As a Certified Mortgage Planner in Northwest Indiana, I have had numerous calls over the past several months in regards to property tax bills. The main reason for the calls are due to a reassessment process that has created delays since 2005.
Our normal cycle for property tax bills in the state of Indiana is for the 1st installment to be due in May and the 2nd installment to be due in November. Both installments are exactly half of the bill.
Our state property taxes are a little unusual in regards to the fact that they are always paid in arrears. For example, the 2007 property taxes owed were not paid until the calendar year 2008.
This year there was even a longer delay due to new state legislation that had been passed and new calculations on reassessed townships. Instead of our normal split bills, residents of Porter County Indiana began to receive our one and only property tax bill for the entire year earlier this month. I personally received my property tax bill this past Tuesday.
There was good news and bad news. The good news is that many like myself will see their property tax bills go down due to property tax caps that went effective this year. The bad news is that the entire amount owed is due by Friday, December 4th.
Happy Holidays! Both Santa and The Scrooge Showed Up In My Tax Bill.
In case you didn't hear, Virtual Real Estate BarCamp will be held online on Tuesday, November 17th. The original goal was to get 1,000 registered attendees and at the time of this blog post, there are more than 1,500 registered. For all those of you who have not had the chance to attend an RE BarCamp in person, now is the time to get in on the buzz.
Not sure what the buzz is all about?
As described by Todd Carpenter, the Social Media Director of the National Association of REALTORS®:
"The most interesting thing about a BarCamp is that it is user/attendant created: the program is developed by the attendees at the event, using big whiteboards upon which a schedule is hastily put together, that can be rewritten or overwritten by attendees to optimize the days' events. The goal of BarCamp is to reach out to new people who will increase the common intelligence about new technologies, and to create opportunities for cross-fertilization between people and new ideas."
As an attendee of the events in Chicago and Indianapolis, I have had the good fortune to experience the phenomena that has become known as RE BarCamp. This led me to introduce this craze to my local association of RELATORS® here in Northwest Indiana.
Through a collective synergy with the Greater Northwest Indiana Association of REALTORS® (GNIAR), Benchmark Mortgageis proud to sponsor our local In-Office live event to coincide with the Virtual RE BarCamp webinars. Furthermore, I personally will be hosting the event with our very own Nichole Odijk, GNIAR Director of Communications. If you're on Facebook, visit our event page for details.
Game On REALTORS® - Virtual RE BarCamp Has Arrived.
Veterans Day has come and past and now everyone is looking towards the holiday shopping season as a leading indicator on the health of the economy.
The first report of the week will be October's Retail Sales due to be released early Monday morning. This is an extremely important report as it tells the story of consumer spending, which makes up two-thirds of the US economy.
On Tuesday, the key reports shift away from the consumer and to the health of producers and manufactures. The first report will be October's Producer Price Index (PPI) and gives a sneek peek into inflationary pressure at the producer level. The second report will be October's Industrial Production as it will provide the strength in the manufacturing sector.
Wednesday will be a significant day of economic reports that will include October's Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures inflationary pressure on the consumer and really tells the story of consumer buying power. Also to be reported that day will be October's Building Permits, October's Housing Starts and Crude Inventories. Anticipate a lot of media coverage on the housing recovery as focus will be on Housing Starts.
Thursday will be especially important to bond traders as the Treasury Department will announce the dollar volume of 2-year, 5-year and 7-year Notes to be auctioned the following week.
Home loan shoppers and retirement funds will continue their battle for investment dollars from abroad and here in the US. As-is the par for the course, good economic news will favor the stock market and take money away from mortgage bonds which will result in higher mortgage rates. Conversely, bad economic news will drive investors into the safety of bonds which will help home buyers with lower mortgage rates.
Want to see what other economic reports might impact home buyers in the coming week? Stop by and check out the Financial Market Update Provided to You Exclusively by The Barath Group.
This Is The Week Ahead for November 15th.
Today is Veterans Day. We want to thank every soldier as our freedom is a direct result of men and women that fight for our country. Without them we would not have freedom. We definitely would not be facilitating home loans and most certainly would not have the life style we all enjoy.
Benchmark Mortgage: The Barath Group takes this day very serious and truly want to thank each of you that have served our country and pray for the safety of those that are serving our country today.
May God Bless OUR Military, OUR Troops and OUR Country.
This week is light on the economic reports but another record amount of treasury auctions will definitely keep the holiday-shortened week exciting.
