Sacramento, CA

Take a ride with Real Estate Broker, Gena Riede for a great tip that will save a homeowner and new future home buyer money.  I’m all for saving money and I’m sure you are, too. 

When you take the step toward being a homeowner, you take on the responsibility of maintaining your home.  While showing homes to home buyers, I have seen a lot of homes with this problem and it’s something that needs to be addressed when you buy a house.

Tomorrow is July 4th and I want to wish all of you a safe and fun holiday…see you back here on Sacramento Real Estate Voice on Monday.  If you are wondering where the fireworks are,  just click on Best July 4th 2009 Fireworks and Fun Around Sacramento.

If you like what you read here on Sacramento Real Estate Voice simply click and subscribe to get the latest articles sent to your email.

Click Sacramento MLS where you can pick any community or city around Sacramento and see homes for sale or simply click on the search icon and pick the area you are interested in finding a home or condo for sale in .

If you have a real estate question that you would like an answer to, be sure to check out and read what other home buyers and home sellers have asked Gena Riede and feel free to ask your Real Estate question by email.   Perhaps, your question will be part of the next article featured on Sacramento REAL Estate Voice 

As a Short Sale Realtor ® I receive many calls from homeowners having trouble paying their house payments.

Also,homeowners who foresee difficulty paying their mortgage in the next few years, call.

I thought I would devote this article specifically to them.

You have a few options available:

1. Loan Modification
2. Short Sale
3. Deed-in-Lieu-of
4. Foreclosure

The woman I spoke with today, called about loan modifications and was told that it would cost her $4,000.  Not everyone has $4,000 to toss around especially if they are all ready in trouble.

Makes me wonder how legitimate these companies are if they demand so much money up front. Are they afraid after all their work, you won’t get a loan modification?  Seems they don’t exactly have a lot of faith in what they are doing…wouldn’t you say?

Can you imagine if I charged my real estate fees up front? hmmm…what a concept.

There are many scams artists out there and I don’t know them all…they come out of the woodwork whenever they see a niche so as to take advantage. They prey on those less fortunate. Try to avoid them at all costs!

There’s a simple way, go to a FREE government site specifically for loan modification.

You can trust this website.

At Making Home Affordable you  will see if you QUALIFY for a loan modification.  It’s an easy site to use and should be the first place you go for help. 

Call your mortgage lender, service provider, the place you pay your mortgage and ask them for a loan modification. Be persistant, don’t give up.  This is a long and tedious process so be strong and keep calling even if they say no, call again.

By clicking on CA State Department of Real Estate you will find a list of individual and corporate real estate brokers who have submitted an advance fee agreement to provide loan modification services. (The CA Dept. of Real Estate does not endorse this people, however).  If you decide to go this route, be sure to read what the CA Dept. of Real Estate Consumer Alert has to say.

If a Notice of Default has been recorded, the ONLY person that can legally help you is an attorney.  Do NOT pay anyone else.

Do You Qualify for a Loan Modification?

Don’t let the scammers tell you that they can do one if you find out from the government site that you don’t qualify. That’s what they are hoping you will be dumb enough to do.

Making Home Affordable is a SAFE government FREE site for Loan Modifications.

The lady that called today has not missed any house payments.  What many of us have experienced are banks telling homeowners they can’t do anything to help them if they haven’t missed a house payment. Then once the homeowner misses a few payments, the bank says they don’t qualify since their credit score went done due to missing the payments.

Many homeowners are loosing their jobs, income reduced due to cut backs and still those of course that got caught up in the Lending arena.

This article has gotten much too long so I will devote this article to Loan Modifications and write write later to those who may be interested in knowing about Short Sales, Deed in Lieu and Foreclosure.

Stay tuned…

If you like what you read here on Sacramento Real Estate Voice simply click and subscribe to get the latest articles sent to your email.

Click Sacramento MLS where you can pick any community or city around Sacramento and see homes for sale or simply click on the search icon and pick the area you are interested in finding a home or condo for sale in .

