Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Andrea Combs story I like I had an audit once

April 2, 2012, 12:01 a.m. EDT

7 tax audit red flags

How to avoid the prying eyes of the IRS


Stories You Might Like

 
I believe we all need professional tax assistance so interview and hire a pro. This can save you during an audit like my experience.
 
 

Mortgage updates from Rob Chrisman he has great insights


With or without the storm damage, here in the U.S. there are 41 million potential trick-or-treaters (children age 5 to 14; see joke at bottom) across the United States. And they can be ringing doorbells or throwing toilet paper rolls at 115 million occupied housing units across the nation in 2011 - thanks to the Census Bureau for those numbers.

My wife said, "I think we should do something really scary for the kids this Halloween." I said, "We could take them to your mother's." Some think the future of our industry is scary - but it isn't. Our industry continues to evolve. Companies are certainly interested in moving into the void left by Wells wholesale, Bank of America, and MetLife. We can look for Nationstar, which some call "Wells-lite" due to the hiring of ex-Wells wholesale employees, to be a presence in the correspondent channel in 2013. And not the onesy-twosy best efforts business model, but an entire new correspondent lending channel with 100% mandatory and AOT execution with a goal (from what I've heard) of $24-30 billion in the first year. Redwood Trust has signaled its intention to move into the agency channel in addition to its success in jumbo securitization. And don't expect the existing correspondent lenders to continue to watch their best clients divert their pipelines to the agencies while doing nothing. We've already seen Wells beef up their operations centers. We can expect 9 of the top 10 correspondents (in the 2nd quarter: Wells Fargo, Chase, U.S. Bank Home Mortgage, Flagstar Bank, BB&T, Franklin American, Ally/ResCap (GMAC), SunTrust, CitiMortgage, and PHH) to lower their margins, remind clients about sales caps, pay attention to rumors of Fannie raising its minimum net worth to $5 million, increase operational efficiencies, and watch clients retaining servicing to grapple with capital issues. Are we having fun yet?
 
Housing advocates Bob Gnaizda and John Hope Bryant first made names back for themselves in 2005 when they warned of the impending housing crisis, but they've done something of a 180 and are now in Washington, D.C. and Wall Street voicing their support of a return to subprime lending. Granted, the prototype they're promoting is billed as "a responsible, alternative mortgage for less-than-prime borrowers," but it's the same general idea. Unsurprisingly, the backlash against the word "subprime" has been powerful, but the current regulatory climate has effectively redlined low- and moderate-income borrowers, many of whom are minorities.  Data from 2011 shows that black and Hispanic borrowers were not only more likely to be denied than white or Asian borrowers, they were also more likely to receive pricier loans.

Enter Dignity Mortgage, which would provide an option for "non-prime" borrowers who completed financial literacy training. Borrowers would also have to have incomes at least 120% below the regional poverty level and be looking to buy homes at 95% or less than the median price in the area.  The product would provide lenders with built-in protection by allowing them to charge 1.25% above the lowest prime for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, and, if borrowers were to make timely payments for the next five years, lower the rate and apply that premium to reduce the principal.  All loans that met those terms would be purchased by Fannie or Freddie with limited or no recourse against the bank. Stay tuned!

"Uh, Eddie, watcha doin' this weekend?" "Nothing much, boss, why, what's up?" "Well, could you send out these 10,000 refund checks to borrowers?" I doubt if that exact conversation took place in the bowels of one of Wells Fargo's operations sites, but Wells Fargo has issued thousands of refund checks to home loan customers who paid unnecessary mortgage fees, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times. The refunds have to do with FHA mortgages originated from 2009 through 2011. Bank officials told the Los Angeles Times that borrowers who would have been able to get a conventional loan were instead directed toward FHA loans that require higher insurance payments. Apparently the issues were discovered after an internal review of loans originated by Wells Fargo Financial and brokers in the wholesale channel of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. Here is the story.
 
Uh oh... you mean that borrowers who defaulted aren't all beating down the door trying to obtain financing and another house right away? Borrowers who default on mortgages return to the mortgage market at extremely slow rates: only about 10% of borrowers with a prior serious delinquency regain access to the mortgage market within 10 years of their default. Borrowers who terminate mortgages for reasons other than default return to the market about two-and-a-half times faster than those who default. Renewed access to credit takes even longer for subprime borrowers with a serious delinquency on their record. "Evidence suggests that the process of regaining creditworthiness is lengthy. Borrowers who terminated their mortgages for reasons other than default returned to the market about two-and-a-half times faster than those who defaulted. This has important implications for the housing recovery. The improvement in the housing market is often assumed to reflect significant pent-up demand. But an estimated 4 million foreclosures have taken place since 2007. The consumers who went through those foreclosures will return to homeownership only gradually, suggesting that mortgage supply will also be a factor in the housing recovery." Here you go, straight from the SF Fed: NoSurpriseHere.
 
