Real Estate Information Archive

Today more than ever we are all looking for ways to save money and one of our largest expenditures is our mortgage. While monthly budgets can get tight, utilizing a little extra money to pay down our largest expenditures can pay off BIG in the end. Here we’re going to look at ‘principal only’ mortgage payments and the effect they can have on your finances.

When you purchase a home and secure a mortgage through a lender, you are paying several components of that mortgage.

1. The principal- the amount of the loan needed to purchase the home.
2. Interest on that loan- a monthly interest payment calculated on the interest rate accessed to the loan.
3. If you put down less than 20% you are also paying PMI (private mortgage insurance)
4. Property taxes
5. You may also have your Homeowners Insurance tied into the loan as well and pay a monthly premium for that.

These 5 components make up your monthly mortgage payment. However, the principal component of the mortgage represents the amount of equity you accrue each month and essentially ‘buy-back’ from your mortgage lender.

If you currently have a 30-year mortgage, and never make any additional payments, it will take you 30 years to pay off the mortgage in full and pay the full amount of interest associated with the mortgage. For example, a $350,000 loan with a 5% interest rate would be $17,500 a year paid in interest alone!!!

By making a principal-only payment, in addition to your monthly mortgage payment, you are paying down the principal amount of your mortgage faster. If you were to pay a $100 principal-only payment today at the 5% interest rate, you’ll save $332 over 30 years. Now imagine doing that every month, or more if you can. It will put equity in your pocket much quicker, pay off the principal and loan faster and save you thousands of dollars in interest over the course of your loan.

Please don’t confuse making additional mortgage payments with a principal-only payment, as they are very different. If you choose to start making principal-only payments- in addition to your regular monthly mortgage loan payment, we suggest you call your lender and have them walk you through the process, so it is done correctly, and the monies are applied appropriately. Remember, a principal-only payment NEVER takes the place of your regular monthly loan payment. That must always be made monthly and on time. This would be an additional payment to help pay down the principal amount of your loan. Any questions regarding your loan should ALWAYS be directed to your lender.

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Are you looking for a home in the Omaha area right now? Our team is ready to be our local experience knowledge and expertise to work for you!  If you’re ready to begin the exciting home-buying journey, reach out!  The Heim-Berg Team- 402-677-9024

If you're considering a Omaha NE home purchase this year, make sure you get the facts!  Home Buying myths have been around for ages so it's important to find the facts that will impact your decision.

A few things to consider in today's marketplace:

• 88% of all Property Managers raised rental rates in the last year!
• Interest Rates are still below historic lows.
• Credit Score requirements for obtaining a mortgage continue to fall.

To obtain more personalized information for your unique situation, contact the Heim-Berg Team.  You can also view more Home Buying Tips on our website.

If you decide to put time, effort, and money into making improvements on your home, you might want to take some time to consider whether or not those improvements will increase your home's value. Someday, you might decide that you want to see your home, and home improvement projects that will increase your home's appeal to potential buyers ensure you that you're thinking smart about home improvements.

When determining which home improvement projects will increase your home's value, there are quite a few different factors to consider. You want to make sure you don't cause your home to become overpriced for the local market in which it is located. If you create an expensive home in an inexpensive neighborhood, you might find it hard to get any return on investment on the improvements you've made. Of course, you should also concentrate on getting the most out of your money. Opt for the least expensive projects that will lead to the largest increases in home value. 

Another thing you can do if you want to maximize the ROI on your home improvement investment is research projects that are known to increase appeal among buyers. The following are all possible home improvement projects that regularly prove to be useful in terms of thinking smart about home improvements:

• Enhance the look of your home's exterior - Curb appeal has a huge influence on potential buyers. Consider landscaping work, gutter cleaning, replacing or repainting siding and windows, and more.
• Increase your home's energy-efficiency - Concern for sustainability and minimizing a home's carbon footprint is gaining consciousness among the general public. Increasing your home's energy-efficiently will not only make your home more attractive to future buyers, but it will also save you money on energy costs in the meantime until you decide to sell your home. 
• Redesign interior spaces - You should be taking advantage of all of the space in your home. If you have a room that you're not using, consider creating a convenient purpose for it. For example, you can create a home office from an unused extra room or you can create a media room if you have a dining room that you never use. 
• Re-facing your old fixtures - Although it can be expensive to completely remodel your kitchen or bath, you can significantly improve the appearance of these rooms by simply making small replacements of parts such as appliances, cabinets, and countertops.

