Welcome Back Readers! Thanks for stopping by, I wanted to pass on a little info about a scam that has been happening across the internet, as always if something sounds to good to be true it probably is a scam.
If you think Nigerian Bankers are the only ones out there scamming people, I have news of a new (well not new but it’s becoming more widely used) scam involving craigslist and real estate rentals. (read on to find out more)
Welcome Back Readers! It’s been a hugely busy month for me in real estate, with the end of the Federal Tax Credit for Homebuyers the Lancaster County real estate market has warmed up with the spring! Even as we close the door on the tax credit, there are many, many other incentives still available for buyers though as we proceed through summer.
For example, I wrote a post a few months ago about Fannie Mae offering 3.5% closing costs assistance/appliance credits for buyers. Due to the popularity of this program (according to Fannie Mae that is), they have extended the program through June!
Click through the “Read More” link after the jump for all the details!
Welcome Back Readers! Or should I say viewers? This is the first of many video blog posts on www.TheLancasterConnection.com . I’m excited about being able to bring you this content in a way that is relevant and timely but don’t worry, there will be more than just video posts to keep you up to date on what’s happening in real estate and the rest of Lancaster County, as we’ll still have all of your favorite guest authors as well!
This week, I wanted to talk to you about snow and ice. Not just any snow, but huge amounts of snow and ice we had that according to NAR is bringing the national housing market to a halt. Or is it?
Watch the video after the jump to see what I am talking about and why the thought that snow is stopping home sales anywhere in the nation is just WRONG! Oh, and that italian ice there in the picture? You’ll see why that’s there in the video too.
Welcome Back Readers! I wrote this article a little over a year ago and thought it would be worthwhile to refresh it and repost. Why? Well, here in Lancaster Pennsylvania we are in much better shape than many other areas, we do not have, and should not expect, a flood of foreclosures. That being said, foreclosure is the reality many homeowners are currently facing and the majority of them do not understand the process. First and foremost, this article is not in any way considered to be, or offered as, legal advice. I am not an attorney and all homeowners with specific questions about the foreclosure process should consult with an attorney. With that being said, I am going to lay out in simple terms just what to expect in the process. Let’s get started, read on after the jump for more!
Welcome Back Readers! It’s been a busy month in real estate, so many things happening both locally and nationally it seems everyday there is something new! That’s actually the becoming the normal state of affairs nowadays and I don’t mind as it gives me lots of things to write about!
I wanted to let you know about a program announced today by Fannie Mae. Fannie Mae has a little problem, namely 50,000 homes they now own through the foreclosure process and they are looking to move them. You can see a list of what’s there at www.homepath.com (there are 19 Fannie Mae Foreclosures in Lancaster County Pa as of today).
That’s not the announcement though, the announcement is that Fannie Mae is now offering 3.5 % of the home’s purchase price as an incentive to buyers! Read on after the jump to find out more!
Welcome Back Readers! I put up a post the yesterday about how FHA has recently changed their policies to allow loan modifications for qualifying borrowers before they miss a payment . This is a great policy and I sincerely hope it will help more people stay in their homes. The problem though is that in many cases it won’t. Loan modifications nationwide are failing to help avoid foreclosures. Why is that? What does it have to do with Tribbles again? Read on after the jump to find out!
Welcome Back Readers! It was a busy week last week in the real estate world, the Lancaster County PA Real Estate Market is moving quickly. I apologize for the shortage of posts recently due to this but you can expect a little more consistency in the coming weeks. I wanted to start of this week with a nice change announced by HUD last Friday.
Until HUD made this change to the rules for FHA loans, in order to qualify for a loan modification, struggling homeowners had to actually MISS payments. So, if you knew you were going to be in torouble, you had to let it happen before you were eligible for loss mitigation. Check out the release from HUD on the details of the program.
The complete press release from HUD is after the jump
Welcome Back Readers!
I apologize in advance for the negative tone of this post, but it is information that people who plan on buying this year need to have. Let me start with this: There are many solutions available to FHA’s problems, and there are other programs that allow cash poor buyers to still purchase homes. It is not the end of the world, FHA is still a fine program, but I have an issue with their changes not offering a solution to their problem.
Call me if you want to find out how low money down programs can still benefit you, in the meantime please be aware of the following info.
FHA has announced policy changes today that will potentially have a negative impact on the housing market. Read on after the jump to see excerpts from a release by NAR:
Waiting. Sometimes a wise strategy, sometimes a foolish one. When it comes to home buying, waiting will surely cost you. There are a number of reasons why, but before I go into that, let’s get one thing clear…. if you aren’t in a positions to buy, if you truly can’t afford it, don’t do it. But if you are unsure, if you are “thinking about it”, if you are planning to “start looking” in a few months, you need to hop off the fence and start now. Waiting is a mistake. Here’s why:
… and he plans to use it to take out the US Housing Market!
I know, very dramatic. Maybe even a little uncalled for. On the other hand, there is really no other way to describe how potentially dangerous the policy changes that HUD Secretary Donovan is proposing this week. What are those changes?
