Effective on FHA loans with case numbers assigned on or after April 5, 2010, the required upfront mortgage insurance premium (UFMIP) will increase to 2.25% of the loan amount. Currently it is 1.75%. This one of several steps FHA is taking to strengthen its financial position. This change applie
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03/25/2010
Remember when you could get 95% Conventional financing in California? Seems like a long time ago, doesn't it? The reason it ended was because no private mortgage insurance companies would write MI above 90%. This was one of the ways they chose to minimize their losses in The Golden State. Unles
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03/25/2010
Area realtors are telling me that it's quiet these days. What? Have all of you forgotten about the First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit? The deadline is coming up fast so you need to get shopping! According to the IRS, here are the details on the Credit: You must buy - or enter into a binding contr
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03/19/2010
I did a refi for a dear retired lady and today was signing day at title. Her deal had pretty fairly easy to do. Best of all, she told me, "I trust you. Just take care of it for me and let me know when to sign." Having just lost two deals with two insulting clients, I truly appreciated her con
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03/12/2010
Zero Cash = Zero House I'm seeing an odd phenomenon of late. I talk to folks interested in mortgage financing and ask, "Do you have funds available for a downpayment and the closing costs?" Increasingly, the answer is, "No." I wonder where they got the idea that they can buy a home with no ava
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03/11/2010
I'd like to thank Sara Bonert for posting NAR's 2009 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers Report. Here's what jumped out at me and emphasized the importance of why we need a great web presence as major component in our marketing efforts. 90% of buyers used the Internet to search for homes Searchin
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03/04/2010