Rachel Zeppinick Woodland Hills Real Estate

The Federal Reserve Gave us A gift this week

Woodland Hills Ca.- The Federal Reserve this week took swift and decisive action to send a clear message to the stock market while also giving a gift to Home Buyers because it slashed interest rates by 75 basis points from 4.25% to 3.5%. This is the biggest cut in over 24 years and should help our Woodland Hills Ca housing market along with the Los Angeles ca. mortgage industry.

It's a Great time to buy Real Estate in Woodland Hills

The good news is that the market reacted positively to the news. So for all those Woodland Hills home buyers trying to decide if now is a good time to buy, I would say, "YES" since we have low rates and there are still a large number of motivated sellers which makes it a great time to get of the fence and lock in a great interest rate.

Today, we had a home buyer close on their loan and get into their new house and they were able to buy this home because of the down-payment assistance and the seller paid closing costs.

Our Woodland Hills home buyer actually ended up with a 30 year home loan with a 5.75% fixed interest rate; sellers are willing to pay buyers closing costs as an incentive to the buyer to purchase the home.

It's the result of having dedicated agent like me negotiating for the home buyer and also the fact that there are sellers who want to get out from under the monthly cost of ownership.

In this particular case the home seller had completely remodeled this house and had a hard time getting his investment back, because not only did he not make money on this home and after putting in hundreds of hours of work he realized he had actually spent more money on repairs and renovations than he netted at the close of escrow .

I really felt for him, I've known other home sellers in the same situation and it's a bummer however, it was an incredible gift and fresh start for the family who bought his home.

So if you'd like to learn and thinking about buying a home and want more info about getting pre-qualified for mortgages and Home Loans - call me or email me and we can recommend proven local Lenders.

If you're like most first-time home buyers, you've probably listened to friends', family's and coworkers' advice, many of whom are encouraging you to buy a home. However, you may still wonder if buying a home is the right thing to do. Relax. Having reservations is normal. The more you know about why you should buy a home, the less scary the entire process will appear to you. Here are eight good reasons why you should buy a home.

Pride of Ownership

Pride of ownership is the number one reason why people yearn to own their home. It means you can paint the walls any color you desire, turn up the volume on your CD player, attach permanent fixtures and decorate your home according to your own taste. Home ownership gives you and your family a sense of stability and security. It's making an investment in your future.

Appreciation

Although real estate moves in cycles, sometimes up, sometimes down, over the years, real estate has consistently appreciated. The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight tracks the movements of single family home values across the country. Its House Price Index breaks down the changes by region and metropolitan area. Many people view their home investment as a hedge against inflation.

Here are some of the loan programs available to you in California:

CalHFA - With their partner lenders offer 100- percent loans for 30-40 year fixed mortgages at below- market interest rates. A fixed 35 - year, interest - only for the first 5 years and is insured and guaranteed by the FHA, or USDA.

CalHFA also offers down-payment/closing cost assistance program in conjunction with local government agencies and housing authorities.

CHAP - offers differed payment junior loans on up to 3 percent of the purchase price or appraised value.

CalHFA - also has special programs for teachers, administrators and school staff in below - market rates.

Califonia Vets - There are three different loan programs for California Vets

High Tech employees can find different loans at Technology Credit Unions, which are not suffering the credit squeeze because it avoided sub prime borrowers.

The best possible scenario for a Woodland Hills Ca real estate investor is to find a home that is undervalued to be able to then turn around and sell it for a profit. Obviously, this can be a difficult prospect as real estate markets becoming increasingly clogged with willing investors, but what happens we you do find a possible target? How do you evaluate its viability? The real answer:

keep your cool.

Finding a target may seem like the most difficult part of the investing process, but gathering a variety of potential real estate possibilities will help you develop a more discerning Woodland Hills Ca real estate investing eye. Turning up undervalued prospect is an exercise in targeting sellers that have a motivation to sell quickly.

