Beautiful NEW homes in San Ramon

Beautiful NEW Homes in San Ramon! Starting from 4 bedrooms 3 & 1 half baths, 3955 SQFT @ $1,564,995 up to 5 bedrooms with 5 and 1 half bath 6645 SQFT @ $1,785,995.
Contact me for more info.

Contact me: Kerri@interodb.com
mydiscoverybayliving.com

Housing Market Gains

Top Lenders Forecast Housing Market Gains Despite New Ability-to-Repay Rules

 

SAN FRANCISCO (November 10, 2013) – In a rare gathering of CEOs and senior executives from the biggest names in mortgage lending, Realtors® were told to expect market growth in 2014 and to prepare their buyers for transactions with heavy documentation requirements.
NAR President Gary Thomas and CEO Dale Stinton moderated the candid discussion today during the “Straight from the Top: Insights from Lending Leaders” session at the 2013 Realtors® Conference and Expo, where the top mortgage industry executives expounded on new regulatory hurdles that could temporarily restrict lending to some buyers, but will likely even out over time.
The Qualified Mortgage, or ability-to-repay rule, will become effective in January 2014 and contains a number of underwriting standards that will constrict mortgage availability and deny credit to some first-time homebuyers, said Bill Emerson, CEO of Quicken Loans. The QM rule requires significant documentation from consumers to justify lenders’ underwriting decisions; lenders face strict penalties if a loan is made outside of the specific criteria.
Kevin Watters, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, agreed that lower- and moderate-income buyers, as well as self-employed buyers who don’t have a consistent flow of income, might have a tougher time in the new lending environment. “We need to work together to help first-time buyers into affordable housing options.”
“It’s important for Realtors® to be educated about the new documentation requirements so they can work with buyers and meet lender expectations,” said Matt Vernon, home loan sales executive for Bank of America.
Mike Heid, president of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, added that Wells Fargo is using new technologies to create learning tools to help consumers prepare to be homeowners, even before they find the house they love.
The new lending standards and documentation requirements are making some potential borrowers anxious about competing with cash buyers in the real estate market. Thomas asked the panelists to share their average approval timelines.
Vernon said that in California, Bank of America’s mortgage loan officers can process and approve loans in 16 days and always strive to quickly deliver approvals. He said that the approval process can move more swiftly when borrowers are educated about lender’s application requirements.
“Our mission is to get someone approved. With clarity and transparency, buyers will know exactly what is needed of them. We want to do this in a manner that is as stress free as possible for consumers and Realtors®,” said Emerson.
Heid agreed and said, “The way to compete against a cash buyer is to build a process that has no surprises as you go.”
Stinton turned the conversation to the debate over reforming the secondary mortgage market and asked the lenders whether they fear the risk of mortgage security “putbacks” and how that impacts underwriting. A putback occurs when a bank is liable for misrepresenting the creditworthiness of a borrower to the entity that buys the loan, and the bank is forced to buy back the mortgage. 
Watters said fears over putbacks are real and Heid agreed. “The putback fear is still there and we’re working to put it to rest,” said Heid. “The time is right for that. If the government-sponsored enterprises weren’t in conservatorship, the issue of put backs wouldn’t be there. We need a world where everything is more of a natural market and we need competition with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The conservatorship should end.”
Thomas followed up by asking whether immediate steps should be taken to reduce the government role in the housing finance market. Emerson said that the security of their guarantee needs to stay, not the actual government entities.
“I think if we want the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, you need the government guarantee,” said Watters. “The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage needs the government guarantee because not all banks can soak up the size of the market.”
When asked whether private investors are ready to take a bigger role in the secondary mortgage market as the government’s footprint shrinks, the executives provided varied responses. Heid said that more certainty is needed before taking action.
“We’ve already started to do some private label securities,” said Watters. “People are getting back into the marketplace, which is a good thing. We might not be ready to take it all on, but we are headed in the right direction.”
The lending leaders unanimously agreed that consumers will see a healthy increase in the market next year, keeping pace with gains made in 2013. Mortgage originations will dominate the 2014 housing market as interest rates creep up and refinancing trends downward.
Heid said that while home values will continue to increase as the market continues to heal, the economy is the wild card and the downturn would be a game changer. “In spite of the economic crisis, Americans still want to be homeowners. That hasn’t changed one bit,” he said. “Homeownership is at the heart of what we do and that is worth preserving.”
The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

Happy Vetrans Day!

