Posts Tagged ‘loans’
Wednesday, December 7th, 2011
When you are in the market for a new home insurance policy then you do need to think about looking into every aspect of it. By doing this you will increase the chances of getting the right policy and it means there should not be any problems when you end up needing to make a claim at some time in the future.
Use the web to your advantage because you are then able to look at what is on offer from various companies in next to no time and from the comfort of your own home. You are able to do this thanks to several sites that do the work for you by searching through the different policies that are currently on offer in your area.
What they do is ask you a number of questions and with this you have to be absolutely honest in your answers. The answers are important because this is what they use in order to generate the results and everything you see shall fit in with your desired criteria.
You will obviously then have to work through the results and pay close attention to the actual details. This is because you shall probably be drawn towards the one that comes with the lowest price but it may not actually be too wise to go ahead and sign up for this.
This is often cheap because the companies leave various things out to lower the price and if you want more extensive cover then it will really cost you a lot of money. You do need to read the fine print because this is the area where you learn what you shall be paying for and can decide if this really does give you the right type of cover.
One thing to always remember is you will not be able to get a quote from every single insurer by this method as some actually decided they did not want to be included in these websites. However all is not lost because you can still call them yourself and at least you have an ideas as to what they current market price is for your type of policy.
It may be the case that you are actually unsure about what to do and for this chat to an expert who will not just try and sell you various policies. Listen to what they tell you and then look at applying their advice when doing the initial search online to try and make sure you then look at policies that match what they advised you on.
So those are very simple points to keep in mind when you are trying to get a new home insurance London policy and they are ones you really should follow. Always therefore remember you have so many companies out there to check out and it then means you are more likely to get a policy that is going to give you the right type of cover and at a premium you are easily able to pay.
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Monday, December 5th, 2011
Often when a real estate broker is selling a HUD home they don’t comprehend there are completely different contracts to fill out. Knowing this is imperative in equipping your buyer with the most efficient contract review process. HUD has specific contracts that are distinctive to your state standard forms.
How Will Your Buyer Be Taking Title? Line Item #2 on the Housing And Urban Development form asks for how your buyer will be holding title. While in the past this often could be left barren until your buyer reconciles, this has changed and the best approach is to analyze this with your buyer prior to submitting your contract and enter in to the agreement how they’ll be holding title. Common ways of holding title can by calling your local title .
Repair Escrows On Line Item #4 This is a commonly misunderstood area. Most agents/buyers think this is how much escrow costs but it has nothing to do with the “escrow” at all. I’ll make it simple. If using FHA financing you’ll need to check the HUDHomeStore website to see if the home you are bidding on requires a repair escrow. Repair escrows are necessary when using FHA financing. Any repairs required under $5000 require a 203b repair escrow. Any repairs required over $5000 are a 203k repair escrow. Now, if you aren’t using FHA financing then the 203b or 203k area doesn’t apply. ONLY if you are using FHA financing do you need to fill this section out. Even if the property has a repair escrow on it and you are using non-FHA financing (conventional, hard money loan, all cash, other) then you need not worry about this section. Check the box “seller is paying cash or applying for conventional or financing not involving FHA” and proceed.
Earnest Money Procedures on Line Item #12. This line is relevant to the processes and rights HUD retains to your EMD when your buyer fails to perform. The most misunderstood part is that there are two lines on which authorized initials are required and those lines are parallel to one another. A typical mistake is found when there are married purchasers, an agent will have one participant initial one and the other on the following line to the right. Wrong. Confusing categories for sure. Correct, no. One is a “buyers initials” line and the other is authorized for HUD’s “authorized agent”. Put both of your buyers initials on the first line reserved for “purchaser”. Squeeze them both in on the one line. I know it stinks but it works….
What are some everyday mistakes you see other newly licensed brokers make?
More about how to be a real estate agent, visit our site for a real estate tutorialtoday.
