Posts Tagged ‘Easton’

  • 3 programs to help you buy a house if you can’t get a mortgage.

    Sold Home For Sale Sign in Front of New House
    I think that there are still challenges in today’s real estate market in either buying or selling a house. Suffice it to say that there are  a lot of folks who owe more than what their home is worth (“underwater”).  There are enough people who have credit problems because of the recession that started in 2007.  Lots of recent  college graduates are strapped with student debt and no jobs and living at home. The economic “recovery” has begun but it is taking forever. And certainly the banks and mortgage companies have not eased up that much on underwriting criteria for buyers. An average credit score to get a conventional mortgage is still almost in the mid 700s. FHA  and VA  are still options but I think we  need to do a better job in spreading the word on those programs and how they work. Plus there are concerns regarding FHA continuous funding. FHA mortgage insurance premium is the highest of any program and never goes away until you finally sell.

    I would speculate that with the uncertainty of the economy, that customers are just reluctant to take the risk in owning.

    I’ll offer a few alternatives that you might consider in getting  into the housing market. I mean you have to live somewhere. Might as well be a place of your own. Here are three for your consideration.

    1. Rent with an option to buy. Probably the most well-known and popular. However it can be the most misunderstood program. An “option” is exactly that. You enter into a  lease to rent a home and you agree with the owner that at some point in time you will, or will not, exercise the option to buy the house at an agreed upon price. You may or may not have put up any money toward that option at the lease signing. You and the landlord may have decided that a portion of the rent goes toward the purchase price or the option. Just remember if you don’t exercise the option, you just remain a tenant and have no ownership rights. Whether you get any money back is determined  by the terms of the option agreement.

    2. Lease purchase , land contract or installment contract.  Buyer and Seller enter into an agreement of sale for the purchase of property. The sellers maintain the title to the property during the term of the contract and the buyers have an equitable interest.  A note of caution here to both parties. If the seller has an existing mortgage on the property there may be and probably is a “Due on Sale ” clause in the mortgage documents. This will indicate that if any transfer of equity occurs then the entire loan will become due in full immediately. Depending on the size  of the existing loan, this could cause some major problems for both buyer and seller. Any real estate agent worth their salt will check all recorded documents before proceeding with a proposal. A good real estate attorney needs to be involved for each party. If there is no mortgage , then the owner can act as the bank and transfer title to the buyer . Depending on any down money and credit obligations the equity build up is subject to negotiations at the time of the offer. Again I would recommend a good real estate attorney get involved with any preparation for both buyer and seller.
    One nice benefit of this type of transaction is that the buyers can get the tax benefits of home ownership.

    3. New program. Just heard about this one. A company buys the home for you and the client enters into an agreement of sale to purchase the property within a certain period of time, i.e 5 years. You put up a down payment of 5 or 10% and pay a 3% admin fee to the company at the time of occupancy. You get the house and its yours to live in as a renter at an agreed upon monthly rent and purchase price. The big difference between this and the rent with option is if you do not get a mortgage by the end of the term you get your down payment back. They keep the 3%. You also agree to a 2-3 % annual rent increase during the term. Again this program is for people who have not been able to qualify for a normal mortgage because of unusual catastrophic circumstances.  Lost a job, unusually high medical bills, and then lost a home through foreclosure or just had some hard times and are trying to work yourself back.  That’s why you agree to a 5+ term. And of course if you can a mortgage sooner, there is no prepayment penalty. There are some additional features. Give me a call and we can discuss some additional details.

    A  few “options” to think about. Just leave me a comment. Contact me via Facebook, Linkedin or Twitter or the old fashion ways of email, salvatoreruta13@gmail.com or cell phone 6107372310

     

  • And the question is?

    MP900390083[1]
    Haven’t played Jeopardy in a while or watched it on TV. But I always thought that the premise was a good one. Give someone the answer and see if they can come up with the right question.  It occurred to me that I am usually walking around with what I think are  all the right answers to all kinds of questions. I guess  I might now recognize that I am somewhat pretentious in my conclusion.  I guess I need your help. How about I give you some answers and you give me what you think are the right questions. Hopefully, I can learn something with you and become a better agent.

