Real Estate Information Archive

   "NOBODY CAN GO BACK AND START A NEW BEGINNING...BUT ANYONE CAN START TODAY AND MAKE A NEW ENDING." Those words by the poet Maria Robinson should hold a special meaning - and warning - for anyone thinking about buying a home

          Mr. Greenspan said Treasury yields could spike, and in a hurry..... "Long-term rate increases can emerge with unexpected suddenness. Between early October 1979 and late February 1980, for example, the yield on the 10-year note rose almost four percentage points."

Like Maria Robinson's words of wisdom, once rates begin to change, there's no way to go back to take advantage of them. The time for that is today! Call me today so I can help you take advantage of what could be a “once in a lifetime” opportunity. Terry Moerler, 805-267-5802.

With more than one in seven mortgages not being paid, Terry Moerler provides new foreclosure avoidance resource.

Thousand Oaks, California– 6/4/10 – Local CDPE-designated agent and community advocate, Terry Moerler of Keller Williams Realty has announced the expansion of an online resource for Thousand Oaks-area homeowners facing financial hardship:

 ~www.venturacountyshortsalehelp.com~

 According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s quarterly report on mortgage defaults, 14 percent of mortgage loans are not current on payments. This means that a substantial number of homeowners are at risk of foreclosure.

 “Many of these homeowners took on their loans when jobs were more secure and plentiful,” Moerler said. “Now, with unemployment reported at 9.9 percent, we’re seeing that more and more responsible homeowners are finding themselves with unaffordable mortgages.”

 Moerler’s website now contains eligibility surveys for government programs that offer help to distressed homeowners. One of those is the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program, or HAFA, which streamlines the process and provides incentives for short sales or deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure.

 These eligibility surveys let homeowners quickly find out if they can receive help from any of the government programs. The website also acts as a hub for information on the facts and issues for struggling homeowners, putting all the necessary information in one, easy-to-use location.

 “Seven out of 10 homes that have gone into foreclosure did so without even being listed on the market,” said Alex Charfen, co-founder and CEO of the Distressed Property Institute. “Agents like Terry Moerler with the CDPE designation are helping distressed homeowners understand that there may be options available to avoid foreclosure.”

 The CDPE designation provides real estate professionals with specific understanding of the complex issues confronting the real estate industry. Through comprehensive training and experience, CDPEs are able to provide solutions for homeowners facing financial hardship in today’s market.

 For more information about the CDPE Designation, visit www.cdpe.com.

For more information, please contact:

Terry Moerler

805-267-5802

Terry@TheMoerlerTeam.com

With More Than One in Seven Mortgages Not Being Paid, Local Agent Offers Free Resources to Struggling Homeowners

 In response to community needs, new website educates struggling homeowners on options to foreclosure.

 Thousand Oaks, California, May 26, 2010– Local real estate agent and Certified Distressed Property Expert^®, Terry Moerler of Keller Williams Realty, responded to new mortgage delinquency numbers by creating a new information website for Conejo Valley area homeowners facing financial hardships. Ventura County Short Sale Help contains vital facts about the options available to distressed homeowners.

 “With more than 14 percent of mortgages in default status, there is a significant number of homeowners who are facing foreclosure,” Terry Moerler said. “When faced with the possibility of foreclosure, I’ve seen too many homeowners make poor choices, even walking away from their homes without calling their lender or a real estate agent. By offering free information on more beneficial options, I know I can help our community’s homeowners.”

The Mortgage Bankers Association’s First-Quarter 2010 National Delinquency Survey announced that more than 14 percent of mortgage loans are not current on payments. More specifically, 10 percent of prime loans and more than 40 percent of subprime loans are delinquent.

“Whatever their best option is, the most important thing homeowners can do is educate themselves before making a decision,” Terry Moerler said.

Ventura County Short Sale Help acts as a central location for information on the issues and options for struggling homeowners, putting all the necessary information in one, easy-to-use location. The information and materials located on the site are regularly updated to reflect market changes, trends, new lender requirements and industry updates.

Alex Charfen, co-founder and CEO of the Distressed Property Institute, said that more than seven out of 10 homeowners in foreclosure proceed without any visible assistance.

“Agents with the Certified Distressed Property Expert^® designation are helping distressed homeowners understand that there may be options available to them,” he said. “ Terry Moerler has been trained to help homeowners avoid foreclosure, and this online education resource is a valuable public service.”

The CDPE designation provides real estate professionals with specific understanding of the complex issues confronting the real estate industry. Through comprehensive training and experience, CDPEs are able to provide solutions for homeowners facing hardships in today’s market.

For more information about the CDPE Designation, visit www.cdpe.com.

To contact Terry Moerler direct, call 805-267-5802.

   Today is a gift….a true present…….not just because it is my 61st birthday……but because I believe that I have been blessed with another chance to doing something great…..making a difference! 

I love the word “present”……  I love the thought that the point of power is in the “present” moment.   As I sat early this morning contemplating my “special day”…..I opened my meditation book and read the QUOTE of the Day…… “I am not what I want to be, I am not all that I could be, but, thank God I am not what I used to be”  

 I love the quote from Albert Einstein, “The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.” We are each given the ability to “recreate” ourselves each and every day.  

As I sit here today, I imagine life as a “buffet” where, instead of food, there are “dishes of thoughts”, and we get to choose the ones we want.  Since these thoughts will be our future experiences, why not choose ones that will enhance our lives? I look at life as one long opportunity to learn and grow.  

