Here is some information on the real estate market. In my opinion, if you’re ready to buy a home, start looking now. There will likely be more inventory to chose from in the spring, but by looking now, you’ll be ready to make that final decision when the right house comes along.
Recent good news about the housing market has many home buyers wondering whether now is a good time to buy. For example, home sales activity increased 9.4 percent nationally in September, a 26 percent increase from a low point in January, according to the National Association of Realtors.
The $8,000 first-time buyer tax credit has stimulated the market, and it has been extended. A credit of up to $6,500 is now available to repeat home buyers who qualify.
Many buyers are having difficulty finding a home to buy. The inventory of good listings on the market is low in many areas because prospective sellers who don’t have to sell now are waiting for a better market. To aggravate the situation, many sellers who need to sell now often take their home off the market after Thanksgiving and will bring it back on the market next year.
Buyers may find there’s very little on the market to choose from for the next several months. However, they may also find that some buyers will drop out of the market over the holiday season, leaving less competition for the listings that are on the market during this period.
~ Barry Ripp
Information provided by C.A.R and used with permission.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/06/REAI1ARGC5.DTL&type=realestate#ixzz0ZnrVz7Rf
It’s hard to believe, but between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day Americans throw away a million extra tons of garbage each week. Here are some suggestions of ways to go green this holiday season, and you just might save some green in the meantime.
Start with your gift giving. Giving an experience, like tickets to a movie or ballgame can create much less waste than toys and gadgets. And some of the best gifts can be homemade like cookies and cakes.
As you do begin wrapping up those presents for family and friends, consider reusing gift bags, tissue paper, and bows.
If you need to ship your presents this year, avoid Styrofoam packing peanuts and try using crumpled up newspaper instead.
As you search for that perfect tree, keep in mind that if you purchase a tree from a tree farm you’re not damaging forests. Artificial trees are also a good choice since they are reused every year and that saves on the gas you would use driving to the tree farms.
If you’re buying lights, be sure to purchase Christmas lights made with light-emitting diodes, or LEDs. These lights have been around a few years and are 90% more efficient than traditional Christmas lights. They also last longer.
And start the New Year off on the right foot try treecycling. By recycling your fresh tree you can make a huge difference in reducing holiday waste. Instead of ending up in a landfill, Christmas trees can be ground into wood chips and be reused as mulch gardens, or to prevent erosion.
And remember….have a very Merry Christmas
Great news for your first-time buyers: The Mortgage Protection Program has been extended through 2010.
To continue to provide first-time home buyers with peace of mind when purchasing their first home, the C.A.R. Housing Affordability Fund has extended the Mortgage Protection Program (MPP) through December 2010. To date, more than 1,700 first-time home buyers already have been approved for the program, and the numbers continue to increase.
On April 2, 2009 the Housing Affordability Fund launched a new program designed to provide peace of mind to first-time buyers who are hesitant to enter the housing market due to concerns about potential job loss, and subsequently being unable to meet their monthly mortgage obligations. Qualifying buyers can receive up to $1,500 a month for up to six months in the event of job loss, a qualified co-buyer can also receive a $750 benefit for up to six months to help pay the mortgage.
TO QUALIFY FOR THE MORTGAGE PROTECTION PROGRAM APPLICANTS MUST:
· Be a first-time home buyer – someone who has not owned property in the last three years
· Open escrow on or after April 2, 2009
· Use a California REALTOR® in the transaction
· Purchase the property in California
· Be a W-2 employee (cannot be self-employed)
This is a great opportunity for first-time homebuyers.Contact me for more information or: Click here for more information, requirements, and a downloadable application.
~ Barry Ripp
Information obtained by the Calif.Assoc.of Realtors. November 2009
Well, here’s another program designed to help home owners in loan trouble. I hope it helps, but I’m not so sure lenders will go along with the idea of being landlords.
Fannie Mae last week announced a new Deed for Lease™ program. The new program allows borrowers to voluntarily transfer their property back to the lender and then lease back the house at market rate. The lease period is for up to 12 months, with month-to-month contract extensions after that period. The program is designed for borrowers who do not qualify for or have not been able to obtain other loan-workout solutions, such as loan modifications.
To participate in the program, borrowers must live in the home as their primary residence and must be released from any subordinate liens on the property. Homeowners interested in this lease program must be able to document that the new market rental rate is no more than 31% of their gross montly income.
