Monthly Archives: September 2013

Lease Purchase of Real Estate in Atlanta Metro Area

A quick summary on Lease Purchase Agreements As an Exclusive Buyer Agent, I frown upon lease/purchase agreements for two reasons: Very few wind up closing, giving the Seller a large lump sum option payment.  The home buyer is not going … Continue reading

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Closing Escrow for Property Taxes and Homeowner’s Insurance

RESPA governs the amounts and types Homeowner’s insurance; property taxes; and mortgage insurance) of escrow purposes. (See my 12/3/2012 blog post regarding RESPA.) This article How to tell if lender is overcharging escrow account was released and made me think … Continue reading

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HOA Board burnout

Some great tips to prevent burnout in the source article include planning and communication, but mostly from my experience, don’t let the good volunteers take all the work load and don’t put them under pressure to do everything.  Share the … Continue reading

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Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposes rules for mortgage servicers

Oh great, look forward to DC writing more regulations. Top down approach hasn’t worked yet. Two underlying problems with the servicing system as it currently exists are (a) lack of transparency and (b) lack of accountability. Source: http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/04102012_mortgage_servicing.asp Lenders worry … Continue reading

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Real Estate Opportunity Zones

Hey, I’m all for business and job growth, but some things need to be questioned. What are “Opportunity Zones” and why do they exist? Is the proposed move by the Atlanta Braves part of an “opportunity zone”? Tax credits for … Continue reading

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Mortgage Approval Process

Home Buyers and those refinancing, just don’t give mortgage approval a second thought – give it at least 3! Please visit the mortgage loans page of my website to review the entire process. Many Americans are still apprehensive and uncertain … Continue reading

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FHA offers Short Refinance Program for Homeowners who owe more than their home is worth

Just wondering how this program is working out… Per a 2010 press release, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – FHA Short Refinance option enables lenders to provide additional refinancing options to homeowners who owe more than their home … Continue reading

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Georgia Department of Community Affairs and $280 Million/year

Georgia Department of Community Affairs provides comprehensive counseling for Housing needs. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is responsible or the use of almost $300 Million each year from state and federal funds dedicated to community development, economic development … Continue reading

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BPO (Broker Price Opinion)

This is often just a real estate Broker’s opinion of the future sales price of a real estate property. Many times, when banks are ready to sell a real estate property (that is already foreclosed, or currently in a short … Continue reading

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PulteGroup relocates to Atlanta

Operating under the names of builders such as Centex, DiVosta Homes, DelWebb, and Pulte Homes, the PulteGroup is relocating their corporate office to Atlanta, GA from Detroit Michigan area. As of the time of this writing, Pulte exceeds DR Horton … Continue reading

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