If you have a real estate question that you would like an answer to by Gena Riede Realtor, be sure to check out and read what other home buyers and home sellers have asked and feel free to ask your Real Estate question by email.   Perhaps, your question will be part of the next article featured on Sacramento REAL Estate

Other Loan Modification Articles:

Want to Know How To Get A Loan Modification?

Loan Modification Scams Coming To Sacramento

What Constitutes A Hardship?

Hardship Letter Examples

Sacramento, CA

Time for Sacramento agents to make sure their sellers are QUALIFIED for a Short Sale BEFORE listing the house for sale.

Get your paperwork from the Seller BEFORE listing the house for sale.  No point in wasting everyone’s time including home buyers.

Next, when receiving offers, treat it as any other offer. Present all offers to the home seller and let the seller chose the best offer.

• Get a HUD statement from a Title company 
• Send the home buyer offer
• Send all the home sellers qualification paperwork

Next Step…

• Then, PLEASE update the MLS to read “Active Short Cont.”  This is an MLS rule and home buyers are checking the Internet and reporting when this is not done. 

I can’t blame them.  It’s frustrating to think a home is available only to find that offers have been presented and sent to the bank.

This is part of our job and the home buyers would appreciate it if we take the time to update the MLS and not WASTE their time.

Acknowledge Sacramento home buyers by sending the seller’s signature on the Purchase contract so they know you have actually presented their offer and the homeowner has accepted their offer as the first step in the Short Sale approval process while waiting for the Bank’s final approval.

Don’t leave the home buyer in the dark.

As a Sacramento Real Estate Broker and Short Sale agent helping both home buyers and home sellers, it’s important for all of us to work together toward a clear and concise process for both home buyers and home sellers.

This is a difficult time for all and it is our job as short sale agents to do the job correctly and thoroughly.

If you like what you read here on Sacramento Real Estate Voice simply click and subscribe to get the latest articles sent to your email.

Click Sacramento MLS where you can pick any community or city around Sacramento and see homes for sale or simply click on the search icon and pick the area you are interested in finding a home or condo for sale in .

If you have a real estate question that you would like an answer to by Gena Riede, be sure to check out and read what other home buyers and home sellers have asked and feel free to ask your Real Estate question by email.   Perhaps, your question will be part of the next article featured on Sacramento REAL Estate

Once the moratorium is over in California, Foreclosures will once again be KING unless and until the banks figure out that they are far better off with Short Sales.

However, Short Sales are plentiful.  With Wachovia, now Bank of America has been working on streamlining the Short Sale process.  This is GOOD news as it has been an antiquated system to say the least.

We need to have an ESTABLISHED procedure for ALL Short Sale including how the listing agents are handling them.

Hopefully, more banks will get on-board and get this coveted on-line system for Short Sales.

As a Real Estate Broker representing both buyers and Short Sale Sellers, I welcome the new Short Sale procedure! Now, if we could get agents to adopt the same procedure…what a gift that would be.

If  Congress passes the NEW bill for home buyer tax credit, this will be quite a coo for home buyers.  How does $15,000 sound to you?

Not only is the added money a thrill but more importantly a change in the income requirement will be in my opinion a definite push in the right direction for real estate and the recovery.

If you like what you read here on Sacramento Real Estate Voice simply click and subscribe to get the latest articles sent to your email.

Click Sacramento MLS where you can pick any community or city around Sacramento and see homes for sale or simply click on the search icon and pick the area you are interested in finding a home or condo for sale in .

If you have a real estate question that you would like an answer to by Gena Riede, be sure to check out and read what other home buyers and home sellers have asked Gena Riede and feel free to ask your Real Estate question by email.   Perhaps, your question will be part of the next article featured on Sacramento REAL Estate

Sacramento, CA

It is never easy to loose a house or condo that you live in. As a Realtor ® I understand the frustration with the banks and being placed on hold which seems endless.

I also understand that some, not all got tangled up in mortgage loans they didn’t understand.