How to Deal with Tough Financial Times

From time to time in everyone's life they struggle financially. It can be for whatever reason. When times like that fall upon you financially, it's not the time to fold up and go hide underneath a rock. Instead, mentally strategize for success, even if it means reshuffling everything you're about. 

The first thing you should do when financial disaster strikes is think positive. Sure, adversity is guaranteed to take an emotional toll on you, if you feel that you're going broke. To think positive in the midst of financial uncertainty gives hope for a better financial future. Financial education in and outside of the college classroom is the best way to learn ways to build you up. Not everyone who achieved millionaire or billionaire status today took the traditional route of going through college. They most likely started their own business from the knowledge gained about how to secure and maintain vast wealth. 

Believe it or not, many of today's most affordable financial magazines provide a way for the everyday person to gain just as much financial knowledge, in comparison to a college student studying for a finance degree. It doesn't cost an arm and a leg to subscribe to a financial education magazine. In fact, when you do subscribe, what you're actually doing is making an investment in yourself. It's always those inspiring articles people read somewhere in a publication that brings out a hidden creative idea in the back of your mind to start a business, or, discover a unique way to grow your 401k, get a grant, or whatever. 

Last but not least, along with striving for excellence to get financially organized, exercising and eating healthy can also help keep your spirits up during a financial downturn. It may sound silly to some people to work out and try to keep your health up to par, but actually, the endorphins that are increasingly flowing in your body before and after workouts will help you feel happier. You have to believe in yourself to overcome many of life's challenges in order to prosper. Education, exercise, and faith will help see you through tough financial times, because setbacks are only temporary.

Food drive

Intero Real Estate & Kerri Anne Kuipers 

 

We are doing a food drive for the Contra Costa County Food Bank.

 

Let’s GO BIG and get involved. Drop off the food items

at our offices.

Let’s make a difference!

 

Top Ten Most Wanted Food Items

1. Canned Meat, Fish & Soups

2. Canned Ready to Eat Meals

3. Canned Vegetables & Tomato Products

4. Peanut Butter (plastic container)

5. Iron Rich Cereal (45% or more of daily value)

6. 100% Fruit Juice (48 oz. or less plastic bottles)

7. Canned Fruit (in juice)

8. Dry Beans (any type)

9. Enriched Rice or Pasta

10. Powdered Milk

Brentwood                                       Discovery Bay

8640 Brentwood Blvd                  1540 Discovery Bay Blvd Ste B

Brentwood, CA 94513                  Discovery Bay, CA 94505

Contact Kerri Anne @925.382.6722

                                                                                               

Natural Bug Repellent

Vinegar of the Four Thieves Insect Repellent:

1.      Put 32 oz apple cider vinegar into large glass jar (at least 1 qt. with airtight lid)
2.      Add to the jar: 2 TBSP each of dried Sage, Rosemary, Lavender, Thyme and Mint
3.      Seal tightly and store on counter or place you will see it daily. Shake well each day for 2-3 weeks.
4.      After 2-3 weeks, strain the herbs out and store in spray bottles, preferably in fridge.
5.      To use on skin, dilute to half with water in a spray bottle and use as needed.
6.      Use whenever you need serious bug control!

It may not smell great at first, but the smell goes away as it dries.  Keep bugs from biting this summer – naturally.

Heating up...

The market is really Heating up! Low inventory, low interest rates, and tons of buyers. If you have been thinking of selling your home, NOW is the time. Email me for a market analysis of your home or neighborhood and get ready to move, FAST!

Kerri@interodb.com

Your Savings and Down Payment

 

Your First Step Toward Buying a Home

When preparing to buy a home, the first thing many homebuyers do is look at the real estate ads in newspapers, magazines and listings on the Internet. Some potential buyers read how-to articles like this one. The next thing you should do - before you call on an ad, before you talk to a Realtor, before you shop for interest rates - is look at your savings.

Why?

Because determining how much money you have available for down payment and closing costs affects almost every aspect of buying a home - including how you write your purchase offer, the loan programs you qualify for, and shopping for interest rates.

Mortgage Programs

If you only have enough available for a minimum down payment, your choices of loan program will be limited to only a few types of mortgages. If someone is giving you a gift for all or part of the down payment, your options are also limited. If you have enough for the down payment, but need the lender or seller to cover all or part of your closing costs, this further limits your options. If you borrow all or a portion of the down payment from your 401K or retirement plan, different loan programs have different rules on how you qualify.

Of course, if you have enough for a large down payment, then you have lots of choices.

