Real Estate Information Archive

Because more and more Montgomery AL homes are being burglarized, especially in the recent quest for gold items, more and more homeowners are taking steps to protect their homes and their families.  According to the Insurance Information Institute, intruders will generally bypass your residence if they would be forced to work in the light, have to take more than four or five minutes to break in, or if noise will be a factor. 

Although 80% of homeowners with burglar alarms rated them rated them as effective, the financial cost for this peace of mind is not inexpensive.  Consumer Reports magazine says the owner of a Montgomery AL home should expect to pay $1-$2 per square foot and at least $25 monthly for monitoring.  Start-up expenses also need to be investigated.  Before purchasing or leasing any system or monitoring service, make sure that you get multiple quotes, know the type that is best for your house, and check the contract for specifics concerning early cancellation fees and company liability limits.  You can also read online reviews and ask for references for present and past owners.  Homesecurity.com offers tips on assessing types of systems, choosing what is best for your home, and comparing the prices of alarm companies.

The most effective security system is actually the least expensive--the monitored burglar alarm. The following list summarizes some options along with the pros and cons of each.

• Wireless home security system: inexpensive, runs on batteries and will alert you to fire and gas emergencies as well as burglaries. Needs to be monitored to keep the batteries charged; if it does not call authorities, it may not be effective against burglary in rural areas.
• Home burglar alarm system: makes a lot of noise letting neighbors know to call authorities. Drawback: if neighbors are at work at the same time you are, there may be no one there to call for you. Also, burglars know how to disarm these and go on about their behavior.
• Home security camera: lets you see what is going on at your Montgomery AL home from work as long as you have access to a computer. Drawback: the system can be expensive, and if you are supposed to be working, you may not have the time to pay attention to your home.
• Motion Detector (Lights) Alarm with Telephone dialer: this alarm connects to a telephone socket and will automatically dial a preset number if motion is detected within 20 feet. It will also set off a 125 decibel siren, although you can select the silent alarm option. The only drawback to this one is that you have to remember to set the alarm when you leave the house. This is the cheapest and most effective option, especially when combined with door and window contact sensors.
• Driveway alert: uses a weather-proof, infrared motion detector that sends a signal to a base unit located inside the house. The base unit then sets off an alarm. Drawback: A smart crook probably won’t come down the driveway.
• Door and window contact magnets: sensors featuring a magnetic seal that detects movement if a door or window is disturbed. Not particularly effective by themselves, but very effective when installed as part of a monitored system.

Search all Montgomery AL Real Estate And Homes For Sale.

Sandra Nickel and the Hat Team have distinguished themselves as leaders in the Montgomery AL real estate market. Sandra assists buyers looking for Montgomery real estate for sale and aggressively markets Montgomery AL homes for sale. Sandra is also an expert in helping families avoid foreclosure through short sales and is committed to helping families in financial hardship find options. For more information you can visit AvoidForeclosureMontgomery.com.

You can reach Sandra by filling out the online contact form below or give her a call anytime.

If your loan was “sold” to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac prior to June 1, 2009, you may qualify to refinance your mortgage without an appraisal—and you don’t have to worry about the value of your home either!

Determining if your home qualifies

• Call me with your property address and I will check Fannie/Freddie’s website
• Your current home, rental property, second home qualifies
• If you have a 2^nd mortgage, the 2^nd mortgage holder must agree to “subordinate.”

What you will need to apply

• Estimate of the current value of your home based on comps from a real estate agent
• 30-days’ worth of paycheck stubs
• Bank statements
• Decent credit scores
• Copy of driver’s license
• Private Mortgage Insurance (did you have to include on your original loan?)
• Copy of title policy
• Copy of homeowner’s insurance policy

What is “unknown”

• Fannie/Freddie may require additional documents once the file is submitted to underwriting
• You may have to bring money to closing
• How long it will take to process your loan
• Fannie/Freddie may determine whether or not you will need an appraisal.

What are the benefits?

