The Brainerd Lakes Real Estate Blog

Helping make real estate dreams come true Tim Harris- Harris Real Estate University Good News: Fewer Americans are falling behind on their mortgage payments; in fact, the fewest in two years. Mortgages just one payment past due (30 days) fell to their lowest level since just before the recession began. Is it delays in paperwork from the so called “robo-signing” (faulty paperwork) foreclosure servicing scandal? No. It’s actual fundamentals in the economy and the mortgage market. Go figure. Bad News: The biggest issue going forward is not new delinquencies, but the huge pipeline of loans already in the foreclosure process. It stands at 4.63 percent, tying the survey’s record high. This is due to foreclosure paperwork issues that have stalled the process, especially in the key state of Florida, where nearly one quarter of all mortgages are either delinquent or in foreclosure. “With fewer loans exiting the foreclosure process through sales, the foreclosure inventory rate natural...

I Got You Out of Owing $100,000 — Say Thank You! Helping make real estate dreams come true Have you received a Notice of Default on your property? What are your plans? Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps you save face? You need a plan of action and if you want to buy some time, stay in the home until it sells and save up some money - then contact: Kathleen Lordbock REALTOR/Staging & Short Sale Specialist Keller Williams Realty Brainerd Lakes Don't just walk away - there is hope, there is help!

HUD Short Sale Only Allows Certain Fees Helping make real estate dreams come true Have you received a Notice of Default on your property? What are your plans? Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps you make a graceful exit? You need a plan of action and if you want to buy some time, stay in the home until it sells and save up some money - then contact: Kathleen Lordbock REALTOR/Staging & Short Sale Specialist Keller Williams Realty Brainerd Lakes Don't just walk away - there is hope, there is help!

The Reality Behind Listing and Managing Short Sales Helping make real estate dreams come true Have you received a Notice of Default on your property? What are your plans? Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps you save face? You need a plan of action and if you want to buy some time, stay in the home until it sells and save up some money - then contact: Kathleen Lordbock REALTOR/Staging & Short Sale Specialist Keller Williams Realty Brainerd Lakes Don't just walk away - there is hope, there is help!

Helping make real estate dreams come true 1. FHA Loans Are Not Only For Lower-Income Borrowers. FHA loans are available to everyone. In fact, even Bill Gates can get one. There is no maximum income restriction associated with FHA loans. Borrowers do need to substantiate income and assets by submitting proper documentation. This requirement ensures that borrowers are well-vetted and truly able to afford their future homes. 2. FHA Loans Are Not Only For First-Time Buyers. Many people believe FHA loans are available only to first-time homebuyers. This is not the case. Whether borrowers are making their first home purchase or their fifth, they can look to FHA loans as a home financing option. 3. FHA Loans Are Not Just Small Loans; In Fact, Loan Amounts Can Be As High As Almost $800,000. The government recently raised the maximum loan amount from its original cap of $362,790 to $793,750 as a way to help stabilize the housing market. The amount a ...

 November 2010 . Market Update The housing market continues its gradual recovery without the aid of the tax credit. Sales are slower but growing. Although it will likely be uneven at times, slow growth is believed to be the trend moving forward. Interest rates hit a new historic low again, a major factor in helping keep mortgage payments incredibly affordable. Extended periods of record low interest rates and further plans from the Federal Reserve Board to expedite recovery have some concerned about future inflation. One such investment guru, John Paulson, touted the benefits of owning real estate as a hedge against inflation on Forbes.com. “Your debt and interest payments get locked in at record lows, while the price of your home will rise … If you don’t own a home buy one … if you  own one home, buy another one, and if you own two homes, buy a third and lend your relatives the money to buy a home.” This march back up continues to provide excellent opportunities: ...

Helping make real estate dreams come true  Here is a little something sweet and delicious for the upcoming holidays.  Oreo Truffles 1 8oz. package of softened cream cheese, 1 stick of melted butter, 1 package of regular oreos, crushed 2 blocks of white chocolate almond bark.   Blend together first three ingredients for about 3 minutes, for a smooth mixture.  Chill for one hour.  Roll into bite size balls and then dunk in melted almond bark chocolate.  Let cool on wax paper.  Then cool again (I usually put them in the refrigerator over night and they are ready to go the next day.)  Hint:  Don't over heat the chocolate--it won't work then.  Just put in for 1.5 min and then stir and then put in for 30 sec. intervals until smooth. Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans?  Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps ...

