Although building a new home can be very exciting, there are certain considerations that should be made for your custom home design.  With the countless possibilities of design features, floor layouts and color selections, your new home design can be customized to your desired wants and needs.  Your home building experience will be a pleasant one if the following considerations are addressed during initial stages of your custom home design. 

With so many designs and styles of homes available, it is impossible to know what you want incorporated into your custom home design by looking at a few home building and house plan magazines.  It is actually helpful to take tours of recently built homes in your area to see the latest and most popular design features.  Design Alternatives Custom Home Design can also provide you with popular design options to include in your custom floor plan.  It’s wise to keep an open mind while researching design options.  Some of these features may be the perfect compliment for your custom home design.

The location to build your dream home is also a very important consideration in the scope of your custom home design.  Although it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of building your custom home design, it will definitely pay off if you take a long and practical look at your house plan and decide where the best location to build might be.  Your custom home design can not only be designed by Design Alternatives, but also analyzed and studied for best building site.  The location of your dream home is as important as the custom home design itself.

As far as your custom home design, Design Alternatives can help you think ahead and consider what design features may be needed in the future.  If you plan on staying in your new home for numerous years, you need to consider what future life changes may affect the overall design.  Having more children could determine the number of bedrooms that should be incorporated in the floor plan.  A two-story home may not be the best design option twenty years down the road.  Design Alternatives uses its 20 years experience to find the best features to include in your custom home design.

Building costs are another important aspect of getting your custom home design built.  It is necessary to talk to and get estimates from a minimum of two builders to get a good idea of what your custom home will cost.  These builders should also be reputable and have many years experience custom home construction.  Design Alternatives has worked with many area builders and can also recommend which builders would fit best in finishing your custom home design construction.

Design Alternatives Custom Home Design has many years of home design and construction experience, so it is imperative to take these considerations to heart while designing and building your dream home.  One more recommendation is to consider the overall value of your new home and put additional money into the kitchen and bathrooms.  These rooms contribute the most value to your home and will be the biggest selling points if you plan on moving in the future.  As you can see there is preparation and work involved with getting your dream home built, but Design Alternatives can assist with every step of your custom home design and construction process.



Passive Income

In order for your website to get a good search engine ranking you need to have people linking to you. There are several ways to do this that I will explain and this will help your home based internet business thrive with hits and sales

1. One of the best ways to raise your ranking by the search engines is by offering content that people need and they will naturally link to your site because of the information you have provided. Most people are looking for information, tips, and tricks that they can use. For example this article, if you did not already know, this article will give you ideas on how to increase your rankings and get more traffic to your home based internet business site.

2. Next big tip is to write articles about your topic of interest. People like new information so do search engines. Include a link to your site in every article you write. Not only is this an inbound link it will help raise your ranking. There are several places to submit articles to on the web. Do a google search and you will find several. Some of the most popular include this site. plus Hello article and Article Dashboard. Make sure you include a link to your site at the bottom of each article you submit. Then for the anchor words, use your keywords that you are trying to get a good ranking for. Example would be: "Profitable Home Based Internet Business".

3. Exchange links with other site owners or sign up at a reputable link exchange company - try and find sites with relevant information to your site, for example "profitable home based internet business". Whatever you do, DO NOT join a link farm. The search engines will penalize you for this.

4. Research your competitors links. Find sites like yours and see what sites link to them . For example if your keyword is "profitable home based internet business" you might want to go to google.com and type in that keyword. When the results come up check out which sites are like yours. You can go to google research and find what links to the url you are interested in.

5. Internal Linking strategy will also help you. Search engines like internal linking. For example if you have a five page website pages, you should have links to each page. In addition, if you have more than one website you should definitely link to them on each page.



Quick Property Sale

We encourage our kids to plan for their future, but we seldom include buying a first home sooner than average as a path to building that future. Let them know buying a home is easier than they think.

