26.5-Year Mortgages for First Time Buyers
First time buyers who purchase before December 1 of this year will be eligible for an $8,000 tax credit. While there are many things a first time buyer could do with that…
Fannie Mae empowers real estate investors!
Fannie Mae's current policies don't allow an investor to finance any more than four properties backed by Fannie Mae. Thus, if you own the home you live in, you could only…
Rent vs Own in Harrisonburg
A common question I am asked is how costs compare in buying versus renting a "starter townhouse" in Harrisonburg. This changes over time, but here's how the costs compare…
However unreasonable, I expect perfection from lenders!
Buying a home is a big deal, and a huge part of the process is finding and securing financing for that purchase. Thus, it is essential that your lender does their job…
What a difference a low interest rate can make!
Some of the agents in my office remember when interest rates were as high as 15% for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage. Wow! Who could afford to buy at those rates!? Today's…
Buying and selling in this real estate market
As featured in the December Shenandoah Valley Business Journal... Absent hard data on the local real estate market, we could make erroneous assumptions by listening to…
National average rates at 5.17%, local rates at 4.875%
As I mentioned a few days ago, low interest rates are helping people in this area cut down their monthly housing costs. And yet interest rates keep falling further…
Search for real estate deals using NEW Price Per SF tool
Several exciting upgrades to my web site have been in the works, the first a convenient mortgage calculator, and now we have added the ability to search by price per…
Current (Incredibly low) interest rates can make a significant difference in a monthly budget!
Here's an insightful article from yesterday's Daily News Record that uses a local example to show what a significant impact current interest rates can have on a family…
Money is cheap! Interest rates keep heading down!
Interest rates keep going down --- the Daily News Record reports today that they're down to around 5.375% for a conventional 30-year fixed rate mortgage. If you're…
Banks eager for short sales!?
A short sale is one where the sales price was insufficient to pay the total of all liens and costs of sale; and where the seller did not bring sufficient liquid assets to…
Web Site Enhancement - mortgage calculator
I'm working on several exciting improvements to my web site, and this is the first. It's been a long time coming, as many of you have asked if there is any way to…