    You know, years ago when I first got into the Real Estate business, I had a Broker who told me “Sam, you don’t sell real estate, you solve people’s problems”. That’s stuck with me and I think I have done a pretty good job in asking the right questions to solve those problems. But I think its time to get the customer’s take on this and get you to ask some questions. Anyway, lets see where we go with this and work together. I’ll give you the answer. You let me know what the questions should be. I’ll look at your questions and post them later to get some other folks to chime in if they think you are right wron.  Let me give you an example. 3.5% down payment  is the answer. The question might be,” What is an FHA mortgage ? ” Okay, lets give it a try.

    1.  Seller Assist is the answer. What is the question? This is the format which I won’t repeat every time. You’ll get the drift.
    2. No down payment required
    3. 28%/36%
    4. Buyer’s Agent
    5. Seller’s Agent
    6. Multiple Listing Service
    7. Escrow
    8. Radon Gas
    9. Short Sale
    10. Transunion, Experian, Equifax
    11. Title Insurance
    12.Prepaid Items
    13. 2 years worth of tax returns
    14. A real estate agent
    15. Purchase offer

    Okay, that’s enough for now. Give it a shot. Either comment below with your questions or email me if you like. The more I think about it there can be several different questions for the answers. In addition here is  a podcast that will explain how one might go about purchasing a multi family home where you can  live in and collect rent to help pay for your mortgage. If you would like to pursue that let me know. It can be challenging , but it can  be the start of a pretty good investment portfolio.

    Contact me at 610-737-2310 or email me at salvatoreruta13@gmail.com. Appreciate it.

  • Spring Market brings confidence, I think.

    Business Handshake

     

    I’m not one who just takes recent economic news as gospel. But having said that, it does look like we are moving forward with a better housing market. Just take a look at this recent post by Don DeZube of the National Association of Realtors.  Spring Market. You have to admit its pretty positive.  The increases are slight but are running ahead of  last year. The office that I manage is up about 6% over last year. That includes all categories: average sale price, less time on the market, list price of homes, total volume sold and total listing volume.

    If there is one problem, it’s that we do not have enough good salable properties on the market. The buyer demand is there and we find ourselves in multiple offer situations. The sellers are happy but the buyers are not. One  cause for the shortage certainly can be attributed in part to  thousands of properties still”underwater”, that is, the owners owe more than the house is worth. Banks are slow in approving possible short sales. Also the Feds have not extended the “debt forgiveness ” provision that allowed sellers to escape the tax consequences of such a sale. There is also some implication  that lenders are holding back millions of stalled foreclosures from the market in the hope that  rising prices will allow the lenders to recoup a larger return of dollars at the “Sheriff Sale”. Who knows…Plus under the new QM rules (Qualified Mortgage), underwriting guidelines are making it  much harder for the average home purchaser to qualify for a mortgage.

    Man Scratching Head

     

    Lenders are trying to address the above issues by loosing up certain underwriting criteria. Credit scores of 620 and in some cases 550 will get you into a home.  The fact that mortgage applications for all types of  loans are off in some cases 60% from last year might be one reason that lenders are looking for business with less than a truant officer’s mentality. If they don’t lend it, they are not going to make it. Not rocket science.

    Here is an explanation to help you better understand the “QM” rules.

    One last thing that I have mentioned  several times. If you are in financial trouble, wondering about whether you can stay in your home because you are behind in your mortgage, are considering bankruptcy or in a reverse mortgage and you have any questions, please give me a call. Don’t do anything drastic until you have a chance to talk to a  professional. I can recommend several that can help. Call me at 6107372310. No obligation.

     

  • So what’s the deal with the Stock Market? Gimme the House instead.