CRAVAACK CALLS ON OBERSTAR TO RESIGN AS HEAD OF HOUSE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE ST. PAUL -- Congressional candidate Chip Cravaack today called on Rep. James Oberstar to resign as chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee because he has failed to take  any useful  action in the two months since an oil well began to poison the Gulf of Mexico. “ During the worst environmental disaster in American history, Jim Oberstar has been asleep at the helm of the House Transportation committee ,” Cravaack, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, said. “ No skipper has been so slow to act since Joe Hazelwood was sleeping it off in his bunk during the Exxon Valdez crash in 1989 .  It is time for Jim Oberstar to step down as chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.” Oberstar is chair of the committee which oversees the Coast Guard and is responsible for federal management of emergencies and oil po...

Helping make real estate dreams come true     Reuse   By Paige Tepping RISMEDIA, July 15, 2010-       Most of us know the three R’s: reduce, reuse, recycle, but when we work on conserving, we often leave reuse out of the picture. While you can often find tips on how to reuse common products from other people, what you need most is creativity. With a little thought, there are many items around your home that can be reused—toilet paper holders can be used to sow seeds for the vegetable patch, old yogurt containers can be cut into strips to make plant labels and old food jars can be refilled with homemade foods or can make great impromptu vases.      Check out your local Habitat for Humanity's ReStore for some great buys on used or slightly damaged donated new items. They even have stuff that is in perfect condition at perfectly good prices. Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What ar...

Helping make real estate dreams come true Getting Ready By Paige Tepping The appraiser will need approximately 30 minutes to one hour to complete the inspection phase of the appraisal process, which includes: exterior photos of the front and rear of the home and a photo of the street in front of the property; measurements of the exterior of the home, garage and any outbuildings; a walk-through inspection of all rooms and levels of the interior of the home including the basement. Get organized. Put together a checklist that will help you get ready for your appraisal and get the results you're looking for. Be flexible when scheduling the appointment. Have a copy of your home’s blueprint to help verify measurements and lot size. Provide a list of improvements made to the property since the purchase. Improvements that should be noted include adding a pool, patio, updating your kitchen or bathroom and any room additions, etc. Allow your appraiser access to the entir...

Helping make real estate dreams come true Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans?  Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps you save face? You need a plan of action and if you want to buy some time, stay in the home until it sells and save up some money - then contact:  Kathleen Lordbock REALTOR/Staging & Short Sale Specialist  Keller Williams Realty Brainerd Lakes Don't just walk away - there is hope, there is help! Can You Prevent Internet Scams such as others stealing listings and posting them as rentals? It would be nice but you probably can not. This is very common on the Internet now days. One scam you may not have heard of involves stealing a listing's for sale information and photos and then the thieves run ads that the house is for rent. They run the ads on free websites like Craigslist. Their hope is that someone out of state might be i...

Helping make real estate dreams come true   Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans?  Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps you save face? You need a plan of action and if you want to buy some time, stay in the home until it sells and save up some money - then contact:  Kathleen Lordbock REALTOR/Staging & Short Sale Specialist  Keller Williams Realty Brainerd Lakes Don't just walk away - there is hope, there is help!

Helping make real estate dreams come true The Law of Liberty from the Institute for Creation Research July 4, 2010   "So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty." ( James 2:12 )   On Independence Day, Americans should give thanks to the Author of liberty that we have been privileged to live in this "sweet land of liberty," where we can worship God freely, in accord with His Word. Liberty is not license, however, and the essence of the American system is liberty under law. Fundamentally, that law is "the law of nature and of nature's God"--the natural laws of God's world and the revealed laws of God's Word. Within that framework we do have liberty--but not liberty to defy either the physical law of gravity or the spiritual "law of liberty." The latter is formulated in Scripture and has been applied over the centuries, in the English common law and later...

Helping make real estate dreams come true! Homebuyer traffic nationwide tumbled in May, according to the latest Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance Monthly Survey of Real Estate Market Conditions. Most of the decline was attributable to first-time homebuyers who sharply reduced their home shopping last month. The survey's first-time homebuyer traffic index, which measures home shopping activity on a scale of 1 to 100, registered an anemic 35.1 in May. This was down from an index of 63.5 in April. Since September 2009, the index had never been below 50, which represents a flat, or neutral, condition in home purchase activity. “The decline of first-time homebuyer traffic is undoubtedly related to the expiration of the federal homebuyer tax credit,” stated Thomas Popik, research director for Campbell Surveys. “Homebuyers had until April 30 to sign a purchase and sale agreement and receive the credit. Once we entered the month of May, the government stimulus disappeared.” Have you ...

