We are experiencing somewhat of a seller’s market in Sacramento, and a changing climate, as value’s are starting to rise across the country. With this added demand, comes multiple offers which can drive up the purchase price of a home – sometimes artificially. We know that too many buyers are chasing too few sellers, and reaching a sales agreement can be just the start of the negotiation process. One particular negotiation point which can present difficulties for both buyers and sellers is when a home’s appraised value falls short of its contracted sales price.
Sometimes, this happens because the home’s price was inflated. Other times, it’s the result of a faulty appraisal. Or, everyone knows the home won’t appraise, but the market is heating up and the seller feels they deserve what “the market will bear”, and don’t care what the appraisal says. Continue reading
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, stories have emerged of homeowners whose hazard insurance coverage was too low to cover the damage to their respective properties.
There are alternatives to bankruptcy or foreclosure for home owners who can no longer afford to keep mortgage payments current – It’s called a “short sale”. A short sale is when a property is sold for less than its remaining mortgage principal balance, and executed as a way for both the existing homeowner and mortgage lender to cut their respective losses.
With mortgage rates at all-time lows, purchase and refinance activity is climbing. And with guidelines tight, and pipelines full, you will want to be properly prepared up front to mitigate some of the horror stories you have probably been hearing about.
I get this question daily from my prospective buyers. “Do you have to pull my credit? I don’t want you to hurt my score that I have worked so hard to maintain.” A great question for today’s home buyers and refinancing households, the value of “good credit” has never been higher.