Most of the people who read this column are not first time homebuyers. The fact of the matter is many of you that are first time homebuyers and reading this article are relatively mature individuals who are fighting off your commitment fears of being tied to a mortgage. But there is a huge segment of the population that could buy their first home, yet it doesn’t occur to them to do so. Who are these people? Well, it’s your 24 year old son or daughter, new to the work force, and is throwing away money on rent somewhere. Encouraging your children to buy a home when they are young is some of the soundest financial advice you can give them. Equity in a home is an easy way to grow one’s portfolio with very little investment. But the fact of the matter is it doesn’t occur to most of us to encourage the younger generation to buy early in their lives. And trust me, it rarely occurs to our kids themselves to consider buying a home in the early twenties. They are more concerned with buying a new Halo 3 for their Xbox.

Why do so many people miss the boat on this opportunity? It could be they plan to be in the area for only a short time because they will job hop to advance their career, thus viewing a mortgage as “too permanent.” I counter to simply sell the house when you move. Or maybe they expect their income to double or triple over the next three years. I say buy a home now, then upgrade to a new home; sell or rent the old house. Investing in real estate is a proven, safe and solid return on investment. And with the right combination of credit history (or a history of paying utilities, cable and your cell phone on time) and no money down, you or someone you care about can start investing in the future.

When Junior starts his new job at the company and 401(K) is available, he’s been informed by his folks, boss or peers to enroll and contribute at least a little something to it with every paycheck. Yet, he is rarely counseled quit renting that apartment for $750 a month and buy a $75,000 house. Where will he come up with the money to do it? There are multiple options for first time buyers that allow for 100% financing. Get the seller to kick in closing costs (up to 6% of sales price with some products), and one can close on a loan and bring no funds to the table. If your home value appreciates 4% in the next year, that’s a nice return on a no cash investment.

For some time, I’ve considered writing this series for first time buyers to let them know buying a home is easier than they think. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized the advice I would offer would most likely not reach my target audience. So parents, it is up to you to supply your kids with this last little bit of advice and help to set them free to further establish their independence in this world. Clip this article out and tape it to their iPOD or the steering wheel of their car - someplace it will get noticed.

I think for most of us who have been through the experience, our first home buy was a very daunting experience. There are so many choices and unknowns - it can be overwhelming. In this series, I will try to break it down the process into small logical steps and make it easier understand the steps involved in financing your first home. Where do you start? That is perhaps the easiest part. Our newly established worker should first make a list of all his or her debt obligations such as student loans (unless deferred), car payments, credit card debt, etc. Hopefully at this age, this will be a small list. Then add what you think amount you could afford for a mortgage. Take that amount and divide it by your gross monthly income. If you come in at 43% or less, you’re in business. If you have something in your savings or checking - great. If not, don’t let it deter you. You have options.

Contact a mortgage specialist to drill out the details and find a good realtor who knows your market for housing you can afford. What next? Get ready to tell your landlord “Adios!.”



Repossession

Adding a room to your house is a very exciting project However, before embarking building a family room addition the homeowner should first consider several important items. These items include: home market values in the neighborhood, financing, home building costs, family room design plans (size and scale of project), architecture, and timetable for completion, personal disruption/inconvenience threshold and the sweat equity commitment level.

Designing a Family Room Addition and Assessing Market Value

Prior to actually breaking ground on a family room addition, it is best to first have a plan. You need to determine what you are looking for in additional living space. For example: How many square feet? What types of rooms? Once this is understood, it is then important to find out the market value of homes in the local area with similar size and features to the new and improved home. With this information the homeowner can then calculate the difference between their current home market value and the new and improved home market value. This difference should represent the maximum cost budget for the new addition if a positive investment is desired. For example, a homeowner would not want to spend $40,000 on a new family room addition that provides only $20,000 in increased market value to the improved home.