In case you haven't heard during the last 3 years, we have an election coming up next week. What difference does it make? Although the prospects of eliminating the CFPB are close to zero, changes to its leadership structure are likely if Mitt Romney wins the White House. Unfortunately the Republicans refused to confirm an agency head until reforms were made, and so they may face gridlock from obstinate Democrats - "payback's a b----"as they say. The agency's director, Richard Cordray, may stick around through the end of his 2013 term and then run for higher office in his home state of Ohio. And the CFPB is not even the top priority: there are a large number of slots at the Treasury Department, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Securities and Exchange Commission.
 
Switching topics to FHA Compare Ratios, Chrystal H. writes, "Personally I think the compare ratio should only include loans that had a deficiency in underwriting.  If we met all guidelines and the transaction appeared to be a good credit risk (per FHA standards) why should we be penalized or our numbers look bad if it was something out of our control that resulted in the delinquency/default. Too bad this thought process isn't used when determining the compare ratio." (I have heard that from many.)

And regarding Freddie & Fannie making profits, Brian B. from NJ wrote: "On your comment about F&F trying to post a 'profit' is the term many have a dispute. I guess the misconceptions in the one fostered by the FHFA. Is F&F an independent corporation in a state of bankruptcy, or was/is it an independent corporation that was nationalized by the government. Yes there are arguments for both sides. However, the weight for the second concept is the FHFA's ability to continually utilize the Treasury at will is the public perception that causes confusion. To further throw a wrench in the works is the 'Independent Agency' shell that FHFA operates under. The FHFA seems to allow F&F to continually jump from government agency to independent company as the winds of Sandy blow - whatever seems politically expedient."
 
On to some agency & investor news, some from today and some within the last few weeks. As always, it is best to read the actual bulletin for complete details.
 
Last week I told my two cats that I was exploring "strategic alternatives" for them - the SPCA is only a short drive away if they didn't start paying attention to my commands. As has happened countless times before, they didn't seem to care and went back to napping. But it carries a lot more weight when Ally Bank announced it has launched a "process to explore strategic alternatives for its agency mortgage servicing rights (MSR) portfolio and its business lending operations." 
Every investor and lender has reminded clients of their disaster policies, and those policies are usually based on FEMA announcements. FEMA issued Major Disaster Declarations for New Jersey and New York along with the Emergency Declarations for New Hampshire, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, D.C., and Massachusetts that were published on the 28th and 29th.  See the FEMA website for the full releases (http://www.fema.gov/disasters).  No one yet knows what happened to the tens of millions of rats living in the now-flooded New York subway system, but they most likely survived.
 
As an example, Plaza Home Mortgage spread the word to clients that "Due to Hurricane Sandy, all loan funding and purchasing will be temporarily suspended in the following states: CT, DC, MD, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA, and VT.
 
Appraisal professionals, take note: Comergence is launching its new Eagle Eye due diligence and surveillance service, which can be used to conduct and maintain background checks for appraisers.  The program employs the same format as Comergence's third party originator compliance service and lets lenders and AMCs keep their approved appraisers in a central repository.  Appraisers, for their part, can use it to apply to lenders and AMCs and to keep their profile information current.
 
In Oregon Pacific Continental ($1.3 billion) will acquire Century Bank ($87mm) for $13.4mm or about 1.09x tangible book. And Talmer Bancorp, backed by W.L. Ross ($2.2 billion) will buy Ohio's First Place Bank ($2.8 billion!) for $45mm. Talmer will recapitalize First Place with $200mm in capital, after First Place exits bankruptcy.
 
Congrats to Genworth Financial as it posted a third-quarter profit, compared with a loss a year earlier. The net operating loss at Genworth's U.S. mortgage insurance unit more than halved to $38 million. New flow delinquencies -- a measure of how many new loans were in default -- fell 19 percent. For the company net income for the quarter ended September 30 was $34 million, or 7 cents per share, compared with a loss of $16 million, or 3 cents per share, a year earlier.

Going to the markets and economic news, there is continued good news about home prices from the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices. Remember that there is a two month lag in the numbers, but both the 10-City and the 20-City Composites increased 0.9 percent in August compared to the previous month.  Nineteen of the 20 cities also increased month-over-month.  Seventeen of the 20 cities posted positive annual returns.
 