But, what I don’t understand nor do I sympathize with in any way shape or form,  is the destruction some homeowners are doing to their property upon vacating.

• For those who decide to take the toilet…are you going somewhere where there is no toilet?
• For those who take the stove…do you think there won’t be a stove for you to cook on where you are moving?
• Homeowners taking down patio covers…is your next home going to have the same dimensions? Are you putting it up at a rental that you are renting? Or are you going to pay storage for years until your credit is decent enough to buy a house again?

The bank doesn’t see the damage you do to your homes.

Many homeowners think they are getting back at the bank. WRONG.

It’s the new home buyer you are hurting, not to mention yourself.

Don’t you believe in Karma?  I would think, you had just about enough bad Karma without adding more to it!

This past week, new home buyers in Natomas wrote an offer on a house listed as a Short Sale. Seems the current owner accepted my home buyers offer but with a condition that if they wanted faucets, the back patio cover, built in cabinets etc. they would have to pay him OUTSIDE of escrow.  Just a tad illegal! Otherwise, he has every intention of gutting the house and yard while waiting for the bank to foreclose and PAY HIM to leave the house.

Within days, another home buyer looking to buy in West Sacramento saw a home with lovely white plantation shutters throughout the home for sale as a Short Sale on MLS.  We toured the house on Saturday only to find that the owner is in the process of removing those lovely plantation shutters. And at the same time beginning to destroy cabinet doors and drawers.

Where is your sense of pride? Tearing up a home shows what type of person you are and certainly no one feels sorry for anyone that acts out with no self control. Do we have a society that feels so entitled to act out like this?

I have seen carpets and walls that have been urinated on by humans. Defecation both pet and what appears to be human. Not all of these homes have been broken into. Some of this destruction is taking place at the hands of the would be homeowners.

Shocking isn’t it? Someday, these same destructive homeowners will be home buyers again and I wonder how they will feel if the home they want to buy is destroyed by the seller.  Better yet, it does make one wonder how well they will take care of the property that they are currently renting.

You ask that the banks forgive the difference in what you owe versus what was received on the sale of the house.  The law was written that you had to pay both Federal and State for the difference in what your mortgage was and what the bank received when your house was sold.  But you are getting a break and are not taxed on that amount.

Seems to me that it is time to start charging the tax between the difference to those who choose to destroy their homes. The State is looking for a source of revenue and you just might be the one to help it out.

How do you feel about this? Are you accepting, do you find excuses for this action? Does it shock you?

Thank heavens not all Short Sales and not all Foreclosures are left in shambles. There are some homeowners who are losing their homes or lost their houses that have pride and a sense of decency.

Thank you to those of you that left your homes in decent condition.  May good things come your way…

If you like what you read here on Sacramento Real Estate Voice simply click and subscribe to get the latest articles sent to your email.

Click Sacramento MLS where you can pick any community or city around Sacramento and see homes for sale or simply click on the search icon and pick the area you are interested in finding a home or condo for sale in .

If you have a real estate question that you would like an answer to, be sure to check out and read what other home buyers and home sellers have asked and feel free to ask your Real Estate question by email.   Perhaps, your question will be part of the next article featured on Sacramento REAL Estate

Sacramento will be celebrating 4th of July 2009…all over the Sacramento County area with spectacular shows.

Do you know what you will be doing on July 4th? How are you celebrating Independence Day?

In honor of our fallen heroes and those serving our Country it only seems befitting for each of us to display the American flag in front of our homes.

It would be great to see each home owner, apartment dweller and renter in Sacramento displaying our American flag.

Below is a list of professional firework displays for your July 4th Celebration, Independence Day (for more detail information just click on the highlighted links for each City since several have all day events that would be fun to attend).

Have a safe and fun July 4th!  Happy Independence Day!

To find out where the fireworks displays and fun activities are for the day, be sure to click and read more below.

Sacramento, CA Fireworks

Cal Expo and the City and County of Sacramento July 4, 2009 Cal Expo will again put on the largest display of fireworks beginning at 9:30 p.m…gates open at 6:00 p.m. Free admission, $8 parking fee. You are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets.

