Below is a neat little video explaining why it’s a good time to buy real estate now courtesy of Lennar Home Builders.
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Will the new Obama initiative called Federal 'Cap and Trade'
Energy Policy effect you?
Under my plan of a 'Cap and Trade' system electricity rates
would necessarily skyrocket" - President Barack Obama
The following petition, along with the names of those who sign it through the form below, will be printed and mailed to: Every United States Senator, The National Association of Realtors, and Every State Real Estate Association.
I hereby petition Congress to reject any and all legislation, or regulatory action by the EPA, that would enact new energy taxes and/or establish a national cap and trade system for carbon dioxide
I hereby petition the National Association of Realtors to oppose any and all legislation, or regulatory action by the EPA, that would enact new energy taxes and/or establish a national cap and trade system for carbon dioxide.
Watch the news clip video, and sign the Petition if you want to avoid this, join real estate brokers and agents and get your voice heard.
Tired of all the government spending on your dime? Tired of being taxed? We'll I’ve got news for you, many more taxes are coming and existing taxes will rise for everything you buy and ever service you use.
Make your voice heard today, you CAN make a difference!
To make a meaningful impact signatures are needed - Which may be difficult to do alone given our modest reach in cooperation with Broker Agent Social and you, we can make a difference.
Please feel free to share the petition with others through your email, blog postings, etc. to help ensure those who wish to be heard may.
As a reminder, anyone in the real estate industry is welcome to join the petition as well (realty sales, lending, title, appraisal, etc.)
Here’s a link to the petition, which you are free to share at your discretion, send it to family, friends, everyone, post it on your blogs, twitter, facebook and get the word out and sign the petition today:
Link to the Petition:
http://www.brokeragentsocial.com/Petition-EnergyPolicy.htm
Stated efforts of H.R. 2454, otherwise known as Cap and Trade, are to create clean energy jobs, achieve energy independence, reduce global warming pollution and transition to a clean energy economy.
Primary objections related to the legislation are: 1. Government control and taxes necessary to affect the bill which may drive housing markets in to a deeper recession. 2. Energy taxes forcing US jobs overseas which could put further pressure on housing markets and defeat the bills purpose by shifting pollution to other parts of the globe with less regulation.
Federal Energy Compliance Audits on Every Home Sold?
The National Association of Realtors was effective at having this exacting legislation removed from the original bill. This effort does not prevent the government from instituting audits at a later time, at a potential cost of thousands to home sellers, in order to affect the following provision of the most current bill:
H.R. 2454 Page 350 - Line 13 - The Administrator shall develop and implement standards for a national energy and environmental building retrofit policy for single-family and multifamily residences .... to facilitate the retrofitting of existing buildings across the United States to achieve maximum cost-effective energy efficiency improvements and significant improvements in water use and other environmental attributes ....
We’ve all been there: something happens and you feel like you just HAVE to say something. However, common sense and the manners your mother pounded into you during your childhood keep your lips planted together and those thoughts remain inside your head.
As I talk to a lot of REALTORS, they share with me things they’ve often wanted to say to sellers but never had the guts to do so. But deep inside they felt they really SHOULD have said something. And so … since they won’t say those things out loud, I will!
Here are the top 15 things listing agents want to say to sellers, but won’t …
And I didn’t make ANY of this up. I also know that one or two of these things may offend someone, so please accept my apologies right up front!
1. “I know it’s hard to believe, but as professional Realtors, we actually do know more about selling your house than you do.”
You might be an engineer, doctor, lawyer or tribal chieftain … but as a licensed, highly trained full-time REALTOR, we do this all day long every day. And just like we’d never presume to tell you how to do your job, we REALLY don’t like it when you presume to know more about selling houses than we do.
2. “You have a nice house, but it’s not anything really special.”
We know you live there and have your emotions tied to your home, but as Realtors, we see hundreds and hundreds of homes every year and trust me, yours is … ok. There is absolutely no reason it should be priced higher than other comparable homes in the area. None. Zip. Nadda. In fact, if you want it to sell in the current market, it should actually be priced a bit LESS …
3. “Your upgrades don’t deserve the extra amount you want added to the price.”
We’re glad you’ve added crown molding everywhere. And paid for Ralph Lauren suede paint. And new carpet. Your new toilet seats are great. And we’re really glad you sanded out the dog pee stains in the hardwood floors and refinished them. However, none of your upgrades add a single penny’s value to your home. In the new economy, new windows, nice flooring and a newish roof should be considered standard. Buyers today demand a whole lot more before they are willing to start paying premium prices. They expect designer kitchens with custom cherry cabinets, recessed halogen lighting, new upscale appliances, solid granite counters and more. They want totally upgraded baths with Jacuzzi tubs, tumbled marble, frameless glass doors. And so on …
4. “I know what you think your house is worth.”
Now get real! The seller doesn’t set the price, the market does. And the simple truth is that lower priced homes sell while higher prices homes sit and sit and sit. Sorry. And I truly AM empathetic that you bought your home in 2005 or 2006. At the top of the market. Please remember that I own a house too and my property value has also gone into the toilet …
5. “I’m glad you collect things. We’re selling your house, not your stuff.”
You’re moving anyway, pack all your collections away. Now. And the talking fish needs to be the first thing off the wall and in a box …
6. “Agents are willing to do open houses because they get prospective buyers – who want to buy somebody else’s house, not yours.”
