Buyers 
There are currently 6 blog entries related to this category.
New grant available for military first-time homebuyers!
Wednesday, August 10th, 2011 at 9:45am. 28600 Views, 0 Comments.
8/10/11
A new program is offering financial assistance to first-time homebuyers who are veterans or active-duty military members. The Pentagon Federal Credit Union Foundation, a nonprofit national organization, is offering the assistance through its Dream Makers program.
Active duty personnel, veterans, retired members of the military and employees of the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security may be eligible for a grant up to $5,000 to use on down payments and closing costs when buying their first home. The grants can be applied to a mortgage from any financial institution.
For more information on the Dream Makers program, click here.
Downsizing...Its not just for Corporate America anymore.
Sunday, November 14th, 2010 at 6:50pm. 425 Views, 0 Comments.
According to housing data from the U.S. Census Bureau, there has been a downward trend in the size of newly built single-family homes in the United States. The median size of single-family homes peaked in 2006 at 2,268 square feet and has been steadily declining down to 2,100 square feet through last year. Experts expect the downsizing trend to last for a while.
Factors attributed to this trend are the growing presence of first-time buyers, fewer people are buying homes as an investment, tighter credit standards are now in place, amount of equity available in current homes available to roll over in the new ones, and the desire to keep energy costs down. But there is another more important reason. Simplicity. More then ever, people looking to simplify…
How much is too much? Do buyers have a limit on the amount of homes they see?
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010 at 10:06pm. 258 Views, 1 Comments.
This past weekend I spent 5 hours showing one client 13 homes. Any agents initial reaction to this, as would mine, would be that this is simply too many homes to see in one day.
Today I showed another client one home for which they are submitting an offer. Is this too few?
There is no set number for a buyer, though many agents will try to set a limit. I remember back when I first started in real estate an old as in "long time in the business" agent tell me that she will only show buyers three homes and they have to choose one of those. She will not waste her time showing them any more than that. And this was at a time when the internet listings were just starting to launch so it was not like you could see more on-line.
Her point was well taken,…
Does anyone really know what is happening?
Monday, February 22nd, 2010 at 8:29pm. 266 Views, 0 Comments.
As a Real Estate Broker, I believe it is my job to keep track of the industry, try to make some sense of it and inform my agents and clients what is happening locally.
One way I do this is by keeping tract of Real Estate reports. I have over a hundred news feeds I scan through every day. Looking at each headline today, something really stands out....Confusion!
Let's take a look at a few headlines that cam in this morning:
- Mortgage Rates edge up
- Some see hints of a bottom
- Sales of new homes sink.
- Lennar readies for New Home surge
- US Real Estate Confidence drops
Each headline seem to contradict the next. SO what is happening...Uncertanity!
We have always had a saying in Real Estate, It's Local. And that is what we are seeing here. When we…
Waiting to Purchase a Home until the Spring? It will cost you!
Monday, February 22nd, 2010 at 8:28pm. 294 Views, 0 Comments.
Waiting to purchase a home this spring could cost you thousands of extra dollars. No, we are not expecting home prices to shoot up. This has everything to do with financing your purchase.
The office of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is getting ready to implements several changes for loans guaranteed by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA). Coming just weeks before the April 30 deadline for the Home Buyer Tax Credit and just days after the March 31 expiration of the Federal Reserve Board's mortgage backed securities purchase program (which has kept home loan rates artificially low for over a year), So what is happening?- On April 5th, the cost of required up-front mortgage insurance for loans guaranteed by the FHA will increase from 1.75% to…
Federal Short Sale Guidelines or HAFA are getting closer!
Monday, February 22nd, 2010 at 8:25pm. 293 Views, 0 Comments.
Most of us dread April 15th, but this year, April has a whole new meaning. That's because on April 5th. the New Federal Short Sale Guidelines will take affect.
Ask most REALTORS about a Short Sale and unless they are experts at it, they will run from it. Why? Well let's take a look at the current process.
At this point the seller and buyer are bound by contract and this is where everything goes horribly wrong. Unlike a traditional sale, there is…
Realtors® Applaud Congress for Reinstating FHA Loan Limits
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