Schedule and Sweat Equity Commitment

The next two items that should be considered include the timetable for completing the project and the homeowner sweaty equity commitment level. Many homeowners assume they can do a lot more than they are either skilled to do or have the time to do. From personal experience, I would suggest contracting out the site/ground work, rough framing, roofing, siding, heating/cooling, and the drywall. All of these tasks require skill, time and brawn. If local laws permit, electric and plumbing may be tackled by the homeowner. However, both require skill and can be life threatening if not performed properly. Other tasks that a homeowner could tackle include installing interior doors, finish trim, painting, cabinet installation, tiling and hardwood flooring. Prior to a homeowner signing up to any specific task however, they should first honestly assess their skill and available time, and compare them to their project schedule. If they don’t match, hire the contractor.

Threshold of Inconvenience and Disruption

Finally, a homeowner should consider their threshold for inconvenience and disruption. A family room addition, particularly if it involves the kitchen, is very disruptive to today’s busy lifestyles. It is also a dusty, dirty and noisy endeavor. In addition, dealing with subcontractors can be challenging at best. For a typical family room addition anticipate several months of effort and inconvenience. If after assessing all these issues you are still willing to move forward with the project, contact your subcontractors, pull your permits and get ready for an exciting time. For most homeowners building a family room addition is a positive experience that provides both new living space and a great investment.

Any remodeling project can seem overwhelming, but it’s guaranteed to go more smoothly if you hire the right contractor.

Remodeling is a big event, whether it’s a room or your whole house.

As the client, you are the one driving the process.

Our expert consultants, at Preferred Home Builders, will answer all your questions, and provide you with a creative and modern design for your home, Contact us at any time 1.888.937.8321



Repossession

 

 

 

With the high costs today it’s a necessity for many families to have two incomes. If you’re in such a situation, you might want to consider the possibility of being a work at home parent. The decision to work from home may come swiftly for you once you see how much it costs you to hold your present job.

 

So you have a $25,000 to $50,000 a year salary; but, after expenses, how much do you have left in spendable income? Sit down and figure out how much it costs you for gasoline, car repairs, added car insurance, work clothes and accessories, child care, fast food dinners, and any other work related expense. Now if you were to work at home and make the same yearly salary, the amount you just added up as expenses in your present job, could be added as spendable income for your family.

 

You could actually improve your family lifestyle with a work at home career. Not only would have additional money to spend on what’s really important, your family; but, also have more time as you wouldn’t have that daily commute. There is a way to become independent and that is to earn money online.

 Visit now - Picmoney.com

 

There are millions of people doing just that each and every day. With the numerous affiliate programs offered, it’s never been easier for new entrepreneurs to take the plunge and start their own home business. With affiliate marketing you can be a part of a multimillion dollar company and advertise their product from the comfort of your own home.

 

There’s tons of information at your finger tips right now, that could enable you to work from home. If you start out small at a minimal cost and slowly build your business, you may find that special niche that will afford you to someday, quit your day job. I’m sure your family will thank you in the end.

 

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Rent Back

At some point in everyone’s life, they usually get the urge to buy a home. Glendale homes, as well as homes across the country, are a status symbol and a part of the American dream. Buying Glendale real estate can help to fulfill that dream, but you need to make sure that you’re prepared and informed before you jump into Glendale AZ homes without taking the time to learn. Glendale homes for sale are a dime a dozen right now, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that all of them are a good investment. You need to check out the Glendale real estate market and find the right neighborhoods, home sizes, and other options that fit your needs for Glendale AZ homes. Glendale homes offer something for everyone, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding what you need. However, knowing what you need is an essential part of shopping for Glendale homes. Finding the right Glendale homes for sale for you depends on what you want, after all.

Glendale homes can be found in various sizes and styles. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for small, simple Glendale homes for sale, or if you want the best house that can be found on the Glendale real estate market regardless of cost. Glendale AZ homes are available in every price range, making them affordable to everyone. You can choose your Glendale homes based on price, size, style, or how many bedrooms they have. It’s all up to you, which is why you need to know what you want from Glendale homes before you start shopping. It doesn’t matter if you want new construction, older homes, or even an old home that has been redone. You can find Glendale homes in all of these styles, making your choices much easier.