Tags: customer service, entrepreneurs, ethics, finance, home based business, insurance, investing, leasing, lending, loans, mortgage, property insurance, public relations, real estate, sales Posted in property insurance | No Comments »
Saturday, December 3rd, 2011
I am not a fan of flying. I was, until recently, scared of heights. I don’t know anything about the dynamics of flying other than it seems a bit unconventional for a human but not birds. I do, in fact, love those that have mastered the skill of navigating the wind.
My father died 6 weeks after I was born and I never knew him. But, when I was growing up my mom, who was my idol, always told me, “Take care of the people around you. Be attentive to what their needs are. That is what you father did with me and, since he isn’t here, I think he would want me to share that with you”. When I was growing up I didn’t realize how that would come in to play in my real estate career.
I had a former client that had been referred to me by a mutual friend that was also my former client. This new potential client had a family and two young children (boy and a girl) and he was a bit down on his luck. I went to his house and met with him to discuss listing his house. He proceeded to tell me how his family had hit hard times and he vowed to his wife and two kids, especially the oldest one (a young girl), that they would be okay. It was a typical meeting that didn’t strike me as being too far off the beaten path of any other listing meeting.
Afterwards, he invited me to stay for a cook out. I obliged and hung out with them for a few hours. I watched as the house filled up with families and children from all over the neighborhood. Me, being a single guy and not being accustomed to being around kids, I was nearly at my whits end but, I stuck around to be respectful. And, boy was I glad that I did.
His oldest (about 9 at the time, a girl) came up to me during the the party and said, ‘ Dad said you are going to save us.’ I didn’t know what to say so I said what any single guy with no kids that was terrified would say, ‘Hey, what’s your name.’ She said, ‘My name is Taylor, and I wanna fly. Watch this’. She spread her arms out and pretended like she was flying in to the pool and dove in. We all laughed hysterically. She was a character.
Later, out of curiosity I asked her why she wanted to fly so much. She told me that her grandfather had been a pilot and that he had flown planes from the ‘cotchpits’ before. I told her that we would see what we could do about ‘getting her up in the air some day’.
While this family didn’t want to leave their home and move away it turned out to be the circumstance that benefited them the most. The home sold, they moved in to another home and got on with their lives. After the close of escrow I scheduled a little surprise for them.
They all arrived, unsuspecting. We got in my car and drove about 5 miles to Temecula, CA. As we rolled up to the launch site the kids went crazy. We, along with the guide, launched in to the atmosphere and had so much fun. The smile on that little girls face was priceless. When we landed and were about to leave the little girl came up to me and said, ‘Thank you. You are my hero.” My mom would have been proud.
This gift cost me less than $500 for all 5 of us. When you close your next deal. Think of something unusual. Think of something that will make a lasting impression. Go beyond the call of duty.
They say it takes all kinds to make the world, but I can’t help thinking what a much better world it would be if there were more people like my mom, my client and his family.
Looking to find more unique gifts to give or ecofriendly stationary, then visit www.gettingstartedasarealestateagent.com to see how to outsource real estate tasks efficiently.
Tags: crafts, finance, happiness, holidays, innovation, insurance, leasing, loans, mortgage, motivation, Parenting, property insurance, real estate, success, travel and leisure Posted in property insurance | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011
Last month I uncovered a captivating article on The Wall Street Journal website and a surge of FHA foreclosures are about to hit the market. The article revealed that mortgage default rates were declining for nearly most loan types with the lone exception being FHA types of financing. Those default rates had actually intensified.
Why you may ask? Well, when the market fumbled, the government initiated tax incentives for first time home-buyers and hordes of potential new buyers flooded the market. Many of those consumers were cash strapped therefore most were encouraged to use Federal Housing Administration financing for the low down payment opportunities. And, in countless states, if a buyer used this financing there were programs for $100 down payments. Some states still grant this program while others have abandoned it. My mind began to rattle when I began to think about what actually has taken place over the past couple years.