But this morning the industry learned what lock desks everywhere knew: applications for home mortgages fell last week as demand for refinancing tumbled for the fourth week in a row, an industry group said on Wednesday. Apps fell last week almost 5%, with refi's down 6% and purchases up .5%. The refinance share of total mortgage activity slipped to 80% of applications from 81%. Conventional refi's were down 6.1% and GNMA refi's were down 5.5%.
 
 The good news for today is that the markets are back trading, and it appears in the early going that rates are pretty much unchanged from Friday's close/early Monday. Last week ADP announced a change to its methodology (RelevanceIsGood) although its release is delayed due to the storm. In the early going the 10-yr is at 1.74% and MBS prices are roughly unchanged.
 
 
You know you are too old to Trick or Treat when:
10. You keep knocking on your own front door.
9. You remove your false teeth to change your appearance.
8. You ask for soft high fiber candy only.
7. When someone drops a candy bar in your bag and you lose your balance and fall over.
6. People say, "Great Boris Karloff Mask." And you're not wearing a mask.
5. When the door opens you yell, "Trick or..." and you can't remember the rest.
4. By the end of the night, you have a bag full of restraining orders.
3. You have to carefully choose a costume that doesn't dislodge your hairpiece.
2. You're the only Power Ranger in the neighborhood with a walker.
And the number one reason Seniors should not go Trick or Treating...
1. You keep having to go home to piddle.    
If you're interested, visit my twice-a-month blog at the STRATMOR Group web site located at www.stratmorgroup.com. The current blog discusses some of the considerations facing the FHFA regarding Fannie and Freddie. If you have both the time and inclination, make a comment on what I have written, or on other comments so that folks can learn what's going on out there from the other readers.
 
Rob
 
(Check out http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/channels/pipelinepress/default.aspx or www.TheBasisPoint.com/category/daily-basis. For archived commentaries, go to www.robchrisman.com. Copyright 2012 Chrisman LLC.  All rights reserved. Occasional paid notices do appear. This report or any portion hereof may not be reprinted, sold or redistributed without the written consent of Rob Chrisman.)
 
 
 
 
 

Monday, October 29, 2012

credit question Thomas Mckee pay collections or not??


How to handle collection agencies.

1.    Unless you want to pay them: don’t talk to them or respond to their mail correspondence. Many times they can be abusive, especially when an old collection, one that has been “sold” to other collection companies, is going to fall off your report soon due to the statute of limitations. Seven years in most cases.

2.    Do Not let them call your home, relatives, employer, etc.. This is illegal and a simple letter can cure the duress they try to put you though!

3.    To stop the harassing phone calls simply obtain their address and write a simple letter that they are not to contact you in any manner but a letter. Be sure that you notate the FDCPA (Fair Debt Collections Practices Act).

 

Finally, if you want to pay the debt that is a moral issue of which I can’t address—only you. Just be sure to work out an agreement whereas the negative item is removed from your credit report and always get everything in writing.

 

 

Yours in Credit Education,

 
Thomas R. McKee

FAQs on credit from Ken Strey


The number one question I get asked is : How long will the items get reported on my file?

 

Here you go…  ( remember – we have Excellent results removing these )

 

• Delinquencies (30–180 days): Can remain seven years from the date of the initial missed payment.

 

• Collection accounts: Remain seven years from the date of the initial missed payment that led to the collection (the original delinquency date). When a collection account is paid in full, it will be marked "paid collection" on the credit report.

 

• Charged-off accounts: Remain seven years from the date of the initial missed payment that led to the charge-off (the original delinquency date), even if payments are later made on the charged-off account.

 

• Closed accounts: Closed accounts are accounts that are no longer available for further use. Closed accounts may or may not have a zero balance. Closed accounts with delinquencies remain seven years from the date they are reported closed, whether closed by the creditor or by the consumer, but the delinquency notation will be removed seven years after the delinquency occurred when pertaining to late payments. Positive closed accounts remain ten years from the closing date.

 

• Lost credit card: If there are no delinquencies, credit cards that are reported lost will continue to be listed for two years from the date the card is reported lost. Delinquent payments that occurred before the card was lost are reported for seven years.

 

• Bankruptcy: Chapters 7, 11, and 12 remain for ten years from the filing date. Chapter 13 remains seven years from the filing date. Accounts included in bankruptcy will remain seven years from the date they were reported as included in the bankruptcy.

 

• Judgments: Remain seven years from the date the judgment is filed.

 

• Liens : City, county, state, and federal tax liens. Unpaid tax liens remain fifteen years from the filing date. Paid tax liens remain seven years from the paid date of the lien.

