We are happy to announce the closing on another one of our short sale listings, this time in Janesville, WI! This was a Bank of America negotiated short sale. We represented both the buyers and sellers for this sale. As you have likely heard, short sale transactions can be complex, and an experienced Short Sale Realtor® is a must. This was a large home, at a great price that the new owner is sure to enjoy! This 3 bedroom, 2 car garage home sold for less than $17 per square foot!! If you are thinking of selling or buying a short sale home in Wisconsin, our short sale specialists would be happy to assist you. Give Rock Realty a call at 608-921-8536. Is a Short Sale right for my situation?? If you are considering the possibility of a short sale for your home, feel free to fill out our no o... 10/19/2012

VA Mortgage Program Has Good News for Veterans and Their Families photo credit: Tony Fischer Photography via photopin cc Many years ago the United States decided it was a good idea to offer housing benefits for our veterans that were not attainable to other classes of people. The men and women who sacrificed time away from their families and risked their lives in defense of our country deserved the chance to buy a home with attractive features. As time has marched on and the needs of veterans have changed, the VA Mortgage program has made some changes to appeal to even more qualified borrowers. Spouses of Deceased Veterans Before the new law, spouses of deceased veterans could only apply for a VA mortgage if the veteran passed away during active duty defending our country or if the vete... 10/10/2012

Rock Realty Client Testimonials "My home was in foreclosure, and I was going to turn it over to the bank, untill I spoke with Mike about putting my house up for a Short Sale. He explained the advantages of a short sale vs foreclosure, and I decided to let Mike sell my home. My mortgage company put up many roadblocks along the way, but Mike was able to solve everything. In the end Mike worked very hard on this sale. I am very happy with his skills at dealing with buyers/sellers, and Mortgage companies. I would recommend Michael Collins and Rock Realty in the future." Ron A.(Janesville, WI)Rock Realty Seller Client Congratulations Ron on your short sale closing!  09/11/2012

We are happy to announce the successful closing of a Janesville, Wisconsin Investment Property! As you have likely heard, short sale transactions can be complex, and an experienced Short Sale Realtor® is a must. Short sales can make for great rental cash flow properties! If you are an investor thinking of buying a short sale home in Wisconsin, we would be happy to assist you. Give Rock Realty a call at 877-774-7625. Or, if you are considering listing your home as a short sale, feel free to fill out our no obligation... Short Sale Home Evaluation Form 08/24/2012

Rock Realty Client Testimonials "Mike Collins helped us sell our home, he was a very nice guy and always there when we had any questions or concerns! Mike went above and beyond and even helped paint the house when there was a time crunch for the inspection. We appreciated all that Mike did!" Katy K.(Janesville, WI)Rock Realty Client 07/09/2012

It isn't often that you can find a nice 3 bedroom home for under $50,000 in Janesville Wisconsin. Due to the recent economic recession, today there are currently over 15 options for you! Click on the map below to see these active MLS listings. You might be wondering how much a mortgage payment would be on a fifty thousand dollar house. Let's say that you were able to come up with a 5% down payment. For a home at this price, that's only $2,500. Today's mortgage rate is around 3.75%.  This leaves a principal and interest payment of only $220 per month! There are other things to factor in, including taxes, home owner's insurance, and any private mortgage insurance, but you get the idea. This is much cheaper than rent! In fact, these three bedroom Janesville homes would make great rentals! 06/26/2012

We are happy to announce that yesterday we had another successful Janesville, WI short sale closing. As you have likely heard, short sale transactions can be complex, and an experienced Short Sale Realtor® is a must. This was a great home that the buyers are sure to enjoy! If you are thinking of selling or buying a short sale home in Wisconsin, we would be happy to assist you. Give Rock Realty a call at 877-774-7625. Or, if you are considering a short sale for your home, feel free to fill out our no obligation Short Sale Home Evaluation Form 06/15/2012