It can be frustrating and stressful to deal with a bidding war once you've fallen in love with a particular property and would be devastated to lose it to another buyer. However, bidding wars are not uncommon at times when there is low inventory out on the real estate market.

If you find yourself in a bidding war, you need to come up with ways to make your offer the most attractive to the seller. Winning a bidding war is not always about offering the most money. Below are a few tips on ways you can come out victorious with the home of your dreams after a cut-throat bidding war with other would-be buyers:

• Be ready to buy right away- When a seller is eager to get to closing, they might be inclined to sell to whoever can get the process wrapped up the quickest. It's best if you are already pre-approved for a mortgage loan before you start viewing homes.
• If you really like the property, let your offer show it- Avoid making lowball offers on a home that you really like. Don't waste your time making unrealistic offers on homes that are out of your price range.
• Be flexible- Remember that you can use more than money to entice a buyer into accepting your offer. If you're flexible regarding factors such as the seller's move-out date or home inspections, a seller might be more tempted to accept your offer than other offers that are a bit higher.
• Anticipate the counteroffers- You can anticipate the counteroffers of other buyers by considering how you can surpass them with an offer that is more appealing to the seller. Think about how much you can afford to offer, what kind of monthly payment you can afford to make, and what the home is really worth to you. The more prepared you are to respond to counteroffers the more likely you will be to succeed in winning a bidding war. 

Homeowners can take advantage of energy-efficient mortgages (EEF) to finance improvement projects on their properties. An EEM, or a "green mortgage", is a loan that is meant to help pay for energy-efficient upgrades on a home that a homeowner currently owns or is in the process of purchasing. Costs for the home improvement projects are included in the original mortgage loan so that only one mortgage loan needs to be taken out on the property in question.

Although the maximum debt-to-income ratio for a home owner in regards to a mortgage loan is specified by the FHA, homeowners can bypass these rules if they qualify for energy-efficient mortgages. In this way, they can purchase a home with energy-efficiency improvements with an EEM that is higher in value than the home that they could have purchased via a traditional mortgage loan. Allowing homeowners to bypass debt-to-income ratio rules is justified with the idea that homeowners may pay more upfront, but will save money over time in lower energy costs. The process of qualifying for an EEM involves having an energy audit on a property.

Homeowners can take advantage of three different EEMs:

The Conventional EEM

The majority of homeowners who take out an EEM opt for a conventional EEM. This type of EEM allows the lender of a mortgage loan to add a certain value to the home purchaser's income that is deemed equivalent to the money that will be gained in energy savings through making any energy-efficiency renovations or upgrades.

The Federal Housing Administration EEM

Through a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) EEM, a borrower will acquire mortgage insurance for a home purchase or refinance. The costs of the proposed energy-efficiency improvements are incorporated into a homeowner's mortgage loan through an FHA EEM. However, borrowers must meet certain underwriting conditions to qualify for an FHA EEM. This type of EEM allows a borrower to borrow whichever is less: the complete costs of the proposed improvements, inspections, and report; or the lower amount between the value of the property minus five percent, 115 percent of the area's median price on a single family home, or 150 percent of the conforming loan limit as specified by Freddie Mac.

The Veterans Administration EEM

Veterans may qualify for certain green mortgages through the Veterans' Administration. Such loans typically are no more than between $3,000 and $6,000.

The right color for the interior of your home is whatever color you like; however, if you don't feel confident in your ability to develop a harmonious color scheme, here are some tips to awaken your inner home-interior muse.

There are literally thousands, or perhaps even millions, of shades, hues and other variations of color "spokes" on the color wheel. It can be overwhelming, even intimidating, especially of you are a first-time home interior painter.

One way to simplify the process of choosing a color scheme is via shrewd manipulation of color hues. You might already be aware of the inherent impact colors and their hues have on us humans. They can make us feel happy or sad; manic or docile; annoyed or soothed; excited or laid back, which is why it's crucial to select the proper shade within a color family in order to set whatever mood it is you're going for in each room.

