Many current Willow Walk homeowners came to one of our homebuyer workshops and learned of the many programs available to assist first-time buyers. To learn more about our LAST CHANCE Homebuyer Workshop, READ MORE>
Seal Beach, CA (Vocus/PRWEB) April 13, 2011 – It happens this time every year. Thousands of landlords across the southland send notification to their tenants that an increase of up to 10% will be added to their current monthly payment for rent. While a common reaction will be to just bite the bullet and renew at the higher payment, many smart homebuyers are weighing the option of making a home purchase instead. For those individuals, Olson Homes is offering 6 new home communities with payments comparable to what the landlord wants for rent. Michelle Johnson VP of Sales and Marketing for the Olson Company points out “With landlords raising rents again, many renters are considering home ownership as a way to control costs”
“But looking for a great loan just got a bit harder” said Michelle Johnson remarking on the recent FHA move. “One of the best loan programs out there today is from FHA, which allows buyers to purchase a home with only 3.5% down combined with flexible guidelines. However, with two critical FHA guidelines about to change, securing these loans will become increasingly difficult. Financial institutions are urging homebuyers who plan to take advantage of FHA financing to lock in their purchases now before the changes take effect later this month. This is why Olson Homes is trying to educate buyers on the value of home ownership over renting.” Michelle also points out that Olson Homes understands what today’s young buyer is looking for and builds communities based on today’s lifestyle values.
Adding to the challenge is a second change the FHA will be rolling out this month. “The FHA is severely limiting the number of loans they will allow in a condominium community to only 30%, which means the FHA is anticipating that they will be running out of loans before the summer even begins” says Ruby Johnson, VP of DRE/Escrow for Olson Homes. “With only a finite number of cases available many home shoppers will have to go with higher cost conventional financing. When the money runs out, most buyers will need to put 10%-20% down for conventional financing.” In this economy, that may put potential homeowners out of the market and right back into the rental market. The choices are either pay the rent increase or move again in search of an affordable alternative.
Many worry that with interest rates set to rise, with that in mind, they are moving forward with a home purchase now rather than wait. This way they are locking in an interest rate below 5%, making their monthly payments comparable to what they were paying in rent.
With 6 great new home communities located throughout Southern California, Olson Homes has a new home community perfect for young urban lifestyles designed to help kick the rental habit.
Olson Homes is currently helping new homebuyers fire their landlords with the following communities: Mosaic Walk in Garden Grove, from the low $300,000′s, Rio Walk in Montebello, California priced from the 290,000′s, Willow Walk in Compton, California priced from the mid $200,000′s, Sycamore Walk in Garden Grove, California priced from the mid $400,000’s, Citrus Walk in Covina, California now forming an interest list with new townhomes and flats from the mid $300,000′s, and Heritage Walk in Paramount, California offering new single family detached homes from the high $200,000′s.
To learn more about these Olson Homes communities, visit OlsonHomes.com/smartbuy.
Willow Walk is hosting our last Homebuyer Workshop this Saturday, March 19th. With only a few remaining homes for sale, Willow Walk is here to educate homebuyers on the value of homeownership over paying rent, help qualify buyers for $100,000 in down payment assistance, and get a FREE credit report.
The workshop will explain the various programs designed to help people get into their first home. The Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Compton has developed the First Time Homebuyers Program to provide financial assistance to individuals and families with the dream of homeownership. The financial assistance will consist of a Second Mortgage, which is in the form of a deferred Silent Second Deed of Trust loan. The loan works in conjunction with the first mortgages offered by participating lenders. An eligible household may receive mortgage assistance not to exceed $100,000 (for moderate income households). The Agency will determine the amount awarded to each household based on a Gap Financing Formula.
The First Time Homebuyers Program is limited to the availability of Federal Funds; as a result, the Agency may discontinue the acceptance of First Time Homebuyer applications at any time, due to the limited availability of Federal Funds.
Buying that first home can be stressful as well as exciting. This program is designed to take the mystery out of buying a home and provide the financial assistance to make homeownership a reality.
See you Saturday!
