Massachusetts Real Estate

Charlton Hycrest

2009-04-27T12:57:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone:

I'm very excited to inform you of this new development in Ponnakin Hill Estates! I have up loaded a video showing you views of the neighborhood.

Please visit: www.CharltonHycrest.com for more information

How to Lower Your Property Taxes

2009-02-25T08:46:00.000-08:00

Because your property tax is directly related to the value of your home, you have an opportunity to lower your property taxes* if your community has experienced declines in real estate values.County authorities determine the taxation on a given property by multiplying the property tax rate by the property value. For example, if your home value is $800,000 and the property tax rate is 1%, then your property tax bill is $8,000 annually.If market conditions have resulted in a decline in the value of your home, it is your right to have your property reassessed and to lower your tax rate. Your county will not initiate this process for you; you need to submit a proposal to your county tax assessor. The process takes between 30 and 45 days. Two methods are available to you:

Do it yourself: Contact your county assessor’s office and download the forms from its website. You will need to hire an appraiser to help prepare the evaluation of your property to submit. There are multiple websites and books to guide you through this process. Hire a tax relief processor: This company should have experienced professionals who write, prepare, and submit your tax relief proposal to the tax assessor’s office for you. Look for a company that offers to waive any upfront fees in exchange for a percentage, usually around 50%, of your first year’s savings. The company will send an appraiser and submit all of the proper documents for you.Although there are several steps involved in getting your tax rate reassessed, many homeowners have saved thousands of tax dollars annually by pursuing a reassessment.

*Always consult your tax advisor for tax information and advice

Many will profit from Fannie Freddie failure – Will you?

2008-09-11T06:47:00.000-07:00

PRODUCTS:It is unlikely that a government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will bring back those risky products that drove the market over the past several years; however, do we really want them back? We now see what happens when corporate greed wins over sound judgment. Then again, some may ask, what about the stated income products for self employed borrowers with decent credit? After all those people have the money and they pay their bills on time; often times a higher LTV stated income loan is necessary for those borrowers. While this thought process may be correct and these loans may not pose a threat to the marketplace, don’t expect Fannie and Freddie to come back into the stated income loan world anytime soon. Fannie & Freddie are being run by the government, if you are cheating the government on taxes they are not going to then turn around and make it easier for you to get a loan. On the other hand, the government takeover does provide some stability to the market so it is probable that some of the viable products which we have seen disappear will return over the next 12 months, the key word being VIABLE! They will not likely be Fannie/Freddie products, but expect to see some of the truly economically feasible products come back.

RATES:We have seen rates drop in the past two days but why? Well, there are many variables but lets break it down to one of the easiest for you to explain prospective borrowers. If I have a dollar to invest I have thousands of places I can place that money. I can place that money is a low risk vehicle, I can place that money in a high risk vehicle or I can place that money in any level risk investment vehicle in between. As risk increases my expected gain increases and as risk decreases my prospective gain decreases. High risk, high returns potential, low risk, low returns potential. The lowest risk investments are generally US treasuries. These are guaranteed by the government and therefore are a sure bet. Mortgage backed securities, although not tied to treasuries, are a higher risk and therefore a risk premium is placed on them above that premium which can be earned on comparable lower risk vehicles (treasuries). Higher risk means higher risk premium and higher premiums require higher rates to be charged to borrowers. After this weekend’s historical takeover Fannie & Freddie mortgage backed securities are now essentially backed by the government. This backing creates a lower risk, a lower risk means a lower yield and a lower yield means savings to consumers in the form of lower rates. This is a DRASTIC oversimplification but it’s the easiest way to understand what is going on. The government essentially came in and removed layers of risk by taking over the companies. Lower risk equals lower return equals lower rates charged to the consumer.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE MARKET IN GENERAL:Time will tell, but lower rates coupled with the tax incentives for first time buyers should encourage home sales. Also, now that the government has control of Fannie/Freddie they have greater flexibility to deal with defaults and their associated workout arrangements. By helping people buy houses and by keeping houses off the auction block through workout arrangements we should see a reduction in inventories (houses on the market) and a stabilizing of housing prices. In areas where housing prices have already stabilized we may even begin to see some appreciation, a word we have not heard in a while. Am I being too optimistic? Possible, but pessimism never sold a house. J Whether you agree or not we are one step closer to the bottom of the market then we were last week and very possibly in it. Buyers who are waiting out the market for lower prices better jump now because in most regions of the country we are already there.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

2008-09-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

I wanted to inform you that with the government taking over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac yesterday, the market reacted well to the news and rates opened today at ridiculously low levels, with 15 Year Fixed rates starting at 4.875 and 20 year and 30 year in the low to mid-5’s respectively. This is about .5-.625 lower from Friday close. If you have any buyers ready to make an offer, then please share with them this news and please share my name with them as this rates may not be here for long. It is definitely a short term window of opportunity.