Carmichael, CA Fireworks

July 4th Breakfast at Carmichael Park (5750 Grant Ave.) from 7 am-11 am. Parade starts are 10:30 am starting at Marconi/Fair Oaks down Fair Oaks Blvd to Cypress and Manzanita, come for the fun and food. Fireworks show at La Sierra Community Center (5325 Engle Rd.) begins at 6 p.m. and the fireworks at around 9:15 pm

Citrus Heights, CA Fireworks

Fireworks is held at Sunrise Mall begin at 7:30 pm with live music and 3-D glasses to view the fireworks starting at 9:40  pm . or go for the day for fun starting at noon.  The firework event is FREE

Elk Grove, CA Fireworks

Salute to Red, White & Blue at Elk Grove Regional Park at 9:45 pm  for fireworks is a favorite all day event with food, games, vendors and just plain fun.  Gates open at 6 am with entertainment starting at 3 pm. Admission is FREE, parking is $10 per vehicle

Folsom, CA Fireworks

Gates at Folsom Lions City Park open at 6 pm. Fireworks at Folsom Pro Rodeo in the Dan Russel Arena nightly from July 2-4, 2009. The Pro Rodeo begins at 7 pm  Price: $15 to $22.50 Free shuttle courtesy of Jackson Rancheria at the WalMart parking lot.

Rancho Cordova, CA Fireworks

will celebrate at Rancho Cordova Hagan Park with 2 days of fun, parades, food, concerts ending with fireworks displays both Friday, July 3rd and Saturday, July 4th.  Hagan Park is located at 2197 Chase Drive. Click to see a map of the area and where the festivities will be at Hagan Park It’s best this year with all the many fires throughout California to leave the fireworks to the professionals and just sit back and enjoy.

El Dorado County Fireworks

Tahoe’s Fireworks

South Lake Tahoe will be having Lights on the Lake .  North Shore at Lake Tahoe North Shore Fire Works Schedule July 4th, 2009 at 9:00 pm bring a picnic, meet your neighbors and claim your spot on the beach.

• Kings Beach
• Squaw Valley
• Tahoe City
• Truckee (Donner Lake)
• Incline Village
• Westshore Lake Tahoe

Tahoe City’s July 4th Celebration begins at 9:30 pm at Commons Beach Incline Village celebrates Red, White and Tahoe Blue  starting July 4 at the Village Green Truckee, July 4th hometown parade starts at 10 am and fireworks at 9:00 pm at Donner Lakes West End Beach (beach access is limited to homeowners & local residents)

PLACER COUNTY Fireworks

Placer County Fireworks

Auburn, CA Fireworks

Auburn Gold Country Fairgrounds appears to have fireworks this year. Bring your own chairs and a picnic and join Little Miss and Little Mr Firecracker. Parade starts at 7:00 pm with fireworks at 9:40 pm Click Google map to Auburn Gold Country Fairgrounds at 1273 High Street. Click for July 4th Parade route.

Lincoln, CA Fireworks

Lincoln celebrates July 4th

Roseville, CA Fireworks

Start off your July 4th celebration in Downtown Historic Roseville with an early morning 10:00 a.m. parade that ends at Royer Park for loads of fun, food and games from 11:00-2:00 p.m. Then high tail on over to Placer County Fairgrounds for the 9:30 pm July 4th Fireworks show.

Yolo County Fireworks

Davis, CA Fireworks

will celebrate with a party at the Community Park with free swimming, vendor and entertainment will be present with fireworks kick off at 9:30 p.m.

If you have a favorite 4th of July activity or know of a community with fireworks, please comment below and I will be sure to include.  Check back for updates.

If you like what you read here on Sacramento Real Estate Voice simply click and subscribe to get the latest articles sent to your email.

Click Sacramento MLS where you can pick any community or city around Sacramento and see homes for sale or simply click on the search icon and pick the area you are interested in finding a home or condo for sale in .

