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Karen Estrada Clay
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Direct: 707-249-9647

Office: 707-249-9647



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Coldwell Banker
1140 Pitt School Rd. Ste. A
Dixon, CA
707-249-9647


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Archive for October 2010

4 keys to profitable home ownership

Monday, October 18th, 2010
 Youre most likely to win by owning, rather than renting, if the following are true:
 

 

  • You plan to stay put at least three years and preferably more. In most markets, it can take three to six years for a home to appreciate enough to offset the costs of selling and moving. (Bach thinks anyone who knows he or she wont be moving in the next year should roll the dice and buy; Im a little more cautious, particularly in overheated markets where you may need to stay put even longer than five years to ride out a real downturn.)
  • You’re psychologically prepared. Home ownership means dealing with whatever comes up — from noisy neighbors to clogged plumbing. You cant just call the landlord for help or pack up and move as easily as when you were renting.
  • You have some extra savings. Home buyers who spend every dime they have buying a house inevitably are blindsided by repairs, maintenance and all the other costs of owning a home. Then they go into debt trying to keep up their current lifestyle. Smart home buyers make sure they have an amount in savings at least equal to two mortgage payments after the deal closes, and preferably much more.
  • You manage your money pretty well. That forced savings aspect I discussed above works only if you can keep your hands out of the cookie jar. Otherwise, its too easy to drain away your wealth with home equity loans and lines of credit. If youre the kind of person who lives on credit cards and doesnt know where the money goes, youd be smart to clean up your financial act long before you go hunting for a house.
  • Understanding loan terms

    Sunday, October 17th, 2010

    Definitions  on loan terms.

    Desired mortgage amount: The total loan amount you are looking to qualify for.
    Monthly housing expenses: Your monthly housing expenses from the housing expenses work sheet. The items entered as housing expenses make up the taxes and insurance portion of your monthly PITI payment.
    Monthly liabilities: Your monthly liabilities from the liabilities work sheet. Your monthly liabilities are used to calculate your maximum PITI.
    Monthly housing payment (PITI): This is your total principal, interest, tax and insurance (PITI) payment per month. This includes your principal, interest, real estate taxes, hazard insurance, association dues or fees and principal mortgage insurance (PMI). Maximum monthly payment (PITI) is calculated by taking the lower of these two calculations:

    1. Monthly Income X 28% = monthly PITI
    2. Monthly Income X 36% – Other loan payments = monthly PITI

    Maximum principal and interest (PI): This is your maximum monthly principal and interest payment. It is calculated by subtracting your monthly taxes and insurance from your monthly PITI payment. This calculator uses your maximum PI payment to determine the mortgage amount that you could qualify for.
    Start interest rates at: The current interest rate you could receive on your mortgage. This is used as the starting point for displaying a range of interest rates and the resulting mortgage amount.
    Term in years: The number of years over which you will repay this loan. The most common mortgage terms are 15 years and 30 years.

    VA loans: The best mortgages around

    Saturday, October 16th, 2010

    If you can qualify for a mortgage guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, you should take advantage of it.

    Simply put, it’s the most generous mortgage program we know of. VA loans require no down payment or mortgage insurance. They’re open to borrowers with bad credit, yet the rates are reasonable.

    Millions of veterans, including members of the National Guard and reserve units, are eligible for VA loans. They’re also available to anyone on active duty and widows whose spouses’ deaths were war related.

    Obama resists call to halt foreclosures nationwide

    Friday, October 15th, 2010

    Top White House officials say a moratorium could backfire by driving home prices down further and delaying the real estate recovery.

    Banks seized 102,134 homes in September, a record for any month.   California led the nation with 17,756.   White House officials worry that imposing a national moratorium on foreclosures would backfire by driving down prices even more, delaying the real estate shakeout and potentially creating more foreclosures as additional homeowners find themselves underwater.

    In places that have been particularly hard hit like Los Angeles and California … where foreclosures make up about 40% of home sales, that has the potential to hurt not only those individual home buyers but to delay the recovery of the housing market.

    Do & Do Nots when financing for a home loans

    Thursday, October 14th, 2010

    Just a few guidelines to follow when financing for a home loan.  Many buyers are not aware of what they should and shouldn’t be doing when they are in the middle of the financing process.  The following are the Do & Do Nots that a buyer should be aware of:

    Do not deposit cash or random checks in your bank accouts only paychecks.

    Make copies of all items that you have deposited into your bank accounts.

    Do not withdrawl large amounts of cash from your accounts.

    Try not to transfer between from accounts.  To hard to track at times.

    Save money in your accounts do not have NSF fees.

    Do not apply for credit or have credit inquiries during the homebuying process.

    Paystubs should show 40 hours a week.

    Pay your rent with a check never cash.

    If gift funds are going to be given the gifter must give a copy of the bank statement where money is coming from.

    Be sure that the dates of employment are accurate.

    Be sure that the dates of rental history has no gaps.

    Be able to show your tax returns or show an extension.

    Let your lender know if you owe any income taxes upfront.

    Communication with your lender and real estate agent are crucial in the home buying process.  It is better to be upfront with everyone before the buyer starts spending money on inspections, appraisal fee and possible repairs to the property.

    Market Recap

    • Avg. Sales Price: 379,000

    • Avg. Days on Market: 69

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