Obama administration details refinance plan for underwater borrowers | Inman News

Obama administration details refinance plan for underwater borrowers | Inman News

What Do Homeowners Say About Homeownership?

The news is all over the place about home ownership.  Steve Harney of Keeping Current Matters puts together some thoughts about ownership and the Home Ownership Survey.

I am a Realtor so I know you expect me to say this but it is true, not only does Home Ownership continue to be the best investment (see the attached table from Macro Market Home Price Expectations Survey), this is also historically the best time to be a Home Buyer. Mortgage Rates are at an all time low and inventory is at an all time high. Last week I tweeted that we had a trifecta, John Paulson, Donald Trump and Barbara Cocoran all say "It's time to buy a house". John Paulson made millions off of betting against the housing bubble and he has been quoted as saying "Buy Now".

Indeed in the Wake Forest, NC and Raleigh, NC markets we are seeing a lot more activity in our markets and at all price points. Realtor.com says that their traffic is up 15% from this time last year when the market was driven by the tax credit.

Are we out of the woods yet? No we are not out of the woods yet but slowly the market is getting better, region by region. Smart money people are making their move now to invest in their future.

Another good posting from the KCM Group

We Think We’re Going to Believe Grandpa

NOT ALL LOAN OFFICERS ARE CUT FROM THE SAME CLOTH!

If you are thinking about buying a home there are some well defined steps you need to take to prepare for this. With today's lending environment and the new North Carolina Offer to Purchase and Contract, tops on the list is sitting down with a Mortgage Loan Officer and letting them review your documents so you know you are qualified and exactly what you can afford before you shop for a home. There is nothing worse for a Buyer or a Seller than to be in the middle of making a purchase, spending money on Inspections and Appraisals and you hit a glitch in financing. This can and must be headed off for all parties involved.


The second thing to know is not all Loan Officers are cut from the same cloth, there are some good Loan Officers and some not so good Loan Officers. There are some good Lenders and some not so good Lenders. It is best to talk to your Realtor to find a Lender and a Loan Officer that they have experience with. If you think On-Line Lenders are a good idea think again. In my experience as an Appraiser and a Realtor I can tell you that dealing with someone from out of state, that you will never meet face to face in this process is not a good idea. An On-line Loan Officer doesn't know the particulars or nuances of your market and you will hit snags.

I have a great Loan Officer that I work with regularly. I know she is thorough, smart and she is well versed with current lending regulations. This is the kind of person you want to have working with and for you in the home buying process or for refinancing purposes. In my business it is beneficial to have good and successful partnerships like this in place. I am fortunate that the Loan Officer that I regularly partner with recently move over to Allen Tate Mortgage.

If you are getting started and want to know what you need to do to get yourself positioned to enter the market as a Home Buyer I suggest that you contact Kathy Hannam of Allen Tate Mortgage at 919-883-7470 to get the process started. If you have already talked to a Lender you can talk to her too and ask her about her "Best Rate Guarantee" Program.

The reason that I am talking about this is because the newly introduced North Carolina Contract now has a Due Diligence Period and a Buyer puts money on the table for a period of time in which a Buyer must do their Inspections, Appraisal and get their Loan Approval. With all of that at stake you can see why you want to work with someone who has a good team in place. With the current and ever changing lending environment you can see why having a good Loan Officer as well as a good Agent (me!) is imparitive.



http://www.8200willowglen.com/

 Give me a call I would love the opportunity to review the new North Carolina Offer to Purchase with you as you get ready to move forward. If you are thinking of listing your home for sale this new contract has an affect on you as well. You should be familiar with these changes and what is means for you as a Seller. Contact me, I will be happy to go over these changes with you so you know what to expect. We expect to see more buyers out this year and I want you to be prepared for success.

8 ways agents avoid overpriced listings | Inman News

Getting a Seller to set a realistic list price takes the work of a good Agent who knows how to dig beneath the surface and show Sellers what they are really up against. It is no longer about looking at the comparable properties it is about the competition. In this article discover 8 ways agents can (and should) avoid overpricing listings by Inman News. How does your Agent talk to you about positioning your property? Do they show you the absorption rate for your subdivision or market area or are they simply focusing on the comparable listings?


398 Peaslake Ct Rolesville, NC

 I have had listing appointments recently where the Sellers say " We are not ready to go to our bottom". The trouble with that thinking is their bottom is not the markets bottom. If you price a home correctly from the start you will have success and if you need to make adjustments make them and make them quickly.

I do subscribe to having "Swat Teams" of Agents visit a home for presentation purposes if there is an issue with the home, but not for the purpose of reviewing the list price. It is my feeling that could lead to potentially violating client confidentiality. Working on the list price is strictly in my opinion the job of the Listing Agent. The authors comment that "you must be slightly below market value to sell the property" is spot on. Do this and you will have success in getting your home sold.

Triangle: Real Estate in 2011

Senior VP Phyllis York Brookshire at Allen Tate Company takes a look into the crystal ball for 2011? Nay! Based on statistics and a look at the assets of the area Phyllis makes some projections as to the state of the Triangle market going forward Triangle: Real Estate in 2011 Check out Phyllis's latest posting on the Allen Tate Companies Blog "At Home In the Carolina's".

With the future projected growth of Wake County, the Raleigh, Wake Forest / Rolesville markets look like they are headed toward a health future. You have to take the long view of the market and the future is looking better!

Going Once, Going Twice, Going Three Times... Real Estate Auction in Raleigh, NC

Going Once, Going Twice, Going Three Times... Sold to the highest bidder "Subject to Seller Approval" this is how it went today at the Raleigh Marriott City Center in downtown Raleigh this morning as 36 luxury condos at the WEST in Glenwood South area of Raleigh were auctioned off.

This was a successful auction for all. Buyers and Investors alike got great deals on beautiful properties & for those that financed the purchase these loans are at incredible interest rates. In years to come I suspect the Buyers that won bids on units at the West will be bragging about these purchases and how smart and lucky they were to have been there.

The developer successfully wrote 10M+ in business today and that is huge! Now there was some discussion bemoaning the fact that prior or current owners of condos at the West suffered a loss today, but at the end of the day did they?

Here are some points to consider:

- More lights turned on at the development
- The HOA will be fully funded
- The projected population of Wake County is expected to grow by 700,000 by 2020
- This is highly desirable location

The above facts are positive all around for this project. If you consider the short term view then yes it could be a loss for the other owners of units within the development, but if you take a long term view it was an all around success.

If we learn nothing from the prior market we must take a longer view when it comes to investing in real estate. It was the short term, quick buck mentality that got investors and home owners alike in to trouble.

Ironically we now have a market where we will see the best deals in our lifetime and Buyers are sitting on the sidelines. Well not all Buyers but most. Maybe this Spring the Sleeping Giant will wake up!

I am glad that I was there to experience this event and the Buyers and Investors that I met were particularly savvy. They are not waiting for the ground swell but they see the road ahead and these are the Buyers that will really benefit from this market!