Researching real estate

Looking for a home can sometimes be an overwhelming task.

I’d like to offer a bit of advice that might help.

What’s the perfect neighborhood for you? What style of home
would you like to purchase? How much can you afford? Planning
ahead can help you to avoid many of the headaches involved in a
home purchase. If you know exactly what you want, it makes it
much easier to find it.

I’m very familiar with the area, the market conditions and I would be
happy to put my years of experience to work for you! Feel free to
e-mail me a list of your needs and I’ll put together a FREE custom
presentation for you! I’m available if you’d like help finding the perfect
home.

Call anytime.  443-982-0075

 

Success is a journey, not only a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.

Measure the Potential Future Impact

The key to success in setting priorities is having a long time perspective. You can tell how important something is today by measuring its potential future impact on your life.

For example, if you come home from work at night and choose to play with your children or spend time with your spouse, rather than watch TV or read the paper, you have a long time perspective. You know that investing time in the health and happiness of your children and your spouse is a very valuable, high-priority use of time. The potential future impact of quality time with your family is very high.

If you take additional courses in the evening to upgrade your skills and make yourself more valuable to your employer, you’re acting with a long time perspective. Learning something practical and useful can have a long-term effect on your career.

 

 

The finest eloquence is that which gets things done, and the worst is that which delays them.

The Key to Peak Performance

The antidote to these fears is the development of courage, character and self-esteem. The opposite of fear is actually love, self-love and self-respect. Acting with courage in a fearful situation is simply a technique that boosts our regard for ourselves to such a degree that our fears subside and lose their ability to effect our behavior and our decisions.

If anything is worth trying at all, it’s worth trying at least 10 times.

Control Your Reactions and Responses

There are three basic differences in the reactions of optimists and pessimists. The first difference is that the optimist sees a setback as temporary, while the pessimist sees it as permanent. The optimist sees an unfortunate event, such as an order that falls through or a sales call that fails, as a temporary event, something that is limited in time and that has no real impact on the future. The pessimist, on the other hand, sees negative events as permanent, as part of life and destiny.  

E+R=O  Event+Response= The Outcome

I have found that being honest is the best technique I can use. Right upfront, tell people what you’re trying to accomplish and what you’re willing to sacrifice to accomplish it.

Despite market mess, it’s not impossible to get a mortgage

 There is no shortage of money available for home mortgages, no freezing of credit to purchase or refinance a house. Why? Because the American mortgage market effectively has been federalized – at least for the time being. More than 90 percent of new loans now are being made through the Federal Housing Administration insurance program, plus Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. FHA is owned by the federal government, and Fannie and Freddie are operating under federal conservatorship. All three have unfettered access to global capital markets at rock-bottom costs because their borrowings are fully guaranteed by the Treasury. Ginnie Mae, which is FHA’s pipeline to the bond market, recorded an all-time high of $29 billion in new mortgage-backed securities issued in August.

• Loan terms and credit underwriting standards have been toughened up, but you can still put down 3 percent (3.5 percent after Jan. 1) on an FHA-insured mortgage and 5 percent on certain Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loan programs with private mortgage insurance. FHA’s credit standards are generous and forgiving – the agency exists to help people with less-than-spotless credit histories. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have raised their credit score requirements over the past year, but buyers and refinancers with scores in the upper 600s can still qualify for loans carrying reasonable rates and fees.

• Despite the global financial system’s quakes, mortgage rates not only remain low by historical standards but have actually declined recently. For the week ending Oct. 8, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, average 30-year fixed rates dropped to 5.99 percent and 15-year mortgages averaged 5.71 percent. Freddie Mac said 30-year rates dropped to 5.94 percent.

 

People who want to move mountains must start by carrying away small stones.

How to Decide If It’s Time to Own Rather Than Rent

Home ownership is the greatest AMERICAN DREAM, is it not? But listen up, my friends: If you do not have a clue what it really costs to own a home, how much of a house you can truly afford, and if you are just plain capable of owning a home, I am here to tell you that your dream will most likely turn into your greatest financial nightmare.

Not that any of those issues has scared off anyone from diving into home ownership recently. Did you know that the percentage of U.S. households that now own, rather than rent, is at an all-time high? We have super-low interest rates to thank for that.