Open houses REALLY are not an effective way to sell your home. Even though they sometimes work, they are the least effective way of getting the job done. Trust us. See point #1 above.
7. “We have some issues with your decorating …”
The Caltrans orange room has to be repainted. And the lime green one. While you are at it, get the midnight blue room as well. Whatever were you thinking? Did you scrounge through the “ooops” bin at Home Depot? It’s nice that you have wallpaper from 1978. Please remove it and repaint the wall. And whatever you do, DON’T paint over it …
8. “I really don’t want to get intimate with your dog.”
I especially don’t like what he’s doing to my leg. And the smell in here is really bad. Please keep Fido in the garage during the time you are selling your home. And the doggy bombs in the back yard gotta go as well.
9. “I will not be responsible for your cat.”
If you are concerned it will bolt out the door when prospective buyers arrive, then please keep Fluffy in a Kitty Crate while you are gone.
10. “Don’t put up ANY roadblocks that may keep sellers out.”
Don’t even THINK about showing your home by “appointment only.” Don’t want a lock box? Trust me, your stuff isn’t that valuable. Don’t want buyers after 5:00 p.m. at night? You’re kidding, right? If a buyer can't get in when it works for them, they are gone.
11. “Prospective Buyers DO NOT want you to give them a tour of your home.”
They actually want you out of the house … so resist the urge to be a tour guide and go for a walk around the block. They’ll find out on their own that you’ve carefully lined the cupboards with new floral shelf liners and put a new TP holder in the master bath.
12. “STOP SMOKING IN YOUR HOUSE!!”
Especially the pot …
13. When a Realtor calls to let you know they’re coming at 11:00 a.m., rings your door bell, knocks VERY loudly, opens your front door and yells, “HELLO, REALTOR,” …
Please get out of bed BEFORE we get to your bedroom … and put some clothes on when you do …
14. What is that smell???
Whatever it is… it’s gotta go … and please don’t cook with curry until you are in your new home … or fry fish right before people come to see your home …
15. “We’re worth our commission.”
Every penny of it. Selling a house is actually hard work. And, for those of us who market extensively, it costs a lot of money that we pay out of pocket up front. You really do get what you pay for. In the same way you’re not going to be able to buy a Honda at a Daewoo or Suzuki dealership, you are not going to get full support, service and top-notch professional representation at bargain basement prices. There’s a very good reason many discount brokerages are going out of business in the current economy. Anyone who is willing to take a cut-rate commission structure is simply not going to be able to make enough off your listing to do the types of advertising necessary to get you top dollar. And since you are competing against REOs and Short Sales, if you go cheap, you will lose every time.
Well … there they are – I've probably managed to offend everyone! I know you will have some of your own to add ... please, be my guest!
I’ve been coming across this issue more and more lately so decided to write this article to address the issue of condo complexes being approved so that would be buyers can use an FHA loan to fund the purchase.
Since condominiums are becoming more popular across the country, I think this information will be helpful to you if you are new to FHA or if you are in need of a refresher on condominium requirements.
There are two types of condominium approvals for FHA:
To check see if a condo complex is HUD approved for FHA loans the first step would be to determine the name of the condominium project and conduct a search at HUD’s website to see if the project is currently approved. You’ll need to go to https://entp.hud.gov/idapp/html/condlook.cfm where you can search by condo name, condo id, alias name, city, state or zip code.
If the search concludes that the project is not currently approved, your mortgage rep would want to do one of two things:
For Spot Loan Approval
To proceed with spot loan approval, you would want to refer to Mortgagee Letter 1996-41 which explains spot loan approval requirements. You will find a spot loan questionnaire/checklist attached to ML 96-41. You will need to have an officer of the condominium project’s homeowners association or a representative from the company that oversees and manages the association complete the spot loan questionnaire as early in the process as possible. With the completed spot loan questionnaire, you will need to obtain a copy of the association’s most recent annual budget and you will need to obtain a copy of the certificate of insurance for the subject unit of the project. The association must have appropriate insurance coverage for the common areas and exteriors of the buildings within the project.
Most lenders also require a copy of the condominium declarations and bylaws to be submitted with the questionnaire, annual budget and certificate of insurance for the subject unit. You will want to check the specific lender procedures for spot loan approval because some lenders actually employ their own department for project reviews and approval. Most underwriters are able to determine project acceptability at the same time they underwrite the rest of your credit package but there are a few that differ in their processes. Make sure you’re clear up front on the exact process with the lender of choice.
One thing worth mentioning that you will not find within the Mortgagee Letter or the questionnaire: To be eligible for spot loan approval, the project must consist of no less than four units. This eliminates two unit duplexes and three unit triplexes which have been zoned as condominiums from being eligible for spot approval.
For full project review and approval
For cases where a particular originator has the potential to land a number of deals within the subject project, HUD advises pursuing full project approval. You will find full condominium project requirements at CFR-234.26(i) and also in HUD handbook 4150.1 Chapter 11. Each HUD Homeownership Center has their own specific project review process so you will want to be clear on what to include in your project submission, where to send the documents and to whose attention you need to address the documents.
For more information about purchasing or selling a home call
Marivic GMAC Real Estate
www.MarivicRealty.com
Local: 732-650-9911
Toll Free: 1-866-745-GMAC(4622)
Facebook Blog: www.realrep.com
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