Archive for August, 2009

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The New Rules of Austin Real Estate: Austin Realtor Predicts Home Prices Will Drop

Saturday, August 29th, 2009


As America’s financial mess continues, everyone wants to know: What’s going on with Austin real estate values?

Local real estate agent, investor and educator Jay Carter says the local real estate market will get worse for sellers before it gets better. “Not since the oil and gas bust of the 1980s has Austin seen such a wonderful opportunity for Austin real estate buyers and investors,” Carter says. “For sellers, this is only going to get worse.”

Carter disagrees with many prominent local Austin real estate agents who are suggesting that home prices will keep rising. “They absolutely won’t,” says Carter, who has already spotted several listings across Austin where sellers have had to significantly cut their asking price. “The rules of Austin real estate are changing right before our eyes.”

Carter predicts further price declines and more foreclosures to occur well into 2009. “The real estate stock market will keep falling over the next several months and you’ll also start to notice average real estate prices falling in Austin either this winter or early next year.” The current median price of a home in Austin is $182,600 according to the Austin Board of Realtors.

“In economic cycles like this, everyone – from homeowners to hedge fund managers – will want to get out of debt and accumulate cash. This will lead to big discounts on cars, boats, furniture and even real estate,” Carter says. “You’re about to see this happen more and more.”

“The good news here is for future Austin real estate buyers. This will be an unbelievably good time to buy a home, but only if you do it right,” says Carter. “You must be well-qualified and know what you’re doing.”

On Saturday, November 1st, Carter will teach a brand new course for Austin real estate buyers entitled, The New Rules of Buying a Home in Austin. The class, which is based on today’s current economic downturn, will cover not only what is happening now but what’s likely to happen in the Austin real estate market over the next 1 to 2 years and how home buyers can reap the benefits.

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Austin Realtor Jay Carter’s

Predictions for Austin Real Estate



- Average real estate prices in Austin will drop even further for at least the next six months as the public continues to react to stock market declines.

- Austin area foreclosures will increase this winter and spring.

- Homeowners who think they’ll need to sell anytime soon should sell right now. The prospects for Austin real estate sellers will only get worse in 2009 and possibly even 2010.

- Not since Austin’s oil & gas crash of the 1980s has there been such a good time for Austin real estate buyers to find a fantastic bargain, due to the likelihood of further price cuts and still-low home loan interest rates.



Jay is available this week either as a morning show guest or for taped interviews to speak about:

- Current examples of real estate on the market in Austin today where sellers have already dramatically dropped their asking prices

- How Austin will experience a further decline in real estate prices within the next year, and most importantly, why it will happen

- This Saturday’s (11/1/08) seminar for home buyers, The New Rules of Austin Real Estate, which will be held at Austin Community College

For details: Contact Michele Kim Carter, public relations manager for LivingInAustin.com Real Estate, at 512-413-2253 or visit www.livinginaustin.com

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Buyer’s Market: Know its Latest Condition

Friday, August 28th, 2009


Real estate industry is one of the most volatile businesses.  It is greatly affected with the latest issues that are going on in the global market.  This can be seen in the buyer’s market current condition.  In the early portion of this year, the demands for real estate properties have gone down.  Thus, sellers are forced to offer big discounts and cheaper prices to be able to go with other competitors.  As for home buyers, this is the best time to push through their plans of investing.

Lenders have been very conservative in granting loans.  This is due to the volatility of the economy.  They want to secure that their applicants are financially able.  Hopeful home buyers are striving hard to be approved to be able to fulfill their dreams.  Majority of them find for more ways to finance their endeavor.

The actual scenario has a domino effect to other parts of real estate sector.  Prices have gone down that prompted the sellers to be innovative in marketing their house.  They give huge discounts and adjust their prices.  In fact some of them have low ball offers just to eliminate their property as soon as possible.  If you really evaluate what is going on right now, everything is beneficial to the buyers.

Moreover, sellers made major home improvements and other upgrading.  By doing this, they can emphasize the best features of the houses which can possibly attract more buyers.  Some even went out to perform further research on how to manage their finances in times of crisis.  Income has been too slow for almost all investors during these times.