So I can imagine that those of you who are still renting might be mentally kicking yourself right about now. I am willing to bet all you can think about is how much money you would have made if you had already purchased a home. I have to tell you that sort of thinking sounds dangerously like the investors in 2000 who thought they were losers if they hadn’t jumped on the technology stock craze. And we all know how that story ended.

Feeding the housing craze right now is the panic over higher interest rates. With the rumor that rates have bottomed out and will be heading higher in the next few months, there is this rush to “get into” a house before rates rise. But before you rush to beat a rate increase, you need to understand the true cost of buying versus owning. If you can’t afford the true cost of homeownership – no matter how low rates are – you better not make the purchase.

Let me show you how to make an informed decision on whether you can truly afford to buy a home or not.

 

 

 

Great ability develops and reveals itself increasingly with every new assignment.

Everyone Can’t Be in Your Front Row

Life is a theater – invite your audience carefully.
Not everyone is spiritually healthy and mature enough to have a front
row seat in our lives. There are some people in your life that need
to be loved from a distance.

It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you LET GO,
or at least minimize your time with draining, negative, incompatible,
not-going-anywhere relationships/friendships/fellowships!

Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention
to: Which ones lift and which ones lean? Which ones encourage and which ones
discourage? Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are
going downhill?

When you leave certain people, do you feel better or feel worse?

Which ones always have DRAMA or don’t really
understand, know and appreciate you and the gift that lies within you?
When you seek growth, peace of mind, love and truth, the easier it will
become for you to decide who gets to sit in the FRONT ROW and who should be
moved to the balcony of your life.

You cannot change the people around you…but you can
change the people you are around! Ask God for godly wisdom and discernment
and choose wisely the people who sit in the front row of your life.

‘Just because no one has shown up who can love you on your level,
doesn’t mean you sink to theirs!’

How can I improve the value of my property?

Outside of a homeowner’s control, the biggest factor is market conditions. Other important issues are:

• condition of the property
• specific home improvements
• neighborhood stability and safety

The greatest rise in home prices occurs when the economy is strong and the number of home sales is increasing. Specific home improvements can increase the value above the cost of the improvements.

• remodeled bathroom returns, 81 percent to the owner
• bathroom addition, 89 percent
• master bedroom suite, 82 percent

Remember, quality pays. Well-planned and well-executed remodeling jobs are a good investment while bad work seldom enhances value or livability.

The safety and security of a neighborhood can affect property values, too. If you live in a high-crime area, an organized community watch program not only will lower the crime rate but give home values a boost, too.

How can I increase the value of my property?

Specific home improvements can increase your property value above the cost of the improvements themselves, such as remodeling a kitchen, adding a bathroom, finishing a basement or upgrading landscaping. Just be sure that quality pays with remodeling. A bad remodeling job will do little to boost your property value.

If you live in a high-crime area, an organized community watch program not only will lower the crime rate but can enhance property values, too. It also helps to live in an area where other homeowners are upgrading their homes, which can help pull up your property value, too.

The bottom line is to measure the cost of any improvements you want to make against the overall values in your neighborhood. If you over improve for the neighborhood, you may not necessarily recover your costs or boost your property value significantly.

Will buying a bigger home increase my profit?

Consider these questions before making a choice between adding on to an existing home or moving up in the market to a bigger house:

• How much money is available, either from cash reserves or through a home improvement loan, to remodel the current house?
• How much additional space is required? Would the foundation support a second floor or does the lot have room to expand on the ground level?
• What do local zoning and building ordinances permit?
• How much equity already exists in the property?
• Are there affordable properties for sale that would satisfy housing needs?

Ultimately, the decision should be based on individual needs, the extent of work involved and what will add the most value.

How do I find out how much my home is worth?

A comparative market analysis and an appraisal are the standard methods for determining a home’s value.

Your real estate agent will be able to provide a comparative market analysis, an informal estimate of value based on comparable sales in the neighborhood. Be sure you get listing prices of current homes on the market as well as those that have sold. You also can research this yourself by checking on recent sales in public records. Be sure that you are researching properties that are similar in size, construction and location. This information is not only available at your local recorder’s or assessor’s office but also through private companies and on the Internet.

