Welcome to 2011!!!

To rent or to buy.... That is the question.

 I was told once that  I'm either going to pay my mortgage or someone else's.  After years of renting, I've decided to invest in my own wealth when I made my first purchase years ago. 

If you have concerns, fears or you're just not sure of where to begin, you can start by calling me, you can even send an email of you're to busy to call.

I have a lot of great information I would like to share and after all these years of doing Real Estate, I still have a lot of patience!

So here's my challenge to you, if your sitting on the fence and you don't know where to start, if your credit is less then perfect or if your just not sure it's the right time, let's begin by discussing all your options, you might be surprised at how helpful it can be!

Best of all, there's no charge! I provide free consultation and a wealth of information.

Call me, I can help

Are you one of those persons who keeps putting off your goals for one reason or another? Is it because of fear or like most of us, you’re just too busy?? Well if one of your goals is to purchase a home..… today is a good day to get started!!

I’m pleasantly surprised that mortgage rates have remained low and there are more affordable homes on the market then ever before.… just a couple more reasons to buy!!

Of course there might be a few things you’ll have to do to make sure you’re ready, like checking your credit, making sure your financing is in order, and getting a team of professionals to help you get started… the process can seem overwhelming, but time is on your side since it’s very likely, the market will not change so drastically that your goals will not be obtainable in the near future –

The key is…. Just take one day at a time….it might be as simple as putting a to do list together or making calls for guidance or ordering your credit report (you get a complimentary copy of your report from all 3 credit bureaus once a year).

If this process feels like a bit much……relax, just text, email or call me, I’m here to help…. We can start the process together… you might surprise yourself and find out you’re a lot closer to purchasing then you imagined!!

Okay I'm strictly speaking from a Realtor's point of view - there is nothing short about a short sale!!!  It's the longest sale in history - (If only I could compare this wait to new construction - no no -  once under contract with new construction, you at least know what to expect) Was it a joke by the lenders to come up with such a term??  I know what the term "short sale" means and how it's relevant to the process for what the sellers have to do ..... but there is still nothing short about it -   I'm not picking on lenders and my frustration is not directed towards all lenders -  Since short sales started to become so significant in the industry it has become the new "fear" for some Realtors, sellers and buyers alike.  I have already had my share on both sides of the deal, so I do have a little experience and compared to some of the stories I've heard from other agents, I got away unscathed!!  I think over the past year or two there has been a lot of improvements from what I'm reading but overall, I think there's a lot of room for improvement especially with the turn around time  -  I'm fine with the waiting game as long as all the parties involved are very clear with realistic expectations -   Where I have a problem is working sometimes twice as hard and twice as long on a deal just to have a lender telling you, after weeks of waiting, sometimes months, what our bottom line will be and what we're worth in terms of commissions ( and why in the world do they always want to cut out your administration fee if you have one?? like that's really going to help them meet their financial goals - OOOYYYYY talking about adding insult to injury .   Has anyone gotten an acceptable reason as to why it takes months to make a decision on whether or not the offer will even be excepted??? I'm sure all the lenders know, the longer they take the larger their losses -  oh that's right, they will get back to you when THEY are ready - is it the Realtors fault that some (not all) lenders have a small part to play it this crazy game that helped get some of these sellers in the situation their in now??? - many of these sellers very likely didn't qualify for the loan(s) in the first place -

I'm happy to report that in the Maryland/DC/Virginia area, which uses MRIS (Metropolitian Regional Informational Systems) we (the CEO of MRIS and Realtors from MD/VA) had a meeting earlier this month.  The primary reason was to release the 1st Quarter reports for 2008 with accurate housing Trends. Overall it was helpful, but more importantly the question came up in the Maryland meeting of how MRIS can further assist Realtors in regards to short sales.  MRIS representatives did say that they are working closely with MARs (Maryland Association of Realtors) and hopefully the DC and VA Associations as well in contacting lenders across the East Coast who play a significant role in finalizing Short Sales to express our concerns and how we (Realtors) are effected.  It was also recommended that NAR (National Association of Realtors) get involved as well, so that our voices as Realtors can be heard since I don't believe short sales are going away anytime soon - If anyone has any updates on NAR's position in regards to Short Sales on what they are doing to assist us in our plight, please let me know, I would appreciate any information you have to share! Thanks