What is an escrow account? How do they work?
If you are looking at obtaining a mortgage or already have one, more than likely you will need to deal with an escrow account. It can be difficult to understand the timing and moving piece within the escrow account. Inevitably, if you have an escrow account your mortgage payment will change each year. Understanding how... Read More
Maximum Loan Limits Increase Nationwide
Most of the loans done in the United States end up with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or The Federal Housing Administration (FHA). All three agencies have Maximum Loan Limits, meaning that regardless of someone's qualification there is a cap on the loan amount. Over the last few days all three announced increases to those limits. ... Read More
2018 Real Life Property Tax Appeal – Michigan
Its that time of year! Property tax assessment notices are arriving in homeowners mailboxes all over Michigan. This is your once a year opportunity to appeal your property taxes and potentially save a lot of money. The appeal process can be overwhelming for homeowners so I wanted to break it down and give a real... Read More
Allegan County News Interview
I was recently interviewed by the Allegan County News for an article entitled "FEMA Flood Map Work Might Hit Your Wallet" the article was spot on and went into some great points about home potential changes could affect home owners if there properties were moved into the "Flood Plain". If you a curious how close your property... Read More
203k Renovation Mortgage
The FHA 203k home improvement loan is one option for today's home buyer. It allows all sorts or repairs and upgrades to be financed into the mortgage. Best of all it keeps the down payment low. Many Kalamazoo area home buyers have taken advantage of this program and used it to fix up outdated properties. We also... Read More
Remodeling Impact Report
The National Association of Realtors recently published the 2015 Remodeling Impact Report its definitely worth looking at. The report ranks projects likely to increase value. Kitchen Renovation Bathroom Renovation New Master Suite New Wood Flooring Etc (see report) The report goes into a lot of detail including estimated costs and how much the value is increased. ... Read More
GKAR Tax Appeal Meeting
On January 22nd at the Greater Kalamazoo Association of REALTORS® will be hosting a presentation by Alan C. Jeffries from Advanced Property Tax Services. Mr. Jeffries will talk about why you would and/or should appeal your property tax, how to appeal and the process involved. This is sure to be a great event. I've personally used... Read More
Thinking of Selling?
Thinking of Selling? Hire a Realtor! So we do a handful of loans every year that are FSBO (for sale by owner). I always help the buyers and sellers out with the paperwork & thru the whole process. I always shake my head and wonder why don't these people just hire a Realtor. They think they... Read More
Rural Development Turn Times
When it comes to getting a mortgage timing is everything. "When are we going to close?" is the question we get asked more often than anything else. The Real Estate Agents, buyers, and sellers all need to know when closing is going to occur. One of the biggest challenges with Rural Development financing is closing... Read More
How To Dispute Property Taxes in Michigan part 2 – The Board of review
Last time we talked about why you might dispute your property taxes. Now learn HOW! Step 1 - File with the board of review Form L-4035 Step 2 - Appeal in person if at all possible (you only get a small window each year and will need to set that up in February. Don't miss it)... Read More
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