 

• Inquiries: Most inquiries listed on your credit report will remain for two years. Some inquiries, such as employment or pre-approved offers of credit, will show only on a personal credit report pulled by you.

 

Score Well Credit is “Your Solution”

 

Would you (or someone you know) like to set up a time to set up an action plan to elevate credit scores and discuss outdated, unverifiable or obsolete information on your credit report ?

 

Contact me if you are interested.

 

Regards,

 

Ken Strey

 

Score Well Credit

 

Empowering People to Live Extraordinary Lives

 

Phone : (925) 478-5213 Fax : (925) 226-1883

 

MY kick A## coach Vicki Garcia great post get umcomfortable


I have news for you.  It may be good or bad news depending on your perspective.  Everything you want, everything you wish to be; lies outside your comfort zone.  If you choose to stay comfortable, you'll never change or improve. 

 

The only way to get what you want and be who you want to be is to utilize tool #9.

Tool #9: Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone


 

Your comfort zone:  everything you currently do, say, or think.  These things are automatic and require no thought.  These are the things you WILL do, the things you WILL NOT DO, the things you think and the things you avoid on a regular basis.

 

Your comfort zone is different from mine.  What I find challenging and scary might lie within your comfort zone.  Something I can do in my sleep, might keep you awake at night with worry.  Our comfort zones are individual just as our fears are.

 

By the way, fear is the gatekeeper of your comfort zone.  The only way to step out of your comfort zone is to get past fear.  This is why we choose to stay right where we are.  The prospect of getting through fear is enough to make us shy away from any new challenge.

 

So why would anyone want to leave the safety of their comfort zone?  Because what you will find in your comfort zone is your current life.  If you want anything that is not a part of your current life or personality, you must leave your comfort zone.  

 

Start by learning to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.  Huh?  This just takes a bit of practice, just like anything else.  Basically, when you begin deliberately and consciously stepping out of your comfort zone, you start to see that nothing bad happens.  It's actually no big deal.  Fear has just been telling you it's a big deal.

 

As you tackle some small things, you learn that you can move on to bigger and bigger things.  These small steps eventually result in an expansion of your comfort zone.  It gets wider and wider and encompasses more.  Eventually, some of the things that used to be scary and uncomfortable, become comfortable.  Eventually, you learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable because you know what the payoff will be.

 

Start with baby steps.  If you're afraid (uncomfortable with) of public speaking, you take baby steps by speaking up in small groups. If you're uncomfortable letting someone else be in control,you start by letting a trusted friend or family member take charge of something small for you.

 

As you get comfortable with the baby steps you can begin to take larger and larger steps.  This is how you change and grow and end up doing things you never thought possible!

 

Find ways every day to get out of your comfort zone.  Imagine that I am going to ask you what you have done to get out of your comfort zone today.

 

You will be amazed at what you can do!

 

Vicki



My Kick Ass Coach, 1726 Hogar Dr., San Jose, CA 95124, USA

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Credit post from New west


     We’ve spoken about the Algorithms or Credit Scoring Models that calculate your credit score(s) in past newsletters. Quite frankly, the information can be overwhelming if not plain boring to most people.

     In this issue I thought we’d take a moment to get “back to the basics”. 

     Even though the three major Credit Reporting Agencies, (also known as CRA’s), Equifax, Experian & TransUnion technically use a slightly different scoring model, the basics are still the same.

     The following is a simple outline of credit scoring and the different factors used to calculate your credit score: 

 

 


Graph courtesy of myFICO a division of FairIsaac

 

Payment History- 35% The largest factor!

Amounts Owed-   30%   The most important element here is credit card debt.

Length of Credit History-15% 

New Credit-10%

Types of Credit Used-10%

 

     A couple items of interest here.

Notice that the first two factors equal about 2/3’s of your score!

So simply making timely payments and keeping your revolving debt low will have the biggest impact on your score.

Length of History-this is based upon the months the account has been open and obviously helps increase your score with each monthly payment. Just make sure it’s not over 30 days late! 

Types of Credit Used-This simply means a person should have a good “mix” of credit. In other words a Credit card or two, auto loan and a home loan being the most important. Owning a house vs. renting shows stability in the eyes of the scoring model and thus is the highest rated type of “trade-line”.

Remember, a person doesn’t have to have a lot of trade-lines to have a good credit score! 

 

In the meantime focus on making your payments on time each month & keep your credit card debt below 30%--if possible. Do not pay off credit card balances in full though—you want to show some activity on the account(s). Credit scoring models love to see a 10-20% balance on credit cards! 

 

 

Yours in Credit Education,

 

Thomas R. McKee

Credit information from Ken Strey credit advisor


 

The number one question I get asked is : How long will the items get reported on my file?

