Buying a House: Is Now the Time?

I’ve been saying it for the last 3 months, NOW is the time to buy. 

This is a great article by the KCM crew. 

The real estate community is often criticized for always seeming to have a Pollyanna attitude about the housing market. Many believe that the industry’s current call ‘to buy now’ is nothing more than a scare tactic with the sole purpose of creating more commissions for the industry. Let’s take a look at whether or not that advice was good advice over the last year.

The ‘cost’ of a home is determined by two major components: the price of the home and the current mortgage rate. According to the most recent Case-Shiller Home Pricing Index, home values have risen over 10% in the last year. If we look at Freddie Mac’sWeekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey®, the 30 year mortgage rate has increased from 3.67% to 3.91% during that same period.

The table below compares the cost of the same exact house over the last twelve months:

We can see that the advice to buy a year ago made complete financial sense.

What About Moving Forward?

Most experts are not only calling for prices to continue to rise but are also upgrading their projections as the housing market is showing strong signs of recovering.

Regarding interest rates, the 30 year mortgage rate has soared by over a half point already this year and many believe that the increases will continue. Even those trying to be the voice of reason on this issue are projecting higher rates. For example, Polyana da Costa, senior mortgage analyst at Bankrate.com said:

“Rates are unlikely to keep going up so quickly and should remain below 5 percent.”

Bottom Line

The next time a real estate professional says that now is the time to buy they may not be giving you a ‘sales pitch’. They may be giving you nothing but excellent advice.

To read full article go here

By the way, be sure to ask about our Homes for Heroes program!

If you or anyone you know is a TEACHER, ALL MILITARY, FIREFIGHTER, POLICE, CORRECTIONS, NURSE, DOCTOR, DENTIST, MEDICAL ASSISTANT, CNA, Etc, you may qualify for our Homes for Heroes program!

You can reach me, Travis Newton, Homes for Heroes Mortgage Lender Affiliate in Salem Oregon at 503.931.4490 or on the Oregon Homes For Heroes Facebook page.

 

Why Waiting To Buy Is A Mistake

Here’s a great Infographic from the KCM Blog (Keeping Current Matters) 

If you are looking to buy a home, now is the time. That same home 3 months from now may end up costing you over $100 more per month than it does today! Act NOW!

 

Be sure to ask about our Homes for Heroes program!

If you or anyone you know is a TEACHER, ALL MILITARY, FIREFIGHTER, POLICE, CORRECTIONS, NURSE, DOCTOR, DENTIST, MEDICAL ASSISTANT, CNA, Etc, you may qualify for our Homes for Heroes program!

You can reach me, Travis Newton, Homes for Heroes Mortgage Lender Affiliate in Salem Oregon at 503.931.4490 or on the Oregon Homes For Heroes Facebook page.

 

Homes For Heroes Honors National Police Officer Week

 

ABOUT NATIONAL POLICE WEEK

The Memorial Service began in 1982 as a gathering in Senate Park of approximately 120 survivors and supporters of law enforcement. Decades later, the event, more commonly known as National Police Week, has grown to a series of events which attracts thousands of survivors and law enforcement officers to our Nation’s Capital each year.In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15th as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week. Currently, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on Washington, DC to participate in a number of planned events which honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

The National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service, which is sponsored by the Grand Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police, is one in a series of events which includes the Candlelight Vigil, which is sponsored by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) and seminars sponsored by Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.)

National Police Week draws in between 25,000 to 40,000 attendees. The attendees come from departments throughout the United States as well as from agencies throughout the world. This provides a unique opportunity to meet others that share a common brotherhood. In that spirit, the Fraternal Order of Police DC Lodge #1 sponsors receptions each afternoon and evening during Police Week. These events are open to all law enforcement personnel and are an experience unlike any other.

Mortgages for Law Enforcement?

Yes, the HOMES FOR HEROES Program is available for all Law Enforcement Personnel, Police Officers, Sheriff Officers, State Troopers, Case workers, Corrections and Parole Offices, District Attorney’s, Child Welfare Workers, and many more.

