Wednesday, May 2, 2007
5 Tips for Buyers in a Buyers Market
1. Ask for the seller to buy down a point on the loan. That might help lower the monthly payment and make the home more affordable.
2. Ask the seller to contribute to non reoccurring closing costs. Non reoccurring closing costs are things like title insurance, notary fees, escrow fees. This may give you the buyer more money to contribute to your down payment.
3. You like the house but think it would be better if it had an extra window in the back room. Instead of asking for a reduction in the price of the home. Ask for the seller to have one installed. The seller may have some ties to the community and could get it at a reduced price.
4. In some cases a seller may be able to finance your down payment. A good Realtor would be able to help negotiate seller financing in the contract. This could be a great tool if the seller has a lot of equity in the home. This allows them to get the home sold, and be able to reinvest some of their equity.
5. You like the house, its in a great area, but. Communicate your concerns, let your Realtor help find the solution. Especially if you think the home is over priced, offer what you and your Realtor feel is a good respectable price.
Happy House Hunting, there is some great deals to be had in Placer County.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Bored in Auburn Ca
Having moved to Auburn 4 years ago, I have never been bored. There is always something going or something to do.
On a typical Friday night we might go to Old Town Pizza, which is located in Auburn's Old Town. A great atmosphere with brick oven pizza, and even a few choice beers on tap. On some weekends catch an antique fair, black and white ball or a party in the park. Usually almost every weekend something is going on.
Don't want to do anything in town? A 90Min's drive will take you out to Reno Lake Tahoe Area, or on a trip to Sacramento which is 40Min's in the other direction.
The options are unlimited: river-rafting, gold panning, mountain bike riding, hiking, camping, boating, hunting, skiing, snowboarding, and on and on.
If your ever bored in this town something is wrong with you. So if your thinking of moving to Auburn and you like being active this is a place for you.
If you would like more information about Real Estate in Auburn email me.
Rich
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Mortgage Fraud on Craigslist
Here you are, a Buyer, looking around on Craigslist looking for a new home to purchase. Better yet you check the Real Estate Services Link to see how much you qualify for first. You notice some super low rates and off you are making that phone call for more info. But, have you thought to check to see if they are licensed?
Recently I was surfing around Craigslist in Sacramento and I decided to check the Department of Real Estate to check the status of some of these lenders, and you would be surprised by the number of Loan Brokers that are not licensed by the DRE.
What prompted me to look was a posting from another individual that has mission to report unlicensed activity.
What can you do? Here are some suggestions to help protect yourself.
1. Check and see if they are licensed. In California you can check there status with the Department of Real Estate.
2. Go to a reputable source, such as your bank or credit union. Referrals from well trusted friends and family.
3. Don t sign blank forms.
4. Don t sign forms that have untruthful information. Some examples include miss quoted income, or length of employment.
5. Hostel or not fully answering questions or even possibly feeling pressured.
Its terrible that certain people don t want to play by the rules, its real bad when there priorities do not include taking care of you.