Lupita Terlau

Como Refinanciar Su Propiedad Cundo Poca o Nada de Plusvalía
June 21, 2011 · · 1 Comment

Recientemente, yo tome una aplicación de una veterana que quería refinanciar a sus dos préstamos en la casa que compraba hace dos años.  Ella se ahorraría $700 por mes con su nuevo préstamo fijo a 30 años con una  tasa de interés del  4.75%.

Esto me recordó que todavía hay mucha gente que no han aprovechado  las bajas tasas de interés  disponibles  porque  piensan que no tienen suficiente equidad/plusvalía  en su propiedad para refinanciar.

Simplemente, quiero compartir tres opciones a considerar si esta es su situación:

1.      Opción de Fannie Mae o Freddie Mac – Depende si Fannie o Freddie posee su hipoteca actualmente, se puede refinanciar aunque  se deba más del valor actual de su propiedad  

¿Has visto si Fannie o Freddie posee a su préstamo?  Si no, visite los siguientes enlaces:

  • Hace clic aquí para confirmer si Fannie Mae posee a su hipoteca
  • Hace clic aquí para confirmer si Freddie Mac posee a su hipoteca

 2.       FHA

FHA asegurará hipotecas hasta 97.75% del valor de la casa.  El monto máximo del préstamo es $729,750 en los condados de San Mateo y San Francisco.  Este límite del préstamo va a bajar al fin de 2011.

 3.       VA

 Si Ud. o su cónyuge es un veterano, se puede prestar hasta 100% al valor de su casa.  Esta es una muy buena opción para veteranos porque los préstamos de VA no requieren seguro de hipoteca.  El límite de préstamo actual en los condados de San Francisco y San Mateo es $1,000,000.
Jay Sondhi
http://www.jaysondhi.com/ 

 Translation:
Lupita Fernandez-Terlau
http://www.lterlau.prucal.com/
Greg Herman
http://www.gmwest.com

Karin Cunningham

San Bruno Posy Parade 2011 Celebrates a “City with a Heart”
June 10, 2011 · · 2 Comments

 

 

“This annual “Festival of Flowers” was started in 1941 as a dedication to children. It was patterned after the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, choosing the “posy” as the signature flower. The parade, traditionally for youngsters 14 years old and under, has achieved both state and national fame for San Bruno. Each year the Community gathers to celebrate and support our children at the Posy Parade. The San Bruno Lions would like to thank ALL who continue to cherish this San Bruno tradition.” 

Every year, I find my spot on Crystal Springs and Cypress and sit with my family, take pictures, catch flying candy, and go to the baseball games in San Bruno Park following the parade. This year was so much fun and it’s cool that the San Bruno Patch made a video for all to see!
What a great way to kick off the summer in San Bruno! Don’t forget about the San Bruno Library summer reading program!

 

Lee Ginsburg

Is a Home Warranty Beneficial?
May 25, 2011 · · 5 Comments

k2794042In a Real Estate transaction quite often the buyer or seller discuss with their agent the cost, the coverage, the pros and the cons of a Home Warranty. Many people think Home Warranty is the best creation since chopped Liver. I am not a fan of the Home Warranty Companies. I have found they try to find any excuse not to pay. With a Home Warranty you must pay a service call of approximately $50.00. The cost of a home warranty from most of the major companies is about $500 with a few options. Let’s say you purchased an older home and needed service 3 times. That would be a cost of $650.00. When I have called a service technician to my home with no warranty the cost is usually $150 for a total of $450 for 3 calls vs.. the $650 with the warranty. If the buyer can negotiate for the seller to pay for it then you come out a winner but if not it is not the best financial investment although it could be very comforting. Please do not get me wrong, I have had a client get a water heater replaced so it can be beneficial.

The following article was in the San Jose Mercury News recently and I thought it had some very good ideas on the search for good Home Warranty Companies.

http://www.mercurynews.com/real-estate/ci_18060185?nclick_check=1

The following are some of the major Home Warranty Companies servicing the San Francisco Bay Area:
http://www.homewarranty.com/
http://homewarranty.ahs.com/
http://home-warranty.firstam.com/?code=BM51
http://www.orhp.com/
http://www.hiscohw.com/
http://hghw.com/

“It is Better To Own Real Estate and Wait Than Wait To Own Real Estate”
Lee Ginsburg
www.leesellsmore.com

Dean Rizzi

90% Jumbo loans are back!
May 25, 2011 · · 3 Comments

Good news for home buyers looking to take advantage of current real estate prices. After a long hiatus, 90% jumbo loans are back in the game for higher-priced homes. Up until recently, a down payment of 20% was mandatory for jumbo loans over $729,750. We at Guarantee Mortgage have an exclusive contract with a small credit union that will lend up to $979,200 with a down payment of only 10%. That means you can purchase a house or condo up to $1,088,000 using a 5/1, 7/1 or 10/1 ARM. The program requires excellent credit and income and monthly mortgage insurance.

