National Geographic put together this great video on where our world is headed! Take a couple of minutes and check it out!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Friday, January 1, 2010
Appraisers and the market
Today’s Real Estate market is under the control of the new third party appraisal machine that is an overreaction to the issue of home value causing so many home owners to be upside down on their mortgages. What has happened is that we are getting appraisers from other counties coming to appraise properties in areas they know nothing about and then providing what can only be termed as horrific values. The problem is further exacerbated by the fact that if it is an FHA appraisal the value stands in the system for 6 mos with no ability to be changed. The pendulum has swung so far in the wrong direction that more often than not we are seeing mortgage underwriters arbitrarily saying they do not agree with the appraisals that are reasonable and not approving loans based on some bogus AVM that is wrong 90% of the time. Where is the parity and who is policing this. The cause and effect is further throwing home values in the toilet. Even if an arm’s length transaction has a buyer willing to pay a price that a seller wants to accept - and comps bear out the value, underwriters are arbitrarily saying no just because they disagree - with no real solid rationale to support the conclusion. These appraisal practices could keep the housing market in a serious state of recession for years if something is not done by the power being wielded by appraisers and underwriters who often times feel they are on a one man crusade to protect the universe from what they feel are high values - realistic or not!! They seem to feel we need to continue this declining market mentality in perpetuity and then they make it a self fulfilling prophecy because of their appraisals that arbitrarily apply a decreased value below what the market shows. It leaves everyone asking why????
Friday, October 2, 2009
Avoiding Foreclosure
A New Set oF SKILLS FOR A NEW SEASON OF REAL ESTATE: GETTING the right education and training makes a world of difference
[Ocober 2, 2009— If you want to be a doctor, you go to medical school. If you want to practice law, you go to law school. Realtors who want to become specialized in a particular niche of real estate advance their skills by acquiring certain designations and certifications, beyond their normal licensing requirements. With foreclosures on the rise and the increasing demand for Realtors to be well educated and trained in various aspects of pre-foreclosure related topics, it is imperative that Realtors become proficient in these niche disciplines. Foreclosures continue to skyrocket and homeowners who may have fallen behind on their payments need to know where to turn to find out more about what options might be available when facing foreclosure. On a traditional listing, a homeowner is usually hopeful to get the price they’re asking. In a distressed situation, where the homeowner has a legitimate hardship, is behind on mortgage payments, and owes more on their mortgage than the property is worth, they typically must sell quickly to avoid foreclosure. Realtors must be properly prepared in knowing what to do if a situation like this arises. As a Certified Default Resolution Specialist (CDRS), Realtors go through a comprehensive training program to learn how to assist in facilitating the decision-making process with a homeowner, to identify the best strategy for a homeowner who may not qualify for a loan modification or special forbearance. Some might say that it is the homeowner’s responsibility to determine which option or alternative may be best for them, given their unique situation, but most homeowners truly don’t know what to do in a situation like this. Reports show that, while some homeowners qualify and are taking advantage of the pre-foreclosure options made available through the Making Home Affordable Program and other government initiatives, too many homeowners are still too afraid to call their lender and find out what other options might be available to them. In many cases, the first person a homeowner calls when they’re in trouble with their mortgage is someone they probably know and trust, who many times is their Realtor. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that the Realtor knows what to do, what to say, and how to determine the best strategy in moving forward. Getting the right pre-foreclosure education and training is essential to a Realtor’s success in today’s market.
Carol Booty and Ron D'Anna are licensed REALTORS® with Keller Williams Crossroads Realty members of the Anne Arundel County Board of REALTORS®, as well as both the Maryland Association of REALTORS® and the National Association of REALTORS®. Carol and Ron are also distinguished members of the National CDRS Agent Network, offered through America’s Home Rescue, a company whose sole focus is helping homeowners in pre-foreclosure situations by providing education and training to the real estate professionals in their community.
Ron and Carol provide a free consultation to homeowners who want to find out more about their options if facing foreclosure.
For information: http://www.findusahome.com/ or Contact: CBooty@TopKWAgents.com, RDAnna@TopKWAgents.com Phone: Ron D'Anna - 410-703-4061, Carol Booty - 410-279-6496.
[Ocober 2, 2009— If you want to be a doctor, you go to medical school. If you want to practice law, you go to law school. Realtors who want to become specialized in a particular niche of real estate advance their skills by acquiring certain designations and certifications, beyond their normal licensing requirements. With foreclosures on the rise and the increasing demand for Realtors to be well educated and trained in various aspects of pre-foreclosure related topics, it is imperative that Realtors become proficient in these niche disciplines. Foreclosures continue to skyrocket and homeowners who may have fallen behind on their payments need to know where to turn to find out more about what options might be available when facing foreclosure. On a traditional listing, a homeowner is usually hopeful to get the price they’re asking. In a distressed situation, where the homeowner has a legitimate hardship, is behind on mortgage payments, and owes more on their mortgage than the property is worth, they typically must sell quickly to avoid foreclosure. Realtors must be properly prepared in knowing what to do if a situation like this arises. As a Certified Default Resolution Specialist (CDRS), Realtors go through a comprehensive training program to learn how to assist in facilitating the decision-making process with a homeowner, to identify the best strategy for a homeowner who may not qualify for a loan modification or special forbearance. Some might say that it is the homeowner’s responsibility to determine which option or alternative may be best for them, given their unique situation, but most homeowners truly don’t know what to do in a situation like this. Reports show that, while some homeowners qualify and are taking advantage of the pre-foreclosure options made available through the Making Home Affordable Program and other government initiatives, too many homeowners are still too afraid to call their lender and find out what other options might be available to them. In many cases, the first person a homeowner calls when they’re in trouble with their mortgage is someone they probably know and trust, who many times is their Realtor. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that the Realtor knows what to do, what to say, and how to determine the best strategy in moving forward. Getting the right pre-foreclosure education and training is essential to a Realtor’s success in today’s market.
