VA Loans: This is a loan that is available to veterans, reservists, active-duty personnel, and surviving spouses of veterans. You can get a lower interest rate than conventional loans, don’t need to have mortgage insurance, require no down payment, no cash reserves, and no application fee. Also, the seller is required to pay certain closing costs, which decreases the closing costs for the borrower as well.

FHA Loans: These were created to help borrowers who wouldn’t otherwise qualify for a traditional home loan or would be subject to higher interest and high mortgage insurance. Available as 30- and 15-year fixed-rate loans as well as 3/1 and 5/1 ARMs, the loans require only a 3.5 percent down payment, which can be from a qualified gift, and there are no income limitations. These loans offer flexible underwriting, and a non-occupant family member may co-sign (for single-family homes only). Property condition standards are much more relaxed than they used to be for these loans, and borrowers can even roll in non-structural rehab work totaling up to $35,000 on the home. Also, the federal mortgage insurance for these loans is usually much less expensive than private mortgage insurance (PMI), which saves you some money.

Loans with 97% Loan-to-Value: These loans are just what they say: they let you finance up to 97 percent (with DU approval only) of the home’s value, which makes them an excellent start for young homebuyers wishing to buy, but not having much for a down payment. With only 3 percent down, you can finance the purchase of a single-unit primary residence with a price tag of up to $417,000.

Buying your first home doesn’t have to be so intimidating. Educating yourself and going in with a Realtor who knows the market and loan options are the first steps towards home ownership. This is the “market of a lifetime” for buying a home.

Don’t wait for prices and rates to go up. You CAN take that step towards buying for first home. Give me a call so we can discuss what will work for you.

Laura Taylor 435-632-4265

2017 West Rising Sun Drive, St. George Utah, 84770

Click on one of these links to view the flyer!  open house ledges ledgesflyer1 ledgesflyer2

Front View of Ledges Home- St. George Utah

Amazing Master Bathroom- Luxury Home in St. George, Utah

“Follow the paths where ancient native people and pioneers walked. Gaze up at massive sandstone cliffs of cream, pink, and red that soar into a brilliant blue sky. Challenge your courage in a narrow slot canyon. Zion’s unique array of plants and animals will enchant you as you absorb the rich history of the past and enjoy the excitement of present day adventures…” Zion National Park Official site

There are so many things to do at Zion National Park. Is hiking your thing? There are several beautiful trails to hike to see breathtaking views.

If you prefer a more leisurely visit to the park, you can stay at the lodge and use their tram service. It takes you all over the park as well as gives detailed information about all the sights you are seeing.

They also have a lot of fun things for the kids. Try the Jr. Ranger program. Children ages 6 through 12 can earn a Junior Ranger Badge by completing an activity booklet during their visit.

If you are from out of town, or live in the area and have never made your way over to Zion, you need to!

Have you considered buying a home in Southern Utah? Stay tuned for more exciting reasons to make St. George you new home.

If you have been thinking about your dream home, now is the time to start looking. Mortgage rates are still very low- as low as 3.9%. But as the economy recovers, rates and home prices will also climb. There is no better time to pull the trigger on your dream house. Give me a call and we can start looking together!

-Laura

Beautiful Scenery in Southern Utah

Luxury in Southern Utah

Here are a few pictures of what’s to come:

Only 40 minutes from St. George, UT ~ ZION NATIONAL PARK ~ Beautiful and Unique St. George, Utah

Amazing Tuacahn Amphitheater ~ Major Broadway Plays Every Summer

If the active life style isn’t what you are looking for and you want more of a quick get away feel, the golf courses in the area are some of the best in the state. They also are known world-wide for their resorts and spas.

Saint George is also a very family friendly community and a great place for kids to grow up, or even send them to college. Dixie State College is located in the heart of Saint George and they have a lot of great programs with athletics and academic scholarships available

A great thing about Saint George is that it is close everything. With Brianhead Ski resort a little more than one hour north of Saint George in Parowan, and being one and half hours away from Las Vegas.

