I received many phone calls from buyers asking whether they can obtain a loan.  So recently I had a conversation about lending with one of my preferred lenders.  Eventhough some I already knew, some were an eye opener.  How Long Does a Borrower Need to Be on the Job?Well.... It depends.   The standard answer is that a W2, hourly or salaried buyer must have 30 days of paystubs with a minimum of 2 year consistent employment history in the same field previously with no job gap.   When the "standard" answer is not the case, it depends on the loan product  (i.e., FHA or Freddie or Fannie or VA, etc), if the buyer is commissioned or bonused, if they work a full 40 hours, how long a job gap, etc, etc, etc.    Sometimes mortgage approval on income is like one of those charts that have a 100 dif... 09/17/2017

What would you say to: a restaurant owner who decides to buy meal ingredients only as soon as customers are seated? a retailer who refuses to invest in product display shelving until the store becomes profitable? a taxi driver who won't spend for gas until a fare is engaged? the maid service who shows up and asks the homeowner for cleaning supplies? These scenarios seem silly, right?  Are they any less silly than a Realtor® who won't spend $30 for business cards, $45 for signage, or $10 for a name badge until "someday" when their business "gains traction"?Small-thinking agents rationalize their fear-based justification for withholding marketing spend... "I can't afford to get a professional headshot until I make a sale."They defer training or quality coursework... "I'll get that designa... 09/07/2017

5 things Plano home buyers should do before they start looking at homes.Get pre-qualified for a mortgage. See us and we’ll run the numbers to tell you the mortgage size and terms you qualify for to purchase your Plano home. This gives you the price range of homes to look at in Plano and makes you more attractive to sellers. I will even call the listing agent of the Plano home you want to buy and share with them your complete pre-qualified status. Most Plano Realtors would prefer to work with a local and direct lender that they know and trust. Check out my 5 Star reviews here. Why are you still renting? Call (214) 945-1066 or apply online now. Pay attention to finances. Decide how much you have for a down payment and what you can afford monthly for mortgage, taxes, insurance and other ho... 08/29/2017

Residents of Dallas, Plano, McKinney, Frisco – and those who live in the surrounding areas: you have the opportunity to learn about the reverse mortgage program at an in-person seminar on, September 13th from 10:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.Did you know that with an FHA insured reverse mortgage that you or your heirs will never owe more than 95% of the appraised value of your home when the loan is paid off?Did you know you could use a Reverse Mortgage (HECM) to purchase your next home?Did you know you could get access to a growing line of credit with a guaranteed growth rate that could exceed your bank savings rate? Realtors, Estate Planners, and Wealth Management professionals are also encouraged to attend.Hosted by Richard Woodward, Specialty Lending Manager for Service First Mortgage and held... 08/25/2017

If you own and operate a website, be aware that DMCA Safe Harbor laws have changed, and you must now DIGITALLY register a copyright agent with the copyright office prior December 31,2017 and add a few things to your website(s) to receive the benefit of protection. This process requires renewal every 3 years. The video linked here and inline below will explain details in full.   What's this about? Why does it matter to individual licensees and their websites? Real estate websites and IDX displays are common components of our online marketing strategy in real estate. IDX feeds and other syndicated (or framed) content (third parties) may include photographs or other materials that infringe on someone else's copyright. To protect yourself from unwitting copyright infringement, the DMCA off... 08/18/2017

So, you want to send a direct mail campaign to all of the residents in an apartment complex, but you don't want to pay for a mailing list. After all, we live in an era where information is only a click away. But, where does a real estate professional search for this information?Good news... you can quickly and painlessly create your own apartment complex mailing list with the help of a few online resources.STEP 1USPS has a handy lookup that will provide you with unit ranges for a multifamily address. Point your browser to https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction_input. Enter the main street address, city and state. Click on FIND. The website returns the unit groupings for the multi-family address in sequence, like this.Most folks who use this tool will then copy and paste the range res... 08/16/2017

Putting yourself out there is hard.The homeowner is told: "You shouldn't comment. You don't have experience."The investor is told: "You shouldn't comment. You don't have any formal training in real estate."The real estate student is told: "You shouldn't comment. You don't have your real estate license."The licensed salesperson is told: "You shouldn't comment. You aren't a broker."The broker is told: "You shouldn't comment. You're not an attorney."The attorney is told: "You shouldn't comment. You're not the 'right kind' of attorney."The specializing attorney is told: "You shouldn't comment. You're not a judge or a jury."The judge is told: "You should recuse yourself. You are biased on the matter."Leadership isn't waiting for permission to speak. It isn't about who is right, but what is r... 08/14/2017