When it comes to buying Glendale homes, having a qualified Glendale real estate agent can help you out with a lot of things. You need to take the time to check into Glendale AZ homes and find a realtor that is experienced in the world of Glendale homes for sale to make sure that you get the best help possible. Hiring a professional to help with your Glendale homes search can make your home buying process much easier, but you need to choose someone who is worthy of the job. Right now, many companies are starving for work, so you might be misled by some of the more desperate ones when it comes to Glendale homes. That is why it’s imperative that you check out each person and company fully to make sure that they are qualified and will do the best job possible with your Glendale homes search.

Right now, Glendale real estate and Glendale homes are at the mercy of a buyer’s market, which will help you to get the home that you want at a price that you can afford. Glendale homes are much cheaper than they’ve ever been, allowing you to practically name your own price and how much you’re willing to spend on your Glendale AZ homes purchase. Glendale homes for sale can also be purchased from banks and lenders as foreclosed properties, allowing you a way to save even more money on your Glendale homes purchase. As long as you take the time to shop around, inform yourself, and find a realtor, you can be sure that buying a home will be a great investment and experience for you.



Sell and Rent Back

I saw a cartoon the other day that was pretty funny, but also pretty sad when you think about it.  It showed a couple sitting across from a mortgage lender, and the caption read, “We’re here to apply for a tank of gas.”  With increases in prices for just about everything, it gets more and more difficult to stash away a nest egg for a down payment.  And pretty much every loan requires some part of down payment, even if you get a 100% financing loan.  After all, you still are generally going to be required to put down some earnest money on your contract and in most cases, pay for an appraisal up front.  You may have been trying to save it up on your own, but it may be time to accept some help from your family.

 

Most loan programs, be it Conventional, FHA, VA or Rural Housing, require the borrower to pay for something.  In particular, FHA and Conventional home purchases want a minimum of 3% to come out of the borrower’s pocket.  If you are doing a Conventional loan, you still can’t receive a gift for your 3% down payment, but you can use a gift to help with closing costs. However, FHA will allow your source of down payment to be a gift.  So, if you find yourself a bit short on cash, you may need to ask someone to gift you the down payment or closing costs (or if your really lucky, and it’s allowed – both!).

 

All lenders are particular about just who can give you a gift for your down payment or closing costs.  Pretty much across the board, the gift must be from a blood relative.  You may have to prove that the gifter is a relative thru birth certificates, christening records, etc.  Strange but true.  Conventional loans will also allow an employer to give you a gift.  But in any case, the most important factor is that whoever is giving the gift does not expect to be paid back.  A certification to that effect will be required to be signed by the donor.  Otherwise, it’s really a loan, now isn’t it?  And as a responsible lender, we’re going to include that payment in your debt to income ratio, and we’ll probably want a bunch of documentation to prove the terms, etc.  So, make sure it truly is a gift.

 

As of the date I’m writing this article, FHA will allow for down payment assistance programs, such as Nehemiah or Ameridream.  Lenders view these products as “gifts” in a sense. They are basically seller concessions funneled through the down payment assistance channels.   However, by the time this article is published, they may be null and void.   It’s currently being reviewed and could go away.  Or it may still be there, but just know it’s under review.

 

Lenders are very particular about how the gift funds reach the closing table.  If you deposit the gift before closing, you have to show it coming out of the donor’s account and depositing into your account.  It’s a lot of paper to collect.  The easiest method is for Grandpa or your Great Aunt to just send a cashier’s check payable to you and your title company to the closing table.  Smoother, quicker, simpler.

 

Gifts are a wonderful thing, and a gift of a down payment is a useful gift.  After all, I think it’s safe to say that homeownership is one gift that keeps on giving, wouldn’t you?



Passive Income

Do you have a home in Dacula Georgia you need to sell quickly?

Have you been searching the Internet looking for a way to someone to buy your Dacula house fast or some way to sell your home in Dacula Georgia fast? Many sellers need to sell their house fast, but don\’t know where to turn. Luckily you\’ve found the right \”We Buy Houses Blog\” to sell your home in 7 days or less! WeBuyHouses.net is your number one source for buying houses in Dacula Georgia for fast cash or by taking over your existing mortgage payments. We can help you sell your house fast by buying your house fast!

