Real Estate Networks

Online Real Estate Leads Web Site


  • Links

  • Archive for February, 2005

    Refinancing With Bad Credit

    Over half of Americans today are buried in some type of debt. Many are desperate and searching for help in regaining control of their finances. All the while, people are looking for ways to get their bills get paid. Refinancing with bad credit used to be thought of as impossible. However, it can now be done without all the consuming hassles.

    A bad credit refinance could potentially help your overall credit in a variety of ways:
    • Refinancing to deal with any default loans, will show that you are trying to take steps to better your situation and make it right. This shows lenders that you have the ability to spend your money wisely.
    • Refinancing means that you understand your financial difficulties and would like to put your money in other places, verses putting it towards interest payments.
    • Many lenders are happy to consolidate, leaving you to pay a single payment each month. This will help to eliminate penalties with late payments, miscalculated interest and keeping up with various statements.
    • Some people can refinance and actually end up with a lower interest rate. This can truly be a blessing when at the end of the year, you have saved a little extra cash.

    Once you understand how refinancing can help you with your debt, you then need to know what all is involved. The truth be told, you will be amazed at how easy it really is. However, you shouldn’t expect it to be completely free. Although bad credit refinancing can cost a little bit extra, if you can improve your credit score and get it under control, it will definitely be worth it. When applying for bad credit refinancing, here are a couple of things you should know.
    • Typically, when refinancing with bad credit, interest rates are higher. If you are considering consolidating, then it may be well worth it. Otherwise, you might want to make sure it won’t be higher than your current rates.
    • Often times, with bad credit refinancing, you will pay fees, along with penalties often associated with paying loans off early. Be sure to go over all of your options and before heading to the bank, go over all of your loans.
    • Whether you have bad credit or good credit, loan application fees are standard. In fact, make sure you know all the refinancingright.com/ costs of refinancing before going further. Then before applying to a lender, make sure you check into several different ones. Pick the one that best fits your needs. Online is a great way to explore your options.

    The bottom line is, until you try it, you will never know what you may be able to do. With all of the competition between the various lenders, more are willing to refinance people, even with bad credit. If you check out all of the possibilities, chances are you will find the perfect lender to assist you.

    Joshua Suffie is the expert behind the website Refinancing Right. For more information on refinancingright.com/ refinancing your mortgage have a look at our site. Mortgages are a cut throat industry. Make sure you don’t get ripped off by dishonest mortgage brokers. Get one up on them by knowing how to refinancingright.com/best_mortgage_broker.htm pick the best mortgage broker and get the best deal for you.

    Buying a Home in the Aftermath of the Sub-Prime Lending Shakeup - What You Need to Know

    By now, I’m sure that almost everyone has heard of the sub-prime lending shakeup. In case you haven’t heard, the sub-prime lending shakeup was the result of many lenders’ policy of making loans that were extremely aggressive and not necessarily good investments and that caused those loans to have a very high default rate, which has caused investors to stop purchasing the loans in the secondary market. Now, you may ask, what does this have to do with my purchasing a home. In many cases, sub-prime lending has not only to do with your FICO scores, but the structure of your loan and finances. So, while you may have good credit scores, your financial situation might not look as appealing to a lender if you’re using one hundred percent financing.

    In most cases, what this means is that if you’re planning on using 100% financing, you need to make sure that your income is sufficient in qualifying you to make your payments and that your FICO scores are truly exceptional. If you are unable to meet these requirements, you’ll need to plan on putting at least 5% of the purchase price as a down payment. Otherwise, your interest rates and low terms will not be favorable.

    Another effect of this shakeup has been that lenders are now constantly tightening their lending guidelines, and in many cases these changes are occurring daily. So while one day you may have a loan approval, on the next day it’s withdrawn because the guidelines have changed. Thus, when you are writing your contract to purchase a home, you need to be very conscious of how long your contingency periods are for your loan and appraisal. If you are involved in a transaction where your contingency period for your loan does not remain in effect until the loan funds, you should definitely have some concerns that you may lose your deposit. Another important factor in protecting yourself is making sure that you have a loan officer whom you fully trust to be completely frank about your abilities and limitations for financing.