Your loan choices include such varied programs as conventional fixed rate loans, adjustable rate mortgages, buydowns, VA, FHA, graduated payment mortgages and all the varieties of each.

Shopping for Rates

A very important reason you need to have at least some idea of your down payment is for shopping for interest rates. Some loan programs charge a slightly higher interest rate for minimal down payments. Plus, the interest rates for different loan programs are not the same. For example, conventional, VA, and FHA all offer fixed rate loans. However, the rates vary from one program to another.

If you shop lenders by phone, the loan officer will be able to tell you which programs fit and quote your rates accordingly. However, if you are shopping on the Internet, you have to develop some idea of your loan program on your own.

Writing Your Offer

Another reason you need to have a clue about your down payment is because it affects how you write your offer to purchase a home. Not only are you required to put your down payment information in the offer, but also different loan programs have different rules that also affect how you write your offer. This is especially important when dealing with FHA and VA loans.

If you are asking the seller to pay all or part of your closing costs, you have to be certain your loan program allows what you are asking. For smaller down payments, lenders allow the seller to pay less closing costs than for larger down payments. Some loan programs will allow a seller to pay certain types of costs, but not others.

Finally, your down payment also affects your ability to qualify for a loan. When you make a small down payment, lenders are fairly strict about having you conform to their underwriting guidelines. For larger down payments, they will tend to make allowances or exceptions to the rules.

Conclusion

As you can see, the down payment affects every choice you make when you buy a home. Although you should look at ads, familiarize yourself with neighborhoods, learn about prices, and read as much as you can - when you get ready to take action - the first thing you should do is figure out how much money you have available for the purchase.

Spread Some Cheer!!

Bake Christmas cookies for friends, neighbors and spread some cheer!

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We all love cookies! Cookies are a simple and sweet way to make people smile. Take some time this season to bake Christmas cookies for friends, family, and neighbors - and ask the kids to help! Deliver and see your friends smile with cheer. You could even pick close friends or family to sing Christmas songs to while you deliver. It would be fun for the whole family!

How to Plan the Perfect Holiday Party

How to Plan the Perfect Holiday Party

 

If you have not begun planning your holiday party yet, it’s possible to put together a great event in a short amount of time.

 

Set the mood.

Tried and true holiday decorations, such as lights, evergreen wreaths and poinsettias, are sure to get your guests in the spirit of the season. Additionally, soft lighting and familiar seasonal scents, such as vanilla, cinnamon or pine, encourage a homelike atmosphere that will put everyone at ease. Place candles or essential oils around your home, and if you have a fireplace, be sure to light it.

 

Plan and prepare the food and beverages.

 

Food is arguably the most important part of your party. If you’re hosting a large feast, do your shopping and prep work ahead of time. Any dishes that can be prepared and frozen a week or two in advance will help you save time on the day of the big event.

 

For smaller parties, choose an assortment of finger foods and snacks such as sandwiches, cheese and fruit plates, veggies and dip, bruschetta, etc. to limit the number of utensils your guests need.

 

A signature drink will make your party memorable. For adult parties, choose a festive cocktail that incorporates the flavors and colors of the season, and make a non-alcoholic version too. If children are invited, offer your own twist on favorites such as hot cocoa and cider.

 

*Greet every guest with a sweet treat or your party’s signature cocktail or drink.

 

*Place food and beverages on tables throughout the room to help ensure that everyone gets to sample the tasty dishes.

 

Passion Into Profits

Turn Your Passion Into Profits

Your personal passions can fuel your prospecting efforts, and consequently, your real estate business.

August 2011 | By Kelle Sparta

 

When I talk to real estate professionals these days, a subject that comes up often is how to get more business. Whether it’s new practitioners just getting started or experienced ones looking to take their business to the next level, it’s all about the number of deals on the table and how to make more money. And that’s the way it should be, since several real estate pros are earning what amounts to minimum wage, if that. (Don’t believe me? Ask the associates in your office to take their total income for the year divided by the number of weeks worked and then divided by the number of hours worked per week, and see what they end up with. It’s often a sobering number.)
Related to this lack of business and desire to have more is the fact that many practitioners hate to prospect. But more prospecting, done right, equals more business. And I have a little secret that will help you get excited about prospecting.

What Are You Passionate About?

People won’t do what they hate. That’s just a fact of life. Sure, they may do it for a while — during a coaching program or while they are on a “kick” to do more deals. But in the long haul, the activities that they don’t like get pushed to the side.
The key is to understand your own internal motivation buttons. What gets you excited? What makes you get out of bed in the morning, raring to go for the day? What are those things which, if you never had to work again for the rest of your life, you’d still do daily? These are your passion points.