• Lower interest rate
• Decrease in the number of years left to pay off your mortgage
• No appraisal required (if determined by Fannie/Freddie)
• PMI insurance may decrease or be eliminated.

There is a huge window of opportunity for you to take advantage of a lower interest rate and reduce the number of years on your mortgage, with lower closing costs.  Call me to see if you qualify! 

 Search all Montgomery AL Real Estate And Homes For Sale.

Sandra Nickel and the Hat Team have distinguished themselves as leaders in the Montgomery AL real estate market. Sandra assists buyers looking for Montgomery real estate for sale and aggressively markets Montgomery AL homes for sale. Sandra is also an expert in helping families avoid foreclosure through short sales and is committed to helping families in financial hardship find options. For more information you can visit AvoidForeclosureMontgomery.com. 

You can reach Sandra by filling out the online contact form below or give her a call anytime. 

Talk about a setback!  You’ve spent recent months preparing your house for sale or looking for the perfect house to buy, negotiating a fair price, and anxiously awaiting the settlement date.  And now the appraisal on that piece of Montgomery AL real estate has come in below the asking price.  What to do?  First, whether you are the buyer or the seller, remain calm.  This is not an unusual occurrence in today’s market.  Understanding the possible reasons for the disappointing appraisal and exploring strategies to save the transaction are your next steps.

REASONS F0R A LOW APPRAISAL:

• Overpricing by seller
• Declining market values
• An abundance of foreclosures or short sales in the neighborhood
• Inflated price resulting from multiple offers
• Incorrect evaluation by the appraiser
• Cash back to buyer from the seller
• Error(s) on the part of the appraiser

WHAT A SELLER CAN DO:

• Lower the price of the Montgomery AL real estate.  After researching and analyzing the latest comps with your Realtor, realistically reconsider your asking price and decide whether you are willing to begin the selling process all over again.
• Offer to carry a second mortgage for the buyer if the above option is not possible.

WHAT A BUYER CAN DO:

• Ask the seller to make up the difference in cash.
• Ask the lender for a new appraisal after presenting your justification for this request.

OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO BOTH SELLER AND BUYER:

• Check the appraiser’s report for errors (in facts or omission) in information about the Montgomery AL real estate.  Verify the accuracy of the square footage, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms.  Have any recent improvements you’ve made to the property been included?  If not, appeal the appraisal.
• Supply to the underwriter a list of recent comparable sales that justify the selling/purchase price and ask for a review of the appraisal.
• Order a new appraisal.  Although you will have to pay for it, it could be money well spent if it results in a higher appraisal. Your lender will give you a list of appraisers if the loan is an FHA one.  If it’s conventional, it is subject to the rules of the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC).
• As a last resort, cancel the transaction.  Most purchase contracts contain a loan contingency which deals with low appraisals.

Search all Montgomery AL Real Estate And Homes For Sale.

Sandra Nickel and the Hat Team have distinguished themselves as leaders in the Montgomery AL real estate market. Sandra assists buyers looking for Montgomery real estate for sale and aggressively markets Montgomery AL homes for sale. Sandra is also an expert in helping families avoid foreclosure through short sales and is committed to helping families in financial hardship find options. For more information you can visit AvoidForeclosureMontgomery.com.

You can reach Sandra by filling out the online contact form below or give her a call anytime.

When you buy Montgomery AL real estate without a down payment of at least 20%, the lender, be it FHA or a private mortgagor, requires that you purchase mortgage insurance to protect it against financial loss.  Mortgage insurance, not to be confused with mortgage life insurance or homeowner’s insurance, assures the lender of no financial loss or a very reduced one) if you default on the loan.

The cost of this insurance—from .25 to 6% of the loan—is almost always the responsibility of the buyer of Montgomery AL  real estate.  (There is such a thing as lender-paid insurance, but this type carries a higher interest rate and is non-refundable.)  Usually the borrower has a choice of payment plans, which included the following:

• Annuals. The borrower pays the first-year premium at closing; an annual renewal premium is collected monthly as part of the total monthly house payment.
   