How to Sell Your Dacula Georgia House Faster Than Ever! (How it works) Once you\’ve completed our Seller Questionnaire providing your contact information and telling us about your Dacula house for sale, one of our professional home buyers will contact you by phone or email about buying your home. If your home meets our purchase criteria, we\’ll schedule an appointment to come out and see your house and make you one or more offers to buy your house on the spot! It\’s that simple.

Who we are. WeBuyHouses.net a group of professional home buyers in Dacula Georgia and around the country that specializes in purchasing houses quickly for all cash or on other creative terms. We are not real estate agents who want to list and sell your home for a commission, so there is never any broker fees or real estate commissions. All you have to do is tell us about your Dacula home for sale so we can possibly buy it. That\’s how simple it really is!

We can save you time and money. We know that selling your home can be an expensive, time consuming and complicated process. We understand your situation. If you need to sell your Dacula Georgia home fast, we are your number one solution. Our local, professional home buyers can buy your house in 7 days or less once you\’ve notified us of the Dacula home you have for sale. We can pay all cash, take over your payments or lease-purchase your house immediately! We will handle all of the paperwork, make all the arrangements and close within a few days if necessary. You\’ll get a quick sale with no hassles, so you can put your house selling worries behind you once and for all. There will be no more stress and no more home selling headaches.

We buy houses in Dacula Georgia. We also buy homes in Auburn, Braselton, Buford, Centerville, Berkeley Lake, Duluth, Grayson, Harbins,Lawrenceville, Hog Mountain, Lilburn, Loganville , Norcross, Snellville, Sugar Hill, Suwanee, Hamilton Mill and other surrounding areas. We also buy houses in cities and towns across Georgia such as Atlanta, Gainesville, Athens, Augusta, Macon, Savannah, Valdosta and we want to buy your Georgia house too!

We buy houses in Dacula Georgia in all shapes and sizes. We purchase all types of property, whether it\’s a new house, an old house, a big house, a small house, a pretty house, an ugly house or a house needing major repairs… We like to buy them all. We buy as many houses as we can in Georgia and are always looking for more houses to buy.

We buy houses in Dacula Georgia in any situation. If you are selling your Dacula Georgia house due to divorce, illness, unemployment, relocation, behind on payments, bankruptcy or foreclosure, we\’d like to help you find a solution that fits your unique home selling situation. We specialize in finding creative solutions to tough real estate problems that Realtors and other home buyers won\’t touch.

We are your best solution to sell your home fast. If you\’ve tried to sell your Dacula Georgia home for sale by owner and failed or you have listed your house with a real estate agent who was unable to sell your home, we are your best solution to get your home sold quickly. Sell your house to us in 7 days or less and avoid all the hassles and uncertainties of trying to sell your home yourself or through a real estate agent.

We are your ideal home buyer. If you sell your home to us, you won\’t have to continue searching for the perfect buyer while you wait, month after month to sell your house. You won\’t have to continue having open houses and showing your home to unqualified strangers who waste your time and scare the dog. You can sell your home in Dacula Georgia in 7 days or less and move on with your life!

Sell your home in Dacula Georgia in 7 days or less! To sell your Dacula Georgia house quickly, please complete our confidential Home Seller Questionnaire on our website at WeBuyHouses.net or call 888-765-3461 to speak to a live representative. Tell us all about your Dacula home for sale, how we can reach you and one of our knowledgeable house buyers will contact you ASAP about buying your house fast.

Choose the best offer to sell your house fast. If your Dacula Georgia house qualifies for our purchase program, one of our professional house buyers will schedule an appointment to come visit your house, take some photos and make you one or more custom offers to buy your home quickly so you can sell your house fast! We are confident that you will like one of our offers. If not, you are under no obligation to sell your home to us.

We are ready to buy your Dacula Georgia house today! Our home buyers are ready, willing and able to buy your house and help you through the entire home selling process. All you need to do now is call 888-765-3461 or visit our website at www.WeBuyHouses.net to complete our confidential Seller Questionnaire and one of our local home buyers will contact you about buying your house fast. Why wait another minute to sell your Dacula Georgia house when you can sell your house to us today?