Did you know that February is Take Ownership Month at Willow Walk? We have come up with a great new homebuyer program that is designed to put homeownership within your grasp! This is not a misprint, with just $2,900 down, you too can own your own home with a monthly payment of just $1,925 per month! It is a safe bet that in Los Angeles that your rent may already be very close to that amount already–perhaps even more! Sad but true, but homeownership provides you with a hedge against inflation as rental prices begin to soar due to housing demand increases in the LA area.
Also true is the fact that saving up a huge down payment to buy a home can be a huge obstacle to overcome to obtain homeownership. Well, forget about that! For February, we have eliminated the need for a huge down payment and replaced it with a total down payment of only $2,900! I am really excited about this offer, but a deal this good will not be around for long!
I urge you to stop in any weekend in February for a FREE SUBWAY LUNCH plus FREE CREDIT REPORT and see how you can own a home today for a low monthly payment of just $1,925. All you need is a minimum 620 FICO score to qualify.
Over 100 homes have sold with only a few remaining for this great event. Willow Walk’s gated community is Compton’s best kept secret, yet with this new program it won’t be a secret for long!
So what are you waiting for? Visit this weekend to see what life is like at Willow Walk.
The California Housing Finance Agency understands how much you want to own your first home. At Olson Homes, we also realize how difficult that can be. That is why we work closely with our preferred lenders to match you with the lowest interest rate first-time mortgage programs available. Our preferred lenders will also work hard to find you a variety of down payment assistance programs to eligible first-time homebuyers, which can turn your dreams of homeownership into reality. If you’d like more information on how Olson Homes is working hard to make owning that first home a reality CLICK HERE.
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Black Friday is upon us! While merchants are busy gearing up for a record Black Friday filled with sales, Olson Homes wants to spell out 10 reasons why shoppers should buy a new home instead. So here are our 10 reasons why it’s good to buy a home and skip the big box Black Friday sales.
1. Home shoppers have waited long enough. Good deals are available for the asking.
In case home shoppers may have missed this, this is the best buyer’s market we have seen on over 30 years. If home shoppers are waiting for the bottom, they may have already missed it! No one will ever catch the bottom mostly because no one knows where that is. The truth is it doesn’t really matter so much in the long haul.
2. Mortgages are cheap. Very cheap.
Home shoppers can get a 30-year loan for around 4.3%. In some cases home shoppers may find special buy down rates that get down to 3.75% What’s not to like about low interest rates? These are the lowest rates on record. As recently as two years ago they were about 6.3%. That drop slashes your monthly repayment by a fifth. If inflation picks up, home shoppers won’t see these mortgage rates again in their lifetime. And if we get deflation, and rates fall further, homeowners can always refinance.
3 Home shoppers will save on taxes. Tax breaks for itemization.
Here is a plus. Home shoppers can deduct the mortgage interest from their income taxes. Try doing that on your standard holiday purchases. With a new home purchase, home shoppers can deduct their real estate taxes. And they’ll get a tax break on capital gains–if any–when they sell. Sure, home shoppers need to do the math. Homeowners only get the income tax break if they itemize their tax deductions, and many people may be better off taking the standard deduction instead. The breaks are more valuable the more people earn, and the bigger their mortgage. But savvy homeowners will find that these tax breaks mean owning costs them less, often a lot less, than renting.
4. This time it’s personal! That new home is a design showcase.
Get in early enough on a new home and home shoppers can have the kitchen and bathrooms they really want. Homeowners can upgrade to their hearts content. They can get the flooring, window treatments, and upgraded appliances they have dreamed about. New home ownership also allows homeowners to add these items to their monthly mortgage payments at a cost that adds only a bit more to their monthly mortgage payments. Black Friday shoppers should try this instead of maxing out their credit cards at 22% interest rates. Consider that fact when in the check out line that this purchase won’t will be paid back for many years to come. Hmmm, maybe buying a new home instead does make more sense?