 

Here you go…  ( remember – we have Excellent results removing these )

 

• Delinquencies (30–180 days): Can remain seven years from the date of the initial missed payment.

 

• Collection accounts: Remain seven years from the date of the initial missed payment that led to the collection (the original delinquency date). When a collection account is paid in full, it will be marked "paid collection" on the credit report.

 

• Charged-off accounts: Remain seven years from the date of the initial missed payment that led to the charge-off (the original delinquency date), even if payments are later made on the charged-off account.

 

• Closed accounts: Closed accounts are accounts that are no longer available for further use. Closed accounts may or may not have a zero balance. Closed accounts with delinquencies remain seven years from the date they are reported closed, whether closed by the creditor or by the consumer, but the delinquency notation will be removed seven years after the delinquency occurred when pertaining to late payments. Positive closed accounts remain ten years from the closing date.

 

• Lost credit card: If there are no delinquencies, credit cards that are reported lost will continue to be listed for two years from the date the card is reported lost. Delinquent payments that occurred before the card was lost are reported for seven years.

 

• Bankruptcy: Chapters 7, 11, and 12 remain for ten years from the filing date. Chapter 13 remains seven years from the filing date. Accounts included in bankruptcy will remain seven years from the date they were reported as included in the bankruptcy.

 

• Judgments: Remain seven years from the date the judgment is filed.

 

• Liens : City, county, state, and federal tax liens. Unpaid tax liens remain fifteen years from the filing date. Paid tax liens remain seven years from the paid date of the lien.

 

• Inquiries: Most inquiries listed on your credit report will remain for two years. Some inquiries, such as employment or pre-approved offers of credit, will show only on a personal credit report pulled by you.

 

Score Well Credit is “Your Solution”

 

Would you (or someone you know) like to set up a time to set up an action plan to elevate credit scores and discuss outdated, unverifiable or obsolete information on your credit report ?

 

Contact me if you are interested.

 

Regards,

 

Ken Strey

 

Score Well Credit

 

Empowering People to Live Extraordinary Lives

 

Phone : (925) 478-5213 Fax : (925) 226-1883

 


Just keep swimming... Just keep swimming!
Swimming in open water from Alcatraz to San Francisco seems like a big deal… unless you’re John Jeha, loan officer in the Mortgage California Walnut Creek branch. 
With the determination only a loan officer in the last 5 years can have, John Jeha made a commitment a few years ago and stuck with it.  He committed to competing in (and completing) 50 endurance athletic events in 50 weeks for his 50th birthday.  He not only accomplished his goal, he raised money throughout for The Challenged Athlete Foundation.
John began swimming competitively more than 40 years ago, and started swimming in open water competitions about 30 years ago.  Cold-water swimming is any form of swimming that would be extreme in terms of distance, water temperature or water conditions done in the cold.  Typically standard swim wear is used – no wet suits. 
After college, he started participating in Triathlons and has completed over 200 to date, including seven Ironman distance races.  He also competed in the World Championship Ironman in Hawaii twice and the Half Ironman World Championship in Clearwater Florida twice. 
John’s cold water swimming has included swimming in the bay from Alcatraz over 60 times (the water temperature has ranged from 48 to 63!), as well as the span of the Golden Gate from San Francisco to Marin.  His longest swim to date was from Candlestick Point to Aquatic Park – a distance of 11.5 miles.  He’s also swim the width of Lake Tahoe (11 miles) and Donner Lake (5.4 miles).  All of these swims have been done with pilots in kayaks and/or motorized support boards (zodiacs or small 15-20 foot boats).
While he’s swimming and biking and running himself, he also finds time to coach a Masters Swim Practice twice a week for novice adult swimmers and triathletes.  On September 7, 2012, he took 5 swimmers from his group (who 2 years ago could barely swim across a pool) to Alcatraz and they all swam from “The Rock” to The City, navigating currents, tides and ship traffic. 
“Coaching and teaching is a great love of mine and the accomplishments of these swimmers is one of the highlights of my coaching career,” says John.
His next personal challenge is to achieve membership in the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming, which includes 21 miles across the English Channel, 21 miles across the Catalina Channel and 28.5 miles around the island of Manhattan in New York.

