Top 5 real estate posts of the day 7/31/2009

1) So many heads in the sand – Why foreclosures happen – There are many reasons why houses actually go to foreclosure, here are a few reasons and a reminder that Realtors can help them avoid the process.

2) My home was appraised, but I don’t agree with the appraiser’s opinion. What can I do? – Good Zillow.com discussion going on about this subject.

3) Are mortgage rates going up or down? – In this Bankrate.com trend survey the group is split 1/3, 1/3, 1/3. Dan Green is predicting unchanged over the next 30 days.

4) HomePath Renovation mortgage process – HomePath Renovation is becoming more and more popular, Justin McHood explains the process.

5) The Realtor – A (not so) funny look – Dale may think it’s pretty scary, but really it is kind of funny.

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Top 5 real estate posts of the day 7/29/2009

1) Are you self employed? Be ready to show all income when applying for a mortgage – While it is difficult for self-employed to get a mortgage, it is not impossible. Just make sure you can document everything.

2) Qualify your prospects to convert more leads – I am not big into scripts, but this is a good one I could actually seeing myself use.

3) IRS prosecutes its 1st home tax-credit cheat – Imagine that, people trying to cheat on taxes.

4) If a Realtor is unethical in the woods – Is anonymous reporting the answer for keeping Realtors in check with skirting rules?

5) One week of Google Voice: Progress and pitfalls – Thinking of using Google Voice for your real estate business, here is one review you may want to read first.

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Top 5 real estate posts of the day 7/28/2009

1) The Case-Shiller Index sends a message to would-be home buyers: Buy now or risk higher prices – The Phoenix housing market is not the only place prices have been going up recently.

2) Chicago’s Horizon Realty Group sues former tenant over a Twitter post – From the “What were they thinking” category.

3) Is a short sale better than foreclosure? – What a loaded question, but in this post she looks at how it will effect your credit record.

4) More on dual agency – Kris Berg’s take and Jonathan Dalton’s

5) Are you interested in buying a short sale? Ask yourself a few questions first – These have been done before, including on this blog, but this is always a good thing to review.

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Top 5 real estate posts of the day 7/27/2009

1) 10 home buying tips you probably didn’t know – 10 tips from when to shop for a house to what to bring to the closing.

2) Listing your home as a short sale – Some advice on selling your home as a short sale including what you need for documentation for your bank.

3) On dual agency – Jay has one of the best pieces I have read yet on the pitfalls of dual agency.

4) 102% financing at 4% available now. No tricks. Here is how. – How to get a 4% mortgage with a USDA buydown.

5) First-time home buyers getting started with a FHA mortgage – An FHA mortgage is a great way for a first-time home buyer to get into a house.

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Top 5 real estate posts of the day 7/24/2009

1) Home Valuation Code of Conduct is killing home values. What can you do about it – From my personal experience HVCC has indeed been leading to some low ball appraisals. Ken Brand has some ideas on how we can work to change it here.

2) Knowing when to lock or float is easy when mortgage rates are range-bound – Dan shows you in today’s market how it may be easier than you think to decide when to lock or float.

3) Loyalty to the seller or the MLS rule? – A good example on how sometimes MLS rules may not be in the best interest of our client.

4) Commissions, customers, clients. disclosure and fiduciary – A look at how “customers” and “clients” could mean different things for the buyer.

5) The Federal Reserve’s proposed changes to Regulation Z (Truth in Lending) – The Fed has been proposing how mortgage originators are compensated be changed.

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Top 5 real estate posts of the day 7/23/2009

Top 5 real estate posts of the day for 7/23/2009 [Read more...]

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Top 5 real estate posts of the day 7/22/2009

Top 5 real estate posts of the day for 7/22/2009 [Read more...]

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Top 5 real estate posts of the day 7/21/2009

Top 5 real estate posts of the day for 7/21/2009 [Read more...]

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Neighborhood Stabilization Program: Free money available and 1% down FHA loan

There is a new program that many people have started calling the 1% down payment program. While it is true that if you qualify for the program, you can get an FHA loan with putting only 1% down, there is much more to the program than that.

The new program is called the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and here are just a few details about the program:

Neighborhood Stabilization Program Highlights:

  • If you own a residence, you must be leasing your primary residence at least 12 months before applying for the program.
  • You must use us a lender from the ADOH participating lender list.
  • You must attend and complete an eight‐hour Homebuyer Education Class provided by one of the ADOH participating homebuyer counseling agencies. (A list will be provided by your lender once you begin the process.)
  • The property you purchase must be your primary residence.
  • You must have a maximum debt‐to‐income ratio of 31/43.
  • You must be AUS approved eligible.
  • You must have two months PITI reserves.
  • You can use any type of financing with the NSP program – including paying cash. That means you can still get up to 22% of the purchase price even if you pay cash for the house.
  • You must be approved and have your paperwork completed for the program prior to submitting an offer on a house.

Neighborhood Stabilization Eligible Property Types:

  • Foreclosed properties only. A property is considered “foreclosed upon” at the point that the mortgage or tax foreclosure is complete.
  • One‐unit detached single family homes, condos and townhomes.
  • The property must be vacant at time of listing.

Neighborhood Stabilization Program Purchase Price Limits:

NSP Purchase Price Limits

Neighborhood Stabilization Program Income Limits:

In order to qualify for the program, you must have a gross income (the total income before taxes, health care costs, social security, etc.) of no more than 120 percent of the average median income for the county they want to purchase a foreclosed house in.

Income Limits For Maricopa County:

Maricopa County Income Limits

Maricopa County Income Limits

Neighborhood Stabilization Program: 1% Down Payment?

A minimum of 3 percent of the property purchase price is required as down payment. One percent must come from the borrower’s own funds. Two percent can come from any other approved source.

Neighborhood Stabilization Program: FREE Money?

  1. Up to 22 percent of purchase price
  2. All loans are forgivable after a period of time based on the amount of the loan.
    * 5 years for assistance of $15,000 or less
    * 10 years for assistance of $15,001‐$40,000
    * 15 years for assistance of more than $40,000
  3. All loans are zero percent interest with no monthly payment.
  4. The balance of the loan is forgiven at the completion of the term.

An Overview On The Neighborhood Stabilization Program

This program is very “real” and is generating a lot of excitement. The real bottom line is basically that if you are buying a foreclosed property and meet the guidelines – AND – plan on living in the home, then this program is easy to take advantage of.

So if you think that you are excited about the 8000 tax credit, you are going to love the Neighborhood Stabilization Program – it can mean even more money to your bottom line!

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Top 5 real estate posts of the day 7/20/2009

1) New National Stabilization Program (NSP) can mean free money for your home purchase – There are a lot of details on this program you need to pay attention to, but from everyone I have talked to it seems to be the real deal.

2) Slaves to real estate – Good advice from Ines on setting a schedule as a real estate agent… Now if I could only act on the advice.

3) Another plan to fix the housing market: Rent-to-own – Interesting idea of having the bank rent back the foreclosed property to the homeowner they foreclosed on.

4) Want to buy a foreclosed home? Here’s the chart for where to look – 75% of all foreclosures are happening in just 10 states.

5) With MLS listings available everywhere on the Internet, why do you need a buyer’s agent? – Gregg does a good job at looking some basic reasons you should still have a buying agent. If you are a buyer remember, the seller has professional representation, you should too.

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