Here is my evaluation. During 2008-2010 the cash strapped buyers ran towards getting their piece of the American Dream: home ownership. Most of those buyers didn’t consider the probability that they may not have a gainful line of employment in 2 years. While most were poised and ready and could actually afford the 3.5 percent down what they didn’t take in to consideration was that the world economy was going to continue to decline. And, plenty of first time buyers that took advantage of the first time home buyer tax incentive are now in the unemployment line. They are defaulting at an explosive rate.
Plus I hear that the government is going to raise the down payment for FHA types of loans. This is really going to hurt our industry. Federal Housing Administration financing was put in place to assist first time home buyers when purchasing a house by offering low down payments. Raising the minimum down payment for these types of loans will put the home out of reach for nearly all new prospective home buyers. It is truly a tragedy in the making. While one person’s catastrophe is another man’s opportunity this will open many new opportunities for real estate investors. Essentially, less competition in the market place will prepare investors to swoop in and pick up top notch deals on homes.
I’m really not sure how all of this is going to shake out in the near future but I can promise you that we are in uncharted waters. My best guess is that troubling times are imminent. If the first time home buyers that purchased homes between 2008-2010 and used fha financing continue defaulting there is going to be a tidal wave of FHA foreclosures coming on the market. This will amplify the inventory of HUD owned homes coming on the market place. I’m guessing HUD will slowly make available these homes a little bit at a time as they won’t be in any hurry to sell. IF they did rush it then it would crash the market. So, look for HUD sales to be the forerunner in real estate sales of the future. No doubt about it!
More about how to be a real estate agent, visit our site for a HUD 9548today.
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Monday, November 28th, 2011
With an impact of foreclosures appearing on the market in the next few years it has never been more formidable to have information about the HUD 9548 contract. Most licensed agents despise HUD sales. Professional analysts are predicting default rates in the sequential years will be higher than every one we have ever seen ever since lending started. Why will this touch upon HUD inventory? Because many loans created from 2005-2009 were fha backed, new home buyer loans. Scores of those loans will soon be foreclosed upon. Subsequently the appraisal of those homes will now be lower and in the FHA lending range thresholds. New home buyers will be possessed to once again dare to achieve the American Dream. Why does that matter? Read on.
Think about his. When the foreclosure crash initiated in 2005 buyers were running panicked and the “then” current home owners were panicking. What most didn’t consider was that there were anxious, potential home buyers waiting in the wings that had been saving for years to buy a home. And, nationwide, they signed up quickly to get a home…tens of thousands.
Fast forward two years to 07. Market in a downtrend. Home prices descending. Anxious, new buyers securing loans and homes. Then, the Feds enact a first time home buyer tax credit and some states followed suit by offering state tax credits as well that continued on through 2010. Another buying explosion.
Why does this matter at this time? Because many banks love fha insured lending as their loan, to a certain percentage, is guaranteed against default and, predatory lending was still happening in 07. The government hadn’t regulated these clowns. So, since the tax credits were offered, many persuadable, first time buyers were signing up to get a loan and new home for whatever price and, no matter what the cost. Most of those loans were 3/1 and 5/1 ARM’s. So, 2007 until 2010 =’s 3 years and then default. Boom! Another crisis is looming.
While those buyers were motivated, almost all bought because of the tax credits offered and minimal down payment. Most buyers didn’t consider that home prices were crumbling and the country was about to enter a deep, multi-year recession. They were just in love with the American Dream. Well, scores of those buyers lost their jobs in the past couple of years and have now depleted their saving and are now falling behind on their loans.
Let’s be honest, in our opinion, FHA borrowers/first time home buyers, for the most part, are cash strapped. With a double dip recession on the horizon all of these fha borrowers have received an NOD and are on the verge of officially defaulting. Tons of excited, new home owners from 2007 are now in a state of nervousness trying to preserve their home. The proper procedures weren’t in place. Another crisis is upon us. We tried to solve a problem with a problem.
