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What Does the Rest of the Year Hold for Home Prices?

Whether you’re a potential homebuyer, seller, or both, you probably want to know: will home prices fall this year? Bottom Line: If you’re thinking of making a move, you shouldn’t wait for prices to fall. Experts say nationally, prices will continue to appreciate this year, just at a more moderate pace. Read more above and when you’re ready to begin the process of buying or selling, let’s connect so you have a local market expert on your side each step of the way.

What Home Buyers Need To Know About Appraisal Gaps

6 Minute Read: Buying a home is exciting, but when there’s a gap between the appraised value and your agreed-upon sales price, it can cause problems. You risk losing the home you are interested in and even your earnest money if you aren’t careful. Here’s everything you must know about appraisal gaps and how to handle them...

How to Unfreeze Your Credit

If you placed a credit freeze, you may want to reopen your credit files at some point to apply for a new car loan or credit card. Unless you use a service for this, you'll need to contact each credit bureau online to unfreeze your credit reports quickly. Freezing and unfreezing credit is free. Go deeper... (2 min. read)

Flip the Script and Get Mortgage Assured to Buy Your New Home!

What Does it Mean to Be Mortgage Assured When Buying a Home? The market has gotten competitive and with the increasing number of cash buyers making offers - it can be hard for a financed offer to compete. When you're Mortgage Assured with Celebrity Home Loans, you have more than just a Pre-Approval which means you'll look more serious than other financed offers. A pre-approval usually means that the loan officer has reviewed your file based on lender standards but with our Mortgage Assured Program, you get a commitment to lend before the purchase contract is signed. There’s no catch! The only conditions are based upon an appraisal and title of the purchase property. With our Mortgage Assured program, you can get approved in as little as 48 hours and close in as little as 10 days from the Appraisal delivery! Why deal with a possible decline when you can get Mortgage Assured and enjoy a smooth transaction? Hopefully, you now understand how being Mortgage Assured stands out as an innovative option for those individuals and families looking to buy a home quickly and affordably. You could have the power to get the home you want right now. Are you ready to take the Smart step?

What’s Your Rate? The Answer Is: It Depends…

The Mortgage Rates Puzzle - You can always interchange two words in the lending business: Risk & Rate. The higher the risk to the lender for the money you're borrowing, the higher the rate. The lower the risk, the lower the rate. It really is that simple, but what factors can impact a mortgage rate besides having a near perfect credit score?

Financing Is Readily Available But Goes Most Easily To Those Who Plan Ahead.

It’s smart to get preapproved for a loan before you start shopping for big-ticket items like a mortgage or a car.1 Getting preapproved for a loan means that you know how much money a lender is willing to provide, at what rate, and on what terms. It’s a way to find out what kind of financing you’re qualified for before you go too far down the wrong path. Preapproval involves submitting a preliminary application to a lender that will review your credit, your income, and other factors, while also telling you which loans are available to you. As a result, you can focus solely on loans that you’re likely to qualify for, while also having a better idea of which price ranges you should stay within. Key Takeaways: - Preapproval should ALWAYS be free - Preapproval means your lender actually reviews your financial picture to determine what you qualify for - Preapproval allows you to focus on purchases you know you can afford - Preapproval doesn't obligate you to borrow the money - Preapproval can be a HUGE negotiating edge when shopping for your new home.

Why It’s Super Important to Lock Your Mortgage Rate

A “mortgage rate lock” is essential to ensure you actually receive the interest rate you are quoted. While comparing lenders, you’ll you be presented with a mortgage rate quote, but it will mean very little until it’s actually secured, or “locked” by your lender. It’s kind of like a car dealer telling you a price over the phone, then you show up at the dealership and the price is a lot different for whatever reason. Until you have it in writing, it doesn’t carry much weight. When you purchase real estate or refinance an existing mortgage, you’ll need to lock in a mortgage interest rate at some point during the loan process after you have secured or already own your property and begun your loan application. You can do this early on or later in the process, depending on your preference and closing timeline. Either way, we're here and happy to help.

Two Reasons Why Waiting a Year To Buy Could Cost You

When asking IF you should buy a home, you probably think of the non-financial benefits of owning a home as a driving motivator. When asking WHEN to buy, the financial benefits make it clear that doing so now is much more advantageous than waiting until next year. If you’re a renter with a desire to become a homeowner, or a homeowner who’s decided your current house no longer fits your needs, you may be hoping that waiting a year might mean better market conditions to purchase a home. To determine if you should buy now or wait, you need to ask yourself two simple questions: - What will home prices be like by the end of 2022? - Where will mortgage rates be by the end of 2022? Have more questions? Reach out above to start the conversation.

Some Dos and Donts of the Mortgage Process

When you’re ready to get a home loan, it can help to have as much information about the mortgage process as possible. That way you can take the right steps towards getting your loan, and hopefully avoid some of the more common pitfalls along the way. To help you reach your goal of homeownership, here’s a list of dos and don’ts as you start with the process of getting a home loan and buying a home. If you have questions or need to get pre-approved for your new home loan, just reach out above.

