Educational articles about current real estate market trends, financial information about mortgages and financing, tax breaks or incentives for homeowners, and other topics that are beneficial to home buyers, sellers, or other real estate professionals.

We were recently informed from one of our lending partners that there is a new government program that can provide up to a 3% grant that can be used for downpayment and/or closing costs.  The grant does not have to be repaid!

The Grant made possible through the Program can be used towards the homebuyer’s down payment and/or closing costs on a 30-year fixed-rate fully amortized FHA, VA or USDA Mortgage Loan.

The Program is available for purchases of both new and existing homes and is NOT limited to first-time homebuyers.

If you have questions, The Lund Team is here to help! 

1541 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Special Fannie Mae HomePath Buyer Incentive Offer

There's great news from Fannie Mae: Buyers may be eligible to receive up to 3.5% in closing cost assistance through October 31, 2011 as part of the HomePath buyer incentive.

To be eligible for this incentive, the following qualifications must be met:

  1. Buyers and/or selling agents must request the incentive upon submission of the initial offer in order to be eligible.
  2. The initial offer must be submitted on or after June 14, 2011 and close by October 31, 2011. If an initial offer was made prior to the effective date, the offer is not eligible for the incentive.
  3. The sale must close on or before October 31, 2011. No exceptions will be made to this deadline.
  4. Only buyers purchasing a HomePath…

1563 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Loan Balance Update:

As a reminder to our buyers and sellers, the higher conforming loan balance amounts are set to shift down from $697,500 in San Diego to a possible $550,000.  The amounts are not set yet by the Federal Housing Administration.  The governmental stimulus package is set to expire in September, and without intervention from Congress, lenders will start putting deadlines on applications taken with these high loan amounts. Several lenders have already set a July 15th deadline on new applications for high balance loans to ensure closing by the deadline.


Barring government policy change, those wanting to borrow over the new government limit will have to pay a higher rate on the remaining balance. This is due to the increased risk…

1765 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

There is still in its infancy, but having government support would most likely support an era of low mortgage rates.  See and read below:

Bill proposes merger of Fannie and Freddie


Rep. Gary G. Miller (CA-42) and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (NY-04) are expected to introduce a bill tomorrow to merge Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and restructure the company into a government-held corporation.

The legislation will propose that the merged company purchase mortgages and sell them to investors as securities that are government-backed. The new company wouldn't operate for profit-making purposes and wouldn't have shareholders.

Under the proposal, a five-member board would govern the corporation, and it would be regulated by the Federal Housing Finance…

1915 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

The Lund Team is one of the few brokers with the experience (and patience) to work and close short-sales in this tough marketplace.  We received updated information that Citigroup is offering incentives for homeowners to short-sale this year.  

For more information on the short-sale process, contact The Lund Team!

 

--------- News Release

Citigroup offering incentives to short sale home

Citigroup's mortgage servicing branch CitiMortgage is offering an average of $12,000 to borrowers who complete a short sale this year. By comparison, the mortgage servicer was offering $1,500 payments on average in 2009, and $3,000-$5,000 payments in 2010.

"Incentives will be offered to customers experiencing financial hardship who need funds to…

1595 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

Foreclosure myths, debunked

Although there are a number of programs available to help homeowners who have defaulted on their mortgages keep their home, the large amount of misinformation tends to result in troubled homeowners failing to contact their lender until it is too late.

Making sense of the story

  • Some homeowners believe, incorrectly, that contacting their lender early in the process will draw attention to their situation and result in a quicker foreclosure.  In reality, contacting the lender or servicer is an important first step, and the sooner, the better.  Contacting the lender provides the homeowner with an opportunity to explain their situation and the steps necessary to deal with it.

  • It is a common misconception that…

2711 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

California Senate Bill 183 was signed into law which requires the installation of Carbon Monoxide detectors in rental units, and dwellings that are being transferred (sold) after July 1, 2011.

July 1, 2011, Carbon Monoxide detectors will be REQUIRED in houses that are being sold if they have any of the following:
  • Any gas appliances such as a gas stove, gas furnace, gas fireplace, gas water heater.
  • A fireplace
  • An attached garage (even if there are no gas appliances in the house!). Cars emit CO
  • ANY rental dwelling.
  • As of January 1, 2013, ALL houses that meet the criteria listed above will be required to have Carbon Monoxide detectors. Even those that are not being sold will be required to have them just like smoke detectors.

1657 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

I was talking to friend today and he was not sure if now was the time to buy.  He was certain prices were going to fall.  Now he may be correct, but we wanted to see if his waiting would really save him money. 

We did a hypothetical exercise; we compared 2 scenarios.

  ·         1st - Buying today at today’s current market price and interest rate

·           2nd - a future date where the speculative market prices had dipped an additional 10% and the interest rates had moved back up to the 6% range. 

Guess what we found out?  In this example his waiting would have cost him! I included the numbers below.                                    

1st  Purchase Price $540,000.00                           2nd Purchase Price $600,000.00    

Down…

1605 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post

We at the Lund Team had the pleasure of sitting down with Brenda and discussing the newest trends in trusts and real estate. After coffee, we asked Brenda if she would like to contribute to our blog.  Below are the top three mistakes she sees people make in regards to real estate trusts.  Enjoy!

------------------

These are the most common mistakes I see in my practice every day. There are many myths and misconceptions out there about estate planning and real estate. This article is designed to help you recognize and avoid the most common mistakes families make in the passage of their real estate to the next generation and help your family save thousands of dollars in unnecessary taxes and probate fees.

Mistake #1: Not Understanding How Your Assets…

1416 Views, 0 Comments

Read Full Post