Real Estate Market Updates & Reports | Cheryl Bower Realtor, CRS, GRI, ABR

Banks Start To Loosen Up In Underwriting

February 6, 2012 By Michael Haigh Leave a Comment

After a half-decade of tightening mortgage guidelines, banks are starting to “loosen up”.

Filed Under: Real Estate Market Updates & Reports Tagged With: Federal Reserve, FICO, home buying, housing market, Mortgage Guidelines, Real Estate, Realtor, s.f., Senior Loan Officer

Top Pick: 4 unit Noe Valley rental property for sale viewed by S.F. listing & buyers agent

January 21, 2012 By Cheryl Bower Leave a Comment

Top Pick: 4 unit Noe Valley rental property for sale in San Francisco This beauty of a building was my favorite pick of the day from Tuesday’s brokers tour. It quickly went into contract after 6 days on market with multiple offers. Please get in touch if you’d like to learn more about our [...]

Filed Under: Real Estate Market Updates & Reports Tagged With: banked rents, investor, multi-unit, noe valley investment property, noe valley real estate, noe valley rental, rent control, s.f. rent board, san francisco real estate, sf rent control

Foreclosure Filings Fall To 49-Month Low especially in California, Nevada, Michigan and Arizona

January 18, 2012 By Michael Haigh Leave a Comment

Foreclosure filings are fewer these days, according to foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac.

Filed Under: Real Estate Market Updates & Reports Tagged With: foreclosures, Housing Analysis, RealtyTrac, reo

Using a Reverse Mortgage to BUY a home

September 21, 2011 By Cheryl Bower Leave a Comment

The following has been provided by Judy Schwartz, an expert on reverse mortgages: http://www.reversemortgagesonly.com Thank you Judy for the great information. If you’d like to explore if a reverse mortgage is right for you or your parent/s please get in touch with me &/or Judy. Using a Reverse Mortgage to BUY [...]

Filed Under: Buyer/Seller/Renter Resources, Real Estate Market Updates & Reports, S.F. Bay Area Lifestyle Tagged With: aging, buyers agent, downsize, financial planning, home buying, home selling, listing agent, nest egg, parents, Real Estate, Realtor, retiree, retirement, reverse mortgage, s.f. bay area, s.f. home owners, senior

Reverse Mortgages: what are the steps?

September 19, 2011 By Cheryl Bower Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Buyer/Seller/Renter Resources, Real Estate Market Updates & Reports, S.F. Bay Area Lifestyle Tagged With: aging, buyers agent, financial planning, listing agent, parents, Real Estate, Realtor, retirement, reverse mortgage, s.f. bay area, s.f. home owners, senior

Reverse Mortgages: How they work

September 16, 2011 By Cheryl Bower 3 Comments

Is An FHA Mortgage Better Than A Conforming One?

July 26, 2011 By Michael Haigh Leave a Comment

The FHA is insuring a greater percentage of loans than during any time in recent history. In 2006, it insured roughly 5 percent of the purchase mortgage market. Today, it insures one-quarter. “Going FHA” is more common than ever before — but is it better?

Filed Under: Buyer Resources, Mortgage Updates Tagged With: Conforming, fha, home buying, home loans, Loan, Mortgage Guidelines, mortgage insurance, s.f.

What Is Annual Percentage Rate (APR)?

July 18, 2011 By Michael Haigh Leave a Comment

More commonly called APR, Annual Percentage Rate is a government-mandated mortgage comparison tool. It measures the total cost of borrowing over the life of a loan into dollars-and-cents.

Filed Under: Buyer/Seller/Renter Resources, Mortgage Updates Tagged With: APR, home loans, Mortgage Math, Real Estate Definitions

Market Update: San Francisco Home Sales Continue Toward Recovery

May 30, 2011 By Cheryl Bower Leave a Comment

San Francisco Home Sales Continue Toward Recovery Curious about how our San Francisco market is doing? The latest city wide market update is below as provided by the S.F. Association of Realtors. Twelve weeks of Zephyr Real Estate sales data is below as well. Our clients are dealing with multiple offers with some [...]

Filed Under: Buyer/Seller/Renter Resources, Real Estate Market Updates & Reports Tagged With: buying, cash buyer, condo, economy, inner mission, market, richmond district, s.f. real estate, sales, selling, single family home, zephyr real estate

Market dynamics district 4, S.F. CA

May 28, 2011 By Cheryl Bower Leave a Comment

Market dynamics district 4, S.F. CA Full pdf report to download; district 4 S.F. A balanced market is considered 6 months of inventory. Less then 6 months = seller’s market more than 6 months = buyer’s market As of April 2011 there was 1.6 months of inventory Posted by: Cheryl Bower, Realtor CRS, [...]

Filed Under: Buyer/Seller/Renter Resources, Real Estate Market Updates & Reports Tagged With: district 4, market data, s.f. real estate, westwood park

Foreclosures And Short Sales Distorting “Home Price Trackers”

May 7, 2011 By Michael Haigh Leave a Comment

The Federal Home Finance Agency data had home values down 1.6 percent nationwide in February, on average, marking the fourth straight month in which prices fell.

Filed Under: Real Estate Market Updates & Reports Tagged With: buying, FHFA, Home Price Index, Housing Analysis, HPI, selling

Get Your Applications In : FHA Mortgage Insurance Premiums Rising 0.25 Percent April 18, 2011

April 16, 2011 By Michael Haigh 1 Comment

Beginning with FHA Case Numbers assigned April 18, 2011, mortgage insurance premiums will be higher by 25 basis points per year, or 0.25%.

Filed Under: Real Estate Market Updates & Reports Tagged With: fha, MIP, Mortgage Guidelines, Mortgage Insurance Premium, s.f. market

Moving to the S.F. Bay Area with a dog or cat? Tips on how to make your rental app stand out for a pet-friendly rental

March 26, 2011 By Cheryl Bower 1 Comment

Moving to the S.F. Bay Area with a dog or cat? Tips on how to make your rental app stand out for a pet-friendly rental Planning a move to San Francisco or surrounding regions & you have a dog? Here are a few tips to help your rental application stand out from your competition. [...]

Filed Under: Buyer/Seller/Renter Resources, Landlord/Tenant Related, Renter Resources, S.F. Bay Area Lifestyle Tagged With: bay area, cat, dog friendly, dog walker, housing, leasing agent, pet friendly rental, pet resume, Realtor, references, relocating, relocation, rental agent, rentals, s.f., SPCA, vet

San Francisco: Portola district home market sales activity

March 7, 2011 By Cheryl Bower Leave a Comment

San Francisco: Portola district home market sales activity The full report for Portola district single family home sales 2010/2011 comparison can be downloaded at the link below. A few highlights include that inventory has come down quite a bit from 2010 to 3.8 months of inventory. A balanced market is considered 6 months [...]