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

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

http://janeloveday.com 

http://www.facebook.com/realestatesandiego

http://www.twitter.com/sdrealestate 

Are you LinkedIn?

Are you LinkedIn?  Do you know what LinkedIn is?

http://www.linkedIn.com  LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 80 million members and growing rapidly. Founded in 2002, LinkedIn connects you to your trusted contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals.  It is a wonderful way to establish yourself as a reputable professional and to exchange ideas, give assistance and receive referrals.


The most important thing for success in building network on LinkedIn is your profile. It is your resume, a billboard and more.  Once your LinkedIn real estate profile is finished, it's time to work on your connections, expanding your network reach to more people who can bring you resources and future business.
Latest LinkedIn Facts

•LinkedIn has over 85 million members in over 200 countries.
•A new member joins LinkedIn approximately every second, and about half of our members are outside the U.S.
•Executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members

Check out my profile on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in.janeloveday - become a connection, and let me know what you think!

You can find more information about how to use LinkedIn here - http://learn.linkedin.com/what-is-linkedin/





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

Special Announcement - Pacific Sotheby's International Realty!

I am very pleased and proud to announce that my company is now Pacific Sotheby's International Realty. Sotheby's is a prestigious international company that is recognised world-wide and we now have an active presence inSan Diego! We are all very excited to be associated with Sotheby's and look forward to building new relationships both here and throughout the world.


San Diego Company joins Sotheby's International Realty network!

Start your search for your new home here - Pacific Sotheby's International Realty


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

Home Insurance - are you covered?

Do you have home insurance? With nearly one in 10 Americans out of work, and others forced to make ends meet with less money, many people are looking for ways to cut costs. There are smart ways to save on home and auto insurance; however, there are also mistakes that can result in being dangerously underinsured, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.)

Following are four of the biggest home insurance mistakes that consumers should look out for:

1. Insuring a home for its real estate value rather than for the cost of rebuilding. When real estate prices go down, some homeowners may think they can reduce the amount of home insurance on their home. But insurance is designed to cover the cost of rebuilding, not the sales price of the home. You should make sure that you have enough coverage to completely rebuild your home and replace your belongings.
A better way to save: Raise your deductible. An increase from $500 to $1,000 could save up to 25 percent on your premium payments.

2. Selecting a home insurance company by price alone. It is important to choose a company with competitive prices, but also one that is financially sound and provides good customer service.
A better way to save: Check the financial health of a home insurance company with independent rating agencies and ask friends and family for recommendations. You should select a home insurance company that will respond to your needs and handle claims fairly and efficiently.

3. Dropping flood insurance. Damage from flooding is not covered under standard homeowners and renters insurance policies. Coverage is available from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), as well as from some private insurance companies. Many homeowners are unaware they are at risk for flooding, but in fact 25 percent of all flood losses occur in low risk areas.
A better way to save: Before purchasing a home, check with the NFIP to check whether it is in a flood zone; if so, consider a less risky area. If you are already living in a flood zone area, look at mitigation efforts that can reduce your risk of flood damage and consider purchasing flood insurance.

4. Neglecting to buy renters insurance. A renters policy covers your possessions and additional living expenses if you have to move out due to a disaster. Equally important, it provides liability protection in the event someone is injured in your home and decides to sue.
A better way to save: Look into multi-policy discounts. Buying several policies with the same insurer, such as renters, auto and life will generally provide savings.





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

Thinking of buying a home in San Diego? Your Realtor is FREE !!

Thinking of buying a home in San Diego? Did you know that working with a Realtor is absolutely FREE! There are no charges out of your pocket to work with a professional Realtor who will help you find your new home in San Diego.

When you hire a professional Realtor to help you find your new home in San Diego, that Realtor will get paid when, and if, they are successful in helping you. And their payment comes from the seller of the home via commission. It is in the Realtor's best interest - and yours too - to work as hard as they come to find your home in San Diego.

Your professional Realtor will search the MLS (Multiple Listing Service), will network with fellow professional Realtors, will make appointments to view homes in San Diego, will be in constant contact with you to make sure you are looking at homes that suit you and your budget, and will guide you through the process and paperwork during escrow once you have found your new home in San Diego!

A professional Realtor in San Diego is licenced through the National Association of Realtors, the California Association of Realtors and the San Diego Association of Realtors, and follows strict standards to ensure that your search for your new home in San Diego is successful and secure!

Start your search for a home in San Diego here - http://www.janeloveday.com


Jane Loveday
Licence # 01439083
Windermere Pacific Coast Realty
619-519-1615 Cell
http://janeloveday.com
http://www.facebook.com/realestatesandiego

Are You on Facebook?

Here's some interesting statistics abut Facebook!

People on Facebook

• More than 500 million active users
• 50% of our active users log on to Facebook in any given day
• Average user has 130 friends
• People spend over 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook

Activity on Facebook

• There are over 900 million objects that people interact with (pages, groups, events and community pages)
• Average user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events
• Average user creates 90 pieces of content each month
• More than 30 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums, etc.) shared each month.

Global Reach

• More than 70 translations available on the site
• About 70% of Facebook users are outside the United States
• Over 300,000 users helped translate the site through the translations application

Platform

• More than one million developers and entrepreneurs from more than 180 countries
• Every month, more than 70% of Facebook users engage with Platform applications
• More than 550,000 active applications currently on Facebook Platform
• More than one million websites have integrated with Facebook Platform
• More than 150 million people engage with Facebook on external websites every month
• Two-thirds of comScore’s U.S. Top 100 websites and half of comScore’s Global Top 100 websites have integrated with Facebook

Mobile

• There are more than 200 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices.
• People that use Facebook on their mobile devices are twice as active on Facebook than non-mobile users.
• There are more than 200 mobile operators in 60 countries working to deploy and promote Facebook mobile products

Next time you log on, look me up - http://www.facebook.com/realestatesandiego


Jane Loveday
Windermere Pacific Coast Properties
619-519-1615 Cell
http://janeloveday.com
http://www.facebook.com/realestatesandiego