St George is full of entertainment- such as Tuacahn Amphitheatre, high end shopping and 5 star restaurants. It’s is the perfect place to be and benefit from the big city and country feel that surround it. Southern Utah has it all.

Luxury Home on the Golf Course in The Ledges of St. George, UT

First- the incredible rates. When you see on the news that interest rates are at record lows- they’re not joking. Due to the “Great Recession”, the Federal Reserve has had to lower thier rates to between 0 and .25 percent to allow for banks, loan associations, and credit unions to afford to trade. The federal funds rates affect all other rates- including mortages. When the federal fund rate is low- your mortgage interest rate is low. They do this in hopes of making things more affordable and to boost the economy. Right now, mortgage rates can be as low as 3.9%. Considering that one percent can shave several hundred dollars off your monthly payment- getting a low rate is key when buying your new home.

Will these rates stay low? Not for long. As soon as the federal reserve see’s true growth, the rates will climb again. With the unemployment rate dropping, and retail sales raising- its only a matter of time before the interest rates go up.

Second- the affordable home prices. Because of the effects of the recession, home prices are very low. Your dream home only costs a fraction of what it did a few years ago. There is still a large inventory of homes on the market, which also keeps them priced low. But it wont last forever. The housing inventory has already began to go down in many areas, which will only drive the prices back up. Its the law of supply and demand. As soon as the supply goes down and the demand goes up, the price will also go up. Besides that, you’re going to want to start shopping when you have a lot to choose from. Who wants to settle for something less than your dream just because there’s less to choose from?

With historicly low rates, low home prices, and high inventory- the time to act is now. There might not be another opportunity like this for a very long time. I would love to help you with finding the perfect house you have been waiting for. Call or email with any questions you might have.

New state laws now require all HOA’s to register with the Utah State Department of Commerce and submit basic information and the main HOA contact person. Having this information will help move the home search along faster since you will be able to have all the HOA iformation about the property right in front of you.

In addition, this new law will not allow the Home Owners Association to charge any arbitrary transfer fees or other fees unless they are listed in the CC&R’s (Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions). Its nice to have everything on the table when coming to closing. No one likes suprises in the form of hidden fees.

Any other benefits to this new law? Yes! There is public access to the HOA’s registry. You can check it out yourself by going here

https://secure.utah.gov/hoa/index.html

OR- you can give me a call or send me an email. I would love to assist in research with any HOA information for an area you are looking in.

In many communities, the inventory of houses to rent is limited, whereas there’s likely to be a large variety of houses on the market at many prices. If specific location matters, buying a house is the better way to choose the ideal location than renting a house.

Lifestyle is another major consideration. Owners can modify a house to suit their needs. A popular modification is making a house habitable by someone with disabilities. A renter would not be able to modify a house and a landlord is unlikely to change a house to suit a tenant. If a house needs updating, with new energy-efficient appliances, homeowners will update kitchen and laundry appliance, or put in a new furnace. In many neighborhoods, homeowners are converting to solar power too. Most landlords don’t often buy new appliances for their tenants.

Animal lovers can have pets. Landlords always have to think about keeping a rental property suitable for the next tenant. That often means excluding pets from a house that’s a rental property.

Homeowners call repair personnel as soon as it’s warranted. Depending upon the terms of the lease, a renter might have to call a distant landlord before obtaining permission for a major repair. In parts of the country subjected to severe weather, this can be a tremendous disadvantage.

One of the major reason most people choose to own instead of renting houses is for the tax deduction. Mortgage interest is deductible, as are property taxes. Modifying a house to be more energy-efficient can be tax-deductible too, depending on the year’s tax codes. The tax advantages are in effect for Federal and state taxes. Deductible mortgage interest is usually the largest deduction off the Federal income tax that people take. Renting offers no tax advantages. Rent paid for a home is not deductible.

The other major financial advantage to home ownership is that owning builds equity. Once a home is paid off, living there is essentially free, aside from upkeep and taxes. Some states have special programs that reduce property taxes for retired people, making owning even more financially attractive. With renting a home, there’s no equity; rent must always be paid.

After comparing the two ways of financing a house, it’s obvious that buying a house is superior to renting a house.