If you have a real estate question that you would like an answer to, be sure to check out and read what other home buyers and home sellers have asked and feel free to ask your Real Estate question by email.   Perhaps, your question will be part of the next article featured on Sacramento REAL Estate

Sacramento, CA

If you have a house to sell, be sure to Google the Realtor’s name.

This should be done before you hire them to sell your house.

The more pages they have on Google, the more times they appear on the 1st page of Google, the better chance you have of having your home seen by home buyers.

Home Buyers are on the Internet. Make sure your Realtor is too!

Example of  Words to Google are:

1. Realtor’s Name (like Gena Riede)
2. City name and Real Estate  (like Sacramento Real Estate)
3. City name and Home Buyer (like Sacramento Home Buyer)
4. City name and Home For Sale (like Sacramento Home for Sale)

Good luck and hope you receive a good offer soon.

And for all you Dad’s have a wonderful Father’s Day, Sunday…may the BBQ’s begin!!@!

If you like what you read here on Sacramento Real Estate Voice simply click and subscribe to get the latest articles sent to your email.

Click Sacramento MLS where you can pick any community or city around Sacramento and see homes for sale or simply click on the search icon and pick the area you are interested in finding a home or condo for sale in .

If you have a real estate question that you would like an answer to, be sure to check out and read what other home buyers and home sellers have asked and feel free to ask your Real Estate question by email.   Perhaps, your question will be part of the next article featured on Sacramento REAL Estate

Sacramento, CA

Real Estate is changing.

We will see many more Short Sales rather than Bank Owned homes (REO’s) for sale.

With the 90 day moratorium on Foreclosures, this should result in many more Short Sales for sale in and around Sacramento.

The new California Foreclosure Act extends the original 3 month notice of sale after filing a notice of default, for another 90 days.  This delays foreclosures coming on the market by 90 days. The extra 90 days may not have a huge impact on foreclosures but it will give the homeowner extra time to save their home possibly with a  loan modification.

To see if you qualify for a loan modification, just click on a reputable Government website where help is FREE at Making Home Affordable.

Since the unemployment figures continue to rise and distressed homeowners are finding it difficult to keep up with their mortgage payments there will be more homes for sale.

Some of the homeowners will be working toward a loan modification while others will opt for a Short Sale and get out from under their mortgage.

Investors are eager and anxious as are first time home buyers since it is not rocket science to know that rents will be climbing and now is the time for investors as well as those home buyer who are currently renting.

Homeowners are realizing that it is better on their credit to list the house as a short sale rather than experience a foreclosure.

Typically, with good credit a homeowner who hires a Realtor ® to list their home as a Short Sale will have to wait 2 years before qualifying to buy a house again versus 3 years if their home was  a foreclosure. This is always subject to change so you need to consult a professional for the latest guidelines.

With the onset of the current administration and several years of the banks finally figuring out that they lost more more money on Foreclosures, Short Sales are the new game in town.

Many of the banks SAY they have been working on streamlining Short Sales so hopefully, home buyers will not be experiencing the long delays of years past.

Not only does it require a knowledgeable Realtor ®  to close a Short Sale but it also requires a cooperative bank/lender/servicer or third party.

Remember, once the homeowner accepts the home buyer’s offer on a Short Sale, the MLS will show Active Short Cont. Agents that don’t keep the MLS up-to-date are not a service to anyone. It is important that we all make this as easy as possible for both the homeowner and home buyers.

The accepted offer is sent to the bank,  any additional offers are merely BACK-UPs.

So, get ready…get set

SHORT SALE is the new game in town

Click below on each link to see ALL the Short Sale homes for sale in a few neighborhoods.

