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Morristown, TN Real Estate News

By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
Considering Offers When reading an offer, keep in mind that you are out to get the best price AND the best terms for you. If you focus solely on the price, you may overlook terms that could be favorable to you as a buyer. Some terms that may work in your favor: higher-than-market-interest in a second mortgage for your home the buyer will pay for most or all of the closing costs the buyer will take care of any repairs quick close - the buyer is pre-approved and ready to close in a timeframe that best suits you all-cash deal When reading through offers, remember to look at the whole package. Take the time that you need to assess what is being offered and if it meets your needs.   The Elkins Home Selling Team with Elite Realty Group provides services with Morristown TN Real Estate For Sale...
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By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
Avoiding Financial Stress By asking the right questions, and knowing exactly what your needs are, you can find the right loan for you. There are certain approaches that you can take while mortgage shopping that can cost or save you money. It is still true that the better qualifications you have, the lower your interest rate will be. However, there are mortgages available for almost everyone; it's the interest rates or the down payments that vary. Before speaking with a lender, know what monthly dollar amount you feel comfortable committing to. Then when you discuss mortgage pre-approval with your lender, it is easier for you to determine the monthly amount and what value of home the monthly amount translates into. Do not put yourself in the position where you will be paying more each mo...
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By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
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 ...
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By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
The No-Cost Thirty Year Fixed Rate Mortgage There really is no such thing as a no-cost mortgage loan. There are always costs, such as appraisal fees, escrow fees, title insurance fees, document fees, processing fees, flood certification fees, recording fees, notary fees, tax service fees, wire fees, and so on, depending on whether the loan is a purchase or a refinance. The term “no-cost” actually means that your lender is paying the costs of the loan. All a no-cost loan means is that there is no cost to you, the borrower. Except that you pay a higher interest rate. Understand How Loans Are Priced A variation of the no-cost loan is the “no points” loan, or even the “no points, no lender fees” loan. On these loans you pay all the costs associated with buying a house or refinancing, but yo...
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By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
The Biweekly Mortgage - Who Needs It? Have you received an advertisement offering to save you thousands of dollars on your thirty-year mortgage and cut years off your payments? With email spam becoming more pervasive as everyone tries to get rich quick on the Internet, these ads are popping up with troublesome regularity. The ads promote a Biweekly Mortgage and for the most part, do not come from a mortgage lender. Exclamation points punctuate practically every claim: No closing costs! No refinancing! No points! No credit check! No appraisal! Save thousands! Cut years off your mortgage! To achieve these wonderful savings all you have to do is allow half of your mortgage payment to be deducted from your checking account every two weeks. It’s easy. Of course, there is a small set-up fee a...
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By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
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 com...
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By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
What is a Short Sale Anyway? An increase in foreclosure rates will inevitably bring with it an increase in short sales. But what is a short sale? A short sale happens when you sell your house for less than your remaining mortgage balance, the proceeds of which go to the lender and in return the lender forgives the remaining balance. Selling your home as a short sale is one way to avoid foreclosure. As a general rule, lenders lose money when they foreclose on a property. Consequently, they would rather not have to foreclose if it can be avoided. A short sale represents an opportunity to cut their losses because a short sale usually allows them to recoup more of the cost of the loan than a foreclosure process would. However, don’t think that a short sale is an easy thing to accomplish. In...
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By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
Why You Should Not Make Any Major Credit Purchases Don’t go on a spending spree using credit if you are thinking about buying a home, or in the process of buying a new home. Your mortgage pre-approval is subject to a final evaluation of your financial situation. Every $100 you pay per month on a credit payment could cost you about $10,000 in home eligibility. For example, a car payment of $300/month could mean that you qualify for $30,000 less in a mortgage. Even if you have accumulated enough savings, you should consider not making any large purchases until after closing. The last thing you want is to know that you could have purchased a new home had you curbed the urge to spend.   The Elkins Home Selling Team with Elite Realty Group provides services with Morristown TN Real Estate For...
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By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
Where Does the Money Come From for Mortgage Loans? In the olden days, when someone wanted a home loan they walked downtown to the neighborhood bank or savings & loan. If the bank had extra funds lying around and considered you a good credit risk, they would lend you the money from their own funds. It doesn’t generally work like that anymore. Most of the money for home loans comes from three major institutions: Fannie Mae (FNMA - Federal National Mortgage Association) Freddie Mac (FHLMC - Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation) Ginnie Mae (GNMA - Government National Mortgage Association) This is how it works: You talk to practically any lender and apply for a loan. They do all the processing and verifications and finally, you own the house with a home loan and regular mortgage payments. ...
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By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
Understanding Title Insurance What is title insurance? Newspapers refer to it in the weekly real estate sections and you hear about it in conversations with real estate brokers. If you’ve purchased a home you may be familiar with the benefits of title insurance. However, if this is your first home, you may wonder, “Why do I need yet another insurance policy?” While a number of issues can be raised by that question, we will start with a general answer. The purchase of a home is one of the most expensive and important purchases you will ever make. You and your mortgage lender will want to make sure the property is indeed yours and that no one else has any lien, claim or encumbrance on your property. The Land Title Association, in the following pages, answers some questions frequently aske...
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By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
Underground Heating Oil Tanks Underground heating oil tanks can pose many potential problems to both home buyers and sellers. They have been the source of many environmental problems such as contamination of surrounding soil and ground water. Leaks are generally caused by the rust inside underground tanks or by an electrical condition sparked by electric utility lines. Buyers should always have the tank inspected to make sure that it is structurally sound. Buyers who do not want an underground fuel tank can arrange for an above ground tank to be installed in the basement and the underground tank to be shut off. Cleanup of any leaks will also have to be taken care of. For buyers, the underground heating oil tank should be written in the sales contract. For sellers, your lawyer should mak...
