited by The Wall Street Journal reported that apartment rents rose in the first quarter of 2010 after five straight quarters of declines.
In the past, investors bought rental properties based on the … (1 comments)

real estate market: Short Sales Becomming Easier - 02/22/10 05:15 AM
I just wanted to let my fellow agants know that we love doing short sales for Wachovia. Wachovia has make their process so streamline and enjoyable to do. Their Fast Track request form speeds up the whole process as well as having a short sale contact person that actually will pick up the phone or send you a email in a very timely manner. I hope all of the other lending institutions take note on how Wachovia is working with the Real Estate agents to get their properties sold.
… (3 comments)

real estate market: New Marketing Idea - 02/17/10 07:37 AM
Cheryl and I have piggy backed on the Winter Olympics. We are running a contest for our farm to guess how many metals th U.S. will get this year. As a tie breaker they have to guess how many Gold metals the U.S. will get. The need to email us there answers with their name. So we get there name and email for future marketing items.
… (2 comments)

real estate market: Great Having Serious Buyers Back - 02/17/10 07:28 AM
Like many of us in real estate, the term buyers are liars was a mantra in 2009. Over the last 6 weeks we have seen a change of perception of a buyer. We have met and represented many buyers since the new year and have found them to be more realistic and comitted to buying a home. I hope this trend continues for the rest of the year. Let me know how buyers are thinking in your areas?
… (1 comments)

real estate market: Fun Lead Generation Day - 02/15/10 04:02 AM
Cheryl and I put on a Home Run Derby for our cities Little League every year for the last 5 years. This a very inexpensive way to market yourself. We make a party of it with a DJ and some Metals for the kids in each bracket. The parents have to sign up the kids so we get emails and names and phone numbers with no hassles. We add them to our data base and we have gotten not only our name and facial recognition, but several deals form it.
… (1 comments)

real estate market: FHA Short Sales and Short Payoffs - 02/12/10 07:06 AM
FHA Short Sales and Short Payoffs
Borrowers that were in default at the time of the short sale (or pre-foreclosure sale) of their previously owned primary residence are not eligible for a new FHA loan for three years from the date of the pre-foreclosure sale.   This means, that buyers wanting to purchase a similar or superior property within a reasonable commuting distance will not be able to obtain a new FHA loan.Borrowers are considered eligible for a new FHA loan if they were current on their mortgage and other installment debts at the time of the short sale of their previously owned property, and … (0 comments)

real estate market: FHA Short Sales and Short Payoffs - 02/12/10 07:04 AM
FHA Short Sales and Short Payoffs
Borrowers that were in default at the time of the short sale (or pre-foreclosure sale) of their previously owned primary residence are not eligible for a new FHA loan for three years from the date of the pre-foreclosure sale.   This means, that buyers wanting to purchase a similar or superior property within a reasonable commuting distance will not be able to obtain a new FHA loan.Borrowers are considered eligible for a new FHA loan if they were current on their mortgage and other installment debts at the time of the short sale of their previously owned property, and … (1 comments)

real estate market: Recession Not Only Affects The U.S. - 02/12/10 06:58 AM
The biggest influence on mortgage rates this week came from outside the US . Concerns about the possible default of sovereign debt in smaller nations caused investors to seek the relative safety of US fixed income securities. This week's economic data was roughly balanced in terms of positive and negative surprises. The added demand for safer investments helped mortgage rates move lower during the week.
The recession has impacted countries in different ways. Some of the hardest hit have been smaller European nations, such as Greece and Spain . As members of the European Union, they must adhere to certain restrictions … (1 comments)

real estate market: Short Sale Tips for real estate professionals: - 02/12/10 06:52 AM
Below, we have provided some tips for agents and homeowners to help you better understand the short sale process and identify areas in which you can aid in advancing the process as well.
Tips for real estate professionals:
Advise clients to contact their servicer as early as possible
Ensure all customer financials are in PDF format Help clients complete all documentation accurately and as soon as possible Make sure the purchase offer is a legitimate offer and fully executed Submit the best possible purchase offer at fair market value Provide listing information and comparables to support price. … (3 comments)

real estate market: New Guidelines for FHA Loans - 02/02/10 07:04 AM
   FHA announced changes to its guidelines.  It will raise the minimum down payment required for borrowers with credit rating scores below 580 to 10%, while the down payment for higher-ranked borrowers would stay at 3.5%.  The upfront MI premium is also going from 1.75% to 2.25%.  HUD is seeking congressional approval to allow it to raise annual mortgage insurance premiums.  Lastly, FHA also said it was cutting the amount of seller contribution to buyers down to 3% of the purchase price from 6%; a move it said could help lessen incentives to inflate appraised home values.  Lastly, HUD has put together a list of … (0 comments)