So, why is it more important now than ever before to have knowledge of hud home sales and how to efficiently close these transactions? It is because FHA/HUD homes are now going to be the norm in the market place. Previously, home prices were inflated tremendously and many were out of the fha lending thresholds. Not true any more. When getting started as a new real estate agent you need to understand every dynamic associated with the Housing and Urban Development procedures and also the Federal Housing Administration lending. If you learn these simple procedures now and master them you’ll never will have a problem with getting an offer accepted or closed.
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Tags: customer service, entrepreneurs, ethics, finance, home based business, insurance, investing, leasing, lending, loans, mortgage, property insurance, public relations, real estate, sales Posted in property insurance | No Comments »
Monday, November 28th, 2011
Life insurance is considered the most significant acquisitions that all of us will make in our lives. It isn’t something that we think about all that frequently, specifically seeing that no one really like to think about our mortality; on the other hand, an insurance policy can do above just about anything else to help give you comfort.
We all want to ensure that the people they love are cared for and when you die, that’s exactly what insurance plan is about. It offers your beneficiaries with the financial security they will need to cover household obligations if you should perish - it will also defray funeral expenses, unsettled bills put aside right after your death as well as other essentials.
Life insurance coverage might not be a thing that anybody is particularly psyched about searching for, given it has typically been a thing of a chore, at least if you desired to get the best possible cost on your insurance policy. In order to truly look around for your insurance, you’ll have to spend hour after hour on the phone or heading to insurance agents’ offices to have details of their insurance policies and insurance quotes.
It’s easier today to find a life insurance policy which matches to your spending budget while offering the coverage you need than it was in the past, however. Rather than visiting any local insurance agent’s office or call one insurance provider after another, you can use the internet and acquire information you will need.
Before starting shopping for insurance quotations, you will need to figure out what sort of insurance policy you need. Based on your budget, your family’s monetary circumstances as well as other variables, either complete life insurance or term life insurance might be a better option for your needs.
Term life is basic coverage for a limited time (typically 10, 20 or 30 years) and is frequently affordable, while a complete life policy will cost you more, but is likewise an investment venue that creates in value after a while - and as you’d anticipate from the name, the coverage will last for the entire life and doesn’t need to be renewed. As long as you carry on and pay your monthly premiums, you’ll end up covered for lifetime.
You can choose to go straight to insurance company websites to find out more with regards to their insurance plans or maybe you can use insurance comparison web sites so that you can assess the prices of life plans from different insurance companies. Once you know what sort of insurance plan you are considering, these comparison tools are definitely the simplest way to limit your choices to the best few firms and create your final choice.
By completing one brief online form, you can get quotations coming from number of different firms, contact them for the details and make an educated option about the best purchases you could make in the future of your loved ones and your own peace of mind.
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Sunday, November 27th, 2011
According to statistics, 25% of all HUD offers submitted get canceled due to real estate agents crudely filling out the contract or missing a deadline for an extension. Why is this? How are you going to answer to your prospect that they did not get their ideal residence because you, as their licensed real estate agent, didn’t know the procedures?
Nationally, the Housing And Urban Development processes aren’t covered by any real estate guide currently offered. Here is some of what you need to know. Most licensed real estate agents don’t realize that the HUD bidding and contract process is completely opposite from your standard real estate transaction. we have had real estate agents email their state contracts when submitting a proposal when, in fact, all the HUD bidding is done online. HUD deals aren’t difficult. They just require a little extra attention to detail and you must be well versed in how to not only fill them out but also be aware when certain deadlines are and what forms are required by HUD to be presented.
Why HUD repo sales are the new gold standard for opportunities. Statistic: About 9.1 % of FHA borrowers had ignored at least 3 payments as of December 2009, up from 6.5 % in 2008, the agency’s figures account for. The FHA does not make loans but insures lenders against losses. And claims have already elevated. The agency had to pay out on 47 % more loans in October and November 2009 than in the corresponding period a year preceding, according to an FHA probe. The year 2010 will be even higher according to some statistics.
