Grand Blanc, MI

You've probably met me face to face and don't even realize it. If not, you've certainly seen my cards pass through your office in the last six years. I'm the guy that was in your office with a smile, a free pen, and a Rural Development (RD) loan flyer. I'm here again to tell you why you need to find yourself a great RD loan officer to refer client to.

RD eliminates the most common deal killer. "Cash to close" kills more deals than anything, I am certain of that. Whether it kills deals in process or stops potential buyers from proceeding, the money a buyer has to bring to the closing table is the biggest obstacle in Michigan. RD eliminates this by allowing your borrowers to finance closing costs even above normal LTV guidelines. We don't need concessions to achieve stress-free financing for buyers.

RD has no down payment requirements. RD sees other ways to protect their own investment, but for most Michigan borrowers these requirements are not an issue. The last 100% financing available is Rural Development.

RD is set up for a first time home buyer. First time buyers ARE our market right now. They control our business, or at least mine. RD truly is for first timers. RD understands limited credit history- something FHA and Conforming just don't seem to get. Fannie loves someone overextended to the max that has never really paid a bill. TONS of credit elicits approvals with other financing. Why do we have a crisis again? Oh, yeah.

RD would rather see someone that isn't in a position of failure. Buyers that can't seem to qualify elsewhere because of this, but want to own a home...they will fit with RD.

RD is available in far more areas than you realize. I know it seems weird but look at Fenton. Fenton is a huge town with far more "metropolitan" area than Flint, yet everything in the 48430 qualifies. Really anywhere except inside Flint and downtown Grand Blanc qualifies. Go Fig!

RD has the absolute best interest rates. I've had Realtors tell my buyers that I could not deliver on the rate I quoted; only to have the buyer laugh all the way to the bank. I've had to show Realtors how I could deliver and end up with undying allegiance.

This is about the buyers, thought. FHA, Fannie, Freddie, MSHDA are like jokes next to RD. Granted, RD only finances certain geographical areas, but they dominate the areas they finance.

The final word. Try it once and you won't go back. Non-believers become believers. Find yourself a good RD loan officer and try them out. Your clients deserve to know what a great deal they can get, and MORE IMPORTANTLY those buyers that got turned down by Dort Federal, Citizens, and Mclair deserve to have a chance at financing that doesn't rely on their archaic guidelines!

For more information: Call Today or visit our website:

810-953-4266 or www.iconmortgagelending.com

Proceed with Caution: The weirdest part of talking to people about their loan experiences is that people usually are more particular about their Realtor than their Loan Officer. In reality, your Loan Officer is responsible for ten times more than your Realtor, especially in a foreclosure transaction.

They will be digging through every aspect of your life; they are exposed to some of your most sensitive information. They are responsible for organizing the entire transaction from open until close. Most importantly, this is the person that represents you, and your application to the powers that be, so you need to believe in them to portray your strengths and represent you well.

This is also a good time to realize that cheaper rarely means better. A good bit of advice I would give anyone...choose wisely, make sure your Loan Officer is making as much as your Realtor, and demand excellence.

Interview with a Vampire. No, it's not that bad. Actually the vast majority of bad loan officers and bad lenders are out of business or are being sued, but you need to do a thorough interview with anyone you may hire to represent you. Always ask the following questions.

How long have you been in business?

How many loans do you close each month?

Have you done a foreclosure purchase before? How many?

What type of loan is your specialty? This should be one or two, not many.

Where do you get your clients from? Someone that gets referrals from Realtors and other professionals, may be better than someone that just answers the phone at a bank...just and opinion.

How do you get paid? How much will you get paid? Someone that dances around this...whew you'd be hard pressed to convince me to use them for anything.

What do I need to pay at closing time?

If what I need to bring to closing changes, who will be responsible for paying it? Why?

When will you lock my rate, how often will you update me? *This is important because a foreclosure purchase will usually take close to or more than 30 days to close and fund. It is generally impractical to lock a rate for more than 30 days, and any good loan officer will update you when rates change and give you the option to chose when to lock while advising you based on market trends.

Are you available to me outside of banking hours? Most of you are working people, and the banking system is setup during to function 9-5. It is important to have contact info and know that your loan officer is available to answer your questions at any time, otherwise you will end up a very frustrated individual. It is best to test this theory right out of the gate by calling after hours and expect your loan officer to either answer the phone or call you back within an hour or two.

The final word is to keep a positive attitude, recognize that most likely the effort is worth the reward, demand excellence from those you pay and pay those you demand excellence from.

For more information, go to our website or call us today:

www.iconmortgagelending.com or 810-953-4266

If you are going to buy a home in Michigan, especially in this foreclosure driven market, nothing is more important than the team of professionals you choose to represent you. Consider these points in your search.

Rome wasn't built in a day. Do you not rush into any situation. Take at least a week to look around for reputable companies to deal with. Talk to friends and family, do some research on a few companies you target, and never consider only one source for information.

Your loan officer is the first step and most important step. This person will be digging through all of your most personal documents, and trust is necessary. It should probably be an actual person that you actually meet and actually believe in.

