Homebuyer and homeowner spring tips are best gathered by using the “search” option on your phone or home computer. For homebuyers, you might be reminded that surface beauty does not necessarily mean a well constructed home! Make sure, if you represent yourself, that you order a home inspection and a pest report (they are not…

The Federal Reserve (the Fed), led by Jerome Powell will decide tomorrow (4/10/24) whether they will lower interest rates further to help boost the economy. Trouble for the Fed though, is the economy, at least with the numbers they are reporting, seems to be doing quite well for itself! You may not feel that way,…

New conforming loan amounts rise and are live today! Conforming loan amounts rise for 2024 and they went up more than expected! Now, if necessary, a purchaser or refinancer, can borrow up to $766,550 on a single family residence and still remain below Jumbo loan status! 2-units have been raised to $981,500, 3-units $1,186,350 and…

Help is on the way for 2-4 Unit buyers! 2-4 Units LTV reach 95 percent!  Owner occupied 2-4 Unit residences have been stuck at lower LTV’s (loan to value) for as long as I can remember. That is changing as of November 18th of 2023. At that time, Fannie Mae will accept loans for primary…

Lenders are not waiting until the new conforming loan limits are official, as one has bumped up the conforming limit on single family residences to $750,000! That means you could borrow $23,800 more right now than you could at any other time this year and still have a conforming loan. That will come in handy…

The Fed (Federal Reserve) has kept rates the same in their latest meeting. No up, no down…so what does this mean for you and me? Well, since they at least hinted that they might raise rates again at their next meeting, then the obvious action to take is do your purchasing or refinancing now, not…

Thinking Points!  What goes up, must come down!  The reverse is true as well.  Remember the Covid-19 years?  Mortgage rates hit all-time lows and stayed that way longer than they should have.  This created the need to raise rates rapidly to cool down the economy.  It should have never come to that, but it seems…

Pre-qualifying for a home loan is always a smart thing to do, but today’s real estate market makes it even more important. Pre-qualifying for a real estate loan in a buyer’s market is wise, but not as necessary, because you are likely to be the only person making an offer on the home. But today,…

Make sure you put out your flag for Veterans Day today!  As the old saying goes, “If you love freedom, thank a veteran!”.  Veterans Day is the perfect time to bring out Charles M. Province’s poem, “It is the Soldier,”:  It is the Soldier, not the minister, Who has given us freedom of religion. It is the Soldier,…

Spent the day yesterday with a Napa realtor.  He told a story of a couple he represented that wanted to buy a home in Napa during the recent time period where multiple offers were the norm.  In a nutshell, and against his advice, the couple he represented did not give their final and best offer…