Buying Vs. Renting Your home
September 15, 2021
Is now the right time for you to buy a home? You have many options to consider and choices to make. Buying a home is a big responsibility, financially and emotionally, but, most people want to own a home. Homeownership often is referred to as "The American Dream." Why is it so special? Among the reasons: Real ...
UPDATED! 9 home financing programs to help buyers get into a home
September 15, 2021
Homebuyers often think they need 20 percent or more for a down payment, but the actual amount is often far lower and there are a variety of down payment assistance and mortgage financing programs available to make buying a home more affordable. If you are wondering how much home you can afford, this mortgage loan resources page offers ...
Lender needs to know it is a HUD owned home
September 15, 2021
Few examples of why this is important:1. Is the loan the buyer is applying for require utilities to be turned on? If yes, are there plumbing challenges that will prevent this loan type. Is it possible they can switch to a FHA 203K or another loan that won't require utilities to be turned on?2....
Fall Maintenance Checklist
September 14, 2021
When the last of summer's heat is becoming a memory, and you start pulling out hoodies more than your shorts, it's time to take on a few simple chores that'll make winter more pleasant and avoid any surprises in the spring.This fall checklist helps:Stow your mower – make sure to clean the blades and inside ...
Just Don't Do It!
September 14, 2021
Giving direct home access to customers… This is an unacceptable practice that Realtors have been guilty of for years and it unfortunately continues to this day. They may say: “It's a vacant HUD foreclosure so I’ll just give you the combo and you and your brother can just pop in and take a look” This is ...
Helping Your Clients Choose A Home Warranty: Price Isn’t Everything
September 14, 2021
Among the many decisions that homeowners must make during the homebuying process, choosing a home warranty, whether offered by the seller or purchased by the buyer, is among the many decisions that homebuyers must make. If offered by the seller, the buyer may have some say so in choosing the warranty company, given that some contracts only specify a ...
5 Tips Home Buyers Must Know when Purchasing a home
September 14, 2021
Save for a Down Payment – this will impact on how much you can afford to borrow for a home. There are also several home buyer assistance programs available like low-interest loans, forgivable loans, or seller concessions.Current Debts – in addition to the down payment you have available, consider reducing your current recurring debt. The total monthly ...
Top 6 things to consider when buying a home
September 14, 2021
Chose the people you wish to help you carefullyThe professionals you choose to help you will be the difference between a great experience and a stressful one. Buying a home is a life changing event and one of the most important decisions you’ll make in your life. Trusting people to help you with this is ...
How the Moratorium’s End is Affecting Foreclosure Activity
September 13, 2021
Housing professionals have long been anticipating the response to the July 31 expiration of the federal moratorium on foreclosures. With August numbers coming in, analysts say there has indeed been a rise in foreclosure activity, but they do not expect a large influx. Borrowers across the nation collectively have record levels of home equity, and the sellers' market is ...
Steps To Purchasing A HUD Home
September 13, 2021
Thinking of purchasing a HUD Home? Here are a few key steps to get you started. Get a mortgage pre-approval if you are financing the home. Speak to your local bank or mortgage broker and let them know you would like to purchase a HUD Home, they will let you know what the best type of ...
Covid mortgage bailouts are expiring fast, but here’s why a foreclosure crisis is unlikely
September 13, 2021
Covid mortgage bailouts are expiring fast, but here’s why a foreclosure crisis is unlikelyPUBLISHED FRI, SEP 10 20217:00 AM EDTUPDATED FRI, SEP 10 20217:00 AM EDTDiana Olick@IN/DIANAOLICK@DIANAOLICKCNBC@DIANAOLICKKEY POINTSThere are still 1.618 million borrowers in forbearance programs, or 3.1% of all outstanding mortgagesSome 98% of those troubled borrowers have at least 10% equity in their homes, not ...