Turn Your Passion Into Business

My passion was helping people take a step into a new way of life, so real estate was a natural fit. Excepting investors, people typically don’t buy or sell real estate without having some major life change take place. So for me, it was easy. But for some people, it’s a little more challenging. Perhaps you love model airplanes, or you’re fascinated by sailing, or you love negotiating, or you live for designing marketing pieces. Whatever your passion is, find a way to build that into your real estate business. We’re lucky to be in one of the most flexible, broad-reaching fields in the world. It’s simply a matter of finding the right marriage between the profession and your interests.

Translating Your Passion

At this point, you might be thinking, “Well, this is great, but how do I translate my love of model airplanes (or whatever your passion is) into my real estate business? They have nothing to do with one another, and there are only so many model plane enthusiasts I can sell to.” This is true, but you’re missing the bigger picture.
There’s something about model airplanes that appeals to you besides the planes themselves. Perhaps it’s the attention to detail it takes to make one look really right, or having a slice of history sitting on your shelf, or the creative process of making something and painting it. Or perhaps it’s just having something you can look at and have a sense of accomplishment. There is something about the process that engages you.
When you discover this aspect of your passion, then you can begin to work with it. If it’s the history that appeals to you, consider specializing in historic homes — do the research and provide a detailed portfolio on each of your homes. If it’s the attention to detail, then bring that passion to how you handle your transactions and advertise this fact. If it’s the creative process, then work with fixer-uppers and draw out plans for how people might approach renovating it — or do the fix-and-flips yourself. If it’s having a sense of accomplishment, then feed that need to have something to look at by taking a picture of all of your clients at the closing table and putting those pictures up in your office.

Know Thyself

The key here is to know yourself. Everyone has things that bring them up and things that bring them down. If you focus on the stuff that brings you down, you’ll be unhappy. If you engage the stuff that brings you up, you’ll not only be happier, you’ll get more business because you’ll really be doing what you love.
So make sure that what you’re engaging is the parts of your life and business that truly get you excited. When you’re excited, it’s contagious and everyone wants to be near you. And, when you’re excited, it’s not prospecting anymore — it’s sharing your excitement!

Passion Makes Perfect

When you can marry your passion to your business, you’ll find that the prospecting comes easier, the sales happen automatically, and your bottom line improves dramatically. Why? Because you’re now doing joyfully what you once considered drudgery.

What You Can Do to Improve Your Credit

Credit scores, along with your overall income and debt, are big factors in determining whether you’ll qualify for a loan and what your loan terms will be. So, keep your credit score high by doing the following:

1. Check for and correct any errors in your credit report. Mistakes happen, and you could be paying for someone else’s poor financial management.
2. Pay down credit card bills. If possible, pay off the entire balance every month. Transferring credit card debt from one card to another could lower your score.
3. Don’t charge your credit cards to the maximum limit.
4. Wait 12 months after credit difficulties to apply for a mortgage. You’re penalized less for problems after a year.
5. Don’t order items for your new home on credit — such as appliances and furniture — until after the loan is approved. The amounts will add to your debt.
6. Don’t open new credit card accounts before applying for a mortgage. Too much available credit can lower your score.
7. Shop for mortgage rates all at once. Too many credit applications can lower your score, but multiple inquiries from the same type of lender are counted as one inquiry if submitted over a short period of time.
8. Avoid finance companies. Even if you pay the loan on time, the interest is high and it will probably be considered a sign of poor credit management.

This information is copyrighted by the Fannie Mae Foundation and is used with permission of the Fannie Mae Foundation.

Why to Own Your Own Home!!!

7 Reasons to Own Your Home

1. Tax breaks. The U.S. Tax Code lets you deduct the interest you pay on your mortgage, your property taxes, as well as some of the costs involved in buying your home.
2. Appreciation. Real estate has long-term, stable growth in value. While year-to-year fluctuations are normal, median existing-home sale prices have increased on average 6.5 percent each year from 1972 through 2005, and increased 88.5 percent over the last 10 years, according to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. In addition, the number of U.S. households is expected to rise 15 percent over the next decade, creating continued high demand for housing.
3. Equity. Money paid for rent is money that you’ll never see again, but mortgage payments let you build equity ownership interest in your home.
4. Savings. Building equity in your home is a ready-made savings plan. And when you sell, you can generally take up to $250,000 ($500,000 for a married couple) as gain without owing any federal income tax.
5. Predictability. Unlike rent, your fixed-mortgage payments don’t rise over the years so your housing costs may actually decline as you own the home longer. However, keep in mind that property taxes and insurance costs will increase.
6. Freedom. The home is yours. You can decorate any way you want and benefit from your investment for as long as you own the home.
7. Stability. Remaining in one neighborhood for several years gives you a chance to participate in community activities, lets you and your family establish lasting friendships, and offers your children the benefit of educational continuity.

