As I write this, I am filled with positive feelings toward the future. I think if everyone in America could fill themselves with this feeling for one day, our economy would be transformed in a quick time period. Chuck Swindol in “Attitude” said, “The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we embrace for the day….I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.” This is so true. Zig Ziglar says, “Today is a brand new day and it’s mine to use in a marvelously productive way.” Zig uses this in self-talk in front of the mirror. It’s hard to not smile at yourself when you tell yourself these words. :) Make this your marvelously productive day.
I pulled the statistics from January 1st until September 23, 2008. I compared it with January 1st through September 23, 2009 and this is what came up as far as “progress” maybe??!!
In the Appomattox area, the average sales price of residential has dropped only $4,302 from $148,374 to $144,089. The previous year (from ‘07 to ‘08) it was close to $10k difference. This $4,302 is 2.9% drop as opposed to about a 7% drop from the previous year. I would say that is progress. This has happened in our area and also in the City of Lynchburg, Campbell and areas surrounding. The market seems to be stabilizing a bit.
Land definately has. In previous year, the average sales price was well below the average list price in the 70% range. This year in Appomattox, the figures are: $53,105 average sales price which is UP from last year’s $45,127. This is very positive and gets me fired up!!!!
Goodness gracious to Betsy. The housings statistics are out for the United States and guess what? That’s right, a great piece of information from the Real Estate industry about the market looking up. Or is it? True, it “looks” like we are on the rebound but how many of those homes were investor buys? How many of those homes were dropped in price 20-30% or even more? I’m sure many of them were incentive buys for first time buyers who had been renting for the last few years and that is positive but until the larger portion of the homes that are being sold across the board are the consumers living in them, the turnaround is going to continue to be slow. In our area, we don’t have as big a problem with investors buying the majority of the homes. The reason for that is we are in a rural area and the outlining populated areas are doing pretty good as far as unemployment and job growth. We live in a bubble here in Central Virginia and that is good. Good for the seller because they aren’t taking as bad a hit, and good for the buyer because the property they are buying will continue to be of great value because of the superior location. What I think is the most important thing about this article is… consumers are thinking in more of a positive way because the “market seems to be going up” and stocks are rebounding. Whether the consumer feels positive or negative makes on the difference in the world on a recession being overcome. Check it out and see what you think. http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB125085108563549051.html
On another note, this is one of the best short videos I’ve seen in months. More about Generation Y and the Social Media movement. It goes along with some of my early posts. Enjoy.

(Blane Stewart, Mortgage Guru and Kayaker)
Recently, I’ve been working with some couples looking to get Rural Development or USDA financing. My Loan Guru buddy Blane Stewart from SLS Mortgage wrote a great breakdown on the differences between the two most used 1st Time Home Buyer loans for our times: FHA and USDA. This has the pros and cons and is one of the most educational short reads on financing I’ve ever encountered. Enjoy.
USDA will fund 100% of the purchase price of a property with no down payment. This loan product is only eligible for areas not located in metropolitan areas. USDA has broken all areas down into eligible or non-eligible areas based on population density. This product also is only available for clients that fall in the median income level for those designated areas. Main purpose of this product is to promote affordable home ownership. In terms of qualifying for this loan product a borrower must have close to a 620 credit score to be eligible for this product. If you have a prior bankruptcy you may have problems being eligible for this loan product until the bankruptcy is discharged for 3 years. Non occupant co-borrowers cannot help borrowers qualify for this loan. If you have a prior foreclosure you may be ineligible for this product. This product is completely backed by USDA so it does not have MORTGAGE INSURANCE equaling a lower monthly payment for the borrower. In a purchase transaction this product allows the sellers to pay up to 6% toward the buyers closing cost. USDA allows borrowers to have their application and income documents be underwritten and approved for home loans before identifying an exact property. This means that the borrower’s income and credit is completely underwritten and approved before they even search for a home with a realtor. This assures the USDA client will be able to buy the right home with certainty. Rates for USDA and FHA are the same and generally put on a 30 year term. USDA IS ONLY USED FOR PURCHASE TRANSACTIONS. All government backed loans need appraisals, title work, termite, well and septic if applicable to fund transaction.