How Do You Make Your Offer As Attractive As Possible? Hint: It’s not just about price!

You’re finally ready to take the plunge and put in an offer on your dream home. You found one that is perfect for you and your family’s needs and you’re willing to pay the asking price. It’s a sure thing, right? Not so fast. Compared to a buyer’s market, the seller’s market we're experiencing means that there are more buyers than there are homes available for sale. It may mean that your full-price offer may not cut it. So, what can you do to get that perfect house you’ve searched for high and low? Use this worksheet with your trusted Realtor BEFORE you submit your offer to make it stand out and to make sure your offer receives the consideration it deserves.

Buying a Non-Warrantable Condo in Florida

Yikes, that title sounds a little scary, doesn’t it? It doesn’t have to be! You head down to Florida on vacation and stay in a fantastic great vacation rental. It’s amazing because it’s Florida! After a day or two you get to thinking, “Hey, we should buy one of these!” I mean mortgage rates are still historically low and you have good credit. You look around and find a bunch of available listings and even an open house down the street. You pop by and the excitement grows. Maybe you get a Realtor right then and there, maybe it’s something that is still in the back of your mind. You know you want to buy a vacation home or a condo there at the beach! And then you hear those magic words for the first time: Non-Warrantable Condo. What does that even mean? Short answer is “it does not meet conventional guidelines and will not be bought by government-backed entities like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac”. Basically, most vacation home/rental type condos are considered non-warrantable. This is as opposed to regular residential condos that you live in which are typically considered warrantable and can be bought and sold much like a typical single-family residence. Here are some of the factors that that generally make a condo non-warrantable: - Over 50% of the units are not owner-occupied. - The complex allows short-term rentals. - The project is not yet completed. - A single person owns more than 10% of the total units. - The complex / HOA is under current litigation.

What is the appeal of a DSCR loan to property investors?

One of the main benefits of a DSCR loan is that a personal income calculation is not required. The lender is instead focused on the cash flow that the real estate investment at hand is predicted to generate. This erases the need to turn in those paystubs while also erasing the need for employment verification. If you happen to be self-employed, a gig-worker or one that has a gap in employment history, this loan may have just become even more appealing. Along with these benefits, an investor can come to the closing table and close each loan in their entity’s business name which further allows you to separate personal information from business operations. Right away, this loan possesses a lot of positives that set it apart from other loan products.

Mortgage Down Payment Gifts

It's called a mortgage gift for a reason – the gift giver is providing funds to a home buyer with no expectation of being repaid. If the buyer is planning to pay back the funds, that money was loaned not gifted, and then the lender is required to factor that into the debt-to-income ratio.

What Is Down Payment Assistance?

When you buy a home, you’ll usually have to put money down that’s equal to a percentage of your home’s final purchase price. This is called your down payment. The amount you’ll need will vary and some mortgage programs require no down payment at all. While there are variations, coming up with this cash is often a difficult hurdle for buyers. As the name suggests, down payment assistance helps you cover your down payment as a first-time home buyer.

How To Beware Of Mortgage Wire Fraud During Closing

It’s easy to assume you’ll never fall for a scam. Unfortunately, the truth is that mortgage wire scams are much more common than many people want to believe. Reports of mortgage wire fraud attempts rose 1,100% between 2015 and 2017, according to data from the Federal Trade Commission. In 2017 alone, consumers lost over $1 billion in real estate transaction costs to scammers.

How Does Homebot Help Homeowners?

With every application and new home loan completed with The Shawn Beaudoin Team, you'll be enrolled for free in our favorite tool to empower our customers with the knowledge needed to keep track of what could be the largest asset you will ever actively manage: Your Home! Homebot is a subscription Wealth Digest that empowers you to build wealth through your homeownership.

If You Can Afford To Rent, You Can Probably Afford To Buy

Interest rates are still near historic lows. Purchasing power has increased, and the cost of renting in most areas is now greater than the cost to buy. Some say mortgage loans are impossible to obtain without perfect credit and 20% down. Want the truth? Read on, and we’ll cite the three basic factors for qualifying for a home loan.

Maximum FHA Loan Limits for 2022

Aside from the new higher loan limits, FHA loans allow for low down payments, and can be more flexible or lenient than conforming loan types. The FHA even has options for renovation financing.

Maximum Conventional Loan Limits for 2022

How does a loan limit increase affect you? The new increased loan limits for 2022 means that conventional loan buyers can once again be competitive in the market. More people will be able to afford houses without the need for more complicated loans, larger down payments, or stricter qualifications.

What To Do With Extra Cash From Your Refinance?

We're here to help you free up your trapped equity and help your money work in the best way for you.

The Truth About Reverse Mortgages

Stay in your home with a Reverse Mortgage - Know the Truth!

Insurance Types

Lists different types of insurance and offers referrals.

Realtor Presentation – CRM

Multi-page flyer describing to Realtors the benefits of working with with us as users of the Surefire system.