Why are Housing And Urban Development transactions the new Gold Standard for realtors? 2 reasons:
* The banks engaged unfit, untrained Robo-Sign’ers to speed up foreclosures through the system. Trends show lawsuits are developing for these deals with attorneys jumping on the bandwagon to represent the former homeowner that was foreclosed upon and those lawyers are asking “Who really owned the note?” Former owners are suing the institutions, the title company, the lender, escrow and even the new current owner and their agent. Why does this matter? Because we are in uncharted air space and for years to come no bank selling an reo will be able to ensure that their property has a clear and marketable title. Be cautious of dealing with an reo as you may find yourself in legal procedures for years to come.
* Housing and Urban Development assures a clean and marketable title. How? Because all FHA insured lenders have been paid, Federal Housing Administration repossessed the property and contracted hud to re-list the property. And, simply, because they are the federal government and, you have to ask to sue the federal government. The title company contracted by HUD is insuring the interest of the federal government. Need we say more?
As it stands, more of the properties on the market are HUD homes. It’s never been as necessary as now for agents to effectively execute and understand all HUD procedures.
More about how to be a real estate agent, visit our site for a HUD 9548today.
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Sunday, November 27th, 2011
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Wanna get started as a real estate agent or broker? numerous feel that getting their real estate certificate will provide a sure financial destiny when, in actuality, getting your certificate is the first action in a very far-reaching process towards financial liberation.
While real estate is an intriguing profession there is ever so much work ahead once you get your certificate. Practically with all online or classroom real estate academy training courses there is little schooling applying to real world experiences that you will stumble upon. While each state has assorted requirements almost every real estate academy has the same basic knowledge. In reality, there are minimum courses nationwide that encompass even the basics of how to fill out your state mandated residential purchase agreement. Why is it that the Department of Real Estate expects new real estate agents to be able to successfully finish up a business deal when the basics aren’t even covered? This doesn’t have to be like that.
Whilst each state has different forms there is one legal purchase document that is the same throughout the US no matter where you reside: the HUD-9548 contract contract. And, that form seems to be the one that is the most misinterpreted.
First, let me dispel a myth: HUD owned homes are not lower income housing. HUD homes are one to four unit housing that had an FHA insured loan. Simply put, HUD owned properties can be a single family residence, a duplex, triplex or quadplex. The loan maximums for these homes in Los Angeles County California are as follows: single family residence-$729,750, two-family-$934,200, three-family-$1,129,250, four-family-$1,403,400. So, you can see that a nice residence can be purchased in those price ranges. Many newly licensed agents and brokers turn away HUD home sales from their efforts and that is not a tactical decision. Many licensed agents are overlooking profitable sales that could expand their bottom line tremendously but simply don’t take advantage of these sales because they aren’t familiar with the HUD process. By simply marketing an additional three to six HUD homes per year one can increase their revenue immensely. Nationwide, no real estate academy will educate you through the HUD 9548 contract and teach how to competently execute the contract. Until now.
While the HUD 9548 contract is the same all over the U.S.A. few realtors take the time to understand how to properly execute these contracts as many are focused on short-sales or bank owned REO’s. Never again make that mistake and exclude this opportunity of a life time.
More about how to be a real estate agent, visit our site for a real estate tutorialtoday.
Tags: customer service, entrepreneurs, ethics, finance, home based business, insurance, investing, leasing, lending, loans, mortgage, property insurance, public relations, real estate, sales Posted in property insurance | No Comments »
Friday, November 25th, 2011
Are you stuck in the rut of having an office phone, cell phone, a fax line and a cell phone? Well, the days of having a home phone are going by the wayside and becoming an extinct dinosaur. And, not far behind that is the traditional office fax line and office phone.
When I started in real estate investing I worked for a guy that refused to give up his fax machine. I would walk in his office and see fax paper all over the place. He would constantly be looking for a document someone had sent him. I never got that guy moved in the “the real world” and he is probably still using a 1985 fax machine to this day.