    Notwithstanding all these cautionary notes, while the sub-prime lending shakeup will have an effect on the real estate market place, I do not believe that it will be as dire as the media is predicting. There will be no tsunami of foreclosures, no collapsing markets, and no bubbles bursting. Of course, there will be adjustments in the real estate market, but this is purely a natural phenomenon in the economy. Many reputable sources are predicting that the real estate market will not crash and that over the next year or two, homes will continue to slowly increase in value.

    In conclusion, while the sub-prime lending shakeup will affect your purchase of a home and the overall market, as long as you are aware of it and take the next necessary steps to protect yourself, the effects should not be dramatic.

    Visit: homesniffer.com San Diego Homes for Sale
    to find out more information about formulating a strategy that will get you the best price for a home with the safest terms.

    James Dedolph is a licensed REALTOR® serving the homesniffer.com San Diego Real Estate market who specializes in helping buyers obtain below market homes.

    Investors - Why Not Abandoned Real Estate?

    We drive by them everyday abandoned houses, commercial property, apartments all boarded up some fenced in. They’ve been there for so long it doesn’t register any more doesn’t trigger us into action. There is gold in those boarded up properties follow these 7 steps to make small changes in how you do business.

    1.A New Start – Tomorrow start with a new perspective know in you mind that you have missed a great deal of opportunities in abandoned properties that were in front you all the time. Drive slower, look at every property you go by with your new eyes. Drive a different way each day.

    2.Bird-dogs – Hire a bird dog; pay by the lead or by commission. Just get someone out on the street actively looking for vacant properties. They are out there ready for you to make an offer. Banks and dead-tired owners are waiting for you.

    3.Real Estate Agents – Don’t waste your time they have already had these properties listed and couldn’t sell them. These are the dogs that nobody wants anything to do with. No commissions for agents here.

    4.When You Find One – Now the real work starts. Sometimes it is easy to find the owner through the tax records, no problem. If that doesn’t work try the neighbors’ maybe they know something. What’s next how about hiring a skip tracer private investigator could be expensive $400 or $500 to make $25,000 you do the math. Abandon run-down properties are usually that way for a reason, nobody can contact the owner.

    5.Found The Owner – Find out what they know about the property. It may be Uncle Charlie’s house left to them in his will and they don’t want anything to do with it, an opportunity for a good deal. Again it could be the whole family knows about it and they have been waiting years to get their piece of the pie, maybe not such a good deal.

    6.Offer an Embarrassing Amount – Remember it’s abandoned nobody wants it. To get your point across use photos with your offer, maybe the City Building Dept has notices posted, danger signs. Use anything ugly, photos of other ugly properties near by or newspaper articles about the neighborhood.

    7.Closing the Deal – Use your real estate attorney to prepare the paperwork and close the transaction. Before money changes hands, do your due diligence, have it appraised, order Title report and insurance, a survey, research building code and health code violations.
    You should be ready to go.

    Bill Carey with over 30 years in real estate sales, investments, and home building offers a unique perspective to the buying and selling process of residential real estate for F*R*E*E consumer information and reports log on to CharlotteNCExecutiveHomes.com CharlotteNCExecutiveHomes.com and see
    “Insider Real Estate Secrets Revealed”
    …a must-read for Home-Owners and Renters!
    It’s a F*R*E*E 12-lesson e-course covering more than 20 topics exposing the realities behind buying and selling a home.
    It Could Make(or Save) You Thousands of Dollars

    See BillCareyRealtor.com BillCareyRealtor.com and sign up for our monthly e-newsletter with tips for buyers, sellers, home owners and soon to be home owners.

    (Your Comments are Welcome)

    Refinance Mortgage Loan: How to Qualify for the Best Mortgage Loan

    If you are in the process of refinancing your mortgage loan, you know that shopping around for the best loan can save you money. Shopping smartly will help you avoid costly mistakes that many homeowners make. Here are several tips to help you qualify for the best mortgage when refinancing and avoid paying too much.

