HomeSteps^® 2009 Nationwide SmartBuy Purchase Program

Promotion Dates:
Initial offers received July 17, 2009 – October 30, 2009, with escrow closed by December 31, 2009.

Homebuyers:

Introducing SmartBuy, an exciting nationwide purchase program brought to you by HomeSteps (Freddie Mac). As a potential homebuyer you may be wondering, what makes a HomeSteps home a SmartBuy?

Start with the 2-year, comprehensive HomeProtect^® Home Warranty offered on HomeSteps homes. Add to that, for a limited time, our generous 3.5%* Buyer’s Closing Cost offer! And know that HomeSteps homes are priced at fair market value. All add up to a SmartBuy.

As part of the SmartBuy purchase program, HomeSteps is offering:

• Comprehensive two-year HomeProtect** Home Warranty
• Up to a 3.5%* Buyer’s Closing Cost offer (must be submitted upon initial offer)
• HomeProtect** Appliance Discount (up to 30% savings on name brand appliances)

Now, no matter where you live in the United States, owning your own home may be more affordable than you think! If you currently rent or are considering homeownership, now is the time to make a SmartBuy. The HomeSteps SmartBuy purchase program may help you on your way to homeownership, with a little added peace of mind.

To qualify for this offer:

1. Complete the SmartBuy Buyer’s Closing Cost registration form below to obtain your coupon.
2. Ask your real estate agent to show you the available HomeSteps homes in your area.
3. Ask your real estate agent to request the HomeProtect Home Warranty upon initial offer.
4. Present your completed Buyer’s Closing Cost coupon upon initial offer on a HomeSteps home.
5. Receive your SmartBuy Buyer’s Closing Cost offer, upon qualified closing.
6. Receive your Home Protect** 2-year Home Warranty upon qualified closing.

Don’t have a real estate agent yet? Click here to search for an agent near you!

This offer is only valid until October 30, 2009, so start searching for your SmartBuy home today at HomeSteps!

HomeSteps will pay up to 3.5%* of your purchase price in closing costs for initial offers presented on HomeSteps homes between July 17, 2009 – October 30, 2009.

*As an example of your savings, if the purchase price of your home is $150,000, HomeSteps will pay up to $5,250 of your closing costs. This savings is money that you can use for moving expenses or new furnishings. (Please note HomeSteps will only pay up to 3.5%* of your purchase price in closing costs, not to exceed the total closing costs. For instance, if your purchase price is $125,000, and your closing costs are $4,250, HomeSteps will only pay $4,250, an amount equal to 3.4% of your purchase price.)

SmartBuy Terms and Conditions:

In order to redeem a SmartBuy Buyer’s Closing Cost offer, homebuyers must place an initial offer on a HomeSteps home July 17, 2009 – October 30, 2009; sale must close escrow by December 31, 2009.

Home Protect^®** 2-year Home Warranty is valid on HomeSteps (Freddie Mac-owned) homes that meet the following criteria:

• Single family residences located in detached houses, 1-4 unit buildings, condominiums, cooperative associations or town homes
• Owner-occupied, primary residence homes; homes purchased for rental or commercial purposes are not eligible; second homes or vacation homes are not eligible
• Sales price is $25,000 or above
• Home located in the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia
• In Georgia, warranty product is a 1 year warranty, with auto renewal for 2nd year
• Ask your real estate agent to request the HomeProtect Home Warranty upon initial offer.

