Pennsylvania Real Estate News, Views and Rants : veteran mortgages, Credit Repair, veterans

Bouncing Back From The Housing Blues

John Rainville — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:08:00 GMT

While we’re emerging into the third year of the housing crisis, there are some signs of recovery. However, selling homes still remains a challenge in widespread areas across the US.

A major challenge for sellers today is that many intending buyers are putting their decision on hold for various reasons.

A steady flow of poor home sales data across the nation only contributes to further dip in prices and promotion of the negative sentiments. Nevertheless, when you have reached the difficult decision to sell your home, you have fewer options and you must sell before you find yourself even deeper in the hole.

You have invested time, money and thoughts to make your home the best place to live for you and your family. But, what is best for you may not be what the prospective buyer is looking for. Take a tour of your home and take an inventory of needed repairs. You’d be surprised to learn that fixing broken window panes, getting that squeaky door changed, or even adding a coat of paint can not only add value, but attract serious buyers. It’s important to focus on both the internal and external appearance of your home, to make it appealing to a perspective buyer.

One way to cash in for your home is by considering a remodeling or expansion project. Adding an extra bathroom or play space can add extra space, and eventually a bigger price tag on your home. However, it takes money to invest in projects of this scope. That’s why it’s advisable to shy away from any value addition right away. Consider pitching the idea to the buyer and work it into the home’s sale price. Similar opportunities may exist in making the home more comfortable and potentially profitable. In addition, it won’t look too bad on your behalf that you’re willing to go the extra mile.

The digital world offers wonderful opportunities in getting your message across to millions of people. Using the social media to your best advantage may however need some degree of expertise. Remember, you are not the only one in your neighborhood that wants to sell their home. When using social media to attract buyers, using multimedia tools such as videos or pictures can be very helpful. This will not only help keep interested buyers on your page, it will also encourage them to contact you, if they are pleased with what they see. With that said, pay attention to how your pictures and videos are presented. A low resolution video could have an adverse effect if your viewers are struggling to watch the video.

If you lack the tech experience, as your real estate agent is he has experience in videography. This is important because your prospect may skip your presentation and look at another home if your video looks unprofessional or is poor quality. Notice how I referred to the videographer as an investment. This is simple because the money that you may spend on videos and other social media, can potentially pay you rich dividends when you find your buyer.

No matter how much personal value you may find in your home, the buyer will just see it as another house on the market. With that in mind, keep up with your competition. Do some research by finding the asking price online and consider going to a competitor’s open house. This is the most realistic way to see things from a buyer’s perspective. You will also see what sales tactics their using to lure buyers, which can eventually help you in the long run.

We've Added FREE Weekly Webinars to Help You Buy, Sell Or Fix your Credit

John Rainville — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 20:13:00 GMT

We're excited to announce that we have added full free access to "Home Buyer University Webinars" to our visitors!

You will find a growing library of workshops that you may view
completely free of charge which will provide valuable information that
you will need as you prepare for your home purchase.

There is nothing being sold here so view them all at your earliest
convenience.

Weekly Seminar Topics include:

10 Secrets to Sell Your Home Fast...Even in a Down Market!
20 Things You Must Know Before Buying a Home
203k FHA Program - How to Get the Money to Fix Up the Home You're Buying
25 Things You Must Know Before Applying for a Mortgage
5 Ninja Strategies to Help You Negotiate Like a Pro!
8 Big Insider Secrets to Building Your Credit Score Fast!
The Best Kept Mortgage Secret: USDA Guaranteed!
The Insiders Guide to Reverse Mortgages!
USCCRA Webinar to Realtors
Zero Down! Fact or Fiction? The Truth About VA Loans!

Walk in Closets are the cause of this Financial Situation---Seriously!

John Rainville — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:23:00 GMT

I have been pondering almost daily this great financial debacle that we have gotten ourselves into and how it happened. Now I understand Barry Obama likes to point the finger at the GOP or George Bush, but it started way before "W" became Number 43. It seems to me that this whole mess can be traced back to Post WWII America and the advent of the "walk in closet" to entice people to move to the new "burbs" outside of town. WHAT? you say! That's LUDICROUS! Now hear me out...