    The number one mistake homeowners make when refinancing their mortgage loans is simply choosing the mortgage with the best interest rate. While interest rates are important, in fact the interest rate you qualify for largely determines your payment amount; there are more aspects you need to consider. These homeowners that choose their mortgage solely on the interest rate often overpay for everything else, including lender fees and closing costs.

    When you shop for a mortgage it is important to compare all aspects of the loan offers, not just the interest rate. Many financial advisors will tell you to use the Annual Percentage Rate or APR. While this is a good starting point for narrowing down the competition, it does not give you the total picture as to what you’ll be paying. To get this picture you need to request a copy of the “Good Faith Estimate” from each mortgage lender. Lenders are not required to give you this document until after you have applied for the loan; however, most will give it to you if you simply ask.

    The Good Faith Estimate is an itemized list of every expense from your application fee to closing costs and to whom your money is being paid. You will want to pay close attention to every line on this document and compare it to other lenders so you will have a sense of what fair fees, terms, and conditions are. You can learn more about refinancing your mortgage by registering for a free mortgage guidebook.

    To get your free mortgage guidebook visit RefiAdvisor.com using the link below.

    Louie Latour specializes in showing homeowners how to avoid common mortgage mistakes and predatory lenders. For a free copy of “

    Real Estate Investing: Types Of Leasing Agents

    It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to collate enough resources to start an establishment or invest in interesting business ventures. However, a key concern before venturing out in any field is to have an appropriate place to operate from. In the present scenario when land prices seem to be soaring drastically, leasing out land for all purposes seems an apt solution. Perfect environment, the right location and the requisite size coupled with minimum hassles is the tenant’s dream. However, these dreams are often shattered and requirements compromised owing to the increasing pains associated with finding the desired space. Scant market knowledge and the vast area to be studied before taking the final call ends up giving much more pain than ever thought of.

    Hiring Leasing Agents: All You Need to Know
    If you are running a business, than perhaps the key headache ought to be the various professional decisions and not the painstaking search of an appropriate land or plot for running the business. This issue is catered to by various leasing agents, who are endowed with ample market knowledge. Requisite educational background serves as a handy tool. So forget your real estate investment pains and devote the saved time on other important chores.

    There are various types of leasing agents who are well accustomed to the real estate industry practices, and due to constant dealing in the field, they have enough market knowledge to guide you to the best. Leasing agents based upon your budget and suitability can more skillfully locate the best location.

    These agents are divided primarily into two broad generic categories, with various sub divisions. The two categories are defined based upon the party these agents represent. They can be an owner’s representative in the deal who are looking for an apt tenant or could be a tenant’s representative looking out for the desired package. However, the agents specialize in any of the specified categories; a few tend to operate in both.

    Both these agents are in constant touch with each other and act as an important source of information for each other’s client. Another bifurcation is between agents providing land for business purposes or investment purposes (known as investment real estate) or for residential purposes (referred to as residential real estate agents). The payment terms are often worked out as a proportion of the total fee. Another mode of compensation is by paying a basic salary plus incentives, which are performance based.

    Their job entails all aspects starting from showing a property to the interested party to accommodating the tenants and handling their concerns. All paperwork and administrative concerns are also managed by these lease agents, who could either be self employed or associated with various firms acting as mediators.

    Leasing agents can be a simplified solution to the complex real estate investment decisions however before hiring one make sure to check their and the associated firm’s (if any) license to operate in the said category.

    Alexander Gordon is a writer for smallbusinessconsulting.com/ www.smallbusinessconsulting.com - The smallbusinessconsulting.com Small Business Consulting Community. Sign-up for the smallbusinessconsulting.com/public/department30.cfm free success steps newsletter and get our booklet valued at $24.95 for free as a special bonus. The newsletter provides daily strategies on starting and significantly growing a business.