Attention Janesville FHA Loan Homeowners! New FHA Streamline Program is now available!! If you currently have a FHA loan that closed before March 2009 - You may be eligible for a FHA streamline refinance loan that will not require an appraisal. If you think you may be upside down on your mortgage but you make your payments on time you can take advantage of this money saving program and historically low rates. This FHA program is limited – act quickly. These FHA streamlines also have lower fees and some have no fees at all. This is your time to take advantage of the lowest rates Janesville Wisconsin residents have seen in a long time. Do not hesitate, please call my office at 920-623-9245 for a no obligation mortgage analysis. If we can save your money we will come out to your Janesville... 06/14/2012

Here is today's market listings update for Active short sale single family homes located in Janesville Wisconsin. This information was pulled from the South Central Wisconsin MLS on 5/31/2012 at 10:30 A.M. 39 total short sale single family homes are listed in Janesville, WI Low listing price: $34,000 High listing price: $399,900 Average listing price: $109,992 Median listing price: $84,900 Average days on the market: 186 Of course these numbers change on a daily basis, so to obtain the most up to date information on current short sales for sale, please contact us directly at 608-921-8536. We would be happy to customize the search further for you to find the home that is just right for you. As an extra benefit to Rock Realty home buyers, we offer a 1% broker commission rebate after clos... 06/01/2012

If you have a home loan through Bank of America and you are currently concerned about making your payments or your home is worth less than you owe, you may qualify for a short sale incentive from BoA. They refer to it as an 'enhanced relocation assistance payment'. To qualifying home owners/sellers, this could mean a check given to you for up to $30,000 after a successful short sale closing! Trust me, this is no scam. Here is a recent email that was sent to Bank of America Short Sale Specialists, like myself. My name is Michael Collins, real estate agent and broker at Rock Realty. If you are currently considering a short sale in Wisconsin, I would be happy to walk you through the process and answer any questions you may have. I am certified as a Short Sales & Foreclosure Resource throug... 05/24/2012

With all off the unfortunate market conditions we have experienced, I guess we should be Thankful, that our local market has shown 10 months of increased activity over those same months last year.  Locally our home sales are up 31% over the same 4 month period (January-April) and at least prices seem to be leveling off. Maybe by the end of the year we will see some increase in prices.  Markets are local and yours may be better or worse, but I think many real estate practitioners can see that we are working our way through the myriad of distressed properties. Improved short sales rules and bank processing have made the impossible, possible.  I am sure we will be working through that inventory for several years to come.  But increased numbers of sales do add money to the community because... 05/21/2012

Are you a Janesville homeowner upside down on your mortgage? Do you have good credit and good mortgage payment history? Was your Fannie Mae serviced loan closed prior to 3/31/09? If you answered yes to all of these questions you may be eligible to reduce your mortgage rate and start saving money. It is time to take advantage of the new Janesville Wisconsin HARP2 mortgage program. Please call me today at 920-623-9245 for a fast money saving mortgage analysis. 05/15/2012

Unique Features of WHEDA Loans In an effort to help the lower income individuals of Wisconsin find affordable housing, the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, or WHEDA for short, was formed.  The various loans offered by WHEDA have unique features that make it easier for people to buy their first home. One-of-A-Kind Loans The loans offered by WHEDA are different from the products with similar names.  The WHEDA FHA Advantage uses FHA guidelines to offer extremely low, fixed rate mortgages.  Manual underwriting is also encouraged by lenders in order to help people without traditional credit histories. The Fannie Mae Advantage is quite flexible in allowing borrowers to seek help from grants and down payment programs in order to secure the funds for the necessary down paym... 05/02/2012

We are happy to announce that last Friday we had another successful short sale closing. As you have likely heard, short sale transactions can be complex, and an experienced Short Sale Realtor® is a must. This was a great home that the buyers are sure to enjoy! If you are thinking of selling or buying a short sale home in Wisconsin, we would be happy to assist you. Give Rock Realty a call at 877-774-7625. Or, if you are considering a short sale for your home, feel free to fill out our no obligation Short Sale Home Evaluation Form 04/10/2012