Here are some simple tips to help you achieve your desired mood altering color scheme:

• The amount of intensity a color displays is directly related to the amount of pigment within it
• Bright colors tend to create an energetic, upbeat mood; whereas dim or dull colors have a relaxing, more toned down aura
• Adding white creates a pastel hue or tint, softening the color's intensity
• Adding black creates a deep, dark color hue, commonly referred to as a shade
• Adding grey creates a comforting, neutral tone of a color
• Earth tones (generally brown and green color variations) give off a warm, outdoor vibe
• Dim hues of blue emanate a cool-breeze aura
• Manipulate color intensity through hue, shade, tint or tone
• Visualize each room painted in different colors
• Dark-colored rooms feel cozy, but also small
• Change a color's tone with complimentary colors around it

Existing home sales, or home resales, showed a slight rise in December (2013), which followed a three-month downward spiral. High demand and record low interest rates for mortgage loans combined to breathe life into the tenuous recovery in the real estate market.

According to the National Association of Realtors, or NAR, total sales of previously owned homes last year reached a seven-year high. Sales climbed 1.0 in the aforementioned month, leading to a yearly rate of nearly 5 million units.

There's more good news. Household formation has begun to steadily dig itself out of a multi-decade-long low, brightening the mood and encouraging home builders to take on new projects.

Experts point to the head-to-head battle between escalating prices and relatively weak overall income growth as having the biggest impact on the market, making home buying an unreachable financial goal for a large number of Americans.

Buyers can't buy if sellers aren't selling. It is the lack of properties for sale on the market that's causing prices to rise.

Buyers and sellers alike tend to have lots of questions when it comes to real estate market fluctuations. Any real estate market will always have times of high and low activity, and fluctuations are not usually a cause for concern. Here is what buyers and sellers should know about fluctuations in the real estate market so that they can plan their actions accordingly.

Information for Buyers

Buyers should know that a drop in home prices is often due to a healthy leveling of activity. As a result, connecting with a real estate agent is the best way to get an overall picture as to the health of the local market. An agent can compare recently-sold properties to those on the market to help buyers know whether they are getting a good deal.

Real estate agents can be an invaluable source of information when it comes to finding the best deals in a given area. Buyers should become pre-qualified in order to determine how much house they can reasonably afford. After that, speaking with a real estate agent will put them on the right path to finding their dream home.

Information for Sellers

Sellers are often tempted to drop their asking price whenever there are market fluctuations. They should consider a number of things before deciding to do so. One of the biggest things that will determine whether or not a home's price should be dropped is its condition. Home that are in top condition tend to fetch more money no matter what the market is like. Even so, an overpriced home is likely to stay on the market, as buyers these days are very savvy when it comes to knowing when a seller is asking too much.

Homeowners may have to compete with local builders when it comes to selling their home if there is a great deal of construction going on in a given area. This is another reason why it is important to consult with a Realtor® to determine if a home is appropriately priced.

Home prices tend to rise and fall based on the law of supply and demand, and market fluctuations are not cause for alarm. Working with a Realtor® is the best way for buyers and sellers to both come out on the winning end of a deal, regardless of the current market situation.

In the past, buyers who were interested in finding just the right home had to look through hundreds of listings in order to narrow down their search. That’s no longer the case, as automated email home searches can show people homes that have all the right features at a price that is within their budget.

By entering some basic information in an online form, one can easily activate automated email home searches. Users can then select from a number of different home features including location, property type, price range, number of bedrooms, and number of bathrooms. The system will then look through all the available listings in order to find ones that meet these criteria. Information about these listings is then sent to that person’s email address so that he or she can immediately see data concerning suitable properties.

After the initial email, follow-up emails are sent every morning. These emails provide information about any newly listed property, as well as any existing ones that have had price reductions. Potential buyers can always stay up-to-date with the latest offerings without having to constantly perform new data searches in order to obtain it.

Data can be modified at any time in order to change search results. Each time information is changed, new listings are sent reflecting these changes.

Automated email home searches are free and do not obligate consumers in any way. Many people find this service helps them streamline the home-buying process by allowing them to obtain information about new listings sooner than they would have otherwise. Those in the Omaha, Nebraska area are encouraged to take advantage of automated email home searches by signing up today.