Santa Clarita Real Estate Blog

November 30, 2009

Fannie Mae’s First Look Gives Homebuyers an Edge Over Investors

First Look program aims to build stronger communities by allowing owner occupants a better chance at buying foreclosed properties. Fannie Mae’s new First Look program gives non-investor homebuyers a 15-day edge over investors for newly listed foreclosure properties. This is great news for homebuyers who have had troubles getting their offers accepted when competing against all-cash [...]

November 27, 2009

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Sixteen Reasons to List Your Home During the Holidays

16 Reasons to List Your Home For Sale During the November and December Holidays. Many sellers think that the Holiday Season is the worst time of year to sell a home, with busy schedules, time off for family gatherings, and fewer buyers looking to buy. However, in reality the Holiday Season may be one of the [...]

November 27, 2009

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Second Appraisals No Longer Required for High Dollar FHA Loans

Realtors and lenders celebrate the death of the dreaded second appraisal rule. Until recently, FHA loans in excess of $417,000 in declining market areas required two appraisals, regardless of whether they were for purchases or refinances. This practice was troublesome in the Santa Clarita area, since often the second appraiser was less experienced and less [...]

November 16, 2009

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Chase Bank to Add 1200 New Loan Officers

Chase Bank is expecting the housing market to fully recover, and will be ready with an amped-up lending sales force when it does. Think the sky is still falling in the housing market? Chase Bank doesn’t seem to think so, with its recent announcement that it will hire 1200 new loan officers by the end [...]

November 14, 2009

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Putting the ‘Real’ in Realtor

How do you know if a Realtor’s online personality represents who they really are? In our internet-dominated society, you have to wonder if the info you’re reading on a Realtor’s website represents who they really are, or if it’s just some ghost-written mumbo-jumbo meant to get you onto their website. Websites and blogs have become [...]

November 13, 2009

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Preview: Lazy Dog Cafe at The Patios at Valencia Town Center Mall

The Patios at Valencia Town Center mall is nearing completion, with new restaurants SCV’ers to enjoy! As The Patios at Valencia Town Center mall approaches its grand opening on November 18, some stores and restaurants are closer to completion than others. The Patios will feature a variety of shops and restaurants, from chain stores and [...]

November 8, 2009

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Moving to a New Area? Check Crime and School Reports First!

Checking crime reports and other important data on your own can help you in selecting a neighborhood to move to. Many homebuyers are concerned about crime and other safety issues when planning on moving to a new area. While the Santa Clarita area has been listed as one of the FBI’s safest cities for multiple years, [...]

November 7, 2009

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Toxic Mold: Is Your Home Making You Sick?

Toxic mold has become a controversial issue recently, with many families finding that they have unexplained illnesses that refuse to go away. To make this worse, many property insurance companies have amended their policies to exclude any mold-related claims, so it’s up to the homeowner to both find and fix mold issues on their own [...]

November 6, 2009

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How to Qualify for First-Time and Move-Up Homebuyer Tax Credits

Home buyers must meet deadlines, income limits and purchase price limits to qualify for tax credits. Now that the Feds have approved the extension and expansion of the first-time homebuyers tax credit, many homebuyers are wondering how this will affect their next home purchase. For first-time homebuyers, this is basically an extension of the prior [...]

November 6, 2009

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Meet Your New Landlord: Fannie Mae Deed for Lease Program

Borrowers who don’t qualify for other loan workout programs to be offered new Deed for Lease option. Fannie Mae has announced a new Deed for Lease Program (D4L) where distressed homeowners who cannot qualify for other loan workout solutions will be able to trade their deed for a market-rate lease. While this seems just peachy on [...]