According to recent research, and this is still true in 2013, the delays may be caused by:
(a) buyers not being qualified to buy the home in the first place;
(b) lenders over-promising and not able to deliver;
(c) appraisals that come in lower than contract price; and
(d) both the buyer and Seller can’t reach terms on the contract price.
Source: http://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/la-fi-harney-20120401,0,6931944.story
Time for Obama show and tell time…look at what i did for you…
Can I get an FHA loan just after I lost my home through short sale, filed, bankruptcy, or foreclosure?
Well, maybe…But would you want a loan right away after going through that process?
Borrowers are considered eligible for a new FHA insured mortgage if they:
Note: These rules expire in 3 years…right!
What about credit scores … willingness of lenders to make loans…and what about disproportionate share of minority borrowers being rejected?
Sources: Wall Street Journal, 9-3-2013, page A2
http://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/hudclips/letters/mortgagee/files/09-52ml.pdf
References to products and services are not a specific endorsement, but the user must perform their due diligence and investigate whether the product or service is right for them. I welcome any or all comments that would help others.
Minnesota QuadraPlex gets demolished after closing – who’s at fault?
Basic info – a quadraplex was scheduled for demolition was up for sale, was sold and closed, and after closing, property was demolished. Buyer is shocked – but who is responsible about it?
Buyer – failure of adequate due diligence by not contacting the Health Department to seek their interest?
Real Estate Agents for not disclosing or suggesting to contact health department or city?
City – for not filing something in court records in case property is sold that would how up in title search?
Will Title Insurance help you in a case like this? I guess it all depends on how the Title Insurance is written – if it overs negligence on part of Seller or Agent for non-disclosure. Was this a short sale where there are really”no disclosures” even if there are disclosures to be made?
This is an example of partial negligence on some one’s part, but how much and whom?
This also is an example of how important you and your Buyer’s Agent perform Due Diligence on the property of your choice.
Source: http://www.startribune.com/local/stpaul/137353048.html
References to products and services are not a specific endorsement, but the user must perform their due diligence and investigate whether the product or service is right for them. I welcome any or all comments that would help others.
Upon my recent walk around Sprayberry High School, I happened to walk around in the weeds outside their perfectly manicured baseball stadium and discovered a number of torn or otherwise used (sometimes new) baseballs – several of which were moved over by a recent mowing of the weeds behind the fence.
Given the 20 or so baseballs I found (one was too chewed up and buried in the mud to make the box), and given they cost nearly $5 per baseball, I’d say I discovered $100 worth of baseballs (which were carefully gathered and left in one location outside the fence). This doesn’t count the number of baseballs inside the fence and just outside the playing field, or in the yards of the houses (existing before the field was built) behind the baseball field.
And since Cobb has at least 15 high schools, and each high school has a baseball team, are we wasting $1,500 a week on lost and unused baseballs?
I assume that some of the high school athletes would posses the agility to retrieve those baseballs so the wasted money could be better spent…maybe on one laptop per week for a teacher or student?
On my most recent travels into many subdivisions (including my own) with at least one sidewalk, I have encountered the vast majority (>95%) of the time that children, families, pregnant walkers, and joggers were in the street….and sometimes running or walking in the middle of the street.
Why, do you ask, is a perfectly good sidewalk being ignored and remain unused? Are we disenfranchising the sidewalks unnecessarily? Are we discriminating against sidewalks? And who maintains them since many are in disrepair and “uglifies” the front yards of many homes?
I would imagine you will need to ask the people not using the sidewalks….maybe the sidewalk blocks are not even (if you look at them, some are level, some cracked, some slope with yards then get even)…so there’s alot of inconsistency. That could be the reason people jogging or on bicycles don’t use the sidewalks. but what about mom and dad taking the newborn or young children on a walking stroll around the neighborhood in the street where it isn’t safe and avoiding the safer sidewalk? Uneven concrete sidewalk the culprit again?
How about sidewalks along roads outside subdivisions? Do you see the need so much for many of them? Do you see alot of foot traffic on them to get to different places? Have you seen the pretty red bricks and colored concrete sidewalks that some communities have installed only to see nobody ever use them?
I think that until we solve this dilemma of unused sidewalks, perhaps we should stop building them and see if we notice?
LinkedIn may be a wonderful employment networking tool and the one who dies with the most connections may win, but there are some words of caution as to who you link to because they may link to others who can see you or your contacts. Without that “connection, they may never know you exist, but once linked, they can see you and direct their advertising to you.
Hey agent, can I link to you and all your connections to get their business?
I am a little skeptical to allow all my competitors (i.e., all Real Estate Agents in the Metro Atlanta Real Estate Market…and for that matter all other realtors who may be linked to me through other contacts) to have access to those past, present and future clients I have worked with to help them with their real estate needs. (i.e., “Hey competitors, here’s people that may have a future need for “your” services too!“)
First, my connections provide a little more information than normal to each and every other connection about each other. Why would I do that to expose people I know to more non-employment related contacts?
Second, if I link with another real estate agent in my market, it provides my inferred endorsement of that agent and their services.
Third, that agent (and any connection) is now on the same level as me and has access to every connection I have (including friends, family, and former clients) – think of the endless marketing opportunity for those agents and for anyone in the multi-level marketing business?
Fourth, if another agent needs to contact me, I am already on the list of the 28,000+ other agents in Georgia on the multiple listing services. You can find me there.
Fifth, if there’s any late breaking news about any one agent’s business or business experience that would be of interest, I will eventually hear about it.
Sixth, I am already receiving unsolicited property alerts by agents who are on the same listing service I am and if I need to see the property or am looking in that area, I will find it. I certainly don’t need another email to tell me something I already know.