Dean Rizzi 
www.deanrizzi.com

Karin Cunningham

FREE Summer Activities in San Francisco and the Peninsula
May 18, 2011 · · 6 Comments

Summertime is almost here and that means school’s out! Yay! I have the opportunity this year to spend a good portion of the summer with my 11 and 7 year old kids. I am really looking forward to it! First, I looked into local summer day camps and they charge around $140. per week! Are you kidding me? The Junior Giants program filled up in an hour. Even the waiting list is full! So, I am in the process of creating a list of fun, FREE, or super cheap things to do nearby for us to enjoy. Once I get the list compiled, I am going to put them on the calendar just like I do in my real estate business, otherwise they may not get done! Ha! I don’t want to end up in front of the tv or lounging around ALL summer now! SO, here is what I have so far and I can’t wait! Read more

Kathy Wall

Should I Tell Them What They Want to Hear?
May 16, 2011 · · 6 Comments

Over the last couple of months I have lost out on three listings….three really good homes in great locations..because I was honest with the potential clients.     In each case, the owners had very unrealistic expectations about what they could get for their property, or as sellers are fond of saying what they “needed” to get out of their properties.   

I did everything that I could to be upbeat while meeting with all of them, but two of them wanted $1,500,000 for homes that were either in much need of updating or that had been updated in a particular style that would not be appealing to a large number of buyers.   Both of those homes were cluttered and had several pets roaming around, which would make them hard to show.   The owners said they “sensed a lot of negativity” when I made a few recommendations about things they could do increase the value of their homes.  

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am about the least negative person around….I always try to put a positive spin on everything…but it’s my job to try to help owners get the best possible price for their home, so I have to tell them things that would help them or I wouldn’t be doing them justice.       Read more

Lee Ginsburg

Is Your Smoke Detector Helping
May 13, 2011 · · 5 Comments
Silent Alarms, Deadly Nights By Skip Walker, MCI ACI April 2011

 Nearly 95% of California families are living on the brink of a tragedy. And this isn’t what you are probably thinking. I am not talking about an earthquake. It is the smoke alarms that most of us depend on in a fire.

 Like most, I always believed that smoke alarms were pretty much all the same. After all, every smoke alarm sold is required to be tested and approved. The smoke alarms most of us have at home are either Ionization or Photoelectric type alarms. The reality is that all smoke alarms are not the same. In real world fires, these two types of alarms will react very differently. In this case – different is not good. Knowing the difference could very well save your life.

 Back in the 1970′s, smoke alarms were largely unknown. Back then, the residential fire death rate was about 7 to 8 fatalities per 1,000 US home fires. Between the 70′s and now, we have installed hundreds of millions of smoke alarms in US homes. Yet today, your chances of dying in a fire still hover around 7 or 8 deaths per 1,000 home fires.

 Clearly, something is terribly wrong here. “I estimate that at least 10,000-15,000 people have died unnecessarily in smoldering house fires since 1990 because they relied on ionization detectors” Jay Fleming, Boston Deputy Fire Chief. The smoke alarm marketers tell us that the alarms are the same and more recently that we should have both types. It is true that an ionization alarm responds marginally faster to an open or “fast-flame” fires than a photoelectric smoke alarm. On average, ionization alarms will react about 30 to 90 seconds faster to this type of fire. However, nearly 100% of residential fire fatalities are from smoke inhalation and not from the actual fire. Most deadly fires occur at night while you sleep.    Read more

Karin Cunningham

Pasta Dinner Fundraiser for Teacher’s Son in San Bruno
May 9, 2011 · · 6 Comments

This Friday, May 13th, 5:00-8:00pm, at St. Robert’s Church in San Bruno, the Friends Helping Friends committee is facilitating a pasta dinner fundraiser for my son’s teacher’s 6 year old son. The charge is $10. per adult, $5. children, and $25. per family of 4. There will also be a silent auction and raffle prizes. Cole Baker has stage 4 cancer and is undergoing chemo treatments. Mrs. Baker (Elisa) is a wonderful 4th grade teacher at Allen School in San Bruno. Her husband, Jim, has been writing an emotional, entertaining at times, blog/journal about the experience that he and his son are having. www.aboutcole.blogspot.com .

It’s always sad, frustrating, and heartbreaking when someone has cancer, especially a child. People in every community know the wrath of cancer and how devastating it is to loose someone or be with someone who has to endure this disease. I lost my father, David Cunningham, to cancer when he was only 58 and my dear friend and mentor, Michael Monozon, from my office who was 62. Having someone from my kid’s school have to deal with this hits so close to home again. I am so grateful for this committee for reaching out to help. The Friends Helping Friends committee has facilitated a good number of fundraisers in San Bruno who were/are battling an illness.

Please come and support your community, especially Cole. Help us spread the word and enjoy a pasta dinner with friends. Jackie Speier is planning to attend and we are pretty excited about that! -Karin Cunningham

             Cole Baker Age 6