    Business Owners all across the country are joining “The Community of Small Business Owners” to receive and provide strategies, insight, tips, support and more on starting, managing, growing, and selling their businesses. As a member, you will have access to true Millionaire Business Owners who will provide strategies and tips from their real-life experiences.

    How To Correctly Position Yourself In The Winners Circle Of Real Estate Investing

    Any time you do some marketing, there’s one main thing you have to achieve - to be there! Doesn’t make sense? Well, it means that when someone is ready to take action, yours is the first ad they see, or the first name that pops into their head when they think about going ahead. It’s the same in real estate investing. When someone is ready to sell their house, then you need to be the first person they think of. This is used all the time in the marketing world. After all, think about Coke and Pepsi - do you really think people still need to find out anything about their products? Or do they simply want to make sure they maintain ‘top of mind’ awareness in their potential customers?

    The good news is that if you’re careful with your marketing, you can maintain a good presence in the local marketplace without spending a fortune. Make sure your name is on the bench at the bus stop every time they drive past. Put your ad in the program for local football or basketball games so they see it when they open up the program. Make sure they hear your radio ad when they’re driving home from work. Don’t be restricted to the obvious advertising mediums like television or radio, get creative and make sure your name’s on anything you can find. Pens at the grocery store, a business card they pick up at the newsagent, and so on. Every time your name or logo gets in front of a prospect, it’s an investment in your future.

    Unfortunately real estate investing has harbored more than a few shady characters over the years, which is why anyone who’s considering talking to a real estate investor is going to want to feel sure they’re legit. If you’re well known in the community and familiar to many people, then they’re less likely to think you’ll give them a dud check or somehow avoid paying them. They’ll feel confident that you’ll do what’s right and look after them. All you need to do is make sure they know how you are and help build that sense of trust, so that you’re there when they’re ready to sell.

    What about a magnet on your car? Having polo shirts made up with your name and logo on them? Think of anything you can do to help make yourself look more credible, legit and businesslike. It can take some time and effort to break into real estate investing, but if you’re persistent and clever with your marketing, you’ll find it much easier to make a bundle of money.

    For more

    The Value of Building Home Equity

    There are numerous advantages to owning a home. One of the serious advantages is the equity that is built over time. As equity builds, you create a pool of money to access in trying times.

    Home Equity

    Equity is simply the value of a property after all debts have been deducted. If your home appraises at $500,000 with a home loan of $250,000, you have $250,000 in equity. Whether you realize it or not, this equity can get you through hard times or provide you with a funding resource. Let’s look at some examples.

    Emergency

    If you get through life without any family or financial emergencies, you are one lucky person. Unfortunately, most people aren’t so lucky. Home equity can provide a financial cushion when life gets hard. You can use it to pay medical bills, legal fees and any other expenses that arise from your particular problem. You will be extremely thankful you purchased a home if you ever run into this situation.

    Education

    If you’ve ever watched “The Simpsons,” you may have seen the episode where Bart and Homer go camping. Bart tells Homer a scary story, but you only see the end of it and Homer screaming in terror. The words Bart whispers are, “…and that’s how much it will cost to send Maggie [baby] to college.” It is a very funny scene until you, a parent, actually investigate the cost of college tuition. Trust me, nightmares will soon follow.

    Home equity can put an end to college tuition nightmares. You can borrow against the equity to pay college expenses. As with an emergency situation, home ownership will give you the ability to pay the bills.

    Making the decision to buy a home can be stressful and frightening. As time passes, you will be incredibly happy you made the leap.

    Raynor James is with fsboamerica.org fsboamerica.org - providing FSBO homes for sale by owner. Visit our “sell my home” page at fsboamerica.org/seller.cfm fsboamerica.org/seller.cfm to list and sell your home for free for one month. Visit fsboamerica.org/buyer.cfm fsboamerica.org/buyer.cfm to see homes for sale by owner.

