Upcoming Free (& non-promotional) Home Buyer Classes:
Saturday, January 23rd, from 11am-2pm (ish)
Vancouver YMCA, conference room
11324 NE 51st Circle, Vancouver WA (corner of SR500 & Gher Road/112th Ave)
Monday night, February 8th, 5pm-8pm (ish)
Marshall Community Center, conference room
1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd, Vancouver WA (kitty corner from Clark College)
Saturday, February 13th, 9am-12pm (ish)
Marshall Community Center, conference room
1009 E. McLoughlin Blvd, Vancouver WA (kitty corner from Clark College)
If these class dates and/or times don’t work for you, please let us know. We understand that you have lives, and families, and work. We will work something out that works better with your schedule. Just let us know….
….we also have home seller classes available too…link on left on website
Remember…with reservation…we will throw in lunch, or dinner! 😀
~~~~~~~~~
Hi there!
Almost one month into the new year, and I am hearing a reoccurring theme in the classes…rents are going up, and up…and there doesn’t seem to be any ceiling for them. 🙁 Sadly, everything we are seeing shows that they will continue to rise this year. Per the Clark County Housing authority, Clark County has a 2% vacancy rate….that’s crazy! Unfortunately it also explains why rental rates continue to rise. It sucks…Why pay $1500 for rent, when you can have a house for that? The lender who teaches the classes with me, Chris Berg (pinnacle mortgage 503-320-0925, cberg@pcmloan.com), posted a status on his facebook this week that I thought might interest everyone. This week I am going to ‘steal’ his post for you. I thought it was a good status for this weeks blog, and for what we are hearing a lot about at the classes…
LEARN THE 5 MISTAKES THAT FIRST TIME HOMEBUYERS MAKE THAT COSTS THEM THOUSANDS
1) Internet Credit Reports: There are dozens of companies dying to get you to allow them to pull your credit so that they can charge you for it then sell your credit profiles to any company willing to pay for it. After all of that you get a credit report with a score on it that is almost always different than what you lender will get. Learn how to get an actual copy of your report.
2) Prequalification instead of a Preapproval: I see this one every day. A buyer goes online and fills out a 5 minute form and is told by some online lender to go find a house to buy. The buyer pays for an inspection, an appraisal, and an earnest money deposit only to find out that their lender only pulled a credit report and never analyzed income. Now the buyer doesn’t qualify and has spent thousands for nothing. This is a prequalification, not a preapproval. There is a huge difference, learn what they are.
3) Letting your lender pick your loan program: Did you know that not all lenders offer all the loan programs that you may qualify for? When you apply for a mortgage many lenders will tell you only about the loan program that they want you to use instead of the loan programs that they do not offer. Knowing the loan programs available before you pick a lender may be the difference between you being able to buy a home now instead of when they tell you that you can. Learn the pros and cons of all the major loan programs even the zero down payment loans they don’t tell you about!
4) Chasing rainbows: Just because you see a show on buying and remodeling homes on TV does not mean that there are loans available to do that. Knowing what you can and cannot do in this market can save you money and countless hours searching for the right home. Learn what is possible and what is not.
5) Not having the proper Education: It amazes me that most first time homebuyers spend more time looking at a fast food menu that they have seen a million times than they do picking out their loan, their lender, or a Realtor. Who you hire to help you buy a home is as importing as finding the home itself. Find out what is available to you instead of calling somebody who’s face you saw on a bus or shopping cart.
Take a couple hours to attend one of our classes and learn all the major loan programs and what to expect when buying a home…the paperwork involved, the steps, and the process. Good for Washington and Oregon taught by a licensed and experienced loan officer, and experienced realtor.
Information is power, and I hope that I am able to help you. Good luck, and as always…May the odds be ever in your favor out there…. AND If you are looking for a real estate agent, I would love to be able to help you.
As always….this is just a quick overview…. please remember that your agent, and your lender work for YOU. You drive the bus…we are merely GPS to help you get to your goals. Like the classes, this weekly blog email is to help you with your home adventure. The goal is to be informative and non-promotional. 🙂 We are, however, hoping you will call and want us to help with your adventure.
If you have any questions about this, or something you have heard…or if you would like me to help you with your home adventure, please call, email, text, or facebook me anytime. I am, as always, happy to help!
Thank you again for your business and your referrals!! …and thank you for referring these classes to your friends, family, and co-workers.
. ..disclaimer…if you have already purchased a home, or would no longer like to receive these emails, please let me know and I will be happy to remove you from any further mailings…
Upcoming Topics: Septic vs Sewer?
Interview Questions to Ask Your Realtor?
Where do I go online to find homes, and what does those statuses mean?
Last Week: Can you buy a home with ZERO out of pocket?
Have a great day, and I will talk to you soon,
;-D