Buying a Hud Home
September 08, 2021
BUYING A HUD OWNED HOMEWe receive many calls from Homebuyers wondering exactly what is a HUD Home and how they can purchase one. They want to know how is buying a HUD home ...
September Is Realtor Safety Month!
September 08, 2021
September Is Realtor Safety Month!...
Fall clean up tips for a better spring garden
September 08, 2021
Let’s start in the vegetable garden by removing all spent crops and residue. If left, these could serve as havens for pests and disease to carry over from this year’s crop to the next.It is especially important to pull out any vegetable plants that are infested with pests or diseases like powdery mildew or blight. Do ...
Millennials are looking for dream homes, but Michigan’s competitive housing market keeps them out of reach
September 07, 2021
A promotion, a pay raise and a 30th birthday all felt like the right time for St. Clair Shores resident Justin Donoghue to purchase his first home.As he enters his seventh month of house hunting, he’s been outbid five times.“It’s just been really disheartening to fall in love with a home, write my cutesy ...
Getting ready to start looking?
September 07, 2021
The lack of inventory and rising prices have put a pause on many first time home buyers dreams. However, now is a great time to start preparing for a changing real estate market. If you are a first time buyer, start getting prepared with obtaining a pre approval for a loan. This is the founation for ...
Gutters why clean them
September 07, 2021
In the late fall and early spring you might see a neighbor on their ladder, and he or she is probably cleaning gutters because maybe some small trees are growing in the them. The reality is that it is very important to the roof and to help eliminate ice dams in the winter. What happens in the ...
Wall Street Can’t Get Enough Fixer-Upper Houses
September 07, 2021
Wall Street has made a mountain of money available to house flippers, and selling move-in-ready rehabs has rarely been easier. The challenge is finding beat-up and out-of-date properties that can be renovated and resold for a profit.“Investors like me, we’re like ants on a sugar hill all fighting for the same projects,” said Ed Stock, ...
How To Buy in a Tight Market
September 07, 2021
Increase your chances of getting your dream house in a competitive housing market.Get prequalified for a mortgage.You’ll be able to make a firm commitment to buy and your offer will be more desirable to the seller.Stay in close contact with your real estate agent.Your agent will be on the lookout for the newest listings ...
HUD’S GOOD NEIGHBOR NEXT DOOR PROGRAM
August 19, 2021
HUD has several special community based programs, one of which is the Good Neighbor Next Door program. HUD describes the program as "Buying a home through HUD's Good Neighbor Next Door initiative is designed to encourage renewal of revitalization areas by providing an opportunity for law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians and teachers to purchase homes ...
Survey: Bidding Wars Aren’t the Big Problem Anymore
August 18, 2021
Many would-be home buyers say they aren’t having much luck in finding a home. Sixty-six percent of buyers who were actively engaged in searching for a home in the second quarter say they’ve spent three months looking without success.In the fourth quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of this year, active house hunters blamed ...
Visitor's Guide Ad
August 17, 2021
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Chicago home bidding wars drop in July
August 17, 2021
Prospective Chicago home buyers faced less competition making a deal in July as fewer bidding wars erupted than a month earlier.A report from Redfin shows that 52.7 percent of offers in Chicago through the brokerage were the subject of competitive bids in July, down from 57.9 percent in the previous month. Bidding wars in Chicago dropped ...
Number of Americans in Forbearance Plans Continues to Fall
August 16, 2021
The Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) latest Forbearance and Call Volume Survey has found that the total number of loans now in forbearance decreased by seven basis points from 3.47% of servicers' portfolio volume in the prior week to 3.40%, as of August 1, 2021. According to MBA's estimate, there are approximately 1.7 million homeowners ...
Curb appeal is so important!
August 16, 2021
When marketing a home for sale, it is important to focus on creating a welcoming exterior. Many times buyers will drive past a home before deciding whether to view it. Be sure to have the exterior look well maintained to advertise your home to its fullest potential. Trim shrubs, keep grass cut, and always pick up ...