    Aussies Build Wealth Through Real Estate

    Buying and selling real estate is a favourite past time of many Australians. Statistics indicate that 2 in 3 Australians will at some stage in their lives be property owners.
    Becoming a property owner in the aftermath of the recent property boom is not a simple task. Despite this, property millionaires are coming out of the woodwork talking about financial independence through real-estate. Regular mums and dads on average salaries have come forth with multi-million property portfolios, owning not just one or two but a dozen or more properties.

    The truth is that you do not need to be a financial wiz to be successful with real-estate. It does however help to know the basic concepts.

    Home Sweet Home

    The concept of your own home is rarely associated with investment. Your home is a roof over the head of your family. It is a place to get away from it all, to feel safe and secure. Most of us choose a home for comfort, looks, design but rarely for capital appreciation. In Australia, approximately one in three homes are rented. So why do some people buy several properties while others buy none. The reasons are rarely to do with income and financial opportunity but are more to do with understanding how property investment works.

    Australians who understand that a home is more than a place to live, buy in areas where they expect to achieve better capital appreciation over time. They then use the accumulated growth in the value of their property (equity) as security for further real estate investment.

    Available Equity

    Equity is the difference between what your home is worth and the amount of your mortgage. If your home is worth $400,000 and you have an outstanding mortgage of $ 250,000, then your home equity is $150,000.

    Most people who have been in their home for a number of years would have accumulated a reasonable amount of equity either due to the growth in the property market or through the repayment of their mortgage.

    Your available home equity is your available investment capital. Many successful investors started off by using the equity in their own home for deposits on future real estate acquisition. Your equity can be accessed through a line of credit or a home equity loan. Depending on the amount of available equity you may be able to purchase more than one property or even top up mortgage repayments from available equity.

    How Does Gearing Work?

    One of the strongest arguments in favour of real estate investment is gearing. Lenders will make more funds available for investment in property than in any other type of investment including shares – that is surely an indication as to their assessment of risk associated with that type of investment.

    You will find that some lenders will be prepared to lend 110% of the value of your investment property providing you have a clean credit history and a stable strong income.

    Gearing allows property investors to multiply their returns. If you have $50,000 to invest in say the stock market, you may be able to borrow $100,000 from the bank and therefore invest a total of $150,000.
    For the same $50,000 – in property you may be able to borrow $500,000 (on 90% lend or 95% including purchase costs). Therefore your property investment would amount to $525,000 - $550,000.

    Assuming both the real estate market and the stock market will grow at approximately 10% p.a. – you will accumulate $15,000 at the end of your first year with shares and over $50,000 from real estate. This difference becomes more substantial over a 10 year period assuming the same growth in both markets.

    Getting a Great Finance Deal

    As your financial position improves and your investment portfolio increases you will find many lenders vying for your business and you should be able to benefit from great mortgage deals not available to the general market. Lenders also offer professional package discounts and other deals where the borrower may receive a significant discount on the going variable rate.

    Tax Effect of Property Investment

    You will find that many of the costs you incur in acquiring and maintaining you property investment will be tax deductible. This therefore will significantly reduce the overall income required to maintain an investment property. For example the costs of your property manager, the council rates, insurance premiums, body corporate and even the interest on your investment property mortgage can qualify for a tax deduction. If your overall holding costs are greater than the rental income from your property you are able to Negatively Gear these costs against your other income – therein lies the main tax advantage of property investment.

    Leverage Your Risk

    While the financial rewards of property investment are many, as with all investments an element of risk is present. Property prices can fall and if you are highly leveraged you may find that the amount of your mortgage is in excess to the current market value of your property. This is were being prudent in the choice of property, choice of mortgage and overall investment/borrowing decisions is important.

    If you would like to read the latest news on the Australian property and Mortgage Market – please visit

    webdeal.com.au www.webdeal.com.au

    honeyloans.com.au www.honeyloans.com.au

    Maya Pavlovski holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from Melbourne University and is a qualified CPA.

    Mortgage Refinancing - Facts And Guidelines

    If you take a loan without examining all the available options and offers from different lending institutions, the new loan might cost you much more than you expected. Therefore, in order to save thousand of dollars, go through the following tips and guidelines carefully.