5. Home shoppers get a better home. Much Better!
Renting a place gives people a place to rest their heads and a space to park their belongings, but generally speaking, if they want the best home in the best neighborhood, most people are better off buying a new home. Plus new homeowners get that great new home smell!
6. It offers some inflation protection.
Black Fridays come and go but studies by Professor Karl “Chip” Case (of Case-Shiller), and others, suggest that over the long-term housing has tended to beat inflation by a couple of percentage points a year. That’s valuable inflation insurance, especially if raising a young family and thinking about the next 30 or 40 years. The rule of thumb is if anyone that plans on living in a place for 5 years or more, they may be better off buying than renting. If someone is planning on moving every few years they may want to re-think that strategy and lock-in home ownership while it is still affordable and within reach.
7. It’s risk capital. That is comfort now, equity later.
No, a home isn’t the stock market and no one should view it as the way to get rich. Thats what got people into the mess we see on the news. But current indicators suggest that the economy may surprise us all and start booming, sooner or later real estate prices will head up again, too. Long after the Black Friday sale items are forgotten in the back of a closet, your new home will have gained equity. One lesson from the last few years is that stocks are incredibly hard for most normal people to own in large quantities–for practical as well as psychological reasons. Equity in a home is another way of linking part of a portfolio to the long-term growth of the economy–if it happens–and still managing to sleep at night.
8. It’s forced savings. Pay yourself first!
Suppose one can rent an apartment for $2,000 month instead of buying one for $2,400 a month, renting may make sense. But will people save that $400 for their future? A lot of people won’t. People have to do the math, but need to remember that part of a mortgage payment that goes to principal repayment isn’t a cost. Homeowners are just paying themselves by building equity. As a forced monthly saving, it’s a good discipline.
9. There is a lot to choose from. 4 New home communities to be exact!
Olson Homes may be biased, but when it comes to home affordability, home shoppers should consider one of our great new Southern California new home communities. From the mid $200s Olson Homes has the final phase of Willow Walk in Compton visit WillowWalkHomes.com, from the high $200s Olson Homes has 2 communities; Rio Walk in Montebello visit RioWalkHomes.com, and nearly sold out Heritage Walk in Fullerton visit HeritageWalkHomes.com, and in Garden Grove from the low $300s there is Mosaic Walk visit MosaicWalk.com. Any of these communities offer great locations and great value for new home shoppers.
10. Sooner or later, the market will clear. Be there when it does.
Demand and supply will meet. The population is forecast to grow by more than 100 million people over the next 40 years. That means maybe 40 million new households looking for homes. Meanwhile, today’s home shoppers will be so happy they bought a new home now, and be able to brag about how smart they were way back when people without vision let this once in a lifetime home ownership opportunity pass them by.
So there it is! 10 great reasons not to shop on Black Friday and buy a new home instead.
Enough with the doom and gloom about homeownership. Brett Arends of the Wall Street Journal explains why owning a home is a good thing. We thought we would share it with you. Please feel free to share it too!
The following article is from The Wall Street Journal, by Brett Arends
Sure, maybe there’s more pain to come in the housing market. But when Time magazine starts running covers that declare “Owning a home may no longer make economic sense,” it’s time to say: Enough is enough. This is what “capitulation” looks like. Everyone has given up.
After all, at the peak of the bubble five years ago, Time had a different take. “Home Sweet Home,” declared its cover then, as it celebrated the boom and asked: “Will your house make your rich?”
But it’s not enough just to be contrarian. So here are 10 reasons why it’s good to buy a home.
1. You can get a good deal. Especially if you play hardball. This is a buyer’s market. Most of the other buyers have now vanished, as the tax credits on purchases have just expired. We’re four to five years into the biggest housing bust in modern history. And prices have come down a long way– about 30% from their peak, according to Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller Index, which tracks home prices in 20 big cities. Yes, it’s mixed. New York is only down 20%. Arizona has halved. Will prices fall further? Sure, they could. You’ll never catch the bottom. It doesn’t really matter so much in the long haul.
Where is fair value? Fund manager Jeremy Grantham at GMO, who predicted the bust with remarkable accuracy, said two years ago that home prices needed to fall another 17% to reach fair value in relation to household incomes. Case-Shiller since then: Down 18%.
