Realty World – The Justice Team

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First time home buyers have a lot to consider this summer when making the decision to rent or buy a home: interest rates are at all-time lows and prices are at or near their lowest in years.
Still, deciding whether to buy a home or rent an apartment can be a complicated decision. How do you know what’s right for you? Potential buyers should ask themselves several key questions before making this important decision.
1. What will monthly costs be, and can I afford the payments?
Keeping mortgage payments under 30 percent of your monthly income is a good rule of thumb. If you can’t keep mortgage payments below that, you may be better off renting for awhile.
2. What other debt do I have?
Total rent or mortgage payments plus credit obligations should not exceed 35 to 40 percent of monthly income. Talk to your lender and they will help you get ready to buy a home. 
3. What is my credit score? Can I qualify for a good interest rate?
A high credit score indicates strong creditworthiness, and that qualifies you for better interest rates on a mortgage. Maxing out on your credit lines and paying bills late will lower your credit score. The impact of a credit score on interest rates can be significant. For instance, a borrower with a score of 760 could pay nearly two percentage points less in interest on a mortgage than someone with a score of 620. Lower interest rates also mean lower monthly payments. If your credit score is low, you may want to delay buying a home until you can improve your score. Work with your lender, they can tell you what to do to improve your credit score. Don’t have a lender? Ask your Realtor, they can refer you one or more lenders that they work with.
4. How much will taxes, monthly maintenance, or other fees cost?
Owning a home means you’ll have to pay real estate taxes and other costs like insurance and maintenance. On the other hand, owning a home brings big tax savings at the end of the year. 
5. How many years will I stay here? Generally, the longer you plan to live someplace, the more it makes sense to buy. You’ll build equity in your home and have the satisfaction of knowing it is yours and you can paint or redecorate any way you want. There have also been studies that show children do better in school if the parents are homeowners.
If you need any help with this decision, your Realtor or Lender can provide you with a Rent vs Buy analysis form.  

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If you remember I was writing about a wonderful energy efficient loan program where you could purchase solar, heating and air conditioning units and other energy efficient items for your home and pay for them in your property tax bill. This is the MPower Loans in Placer County, CA. It’s a great program as the energy efficient loan is amortized out the life of the item you are purchasing. Say a heating and air conditioning unit will be amortized out over 20 years. So you have 20 years to pay if off and you are billed with your property taxes. Great idea right?
Well, there is a problem. Since the property taxes take precedence over any voluntary loans, aka your existing lender, you have to get your existing lender to approve the MPower loan to be in first position, instead of your existing lender. So, what do you think the chances of that happening are? Slim and none. The banks are not allowing MPower loans to be first so everything is on hold until there is some kind of solution to this issue.
It is a shame because it is a great program. MPower has written letters to several Congressmen and the Vice President of the United States to see if they can get some kind of an approval from these existing lenders that are insured with Fannie Mae. I will keep you posted as to any new developments.

It is very active in Placer and Sacramento county for any homes priced under $300,000. There are multiple bids as investors and first time home buyers are trying to purchase the same properties. The listing inventory is down to 1.5 month supply. That means it is a Sellers market. The listing inventory needs to be at 6 months for it to be an equal market between Sellers and Buyers.  The price of homes has increased 4% over the last month so home prices are starting to tic up.
If you are a buyer and thinking of purchasing a home right now and it is priced under $300,000 you need to make an agressive offer. Especially if you are asking the Seller to pay up to 3 percent for your closing costs. You have to have an offer that is going to compete with an all cash offer that can close is 10 days or sometimes even less.
On the positive side, interest rates are GREAT! You can get a loan under 5% right now depending on your credit score of course. Of course you need to prove your income, just like it used to be before the No income, no asset loans. But hey, right now it is like the perfect storm. Reasonable prices on the homes and great interest rates! What more could you want?

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When considering adding value to a home, you consistently hear from the real estate industry that updated bathrooms and quality kitchens stand out in a home sale. Those are proven sale closers. There are certain other improvements you can make to your home that will beautify it or create convenience for your family. When it comes time to selling, however, those improvements may do nothing to increase the value of the property and may even turn off potential homebuyers.
Over-the-Top Renovations
Au contraire mon frère, not all renovations will raise the value of your home. Just `cause it’s bigger doesn’t mean it will be perceived as better by future homebuyers. Unless your home is located in Beverly Hills or some other very posh neighborhood, don’t install the bathroom with the supersized steam shower, imported Italian marble and several different spray heads … unless you have the money to do it for your own pleasure and enjoyment only. That kind of improvement doesn’t typically do anything to increase the value of the average home.
On the other hand, if you updated an old bathroom, you could see an increase of several thousand dollars to your home’s bottom line. Real estate professionals suggest that homeowners pour over local home listings to see what amenities are the standard in your area, then upgrade your home to meet it. If you overdo it, however, you may not recoup your investment.
Swimming Pools
If you think installing a swimming pool in the back side of your home will draw hoards of homebuyers clamoring to make offers on your home at sale time, you’d be wrong. Some may consider it a perk, but others may perceive it as a pain with all the maintenance it will require.
Homeowners have even paid to have their swimming pools buried to create more yard space. If you shell out the expense to build one, don’t expect your home’s value to budge. The only exception to building a swimming pool is if you live in states where they are considered the norm.
Home Office Renovations

Although, a home office is often an amenity appreciated by those shopping for a home, it should be built with frugality in mind. Overhauling an office doesn’t pay off when it’s time to sell your home. Don’t steal usable space from another living area to create a home office. Instead, make sure the space can easily be converted back into a bedroom or other living space if needed. If you decide you just have to have the built-in Curly Maple wood shelves, know that you will only recoup around 50 percent of your cost at sale time.
Unique Builds
Home magazines are always coming up with clever and creative ways to change the look of your living space. Some are exotic and outlandish, but they can pique your interest. Tempted to put a classic disco ball with lights in your bedroom, a constellation ceiling in your family room or a peaceful Koi pond in your back yard? Avoid making outlandish changes to your home or changes that will be perceived as adding work for a future homeowner. Don’t be tempted to incorporate these ideas into your own home, unless you don’t plan on selling anytime soon. Homebuyers may not share your enthusiasm.
Roof Renovations
If your roof needs repair, don’t hesitate to have the work done. It will be one less issue you’ll have to deal with when listing your home. If in your pursuit to list your home you think replacing your roof with cedar shakes or clay tiles will increase the value, think again. Although they have the ability to make your home stand out, they probably won’t inspire homebuyers to pay more for them. So, unless you have the money to burn, keep it simple when preparing your home to be listed on the real estate market.
Ki has been an investor in the Austin real estate market for several years. The website has an Austin home search for listings in Austin, Texas. It also has general statistics covering Austin real estate along with several neighborhoods in Barton Creek.
reblogged with permission

Yes, that’s right, no monthly payments. You can get an energy efficient loan for Solar, heating and air conditioning systems, attic and wall insulation, windows and several other energy efficient improvements. 
The criteria for this loan is pretty straight forward. You must be the property owner, current on your mortgage, current on your property taxes and not had a Bankruptcy within 5 years. There is no credit check required. No monthly payments as the payments are due when you pay your property taxes. You can get 10, 15, 20, and even 30 year loan payments depending on the life of the improvement. This loan does not need to be paid off if you sell your property as it goes with the property.
Locally only Placer County is doing this type of loan, but the other counties are looking into possibly starting it too. The web site for more information is www.Mpowerplacer.org
This is a great program if you plan on staying in your current home and want to remodel or if you are thinking of selling an older property but don’t have the cash to upgrade the property with energy efficient improvements.