• Monthly Premiums. The cost is slightly more than traditional mortgage insurance plans but monthly premiums dramatically reduce mortgage insurance closing costs. Borrowers pay for mortgage insurance monthly as part of their total monthly house payment but need to pay only one month's mortgage insurance premium at closing, rather than one year's. 
   
• Singles. The borrower pays a one-time single premium (instead of an initial premium and renewal premiums). Since single premiums are typically financed as part of the mortgage loan amount, no out-of-pocket cash is used for mortgage insurance with a nonrefundable premium at closing.

These plans offer the choice of refundable or nonrefundable premiums. A refundable premium allows the borrower the opportunity to receive money back on any unused portion, in the event that mortgage insurance coverage is discontinued before the loan is paid in full. The cost for a nonrefundable premium is slightly less than that of a refundable premium, thereby giving the borrower a small savings. If coverage is discontinued on a loan with a nonrefundable premium, the borrower has no opportunity for a refund.   If you are unsure which plan is best for you, visit your state mortgage insurance office.

Unfortunately, rumors and myths abound about the difficulty or even impossibility of cancelling refundable mortgage insurance.  Fortunately, however, the Homeowner’s Protection Act of 1998 requires lenders of insurance loans for Montgomery AL real estate to notify consumers of their rights in this regard on a yearly basis and to automatically cancel the insurance when the mortgage has amortized to 78% of the original property value.  In addition, you may apply for cancellation of your mortgage insurance when that percentage reaches 80%.  For specific details of the HPA requirement in terms of timing and content of these notices, click here. 

While paying for mortgage insurance does entail an extra expense for the home purchaser, it also has its benefits.  It allows new buyers to become a homeowner sooner than if they needed to have a 20% down payment and greatly increases their buying power.  Repeat buyers can gain a significant tax advantage by having more deductible interest to claim.  They can also use the money saved by not putting down 20% to cover moving costs or to put into other investments.

Search all Montgomery AL Real Estate And Homes For Sale.

Sandra Nickel and the Hat Team have distinguished themselves as leaders in the Montgomery AL real estate market. Sandra assists buyers looking for Montgomery real estate for sale and aggressively markets Montgomery AL homes for sale. Sandra is also an expert in helping families avoid foreclosure through short sales and is committed to helping families in financial hardship find options. For more information you can visit AvoidForeclosureMontgomery.com.

You can reach Sandra by filling out the online contact form below or give her a call anytime.

There were 874 Montgomery AL foreclosure homes for sale with 1 in every 1,181 housing units receiving a foreclosure filing in February 2012. The average selling price of a Montgomery AL home was $97,803 and the average foreclosure selling price was $69,578, a $28,225 savings according to RealtyTrac.com.

Montgomery AL Foreclosure Activity and 30 Year Interest Rate

Montgomery interest rates averaged 3.89% in February while the number of foreclosed homes dropped from 117 to 80.

Foreclosure activity is based on the total number of properties that receive foreclosure filings – default notice, foreclosure auction notice or bank repossession – each month. Interest rate is based on the average 30-year fixed rate from Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey.

Montgomery AL Foreclosure Geographical Comparison

Montgomery AL foreclosure activity was 0.08% lower than national statistics, 0.01% higher than Alabama and the same as Montgomery County statistics for the month of February 2012.

Housing affordability conditions have reached the highest level since recordkeeping began in 1970, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

NAR’s Housing Affordability Index rose to a record high 206.1 in January, based on the relationship between median home price, median family income and average mortgage interest rate. The higher the index, the greater the household purchasing power. An index of 100 is defined as the point where a median-income household has exactly enough income to qualify for the purchase of a median-priced existing single-family home, assuming a 20 percent down payment and 25 percent of gross income devoted to mortgage principal and interest payments.

NAR projects the affordability index for all of 2012 will be at an annual high, with little movement in mortgage interest rates or home prices during the year.

What does affordability look like in our local real estate market? Take a look at February figures.

