How to Increase Your Credit Score

July 21st, 2008 by Samuel Hilbert

Well, my personal life is finally starting to get caught up with and now I’m noticing my streaky real estate business picking up again. One thing I have always noticed that is a problem in my business model is that I am very streaky. I will go 2 or 3 weeks with a small amount of business and then all the sudden have a month where I am too busy to see straight. I would like to achieve more consistency so that neither of these things happen.

I was talking with a buyer of mine today about the mortgage he is working to attain. He was discussing how it makes him nervous that he has five different people calling him from all sides of his loan asking for information. Unfortunately, this is fallout from the mortgage crisis…buyers must provide much more documentation. With raised credit requirements and stricter lending standards…it is more work from all parties to help you as a buyer get a loan. …more

Will Jumbo Loan Rates Ever Drop?

May 23rd, 2008 by Samuel Hilbert

A few months ago when the Economic Stimulus Package was passed…there was lots of news about the new Conforming Loan Rates for jumbo loans. People were very excited at first saying that this would fix so many things…however, at the time…there were many skeptics, including me. Over the past month or two as this all has come into effect…unfortunately, many of the skeptics have been proven right.

Thankfully, the government has been quick to notice the problems that have been occurring and have been working hard to fix things. In the past couple of weeks we have begun to see rates drop on jumbo loans as well. There are still many questions to be answered and it still stands to be seen if they will allow these changes to become more long term or end at the end of the year. Thankfully, we are starting to see light in the mortgage industry…hopefully this will help out market rebound very quickly. The summer will tell alot!

Researching your home loan? Zillow can help!

April 7th, 2008 by Samuel Hilbert

Zillow has been known as an innovator who really works hard to keep the marketplace honest and informed. Overall, I am a fan of Zillow. There are a lot of good resources throughout the website. Many consumers and realtors have concerns about Zillow’s “Zestimates.” I always tell people that these are a good general ball park for what your home is worth… …more

Overwhelming Mortgage Process

March 31st, 2008 by Samuel Hilbert

In my opinion…one of the most overwhelming parts of the home buying process unfortunately can be obtaining a mortgage and picking a good lender to go with….especialy for first time home buyers. Many times, first time buyers love shopping for a house and planning to move in…but frankly, obtaining a mortgage just simply is not fun. …more