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By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
Setting the Price The price is the first thing buyers notice about your property. If you set your price too high, then the chance of alienating buyers is higher. You want your house to be taken seriously, and the asking price reflects how serious you are about selling your home. Several factors will contribute to your final decision. First, you should compare your house to others that are in the market. If you use an agent, he/she will provide you with a CMA (Comparative Market Analysis). The CMA will reflect the following: houses in your price range and area that were sold within the last half-year asking and selling prices of houses current inventory of houses on the market features of each house on the market From the CMA, you will learn the difference between the asking price and se...
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By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
Use a Buyer’s Agent It’s important that you choose an experienced agent who is there for you. Your agent should be actively finding you potential homes, keeping you informed of the entire process, negotiating furiously on your behalf, and answering all of your questions with competence and speed. First, find an agent who represents you and not the seller. This is beneficial during the negotiation process. If you are working with a buyer’s agent, he or she is required not to tell the seller of your top choice. In addition, he or she is also focused on getting you the lowest asking price. Also, when you use a buyer’s agent, you will see more properties. Not only are they plugged into their Multiple Listing Service, but they are also actively finding homes that are listed as FSBO, or homes...
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By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
The Advantages of Different Types of Mortgage Lenders What kind of lender is best? If you ask a loan officer, “What kind of lender is best?” the answer will be whatever kind of company he works for and he will give you a list of reasons why. If you meet the same loan officer years later, and he works for a different kind of lender, he will give you a list of reasons why that type of lender is better. REALTORS® will also have differing opinions, and those opinions have and will continue to change over time. In the past, it seemed like most would recommend portfolio lenders. Now, they usually recommend mortgage bankers and mortgage brokers. Most often they direct you to a specific loan officer who has demonstrated a track record of service and reliability. This article discusses the advan...
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By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
Understanding Preliminary Reports After months of searching, you’ve finally found it -- your perfect dream home. But is it perfect? Will you be purchasing more than just a beautiful home? Will you also be acquiring liens placed on the property by prior owners? Have documents been recorded that will restrict your use of the property? The preliminary report will provide you with the opportunity, prior to purchase, to review matters affecting your property which will be excluded from coverage under your title insurance policy unless removed or eliminated before your purchase. To help you better understand this often bewildering subject, the Land Title Association has answered some of the questions most commonly asked about preliminary reports. What is a Preliminary Report? A preliminary re...
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By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
Plan of Action Analyze why you are selling - If you understand your motives, you will be able to better negotiate and to get what it is that you want, whether it be a quick sale, high price, or somewhere in the middle.   Prepare your home for the buyer - Maximize the strengths of your property and fix up its weaknesses. You want the buyer to walk away from your home with a lasting good impression.   Find a good real estate agent that understands your needs - Make sure that your agent is loyal to you, and can negotiate to help you achieve your goals. In addition, they should be assertive and honest with both you and the buyer.   Be prepared for negotiation - Learn and understand your buyer’s situation; what are their motives? Can you demand a big deposit from them? Try to lock in the buy...
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By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
Thinking About Buying a Foreclosure? With the housing bubble burst and the subprime mortgage crisis, millions of homeowners found themselves unable to make their mortgage payments. Many found themselves owing more on the house than the home was worth. Many just walked away from their homes. As a result of these complicated issues, millions of homes were foreclosed. While this isn’t the only reason for which homes are foreclosed, it has been a widespread one. With all the foreclosed properties, there has also been extensive interest in buying these properties at a bargain price. It is true that foreclosed properties can be priced at a significant discount, but they are also a much riskier investment. Before making an offer on a foreclosed property, do your due diligence. Things you must ...
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By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
Land Contract An alternative to a non-conforming loan is the use of a land contract, which is allowed in some states. A land contract is an agreement between a buyer and a seller, where the buyer agrees to make periodic payments to the seller. The title to the property only transfers to the land contract buyer on fulfillment of the land contract obligations. A land contract can be helpful for those who need time to establish or improve their credit rating. There are only small closing costs, and payment can help establish a good mortgage payment record. This can help establish an overall good credit rating, and it is possible for the buyer to later refinance the land contract with a conforming loan. On the other hand, there are risks associated with land contracts. Land contract purchas...
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By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
Items You Need When Applying For a Loan Have These Items Ready When You Apply For a Loan It used to be that lenders mailed out verifications to employers, banks, mortgage companies, and so on, in order to verify the data supplied by borrowers. Nowadays, the interest is often in speed and getting answers quickly so alternate documentation has become more widely used. Alternate documentation means that underwriting answers can be obtained with information supplied directly from the borrower instead of waiting around for verifications to come back in the mail. The following is required for most standardized loans as part of alternate documentation processing. Items may differ according to whether your loan is a conforming (Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac), non-conforming (jumbo) loan, government...
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By Norma J. Elkins, Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team
( Elite Realty Group)
Title Insurance Requirements for Insuring Trusts In today’s world of busy probate courts and exorbitant death taxes, the living trust has become a common manner of holding title to real property. The following may help you understand a few of the requirements of the title insurance industry if title to property is conveyed to the trustee of a living trust. What is a trust? An agreement between a trustor and trustee for the trustee to hold title to and administer designated assets of the trustor for the use and benefit of one or more beneficiaries. Can a trust itself acquire and convey interests in real property? No. The trust is an arrangement between a trustee and the trustor. Only the trustee, on behalf of the trust, may own and convey any interest in real property. The trustee may on...
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Morristown, TN Real Estate Professionals