 

 (now with 3 young sons) and move back to where she and her husband grew up – the Azores in Portugal.  The lived there for two years before eventually returning to California.
Arie and her family eventually settled in San Jose, and happened into a job at WAMU as a setup associate.  She quickly moved to pricing, and eventually became an assistant to one of the top producing reps – you may remember him… his name is Dave Lindsay.
A few years ago, Arie was hired as a loan officer assistant by a former loan officer at Princeton Capital.  When that was coming to an end, she heard about the new Appraisal Department Desk position.  She applied, and the rest is history! 
“Four years later I can honestly say I love my job… it certainly has its moments, but not a day goes by that I don’t feel good about having played a small part in helping people achieve the dream of owning their own home,” Arie said recently.  “I’m lucky that I work with a great group of people, have a strong support system at home and get to have Christmas off!”

 

This Girl Was Made for Walking
With a special “Thank You” to all her supporters, Kathleen finished her 3-day 60-mile walk with team K&K last month. 
“The camaraderie and show of strength was so moving,” Kathleen said, “I can’t wait to do it again!”
Her fundraising was a success – she raised $3,665 for cancer research.  Her plan for dry, unblistered feet was also a success – she finished the walk and was none the worse for wear.
Several of her friends from RMR Financial came to cheer her on during her last day… and she kept her friends and family updated along the way with texts and occasional Facebook updates.  “It was great to feel so much support from friends and strangers alike.  It was hard, but it was so fun!”
Kathleen plans to walk again next year in the San Diego walk.

Importance of credit scores


Rates are set by loan amounts, down payment and credit scores. I remember a short time ago when I could easily answer what are rates. I say more complex now than before but here is an example.
Purchase 10% down $417,000 loan amount credit score 760 versus 680.
760 score 3.375% at 0 points
680 score 3.875% at 0 points
So here are my tips
Have 4 open actice credit accounts
Have these be credit card and installment loan
Use these accounts pay them in full each month
Remember if you carry a balance make it less then 25% of the available line you have
Pay it on time
Do not apply for new credit
Get the lines as high as possible

You will have a great credit score

Thank you


Alan

Daniel Pink

4 more emotionally intelligent signs

I haven’t been blogging much the last few weeks because I’ve been putting the finishing touches on a new book, which will be out at the end of the year. (Pre-order now. It’s worth it. I beg you.)
But the mailbag is always brimming with emotionally intelligent signage, so I’ve plucked four recent reader submissions that show some interesting examples of the crafty ways signs can attempt influence what we should and shouldn’t do.
Three of the signs direct viewers what not to do.
Don’t be a jerk on the road (via Jack Dorsey):

Don’t knock on my door (via Thad Gembczynski):

Don’t do anything stupid in a library (via Mike Stock):

And one tells us what we ought to do — albeit with a literary twist (also via Thad Gembczynski):

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Owning rentals part 2

Owning Rental Properties Part 2

 

Owning Rental Properties Part 2

In a prior blog, we talked about rentals as retirement income. In this post, we’ll take another step and review what you need to know before buying an investment property.

First Rental Property Resources

Neil Uttamsingh has a website focused only on helping you get your first rental property. His message is that you should manage the property yourself and make sure you do your due diligence with home inspections.
A recent blog discussed that you should not rush the process or you will miss out on some important decision points:

One of the fastest ways of learning these skills is by finding a real estate workshop to understand how to analyze the value of the property, where it’s located, and what kind of tenants you could anticipate i that location.
Making certain that the property will provide a positive cash flow is the number one question you have to answer. The second is what monthly expenses can you expect?
The next step is to figure out how you will finance it. A good loan officer will help you crunch the numbers to find out what you can afford to invest. You will find out your options with how much money you can put down, whether you should get fixed or variable rate, what length of term you should use, and most importantly, you should get pre-approved so when the right property shows up, you can grab it.

Landlord Resources

Nolo Press has some of the best books that explain the law in plain English as well as useful forms. As we mentioned in the prior post, having a valid contract will protect you from a bad tenant.
In their Legal Encyclopedia, they have numerous questions and answers (FAQs) on signing leases and rental agreements such as how to enforce a ‘no pets’ policy, how to divide damages between departing cotenants, and how to handle a tenant wanting to break a lease due to noise.

Cautions

Once you’ve gotten your first rental property up and running smoothly, then start to look for additional properties. Don’t try to invest in too many properties too quickly until you’ve established procedures for analyzing a property as well as systems for finding good tenants.
Always keep a separate checking account dedicated to your rental properties. Deduct the mortgage payments, insurance payments, and maintenance work from this account. At the end of the year, your tax accountant will have a much easier job. Additionally, you can regularly check your cash flow to see if it stays positive. Also, if you personally have a large expense, it will be more difficult for you to borrow from your investment property cash, and you will have peace of mind that your properties are taking care of themselves.
Remember, looking at a house from the eyes of a homeowner is very different then looking at the house through the eyes of the investor.
What would you want in an investment property that you wouldn’t want in your home?

