USDA Home Loan Boundaries In Washington County
Posted by Mike in Real Estate Blog | 0 comments
There aren’t many options for 100% loans anymore and FHA loans have become popular again because you only need 3.5% down. What is not well-known is the USDA loan program which has nothing to do with tasty selections of beef.
USDA loans were designed to help homebuyers in rural areas but as you see in the video above, what is still considered rural has some beautiful homes and parks.
In our travels we found the gorgeous Villebois neighborhood was partially in the USDA approved areas, as well as a development in Tigard just south of Beef Bend. Much of Sherwood is USDA available and anything west of Hillsboro is leaving you Cornelius and Forest Grove.
USDA loans will jump in with other programs in October to require mortgage insurance but it looks to still be less than what’s required for FHA loans. (And that is odd to me since they are both government backed loans. Why not have the same system? Oh, it’s the government.)
If you want to find some of these homes and learn about the boundary map contact us today. If you want to learn about USDA loans contact Jason Hillard, the Homeloan Ninja.
Street Of Dreams 2011, Bull Mountain, Tigard
Posted by Mike in Real Estate Blog | 0 comments
The Street of Dreams (gallery below) is back on Bull Mountain where I first saw back in the early 90′s. I had high hopes but knew the economy isn’t a great environment for super expensive homes.
We went on Realtor day where they let us in for free and there was a gaggle of Realtors at the starting gate when they opened. We decided to go through the last house first in hopes to avoid the rush of people. The second house we viewed was my favorite which was nice because I got to take pictures without having tons of people’s heads in my way. Unfortunately that house was by far the best and the rest were a let down. Kind of like having your dessert first.
While the homes were beautiful it was lacking in a Wow factor. Once again I understand the economy but there were no Man Caves. There was a nice Theater Room in one home and a nice game room in another but nothing I haven’t seen in homes I show on a daily basis. It seemed more like a showcase of beautiful decorations. And I will admit that I see too many homes and get a bit jaded; it takes a little more for me to get excited about a home.
What did you think of this year’s Street of Dreams? Leave a comment below or on our Facebook Page.
Is The Savings Of New Windows Overstated?
Posted by Mike in Real Estate Blog | 0 comments
A client showed us this report showing their electricity and gas usage. His home has aluminum windows which scares new buyers thinking that money is just spilling out the grey aluminum but this shows that isn’t the case.
His home is 1450 square feet and built in the 80′s and he is only using 14% more gas than the average neighbor. So how important are new windows?
Buy A HUD Home For A $1
Posted by Mike in Real Estate Blog | 0 comments
HUD has a program that allows people to buy homes for just $1.
HUD’s Dollar Homes initiative helps local governments to foster housing opportunities for low to moderate income families and address specific community needs by offering them the opportunity to purchase qualified HUD-owned homes for $1 each.
Dollar Homes are single-family homes that are acquired by the Federal Housing Administration (which is part of HUD) as a result of foreclosure actions. Single-family properties are made available through the program whenever FHA is unable to sell the homes for six months.
By selling vacant homes for $1 after six months on the market, HUD makes it possible for communities to fix up the homes and put them to good use at a considerable savings. The newly occupied homes can then act as catalysts for neighborhood revitalization, attracting new residents and businesses to an area.
Local governments can partner with local nonprofit homeownership organizations or tap into existing local programs to resell the homes to low- and moderate-income residents of the community.
Contact us today to see if one of these homes or other programs are available for you.
Good Neighbor Next Door HUD Program
Posted by Mike in Real Estate Blog | 0 comments
The Good Neighbor Next Door Program is rare as you would imagine and currently thre is only one home in Portland that qualifies but with a 50% discount you would expect that.
Law enforcement officers, pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade teachers and firefighters/emergency medical technicians can contribute to community revitalization while becoming homeowners through HUD’s Good Neighbor Next Door Sales Program. HUD offers a substantial incentive in the form of a discount of 50% from the list price of the home. In return you must commit to live in the property for 36 months as your sole residence.
Who Can Participate?
Law Enforcement
You may participate in the Good Neighbor Next Door program as a law enforcement officer if you are employed full-time by a law enforcement agency of the federal government, a state, a unit of general local government, or an Indian tribal government; and, in carrying out such full-time employment, you are sworn to uphold, and make arrests for violations of, federal, state, tribal, county, township, or municipal laws.
Teachers
You may participate in the Good Neighbor Next Door program as a Teacher if you are employed as a full-time teacher by a state-accredited public school or private school that provides direct services to students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12. In addition, the public or private school where you are employed as a teacher must serve students from the area where the home you are purchasing is located in the normal course of business.
Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technicians
You may participate in the Good Neighbor Next Door program as a Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician if you are employed full-time as a firefighter or emergency medical technician by a fire department or emergency medical services responder unit of the federal government, a state, unit of general local government, or an Indian tribal government serving the area where the home is located.
Contact us if you would like to learn more.
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Sandra Daniels has been a Realtor and Broker since 2001 helping people navigate the process of buying and selling homes. She brings her years of experience through boom and bust markets to help her clients obtain their goals.
Mike Rohrig has been a Realtor and Broker since 2001 and obtained his Principal Broker's license in 2005. Mike has worked on Short Sales and specializes in listing homes.
We are licensed brokers working at The Sunset Group Realtors in Beaverton.