Freddie Mac Secrets
Acronyms seem to be everywhere in the mortgage industry. Freddie Mac is one such acronym and an important one when trying to understand how the mortgage industry works.
A Quick Guide to Freddie Mac
Freddie Mac actually stands for the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation. Based in McLean, Virginia, Freddie Mac is a social financing experiment that has worked out very well. I... Read real estate article
Financial Real Estate Investment Model
When you wish to become involved in real estate investing, there are several things you should do before you begin this endeavor. You will want to make sure you are making a good investment decision and understanding the terms and definitions of real estate is just one way in learning how to make a good investment.
Perhaps, most important of all, however, is understanding the financial ... Read real estate article
Professional Home Inspection
What is a professional home inspection?
Professional home inspections are becoming an important factor for everyone seeking or planing to buy or sell a home. A home may look to be in very good condition but if we go through the things that can't be seen with the eye we may find issues that need to be addressed. The need of a professional home inspection is increasing day by day because of increasing litigation due to unknown or undisclosed defects.
A normal individual is not supposed to be the expert of all these technical details. This leads to the need a professional home inspector who inspects the home. A typical home inspection will take several hours to complete. If testing is being done for things such as mold, radon, etc it could take several days to get these results back from the lab.
There are many advantages or benefits to hiring a professional home inspector, some of these benefits are:
Benefits for the buyers
1) With a professional home inspection a buyer can calculate the most realistic price of the property he is going to buy. However, in most cases, the inspection is done after negotiating the price. The home inspection results can be used in negotiating repairs or if the repairs are extensive a buyer may want to back out of the transaction if the contract allows it. The buyers can compare the features and drawbacks with the similar properties available in the same condition.
2) Ridding the buyer from the stress of legal or documentary formalities as the inspector will provide a written report.
3) A Buyer can better guess the possible lifetime of the structure; this will enable him in planning the prospective use of this structure.
4) A buyer can better understand the impact of any unknown natural disaster on the home structure.
5) This could also save hundreds of dollars by making the buyer aware of repairs needed at the surface, fitting, flooring or roof of the structure as well as electrical and plumbing.
6) It satisfies a buyer by familiarizing them with all the maintenance and repair details, well in advance.
Benefits for the sellers
1) A professional home inspection gives the sellers a better idea about the current condition of their property. This is most important in cases where seller has not lived in the house and isn't very familiar with it. Such as rental property, inherited property, etc.
2) With the better understanding of the main features of the home seller can bargain more confidently about the pricing by making any necessary repairs prior to putting the house on the market.
3) Gives you confidence of well-trained, professional helping hands with you.
These benefits of a professional home inspection make this service very popular among buyers and sellers. I suggest working with an inspector who is a member of ASHI, American Society of Home Inspectors. A professional inspection, in the Chattanooga TN area, will cost about $325 but it's money well spent by either a buyer or a seller.
The real estate market has been showing signs of slowing and more and more properties are advertised for sale; however, one real estate transaction type is gaining in popularity and that is the "seller second". In such a scenario, the seller holds a second mortgage allowing the buyer to purchase the home with little or no-money-down. The down payment or a portion thereof is effectively financed with the "seller second".
Since the first mortgage balance will be less than 100% of the sale's price, there is a lower inherent risk to the first mortgage lender who in turn is willing to approve a buyer who would otherwise not qualify for a no-money-down first mortgage. This dramatically increases the pool of potential buyers and that leads to a quick sale in today's market.
Typical minimum credit score requirements for a no-money-down loan are 580 or above; but, with the assistance of a 5% (5% of the sale's price) "seller held second", a buyer can purchase a home with a 550 credit score. With a 20% seller held second, a buyer with a 500 credit score can buy a home no-money-down. With a 35% seller held second, there are no credit score requirements for the buyer.
After closing, the buyer will have two monthly mortgage payments, one payment to the first mortgage holder and a second payment to the seller. The second mortgage is typically structured as a thirty-year amortization with a five-year balloon. At the end of the first year, the buyer can refinance the first and second mortgage into one new first mortgage and at that time the seller will recoup the balance of the "seller second". In the meantime the seller will receive interest only payments from the buyer.
A year ago, it was a seller's market. Properties were selling as soon as the real estate 'for sale' sign was planted in the yard. At that time, it was not uncommon to hear of bidding wars in the driveway and the subject property would end up selling for more than the asking price. Now we are in a different market. We have entered a buyer's market. Properties remain listed for sale for periods of time that exceed a sellers comfort level. Driving down a typical street in Any Town, USA, one might see numerous 'for sale' signs and even signs reading the likes of "price reduced". Reducing the price of a house does not significantly increase the pool of buyers that potentially qualify for financing for that property and therefore, demand remains unchanged as the result of a price reduction. The solution can be found through offering a "seller second".
A "seller second" effectively increases the number of buyers that qualify for financing and subsequently increases the demand. FICO statistics seem to indicate there are approximately 25% of the scorable population in this country that have a credit score between 500 and 649. Offering a "seller second" to buyers in this range can turn them into qualified borrowers and happy homeowners.
To offer a "seller held second", a seller will need to have sufficient equity in the property. Also, sellers need to understand that there is a risk of default by the potential buyer.
2. How to Best Prepare Your Home When Selling
Preparing your home to be sold FSBO, or for sale by owner, is not a lot different to preparing your home for a real estate agent to start selling it for you. The only difference is that you are in com... Read real estate article
3. Federal Housing Grants
If you want to own your own home but you think that you can't afford it then you may want to look into federal housing grants. The first types of government grants that are available to help low incom... Read real estate article
4. Bank Foreclosure
Everyday, there are properties that are foreclosed by the banks. This happens when a loan borrower is unable to make up for the payment of his loan. Now having a property foreclosed can be very detrim... Read real estate article
5. Florida Real Estate
Florida is no longer thought of as a must-visit tourist destination in summer. Though Florida has breathtaking beaches and sceneries, this state is not only a great venue for vacation but also an idea... Read real estate article
6. Bank Repossessed House
In a matter of a single day, there are numerous private assets which get seized by the bank and many other lending institutions. In truth, not only the cars, furniture, and boats are repossessed by th... Read real estate article
7. Collateral Secrets
Did you take a close look at your banker, lately? Did you notice how skinny he or she has become? That is because, following the spike of house prices and the subsequent downturn in Real Estate, the c... Read real estate article
8. Government Repossessed Homes
There is no better way to acquire you property than buying off from cheap government repo homes. This is simply a trend in the U.S. where people want to purchase real estate thru the help of the gover... Read real estate article
9. VA Foreclosures and Bargain Homes
VA foreclosures are an excellent source of bargain homes for both investors and home buyers. VA home for sale is the result of a foreclosed government guaranteed veteran loan.
Professional Home Inspection
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