Carol Booty and Ron D'Anna are licensed REALTORS® with Keller Williams Crossroads Realty members of the Anne Arundel County Board of REALTORS®, as well as both the Maryland Association of REALTORS® and the National Association of REALTORS®. Carol and Ron are also distinguished members of the National CDRS Agent Network, offered through America’s Home Rescue, a company whose sole focus is helping homeowners in pre-foreclosure situations by providing education and training to the real estate professionals in their community.
Ron and Carol provide a free consultation to homeowners who want to find out more about their options if facing foreclosure.
For information: http://www.findusahome.com/ or Contact: CBooty@TopKWAgents.com, RDAnna@TopKWAgents.com Phone: Ron D'Anna - 410-703-4061, Carol Booty - 410-279-6496.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
$8,000 free money
Though not specifically Chesapeake area related, we have observed some confusion over the $8000 tax credit from the government. To help clarify a bit we thought it a good idea to pass along that the $8000 tax credit from the government can now be used for the purchase of a home. Instead of waiting for your tax return you can use it up front. Should make it much easier for 1st time home buyers!
Friday, May 8, 2009
Welcome to our New Blog!
Hello! Welcome to the Remias, Zepp & Wakefield Team blog, SalesOnTheChesapeake.com. We are a Team of Realtors® based in Annapolis Maryland and are proudly affiliated with Keller Williams Crossroads Realty.
You would probably like to know a little about us, and what we hope to accomplish with this blog, so here goes. We have 7 members on the Team, 6 Agents and 1 Marketing/IT Director, with over 90 years of combined real estate experience! Between us we have many designations and specialties, including;
CDPE - Certified Distressed Property Expert
CRS - Certified Residential Specialists(Only a small % of Realtors Nationwide haveaccomplished this designation)
GRI - Graduate Realtor® Institute
CRIS - Certified Residential Investment Specialists
Licensed Professional Engineer
ePro - Internet Professional
Certified Buyers Agent
Certified Relocation Specialists
AHS - Accredited Home-Staging Specialist
Simply having a designation or certification may not make us a specialist, but because we work at them every day, we have become quite knowledgable in our chosen areas of expertise!
Though we are diverse in how we each go about the business of Real Estate, as a Team we have one common goal: to provide our clients and customers with the highest quality service, delivered in a professional manner. We do this with personal integrity and professional knowledge. This same goal will apply to our blogs.
We chose the name SalesOnTheChesapeake because we realize that what we know better than anything is the local real estate market… the Chesapeake Bay Region of Maryland. We hope that through these ‘pages’ we are able to share information that is helpful to you. One day you may see a conversation concerning the local foreclosure market, and the next day a post on what paint colors are currently most appealing to buyers!
Things change fast these days. We invite you to follow us as we share our findings and thoughts and stay in touch with those changes!!
You would probably like to know a little about us, and what we hope to accomplish with this blog, so here goes. We have 7 members on the Team, 6 Agents and 1 Marketing/IT Director, with over 90 years of combined real estate experience! Between us we have many designations and specialties, including;
CDPE - Certified Distressed Property Expert
CRS - Certified Residential Specialists(Only a small % of Realtors Nationwide haveaccomplished this designation)
GRI - Graduate Realtor® Institute
CRIS - Certified Residential Investment Specialists
Licensed Professional Engineer
ePro - Internet Professional
Certified Buyers Agent
Certified Relocation Specialists
AHS - Accredited Home-Staging Specialist
Simply having a designation or certification may not make us a specialist, but because we work at them every day, we have become quite knowledgable in our chosen areas of expertise!
Though we are diverse in how we each go about the business of Real Estate, as a Team we have one common goal: to provide our clients and customers with the highest quality service, delivered in a professional manner. We do this with personal integrity and professional knowledge. This same goal will apply to our blogs.
We chose the name SalesOnTheChesapeake because we realize that what we know better than anything is the local real estate market… the Chesapeake Bay Region of Maryland. We hope that through these ‘pages’ we are able to share information that is helpful to you. One day you may see a conversation concerning the local foreclosure market, and the next day a post on what paint colors are currently most appealing to buyers!
Things change fast these days. We invite you to follow us as we share our findings and thoughts and stay in touch with those changes!!
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