What is Homes For Heroes?

Our mission is to provide extraordinary service and savings to local heroes who provide extraordinary services to our community every day.

Homes for Heroes® is a company that affiliates with Realtors®, Lenders and other real estate-related service providers who offer amazing service to the Heroes, such as Police Officers who serve our nation and its communities every day. Our Heroes include military personnel, firefighters, law enforcement officers and ALL others who make our communities a better place to live.

This program was created after the tragic events of 9/11 as a “Thank you” to the men and women who have given so much. Heroes across the country register on our website every day looking for the savings. We match them with Homes for Heroes® Affiliates in their local area.

If you are a Police Officer, or know someone who is, we can help!

You can also reach Travis Newton, Lender Affiliate in Oregon at 503.931.4490 or on the Oregon Homes For Heroes Facebook page.

 

National HOMES For HEROES Day!

 

Today is National Homes for Heroes day. To honor this wonderful program, I wanted to give a little background on how it all started.

Homes for Heroes®, The Company

Our mission is to provide extraordinary savings to local heroes who provide extraordinary services to our community every day.

Homes for Heroes® is a company that affiliates with Realtors®, lenders and other real estate-related service providers who offer substantial rebates and discounts to the Heroes who serve our nation and its communities every day. Our Heroes include All Military personnel, Firefighters, Law enforcement officers, Doctors, Nurses, First Responders, Teachers and others who make our communities a better place to live.

This program was created after the tragic events of 9/11 as a “Thank you” to the men and women who have given so much. Heroes across the country register on our website every day looking for the savings. We match them with Homes for Heroes® Affiliates in their area. Homes for Heroes® is now expanding its discounts beyond the home buying and selling process with our Friends of Heroes® program.

Service Deserves Its Rewards®

Homes for Heroes® is here to say “Thank you!”

To date, the Homes for Heroes program has saved our Heroes over $2.4 Million dollars! To find out how much we can save you, call us at 503.931.4490.

 

If you or anyone you know is a TEACHER, ALL MILITARY, FIREFIGHTER, POLICE, CORRECTIONS, NURSE, DOCTOR, DENTIST, MEDICAL ASSISTANT, CNA, Etc, you may qualify for our Homes for Heroes program!

You can reach me, Travis Newton, Homes for Heroes Mortgage Lender Affiliate in Salem Oregon at 503.931.4490 or on the Oregon Homes For Heroes Facebook page.

 

Homes For Heroes Honors Teachers Week

Happy Teachers Week!

National Teachers Week: History

The National Education Association describes National Teacher Day as “a day for honoring teachers and recognizing the lasting contributions they make to our lives”.
The NEA gives a history of National Teacher Day: The origins of Teacher Day are murky. Around 1944 Wisconsin teacher Ryan Krug began corresponding with political and education leaders about the need for a national day to honor teachers. Woodbridge wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt who in 1953 persuaded the 81st Congress to proclaim a National Teacher Day. NEA along with its Kansas and Indiana state affiliates and the Dodge City (Kan. ) local lobbied Congress to create a national day celebrating teachers. Congress declared March 7, 1980, as National Teacher Day for that year only. NEA and its affiliates continued to observe Teacher Day on the first Tuesday in March until 1985, when the National PTA established Teacher Appreciation Week as the first full week of May. The NEA Representative Assembly then voted to make the Tuesday of that week National Teacher Day.

What can Homes for Heroes do for a Teacher?

Contrary to popular belief, mortgage loans for teachers are the same loans available for police officers, firefighters, municipal workers, laborers, office workers and people in any other profession. There is no special mortgage loan designed specifically for teachers. A mortgage loan is used to finance the purchase of a home and has its own terms, conditions, rates and payment schedule. A teacher who applies for a home mortgage loan should be careful not to be lured by a promise for a special “mortgage loan for teachers” when such a loan product does not exist.

With that said, a Teacher, or anyone who works in the education field, may qualify for the HOMES FOR HEROES Program It is truly designed to save money for our Heroes! Yes, if you are a Teacher….you are a HERO! Give us a call at 503.931.4490. We can help!