Sell and Rent Back

In 1994, we set our sights on a house located in a pleasant, quiet suburban enclave called Bixby Knolls in Long Beach, CA.  Although we could barely afford the home’s $230,000 purchase price – a fortune for us at the time - it was a small, neat, modest home situated in a good neighborhood with appreciation potential.  So, we dove into the home buying market.  It was a perfectly manageable house located in a perfectly acceptable neighborhood.

                                                           

We did not have a clue at the time that home prices would slowly begin to climb and climb and climb thanks to an extended period of historically low interest rates. Low interest rates spurred consumer demand, which soon grew to overwhelming consumer demand for homes to call their own.  Consequently, home prices reached stratospheric levels in our neighborhood as well as in most major metropolitan markets (Texas, Oklahoma, the Dakotas and a few other affordable markets being the exception). 

Ten years later, in the middle of April 2004, a devastatingly tragic electrical fire took the lives of our beloved Italian Greyhounds, Ben and Rusty.  Although we rebuilt our home better than it was before, it was still a sad time for us; we ultimately sold our first, “first home”.  The offers made for our modest 1,600 square foot home were obscene - obscene amounts, that is.  It was undeniably the most profitable yet most heartbreaking investment of our lives.

In retrospect, recalling the loan application process and qualifying for the mortgage in order to buy our perfect little house, well, we recollect that process was NOT so perfect. 

In 1994, when we were struggling to qualify for the mortgage, we were not aware of available first time home buyer programs created for folks of low to moderate income.

Furthermore, our loan officer did not introduce us to these options, either because he was as clueless as we were about the existence of such programs or, the bank with whom he was employed at the time elected not to participate in specialty programs for first time home buyers. 

Neither we nor our loan officer had any idea the city of Long Beach, county of Los Angeles and yes, even the State of California all had available specialty loan programs designed specifically for folks like us: first time home buyers, short on cash for a 20%, 10% or even 5% down payment, not to mention funds to cover closing costs. 

We were wholly unfamiliar with mortgage credit certificate programs, below market interest rate programs, mortgage revenue bond programs, and we would have given our left arm for help with no-strings-attached gift money and forgivable grant money provided through city, county and state housing agencies. 

If we only knew . . . the home buying process would have been so much easier and much less stressful.   Driving our decision to buy a home we could barely afford was  exacerbated by our landlord’s demand we vacate the house, which was once rented by my husband and his former wife (the landlord’s daughter), within 30 days.  Great – no pressure there. . .

Fortunately, with the generous help of parents and with a loan borrowed from our 401K, we were finally able to produce a minimal down payment.   Our motivated home seller, an 80 year old retiree who wanted to move closer to her daughter in another town, helped us pay some of our closing costs through seller concessions. Then after all that, we SOMEHOW managed to scrape up sufficient funds to substantiate cash reserves to satisfy our lender and cover our personal moving expenses after escrow closed. 

Did we consider buying new furnishings and/or major appliances to update our 50 year old new house?  Fuggedaboutit!  And THEN we had to take into account recurring costs associated with debt servicing the new mortgage and maintaining our new home like water, electricity, property taxes, etc. 

If your borrowers are anything like we were back in the day, the sticker shock associated with a new home purchase and maintenance costs can discourage even the most motivated buyers.

Timely solutions to the above-described challenges may not be easily found or forthcoming at all.  Notwithstanding the charity of parents, other relatives and/or through the liquidation of assets in order to meet most lenders’ minimum mandatory requirements for down payment and cash reserves, a substantial number of  first time home buying hopefuls will consequently shelve their Dream of Homeownership.

This is the sad, sad shelf upon which dust will gather, accumulate and ultimately completely obscure the light-filled Dream of Home Ownership which once burned brightly in their mind’s eye – snuffed out, extinguished. 

What you must know is it doesn’t have to end this way.