An appraisal, which generally costs $200 to $300 to perform, is a certified appraiser’s opinion of the value of a home at any given time. Appraisers review numerous factors including recent comparable sales, location, square footage and construction quality.

What are the differences between market value and appraised value?

The appraised value of a house is a certified appraiser’s opinion of the worth of a home at a given point in time. Lenders require appraisals as part of the loan application process; fees range from $200 to $300.

Market value is what price the house will bring at a given point in time. A comparative market analysis is an informal estimate of market value, based on sales of comparable properties, performed by a real estate agent or broker. Either an appraisal or a comparative market analysis is the most accurate way to determine what your home is worth.

(PMI) PRIVATE MORTGAGE INSURANCE REMOVAL

 

The Homeowners Protection Act of 1998 requires that borrower-purchased mortgage insurance be automatically terminated on the applicable termination date for a mortgage closed on or after 07-29-1999 if the loan proceeds are used for the purchase, initial construction, or refinancing of the borrower’s one-family principal residence – provided the borrower’s payments are current on the termination date.  The Act also requires cancellation of the mortgage insurance for these mortgages at the borrower’s request, if specific conditions are met.

 Fannie Mae Mortgage Insurance Cancellation Policy is more expanded.  For example they allow borrower-initiated cancellation of mortgage insurance based on the current value of the property, and will apply it to all mortgage regardless of their closing date.

 Lender-purchased mortgage insurance is different form borrower-purchased mortgage insurance in that lender-purchased mortgage insurance cannot be canceled by the borrower, while borrower-purchased mortgage insurance can be automatically terminated or canceled at the borrower’s request. Lender-purchased mortgage insurance cancellation usually results in the borrower having to pay a higher interest rate.  Lender-purchased mortgage insurance can only be terminated by refinancing, payoff, or liquidation.  Lender-purchased mortgage may also be tax deductible for federal income tax purposes.

Servicer’s must disclose to the borrowers annually about mortgage termination.  The servicer may choose to disclose those fees for appraisals, broker’s price opinion, or certification of value.

All conventional mortgages serviced for Fannie Mae will be subject to automatic termination of mortgage insurance.  The borrower does not have to take any action to initiate an automatic termination nor may the service impose a charge for processing the termination.

For mortgages closed after July 29, 1999, the applicable termination date is the date that the principal balance of the mortgage is first scheduled to reach a level that is 78% of the original value of the property.  If the scheduled loan-to-value ratios for the mortgage dose not reach 78% before the mid-point of the mortgage amortization period, the first day of the month following the date the mid-point is reached must be used as the termination date. For mortgage closed prior to July 29, 1999 insurance is to be terminated the first day of the month following the dated that is the mid-point of the original mortgage amortization period.

Borrower initiated cancellations based on original property value are done by people who have had their mortgages for some time and have accelerated their amortization by paying additional principle.

A request for borrower-purchased mortgage insurance can be made based on the current appraised value of the property. Borrowers who make this type of request have made improvements which have increased their property values or those who believe that the value of their property has increased due to increasing property values in their neighborhood. 

Evaluating borrower requests for cancellation.

Must have an acceptable payment record

1. No payment 30 days or more past due in the 12 months preceding the applicable cancellation date.
2. No payment 60 days or more past due in the 24 months preceding the applicable cancellation date.
3. The loan to value ratio must be at least 80% (This will vary depending on several factors).

The Top 10 Distinctions between Winners and Whiners

10. Winners take responsibility

      Whiners play the victim

9. Winners Can have wht they want.

    Whinners want what they cannot have.

8. Winners find a way. 

    Whinners find and excuse.

7.Winner brighten a room by entering.

    Whiners brighten a room by leaving.

6. Winners listen twice as much as they listen.

    Whiners talk twice as much as they listen.

5. Winners enjoy lifes Journey.

    Whiners put there joy in the destination

4. Winners build friendship.

    Whiners destroy frienships.

3. Winners think big.

    Whiners think small.

2. Winners are focus-minded.

    Whiners are scaterbrained.

1. Winners create positive meanings.

    Whiners create negative meanings.