Auburn CA Short Sale homes for sale

Carmichael CA Short Sale homes for sale

El Dorado Hills CA Short Sale homes for sale

Elk Grove CA Short Sale homes for sale

Fair Oaks CA Short Sale homes for sale

Folsom CA Short Sale homes for sale

Granite Bay Short Sale homes for sale

Lincoln CA Short Sale homes for sale

Natomas Short Sale homes for sale

Rancho Murieta CA Short Sale homes for sale

Rocklin CA Short Sale homes for sale

Roseville CA Short Sale homes for sale

West Sacramento CA Short Sale homes for sale

If you like what you read here on Sacramento Real Estate Voice simply click and subscribe to get the latest articles sent to your email.

Click Sacramento MLS where you can pick any community or city around Sacramento and see homes for sale or simply click on the search icon and pick the area you are interested in finding a home or condo for sale in .

If you have a real estate question that you would like an answer to, be sure to check out and read what other home buyers and home sellers have asked Gena Riede and feel free to ask your Real Estate question by email.   Perhaps, your question will be part of the next article featured on Sacramento REAL Estate

Sacramento, CA

Have you missed your mortgage payment?

Are you stuck in one of those sub-prime mortgage loans?

Is your mortgage loan about to readjust?

Did you loose your job or your paycheck get reduced?

Are you losing your home? You may have  lot of questions with few answers.

These are all reasons  homeowners have who found themselves under water and need a life preserver.  I’m here to help be that life preserver for you if you qualify for a Short Sale.

What is a Short Sale? What does Short Sale mean?

A short sale is when the homeowner owes more on the mortgage loan than what the house is currently valued at.  If you qualify for a Short Sale, the lender will accept a lesser amount than what you owe on your mortgage loan.

Realtors ® who know and understand Short Sales will determine if you qualify for a Short Sale. Just because you want a Short Sale, doesn’t mean you qualify for one. Make sure you list your house for sale with a reputable Realtor ® who knows and understands Short Sales.

The last thing you need is to list your house when you don’t qualify.

Foreclosure will ruin your credit longer and it is something that you want to avoid if you can.  If a loan modification is not possible with your mortgage lender than listing your house as a Short Sale is the answer.

Of course,  you need to qualify for a Short Sale so give me a call.

The banks are trying to streamline Short Sales and realize that Short Sales are not only better for the bank, they are better for the homeowner and the neighborhood and the eventual home buyer.

If you like what you read here on Sacramento Real Estate Voice simply click and subscribe to get the latest articles sent to your email.

Click Sacramento MLS where you can pick any community or city around Sacramento and see homes for sale or simply click on the search icon and pick the area you are interested in finding a home or condo for sale in .

If you have a real estate question that you would like an answer to, be sure to check out and read what other home buyers and home sellers have asked and feel free to ask your Real Estate question by email.   Perhaps, your question will be part of the next article featured on Sacramento REAL Estate

Sacramento, CA

New and established homeowners need to take care of their homes.  This time of year is a great time to carefully check the outside of your house and see what maintenance you, as a home owner need to take care of.

It is so much easier to take care of the outside of your house and your roof when the weather is nice like it is now, rather than waiting for the rain this Winter.

Doing little maintenance jobs along the way sure beats paying for BIG repairs down the line.

Can’t tell you how many homes throughout my career in real estate I have seen where just a little paint would have avoided some very closely repairs.  It is common knowledge that even when buying a new home, you should paint the exterior within 2 years.  The builder has used cheap paint and more than likely watered that down, for profit.

Paint is the cheapest maintenance item you can do for your house.

Give me a call if you live in and around the Sacramento area…for a great referral for painting the outside  or inside of your house.

Can’t wait to see you working on your home as I drive by…who knows maybe you will be in my next Sacramento Real Estate video.

If you like what you read here on Sacramento Real Estate Voice simply click and subscribe to get the latest articles sent to your email.

Click Sacramento MLS where you can pick any community or city around Sacramento and see homes for sale or simply click on the search icon and pick the area you are interested in finding a home or condo for sale in .

If you have a real estate question that you would like an answer to, be sure to check out and read what other home buyers and home sellers have asked and feel free to ask your Real Estate question by email.   Perhaps, your question will be part of the next article featured on Sacramento REAL Estate