Friday, January 28, 2011

What is a Pre-Approval for buying a home?


When starting to look for a new home, the most important first step is to obtain a pre-approval from a Lender.  They will check your credit score, your credit history, your past two years of tax returns, and verify your employment income.

The higher your credit score, the lower your downpayment and monthly payments.  If your credit score is below 640 or 660 you may have higher fees to obtain your mortgage or will need a higher downpayment.  You can improve your chances by pulling your credit report and ensuring you are not being unfairly penalized for old, paid or settled debts.

Also STOP applying for new credit of any sort, and don't charge anything large during the purchase process! 

Contact your bank, credit union or private lender such as Broadview Mortgage Corp, and check their fees for obtaining your loan, also ask what amount you'll need for closing costs, and what points you maybe paying to obtain your mortgage.

Once you have your pre-approval you can start looking for a new home, when you find your new home, your pre-approval will need to be submitted with your offer to purchase.  It is better to be prepared ahead and be armed with the knowledge of what you will need which will make your new home search much more exciting!



Jane Loveday
Licence # 01439083
Pacific Sothebys International Realty
619-519-1615 Cell
http://janeloveday.com/
http://www.facebook.com/realestatesandiego
http://www.twitter.com/sdrealestate
http://www.linkedin.com/in/janeloveday

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Facebook and Your Business?

Are you using Facebook to market your business?  This is a question I recently posed on LinkedIn.  I got many different responses, but Facebook seems to be the natural way to market your business instead of the old fashioned way of distributing flyers, cold-calling, and doing the rounds of businesses that may help you.

As Facebook enters it's second set of 500+ million users world wide, Facebook is one of the best arenas to get yourself recognised, known and respected, with due diligence not to post too much personal content.  That is also why I have a personal page and a business Facebook page.

However, Facebook is for some, a very personal environment, for me it is both.  On my business Facebook page, I can interact with my clients, potential clients, while letting them see that I am indeed also human, but also have useful information that they may value once they think about potentially buying a new home.  I can include links to homes for sale, pertinent market information, interest rate updates, what maybe happening in certain areas of my city, and Facebook, after all, is a free forum.  If used correctly, I believe it is a great way to interract and generate interest in my business of real estate.

Here's to another 500 million users, all potential clients and friends, on Facebook!

Jane Loveday
Licence # 01439083
Pacific Sothebys International Realty
619-519-1615 Cell