Loan Modifications, what you really should know

2008-09-04T06:23:00.000-07:00

What most people don't realize is that sometimes these loan modifications are a temporary fix. What I have found in meeting with people is that, they start to fall behind on house payments and try to refinance. Most times they are unable to, do to late payments, appraisals coming in to low, high debt to income ratio etc.. What ever the reason maybe they start to loose hope and they contact their own personal loan carrier and explain their situation. When homeowners hear that the lender is wiling to reduce their payments by half, the home owner is so excited that they finally have a plan that will help them save their house, they take the modification right away with no questions asked. What many people didn't realize or didn't know to ask was, "Is there anything getting added to the back-end of my loan? What are my payments going to adjust to?" Another words that half of mortgage payment that you did not pay is getting added towards principle and when your loan fully adjusts your payments are larger then before you modified your loan. If you where having trouble paying your mortgage, it's even harder when it adjusts. So please remember, these modifications are a temporary fix, get all the facts before you do any modification, you don't want to be in worse situation than you are now!

Fequently Asked Questions on Short Sales

2008-06-06T19:09:00.001-07:00

There are so many people out there wondering what is a short sale? Can I do a short sale on my home? For those of you out there wondering the pros and cons to short sales. This 20 minute question and answer video should answer all of your questions that you should ever have on Short Sales. Please click on this link for a quick educational video on Short Sales. http://www.realtykim.com/shortvideo.asp

Things You Should Know Before Buying A Foreclosure Property

2008-05-08T07:49:00.000-07:00

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BANK OWNED PROPERTIES

The only information regarding the property is represented in MLS. There will be no disclosures. The premises are being sold as it and in its condition at the time of Buyers first view and without representation or warranty of any kind. There is no history on the property, no seller’s description, no operating expenses, and no repairs will be made to the property.

STATE REQUIRED INSPECTIONS Title V/ Septic Inspections: Although most banks will work with buyers to complete a septic inspection, it should not be assumed and if it fails do not assume they will correct any failures with the septic system. Smoke & Co Certificates : Always assume this responsibility is yours, however this can be negotiable.

SELLER ADDENDUM’S: Some banks require seller addendum’s to be present at the time of the offer. These addendums are used nationally, no changes can be made.

PURCHASE AND SALES AGREEMENT: Once the offer has been verbally accepted, banks anticipate the purchase and sale agreement to be signed within 72hrs. Until all contracts are signed the property will continue to be marketed and new offers will be presented to the seller.

PER DIEM: Some banks my impose a per diem charge if the property is not closed in time. This charge can be any where from $50 to several hundred dollars depending upon the property. If the closing is delayed due to the seller than this charge would not apply.

Avoiding Foreclosure

2008-05-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

There are many ways to lose a home but signing away ownership in a manner that destroys credit, embarrasses the family and strips an owner of dignity is one of the hardest. For owners who can no longer afford to keep mortgage payments current, there are alternatives to bankruptcy or foreclosure proceedings. One of those options is called a "short sale." When lenders agree to do a short sale in real estate, it means the lender is accepting less than the total amount due. A short sale typically is executed to prevent a home foreclosure. Often a bank will choose to allow a short sale if they believe that it will result in a smaller financial loss than foreclosing. For the home owner, the advantages include avoidance of having a foreclosure on their credit history. Additionally, a short sale is typically faster and less expensive than a foreclosure .Foreclosure is expensive for a mortgage lender. Mortgage lenders are not in the business of foreclosing on houses. Banks and lenders are in business of making loans. They don’t want the house back. This is a business decision for the lender. Which means it has to make rational, logical sense.

If you think a short sale maybe right for you, call now to find out how you can save your credit or visit my website at: www.RealtyKim.com