Your Guy for That Saturday, April 30th, 2011 No Comments
Your Guy for That, Dustin Drabot is working very hard this weekend. In addition to marketing listings, showing property and working through offers, I am preparing to launch an exciting new program that I’ll be announcing Monday. Check back to see how Your Guy for That, Dustin Drabot is working to shape the marketplace…. Continue Reading Big Announcement Coming Monday…
Your Guy for That Friday, April 29th, 2011 No Comments
The Mortgage Insurance on FHA loans went up sharply on April 18th. With the minimum 3.5% down, here is a brief overview of how much a borrower’s payment will be affected:
Loan Amount
Old Premium
New Premium
Increase
$200,000
$150
$192
$42
$350,000
$263
$335
%72
With this surge in the amount of an FHA payment, a good question to ask these days is which program is better, FHA or Conventional? The answer is, it depends! Lets take a closer look.
Did you know that on Conventional loans, all borrowers are now required to pay a premium of .25% regardless of the credit score? This cost could be a fee at time of closing, but is typically incorporated into the interest rate. In addition, a borrower’s credit score, the size of the downpayment, and the … Continue Reading FHA vs. Conventional Financing
Your Guy for That Thursday, April 28th, 2011 No Comments
With little economic data released over the last week, it has been quiet on the mortgage rate front. The biggest economic news last week was a surprise warning from a major rating agency that it may downgrade US debt, but investors actually viewed this as positive for bonds. As a result, mortgage rates fell slightly over the last week.
Last week, S&P unexpectedly announced that it had lowered its outlook for US debt due to growing budget deficits. Basically, this means that S&P sees a higher risk that they will need to downgrade the credit rating for US debt over the next couple of years. A lower credit rating would increase the yield required by all investors to purchase US debt to offset the higher perceived risk. In addition, some investors are not permitted to own low… Continue Reading Mortgage Rates Improve on Debt Warning
Your Guy for That Wednesday, April 27th, 2011 No Comments
Are you an “Empty Nester” who needs a home for the future? Is it time to downsize or to move into another home more suitable for your glorious retirement years?
Like thousands of residents in our area, you may be discovering that after years of non-stop child traffic in and out of your doors, toys on the floor, music floating throughout, suddenly you can hear a pin drop over the quiet hum of the refrigerator. Your rooms are filled with pictures and memories of this wonderful time of your life, but there are many empty rooms gathering dust now that your children have moved on. The freer years ahead are exciting ones to look forward to, and it’s time for you to move on as well.
If you find yourself in this situation, you’re in vast and good company. And what that means is that there are many… Continue Reading Empty Nesters: How to Get the Most Money Out of Your Home When You Sell
Your Guy for That Tuesday, April 26th, 2011 No Comments
Come out and join your neighbors in the Downtown “Commons” area across from the East Point City Hall and one block from the East Point MARTA Station for the Downtown Movie Series presented by the City of East Point! Bring a blanket, folding chairs and your friends and family and enjoy a movie after dining at one of our wonderful Downtown Restaurants. Light Concessions (like Popcorn & Sodas) will be available for purchase!
This month’s movie: TANGLED – When the kingdom’s most wanted—and most charming—bandit Flynn Rider (voice of Zachary Levi) hides out in a mysterious tower, he’s taken hostage by Rapunzel (voice of Mandy Moore), a beautiful and feisty towerbound teen with 70 feet of magical, golden hair. Flynn’s curious captor, who’s looking for her ticket out of t… Continue Reading East Point's Friday Night Flicks
Your Guy for That Monday, April 25th, 2011 No Comments
When first-time home buyers decide they are ready to buy, it is essential for them to begin the process by carefully assessing their values, wants, and needs—both for the short and for the long term. This is a critical step since consultation sessions normally start with the buyers’ values. Afterward, buyers can explore their wants and needs, and once defined, determine actual criteria.
A recent study shows how important the following home-buying factors were to buyers:
List Price: 72%
Location: 69%
Neighborhood: 55%
Floor Plan: 37%
Square Footage: 28%
Schools: 22%
By having the home-buying criteria in mind before walking into a consultation, buyers are off to a better start when meeting with their real estate agent. The consultation allows buyers to fill in any missing gaps w… Continue Reading What is Important to Buyers
Your Guy for That Friday, April 22nd, 2011 No Comments
Happy Earth Day! On April 22, the world will celebrate and show appreciation to our planet Earth. Whether you choose to plant a tree or bike to work instead of drive, here are some additional, eco-friendly tips that can impact our community:
Buy local produce, or grow your own. Reduce air pollution caused by food and goods transport.
When purchasing goods, opt for those packaged in recycled or reused resources.
Switch from bottled water to filtered water.
As always, I’m here to help. So don’t hesitate to call should you need any real estate advice, including some simple ways to make your home more energy efficient!… Continue Reading Happy Earth Day
Your Guy for That Thursday, April 21st, 2011 No Comments
How much time should you spend with an agent before looking at homes? What questions should you be asking your agent before you start looking at homes? It’s all included in this edition of “This Month in Real Estate,” and as always you’ll get the sales stats from last month.
… Continue Reading This Month in Real Estate – Video
Your Guy for That Wednesday, April 20th, 2011 No Comments
InfoCurb is the newest, fastest, easiest and most direct way to get all the information you need on any home currently on the market, no matter who it’s listed with! It’s as easy as 1.. 2.. done, right from the curb.
Just pull up to a home that’s currently listed with any agent or any company and call your personal InfoCurb number
Type in the house number to get the most up-to-date listing information.
No more calling the agent on the sign and hoping they’ll return your call in a timely manner. You see it, you call on it, you get instant information. It’s just that fast and easy.
Sign Up for InfoCurb Today… Continue Reading Have You Tried InfoCurb Yet???
Your Guy for That Tuesday, April 19th, 2011 No Comments
The slowing of home sales and an increase in listings pushed the months’ supply up to 8.6 months, an increase of 15% from the previous month and 2% year over year. This is the third-lowest level since June. Months of inventory remains 31% below its peak of 12.5 months in July and is now back to pretax credit expiration levels. With the summer selling season approaching quickly, experts anticipate more homes to go on the market in the coming months.
Source: National Association of Realtors – housing data released Mar 21…. Continue Reading April Inventory Report