Homeowners thinking of participating in the Deed for Lease™ program should visit Fannie Mae’s loan lookup
website at http://loanlookup.fanniemae.com/loanlook… to see whether their loan is owned or guaranteed by Fannie. Mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration and other government agencies are not eligible for the Deed for Lease ™ program.
To read the full story, please click here:
http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2009/11/06/qa-how-to-rent-your-home-from-fannie-mae/
Reprinted with permission of the Calif. Asso.of Realtors. Nov. 2009
~ Barry Ripp
Maintaining a good credit score can help you in a number of financial situations. For example, most lenders use your FICO score to judge credit worthiness. FICO stands for Fair Isaac Corp. which analyzes credit information to come up with a score.
A good score can mean a lot when it comes to your interest rate for car loans and home loans.
One key to keeping a good credit score is a combination of continuing to use your credit responsibly and paying down balances as soon as you can. I think it’s better to pay your credit cards off each month to avoid paying the high interest. So don’t buy more than you can afford to pay off.
To make sure you don’t have any credit errors, check your own credit at least once a year. You can get a free report from each of the three credit reporting agencies.
For a free copy of your credit report from all three agencies, you can visit: www.annualcreditreport.com They will ask several questions to insure security and also ask you to pay for an upgraded report, but a free report is available.
I hope you find this information helpful. I feel we all need to be more careful about using credit. But credit can be a useful tool when we need it.
~ Barry
Some homeowners wonder what would happen if they were to stop paying their mortgages.
When lenders do not receive payments, the first action taken by the lender is to report the missed payment to the credit bureaus by the first day of the next month. Sometimes this can happen in as little as two weeks from the due date, depending on when the payment is due. Generally, this action will leave a negative mark on a credit report and decrease the homeowner’s credit score by as much as 200 points.
Because of the negative mark on the homeowner’s credit report, within the next 30 days, homeowners can expect their other creditors to take note of the late payment and to take action. Credit card issuers may raise interest rates, lower credit limits, or close credit card accounts. The borrower’s auto insurance, student loans, and other forms of credit also may change, as these are tied to the borrower’s credit score as well.
If the homeowner does not pay for 90 days, the lender likely will start calling, trying to persuade the homeowner to enter into a loan modification. If a loan modification cannot be agreed upon between the homeowner and the lender, and the homeowner continue missing payments, the homeowner likely will be served with a foreclosure notice.
Homeowners at risk of defaulting on their mortgages, or those who already are behind, should contact their lender immediately to work out a repayment plan and/or loan modification.
Information obtained by Calif Asso of Realtors and the Modesto Bee.
To read the full story, please click here.
Great news coming regarding the home buyer tax credit. The Senate has now agreed to extend the tax credit. The bill must be voted on and then go through the House of Representatives next. But most of us are certain it will pass before the current deadline.
As you can imagine, many buyers are looking forward to that tax credit, and many are rushing to make their home purchase before the current deadline. It has definitely helped our real estate market. But I truly feel we are at the bottom of this real estate cycle right now. Home prices should stay flat for a while, 18 months to 2 years, before we see significant increases.
For more information, or your comments, please respond.
~ Barry Ripp
Selling real estate since 1985
Concerned that your 2009 property tax bill is too high? Many homeowners who lost value in their homes have filed a “decline in value” form to lower the tax base. Therefore, reducing what they pay to the county in property taxes. But homeowners still received tax bills with a high property value.
Well, I called the Alameda County assessor’s office, and they told me that those “decline in value” forms have not been reviewed yet. It will take a few months for them to go through all of them.
So don’t worry right now. Even though we’ll have to pay this property tax bill, we will all have to wait for a refund if the county agrees to lower the value of our homes.
~ Barry
If you’re ready to buy a home, there are probably many questions on your mind. Let’s address a few right now.
1) When should I buy? Since we are pretty much at the bottom of this cycle, you should buy when you’re ready. And you should start getting ready right now. Get pre-approved and then talk to a Realtor about what’s for sale in your price range.
2) Should I buy a condo or house? Buy what you can afford. Condos offer some beneficial features (pool, etc) and they do appreciate, but many people prefer a house. You should see for yourself what’s in your price range and then decide.
I hope this helps with some of the many questions you may have. For more answers to your questions, please feel free to contact me directly. It will be my pleasure to serve you.
~ Barry