Closing Cost Offer Terms:

• In order to redeem the SmartBuy Buyer’s Closing Cost coupon, buyer must present it upon initial offer on a HomeSteps home, or coupon will not be valid.
• Coupon must be attached to initial contract when submitted for execution.
• Only HomeSteps (Freddie Mac-owned) homes are eligible.
• This offer is valid in the United States (including PR, VI and GU).
• Home Protect** warranty and appliance discount are only valid on homes located in the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia.
• Initial offers submitted on or after July 17, 2009, and on or before October 30, 2009, are eligible.
• All sales must close escrow on or before December 31, 2009, to be eligible.
• *This closing cost offer is valid only on owner-occupied, financed homes; 1% closing cost offer on owner-occupied, cash sales.
• Investor sales are not eligible for Buyer’s Closing Cost offer.
• SmartBuy offers are not valid on Auction, Sealed Bid and Bulk Sale properties.
• SmartBuy offers are not transferable and may not be combined with any other offer.
• Seller reserves right to remove homes from “SmartBuy” promotion or end promotion at any time.
• This offer is only valid where not prohibited by law.

http://www.freddiemac.com/creditsmart/pdf/YourCreditYourHomeYourFuture.pdf

I will be happy to answer any questions you may have

Felicia Hood

Realtor/Coldwell Banker

felicia@felicanicolehomes.com

803-235-6398

HUD tweaked stimulus tax incentive so first-time home buyers get instant assistance with down payment and closing costs. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) –

First-time homebuyers will now have access to quick cash to help them with their down payments. On Friday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that first-time homebuyers using FHA-approved lenders can now get an advance on the $8,000 tax credit created by the stimulus package and apply it toward their down payments or closing costs. “We believe this is a real win for everyone,” said HUD secretary Shaun Donovan in a speech before the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB). “Families will now be able to apply their anticipated tax credit toward their home purchase right away. What we’re doing today will not only help these families to purchase their first home but will present an enormous benefit for communities struggling to deal with an oversupply of housing.” As part of the stimulus package, Congress created a refundable first-time homebuyers tax credit in hopes of helping on-the-fence buyers to take the home-purchase plunge. But buyers couldn’t collect the $8,000 credit until tax time, rather than at closing time — when it’s needed. The delay created an obstacle to reigniting the housing market because most first-time buyers — the ones who would buy much of the available inventory — have only saved enough to cover 4% of the purchase price, according to the National Association of Realtors. The mechanics of the new program, according to NAHB economist Robert Dietz, allow lenders to purchase tax credits from the buyers and then collect the rebate from the IRS. Homebuyers must still come up with FHA’s mandatory downpayment of 3.5% on their own, but they can use the tax credit to lower their principal balance and save on monthly payments. The initiative also authorized downpayment help programs already offered in Colorado, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington and other states. To quickly infuse cash into their housing markets, the housing finance authorities in these states created bridge loans to allow buyers to borrow against the $8,000 credit and then repay it with their tax refunds. There are also non-profit groups, such as ones affiliated with the National Home Ownership Programs for the community organizer NeighborWorks America, that offer bridge loans for downpayment assistance that will be repaid with the tax credits. Under the state and non-profit programs, the tax credit can provide the entire downpayment; there’s no requirement that homebuers put 3.5% down. The first state to launch such a plan was Missouri, which rolled out its Missouri Housing Development Commission Tax Credit Advance Loan program on January 14 — a month before Congress approved the stimulus package. Since then, Missouri has approved applications by more than 360 borrowers and closed on 166 of them. Lamar Cherry and his wife, Chrishanna, used the program to augment their down payment when they bought their home in Kansas City. The couple purchased a four-bedroom, three-bath split-level home for $150,000, putting about 6% down. Much of that $9,000 came from the loan program, which they tapped so they wouldn’t have to drain their reserves. “We had money saved up that we were going to use for the down payment,” said Cherry. “Now we can use some of that to buy some things we need for the house.” At closing, the Cherrys, like all buyers in the program, signed for their first mortgage, plus a second mortgage issued by the state. The second note is good for 6% of the price of the home, up to $6,750; there is a $350 set-up fee, but no interest is charged if the debt is repaid by June 2010. In Missouri, borrowers can only access $6,750 of the $8,000 credit for down payments. “We wanted them to have a cushion below that $8,000 in case other tax liabilities show up,” said Greg Spurgeon, the single-family homeownership administrator for the Missouri Housing Development Commission. If borrowers don’t pay off the note, it becomes a 10-year fixed-rate mortgage with an interest rate one-half percentage point above that of their first mortgages. For example, borrowers paying 6% on their first mortgages would be charged 6.5% on the second. So far, Spurgeon said, a significant proportion of participating homebuyers have repaid their loans. He expects most of the others to do the same before the deadline. Cherry has claimed the federal tax credit on his 2008 taxes, but he hasn’t gotten his refund yet. He definitely intends to repay the loan before the 2010 deadline because, he said, not doing so would add about $75 a month to his house payments.