Just listed! This residential lot on a quiet dead end street on Janesville's North East Side. 1622 Green Meadow Ln, Janesville, WI 53546 Lot Size: 10,018sq.ft. One of the last remaining lots in the neighborhood. Located on a dead end in quiet neighborhood. Surrounded by newly built homes. All utilities available. Broker is related to sellers. 03/14/2012

Here is today's market listings update for Active short sale single family homes located in Janesville Wisconsin. This information was pulled from the South Central Wisconsin MLS on 3/1/2012 at 12:30 P.M. 41 total short sale homes are currently listed in Janesville, WI Low listing price: $26,800 High listing price: $290,000 Average listing price: $108,963 Median listing price: $94,900 Average days on the market: 136 Of course these numbers change on a daily basis, so to obtain the most up to date information on current short sales for sale, please contact us directly at 608-921-8536. We would be happy to customize the search further for you to find the home that is just right for you. As an extra benefit to Rock Realty home buyers, we offer a 1% broker commission rebate after closing. ... 03/01/2012

Here is today's market update for Active foreclosure and bank owned home MLS listings located in Janesville Wisconsin. This information was pulled from the South Central Wisconsin MLS on 2/14/2012 at 2:50 P.M. 26 total Foreclosure|REO|Bank-Owned home listings in Janesville, WI Low listing price: $45,500 High listing price: $679,900 Average listing price: $118,167 Median listing price: $84,000 Average days on the market: 82 There are some fantastic deals available right now! Of the 26 foreclosure listings in Janesville, 19 of them are listed for under $100,000. These numbers change on a daily basis, so to obtain the most up to date information, please contact us directly at 877-774-7625 or email us at Info@RockRealtyWI.com. If you are looking to buy a discounted home in Janesville Wisco... 02/14/2012

Here is today's market update for Active three (3) bedroom ranch homes located in the city of Janesville Wisconsin. This information was pulled from the South Central Wisconsin MLS on 2/2/2012 at 10:15 A.M. 195 total 3 bdrm ranch homes are currently listed in the City of Janesville Low listing price: $35,000 High listing price: $679,900 Average listing price: $171,758 Median listing price: $144,990 Average days on the market: 145 If you are looking for a 3 bedroom ranch home that has a 2 car garage and a minimum of 2 bathrooms, then the numbers do change significantly. Those stats are listed below. 92 total 3 bdrm ranch homes, with 2 bathrooms & a 2 car garage Low listing price: $65,900 High listing price: $625,000 Average listing price: $167,627 Median listing price: $149,900 Average ... 02/02/2012

Getting Approved for an FHA Mortgage The FHA mortgage has grown in popularity over the last few years for first-time homebuyers and experienced homeowners.  The flexible rules used to qualify buyers make it one of the more attractive ways to get a home in Wisconsin.  Although the following list is meant as a guideline, keep this in mind; FHA has the authority to make exceptions for almost every rule.  Their goal is to find a way to qualify people for a loan, rather than look for a reason to decline them. Employment – Borrowers need to have a minimum of two years of continuous employment.  It is preferred that this employment is with the same company or in the same line of work and it should be within Wisconsin if at all possible. Credit Report – The most recent 12 month period should sh... 01/10/2012

December's Season of Celebrations & Sharing: Holiday Light Show, Janesville, WI The Rotary Botanical Gardens have been decorated with lights for the Holidays! In what has become an annual tradition, the Gardens are lit with over 200,000 holiday lights. They are open evenings from 4:30 pm to 8:00 pm, and are located at 1455 Palmer Drive in Janesville, WI. I took just a few pictures to show the after-dark beauty of one of my favorite parks.     The walking paths are lit with multicolored foot light. After a walk throught the grounds, there is nightly entertainment, a model railroad display, quilts, and gingerbread houses on display inside the buildings at the park.  More information at this link: http://rotarybotanicalgardens.org/gardens   12/24/2011