Midtown Montgomery real estate sales statistics for February show the average sales price decreased by 4% to $96,324 when compared to February 2011.  The number of homes sold decreased by 5% in February 2012.  The median sales prices decreased by 26%, and market times increased by 3% or 3 days.  The highest selling home price increased by 1%, and the lowest selling home price decreased by 77%.

Search all Montgomery AL Real Estate And Homes For Sale.

Sandra Nickel and the Hat Team have distinguished themselves as leaders in the Montgomery AL real estate market. Sandra assists buyers looking for Montgomery real estate for sale and aggressively markets Montgomery AL homes for sale. Sandra is also an expert in helping families avoid foreclosure through short sales and is committed to helping families in financial hardship find options. For more information you can visit AvoidForeclosureMontgomery.com.

You can reach Sandra by filling out the online contact form below or give her a call anytime.

Unfortunately, selling your Montgomery AL home in the current real estate market can be both difficult and frustrating.  As much value as you may feel your home has, the current conditions might say differently. In this buyer’s market, accurate pricing of your home is imperative in getting your property sold quickly and for the best price possible. While this might sound simple enough, correctly pricing your property is far from easy and is a decision which requires time and effort on your part.  The following tips should help make the pricing process a smooth and beneficial one for you.

1. Do your research: It’s important to know http://www.montgomeryhomeinfo.com/what other homes in your area are selling for right now in order to get an idea of a price point for your own property, but you shouldn’t rely on that alone. An Automated Valuation Model, better known as an AVM, is a web-based technology that immediately generates home values based on data analysis of recent area comparable sales, tax assessments and price trends.
2. Find the right Realtor: Hiring the listing agent who quotes you the highest price isn’t always wise.  Interview at least 3 Realtors familiar with the area around your Montgomery AL home and choose the agent who supports a suggested price with comparative market data. It is the job of your Realtor to know the current market and market trends inside and out, to be closely connected to the real estate market at large, and to be aware of other properties currently for sale in your particular neighborhood..
3. Cast emotions aside:   It’s important to remain as realistic and objective as possible when pricing your property. Although your home will most likely be invaluable to you, focus on the statistics from your research and on the advice given to you by your real estate agent for a satisfactory sale.
4. Avoid overpricing at the outset.  Because your property has the best chance of selling within its first seven weeks on the market, the longer it stays on the market, the less it will ultimately sell for.  In addition, you will lose out on savvy potential buyers who won’t even come by to look, and fewer knowledgeable Realtors will preview your Montgomery AL home.  Lowering your price later will only result in delays and suspicions that something is wrong with the property.

Search all Montgomery AL Real Estate And Homes For Sale.

Sandra Nickel and the Hat Team have distinguished themselves as leaders in the Montgomery AL real estate market. Sandra assists buyers looking for Montgomery real estate for sale and aggressively markets Montgomery AL homes for sale. Sandra is also an expert in helping families avoid foreclosure through short sales and is committed to helping families in financial hardship find options. For more information you can visit AvoidForeclosureMontgomery.com. 

You can reach Sandra by filling out the online contact form below or give her a call anytime.

2012 is off to an encouraging start. Mortgage rates have remained under 4% for nearly two months. Home sales are strengthening and pending home sales, a measure to gauge future sales, are at their highest levels since March 2010.

Job growth increased during most of 2011, with unemployment dropping to 8.4%. As more people are getting jobs, consumer confidence has also been increasing.  However, underemployment with a rate of 18.1% continues to be a problem for a stronger recovery. There are still a significant number of people working part time, who would like to have full-time work.

Even with substantial national improvements, the recovery is spotty. Payroll jobs were up in 25 states, but down in 24, demonstrating the delicate state of the U.S. economy. Global factors such as the European debt crisis are also complicating a more robust recovery. 

What does the recovery look like in our local real estate market? Take a look at January figures.