POSITIVE ANGELS, Talking points of the Real Estate Market

What are real estate professionals saying to homebuyers and sellers about current market conditions? The successful brokers and sales associates are talking about the strengths that exist in the market — not the negative media hype. Below are positive angles that appeared recently in the media and underscore why it is a good time to buy real estate.

Recent Quotes & Excerpts about the Positive Signs in the Real Estate Market:

How the Stimulus Plan Benefits Homebuyers

According to the National Association of Realtors^® (NAR), the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 includes elements of NAR’s housing agenda, including:

Homebuyer Tax Credit: The bill provides for an $8,000 tax credit that would be available to first-time home buyers for the purchase of a principal residence on or after Jan. 1, 2009 and before Dec. 1, 2009.  The credit does not require repayment. 

FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Loan Limits: The bill reinstates last year’s 2008 loan limits for FHA, Freddie Mac, and Fannie Mae loans.  These limits were equal to the greater of 125% of the 2008 local area median home price or $271,050 for FHA and $417,000 for Fannie and Freddie, with an overall maximum cap of $729,750.

For more information about what the bill means for the housing market, click here.

– “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,” Realtor.org, Feb. 17, 2009.

Game Changer in Housing Numbers

“Housing completions fell a record 24.2% to a record low 776k annualized rate, the first reading below 1.0 million since 1982. The is extremely important because until now builders were still completing homes at a pace too strong for current conditions, preventing inventory levels from falling more rapidly than they recently have. Now that fewer homes are hitting the market for sale, the growing U.S. population will have fewer homes to choose from. This will accelerate the recent decline in home inventories. Have no doubt: this is a game changer for inventories and prices.  

“Inventories are already falling … Now that they have fallen; the decline in inventories will accelerate and with it change the dynamic on prices and the whole ball game, basically.”

– Tony Crescenzi, chief bond market strategist at Miller Tabak & Co., LLC, “Crescenzi: Game Changer In Housing Numbers,” CNBC.com, Feb. 18, 2009.

Affordability and Inventory Make 2009 a Great Time to Buy a Home

Ø       According to the National Association of Realtors^® housing affordability index, homes were more affordable in December than at any other point since the group started the index in 1970.

Ø       In many places it is taking months to sell a home, creating loads of inventory — from new homes to existing homes to foreclosures. But if you put off a purchase until inventory shrinks substantially, you might not get as good a price. It’s nearly impossible to time the exact bottom of the housing market.

– “Five Reasons to Buy a Home this Year,” by Amy Hoak, MarketWatch, Feb. 6, 2009.

Mortgage Applications Soar

Homeowners’ applications to refinance existing loans jumped 64.3% on a week-to-week basis, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s weekly survey. Applications for mortgages to purchase homes for the week ended Feb. 13 also rose, up a seasonally adjusted 9.1% from the prior week.

– “Mortgage Applications Rose 45.7% Last Week,” by Amy Hoak, MarketWatch, Feb. 18, 2009.

Foreclosures Eased in January

Foreclosure filings – default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions – were reported on 274,399 U.S. properties during January, down 10% from December, according to RealtyTrac, the online marketer of foreclosed homes. “The extensive foreclosure efforts on the part of lenders and government agencies appear to have impacted the January numbers.”