Plano just like many other cities in Collin County, Texas, shows a very strong seller’s market for second quarter 2017.  On average homes are sold 0.8% more than list price.  Median sales price leaped to $342,500 compared to $319,450 same period last year. Most homes in Plano are in the $300,000 - $500,000 range.  Inventory is less than 3 months for homes under  $750,000 and about 8 months for homes above $750,000. *Information taken from Ntreis 08/11/2017

Plano TX VA Loans with 100% financing on Plano TX VA Loans where we offer the best loan program in Texas!   VA Mortgage Loans are one of the best mortgage loan programs available today for both honorably discharged Vets and active duty military personnel.   Here are some of the great features of this fantastic program:   - 100% financing, no down payment required.  - No monthly mortgage insurance.  - Easier credit qualifying compared to other types of mortgage loans. - VA Mortgage Rates are low compared to other types of home loans.    How do you know if you qualify for Plano TX VA Loans?   The first step is to verify your eligibility. This is done by ordering your Certificate of Eligibility or COE. A Colorado VA loan lender can order your COE quickly for you, or you can go directly to ... 08/04/2017

Deerfield is a community of about 700 single family homes located in Northwest Plano, and only a few minutes away from the Legacy Drive business park where we can find corporate campuses such as Hewlett Packard, Frito Lay,  Dr. Pepper, McAfee, Pizza Hut, Ericsson, J.C. Penney, and more.  It also close to the future Toyota North America, Federal Express and Liberty Mutual campuses.  Deerfield is well known around the Dallas Fort Worth area for their wonderful display of holiday lights on approximately 75% of the neighborhood houses.  It is also close to great retails such as The Shops of Legacy and Legacy West. Active homes in Deerfield as of August 1, 2017 as follows: Address   SqFt Total   Beds   Full Baths   Half Baths   Pool   Current Price 4633 Home Place   2,555   4   3   none   No... 08/01/2017

Avignon Windhaven is one of the most prominent subdivisions in Plano close to the new Toyota Headquarter.  The homes are zoned to Plano ISD:  Brinker Elementary, Renner Middle School, and Shepton High and Plano West Senior High.  Current inventory as of July 24, 2017 as follows: Address SqFt Total Bedrooms Full Baths Half Baths Pool Current Price 5744 BERNAY Lane 4,010 4 4 1 No $710,000 5752 Cadence Lane 4,055 5 3 1 Yes $765,000 5744 Adair Lane 4,251 5 4 none No $779,000 6108 JACQUELINE Drive 4,275 4 3 1 No $779,000 5760 Bernay Lane 5,052 4 4 1 No $864,000 5605 Chalice Drive 5,369 5 5 2 Yes $1,274,900  *Information taken from MLS   07/24/2017

Buying your own home first is one of the happiest times of your life! However, a lot of paperwork and time goes into it and finding a lender with great reviews will ease much of the stress. But, the satisfaction you get from your first home closing is something you will never forget! Being a First Time Home Buyer in Texas makes you have to consider your options before you buy. The first thing you will need to consider is what your long-term goals are with being a  home owner  and how your goals fit in with that plan. One goal could be to stop paying rent that just increases after every lease you renew. The benefits of being a First Time Home Buyer  in Texas greatly outweighs renting for the following reasons:           Greater privacy.          Homes typically increase in value the olde... 07/13/2017

Often people ask me where to go when they come and visit the Dallas area.  Whether they can find places to enjoy and look around.  Well there are tons of places to visit and enjoy in Dallas Metroplex.  If you are in North Dallas then one of my favorite places to visit is in Plano at the Shops at Legacy.  It is located between Parkwood and Legacy Drive. It consists of retails, boutiques, restaurants, and urban living.  This vibrant area is good for taking a stroll especially at night and obviously, very busy in the weekend. It’s perfect for a family or for a date.Some of the wonderful restaurants and cafes available are: Cafe Express Del Frisco’s Grille East Hampton Sandwich Co. Gordon Biersch Henry’s Tavern Jasper’s Kenny’s Smoke House Pepper Smash Potbelly Salata Sambuca 360 Seasons 52... 07/02/2017

In this blog, we will discuss how you can acquire 100% USDA financing in Plano TX. 100% financing on USDA mortgage loans are available for home purchasing in Plano. A no down payment option program is available to home buyers in Southlake seeking to purchase a new home.  A significance to home buyers is the ability for them to keep their cash reserves rather than spend it on a down payment for a new home.  Thankfully, a special government loan program exists to help with home buyers.  An important part to home buyer success is the post closing cash reserves they will receive.It would be a great benefit to  a home owner to have at least 6 months of reserves such as hot water heaters, air conditioning and heating units, a washer and dryer, among other appliances like a stove, oven and dis... 06/29/2017

