How To Get Money For Your Mortgage If You Lose Your Job

There is something that has been around for years that is seeing more popularity in these times that can help you pay your mortgage if you were to loss your job or possibly even become disabled.   Job-loss mortgage insurance (or unemployment mortgage insurance) is an option that homebuyers can request when purchasing real estate and really sellers should offer.  There are different terms and costs associated with this insurance depending on the company offering it but in general the fee is small but can give Buyers added peace of mind in their real estate transactions.  Job-loss mortgage insurance is great especially when Buyers deplete their savings making the downpayment on a home purchase.

Seller Announces,”NO CLOSING COSTS”

Fannie Mae, the largest provider of residential home funding in the United States, announced Friday that it would pay the closing costs on purchases of foreclosed homes in its inventory.  The government-controlled company said buyers of qualified properties will get up to 3.5 percent in closing costs, or an equivalent amount for the purchase of new appliances.

Has This Home Been Damaged? Website to Check

Now, more than ever, before buying a home, you may wonder, “Has this home been flooded or incurred some other form of damage?”.   Caveat emptor or “buyer beware” is paramount in this real estate market.  You can ask the Seller but what if they don’t know the full history or have “selective memory”, this is especially true if you are buying a home that has been foreclosed on from a bank.  There is another option - before you buy real estate, you should also check the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE) report. 

5 Tips for Saving on Your Mortgage Loan

Purchasing a home does not have to empty out your bank account, especially if you know the following ways to save, save, save!  Here are some things that buyers should know as they go through the mortgage loan application process:

Need Downpayment or Closing Cost Assistance? Here is a Perfect Match!

Have you ever wished someone would match you dollar for dollar on your savings for your next home purchase?  Well, the Atlanta Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLBank) does something even better.  It matches 5 to 1, meaning if you have saved $1000 towards an home purchase, you can get $5000! 

How to Avoid a Real Estate Money Pit

Okay, maybe I am telling my age but do you remember the hilarious 1980s comedy, The Money Pit, starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long?  How outrageous that movie seemed with them falling through floors and having their entire marriage end because of a real estate purchase that was not properly investigated.  But in today’s market, with foreclosures galore, Buyer’s are running (rightfully so) to snap up homes at these great prices but the Latin phrase caveat emptor still holds true now more than ever… Buyer, beware!

Ready to Purchase A Home? Start With This Checklist

I am sure you have heard all of the hype about this being the best time to buy and maybe this has made you realize it’s time for you to have the American Dream of homeownership.  Or, maybe you realize this is a great time to investment in some additional real estate properties if you already have a home.  Well, believe the hype!  This is a great time to buy if you are prepared since home prices are at all-time lows.  Before you rush out to take advantage of the great low prices in the real estate market, check the following:

Show and SELL - Tips to Get Your Home Sold

Sellers, let’s go back to the basics!  Now more than ever it is vital that you diligently work the real estate marketing process, which is predicated on the 3 “P”s - PRICE, PREPARATION & PRESENTATION.  If you skip any one of these three, you may extend the life of your real estate listing by months.  Today, we will focus on PRESENTATION (see previous blogs for the other topics), the final step to winning the affinity of a potential real estate Buyer.