I welcome the opportunity to assist your plans to purchase a home in the Valley of the Sun: - From world-class resorts, spas, shopping, golf courses, renowned restaurants and vibrant nightlife, the 2,000-square mile Phoenix Metro area has it all!
- Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Sonoran Desert, Phoenix offers a wide array of sports, hiking trails and other outdoor activities
- Learn about Old West and Native American history while visiting many interesting museums and galleries, such as the Phoenix Art Museum and the Heard Museum
- Have some family fun and enjoy a Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury, Arizona Diamondbacks or Arizona Cardinals game.
Looking for information about BARGAINS, FORECLOSURES in west valley communities simply give me a call or email me and request a list for your consideration. Today's available properties in Maricopa County offer prices that make purchase of a home for First Time Homebuyers and all interested in an opportunity to purchase for long term appreciation very affordable. Funding is available for those interested in purchasing Distressed Properties to assist with the repairs that are needed in some cases. FirstTime Homebuyer Assistance programs are currently available from some of the cities in SW county. HUD Neighborhood Stabilization Community Grants may increase available funding in the coming months. Please contact me for information regarding application and educational requirements. MAKING HOME AFFORDABLEMarch 5, 2010 Update on HFA Hardest-Hit FundDownload the Proposal Guidelines here Download the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) here WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, the Obama Administration released the next steps in the recently-announced Housing Finance Agency Innovation Fund for the Hardest Hit Housing Markets ("HFA Hardest-Hit Fund"). On February 19, 2010, President Obama announced additional funding for innovative measures to help families in the states that have been hit the hardest by the aftermath of the burst of the housing bubble. States where house prices have fallen more than 20% from their peak are eligible for this funding. Those states are Nevada, California, Florida, Arizona and Michigan. The HFA Hardest-Hit Fund will help housing finance agencies ("HFAs") in these states further respond to the most pressing problems in their communities. HFAs have an understanding of the most urgent local challenges and an ability to address them expeditiously. For that reason, the Obama Administration has committed $1.5 billion in funding under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 ("EESA") to help HFAs expand their assistance to struggling homeowners and innovate new ways to address housing challenges. Today the Administration released detailed guidance for eligible HFAs to submit program proposals for funding. The HFA Hardest-Hit Fund is designed to allow the maximum possible flexibility to eligible HFAs in designing programs that are tailored to the needs of their state. Today's guidance provides instruction to HFAs to ensure that program proposals meet basic guidelines and comply with the purposes of EESA. All programs must protect home values, preserve homeownership, promote jobs and economic growth, and provide accountability to the public. Funding allocations were also released today based on a formula to provide relief in direct proportion to the scale of each state's housing challenges. Funds have been allocated based on home price declines, unemployment rates, and mortgage delinquencies. Eligible HFAs may submit program proposals to the Department of the Treasury up to the April 16th deadline, after which the review period will begin. Treasury will provide additional updates to the public as the program progresses. Fannie Mae announces First Look Initiative To provide owner occupants and public entities an advantage in purchasing Fannie Mae-owned foreclosed properties, Fannie Mae has created the First Look initiative. With First Look, only offers from owner occupants and buyers using public funds are considered during the first 15 days a property is on the market. Offers from investors will be considered only after the first 15 days have passed. "First Look provides owner occupants an early opportunity to purchase one of Fannie Mae's Real Estate Owned properties," said Terry Edwards, Executive Vice President for Credit Portfolio Management at Fannie Mae. "As a result, we believe First Look will help us make progress toward stabilizing neighborhoods and building stronger communities in this difficult market." In addition to First Look, buyers using Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds from HUD, local housing trust funds, or charitable foundation funds may also qualify for the following benefits: - Deposit Waivers - Fannie Mae will waive the earnest money/deposit requirement for public entities using public funds to purchase a Fannie Mae-owned property. Individual homebuyers who have qualified for public funds and want to purchase a Fannie Mae-owned property do not have to meet the usual earnest money/deposit requirement. Deposits for these buyers can be as low as $500.
- Reserved Contract Period - Upon receipt of an acceptable offer, buyers have the ability to renegotiate their offer after obtaining an NSP-required appraisal.
- Extra Time for Closing - Buyers receive up to 45 days to close — 15 days more than is usually permitted for purchases of Fannie Mae-owned properties.
As a buyer, you now have plenty of choice, as well as the upper hand in negotiations. You also still have the benefit of low interest rates andvery affordable home prices. You can't be sure that a house you buy today won't lose more value before prices recover, but if you can pay well below what sellers were getting last year, you've already built in a comfortable cushion against price drops. Free yourself to act fast. Contact a lender and obtain a pre-approval for your home purchase. This will provide you with a price range for your home purchase and of equal importance when you identify a home you will be in a position to make the strongest offer possible. If you need suggestions on lenders please give me a call or simply respond to this email and I will be pleased to share some contact information for lenders that have been most helpful to my clients. Know how strong you are. The longer a house has been for sale, the more powerful your position as a bidder. "Time on market is a good indication that someone is likely to be really hungry." Please feel free to contact me for the full details of a home's listing history, complete with time on market and any asking-price changes. |