But in the case of buyer’s market, everything has been favorable to them despite the recession.  Instead of experiencing the negative effects, buyers are indeed grabbing every opportunity they can get.  The real estate industry is starting to lose their dreams for their business.  However, there are other institutions who continue to remain composed despite the issues going on around them.  One of these organizations is the lending companies.  They continue to offer various marketing strategies just to entice more clients to avail their loans.

With everything that is happening right now, it is the buyers who have been enjoying the situation.  Thus, do not hesitate if you have plans of buying a house.  This is the ideal time for acquiring your dream house.  If you have not yet decided, then do not be too hasty.  Consider every option that you have.  As soon as you have set your mind about your endeavor, everything will follow.

 

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An Introduction to Commercial Mortgage Rates

Thursday, August 27th, 2009


When dealing with any type of loan or mortgage, it is important to remember that each option has different mortgage rates that must be explored. Similar to any other mortgage, a commercial mortgage can be looked at as an investment which must be analyzed to ensure that it is affordable and perhaps profitable in the long run. There are many tools available, both online and off, which can assist you in weighing the various options.

Initial Aspects to Consider



A commercial mortgage is a loan in which the actual property is used as collateral for the repayment of the loan. This makes it similar to a regular, residential mortgage, except that you are using a commercial building or another business as collateral for the loan. Most of the time, a commercial mortgage is taken on by businesses, and is not taken on by individual borrowers. A commercial mortgage is one of the most popular forms of business loans.

There are different types of commercial mortgages, just like any other kind of loan available on today’s market. Some commercial mortgages are labeled as nonrecourse, which means that if the borrower fails to make the payments, the creditor is only able to seize the loan collateral, and cannot seize anything else. This falls in line with many laws that help protect a borrower by not allowing a creditor to go after the borrower for any deficiency. Also, this is done because many mortgages that are structured for sale as bonds are actually going to give a high priority to being able to get some sort of income.

Most commercial mortgages that are taken out in the United States require the borrower to make a monthly payment over a 20 to 30 year period, and also require a balloon payment, which is a total payoff, after a certain amount of time. Most of the time, when a borrower has reached that point, he or she will attempt to refinance the loan or sell the property, so that they do not have to make that type of large payment on the loan.

There are several reasons why someone might want to explore commercial mortgage rates. They might want to actually purchase the premises of a business. Or, an individual might want to extend the existing business premises into a larger space. Another reason why someone looks at commercial mortgage rates is assess a property as a residential and commercial investment. Also, developing the property in other manners might be a viable option as well if the current commercial mortgage rates make this possible.

Steps Involved in Securing a Commercial Mortgage Rate



When looking at a commercial mortgage, it is important to look at various mortgage rates that are available. It is important to remember that the interest rates for commercial mortgages are usually going to be higher than the interest rates for residential mortgages. This is important to remember because in order to take out this type of loan you need to be willing to pay higher interest rates so that you can purchase the property in question and be able to afford future payments.

Also, you should be aware that the most common type of commercial mortgage is a fixed rate loan. This means that the interest rate is going to end up being constant throughout the entire life of the loan, or the loan term. This should not be confused with a typical residential loan, which has a fixed rate mortgage for 30 years, at which time the rate may change.

Most of the time, fixed rates for commercial mortgage loans are between 3 and 10 years. This is because many of the banks that borrow the money to lend borrow it from the Federal Government and will then repackage the money for lending. The Fed Rate itself changes typically every 3 years, so banks want to be sure that they can also change their own fixed rates, so that they are not losing money from the loans that they have given out for a commercial property.

It is important to also note that loans are typically based on yields such as treasuries, corporate bonds, swaps, or CMBS rates. It is also important to remember that the rates for commercial mortgage loans can be variable or can be capped. A second commercial mortgage, which is an additional loan that is on a commercial property, is yet another option. This loan will be subordinated to the first mortgage, and might carry a higher interest rate due to the higher risk.

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