Texas real estate contracts provision for temporary leases for both Buyers and Sellers to accommodate for either early possession (ahead of the closing date) or deferred possession (after the closing date).Temporary leases under a purchase agreement are different from standard lease agreements in several ways, most notably:• these temporary agreements have restrictions on the term (duration / number of days). Specifically, a Buyer's Temporary Residential Lease is strictly limited to a term of no more than 90 days PRIOR to closing.• these agreements do not impose Property Code compliance requirements for matters of repairs and maintenance, smoke alarms, and security devices.In recent years, we have encountered push-back from lenders who claim that FHA Buyers putting less than 15% down, i... 06/22/2017

HUGE ESTATE SALE IN PLANO2209 Colonial Drive, Plano 75093Willow Bend Lakes SubdivisionThursday, June 1st: 9-4Friday, June 2nd: 9-4Saturday, June 3rd: 9-4Come see what's in this 8,000 square foot house!  The house is for sale, too. Ask Lorrie Semler, United Real Estate agent licensed in Texas for details.Valuable items are removed from the home until the day of the sale.Please view the photos (scroll down for link). Not all items have been photographed. There's just too much to show you everything!Sale highlights:Here's a very small sampling of what's in this sale: Jewelry (ALL JEWELRY AND STERLING ORNAMENTS ARE KEPT OFFSITE UNTIL THE MORNING OF THE SALE): Konstantino Begay Stephen Dweck Michael Dawkins David Yurman Saint Lagos James Avery Har Swarovski Dior Richelieu BSK 2013 St. John I... 05/31/2017

Finding a new home for under $200K in North Texas was a breeze in the not so distant past. Much has changed between 2013 and 2017.Metrostudy has recently released their first quarter 2017 report showing what local real estate experts know to be true from day-to-day experience: finding affordable housing is "nearly impossible".Paige Shipp, Director of Metrostudy's Dallas-Ft. Worth region, states, "finished vacant inventory priced below $249,999 are in the shortest supply. Conversely, the months of supply for homes priced above $400,000 grows every quarter. Again, this demonstrates that the strongest demand is for homes below $400,000."Metrostudy's 1Q17 report summarizes this quarter’s dramatic drop in starts below $199,999, which marks the near extinction of that price point for new home... 05/22/2017

FHA Home Loan An FHA home loan is (Federal Housing Administration) is a loan backed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for first time home buyers in Plano Texas. Not only are FHA home loans are a viable option for many Plano, Texas first time home buyers, they are even great loans for step up buyers. Although FHA home loans are government-backed, they are not grant or down payment assistance home loans. Lenders make these loans to home buyers and follow HUD guidelines. However, FHA insures the loan for the lender for offering the loan with such a low down payment. The insurance is provided only to individuals, and approved by HUD through a fixed set of regulations and guidelines. Service First Mortgage is FHA approved by HUD to offer first time home buyers in ... 05/19/2017

Plano TX VA Loans is the best loan program in Texas!   Designed for both active duty military and honorable discharged Veterans, VA MORTGAGE LOANS are one of the best mortgage loanPROGRAMS available today.   Here are some of the great features of this fantastic program:  - Up to 100% FINANCING, with no down required.  - No monthly MORTGAGE insurance.  - Easier credit qualifying compared to other types of MORTGAGE LOANS.- VA Mortgage Rates are low compared to other types of HOME LOANS.   So how do you qualify for Plano TX VA Loans?  First of all, you must VERIFY YOUR eligibility. This is done by ordering your Certificate of Eligibility or COE. You can work with an approved Texas VA MORTGAGE LOAN  lendertoORDER your COE quickly, or you can contact the VA to obtain a copy. If discharged, y... 04/10/2017

In Texas, a common question Sellers ask is "when do I get my money?"What is Closing?Closing is the process of signing the paperwork. In Texas, it is customary for Buyer and Seller to each have their own closing appointment scheduled with Title, and to meet individually with the Escrow Officer or mobile notary to complete their document set. Closing is one step in the process that must be completed before funding can occur.But, Title Said They Have The Wire Funds?Yes, it is possible at any time during the transaction process a Buyer or Lender party could wire funds to Title. It isn't uncommon for a Lender to wire the Buyer's loan monies to Title in preparation for closing on the morning of the big day... but receiving a wire doesn't give Title permission to disburse funds. The closing pa... 04/06/2017