Be the Hero.  With new information provided through the OFFICIAL LOAN OFFICER GUIDE,   solutions to the above-described challenges are placed at your fingertips.

In most real estate markets today, it remains virtually impossible for the average consumer of low to moderate income to qualify for a modestly sized mortgage without benefit of a substantial out-of-pocket investment.  Depending on a variety of qualifying factors, we’re talking a down payment investment equal to  10, 15, 20 or 25% of the home’s sales price plus closing costs (points, title, insurance, etc.). 

Be the Hero.  Be the “Go to Guy” for information about down payment assistance programs and products.

Programs like those that are the focus of the Official Loan Officer Guide will well serve your marginally qualified borrowers and help support the real estate industry overall by providing another way to shore up buyer qualifying and loan viability. 

Be the Hero.  Reserve first time home buyer program funds on behalf of your borrower before your competition does.  When I worked for a major national mortgage bank (a bank  heavily vested in first time home buyer loan programs),  I observed first hand fierce competition between loan officers and competing lenders for the right to secure programs funds on behalf of their constituencies – first time home buyers. 

I observed borrowers anxiously await word from their loan officer for assurances that they too would get their piece of the first time home buyer mortgage assistance pie.  Anything less could, and often did, jeopardize the borrower’s ability to qualify for a mortgage and close escrow on time (if ever).

A growing number of city, county and state housing finance agencies/authorities/corporations are creating new and/or fully funding existing programs to assist first time home buyers with cash money for down payment and closing costs.  Monetary assistance can be quite substantial, ranging in amounts from $5,000 to $100,000+ (amounts vary by city, county and state) or calculated as a percentage of the home’s sales price or a percentage of the first mortgage loan amount. 

Be the Hero.  Be the first in line to procure program information, educate your customer and secure funds for your stressed out client base – first time home buyers. 

Please note, programs addressed in the OFFICIAL LOAN OFFICER GUIDE are primarily used exclusively in conjunction with purchase money first mortgage loans with 30 year fixed loan terms.   Alt-A, sub-prime and non-traditional hybrid loan first mortgage loans types are strictly prohibited.

Bottom line?  There is hope, and it begins with this quick read, bare-bones approach to assisting the neophyte loan officer and veteran loan officer to better understand how such first time home buyer programs work in tandem with step-by-step processes and procedures and ways to pinpoint available programs in your borrower’s selected subject property city, town and/or surrounds.   Some first time home buyers may elect to buy (or not to buy) in a particular city or county based on the availability (or lack thereof) of first time home buyer programs. 

The OFFICIAL LOAN OFFICER GUIDE provides a fast track to inside knowledge regarding useful specialty programs created specifically to assist first time home buyers of low to moderate income on a NATIONWIDE scale.

There is a dearth of information available to educate loan officers on a nationwide scale about the many beneficial programs that are the focus of this guide.  As I complete the writing of my first book on this topic, it is my hope, desire and intention that the OFFICIAL LOAN OFFICER GUIDE: Below Market Interest Rate Programs – Down Payment Assistance Programs, First Edition, will serve to educate and empower you to help cash strapped first time home buyers produce tangible results in the form of new, affordable housing that falls within the budgetary means of all eligible citizens nationwide.

To you guys and gals in the mortgage finance trenches, you are amazing!  This book was written for you.  May you make many a first time home buyer and real estate agent happy, satisified clients by your effective utilization of the information contained within this book.

  

Best of luck to you all and happy down payment assistance hunting!

Esperanza J. Creeger

Author

www.FTHBGuru.com



Rent Back Fast

Modular Home History



From 1908–1940, Sears, Roebuck and Company sold more than 100,000 homes through their mail-order Modern Homes program. Over that time Sears designed 447 different housing styles, from the elaborate multistory Ivanhoe, with its elegant French doors and art glass windows, to the simpler Goldenrod, which served as a quaint, three-room and no-bath cottage for summer vacationers. (An outhouse could be purchased separately for Goldenrod and similar cottage dwellers.) Customers could choose a house to suit their individual tastes and budgets.