FHA financing will fund only 96.5% of the purchase price of a property equaling a 3.5% down payment (all of which can be gifted from a family member equaling NO MONEY DOWN from borrower). This product is eligible in both rural and metropolitan areas. This product is not driven by median income for area (no income limit). The main purpose of the product is to promote affordable home ownership. In terms of qualification for this loan product a borrower can have as low as a 500 credit score and be eligible for this product (much less strict than USDA). You can apply for this loan product just 2 years after filing, not discharging, a bankruptcy. If you have had a foreclosure you can apply for this product just two years after being foreclosed upon. This product is backed by private banking groups and federally chartered investment vehicles so it does require PRIVATE MORTGAGE INSURANCE. This insurance can be calculated by multiplying the loan amount by .55 percent (139,000 times .55 equals $764). This insurance continues to be paid by the borrower pays on the loan until the 181st payment is made on a 30 year mortgage (15 years!). FHA allows non occupant co-borrowers to help borrowers who cannot qualify with their own income and credit to help them buy a home. In a purchase transaction this product also allows the seller to pay up to 6% toward the sellers closing cost. FHA can be used for purchase, construction, debt consolidation and refinance loans, not specifically for purchases. This product also will not underwrite or review a file until a ratified contract has been signed so a seller/realtor/bank or relocation company cannot truly know they are approved until after a contract is ratified by both the seller and the buyer. This means they are solely relying on a pre-approval for their stake in the transaction. Rates for USDA and FHA are the same and generally put on a 30 year term. All government backed loans need appraisals, title work, termite, well and septic if applicable to fund transaction.
Blane Stewart, SLS Mortgage, bstewart@slsmortgage.com
Thanks to Blane for that tidbit.
Tags: FHA Morgages, Rural Development, USDA
There’s a difference between “naked” and “naakkeeed” (You have to draw the second out when you say it). He said the first naked meant: you don’t have any clothes on. The second naked meant: you don’t have any clothes on and you are up to something.
It’s all in how you say or hear or comprehend something. Everyone understands things differently. A client asked me yesterday- “how is it you are selling property and I see sold signs everywhere?” I said, “I don’t watch the news so I don’t know that I’m not supposed to be selling right now.” Big smile. Make this week the week you open your ears, eyes, and feelings and close your mouth. Amazing things will happen if you just focus your energy toward your goal.
Tags: motivational
Alright, alright, alright! So much buzz about buying a new home and so many questions on how to qualify for the tax credit. Here is the ad/flyer I’m sending out to everyone for Saturday, May 30th at my office. Be there!
seminar-ad-tax-credit
Let’s see- the 2nd largest generation in history is coming into “house owning” age in the middle of the best time to buy. Man, that clicks pretty hard to me. This “crew” is from 13-32 years old right now. Many have bought homes but more have not and we have a time now where interest rates are super low, houses are very reasonable, and tax credits are making it so much more of a “dream come true”. It’s a great time to be this age and as I am writing this, a 22 year old college grad is here shopping for a house with one of our agents. They like deals to happen fast which is not unlike their habits of texting, having cell phone conversations, typing on a laptop, drinking a caffe latte, and driving all at the same time. Many of them are so busy, they do not know that they CAN buy a house. They just haven’t taken time to talk to a great lender and real estate professional…can you see the recession shortening if this generation decides to do something?
Tags: Add new tag, fast deals, generation y, texting
Interest rates have a huge effect on so much and many people say they “realize” that, but do they really understand the impact? Here’s a crazy scenario- If you can afford $100,000 house, at 5% interest, 30 year term, payment (excluding taxes, insurance) is $536.82/month. This is very affordable in today’s market. If interest rates were to go up (and in the past they have gone up 5-10 percent in one year), then here’s a scenario. In early 1982, interest rates were 12%. Using the same payment as above (because that is what the buyer can afford), we plug those numbers back in with 12% interest, 30 year term and WHOA MOMMA! Our buyer can now only afford a $52,188 house based on the same payment. What this means is: if interest rates were to go up drastically, the first time home buyer group (biggest group of buyers out there) would afford much less in a home, as well as any other buyer getting financing. This would create a market where homes would have to drop significantly to be competitive with current buyers. In some cases, $30-40,000. And, those same buyers wouldn’t be able to get a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home. They could only afford 2 bedrooms and 1 bath at the higer rate. So, if you are a buyer, relish the great interest rate and the bigger home you can afford. IF you are a seller, be happy with interest rates even if it is taking a little longer to sell, it could be much worse!
Tags: Interest Rates
In the previous blog I talked about the $100k house and the benefits. Right there you are saving money but let’s continue- If you receive the full tax credit of $8,000 (which is something you don’t pay back as long as you keep the house for 3 years or more), then isn’t that really like getting the house for a lot less? An aside…I advise all of my buyers to make one extra payment toward their loan each year. Depending on the loan and specifics, this could cut your term down by 7-9 years…What if this tax credit could be used against the principle on your brand new home? If, at the very least, you used the $8,000 toward your monthly payments, the government would basically be paying for almost 15 months (based on our $567/month figure from above) of your payments on your new home. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Principle reduction, Rentals, Savings



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