Fees 2 of 2

Mortgage Fees Explained Part 2

 

Mortgage Fees Explained Part 2

Yesterday, we talked about lender fees and third party fees. Today, we’ll talk about mortgage fees, and other fees that aren’t covered in the three other categories, but are important for you to know.

Mortgage Fees

  • Title Search -This fee is charged by your bank or lender and is sometimes called an underwriting, administration, or processing fee. It’s designed to cover the costs of processing and evaluating a loan for you, such as legal costs, notary fees, and overhead.
  • Title Insurance -Title insurance guards you and the lender against an error in the title search. If a previously-undiscovered problem pops up down the line, this policy protects the lender. If you want to protect yourself, you will need to purchase an owner’s title insurance policy.
  • Processing Fee -This is a fee the mortgage broker charges to compile paperwork and submit the loan on your behalf. Some companies charge this fee others do not.
  • FHA, VA, and RHS fees - The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) offers insured mortgages and the Veterans Administration (VA) and the Rural Housing Service (RHS) offer mortgage guarantees. If you are getting a mortgage insured by the FHA or guaranteed by the VA or the RHS, you will have to pay FHA mortgage insurance premiums or VA or RHS guarantee fees.

Other Fees

Points – A point is 1% of the loan amount. What that means to you is that points are a one-time charge that may be negotiated with the lender, usually to reduce the interest rate you pay over the life of your loan. For example, one point on a $100,000 loan would be $1,000. In some cases, especially in refinancing, points can be financed by adding them to the amount that you borrow. However, if you pay the points at settlement, they are deductible on your income taxes in the year they are paid.
Prepaid Interest – Your first regular mortgage payment is usually due about six to eight weeks after you settle (for example, if you settle in March, your first regular payment will be due on May 1, and this May payment covers the cost of borrowing the money for the month of April). Interest costs, however, start as soon as you settle. The lender will calculate how much interest you owe for the part of the month in which you settle (for example, if you settle on March 16, you would owe interest for 16 days–March 16 through 31). The lender will want this up front.
Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) – If your down payment is less than 20% of your home’s value, the lender may want you to purchase PMI to cover its losses in case you default on the payments. Typically, you will pay a PMI monthly along with each month’s mortgage payment. Your PMI can be canceled at your request, in writing, when you reach 20% equity in your home based on your original purchase price if your mortgage payments are current and you have a good payment history. By federal law your PMI payments will automatically stop when you acquire 22% equity in your home based on the original appraised value of the house as long as your mortgage payments are current.
Flood Determination Fee – A fee the lender may charge to determine if your home is in a flood zone, and if you’ll need to buy flood insurance.
Homeowners’ Insurance – The insurance policy that protects against fire, vandalism, wind, natural disasters (other than floods), and other hazards that can damage your home. Lenders require that you have this to protect their investment. You should also consider looking into additional insurance to cover your furnishings and belongings.
Escrow (or reserve) funds – You may be asked to add in money at closing to put in an escrow account to cover property taxes, insurance, and other costs. Even if you don’t pay this at closing, part of your monthly mortgage payment will probably go toward escrow. When the bills for taxes and insurance come due, the lender takes the money out of escrow and pays them for you.

Conclusion

Be cautious of “bundled fees” if they don’t expressly mention what is bundled. Some lenders offer a package deal that could be less then if you paid for all separately. However, you want to be able to compare apples to apples when you’re shopping around.
If there are any fees listed you don’t understand, ask for an explanation. Also realize that many fees, especially application and processing fees, are negotiable. Ask your lender to reduce or waive these fees; alternatively, the seller may be willing to pay them. Don’t be afraid to ask – after all, this is the biggest purchase you’ll ever make.

Fees 1 of 2

Mortgage Fees Explained

 

Mortgage Fees Explained

Whether you’re a first timer or a re-financer, you want to know where your money is going. When you’re signing all of the forms, a good loan officer recommends you read each page, but seeing all of those numbers can make your eyes cross. Thankfully, mortgage paperwork has gotten simpler over the years, and fees can be grouped into a few categories. Mortgage fees are also called settlement costs and vary quite a lot amongst lenders.

Lender Fees

These are fees asked for by the lender.
Application Fee – The fee charged by your bank or lender to apply for a loan used to cover initial processing costs and a credit check. If they pull your credit report from all three bureaus, the fee will be higher.
Loan Origination Fee – This fee is designed to cover the costs of processing and evaluating a loan for you, such as legal costs, notary fees, and overhead. It’s sometimes called an underwriting, administration, or processing fee.