    Businessman Bouncing Over Stock Chart

     

    I don’t have a clue.  Used to be  able to gauge the housing market by what’s going on in the Stock Market.
    I gave up on that comparison a long time ago. To me it makes absolutely no sense. How can a barometer of the economy change so fast. I mean really, up 200 points one day, down 225 the next. I saw a pundit on a business show the other day that said traders are now using computer programs that make changes in a nano second. How is that possible? They buy, sell  and set the tone for the market before you or I even have a chance to act before our first cup of coffee. Crazy….  There is a thing called “Penny Stocks”. Companies that are looking for money and issue stocks that are worth literally  less than a penny a share. Okay……  I’ll buy a hundred shares for a dollar? Still sounds like a night at the Casinos to me. Kinda like playing the penny slot machines. Maybe I’ll hit it big and get a 1000% return.

    Wall street might be a dead-end for the average family.  But then there is the housing market. The great banking debacle of  2007 seems like a generation ago. Mention to a millennial that their grandparents actually had double-digit interest rates when they bought their first house, they look at you like  you have two heads. But it’s 2014 and there is a zero point 30 year fixed rate at 4.875%.  Pretty good.  The values of homes are rising again and home owners are looking at  increased equity. Buyers are coming out of hibernation but are still a little unsure of how to go about that purchase. One thing that is  a must, is that both buyers and sellers have to be reasonable in negotiating.
    Credit is still a concern but there are programs to address the buyer with as little as 580 credit score. How can that be? I have always said that there are only a few ways that banks can make money. The  main way is to lend it. The refinance boom is over for lenders. That means they have to go after purchasers of homes who need mortgages. Now is a great time to be a buyer and negotiate with a lender for a great rate.  For a really concise explanation of the current market and what you might need for a down payment and minimum credit scores  for  potential buyers, listen to this podcast.

    There is no getting away  from the financial trauma we all experienced over the last several years, but the housing market is coming back and there is no better investment for the average family. The volatility of the stock market is something that a lot of us just don’t want to risk, at least not right now. There’s something about an”Inverted Yield Curve” that leaves me wondering what it all means. Call me for housing info at 6107372310. Or email me at my new email address salvatoreruta13@gmail.com

  • Touchy, Feely

    touchy feely

     

    Internet, smart phone,voice mail, email,Facebook. What do they all have in common?  Heck this one is easy.  They all allow so-called communication between two or more people without any overt face to face interaction. No, you can’t count Skype.You know you all have heard or seen the story, or perhaps you actually participated in the event, where two or more people are at some location, function, or event, where  or at least the majority of people are transfixed on their cell phones and everyone  is texting, emailing or Facebooking  to someone else and are not even looking or speaking at the person next to them. By the way is Facebooking really a verb?

    I’ll probably be accused of paranoia or at a minimum some  old senior member of the real estate community who just doesn’t quite get it. They will say this is not the wave of the future but it is the present. It’s reality, and get on board. Well I think, notwithstanding my age,  I get around pretty good in the Digital Age.  I am Linked In, Facebooked, Pinned, Twittered and am blogging away. But I know from my long life in the Real Estate profession, that after searching online for their dream house, buyers want to talk to somebody for advice, they want to go out and look at the house, drive by the neighborhood, go inside, look at the carpeting, paint and room sizes. They want to smell the air inside to see if there were smokers in the house, if it smells like, cat, dog or a beauty salon. A Buyer is not going to get the “feel” for those things  just looking online.  And most importantly, they want to be with a professional who can provide decent council about the house. Here are some additional tips on preparing yourself before you buy. Tips

    If you are a seller , can you really be objective about the house where your kids were born, or where you grew up? Maybe  you really liked all of that Flock wallpaper when you lived there. Or those metal kitchen cabinets that you painted 3 times different colors over the last 20 years. And 1 and half baths were just fine for your family of 5 and you never had any problems with the 20 year stove, refrigerator or the dark walnut paneling in the family room or finished basement. You get the drift. If you are honest with your self, if you are a seller, here are some examples  of  things you can do to get your house ready. Click here.