The biggest mistake is to judge just by numbers and promises, which are easily fabricated. Judge their willingness to provide written estimates of their services. Sit back, and listen...are they mentioning a Good Faith Estimate? If they don't chances are they want to tell you about how great everything will be without any type of proof to their promises. If it is not offered...walk.

What about the reputation of the company itself? Do they keep a neat office, offer you a warm environment, are they licensed in any way or any formal training? I always look for a decent website too. I figure if they can't at least be found on the Internet...yikes.

Now for a Realtor. I think one important thing to know is how Realtor's get paid. If you find a house you like and call the Realtor that has listed that home for sale- that Realtor works for the seller. If it is a foreclosure property, that Realtor works for the bank and gets paid from the bank. So...I guess just consider that in your decision.

So what makes a good Realtor? Some questions to ask yourself are: Are they listening more or talking more. You want someone to find your dream home not sell you on one. Are they pushing you to sign a contract to work with only them? It's only my opinion, but good Realtors do not do this. Do they have the resources you need? Can they email you properties rather than having you drive to their office to discuss each one.

Your loan officer might recommend someone, but I would take their person and interview them along with others. Much like when a Realtor recommends a lender, you never know exactly why they are referring business to anyone and it may not be so noble. It may be though, so consider them but put them through the same process as anyone.

A good insurance agent and you're set. Again, interview the agent just like you are interviewing them for when something goes wrong. Like with all of these service providers, it is easy to look impressive when things are peachy. Try to find out how they are when things aren't.

Again, be weary of referrals. And again, don't do the "bottom line" judgement. With all of these services, its much more about the value in the service than just the price of the service. I mean, you can get your hair cut at a barber college for a third of the price, but people who get cut there typically spend a lot of time being lonely.

Reports show the average home spends $1900 a year on energy costs; many homeowners are unaware of how much they can save with proper dryer and dryer vent maintenance

Grand Blanc, MI -Technicians who work for Dryer Vent Wizard in Genesee County, Michigan are working to educate consumers on dryer fire safety. Home owners who think its normal for their dryer to take more than one cycle to dry clothes are in danger of starting a fire due to lint clogging their dryer vents. They advise their customers that lint accumulation in dryer vents causes a dryer to over heat and to run inefficiently, causing fires and increasing energy usage.

Dryer Vent Wizard, Dry Clothes, Safe Homes is the largest chain of dryer vent specialists in the U.S. Besides specializing in dryer vent maintenance, they also provide free videos, brochures and dryer vent safety tips for consumers who visit their site at http://www.dryerventwizard.com

Mike Zalac, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard of Southeast Michigan was recently interviewed. He explained, "With rising energy costs, our role is to educate consumers as we provide dryer vent solutions. We are committed to dryer fire prevention in our community as we educate our customers on how to properly maintain their dryer vent systems."

It is important that dryer vent systems be cleaned annually and that they meet city, state and manufacturer codes. Plastic or foil vents need to be replaced with semi-rigid or solid metal venting. Lint traps should be cleaned before and after drying each load of laundry and lint screens should be cleaned with soap and water every few months to remove residue left behind by fabric softeners.

"I'm so glad I called Dryer Vent Wizard when my dryer wasn't performing as well as I thought it should," said one happy customer. "I thought it was just wearing out and that it was normal for it to take 2 cycles to get the clothes dry. Mike showed me where the problem was and explained that lint is very combustible. Mike saved my home and family from what could have been a devastating fire."

Mike services South East Michigan including Macomb, Lapeer, Genesee, Saginaw, Midland, Isabella, Gladwin, Bay, and Arenac Counties.

Contact:

Dryer Vent Wizard

Mike Zalac

1716 Lakewood Circle

Lapeer, MI, 48446

Phone: 866-498-7233

Email: mzalac@dryerventwizard.com

Dryer Vent Cleaning, Dryer Vent Repair, Dryer Vent Maintenance, Dryer Vent Installation, Dryer Vent Alteration, Macomb County, Romeo, Armada, Richmond, Macomb, Sterling Heights, Warren, St. Clair Shores, Cass City, Vassar, Caro, Lapeer County, Lapeer, Imlay City, Almont, Genesee County, Flint, Grand Blanc, Burton, Davison, Swartz Creek, Flushing, Saginaw County, Saginaw, Bridge Port, Frankenmuth, Midland County, Midland, Sanford, Isabella County, Mt. Pleasant, Gladwin County, Gladwin, Beaverton, Bay County, Bay City, Arenac County, Standish, Sterling, Maple Ridge and neighboring cities and communities.

Real Estate Communities we review on a monthly basis are:
Brandon, Clarkston, Waterford, Lake Orion, Oxford, Grand Blanc, and Holly.
Community Reports can be viewed at "The Pearson Group Website"

Absorption Rate is a method we use to determine the supply and demand for housing.

We determine the number of listings on the market within particular price brackets. We then view how many houses have sold or pended in the past three months and calculate the average per month. The number of active listings is then divided by the average sales per month to identify how many months inventory is available.

Sellers Market - Less than 6 Months Inventory
Buyers Market - More than 6 Months Inventory
Balanced Market - 6 Months Inventory

All information included in the following graph is generated from Realcomp Inc, an area Multiple Listing Service serving Southeastern Michigan. Note that no private sales would be included in this report. All information is deemed accurate but not guaranteed.