Third Party Fees

These are fees paid to third parties as part of the home purchase process.
Appraisal Fees - Lenders want to ensure to the best of their ability that the purchased property is worth at least as much as the loan amount. An appraisal fee pays for a determination of the value of the home and lot you want to purchase or refinance. Some lenders and brokers include the appraisal fee in the application fee. Make certain that you ask for a copy of the appraisal. If you are refinancing or have had a recent appraisal of the property, some lenders may waive the requirement for a new one.
Home Inspection Fee – Your lender may require you to get a home inspection to check for major structural or other damage, water quality, leaks, etc. The most common inspection is for termites. In rural areas, there may be a test of the septic system as well as a quality test on the water supply. Even if it’s not required, a home inspection is a good idea for your peace of mind. If nothing else, you’ll be able to plan when you will have to make investments into the property such as a new roof.
Property Survey Fee – Some lenders require a simple survey to confirm locations of boundaries and easements as well as the location of buildings and improvements. If there are questions as to the legality of these issues, such as a boundary line dispute with neighbors, the lender will require a complete, and more costly, survey.

Tomorrow, we’ll finish up with Mortgage Fees and Other Fees. Are there any fees that you’re curious about?

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Thank you John Maxwell

The Law of Pain: from my new book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth

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In just one week, my latest book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, will be available in the United States and Canada. (But it’s available for preorder now!) I’m especially excited about the potential of this book, because it’s on a subject that everyone can relate to. Everyone benefits from growth. Learning more about the subject can lead to great gains and expansion of a person’s potential.
Today’s post is an excerpt from Chapter 8, The Law of Pain. It demonstrates that even a bad situation can yield positive growth if we make the right choices while experiencing it. This is just one of the lessons that I’d like to share with you in this book, and also in a special FREE event on October 9. See the end of this post for details.
The Law of Pain: Good Management of Bad Experiences Leads to Great Growth
How do you usually respond to bad experiences? Do you explode in anger? Do you shrink into yourself emotionally? Do you detach yourself from the experience as much as possible? Do you ignore it?
John McDonnell once said, “Every problem introduces a person to himself.” What an insight! Each time we encounter a painful experience, we get to know ourselves a little better. Pain can stop us dead in our tracks. Or it can cause us to make decisions we would like to put off, deal with issues we would rather not face, and make changes that make us feel uncomfortable. Pain prompts us to face who we are and where we are. What we do with that experience defines who we become.
Novelist James Baldwin commented, “Not every thing that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Often it takes a bad experience for us to face the changes we need to make in our lives. I know that was true for me when it came to my health. As I’ve mentioned before, I experienced a heart attack at age fifty-one. Prior to that, I knew deep down I wasn’t eating right or exercising enough. But I’d never had any health problems, so I just plowed ahead as I always had. But the night I had the heart attack, the excruciating pain I felt in my chest and the belief in that moment that I wasn’t going to see my family again finally got my attention. It made me face the fact that I needed to change the way I was living. You could say I had finally reached a teachable moment. And that is the value of the Law of Pain. It gives us an opportunity to turn our lives around. A bend in the road is not the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn.
Most people don’t think their way to positive change—they feel their way. In their book, The Heart of Change, Harvard Business professor John Kotter and Deloitte Consulting principal Dan Cohen explain, “Changing behavior is less a matter of giving people analysis to influence their thoughts than helping them to see a truth to influence their feelings. Both thinking and feelings are essential, and both are found in successful organizations, but the heart of change is in the emotions.”
When bad experiences create strong feelings in us, we either face the feelings and try to change or we try to escape. It’s the old fight-or-flight instinct. We need to train ourselves to fight for positive changes. How do we do that? By remembering that our choices will lead to either the pain of self-discipline or the pain of regret. I’d rather live with the pain of self-discipline and reap the positive rewards than live with the pain of regret, which is something that can create a deep and continual ache within us.
Athlete and author Diana Nyad says, “I am willing to put myself through anything; temporary pain or discomfort means nothing to me as long as I can see that the experience will take me to a new level. I am interested in the unknown, and the only path to the unknown is through breaking barriers, an often-painful process.” That’s a process Nyad has gone through many times as she trained to break records as a long-distance swimmer. In 1979, she swam non-stop from Bimini in the Bahamas to Florida. It took her two days. Her record has stood for more than thirty years.
The next time you find yourself in the midst of a bad experience, remind yourself that you are on the cusp of an opportunity to change and grow. Whether you do will depend on how you react to your experience, and the changes you make as a result. Allow your emotions to be the catalyst for change, think through how to change to make sure you are making good choices, and then take action.