Let’s fact it; we are all on our cell phones these days and rarely are they more than 3-5 feet away from us. So, why not just combine all of your voice and fax communication in to one device? It is here and has been for years unless you’ve been hiding under a rock.
We’ve been using Ringcentral for well over two years now. Initially, the dashboard was a bit confusing and frustrating. However, once we over came the initial learning curve we were well on our way. Their customer service is excellent. When I have called them I have received an email or return phone call within the hour.
There are a lot of cloud based business phone systems out there but we have only used Ringcentral and have never had a problem with their service.
If you don’t know what e-Voice / Cloud phone systems are then you definitely need to check RC out. There are many features with RC but the one that I like the best is that they send an email every time someone calls and also when someone leaves a message. So, you get two notifications via email when some calls. Good to have when often times some buyers are hesitant to leave a message. We’ve picked up a couple extra sales by calling back the numbers that didn’t leave a message. Good to have.
Also, you can set up what we call “Round Robin”. From within the RC dashboard you can have the service rotate the calls to different agents so that no one person gets all the great leads. And, that also eliminates the need to have a receptionist answer your phone. You basically just put it on round robin and, let’s say if you have 6 agents, if one is busy and doesn’t answer it just rolls over to the next person. And, you can set it for how many times it rings to each person before rolling over to the next.
For the tech-savvy agent you can also embed a button in your email that will allow a potential buyer to click on that button and it will dial you up direct from their computer or cell. Pretty cool feature. We don’t use that feature any longer as we were getting overwhelmed with calls. Now we just include our number on all of our mailers and advertisements. But, you can configure that within your outgoing email provider.
They also offer fax lines as well and their plans vary according to your office size/number of numbers/agents/etc. Every feature that you can imagine is offer for the mobile device as well.
Since we have streamlines our operation with E-voice/Cloud based phone communication we have noticed an upswing in productivity.
Looking to read more e-voice-reviews, then visit www.gettingstartedasarealestateagent.com to find the best advice on e-voice-review-ringcentral for your real estate needs.
Tags: cloud computing, entrepreneurs, finance, insurance, leasing, loans, mortgage, online business, online marketing, property insurance, real estate, small business, VOIP Posted in property insurance | No Comments »
Thursday, November 24th, 2011
As you enter your real estate career, you may be amazed what it takes to get going in the right direction as you are getting started. Just knowing enough to pass the state licensing examination isn’t enough. Many rich licensed brokers and agents attribute their prosperity to determination, superior training and mentoring. This will come in the form of resourceful books on the web, participating in training seminars and, above all, practicing at a friendly office willing to disseminate leads and share their knowledge with you.
Most licensed agents and brokers assume to earn thousands of dollars their first year. While it is possible, it is unlikely unless you have good mentoring and teaching materials. Since it takes time to produce a clientel to get listings there is one specific type of listing you can present as your own: HUD Owned Homes. Anyone can show, sell or advertise a hud-owned home.
HUD owned homes can initiate a nice earned income for new and experienced brokers. While in the old national HUD contract they offered a 5% commission that has now been decreased to 3% which is still pretty decent.
Many affordable hud deals peter out on the market because new and experienced real estate agents don’t seize the HUD sales process. Just getting started as a real estate agent is rough so don’t throw away hud sales from your portfolio. As others are ignoring them, you can excel with them.
An additional thing you can do is look in to a hud agent training open discussion or seminar. Most are offered every month throughout the US. Check with your local realtor’s association for class times. If you can’t attend then visit our site below and you can download a free e-book for bidding strategies and learn more info at our real estate academy.
More about how to be a real estate agent, visit our site for a real estate tutorialtoday.
Tags: customer service, entrepreneurs, ethics, finance, home based business, insurance, investing, leasing, lending, loans, mortgage, property insurance, public relations, real estate, sales Posted in property insurance | No Comments »
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