    I guess what I am saying that if you want to sell or buy a home and you think you can do it by yourself using only digital and social media marketing;  then maybe you might want to rethink  your purchasing and selling strategy. Go with an agent and touch the house, feel it, see it and ask a million questions. If your selling home sweet home, look that agent straight in the eye and make him  give you  no baloney answers on what you need to do to get it sold. You might have to spend a few dollars, but it might save you some eye strain staring at those digital devices.  And you might make a connection with someone who will become a trusted adviser.

  • The old mortgage is back and so are the real buyers.

    House and Keys in Female Hands

     

    Did you know that you need to have good credit to apply for a mortgage? Did you know that you have to have a job to get a mortgage? Did you know that you have to have a down payment to get a mortgage? Surprised??? Well you might be if you are one of those folks who witnessed and participated in  the debacle that occurred in 2007-2008.

    Yes, it was  loose lending. It seemed like anyone could get financing if they needed it. I won’t go into actual cases right now. I’ll save that for another blog or a beer at a local gin mill. Suffice it to say, it was nuts. There were companies that were even giving home equity loans in addition to first mortgages at a closing with a credit card to top off the craziness.

    Well now we have Dodd-Frank which are new rules and regulationss passed by Congress and signed by the President to govern how lenders must apply stricter standards for getting new mortgages by a consumer. Dodd-Frank also established the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, to make sure that the financial mess doesn’t occur again. It  provides an avenue for a consumer to file a complaint against a lender if they feel they are being cheated or question how the process is being utilized as they attempt to get a loan of any kind. You can visit them at their web site at  http://www.consumerfinance.gov/The goal is admirable but they have no oversight. They are basically an independent organization working through the Federal Reserve, which has no Congressional oversight.  A problem I think which needs to change in a hurry. They have to be responsible to somebody!

    So what can you expect if you need a mortgage.
    1. A down payment. As little as 3 1/2 % down with an FHA mortgage.  A credit score minimum of 620, depending on the lender. Conventional loan, 5%  down with a minimum credit care in the 700+ area, again depending on the lender.

    2. You need to prove your income. W2’s are fine but if you are self employed and are dealing with a lot of cash and you have large write offs, you are going to have to submit copies of your most current income tax filings.  I can’t help you if you are showing  very little income or substantial losses.  The lenders are not going to buy it.

    3. All funds have to be tracked even if they are gifted funds. So if uncle Louie is going to give you the money, the lenders are going to want proof that he didn’t borrow it from somebody. You need to get into your account at least 3 months before you need to verify it with a lender. If you are a veteran you can borrow everything including all of the down payment. And by the way thanks for your service. Love you folks.

    4. Debt load. The old 28% of your gross monthly income towards principle, interest, insurance and taxes is probably a safe benchmark to determine a monthly maximum payment. You can safely add another  8% of your income to other debt and figure you can still qualify. In some cases lenders will allow you to go as high as 41% on the back end to qualify. I see this mostly in Government loans. But be conservative.  You have to make the payment. Talk to me and I’ll give you a range of loans that you can afford based on the type and down payment.

    Really what has occurred is that we have returned to a normal mortgage lending situation.  A consumer really has to be able to afford  the loan.  And other than veterans, one really has to have some”skin in the game”that is, a down payment. No more interest only loans, no negative amortization loans, where you are interest short on the payment. No more no documentation loans where all you had to do is tell the loan officer how much you earned without proving written verification.  In other words, the truth is back and they are checking to make sure of it. If you need some help in navigating some of these new old rules for getting a loan before you start your home shopping , then give me a call at 6107372310. I’ll be glad to help you. If you are in the market for a home and you meet an agent that does not ask you pre qualifying financial questions and tries to pass you off to a mortgage lender quickly, I would doubt that the agent has the knowledge or the desire to really engage you and provide you with sound financial advice.  Keep searching.

  • 5 different ways to engage using Social Media and stay connected.

    I am getting more geekitized the older I get. I really have become fascinated with all aspects of Social Media and the profound ramifications that it has on the practice of my business, which is selling houses and helping buyers find their dream homes. I don’t feel like I am a johnny come lately to this era but it has been a learning experience. Here are some ways that I promise I’ll stay connected with you and get results.