That motivation could come from a recent divorce, a fresh relocation or some financial difficulties. These situations are often emotional and if you get too wrapped up in the story behind each sale, you might be more prone to simply say yes to every opportunity instead of evaluating each investment properly. Here are some tips:

Develop Guidelines
before you ever go on a search for potential investment properties, write down the kind of profit margin you would require getting involved in a real estate deal. You will want to build in cushion for cost overruns and market fluctuations, of course, but many investors forget to compensate themselves properly for time.

By setting up your guidelines with time limits attached to them, you can avoid this problem. Getting involved in a Kennewick real estate property that will eat up six months of your time and return a profit of $5,000 is obviously not worth the trouble. However, not every situation will be as clear as that, so developing a plan on the term of your investment and the profit level you want to target will help you more efficiently go through potential properties, undervalued or not.

Don't Be Over-Eager
Keep many irons in the fire but only pull one out when the time comes. One of the pitfalls of finding an undervalued house is the tendency to forget about needed repairs or other work to get a home back on the market. You might be so excited to find a target after a long search, the story behind a seller's motivation might prompt you to say yes before going through the math on the investment.

If you have developed guidelines, now is the time to use them. Don't wait until late in the transaction when a Kennewick real estate seller is putting pressure on you to move to sit back and think about the investment. You are more likely to make a rash decision or submit to a seller's negotiating point that you would not have otherwise. Just because a home is undervalued doesn't mean the seller is resigned to getting the short end of a deal.

Don't Be Fooled By Volume
While volume might be a valued statistic in the retail industry, real estate investors should avoid counting investments instead of counting profits. Just because you've found a handful of undervalued homes does not mean that you need to get involved with each one no matter how small the profit.

In real estate investing, you do not make up your profits through volume. Instead, strong real estate investors will spend time on the properties that will net them the biggest return and focusing on that one strong prospect instead of 10 inferior ones will help you develop that investing skill.

While it is exciting to find an undervalued home that you might think has the potential to be a solid real estate investment, don't get carried away by that excitement and forget to evaluate the deal properly. Do your math to make sure that the time you put into a property will be rewarded, no matter what the selling price might be. You will be a better Woodland Hills Ca real estate investor over the long term if you do.

As with all financial markets, the housing market in Woodland Hills Ca is going through a natural cycle that will level out the steady climb that has been going on for years and years. Were it has been a sellers market for a number of years, it is now swaying back towards a buyers market. Thanks to media momentum the housing market has taken a pretty good blow nation wide. In a buyers' market there is a surplus in housing inventory.

With a greater number of homes on the market and bargaining power in your hands, you are faced with numerous choices and the temptation to negotiate on just about everything.

. For you as a buyer, knowing that market change is inevitable as well as which market your area is currently experiencing will give you an informed advantage as you make decisions about buying real estate. Obtaining general knowledge about the home-buying process and the real estate market is a relatively easy task, but buyers who feel a competitive edge tend to leap before they look. Part of your homework should include learning the boundaries of your buyers' market. In a buyers' market, buyers who don't educate themselves about prices and markets tend to low-ball sellers and ask for too many concessions. Even in a buyers' market, that will only alienate the seller, especially those less motivated with top-value homes.

Paying sellers' market prices in a buyers' market is a common mistake buyers make, especially at the onset of a buyers' market. The cheapest home in a neighborhood, community or region in transition will give you the greatest return on your investment, especially when the market rebounds. Buy because you need a home, not because it's a buyers' market. The buyers market is good when there is a lot of inventory on the scene like the market today.

I know this market well, and will help you to make the decisions, regarding the right area and the right price.

Call me. It's a great time to buy, interest rate are low and so are the home prices, whether you a first home buyer or a move up buyer I have different loan programs that are tailored for you. Los Angeles County, the city of Los Angeles and the state of California have money for you. Pick up the phone and call me right now at 818-288-7255