AGING GRACEFULLY IN PLACE Part II.
By Erin Vostilal When my mother decided to remodel her home and add a second story, I was able to convince her to take some simple steps now so that she can plan to age in place, in her own home. Some easy updates now would make her home elegant and comfortable for an able-bodied [...]
The Homes That Love Built
By Susan Motander The San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity turned keys over to four families on Saturday at the dedication of their new homes on Sherman Avenue in Monrovia. In giving the Invocation, Reverend Gregory Douglass of the Monrovia United Methodist Church, called the homes “A place to be a family.” Douglass had himself [...]
Even with Owner Financing, Low Credit Scores Will Wipe Out Opportunities
I’m just about to close a note deal where the Buyer’s / Payor’s credit score is below 600. Ouch. Why can I even work with this? (Normally this would be a note I couldn’t even consider buying). Because there was a 10% down payment, there is almost 3 years of seasoning (the buyer has been [...]
“If You Don’t Buy a House Now, You’re Stupid or Broke”
This was the title of an article that ran in Business Week a few weeks back. Sounds harsh, but it got your attention, didn’t it? He said: “What I’m trying to impress upon everyone is that if you are planning on being a homeowner now and/or in the foreseeable future . . . then pay [...]
Large Banks Accused of Short Sale Fraud
Jeremy Brandt is the CEO of companies like 1800CashOffer, HomeFlux.com and FastHomeOffer.com . . . all companies that bring lots of distressed sellers, investors and short sale agents together. Over the past several months he’s been receiving all kinds of questions and complaints from his short sale agents about trouble with second lien holders. Read [...]
Century 21 Village’s Linda Johnson Earns SFR Certification
Andy Bencosme, Managing Broker at CENTURY 21 Village Inc. recently congratulated Linda Johnson, veteran real estate agent for her new certification of SFR (Short sales And Foreclosure Resource.) Johnson has been with Village her entire career with Village has helped buyers & sellers not only in the foothill communities but also the outlying areas. [...]
Local Attorney Plans to Beat Market with Owner Financing
As many of my business dealings are across the country as a note broker and consultant, I really enjoy the opportunity to network with local sellers and real estate professionals when I get the chance. There’s a real estate broker in Whittier that runs a traditional sales business, but also runs a tightly knit real [...]
Avoid the 7 Deadly Mistakes Sellers Make When They Carry Paper (VII of VII)
Deadly Mistake #7: Don’t keep a careful accounting of the note payments you receive Let’s pretend that you have a nice juicy note you’re trying to sell . . . you got a 20% down payment from a buyer who had a 700 FICO, the loan amount was $100,000 at 12% interest. Fully amortized over [...]
Avoid the 7 Deadly Mistakes Sellers Make When They Carry Paper (VI of VII)
Deadly Mistake #6: Fail to include a provision for late payments and a due on sale clause in your note. A couple I talked to recently had a one year old note that they were trying to sell. Not only were the terms of the note difficult to understand, but it failed to include a [...]
Avoid the 7 Deadly Mistakes Sellers Make When They Carry Paper (V of VII)
Deadly Mistake #5: Create a short-term balloon Because of the Time Value of Money (TVM), which says that money to be received sooner is more valuable than money to be received later, it can seem like putting in a 5 year balloon is a good thing. No need to wait 30 long years for payoff, [...]