Falling Foreclosures Pushing Up Home Prices

Daily Real Estate News | Thursday, October 18, 2012

  

As foreclosure backlogs have decreased, so have many of the big discounts on home prices. The slowdown in foreclosures is partially behind the recent rise in home prices, some economists say.
“Deeply discounted existing homes have been subject to strong demand from cash buyers and investors looking to lock into housing’s attractive income returns,” says Paul Diggle, a housing economist at Capital Economics. “The supply of such homes, meanwhile, has been dwindling. That has bid up existing house prices, particularly at the lower end of the price spectrum."
The median price of existing homes nationwide was 9.5 higher in August compared to a year ago, and new home prices were up 17 percent in that same time period.
Distressed properties typically sell for big discounts. For example, in 2007 during a nationwide foreclosure surge, foreclosures tended to sell for about a third of the median price of the home. The housing markets with some of the largest price falls tended to have the highest number of distressed home sales.
Lately, foreclosures have been posting big drops. Last month, new foreclosure filings reached a five-year low, according to RealtyTrac, a real estate research firm that tracks foreclosure housing data.
“There is a shortage of inventory — as crazy as it sounds to say that,” says Daren Blomquist, a RealtyTrac spokesman. “In a lot of market there's less inventory of foreclosed properties than there is demand. You’re hearing about multiple bids for these properties.”

Why Do You Need Title Insurance?

 

Title Insurance.

It’s a term we hear and see frequently - we see reference to it in the Sunday real estate section, in advertisements and in conversations with real estate brokers. If you’ve purchased a home before, you’re probably familiar with the benefits and procedures of title insurance. But if this is your first home, you may wonder, “Why do I need another insurance policy? It’s just one more bill to pay.”

The answer is simple: The purchase of a home is most likely one of the most expensive and important purchases you will ever make. You, and your mortgage lender, want to make sure that the property is indeed yours - lock, stock and barrel - and that no individual or government entity has any right, lien, claim to your property.

Title insurance companies are in business to make sure your rights and interests to the property are clear, that transfer of title takes place efficiently and correctly and that your interests as a homebuyer are protected to the maximum degree.

Title insurance companies provide services to buyers, sellers, real estate developers, builders, mortgage lenders and others who have an interest in a real estate transfer. Title companies routinely issue two types of policies - “owner’s”, which cover you, the homebuyer; and “lender’s”, which covers the bank, savings and loan or other lending institution over the life of the loan. Both are issued at the time of purchase for a modest, one-time premium.

Before issuing a policy, however, the title company performs an extensive search of relevant public records to determine if anyone other than you has an interest in the property. The search may be performed by title company personnel using either public records or more likely, information gathered, reorganized and indexed in the company’s title plant.

With such a thorough examination of records, any title problems usually can be found and cleared up prior to your purchase of the property. Once a title policy is issued, if for some reason any claim which is covered under your title policy is ever filed against your property, the title company will pay the legal fee involved in defense of your rights, as well as any covered loss arising from a valid claim. That protection, which is in effect as long as you or your heirs own the property, is yours for a one-time premium paid at the time of purchase.

The fact that title companies work to eliminate risks before they develop makes the title insurance decidedly different from other types of insurance you may have purchased. Most forms of insurance assume risks by providing financial protection through a pooling of risks for losses arising from an unforeseen event, say a fire, theft or accident. The purpose of title insurance, on the other hand, is to eliminate risks and prevent losses caused by defects in title that happened in the past. Risks are examined and mitigated before property changes hands.

This risk elimination has benefits to both you, the homebuyer, and the title company: it minimizes the chances adverse claims might be raised, and by so doing reduces the number of claims that have to be defended or satisfied. This keeps costs down for the title company and your title premiums low.

Buying a home is a big step emotionally and financially. With title insurance you are assured that any valid claim against your property will be borne by the title company, and that the odds of a claim being filed are slim indeed.

Isn’t sleeping well at night, knowing your home is yours, reason enough for title insurance?