I love my birthday, because it comes in the spring……I love the spring because it allows us to walk out (for me….. it is to “ride out”) in nature more frequently. And to see the beauty around us and allow it to point out the beauty within each of us. Just as new growth is spouting around us; know that all of life is supporting us in our blossoming. 

Not just today, because it is my birthday….but I truly relish each and everyday as an incredible gift…. a true “present.” I honor and celebrate each step of my sacred journey of my incredible life! 

$18,000 IN COMBINED HOMEBUYER TAX CREDITS FOR A LIMITED TIME

 Californians have a brief window of opportunity to receive up to $18,000 in combined federal and state homebuyer tax credits. 

 To take advantage of both tax credits, a first-time homebuyer must enter into a purchase contract for a principal residence before May 1, 2010, and close escrow between May 1, 2010 and June 30, 2010, inclusive. 

 Buyers who are not first-time homebuyers may use the same timeframes to receive up to $16,500 in combined tax credits if they are long-time residents of their existing homes as permitted under federal law, and they purchase properties that have never been previously occupied as provided under California law.

Under the federal law slated to soon expire, a first-time homebuyer may receive up to $8,000 in tax credits, and a long-time resident may receive up to $6,500, for certain purchase contracts entered into by April 30, 2010 that close escrow by June 30, 2010. 

 Additionally, under a newly enacted California law, a homebuyer may receive up to $10,000 in tax credits as a first-time homebuyer or buyer of a property that has never been occupied. 

 The new California law applies to certain purchases that close escrow on or after May 1, 2010 (see Cal. Rev. & Tax Code section 17059.1(a)(4)).  California law generally allows buyers of never-occupied properties to reserve their credits before closing escrow, but buyers seeking to combine the federal and state tax credits will not be able to satisfy the timing requirements for such reservations (see Cal. Rev. & Tax Code section 17059.1(c)(1)(A)).  Other terms and restrictions apply to both tax credits.

 For more information, C.A.R. offers a Homebuyer Tax Credit Chart with a side-by-side summary of the federal and California laws.  C.A.R. also offers a legal article entitled Homebuyer Tax Credit Update.

     I love technology.  I have pushed myself over the past 10-15 years to continue to learn.  I remember exactly when I made the decision that it was going to be important to not be left behind.  It was June, 1995 and I was about to list the home of a good client.  I walked into the room of their 4 year old and he was “playing” on the computer.  I remember saying to myself, “Wow, look at him! Someday he will be my client so I better stay abreast of this technology stuff!”  That little boy is now almost 20 years old and thinking of buying his first home.  I have been communicating with him on Facebook!
    In the last couple of years, we have seen a “surge” of new technology. There are lots of new gadgets, as well as new ways to communicate using the platform of technology.
    Although all of this is exciting, I sit here and wonder. With our world filled with technological gadgets and various attention-getters, I wonder how many of our senses are sharp and working clearly these days.  With our IPhones and text messaging, I think we are “dumbing down” our physical senses that assist us in interacting with the world.  I saw a small example of this yesterday while riding my bike in my neighborhood. I saw a young mother pushing her baby in a stroller while talking on her cell phone.  Some might call this multi-tasking, but I call it “partial attention” for the baby, the scenery outdoors, and her caller. They were all denied her full attention.
    It is possible that we are becoming people who hear but do not listen, people who look but do not see, and people who scan ideas but do not think? Our segments in the world may not be getting our complete focus.  Have we become so used to the swiftness of the computer that we do not slow down enough to ease ourselves into the rhythms of the infinite?  I believe that we only cheat ourselves when we are not fully present.  There are not only our physical senses that need a sharp focus, but also our inner seeing, hearing, and knowing.
    We can all agree that our world is moving faster and faster.  I struggle each day to stay FOCUSED and in the NOW.  A practice of taking a slow, comfortable breath and then exhaling slowly comfortably helps me to maintain a clear focus as I fully take in the beauties of nature and intuitive insights that this world has to offer.  I rejoice in this simplicity and I am grateful for the ease in which my life unfolds.

               Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts with you.

According to Broderick Perkins, a new survey reveals that savvy consumers cashing in on the new and improved homebuyer tax credit are helping fuel economic recovery.

 The vast majority of current homeowners say they would spend the expanded version of the homebuyer tax credit on repaying existing debts, home improvements, savings and investments and household expenses, according to a National Association of REALTORS survey of 1,000 homeowners.

 Consumer spending, of course, is the real fuel for the nation’s economic engine.  And much consumer spending is fueled by the housing market—provided the housing market is energized.

 The new law extends the existing credit for first-time homeowners, worth up to $8,000, through April 30, 2010

 A new credit of up to $6,500 is available to qualified existing homeowners who buy a new primary residence by April 30, 2010, if they owned their existing home for five consecutive years over the last eight years.  Second homes don’t qualify.

 The maximum allowed home purchase price is $800,000.

In my over 30 years as a successful local Realtor, I have not seen such favorable times to purchase a home.  Interest rates are at an all time low with fixed rates less than 5%.  Home prices in many areas are back to 2003-2004 prices.  Many more people can qualify and opportunities are plentiful.

 The survey also found, after learning about the tax credit expansion, 20% of those surveyed said they were more likely to consider purchasing a home than they were six months ago.