Most of us real estate professionals have been through our share of homes built all different years. So think about it...the 1800's and before we had armoires and PEGS for god sake to hang your clothes on---we only had a few shirts and pants IF we had more than one! Around the turn of the century we start to see what most bueyrs perceive to be miniscule closets in homes---now you coud hang maybe up to a dozen garments! The next jump is post WWII and the advent of the @#$ walk in closet----WHAMO! the world changed!

Now we started to hoard clothes, etc that we could hide in our WALK IN closets. Remember Lucy and Desi? She was ALWAYS hiding outfits! But now the "cow was outta the barn" and we havent' looked back----until now. At the same time we went from no garage to a one car to a two car to a three car---the third bay just to hold all the crap that WON'T fit in our WALK IN CLOSETS! But WAIT WE DIDN' T STOP THERE!

Hell, I've seen homes with 1500 Bottle "wine cellars"! We've got basements and attics and now we even RENT STORAGE UNITS for all the @$%# that won't fit in our @#$% WALK IN CLOSETS! What are we NUTS! We're renting space to store stuff we should have given away or sold on E-bay! In the rural areas where I live some of the folk who live in small houses or mobile homes have had to start storing their assets on the FRONT LAWN!

Hellooooo, why not sell that old AMC Pacer or cherry Gremlin that you are saving from the junk yard to someon who might actually be able to use it? Or at least scrap them gems and let us sned it to China to be melted down and sold back to us.Ohhh, I can hear some of you already laughing out loud, but hey what's YOUR closet look like? And I know I will hear from some Al Queda wannabe that this all goes back to a damn American Carpenter!

So Barry---back off George W. and the GOP and let America know where the blame outta be.

As always, IMHO.

You're Invited!

John Rainville — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:03:00 GMT

To learn how you can buy a home in the current market or get in position to buy for the Spring. You recently visited one of our websites and inquired about buying real estate. We would like you to invite you to a FREE no obligation, private discussion to determine the best plan of action for you in the current market.

You’ll learn about:

· Credit Repair --- how to get your FICO score up.

· Government Grants to give you up to $5000 towards buying a home

· The $7500 Interest Free Government “Loan” if you buy now

· 102% Government Financing from the Department of Agriculture

· 100% VA Financing for Veterans and their families

· 97% FHA Financing

· 95% Conventional Financing – what you will need

· Buying a Foreclosure

· Building a New Home

· Buying an Investment Property

· What Title Insurance is, and Who it protects

· Why you MUST have a Buyers Agent to Represent YOU and NOT the seller

· How much cash will it take to get you in a house

· How we may be able to get you in home for the holidays!

Call…John (717) 554-7430 to discuss your options.

Best regards,

John Rainville, Broker, Realtor®, CSP, RECS, LTRS Certified

NAR recommends Congress pass new housing stimulus legislation

John Rainville — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:24:00 GMT

NAR recommends Congress pass new housing stimulus legislation that includes the following priorities:

1. Remove the requirement in the current law that first-time home buyers repay the $7,500 tax credit, and expand the tax credit to apply not only to first-time buyers but also to all buyers of a primary residence.

2. Revise the FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac 2008 stimulus loan limit increases to make them permanent. The Economic Stabilization Act, enacted in February, made loan limit increases temporary, and subsequent legislation reduced the loan limits and made them permanent. This has broad implication for home buyers in high cost areas.

3. Urge the government to use a portion of the allotted $700 billion that was provided to purchase mortgage-backed securities from banks to provide price stabilization for housing. The Treasury department should be required to use the newly enacted Troubled Assets Relief Program to push banks to:

• Extend credit down to Main Street, making credit more available to consumers and small businesses;
• Expedite the process for short sales;
• Expedite the resolution of banks’ real estate owned (REOs) properties.

4. Make permanent the prohibition against banks entering real estate brokerage and management, further protecting consumers and the economy.

This is GOOD! NAR recommends Congress pass new housing stimulus legislation

John Rainville — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:24:00 GMT

NAR recommends Congress pass new housing stimulus legislation that includes the following priorities:

4. Make permanent the prohibition against banks entering real estate brokerage and management, further protecting consumers and the economy.