Buying a home is one of the largest investments someone will make in a lifetime.  Getting a mortgage is one of the biggest loans in the budget.   Take a little time to save yourself a lot of money.  Team up with the experts and use their experience to save yourself from a bad experience.  Taking a few extra minutes to prepare can give you big bragging rights on your real estate deal for years to come.
Here are some things to do as you set out to buy your home or get your mortgage. Determine your budget.  Set a timer for two to three hours, turn on your favorite tunes and start slogging through your last six months bank statements and credit card statements.  Keep a tally of how much you are spending on food, rent, utilities, gas, insurance and more. Remember those bills you only pay…
Posted On Monday, 25 October 2021 00:00 Written by
A bit about Patricia Fripp: Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE is a Hall of Fame keynote speaker, executive speech coach, and presentation skills expert. Companies hire Fripp to increase sales by improving their important conversations and presentations. Kiplinger’s Personal Finance wrote, “One of your best investments is to learn presentation skills from Patricia Fripp.” In 2019 she was named “One of the top 30 women in sales” and “One of the top 30 Global Gurus.”
Posted On Thursday, 21 October 2021 00:00 Written by
How do you rate your lender realtor partnerships? Jo Garner speaks to how to effectively and profitably collaborate together to create a seamless and stress less experience for your customers and clients. She shares how she so successfully manages to be the LENDER OF CHOICE by providing systematic communication, networking and client retention programs that keep raving clients for life! A Bit About Jo:  “Whatever YOUR personal priorities are, my job is to help you get the mortgage terms that will give you bragging rights when you talk about it and help you score on hitting your goals.” As a mortgage loan officer, my job is to help you get to the benefits you want from your financing terms. What is most important to you? I can help you find the financing terms that will help you get to what you want.  What is your comfort level on a house…
Posted On Wednesday, 20 October 2021 00:00 Written by
It’s a very strange time for the country in general, the mortgage industry and real estate are not without their challenges as well. Some are directly linked to the other, some much more convoluted in their connection. It’s not hard to see that rising inflation impacts everyone. If things cost more, then they cost more. Some people are fortunate enough to stay ahead of inflation with their income, others will have to do with less. The real issues aren’t just that things cost more, as much as the stress that is caused when entire budgets are blown, or opportunities are eliminated because of it. The emotional impact can be very real as rising prices take their toll.
We are seeing inflation far exceed FED targets and they have pushed their projections of inflation from “transitory” firmly into “reality” as it will not be temporary and certainly will not…
Posted On Monday, 18 October 2021 00:00 Written by
Anais Nin  “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” Move Up While The Price Is Right For years Maynard and Marlene Mueller had yearned to move to a more upscale neighborhood where some of their friends were living.  The price tag on the monthly note would have been $800 higher than what they were paying then on their current home.  That plan was insanely out of reach for them in 2018.   However, in the current market the Muellers considered the deep dip in the mortgage rates combined  with the simultaneous spike in their current home value. Now they finally could make the positive pivot to the bigger, beautiful home.     They sold their current home at a top price and took the $300,000 net profit and put it down on that more upscale…
Posted On Monday, 18 October 2021 00:00 Written by
With both a law degree from Marquette University and 20 years real estate experience, Nicole offers her clients the benefit of working with an agent who really understands the intricacies of the complex real estate contracts along with the practical experience of what it really takes to list and sell a home in the shortest amount of time while maximizing the seller's proceeds. The Real Estate Center – Pewaukee WI Starting her real estate career in 1999, Nicole has had the opportunity to grow with and learn from the real estate market over the past twenty years. She understands the value of an education holding a law degree from Marquette University. As a licensed attorney in the State of Wisconsin and a real estate broker with the firm she founded, The Real Estate Center, Nicole sees her role as not only an advocate but also an educator. Education is empowering and whether it is…
Posted On Friday, 15 October 2021 00:00 Written by
Now is an important time in our industry to pay attention to the numbers, the charts, and especially the political rhetoric on all sides. I don’t remember a series of potential market movers and known events all happening in the next week, but any or all of these could dramatically move the markets. First, lets look at where we are to see where the mortgage markets sit as of 6am 10-7-21 when I am writing this: UMBS 30yr 2.5% is 103.05 – 10yr T is 1.52. In the past year the High was 105.63 on 1/4/21 and a low of 102.20 on 3/19/21 and the 10yr T was 1.71 on 3/31/21 and .709 on 10/14/20 Just a point of reference and charts you can have available to share with your clients. We also saw refinances drop 10% week over week and down 16% year over year with rates only being…
Posted On Monday, 11 October 2021 00:00 Written by
Nicolas Manetta-“Those who don’t think outside the box are easily contained.” “We have reached a tipping point,” real estate market experts are saying.   They point out that more homes are being listed for sale, and the prices are still rising, but not at the double-digit frenzy we have seen over the last year. Homebuyers are stepping back into action and making offers on homes now that there may be only five competing offers on the house they want instead of twenty-five offers. Buyers want to lock in a fixed mortgage rate in high two’s or three’s to give themselves an affordable house payment and a design on building their personal wealth.   Home sellers sitting on the fence are now staking the “For Sale” sign out in the yard.     While home prices are high and demand is red hot, sellers want to realize the highest profit and not regret…
Posted On Monday, 11 October 2021 00:00 Written by
There is always an opportunity to be had in each situation. Rising interest rates are no different. It’s ironic that people aren’t as excited about 3.25% or 3.5% or 3.99% on the way higher than they were as they were when rates were falling to those numbers. It wasn’t that long ago when these numbers were very exciting to our clients.  The solution to finding the opportunity in rising rates is to remind people that rates are just a number, and it’s the PAYMENT that people need to focus on. I get it, people are emotionally attached to rates but rarely tie that to the difference in the payment. It’s your job to tie it together for them. Do the math and run the numbers! It’s also important to share the facts of the market. Pull up a two-year chart of the UMBS 2.5% coupon show where we are and…
Posted On Monday, 04 October 2021 00:00 Written by
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