Lending Changes Will Stimulate Home Buying

02 Aug

Krissy

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Some recently announced lending changes may open more doors to prospective home buyers. Lending Giant Fannie Mae implemented changes to their Desktop Underwriter (DU) during the weekend of July 29th that now allows consideration of applicants with a maximum Debt to Income (DTI) ratio of 50%. This increase in DTI will allow new buyers to... Read more »

Do you need a home warranty when purchasing?

26 Jul

Krissy

476 0

In the home purchase process, the question of a home warranty and what is covered often comes up. Today we will examine key points you may want to consider. Even when you purchase a new construction home, things can go wrong and therefore a builder’s warranty is often requested. A builder may back the warranty... Read more »

EMPLOYER ASSISTED HOUSING PROGRAM NOW AVAILABLE

19 Jul

Krissy

569 0

A new Employer Assistance Housing program is now available in our market thanks to a partnership recently formed by the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors (GCAR) and Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprises (CNE). There are numerous statistics which support the relationship between work force stability and home ownership and that is the driving force behind this program.... Read more »

Mid Year Home Sales Recap

13 Jul

Krissy

610 0

June represented the third month in a row that the number of homes which sold in the Greater Chattanooga area declined when compared to the same month last year. While no one likes to see sales decline for consecutive months, the Chattanooga Real Estate outlook is not one of doom and gloom. The YTD numbers... Read more »

VACATION HOME OPTIONS ABOUND

06 Jul

Krissy

553 0

During Summer vacation months, many families toy with the idea of a beach front condo or home. If you are considering a second home or vacation rental this year, there are a number of options to consider within a short drive of Chattanooga. If you live in a more rural setting and like to “get... Read more »

Are you upgrading your home or simply performing required maintenance?

30 Jun

Krissy

557 0

Many home owners make investments in their homes, thinking they are upgrading the property, when in reality they are just completing required maintenance. Much like replacing worn tires or a broken fan on your automobile, there are many such items in residential real estate. At the foundation of this topic are basic routine maintenance items,... Read more »

Health care options affect Real Estate values

21 Jun

Krissy

788 0

There are numerous factors which affect quality of life and thus home values in a community and one of those is the availability of quality health care. Consider for a moment, you are a retiree who is evaluating different areas to spend your “golden years”, would available health care options be important to you? What... Read more »

Consumer Confidence is Positive Relative to Residential Real Estate

09 Jun

Krissy

555 0

There are a number of factors that influence residential home sales, both in a positive and negative manner. Today we will take a look at some of these key factors. While the overall underlying influence is consumer confidence, the first factor to affect this measure is unemployment. As has been well reported, both locally and... Read more »

There are many choices in lending today

02 Jun

Krissy

644 0

The big summer home buying months of June, July and August have arrived, but before you get serious and start searching in earnest take time to do your financing homework. While the internet is a wonderful tool for research, in my years of experience and thousands of transactions, an internet lender is NOT the best... Read more »

Local Realtors head to Washington to lobby for Homeowners

30 May

Krissy

515 0

A total of 20 members of the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors traveled to Washington DC May 16-19th to lobby members of Congress on behalf of their local constituents. The annual legislative forum is hosted by the National Association of Realtors and drew nearly 10,000 members from every state and province. The Greater Chattanooga Association... Read more »