Sears was not an innovative home designer. Sears was instead a very able follower of popular home designs but with the added advantage of modifying houses and hardware according to buyer tastes. Individuals could even design their own homes and submit the blueprints to Sears, which would then ship off the appropriate pre cut and fitted materials, putting the home owner in full creative control. Modern Home customers had the freedom to build their own dream houses, and Sears helped realize these dreams through quality custom design and favorable financing.

 

Designing a Sears Home

 

The process of designing your Sears house began as soon as the Modern Homes catalog arrived at your doorstep. Over time, Modern Homes catalogs came to advertise three lines of homes, aimed for customers’ differing financial means: Honor Built, Standard Built, and Simplex Sectional.

 

Honor Bilt homes were the most expensive and finest quality sold by Sears. Joists, studs, and rafters were to be spaced 14 3/8 inches apart. Attractive cypress siding and cedar shingles adorned most Honor Bilt exteriors. And, depending on the room, interiors featured clear-grade (i.e., knot-free) flooring and inside trim made from yellow pine, oak, or maple wood. Sears’s catalogs also reported that Standard Built Homes were best for warmer climates, meaning they did not retain heat very well. The Simplex Sectional line, as the name implies, contained simple designs. Simplex houses were frequently only a couple of rooms and were ideal for summer cottages.

 

While browsing the Image bank, you may see many houses that partially or even closely resemble a house that you own or have seen. Look closely, because the floor plan may be reversed, a dormer may have been added, or the original buyer may have chosen brick instead of wood siding. Plumbing may look like it was added after construction, or storm windows may appear on the house but not in the catalog’s illustration.

 

All of this and more are possible, because the Modern Homes program encouraged custom designing houses down to the color of the cabinetry hardware. The difficulty in identifying a Sears home is just a reflection of the unique design and tastes of the original buyer (see FAQs).

 

Construction

 

As mentioned above, Sears was not an innovator in home design or construction techniques; however, Modern home designs did offer distinct advantages over other construction methods. The ability to mass-produce the materials used in Sears homes lessened manufacturing costs, which lowered purchase costs for customers. Not only did pre cut and fitted materials shrink construction time up to 40% but Sears’s use of “balloon style” framing, drywall, and asphalt shingles greatly eased construction for home buyers.

 

“Balloon style” framing. These framing systems did not require a team of skilled carpenters, as previous methods did. Balloon frames were built faster and generally only required one carpenter. This system uses precut timber of mostly standard 2_4s and 2_8s for framing. Precut timber, fitted pieces, and the convenience of having everything, including the nails, shipped by railroad directly to the customer added greatly to the popularity of this framing style.

 

Drywall. Before drywall, plaster and lathe wall-building techniques were used, which again required skilled carpenters. Sears homes took advantage of the new home building material of drywall by shipping large quantities of this inexpensively manufactured product with the rest of the housing materials. Drywall offered advantages of low price, ease of installation, and was added fire-safety protection. It was also a good fit for the square design of Sears homes.

 

Asphalt shingles. It was during the modern homes program that large quantities of asphalt shingles became available. The alternative roofing materials available included, among others, tin and wood. Tin was noisy during storms, looked unattractive, and required a skilled roofer, while wood was highly flammable. Asphalt shingles, however, were cheap to manufacture and ship, as well as easy and inexpensive to install. Asphalt had the added incentive of being fireproof.

 

Modern Conveniences

 

Sears helped popularize the latest technology available to modern home buyers in the early part of the twentieth century. Central heating, indoor plumbing, and electricity were all new developments in home design that modern homes  incorporated, although not all of the homes were designed with these conveniences. Central heating not only improved the livability of homes with little insulation but it also improved fire safety, always a worry in an era where open flames threatened houses and whole cities, in the case of the Chicago Fire. Indoor plumbing and homes wired for electricity were the first steps to modern kitchens and bathrooms. Sears Modern Homes program stayed abreast of any technology that could ease the lives of its home buyers and gave them the option to design their homes with modern convenience in mind.

 



Real Estate Professionals