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Mortgage loans – Manila Mail US

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There’s a lot of mortgage loans out there!! Find the best one for you. There are few most common mortgage loans nowadays that buyers avail based on their qualifications and affordability. Be careful in choosing your best options as to your qualifications and what you can truly afford.   Most of my potential buyers of course opt for no down payment at all. However; there are certain guidelines and rules that you have to be qualified and limited sales price compared to other types with certain percentage of down payment. You need to balance what is more important to you. The no down payment loans are the following: VA loan – straightforward loan but you must be a Veteran to be qualified. VHDA Loan FHA Plus- this is zero down payments technically as no money out of your pocket for the down payment; however the customary 3.5% to 5% down payment will be provided and considered a second loan. The qualification based on credit scores is a little bit higher compared to other
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Sellers Need to Know

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Unless it is a short sale or you have a foreclosure notice, selling a home should not be a next-day deal. It requires preparation maybe months; even a year or more than that. This is to make sure you get the best updated market trends and the home is ready from top to bottom. To be the best property in the block is your goal, to get the most dollars from your home. First and foremost: get a real estate agent that you trust. AGAIN, YOU TRUST!! Best bet is a referral from your friends and family as they worked with them and got the first-hand experience. Look at their reviews on Zillow, Yelp and other online reviews so you have an idea who you are dealing with. Let me tell you a story: I once had a client referred to me by a previous client. We had meetings; I answered all their questions and concerns then we proceeded to preparing their home for sale. Suggesting what needs to be done as to renovations, etc. I visited multiple t
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"OH NO!"

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I just sold six properties this month; one rented and two contracts on the way. Don’t get me wrong, it is not a walk in the park as each transaction in real estate has its own character. (A nice word for “dilemma”). Let’s be realistic here: selling and buying a home is a complicated process by itself. It involves a team of professionals and multiple processes both legal and financial, not counting the emotions of both buyers and sellers. In my 10 years’ experience, I can only count with my fingers the “easy” ones or any that went smoothly. Most of the issues were beyond my control. With years of experiences, I learned how to unlock the difficulties before they get in the door before me. Here are ways to avoid these bumps or at least minimize them through the whole process. And yes, you are a big part of home buying and selling success. First: Hire professionals!! Do not sell or buy your homes on your own unless you are a real estate agent yourself. If you are a seller; you might
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SAVINGS ON UTILITIES: You will not believe that these little stuff could save you a lot on your monthly utilities. Read all about it.

Utilities are something you need to focus on to save some precious dollars. Not just for home maintenance but in general. Small things become big when they are taken together on a monthly basis. I understand that when renting, some or all utilities are included in the price but nevertheless; conservation is always good for the environment. Try to consider the following aside from turning off unused lights and unplug appliances when not in use. You will be surprised that you can use the money instead on your internet bills etc. Change your light bulbs to Energy-Efficient ones – it took me a while to do this as I want my bulbs to run out first but it will take a while. These are compact fluorescent light bulbs that we used back home. Remember those white lights? This Energy Star certified light bulbs use about 70-90 percent less energy than the traditional incandescent bulbs and they last 10-15 times longer. Programmable Thermostats – no need to buy the expensive ones, it may cost
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INCREASING YOUR HOME VALUE

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Most homeowners think their home is the most expensive and the most beautiful in the neighborhood. It is because they are emotionally attached to it aside from the work they’ve done like repairs, remodeling and renovations. That may be true but in the eyes of the buyers, the assessments and the appraisal will speak for themselves. They have control over the actual value of your home. Preparing your home for sale most of the time requires a long process and preparation on a case to case basis. For example, your home is just five years old and there is no need for an upgrade but just a fresh coat of paint and maybe a change of carpet. You may have a home that you lived in for years until the kids grew up and it is now an empty nest; that’s a lot of work unless you will sell it “AS IS” but of course you have to expect a lower price than the fair market value in the neighborhood. When I go meet potential home sellers, some of them tell me what sales price they want on their home. Yo
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First-Time-Home-Buyer-Programs are not just for first time home buyers. You too can be qualified. Read on:

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“ We do not have money for down payment ” Yes I get that a lot from buyers who were qualified for a loan but just do not have the funds in hand for a down payment or closing costs. Don’t panic, there are programs out there and in fact I’ve closed a lot of transactions where my buyer didn’t need to put a single centavo on the table and was still able to pay off one year HOA/Condo fees. Sounds too-good- to-be- true? Yes but it’s true, considering seller pitched in on closing costs. The Law of Equilibrium of course applies in one way or the other. Let’s face it, conventional loans require from five percent to 20 percent downpayment. Not all qualified buyers have that money in hand. An average home of $300,000 requires $15,000 down payment for example and about three percent closing cost or $9,000. We are talking $24,000 there; that’s a lot of money for most people who’re just starting. It does not mean if you do not have that, you cannot pursue buying a house. There are programs fo
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Condo Buying in the Philippines

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Interested to buy properties in the Philippines? Yes you may but you have to brace yourself as it is entirely a different scenario and processes compared to what we have here in the U.S. Yes, it is a very wise investment I should say. I have wanted to buy a condo at The Fort Bonifacio Global City. My two sons who were based in Manila since 2008 and 2012 respectively work and train in the area. Very convenient for them since almost everything is walking distance. You know how bad traffic is everywhere so this is really a big factor. BGC as what they call it short for Bonifacio Global City is considered high end area that surpassed the status of Makati nowadays. The municipality of Makati once tried to claim a portion of BGC for this obvious reason. I want to kick myself for not buying at least one at that time when the pre-selling price was just a million pesos or two. Nowadays it is on a whopping 8.5 million pesos for a decent one bedroom with very small kitchen, bath and
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