– James Saccacio, RealtyTrac CEO, “Foreclosures Eased in January,” by Les Christie, CNNMoney.com, Feb. 12, 2009.

Regional Update: Good News from Markets around the Nation

Flint, Mich.

Last year homes sales in the Flint (Michigan) area boomed 20% over 2007, according to The Flint Area Association of Realtors^®. “We’re having a lot of first-time home buyers. The investors are buying the properties and fixing them up. They’re selling them after they’re fixed up.”

– Angie Ridley, president of the Flint Area Association of Realtors^®, “Local Realtors Say Housing Market in Flint is Up,” by Kelley Dickens, WJRT-TV ABC, Feb. 17, 2009.

Alexandria, Va.

Workers can rely on four Metro stations within Alexandria’s city limits to ride trains to work, instead having to drive. And many Washington, D.C., employers subsidize Metro passes. Throw in that the metro area has the lowest unemployment rate among the country’s top 15 metropolitan areas, and it’s no wonder prices (down 5%) have not dipped as much as elsewhere. “We used to call ourselves ‘recession-proof.’ That’s not true anymore, but we are not feeling what the rest of the country is feeling.”

– Susan Mekenney, chairman of the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors^®, “Low Unemployment Pumps up Alexandria, Va., Home Market,” by Christine Dugas, USA Today, Feb. 13, 2009.

El Paso, Texas

El Paso, Texas, was designated as having the third best job growth in the country in 2008 by Forbes Magazine. Jobs have increased, home sales have been on the rise throughout 2008 and prices have held steady. Month to month, sales have increased throughout most of the year, demonstrating a trend line that the El Paso market is picking up steam. The biggest factor of this market growth will be the military personnel scheduled to arrive in the coming few years to Fort Bliss.

– “Hot Market: El Paso, TX Best in Job Growth, Stable in Real Estate,” by M. Anthony Carr, Realty Times, Feb. 6, 2009.

A New Year, Try Different Strategies

Investors, take note. There is a ton of money to be made in the current market. Foreclosures, Short sales and REO properties are all far more plentiful. One of my investor clients in 2008 increased his net worth to 1.1 million dollars through the purchase of REO and short sale properties. Yes it’s true, he started 2008 with a few rental properties but when he and I discussed the success he had in 2008, we were ecstatic with the discovery of his 20 purchases of residential properties. Of the 20, he sold 7; he owner financed 2 and rents the rest. His biggest year ever!  

Don’t let this money making opportunity pass you by Call Me, Felicia Hood Today!!

What Are Short Sales?

A short sale occurs when a home owner is in foreclosure but before the property goes to public auction. Under a short sale, a lender must agree to accept less than the amount that is owed on the property.

Unlike a foreclosure, investors typically buy the home for even less because investors are not paying off the existing loan or making up the back payments. Investors are striking a deal with the existing lender to take less than what the lender has coming to avoid dealing with a foreclosure.

It’s a myth that lenders are not going to make a deal with an investor unless the seller has fallen behind on the seller’s obligation to make timely mortgage payments. Sellers don’t need to be in default for a short sale to occur. For a buyer who wants to occupy the home, buying a short sale, makes financial sense.  

What are REOs – Real Estate Owned?

·         Buying an REO is similar to buying a short sale except the property is already owned by the lender.

·         The property was acquired by the lender through a foreclosure action.

·         Often lenders will sell repossessed homes for less than the past loan balance.

·         Bank-owned properties are called REOs, meaning real estate owned by the lender.

Banks end up owning the property when nobody at the public auction bid enough to cover the amount owed against the property. REO homes are often considered the best way to buy a distressed property because the seller is already out of the picture. It’s just the investor, the investor’s agent, the bank and the bank’s agent who are negotiating the transaction. Some REOs can be purchased directly from the lender, for more information, contact me,  at Felicia@felicianicolehomes.com or 803-235-6398!!