2. Mortgages are cheap. You can get a 30-year loan for around 4.3%. What’s not to like? These are the lowest rates on record. As recently as two years ago they were about 6.3%. That drop slashes your monthly repayment by a fifth. If inflation picks up, you won’t see these mortgage rates again in your lifetime. And if we get deflation, and rates fall further, you can refi.
3. You’ll save on taxes. You can deduct the mortgage interest from your income taxes. You can deduct your real estate taxes. And you’ll get a tax break on capital gains–if any–when you sell. Sure, you’ll need to do your math. You’ll only get the income tax break if you itemize your deductions, and many people may be better off taking the standard deduction instead. The breaks are more valuable the more you earn, and the bigger your mortgage. But many people will find that these tax breaks mean owning costs them less, often a lot less, than renting.
4. It’ll be yours. You can have the kitchen and bathrooms you want. You can move the walls, build an extension–zoning permitted–or paint everything bright orange. Few landlords are so indulgent; for renters, these types of changes are often impossible. You’ll feel better about your own place if you own it than if you rent. Many years ago, when I was working for a political campaign in England, I toured a working-class northern town. Mrs. Thatcher had just begun selling off public housing to the tenants. “You can tell the ones that have been bought,” said my local guide. “They’ve painted the front door. It’s the first thing people do when they buy.” It was a small sign that said something big.
5. You’ll get a better home. In many parts of the country it can be really hard to find a good rental. All the best places are sold as condos. Money talks. Once again, this is a case by case issue: In Miami right now there are so many vacant luxury condos that owners will rent them out for a fraction of the cost of owning. But few places are so favored. Generally speaking, if you want the best home in the best neighborhood, you’re better off buying.
6. It offers some inflation protection. No, it’s not perfect. But studies by Professor Karl “Chip” Case (of Case-Shiller), and others, suggest that over the long-term housing has tended to beat inflation by a couple of percentage points a year. That’s valuable inflation insurance, especially if you’re young and raising a family and thinking about the next 30 or 40 years. In the recent past, inflation-protected government bonds, or TIPS, offered an easier form of inflation insurance. But yields there have plummeted of late. That also makes homeownership look a little better by contrast.
7. It’s risk capital. No, your home isn’t the stock market and you shouldn’t view it as the way to get rich. But if the economy does surprise us all and start booming, sooner or later real estate prices will head up again, too. One lesson from the last few years is that stocks are incredibly hard for most normal people to own in large quantities–for practical as well as psychological reasons. Equity in a home is another way of linking part of your portfolio to the long-term growth of the economy–if it happens–and still managing to sleep at night.
8. It’s forced savings. If you can rent an apartment for $2,000 month instead of buying one for $2,400 a month, renting may make sense. But will you save that $400 for your future? A lot of people won’t. Most, I dare say. Once again, you have to do your math, but the part of your mortgage payment that goes to principal repayment isn’t a cost. You’re just paying yourself by building equity. As a forced monthly saving, it’s a good discipline.
9. There is a lot to choose from. There is a glut of homes in most of the country. The National Association of Realtors puts the current inventory at around 4 million homes. That’s below last year’s peak, but well above typical levels, and enough for about a year’s worth of sales. More keeping coming onto the market, too, as the banks slowly unload their inventory of unsold properties. That means great choice, as well as great prices.
10. Sooner or later, the market will clear. Demand and supply will meet. The population is forecast to grow by more than 100 million people over the next 40 years. That means maybe 40 million new households looking for homes. Meanwhile, this housing glut will work itself out. Many of the homes will be bought. But many more will simply be destroyed–either deliberately, or by inaction. This is already happening. Even two years ago, when I toured the housing slumping western Florida, I saw bankrupt condo developments that were fast becoming derelict. And, finally, a lot of the “glut” simply won’t matter: It’s concentrated in a few areas, like Florida and Nevada. Unless you live there, the glut won’t have any long-term impact on housing supply in your town.
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