    1. Facebook. This blog is linked to my Facebook page and will also provide us with an opportunity for a 2 way communication. I’ll try to keep the blog real estate related but I have to say I can slip out of that on occasion . I love the Military and the men and women who serve and have served. You will pick up my bias.

    2. Linked In. Purported to be more of a business venue, I am glad to participate, and though the professions are diverse , they all need advice on real estate. Be glad to give you mine.

    3. Twitter. 140 characters to get your point across makes a lot of sense in initiating a conversation. I have to get better at this to get my point across quickly. It will be a tease but then I hope you will contact me for an in depth analysis.

    4. Pinterest. I am new to this site but I like the chance to “Pin” and also to provide pictures and video to get a real sense of visual reality of one’s opinion.

    5. Google Plus. The big bad boy of internet everything. How can you not be aware of Google and ignore its power.
    The fact of the matter it really has a way to go to match Facebook as far as popularity, but can’t be ignored.

    There are a plethora of other contact venues but I’ll start with the above to get you to discuss what’s on your mind. I’m pretty easy. And of course I am open and eager to interact with you on any platform that you might think beneficial. In fact, please give me your recommendations. Look forward to hearing from you.

    Sam

  • You have got to be kidding! I can still buy or sell????

    There is nothing I like to do in this world than to be with my grandkids and mess around. I  also love my job in helping and advising folks on the purchase or sale of their home. I have been doing it for over 35 years.  There is something about watching the excitement in the eyes of the first time home buyer or the satisfaction from a senior citizen (me by the way) when he or she is able to move on, supplement their nest egg and enjoy a nice retirement.

    Well, I don’t plan on retiring anytime soon. I like working. Besides, I am not a big hobby guy. I am sure my wife Gloria would get tired of me real fast following her around like some puppy dog while she does her thing with her girlfriends. Forget it.

    I gladly prognosticate on the future of the real estate market. What are you waiting for?  If you are a buyer, rates are still low. Under 5%. Prices are still reasonable.  But they are starting to creep up. Mortgage lenders are aggressively going after FHA and 5% down buyers. Foreclosures are down and a lot of folks are pulling out of their underwater status. And they have to sell.

    Now all this doesn’t mean we will have the free for all that we had in  the early 2000’s when you didn’t even need a job to get a loan. Thank goodness those days are over. But don’t let those that have a home and are not in my business given you a bunch of baloney that you need an 800 credit score to get a loan. Did you know that you get a new FHA home loan if you filed for Bankruptcy and have been discharged for at least 2 years, and of course if you have been paying your bills on time since then.

    Did you know that as a Veteran, you don’t even need a down payment and you can have the owner of the home pay for all of your closing costs. There are also 100% loans available through the USDA , that would be the United States Department of Agriculture.  They are loans that are available for single family homes in designated rural areas.

    This is for real. Give me a call at 6107372310 or email me at samruta@yahoo.com to discuss some real possibilities. I’m not kidding.

  • Coming out of a coma…

     

    I don’t know, I just kind of gave up last fall. When someone told me it was hard to keep a blog up and have a fresh ideas day after day, I knew it was hard but I didn’t think I would go into brain freeze almost permanently. Well I did. I thought to myself I have to become more aggressive  and try to get some reaction from folks who read this stuff. Well that didn’t happen and I thought I might as well get on to bigger and better things.  I really don’t know what that means either.

    In the final analysis I guess I had to ask myself the question; was I doing  a blog for you or for me. For me, because at one time I thought I actually enjoyed writing . For you because I hope I could drum up some business while giving you some helpful information.

    At this point I’ll just try to write about some things I am passionate about, which is cathartic for me. Maybe you will join in and let me know how you feel, but if you don’t that’s okay too. Because now I don’t feel the pressure to perform for anybody else but me.