This week will include $40 billion in 3-years, $25 billion in 10-years and $16 billion in 30-years. It will be extremely important to keep an eye on how the treasury auctions are received especially by foreign investors on the longer term maturities as it will impact mortgage rates.
With Veterans Day being celebrated on Wednesday, much of the reaction in mortgage bonds and to home loan shoppers will be impacted by headlines of the stock market and recent passage of legislation from Congress.
Be advised that trading volume during holiday-shortened weeks generally are low which means greater volatility for stocks, bonds and mortgage rates.
Home loan shoppers and retirement funds will continue their battle for investment dollars from abroad and here in the US. As-is the par for the course, good economic news will favor the stock market and take money away from mortgage bonds which will result in higher mortgage rates. Conversely, bad economic news will drive investors into the safety of bonds which will help home buyers with lower mortgage rates.
Want to see what other economic reports might impact home buyers in the coming week? Stop by and check out the Financial Market Update Provided to You Exclusively by The Barath Group.
This Is The Week Ahead for November 8th.
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Certified Mortgage Planner in Northwest Indiana Who Facilitates the American Dream through Responsible Mortgage Lending. Want to Know More? Contact Me and Just Ask!
...was created with the specific purpose to help homeowners achieve their dreams. We lend with integrity, customer centricity and competitiveness. Our product is ADVICE. Our special valued service is a TEAM approach through a growing synergy of influence. Our competitive edge is a qualified staff of Certified Mortgage Planning Specialists. We are trusted mortgage planners to an ever-broadening base of clients nationally.
OUR VISION is to become an industry leader and one of America’s premier mortgage planning companies. We will journey towards greatness with the support of people who care while openly sharing our successes.
Our clients will come to The Barath Group for personal, responsive and attentive service. We want to assure them that we will respect the confidentiality of their private choices. Additionally, our unique philosophy gives us the opportunity to enhance our relationships, to bridge paths, and to offer poignant advice. While most lenders spend their time looking for the "next" client, we spend our time implementing systems designed to nurture our client's aspirations for all of their life successes.
OUR MISSION is to facilitate prosperity, to empower ideal growth and to promote community stewardship. We will achieve these goals collectively by the process of our passionate interconnected outreach.
We pledge to be advocates for our customers. We want to put them at the center of everything we do. We strive to develop Client's for Life by exceeding our client's expectations. We want our clients to be so satisfied that they become Ambassadors to our success. Accordingly, our clients will gladly REFER us to their family, friends, and business associates who are in need of a certified mortgage planning specialist.
We want to be known as LIFE FACILITATORS offering sound financial advice, implementing innovative & highly competitive mortgage strategies and fostering an affinity towards success for all. We also want it known that The Barath Group understands the value of people and that we encourage building deep relationships. In conclusion, we want to totally satisfy our customers' mortgage needs as the gateway to their dreams.
Please visit www.MyBenchmarkMtg.com to learn more about the TEAM and how easy it is to get started.
As a Certified Mortgage Planner, I understand the difficulties facing consumers in today's credit driven market. An individual's credit score has never been more important with all the turmoil surrounding our financial markets.
In order to best prepare a consumer for homeownership, one must start with proper education. For those consumers who already own a home it still may be a good time to seek more knowledge.
Through a serious of seminars, workshops and mastermind groups, we provide education to our clients and the professionals who have impact on the financial well-being of families throughout the community.
These professionals include Certified Public Accountants, Certified Financial Advisors, Estate Planners, Insurance Advisors, and Legal Advisors along with Realtors, small business owners, school districts, etc...
The best way to stay ahead of a financial crisis is to stay in the know through a circle of professionals that are committed to ongoing education in order to provide real options that are current.
Thank you again for allowing my TEAM he opportunity to work with you. As a token of our continued appreciation, I have purchased an ongoing subscription to YOU Magazine on your behalf.
An online magazine that is delivered monthly, YOU addresses topics of interest to you. Contributing authors include such experts as Tony Robbins, Ivan Misner, David Allen, Kiplinger's experts and many, many more.
Still not sure what you will find in YOU Magazine?
Take a few seconds and browse a preview of YOU Magazine as I know that you will want to subscribe. Feel free to pass it along to friends, family and business partners!
As a part of this subscription package, you will receive timely alerts that will keep you apprised of the latest events in the mortgage and real estate industries. This means you will always be ready when a friend or family member has a question about what to do in today's ever-changing market.
Please be in touch if you have any comments on these items, particularly those where you'd like additional information. Thank you again, and I look forward to speaking with you soon.
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