Cindy Seaton

Bryan, TX — Looking for a second opinion on your home’s value? Enlist the services of an objective, third party Appraiser. You will receive an accurate description of your home’s features and a detailed analysis of the most recent and similar “comparable sales”.

“Having a recent appraisal of your home can be very useful at the negotiating table,” said Kelly Seaton, owner of Verdad Valuation Services. When interested parties see an appraisal, an inspection, a survey, or a map of the home, these serve as additional tools that cut down on the time it takes to close.

Seaton says Verdad Valuation can complete a residential appraisal in as little as one day if necessary, where a narrative appraisal for a rural property could take one week. It all depends on how much sales data is available and how much time is necessary to adequately research the survey, title, and sales of comparable properties.

In addition to answering questions like “how much is my house worth”, Seaton suggests a few other things to consider prior to listing your home. Certain upgrades and remodels may improve the curb appeal, but it may not increase the property value enough to justify your time and expense. You can call him for consultation on which improvements bring the best bang for your buck.

Verdad Valuation steps in and helps make those decisions with you. “While your Century 21 Realtor is detail-oriented and forward-thinking, an appraiser has no vested interest in what amount your home sells for,” Seaton said. “An appraiser’s fees are based on time to complete the report, not a percentage of the sales price.”

Visit Verdad’s website at www.verdadvaluation.com for more details on property values.

No I didn’t say PMS. If I knew that, then I’d be a millionaire. PMI - your Private Mortgage Insurance protects your lender in case if a borrower defaults on the loan, and the value of the home is lower than the loan balance.

PMI has been a large money-maker for the mortgage lenders. The amount of the insurance (usually $40/month for a $100k home) is commonly rolled into the mortgage payment. Given the size of the overall note payment, this additional fee is often overlooked. Homeowners continue to pay the PMI even after their loan balance has dropped below the original 80% threshold. This occurs naturally, of course, as the home owner pays down the principal on the loan. On a typical 30-year loan, however, it can take many years to reach that point.

Lenders were under no obligation to tell home owners when they had reached a point where the PMI can be dropped. That all changed back in 1999 when the Homeowners Protection Act took effect. In most cases, this law now obligates lenders to terminate Read the rest of this entry »

Tejas Neighborhood in Bryan

October 22nd, 2008 categories: Community Events

Tejas neighborhood

BRYAN, TX - If you attended elementary school in Texas, you learned early on that “tejas” means “friendly, y’all”, in Spanish, from the language of the Caddo Indians. The Tejas Neighborhood Association in Bryan definitely has that hospitable Texas spirit. Click on my YouTube video to see more…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUE-vzV6fW0

Tell me the friendliest neighborhood where you’ve ever lived in the comments below…

Kind regards,

Cindy Seaton, your friendly Tejas neighborhood Realtor

BRYAN, TEXAS — A friend in a nearby neighborhood association distributed an email warning residents about a suspicious vehicle. I office from my home, so I scrolled down to see if I had seen the car described. To my surprise, IT WAS MY HUSBAND’S CAR!

Oh my … this looks bad. My husband, Kelly Seaton, is a real estate appraiser. Usually he’s out on rural property, but this job brought him back to town. The concerned citizen watched my husband research a comparable property for several minutes. The resident saw Kelly taking photos and just thought the worst. So he grabbed his camera and wrote down the information and turned it in to the Bryan Police Department!

I emailed the neighborhood association to let them know that everything was ok - we are in real estate. Just tend to drive slow and look at homes that have recently been on the market. And we all had a huge laugh after that.

I’m personally thrilled to know that there are awesome neighbors around the city of Bryan, that are looking out for fellow residents. You can’t purchase that kind of loyalty or home security system. We have such a great community, where people are concerned about each other’s families!

Click here to find other awesome areas in Bryan real estate.

Kind regards,

Cindy Seaton, REALTOR

Century 21, Beal

http://thecenturytreereader.com/2008/08/27/suspicious-vehicle/

Last month Mr Bush signed HR 3221 the American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act into law. It brings tax breaks for homeowners and tax credit for first time home buyers.This is a great tool for consumers. A Tax refund back into the pockets of buyers. The federal government will credit buyers on their personal income tax return the year after the purchase of their first home. Then the 2nd year the purchaser begins to pay back the tax credit over a 15 year period.

Here are some features of the economic incentive:

-If a potential homebuyer has not owned a home in the previous three years to the current purchase he qualifies as a first time home buyer. No one else may participate in this fabulous deal. And your head of household income can be no more than $75000 if filing your tax return singly. You could receive a partial tax refund if your income is between $75-95000.

- Your home purchase must occur between April of this year and July 1 2009. No procrastination.

So here’s an example for those of us mathematically challenged folks: If a purchaser’s taxes due are $5000 then after the tax credit is applied to the 2008 totals the buyer would receive a refund of $2500. The refund sum is the difference between the $7500 tax credit and the amount of taxes you owe.

Reverse example is if a purchaser’s tax refund is $2000. After the housing relief tax credit is claimed the buyer would receive a total refund of $9500.

-One more caveat, you have to pay back the government. No it is not free. But it is interest free The buyer must pay six percent of the total housing credit each year for the 15 year term.

My final example assumes the purchaser applies a $7,500 credit in 2009 on their income tax return. The home purchase closed in 2008. He receives the tax refund in 2009. Remittance commences in 2010 with an annual repayment of $500 per year. That’s a good deal.

The dark side to this deal: it’s not a credit. The tax incentive is basically an interest free loan. So if you qualify, DO YOUR RESEARCH! There are strings attached. I’ve given you the bare-bones basics. Go do your own homework. The fact that my tax dollars (MY tax dollars) are going to fund someone else’s home, eh I see the good and the bad. That’s a whole other blog entry for a moral discussion.

The other bummer is that this doesn’t help with down-payment assistance. You have to come up with that cash by yourself. If you find a home for $100k, your lender may ask you to cough up $10000 upfront. So put some savings into a liquid account with no penalties for withdrawals. And lending is still tight - you have to qualify for this program and qualify separately for a loan.

My Skinny Skoop: This is a great deal for first time home buyers with strings attached. Be informed! Call a REALTOR like me :)

Kind regards,

Cindy Seaton with Century 21, Beal

http://cindy-seaton.bcs.mlxchange.com