Marti Pattinson : Announcements

Hesitating on Buying a Home May Cost You More

Marti Pattinson — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:18:00 GMT

Timing is everything for many first-time buyers today. For those who purchase a home this year, the tax credit is for 10% of the purchase price, up to $8,000. Those who have owned a home in the past three years aren’t eligible. Buyers also have to meet eligibility requirements regarding income; the current credit begins to phase out for singles who make more than $75,000 and couples who make more than $150,000.

Read more: http://rismedia.com/2009-09-17/the-clock-is-ticking-as-first-time-buyers-intensify-their-house-hunting/#ixzz0RTo0OVSH

The current Tax Credit expires December 1st. But the buyer's property must be closed and funded by November 30th. The National Association of REALTORS has issued a Call to Action asking all REALTORS to contact our Congressmen 1.) for the credit to be extended till Dec 2010 and 2.) for an expansion to include EVRYONE & not just First Time Home Buyers. You too can contact your Congressman!

Internet Savvy REALTOR is Your Best Choice...

Marti Pattinson — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:54:00 GMT

The answer is usually price, location, condition and marketing. But an agent must be internet savvy and know how to market on the internet for todays consumers who shop for houses on the internet first. Our market is in a flatter position and we have stepped into a buyer’s market. National media is not our friend. The DFW market is stronger than many other markets. However, most of the DFW homes are experiencing a problem in step-up housing. That is to say, normally as the family or income expands the homeowner is ready to step up to a larger mortgage to accommodate the families needs. As an example stepping from an $150K to a larger home would usually be to a $250-$300K. Our economy is a factor. We are still driven by our economic dependency on our local industry. Although we are fortunate to have this base of opportunity, this must change in order to grow. The only way to change this perception is to embrace the inevitable by promoting our outstanding communities as part of the Greater Dallas Forth Worth Metroplex. Our counties governments, our city officials, our schools, our churches, our medical communities provide the perfect setting to accept this growth. I am a member of the local Association of REALTORS the local MLS and NLS and am honored to promote the properties in a broader marketing arena.

Housing Plan is Bold

Marti Pattinson — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 18:53:00 GMT

RISMEDIA, February 20, 2009-(MCT)-President Barack Obama’s new effort to use Wall Street rescue money to halt the soaring rate of mortgage foreclosures nationwide encourages refinancing of homes that are now worth less than their mortgages and provides incentives for lenders to lower the debt load on struggling homeowners.

Obama’s $275 billion plan-announced Wednesday-doesn’t compel banks and other lenders to modify troubled mortgages. Instead, it provides a menu of incentives that may or may not prove sufficient in reaching the goal of helping 9 million homeowners.

“It’s a bold plan, and that’s encouraging. But at this moment, we don’t have enough detail, and unfortunately with the foreclosure mitigation plans, the devil is in the details,” said Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard University law professor who heads the Congressional Oversight Panel charged with monitoring use of taxpayer bailout funds. “There have been big headlines in the past, and the details never caught up with the early promises.”

The Homeowner Stability Initiative, unveiled in a rowdy high school gym in Phoenix, seeks to address one of the triggers of the global financial crisis: the 2.3 million U.S. foreclosures last year that are protracting the housing crisis and helping to drive down home prices across the nation.

The full article may be read at:

http://rismedia.com/2009-02-19/housing-plan-is-bold-but-will-it-fix-the-problem/

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