Midtown Montgomery real estate sales statistics for January show the average sales price decreased by 3% to $141,407 when compared to January 2011.  The number of homes sold increased by 39% in January 2012.  The median sales prices increased by 1%, and market times decreased by 11% or 18 days.  The highest selling home price increased by 38%, and the lowest selling home price decreased by 31%.

Search all Montgomery AL Real Estate And Homes For Sale.

Sandra Nickel and the Hat Team have distinguished themselves as leaders in the Montgomery AL real estate market. Sandra assists buyers looking for Montgomery real estate for sale and aggressively markets Montgomery AL homes for sale. Sandra is also an expert in helping families avoid foreclosure through short sales and is committed to helping families in financial hardship find options. For more information you can visit AvoidForeclosureMontgomery.com.

You can reach Sandra by filling out the online contact form below or give her a call anytime.

If you are considering a divorce or are going though one, it is important that you learn as much as you can about divorce laws in your state and how they impact your Montgomery AL real estate holdings.  Yes, you probably have enough to deal with already, but knowing as much as you can about relevant divorce laws will certainly make your life easier in the long run. 

Although a divorce eventually involves the distribution of all of a couple’s assets—and action dictated by either an equitable distribution system or community property regulation—generally the most pressing issue (other than child custody)—is the resolution of dividing your Montgomery AL real estate.

Since the selling of a home is stressful by itself, let alone when accompanied by a divorce, the cooperation of both parties is vital to make a complicated and emotion-laden process work as smoothly and civilly as possible. The following suggestions to help combat volatile issues and strong feelings:

1.  Consult with your divorce attorney.  A well-crafted settlement agreement can help to avoid many types of disputes. The agreement should be quite detailed, including all potential issues that could arise during the sales process.  The greater the detail, the better.  The agreement should ensure that the interests of both parties are aligned towards selling your Montgomery AL real estate so that you both can move on with your lives.

2.  Find a real estate agent who specializes in selling property for divorcing couples.  With divorce rates continuing to rise, many Realtors are beginning to market themselves as specialists in selling  homes for couples who are divorcing.  These agents understand the complexities of a pending divorce case and will work with you on an individual basis. 

Before you can  decide how your Montgomery AL real estate is to be divided, you must first determine its value.  There are three methods which you can use to do this:

 Tax assessed value.  Although tax valuations tend to be low by as much as 10-20%, this value is likely to be the one used by the courts in case of dispute.

Appraiser.  For a fee of $300-$400 this person will perform a market valuation.

Realtor.  A real estate agent estimate the  can also value your property, generally for little or no cost.  His/her valuation may be less reliable than that of a professional appraiser, however.

Determining equity  in order to equitably divide assets is a complex process which can become quite complicated. 

Search all Montgomery AL Real Estate And Homes For Sale.

Sandra Nickel and the Hat Team have distinguished themselves as leaders in the Montgomery AL real estate market. Sandra assists buyers looking for Montgomery real estate for sale and aggressively markets Montgomery AL homes for sale. Sandra is also an expert in helping families avoid foreclosure through short sales and is committed to helping families in financial hardship find options. For more information you can visit AvoidForeclosureMontgomery.com. 

You can reach Sandra by filling out the online contact form below or give her a call anytime.

There were 873 Montgomery AL foreclosure homes for sale with 1 in every 1,675 housing units receiving a foreclosure filing in December 2011. The average selling price of a Montgomery AL home was $108,647 and the average foreclosure selling price was $72,743, a $35,905 savings, according to RealtyTrac.com.

Montgomery AL Foreclosure Activity and 30 Year Interest Rate

Montgomery interest rates averaged 3.96% in December while the number of foreclosed homes dropped from 122 to 58.

Foreclosure activity is based on the total number of properties that receive foreclosure filings – default notice, foreclosure auction notice or bank repossession – each month. Interest rate is based on the average 30-year fixed rate from Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey.

Montgomery AL Foreclosure Geographical Comparison

Montgomery AL foreclosure activity was 0.10% lower than national statistics, 0.01% higher than Alabama and the same as Montgomery County statistics for the month of December.