    A significant decrement of interest rates in the early 21st century was one of the major factors that led to a growing number of refinancing applications. This boom in the number of borrowers who are interested in refinancing their existing mortgage loan still continues.

    Following are the reasons why most of the borrowers have started to consider this option seriously.

    • Savings that new loan could bring you could be significant. In case the current interest rates are lower than the rate on the existing loan, the savings brought to you by the new loan could be very significant.

    • Besides, savings that the new loan could bring you prove to be significant also when your adjustable rate mortgage is set to adjust upwards soon.

    • By applying for the refinancing process, some fresh cash can be obtained from equity build in home and this can be then used for all the major expenses like children education, renovation of the house, etc.

    To conclude, there are a number of reasons for cash-out refinancing. However, before signing a new mortgage contracts, it is advisable to carefully examine the pros and cons of mortgage refinancing.

    In order to make accurate calculations and for arriving at the right decision, you are required to compare you have to compare the savings that new term will produce with the entire loan related fees and possible prepayment penalty on your current mortgage.

    That is, you should have a fair idea of the amount of money that will remain in your pocket after cash-out refinancing and the amount that you will have to pay as fees or as a prepayment penalty.

    Homestaging Your Home to Sell Faster and for More Money

    Homestaging is the latest trend in marketing and selling your home. Most savvy and experienced real estate agents will be familiar with homestaging- sometimes called “fluffing”. It can be as simple as your qualified real estate agent coming in and advising you to remove clutter, change a too bright paint color or remove out-of-date- wall paper. It can also be as involved as hiring a professional accredited Home Staging professional who will help your home give the best first impression on potential home buyers while not breaking. Typically it will mean re-painting your home in more neutral and more sell-able colors. Removing or replacing art work, family pictures and personal objects. Buyers like to see a “clean” palette and picture their own items- and home staging makes it easier.

    Tidy Every Room in the House

    Check counters, floors, closets, halls and stairs. Make beds; straighten or remove newspapers, magazines, mail, toys, clothing, recreation gear, drinking glasses and dishes.

    Lighting

    Lots of light will show off your home- turn on all the lights, even in daytime.
    Open all the blinds- will show views, make rooms look larger and add sunlight to the rooms.

    Kitchen and Bathroom

    Make sure bathroom and kitchen gleam! In the kitchen have counters as clear as possible, put away crockpot, toaster oven and blender. Clear and wipe down all counters and appliances. Have dishwasher emptied. Scrub out the sink - scrub faucet and edges with toothbrush and soak bleach in sink - you will be shocked how much better your kitchen will look will look!
    Flowers are a nice touch- use fragrant flowers such as roses, freesia or lilies.

    Straighten washcloths and towels; replace with fresh, decorative ones if possible. Clean the sink and wipe down counters. Use clean smelling room freshener- avoid anything to sweet or cloying.

    Get Rid of Clutter

    I can’t emphasize this is enough- DECLUTTER. Get rid of stacks of magazines on coffee table, the pile of kid’s crafts on the microwave and bowl of change on the front hall table. You may have to go to extremes and pack up the bulk of your belonging and consider putting then in storage if space as an issue. You do not want to give the slightest hint that you home is too small, cramped or over stuffed!

    Think of it as buyers mentally moving their own things into a home. If a home has too much or too little in it, it is hard for most buyers to visualize how their own belongings things will look in your home. There are many do-it-yourself web sites that specialize in way to help you get your home ready for sale. Of course, when selling your home- you want to keep your costs as low as possible and see a return on your home staging investment. Your real estate agent can help! They know what sells and what doesn’t. Good Luck selling your home!

    LJ Stewart worked in interior design business for several years and now works as freelance business writer and consultant to small businesses.
    For more information on homestaging and tips for selling your home please visit leajensen.com/ LeaJensen.com - leajensen.com/ Mississauga MLS Listings and top selling Mississauga and Oakville Real Estate Agent