real estate market: Lots of Important Changes for 2010 - 01/04/10 03:41 AM
   Lots of important changes are coming as of January 1st.  The most important change has to do with the new government mandate to change to the new Good Faith Estimate which is going from 1 page to 3 pages which will completely confuse the buyers.  After January 1st, any loans closed using the new Good Faith Estimate will also require escrow companies to provide a new HUDI.  We are hearing many escrow and title companies are not geared up and ready for this which is going to cause lots of problems. 
 How Does This Affect Us As Agents?
    … (2 comments)

real estate market: What a Weird and Crazy Year - 12/14/09 07:40 AM
   As we come to the close of 2009 we can sum the entire year up into a couple of good news and bad news comments.  The good news is that interest rates are still close to historic lows and property values have stabilized in our area and in may cases have started to increase again.  The bad news is short sales are still taking forever and financing is still very tough to get.  Most ex­perts predict interest rates to remain low through most of 2010 and home buying should remain strong with the extension of the home buying tax credit.  … (2 comments)

real estate market: How Low Can Interest Rates Go Next Year? - 12/01/09 05:31 AM
When you see very low interest rates you will also hear whisperings of the dreaded inflation as they go hand in hand.  Low interest rates are designed to stimulate the housing market and thereby the economy as a whole.  Common sense tells us that as the "velocity" (new term many economists are using) of money increases and people borrow more money at low interest rates, demand for goods and services increases and prices go up which causes inflation.  The main function of the Federal Reserve is to manage the economy and keep inflation under control.  The Fed's main tool to combat … (1 comments)

real estate market: Home Prices In Orange County, California are Climbing - 11/18/09 03:49 AM
   Great article on the front page of the Orange County Register today.  DataQuick reports that the median price of a home in Orange County now stands at $436,500 which is up almost 4% over a year ago and up a whopping 18% from January's price bottom.  It also says most of the sales are centered in the entry level market and that higher-priced home sales are sluggish.  I think we already know that piece of information.
How Does This Affect Us As Agents?
    With the extension of the home buying tax credit, continued low interest rates, and very … (2 comments)

real estate market: I Just Love The Media - 11/11/09 05:22 AM
   It is always interesting to me how the media works.  I guess it is just easier to say that they print whatever sells the most papers.  The same real estate reporters that predicted doom and gloom from 2002 up until the actual crash are now publishing positive real estate articles.  Last week was an article about two separate studies that predict the Orange County home prices will in­crease (yes increase) by 9% to 16% in 2010.  Today there is an article in the business section of the Register reporting that the amount of households that owe more then they are … (3 comments)

real estate market: Tax Credit Extension For Buyers/Sellers - 11/05/09 08:10 AM
   Lots of stories out today with slightly different details but both the House and Senate have ap­proved the $8,000 tax credit for first time homebuyers through the middle of 2010.  The pro­gram has also been expanded to include those people who purchase an owner occupied home within the past 5 years although the tax credit in that case is reduced to $6,500.  The exact de­tails will be out later.
 How Does This Affect Us As Realtors ?
   This is obviously good news for the housing industry.  As the economy continues to stabilize and hopefully begins to improve it is essential … (1 comments)

real estate market: Potential Good News For Homebuying ! - 10/29/09 08:03 AM
   News out of the government seems to indicate that they will be extending the temporary loan limits for conventional and FHA loans through 2010.  This is great news as right now there are very few investors buying loans over the conforming loan limit of $417,000.  As I mentioned the other day it also appears the extension of the home buying tax credit is closer to being a done deal.  No word yet on exactly how long the tax credit will last or if it will be opened up to all buyers and not just 1st timers. 
 How Does This Affect … (1 comments)

real estate market: Is The Homebuyers Tax Credit Done? - 10/27/09 06:15 AM
 The word is the Senate could vote on the extension of the $8,000 tax credit as early as today.  There is lots of debate going on with some people feeling it should not be extended while others feel it should be extended and possibly expanded to offer tax credits to anyone buying a home or property and not just first time buyers.
 How Does This Affect Us As Realtors?
 The fear is that if the tax credit goes away so will the desire of many buyers to get out into the market and actually buy something.  As with many of … (1 comments)

real estate market: California Governor Signs New Mortgage Laws - 10/13/09 06:44 AM
   These has been lots of talk and press yesterday and today about our famous Governor signing a package of mortgage related bills into law.  Some of the key components to these laws is pro­hibiting loan officers from "steering" people into higher priced loan program (the higher priced or sub-prime loans have not been available for over 3 years), outlawing negative amortizing loan programs (these programs have also not been available for several years), limiting pre-payment penalties to 2% of the loan amount (pre-payment penalties do not exist on any govern­ment or conventional loan anymore), and a few other cleanup type … (2 comments)

real estate market: Funny Video on Why It Is Hard to Buy A Bank Owned Home - 10/12/09 05:27 AM
This one of the funnest video's I have ever seen.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM7oWKgCVo4
… (2 comments)