What’s Hot in Real Estate – The Rental Market

By Cheryl Bower | May 26, 2011

Investors who purchase apartment houses see better deals now than in the last four years. In contrast to housing, where prices are low, inventory high, loans are difficult to get, and 40% of the market is foreclosures or short sales, the rental market (especially apartments) have rents growing, vacancies declining, and can produce cash […]

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The Difference between pre-approval and pre-qualification

By Cheryl Bower | May 6, 2011

For many new homebuyers, the terms pre-qualification and pre-approval seem interchangeable. But they are not — and the distinction is an important one.

When you get pre-qualified, I perform a quick check to determine generally how large a home loan you can afford. Essentially, when a buyer is pre-qualified, the lender is saying it would most […]

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Indonesia, Haiti, New Zealand, now Japan… Are you ready for the Big One?

By Cheryl Bower | March 28, 2011
Interior kitchen

We have had several major Earthquakes around the world the past three years, and the USGS has predicted an 80% chance of a 6.0 or larger earthquake will hit northern California within the next 30 years, or for most of us, sometime in our lifetime. There is a 60% chance of that Earthquake happening in […]

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Cost of Living Reaches An All-Time High, Pressures Mortgage Rates Higher

By Cheryl Bower | February 24, 2011

Inflation fears are harming home buyers. The Cost of Living has reached a record level, surpassing the former peak set in July 2008. Mortgage rates would be rising more right now if not for the Middle East unrest.

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Home Supplies Plummet, Home Sales Surge Putting Pressure On Prices To Rise

By Cheryl Bower | January 21, 2011

According to the National Association of REALTORS®, seasonally-adjusted, annualized Existing Home Sales figures climbed by more than a half-million units in December as compared to November. It’s the 3rd straight month of home resale improvement nationwide.

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WEEKLY HOT RATES for the week ending 11/9/2010 as provided by Guarantee Mortgage

By Cheryl Bower | November 13, 2010

WEEKLY HOT RATES for the week ending 11/9/2010 as provided by Guarantee Mortgage Wow!  How low will rates go this year? This will certainly help buyers get into our pricey S.F. real estate market. 30 Yr Fixed Conforming to $417K     4.000% “1.000” POINTS     APR = 4.128% 30 Yr Fixed Jumbo to $729,750.          4.250% “1.000” POINTS     …

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10% down and not FHA!

By Cheryl Bower | November 11, 2010

Property type: Three-bedroom, two bath in Half Moon Bay
Appraised value: $585,000
Loan amount: $508,000
Loan type: 30yr fixed
Rate: 5%
Back story:
For a long time in this economy the only way to do a 10% down mortgage was through FHA. This loan makes the blog because it was the first loan we’ve done in a long while […]

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Time To Refinance? Mortgage Rates Down 1.00 Percent Since April

By Cheryl Bower | October 22, 2010

The rate-and-fee combination you’d get in your home state is different from the rate-and-fee combination you’d get if you lived somewhere else. In the West, rates are low and fees are high; in the Southeast, it’s the opposite.

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