Seventh, my clients don’t need to be emailed or contacted indirectly by a competitor agent who may say or write something contrary to what my client understands about any property decision they made.
Eighth, will my clients (or their co-workers) be bombarded with mail, email, or pieces of advertising at their workplace or will they be left alone?
Ninth, I really don’t want any more advertisements or advertising from real estate agents or their lenders or other spheres of influence (i.e., their connections) who send advertisements out to LinkedIn connections.
Tenth, whatever news about real estate you need is the local interest rate, your current and former clients, and availability of houses…those are the major factors any agent should be concerned with – not how many connections they get exposed to…
…but that’s just my opinion – maybe nothing to worry about????
5-20-2015: Here’s an Inman News Article promoting the benefits of a LinkedIn account
References to products and services are not a specific endorsement, but the user must perform their due diligence and investigate whether the product or service is right for them. I welcome any or all comments that would help others.
8-7-2018: Toilet paper: Bigger cardboard rolls, smaller sheets, same price.
3-26-2014: Independent research results from Consumer Reports verified my Toilet Paper Roll concerns –
ahhhh…literally, the last advertising wasteland…is shrinking before our eyes.
Not only from de-sheeting per the Wall Street Journal but….
Toilet paper manufacturers are losing at least 7.5 square feet of advertising space (4.125″ x 5″ per roll x 52 rolls/year) each year per person and not doing anything about it…
And year after year, the roll keeps getting a little shorter and therefore opportunity for advertising space is shrinking.
While pondering life’s problems in my family’s shared “man cave space/library”, I noticed that there was nothing printed on the cardboard at the end of the roll of toilet paper…
If soft drink manufacturers place codes inside their 12 pack cardboard containers, then why can’t toilet paper manufacturers place a message like “Is this your last roll? Get some more – Now!” on the cardboard roll inside the paper roll?
Or a coupon for more from that same manufacturer or advertising for their latest product?
Or a crossword puzzle, Sudoku puzzle, or maybe a good joke or two?
Or perhaps poems; collectible sports team players or logos; sample SAT questions and answers; or lucky lotto numbers and a Confucius saying like a fortune cookie?
The possibilities are endless, but the roll of tissue isn’t.
So don’t forget to supply the cabinet..and put the lid back down when you’re through!
Source: Creative time in the “library” 😉
Back in 1997, someone pushed through the Georgia General Assembly an idea (Natural Gas Competition and Deregulation Act) to have Georgia Natural Gas provide and maintain the natural gas lines, but separate companies are now billing for the gas you use. Somehow that gave consumer the illusion of competition with different rates and costs. So now, you can change your natural gas provider in Georgia.
The real questions is: Has this really improved competition and lowered prices for consumers, or not?
You can get a quote from any gas marketer by providing them the number of therms in a sample month and by giving them your premises demand (DDDC# – which reflects pipeline usage on the coldest day of the year) on your monthly statement. Apparently, you may also switch gas marketers once without $7.50 penalty within a 12 month period, but can change thereafter more frequently for the charge.
This is the website of the Georgia Public Service Commission with respect to gas marketers including recent prices and consumer tips and possibly customer service and billing issues are rated – http://www.psc.state.ga.us/gas/pricecard.asp
References to products and services are not a specific endorsement, but the user must perform their due diligence and investigate whether the product or service is right for them. I welcome any or all comments that would help others.
Ahh…it’s a love vs. hate relationship… love to have one work but sure hate it when it don’t!
Here is the list of Georgia State Health Department approved septic system installers licensed by the state of Georgia. It is the responsibility of the appropriate county health department to monitor and approve the installation of the septic system, as well as retain a copy of the diagram of where the system was installed at any home in the county. This is important for any inspections during due diligence before purchasing, or after closing to perform landscaping near the lines or tank.
Here’s a good article – blog – website about the use and care of septic sewage systems:
Septic system help – http://www.septichelp.org/
If you are buying a home with a septic system, you may avoid municipal sewage charges (which normally amounts to $20-100/month), but you will need to care for the system including repair, pumping out, or replacing the tank, field lines or both.
Most costs now range from $4,000-10,000 to install new septic systems.
Monthly or other period application of septic aids that help disintegrate waste is helpful.
It is recommended to have your septic system checked and pumped every few years.
References to products and services are not a specific endorsement, but the user must perform their due diligence and investigate whether the product or service is right for them. I welcome any or all comments that would help others.
1-10-2014: Ok..so now the Federal Reserve decided to taper back $5B of both MBS and Treasuries….and the unemployment rate is down to 6.7% near the next taper…but due to >300,000 people leaving the job market without ope but alot of change…the process begins but where does it end?
I’ve not been accused of being a very deep thinker, but if the Federal Reserve is currently (tossing money around, fueling future inflation, ignoring their creation of 90% of their $ from nothing but 10% deposit, and) buying $40 Billion of mortgage securities per month and $45 Billion of Long Term Treasury securities to keep interest rates low, at what interest rate are they buying them?
If they are buying current mortgages at 3.5-4.5% rates, and the mortgage interest rate rises to 5% or higher, then my math suggests they will have to sell them at a discount to investors to yield 5% or higher…does that mean sell at a loss? And if so, where does that loss show up, higher interbank rates? or higher interest rates for loans? Or printing more money?
And if they are buying Treasury securities at such low rates as 1.5-2%, and Treasury rates rise, then will also sell them at discounts for the going desired ROR?
Is this any concern at all or are we “trusting” the Fed will unload all securities at a break-even price and not cost anything to taxpayers or borrowers? Yeah, right!
Note: Of course, the pullback from purchasing the securities will probably drive up rates and inflation.
