Archive for the ‘Lessons’ Category

Hawaii Foreclosure Procedure

Friday, April 25th, 2008

Judicial Foreclosure Available: Yes Non judicial Foreclosure Available: Yes Foreclosure in Hawaii takes one of two forms: (1) judicial foreclosure by a lawsuit much like any other lawsuit or (2) sale under a power of sale clause in the mortgage. Preferred Method: Judicial foreclosure is the preferred method in Hawaii . Although ...

California Foreclosure Market Statistics – By County

Friday, April 25th, 2008

California Foreclosure Market Statistics COUNTY: ALAMEDA HOUSEHOLDS: 556,474 2006 TOTAL: 3,565 Jan-07 Feb-07 Mar-07 Apr-07 436 367 617 418 May-07 Jun-07 Jul-07 Aug-07 627 433 750 832 Sep-07 Oct-07 Nov-07 Dec-07 726 1,313 1,084 1274 Jan-08 Feb-08 March-08 1,469 1,320 1,635 12 MONTH TOTAL: 12,498 PER HOUSEHOLD: 2.25% MONTHLY CHANGE: 23.86% YEARLY CHANGE: 164.99% COUNTY: CONTRA COSTA HOUSEHOLDS: 383,328 2006 TOTAL: 3,738 Jan-07 Feb-07 ...

How Hawaii is Arranged

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008

Hawaii has a numbering system for properties that is used by the Tax Assessment Office called a tax map key or TMK for short. These numbers range from 111 to 199 and covers all of Oahu. Each property has a unique TMK. Many mls systems use this key as ...

Foreclosures can be risky

Friday, April 11th, 2008

If you bought a property at foreclosure in the later 1990s or early 2002s, you probably have a built up a lot of equity and have a positive cash flow on your investment. With the current increase of foreclosures in Hawaii, people may be looking at this as another ...

Not-so-obvious causes for a dropping FICO score

Friday, April 11th, 2008

Have noticed that your FICO score has been steadily dropping over the last few months. In January your score was in the mid 700s and now it's in the low 700s. You don't have any late payments or any other negative marks on your credit report, so why is this ...

History of the Housing Market

Thursday, April 10th, 2008

I thought this was an interesting video: History of the Housing Market Source:  Yahoo Video / ABC News

Strategies for Trading Up to a Bigger Home

Thursday, April 10th, 2008

When purchasing a home for the first time many buyers can become overwhelmed due to the timeline and contingencies that need to be followed.  That’s why it’s always good to have a team of agents that can help you through the process.   What can be more frustrating for buyer is if ...

10 Things to Ask When Selecting a Buyer’s Agent

Wednesday, April 9th, 2008

What's a Buyer's Agent? You'd be surprised how common that question is. Most people barely understand the process involved in buying real estate. Few know what agency representation and fiduciary duty is. When it comes to buying real estate, most buyers spend more time deciding what to eat ...

Things to Do Before You Buy

Tuesday, April 8th, 2008

Before you start looking for a home, there are several things you should get in order. 1.  Get yourself financially prepared.  For the first time buyer, this may be the single largest purchase.  Evaluate your financial situation and create a budget.  This will determine how much mortgage payment you can afford. ...

10 Things You Need to Know Before You Hire an Agent

Monday, April 7th, 2008

“It’s critical that you make the right decision about who will handle what is probably the single largest financial investment you will ever make.” Not all real estate agents are the same. If you decide to seek the help of an agent when selling or buying ...