The Homes For Heroes Program is not a loan, but it can be used in tandem with any loan type you’d like, VA, USDA, Conventional or FHA. For more info, please click HERE.

 

Best 18 Ways To Get Your Home Ready To Sell!

I came across this great article by Charlene Storozuk and wanted to share it with you.

The busy spring market will be upon us before you know it, so here are some tips for getting the exterior of your home shipshape:

1. Remove glass from light fixtures and take out any little critters that may have found a home over the winter.  Be sure to use glass cleaner on the panes before replacing them in your fixtures.

2. Clean your mailbox.  If it hasn’t weathered well over the winter, it’s probably time to replace it.

3. Clean and polish, if necessary, your front door’s hardware. Replace it as well if necessary.

4. Check your house numbers.  Are they still in good shape and visible from the street?  If not, replace them.

5. Wash down your front door and garage door.  If you find that the previous summer’s sun has faded the paint, consider repainting.  (Your garage door should be painted a color that blends in with the brick or vinyl siding on your home.) Before painting, check with the paint manufacturer to see what the optimal outdoor temperature should be. You don’t want to paint when it’s still too cold outside.

6. Wash the windows.  If this isn’t your strong suit, hire a professional.

7. Hose down the porch and driveway to remove any excess salt left over from de-icing.

8. Sweep the porch, driveway and patio to get rid of any rogue leaves etc. left over from the fall.

9. Check your porch, driveway, and patio for any cracking or lifting of patio stones that may have taken place during a deep freeze.

10. Check your roof to make sure no shingles are missing or were damaged during the winter. For the rest of the article, click HERE

To get Pre-Approved for your New Home contact me at 503.931.4490.

If you are a TEACHER, MILITARY, FIREFIGHTER, POLICE, CORRECTIONS, NURSE, DOCTOR, DENTIST MEDICAL ASSISTANT, CNA, Etc, you may qualify for the Homes for Heroes program!

You can reach me, Travis Newton, Homes for Heroes Mortgage Lender Affiliate in Salem Oregon at 503.931.4490 or on the Oregon Homes For Heroes Facebook page.

 

Remodeling? Here’s the best bets for Return on Investment.

Here is a cool info-graphic on the top 10 home improvement projects. These are the ones that will yield the greatest return on investment.

Do you need help pulling money out of your equity to do a remodel? We can help, give us a call!

You can reach me, Travis Newton, Homes for Heroes Mortgage Lender Affiliate in Salem Oregon at 503.931.4490 or on the Oregon Homes For Heroes Facebook page.

 

 

USDA News……and it’s GOOD!

 

We just received some great news from USDA! For those of you who don’t know, USDA is a loan program available in Rural areas with a ZERO down payment. 

I just received the following:

Our National Office has advised that on March 26, 2013, the President signed the “Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013” (the FY 2013 Appropriations Act).  This Act extends the authorities and limitations of the FY 2012 Appropriations Act for the Implementation of 2010 Census Data for Rural Development Programs.  Rural Housing Service (RHS) housing programs (Single Family Housing and Multi-Family Housing Programs) pursuant to the Housing Act of 1949.  Therefore, RD will defer transition to the 2010 census information for these RHS housing programs until the expiration of the FY 2013 Appropriations Act on September 30, 2013. 

 For RHS housing programs, the transition is deferred through the current fiscal year.  Until that time, and unless specifically directed otherwise, the RHS housing programs are instructed to use the date from the 2000 Decennial Census for program eligibility purposes. 

In other words:  Any areas that are currently eligible will remain eligible through September 30, 2013 or until specifically directed otherwise. 

This is fantastic news for Sherwood, Woodburn, Newberg, Wilsonville, Klamath Falls and a few other rural communities! 

If you would like to learn more about this wonderful ZERO down loan program,  contact us today at 503.931.4490.

You can reach me, Travis Newton, Mortgage Lender Affiliate in Salem Oregon at 503.931.4490 or on the Oregon Homes For Heroes Facebook page.