    So here goes….. Since I last wrote we have had the reelection of the President, the murder of 26 folks, 20 of whom were kids, a Pope resigned, avoided a Fiscal Cliff, did not avoid a Sequester,  watched the rebound of the housing market begin, (which by the way I still don’t trust), QE infinity courtesy of the Fed and saw the Unemployment rate drop to 7.9%

    Maybe its the Jesuit training in me but its smoke and mirrors to me. How the heck can we have an almost $17 trillion dollar deficit and growing each day, printing money like its drug to an addict and 1-2% Interest rates set for the next several years, and listen to all of those folks in Washington saying things are getting better. Who is going to pay for all of this insanity? You and me folks and our kids and grandchildren. That’s because the boys and girls in DC can’t get along. The cost of servicing that debt will eventually eclipse the total GDP of the entire country.

    One thing is for sure. Regardless of your feeling of the housing market, the freaking mortgage rates are at an all time low. A $100,000 mortgage at 3.5% not including taxes and bank fees will cost  $449 a month. Try renting for that kind of monthly payment.

    Foreclosures are down, that’s good. Short sales are up, that stinks. No matter what the banks tell you, they still take months   and I have had more than one buying client walk away. Because foreclosures are down and short sales take a while, we have a decrease in available housing. So Buyers beware, the sellers that are not underwater are going to start raising their prices. It’s already happening. And if Uncle Ben ever stops buying bonds and mortgages,  rates will go through the roof.

    Anyway, I feel better, that was a good start. It’s like when I talk to myself in the shower. It’s probably the most creative time for me.
    I just need someone to  turn up the temperature of the water.

  • Bringing the Generations Together

     

    Bringing the Generations Together

    By Salvatore(Sam) Ruta
    Choice Properties

    Although your home may have been housing a traditional family of a mom, dad and two kids, savvy real estate agents will tell you that in order to attract more buyers, staging your house as one fit for multi-generations is the way to go.
    More parents and grandparents are finding a need to move in with family, as many can no longer afford the increasing rates of the adult communities where they once lived. Furthermore, the economic climate is forcing many kids to return home once their schooling is done.
    A recent multi-generational study conducted by the Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C., revealed that multigenerational living has been on the rise over the past decade, fueled by demographic and cultural shifts.
    “One of the things that struck me about this change is that it’s coming from all directions,” said Paul Taylor, author of the report. “More young adults are moving back home, more elderly are moving in with their middle-age children and more middle-aged children are moving back with their elderly parents.”
    Data from the study shows that in the 10-year span between 2000 and 2009, the number of households practicing multi-generational living increased to 33 percent, with more than 49 million Americans currently living in homes with three or more generations.
    Real estate professionals are tending to highlight features such as finished walkout basements and bonus bedrooms today more than ever. That’s why when your agent tells you that switching out your office or transposing the basement play area to one that resembles more of a bedroom is the way to go, you should be listening.
    When selling your home, you need to look at the process from the perspective of all buyers, not just yours. Consider how a multi generational family might use the various spaces available, and give prospective homebuyers options to easily transform from single-family to multi generational living.
    Therefore, any home that contains bonus space is a viable candidate for a multi generational buyer who’s planning to bring an ill or out-of-work family member back into the fold.
    Experts agree that intergenerational living is easier when each family subunit has its own space. “Everyone who is going to share the home should have a private area of their own,” said Amy Goyer, a multigenerational expert at AARP. “It is best if there is more than one common area so that children and adults have spaces to relax in without everyone having to spend all their free time in the same room together.”
    Multigenerational house design can be applied to just one structure or can be accomplished with two or three units to keep families together while preserving their independence and privacy.
    According to Cam Marston, author and founder of the research firm Generational Insight, there are a number of benefits for different generations of a family living together. “It’s less expensive, obviously, but more importantly, they can learn from one another,” Marston said. “Separating generations keeps them aloof from the trends and important things impacting each generation. When they are all under one roof, they can grow up sooner and stay young longer. It works on both ends of the generations.”
    Another thing for home sellers to consider when it comes to attracting multigenerational buyers is the home’s accessibility for people who might be living with aging parents who use wheel chairs or walkers.
    Creating a complete, accessible living space on one level with safety features can make a home attractive to people of all ages.