Thursday, January 20, 2011

Can it be that times are so tough that the American Dream has disappeared?

Growing up in the South where family means everything, and then volunteering to serve my Country in the world’s finest Submarine Navy, I find it hard to believe that the American Dream has disappeared.  I grew up wanting my own home, something that I could call mine, and I refuse to believe that my fellow Americans feel differently, yet the media would have us all live in fear.  I for one refuse to live in fear and whole heartedly believe that this is quite possibly the best opportunity in the last 25 to 30 years to purchase real estate for long term purposes.  I know that it stinks to be a Seller right now, but if you’re a Buyer with even $5000 down you can pick up an income generating rental property and be on your way to building your Real Estate Empire.

 

Compare the current housing market to stocks.  If Microsoft or Apple suddenly fell to $50 per share, would we all refuse to ever buy that stock again or would we all jump up and grab as much of it as possible knowing that the value will come back?  Warren Buffett would tell you that the smart choice would be to buy for the long term value.  My advice is to stop spending on what you do not absolutely need, eat in not out, and save, save, save.  Once you get this down you’ll notice your bank account start to grow and pretty soon you’ll have your first down payment.  I have a client right now that is purchasing a $66k condo with $2100 down and the Seller is paying all of her closing costs.  The total payment including principal, interest, taxes, and even the HOA is less than $550 per month.  I mean really – where can you rent a decent apartment for that low of a monthly payment?  She plans to live in it for one year, saving the difference between her former rent payment and new house payment each month, and then use those savings as a down payment on something a little bigger, brighter, and better.

 

What are your plans for the future?  If it includes finally getting thru Xbox Modern Warfare without getting “killed” or finally getting 5000 friends on Facebook, then we needs to talk about your future.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

WE NEVER SLEEP!!!

It seems that two of the Realtors we worked with years ago were desperately trying to get their "In-House" Lender on the line this past Sunday, but of course that person wasn't answering.  We took both the calls from each Realtor and realized that each were hosting their Open House events and had potential clients standing in front of them asking loan questions.   After a few short questions and answers we were able to verbally verify income, asset, and employment credentials (stips to follow of course); walk each client thru the payment and cash to close scenarios available, all of which motivated each client to make an offer before the day was out.

What was your Bank/Credit Union Loan Officer doing for you this past weekend; watching football or working for you?  Make one call, just one call, and watch your production this year soar - we double dog dare ya!!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

What will you do in January to build your business?

The San Diego Chapter of LeTip are putting on a Mixer and we wanted to invite you (see attach flier with information).  This is a great opportunity to make new business connections and fellowship with other LeTip members and their Guests. Think about it, for just $10 you'll find yourself in a room full of potential customers who are all there for noe reason - to shake your hand, learn about what it is you do, get your business card, and then either purchase your service/prodcut or refer their clients who need your service/product.  If you happen to know someone who needs to increase their business feel frr to invite them as a Guest.  For those of you who want to hit it hard and sponsor a table, drop me a line and I can get you set up.

Shoot me an email if you think you want to attend and I'll get your name over to our Regional so that you're good to go.

Time to purchase!

Although the media, and all of the “armchair quarterbacks”, will tell you to wait a bit longer until we hit bottom – I am here to tell you that we’re there.  The word on the street is that major banking institutions have decided that they are not going to release their foreclosed properties in bulk and that they have decided to sell ‘em off one at a time because they can reap 10% to 20% more profit by doing it this way.  What this means to you is that there will be no sudden influx of homes on the market driving the “supply” up and thereby driving the “demand” down.  The effect is the exact opposite in that because supply is slowly dwindling therefore demand is actually increasing which drives the competition for quality homes thru the roof.  Now don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of run down, purposefully beat-up homes out there (http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Cop-Trashes-His-Million-Dollar-Home-104353638.html) but FHA and VA are going to challenge the Seller on the condition of those home and require repairs to be made – which the Seller certainly does not want to pay for.  In recent months we’ve actually seen FNMA and FHMLC get tighter and tighter regarding the condition of the home you want to purchase, often mimicking the requirements of FHA and VA loans.

 

What does all of this mean to you?  If you are interested at all in purchasing a property within the next millennium you should contact Casa Financial Services, Inc. to get either approved for a loan or at least put a plan together.  I mean really, how much longer are you going to pay for your landlords property providing him/her with the profit, tax write off, etc…?

 

Give us a call at 619-644-8344 and ask for Brett or Zindi.

Straight from MSN Money webpage!

Refinance Your Mortgage — Save Money Every Month

 

"As a general rule of thumb, it's worth looking into refinancing if the going rate is 0.50 percent lower than your current mortgage if you plan to stay in your home," says Timothy McFarlin, a real estate lawyer based in Irvine, CA.