Jonathan Haug's (jhaug) Blog

    Today is July 24th 2009.  The DOW is above 9000 points for the first time in several months.  Consumer confidence has been rising for some time now.  Jobless claims have been slowing.  So..what does all of this mean?  Are we on the upswing of this recession?  Well, the answer is:  It's compli...

Hi Everyone, A lot of buzz has been surrounding the idea of bringing your tax credit to the closing table, or "monetization".  Several weeks ago, the FHA declared that they wanted to have the tax credit monetized in order to spark the market.  You know when your mom told you to think before you s...

  Things seem pretty dire right now huh?  Businesses that have been around for a hundred years are dropping like flies.  The stock market is at a lower level than it has been in five years.  More and more people are losing their homes every month.  Not to mention, the media is not helping the si...

    Well today is the last day in September and the DOW was down by 777 points yesterday.  That is the largest drop ever, point wise not percentage wise.  None the less, it is evident that our economy is on a slippery slope towards a recession.  Now, as congress is back home taking angry calls an...

    I know you have seen the commercials for these credit management companies that promise to help you get rid of your debt.  They always have those cheesy commercials with a family describing their dire situation and how this company came in and saved the day. My question is, do they hurt more ...

    Ok, picture this:  you finally got a contract on a home your selling.  It has been on the market for 8 months and an agent drops a contract on your desk that is exactly what you have been waiting for.  Of course your sellers are elated and everything is perfect...right?  Well imagine your sel...

      Fall is finally here and it's time to pull out those sweaters again.  All the natural beauty that surrounds us becomes more apparent as the mountains don their vibrant autumn outfits.  The area is bustling with excitement and community events are abundant. I have tried to compile a list of ...

    It is almost October and the bottom is not here; but hopefully it's close.  U.S. home prices are continuing to fall, down 5.3% from last year.  It is widely believed that the credit markets won't really start to unfreeze until home prices stabilize.  This is because no one really knows how mu...

    I speak with clients and Realtors everyday and they ask me the same question: "So Jon, how are the rates today?" I explain the current rates but I always end the conversation explaining the volatility in the market.  There are such huge swings in the market that rates are changing constantly....

Hi Everyone, As congress has just eliminated DAPs in the new piece of home market legislation; it is getting harder and harder to find 100% loan programs.  A great one still here is USDA's Guaranteed Rural Housing Program.  When you first hear this, you might be assuming that this loan is only fo...