What a Way to Get Your Down Payment!

May 13, 2009 · Annie Chang · 6 Comments

More good news for prospective homebuyers! The following article is taken directly from the latest news came out of National Association of Realtors®.

Tax Credit Can Be Used for Down Payment
Shaun Donovan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, on Tuesday said that the Federal Housing Administration is going to permit its lenders to allow home buyers to use the $8,000 tax credit as a down payment.

Previously, most buyers wouldn’t receive the funds until after they filed their tax return, and that deterred some people from using the credit. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® has been calling for the change. Read more

Short sale?

May 12, 2009 · Francis G. Bautista · 6 Comments

What is the ubiquitous term: short sale mean? Many people may have an idea of what that term means, the following is a condensed version of a short sale. A short sale is when the owner of a property is upside down meaning they owe more than what their property is worth and they cannot refinance for that exact reason. They have fallen behind on there payments in many cases due to a jump in interest rate or loss of job. One option is to short sale the property and attempt to sell it before it goes into foreclosure. A short sale may satisfy a sellers outstanding debt (if the seller did not pull equity) and is not as bad as a foreclosure for their credit. The operative words are ”as bad” I want to be clear it will negatively impact the sellers credit to some degree. Read more

Come on In…the Real Estate Water is Fine!

May 7, 2009 · Julie Cleland · 8 Comments

Whether you are a buyer or seller you’ve made the decision to jump in the real estate waters. Come on in…just realize you are jumping into a moving stream and not a still pool. No matter what you are trying to do, know that it’s been going on long before you got involved and will continue long after you’ve completed your transaction. All you should focus on is the here and now.
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One Buyer’s Loss is another Buyer’s Second Chance

May 6, 2009 · Lee Ginsburg · 6 Comments

30% of Real Estate Deals Don’t Go Thru. Maybe it is more, maybe it is less, but that is a pretty good estimate. So what does that mean to buyers and their agents? It means the property you lost out to in multiple offers or just because someone was faster than you does not mean it is gone forever. Read more

Home Buying is a Team Work

May 4, 2009 · Shokoofeh Nowbakht · 7 Comments

key Just wanted to share an experience. One of my clients is getting a VA loan to purchase a house. Even though it has been taking longer than we had originally anticipated, it has genuinely been a teamwork all the way through. Buying a house requires all players to work together so that everyone wins at the end. The game started with my client choosing a great mortgage officer and getting preapproved. We then found a house he liked and made a good offer. My client offered the asking price. Did I mention Read more