Helping make real estate dreams come true RISMEDIA, July 1, 2010--FHA Pros, LLC, a national FHA condo approval service, has developed a list of facts speaking to the top misconceptions associated with FHA loans in order to help home buyers better navigate an already confusing market. FHA loans are mortgages issued by qualified lenders and insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). “We have seen home buyer interest in FHA loans go from practically zero three years ago to upwards of 87 percent today,” said Christopher Gardner, founder and president of FHA Pros, LLC. “Despite this rapid rise in popularity, many buyers still do not fully understand the benefits of these loans, and we believe it’s time to change that.” 1. FHA Loans Are Not Only For Lower-Income Borrowers. FHA loans are available to everyone. In fact, even Bill Gates can get one. There is no maximum income restriction associated with FHA loans. Borrowers do need to substantiate income and asse...

Helping make real estate dreams come true     Consider before you ignore or outright refuse a very low purchase offer for your home. A counteroffer and negotiation could turn that low purchase offer into a sale. When you receive a low offer on your house, the best response is to counter with a price you're willing to accept. Image: Keith Brofsky/Photodisc/Getty Images You just received a purchase offer from someone who wants to buy your home. You’re excited and relieved, until you realize the purchase offer is much lower than your asking price. How should you respond? Set aside your emotions, focus on the facts, and prepare a counteroffer that keeps the buyers involved in the deal. Check your emotions A purchase offer, even a very low one, means someone wants to purchase your home. Unless the offer is laughably low, it deserves a cordial response, whether that’s a counteroffer or an outright rejection. Remain cal...

Helping make real estate dreams come true   By using gas and electric stoves more effectively, you can save an average of $30 per year. Image: Electrolux Spending less money on utility bills doesn’t mean you need to rush out and purchase a whole new suite of Energy Star appliances. With occasional light maintenance and good habits, you can greatly improve the energy efficiency of your large kitchen appliances—up to about $120 annually—without sacrificing convenience. Refrigerator/freezer Energy-efficiency experts tell us to focus our efforts on the biggest energy hogs in the house, and that ...

Keller Williams Family Group News | LinkedIn "Mortgage lenders are apparently being swamped by the demand for homebuyers to close on their home loan by June 30th, which is the current expiration date of the home buyer tax credit. Therefore, the U.S. Senate has voted for a proposal that would extend the tax credit again. Usually, it wouldn't take over two months to close on a home loan. But, it's not normal circumstances right now. In today's world of mortgage finance, every bit of the home buyers information has to be verified and reverified and the home valuation code of conduct is also having to be adhered to by appraisers. Therefore, it's taking much longer to close and time gets stretched out. According to the National Association of Realtors®, there are 180,000 buyers who made the April 30th deadline to have their valid contracts signed. However, without another tax extension, many would not make the last deadline to close by June 30th. So, through...

Helping make real estate dreams come true   Why is the number of short sales rising? Due to the recent economic crisis, including rising unemployment, and drops in home prices in communities across the nation, the number of short sales is increasing. Since a short sale generally costs the lender less than a foreclosure, it can be a viable way for a lender to minimize its losses. A short sale can also be the best option for a homeowners who are “upside down” on mortgages because a short sale may not hurt their credit history as much as a foreclosure. As a result, homeowners may qualify for another mortgage sooner once they get back on their feet financially. Contact me at - 218-829-0339 or email: KLordbock@kw.com Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans?  Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps you save face? You need a plan of action and if you wa...

Helping make real estate dreams come true   In the last few months, I have met many folks who might be facing foreclosure who are too scared to open their mail,  refuse to contact their lender, and deny the reality of their situation. If you are having trouble making ends meet and making those mortgage payments, know that you have options. BUT... you have many more options available to you if you do not wait until the eleventh hour.   Facing up to your situation now is in your best interest. Then you can move ahead on dealing with it. Call me and we can discuss your situation and you can decide your next plan of action. 218-829-0339 KLordbock@kw.com Have you received a Notice of Default on your property?  What are your plans?  Do you plan to walk away or do you want to try a Short Sale which has much less damage to your credit and helps you save face? You need a plan of action and if you want to buy some time, stay in the home until it sells and...