10 Reasons to buy

Why is now a great time to buy? Here are 10 reasons:

1. You can get a good deal. Prices are down 30 percent on average. They're at a level that makes sense for people's income.
2. Mortgages are cheap. At 4.3 percent on average for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, your costs to own are down by a fifth from two years ago.
3. You can save on taxes. When you add up the deductions for mortgage interest and others, the cost of owning can drop below renting for a comparable place.
4. It'll be yours. The one benefit to owning that never changes is that you can paint your walls orange if you want (generally speaking; there might be some community restrictions). How many landlords will let you do that?
5. You can get a better home. In some markets, it's simply the case that the nicest places are for-sale homes and condos.
6. It offers some inflation protection. Historically, appreciation over time outpaces inflation.
7. It's risk capital. If the economy picks up, you stand to benefit from that, even if you're goal is just to have a nice place to live.
8. It's forced savings. A part of your payment each month goes to equity.
9. There is a lot to choose from. There are some 4 million homes available today, about a year's supply. Now's the time to find something you like and get it.
10. Sooner or later the market will clear. The U.S. is expected to grow by another 100 million people in 40 years. They have to live somewhere. Demand will eventually outpace supply.

Positive News on Mortgage Loans

Delinquencies Are High but Recent Loan Origination Performing Well

•Due to Past Lending Mistakes the Bad Loans are still working through the system
•Banker’s Afterthought is nearly always that “Bad Loans are made in Bubble Times.”
•However, the Mortgage Delinquency Rate may have peaked. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, mortgage delinquencies fell to 9.85 percent in second quarter 2010 from 10.1 percent in the first quarter.
•Various reports suggest good loan performance on recently originated mortgages.
•One-third of homeowners own their homes free-and-clear. They are not included in mortgage delinquency statistics.
•Loan approval is more difficult, which explains better recent loan performance. There is a better approval chance if the borrower stays well within
their budget.

Standing by YOU

Real estate transactions are complicated and unpredictable. Professional real estate agents are trained to handle the many facets of buying a home. A good agent is an invaluable asset to your venture if you are in the market for a house.

When you find a real estate agent with whom you feel confident, it is good to enter into a committed working relationship with that person. Concentrating your search with one agent will allow that agent to become truly familiar with your needs, desires, and financial capacities.

Maintaining loyalty to the real estate agent of your choice will bear you more fruit than scattering your attention among several agents. An agent who feels your commitment will devote his or her entire energy to finding the right home for you.

I am committed to devote all my energy in helping you, whether it's selling or buying or renting.

Don't let the seemingly endless run of bad housing news discourage your potential to own a home. The truth is that the advantages of home ownership have very little to do with investment gains. The best things about owning a home have a lot more to do with personal comfort and satisfaction.

Here are five of them:

· Be your own landlord. The bank can only kick you out if you don’t pay; a landlord can be much less dependable – deciding to sell the property or choosing to live there themselves. I currently know of a couple where the apartment complex is telling tenants to move because they will be renovating.
· Paying the principal is forced savings. Yes, it’s possible that home prices will fall further. It is also possible that your 401(k) will lose value. But over the long haul, both are likely to enjoy modest gains in value.
· Fixed-rate mortgages never rise – and eventually you pay them off. With mortgage rates at record lows, people who buy now are locking in real bargains.
· Good schools. Family-sized rentals are harder to come by in areas with excellent public schools.
· Spacious properties in pleasant neighborhoods. Sizable homes in attractive communities are almost always owned – not rented.

I'm always here to answer any of your real estate questions.

Positive News

With today’s market conditions and the constant media headlines, my role has officially transcended from that of a sales associate to a Real Estate advisers.

People have financial advisers. They have career advisers. And now more than ever, they need Real Estate advisers.

With the collective experience and expertise I have here at Long & Foster, it is my responsibility to identify real estate opportunities for my clients. Potential buyers and sellers are bombarded every day with headlines and reports that would make even the most confident consumer take pause. This is where being the best-trained, best-equipped Real Estate professionals comes into play. I can step in and help consumers cut through the fog and see a clearer picture of what opportunities might exist for them.

We’ve seen a lot of headlines in the last week or so that don’t tell the full picture of our local Real Estate market. So allow me to cut through the fog a bit, and present a side of the story that we won’t always see in mainstream media reports.

Further, I'll assert once again that we were expecting this pull-forward effect as a result of the tax credits. Keep in mind that when the media reports existing home sales figures from the National Association of Realtors, these are closed transactions. The lagging July data we just absorbed is a reflection of contracts that were signed in May and June, right after the expiration of the tax credit, and just made it to the settlement table.

Our area is so different that the rest of the country. Our job market is great.