Thursday, May 27, 2010

Tulsa named best place to live in the U.S. OKC #10

The secret is out. Relocate America has declared Tulsa the No. 1 place to live in America.

Relocate America's TOP 100 Places To Live! list is compiled using data regarding local economy, housing, education, employment, crime, parks and recreation, and other statistics used to make home-buying decisions.

Communities around the country are nominated by residents, and information is submitted about neighborhoods, the city's beauty, the quality of schools, recreational activities and economic growth. The TOP 100 Places to Live! list is published annually.

“This ranking corroborates exactly what the Chamber uses to sell the Tulsa region 365 days of the year,” said Mike Neal, president and CEO. “We are faring much better during the national recession than many of our peer cities because of our diversified industries, quality of life and cost of living.”

Tulsa has also been identified as the fifth best city in the nation to ride out the recession, according to Forbes.com.

"We have one of the strongest real estate markets in the country, and Tulsa is experiencing job growth other cities are not during this national recession," said Bob Ball, economist for the Chamber. "Additionally, our cost of living is 11.5 percent below the national average. When you consider all of this quality of life data, Tulsa is an attractive community to both businesses and relocating families."

To view the Top 100 Places to Live!, visit RelocateAmerica.com.

Top 10 Places to Live

Tulsa, Okla.
Dallas-Ft. Worth Texas
Pittsburgh, Penn.
Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
Huntsville, Ala.
Houston, Texas
Albuquerque, N.M.
Lexington, Ky.
Little Rock, Ark.
Oklahoma City, Okla.
http://ww3.tulsachamber.com/news.asp?id=327&newsid=405
HTTP://WWW.ZFGMORTGAGE.COM

Saturday, May 22, 2010

100% USDA MORTGAGE UPDATE

OKLAHOMA 100% USDA GUARANTEED RURAL HOME LOAN

Designed as a resource for low to moderate income homeowners in rural communities, the USDA Guaranteed Rural Home Loan has helped many Oklahoma families obtain financing for homes not only in rural areas, but also in cities such as Owasso, Bixby, Glenpool, Coweta, Catoosa, Wagoner, Parts of Broken Arrow, Norman, Noble, and Jenks including many other Oklahoma cities.

While the USDA has guaranteed this loan, the money actually comes from traditional lenders like Golf Savings Bank. We underwrite the loan based on USDA guidelines and then sell it on the secondary market, just like a traditional loan.

One of the most attractive characteristics of the USDA Guaranteed Rural Home Loan is that it is one of the last home loans with 100% financing. I have helped many home owners get into a home with no money down. In fact, they usually are able to get their Earnest Money back as well.

The program also allows for 6% Seller Concessions to help cover the cost of the Buyers Closing Costs. Rates are very competitive with conforming and FHA loans, and there is no monthly mortgage insurance payment.

The two main qualifiers of the USDA Guaranteed Rural Home Loan program are:

The Property must be within a qualified area. This is easy to determine based on a USDA online map on our website http://www.zfgmortgage.com.
The Adjusted Household Income must not make exceed the published income levels for the area. This takes a little more work as it is unique to the USDA.
The loan is undergoing some changes right now. Traditionally, the USDA will provide financing up to 102% of the appraised value of the home. This covers the 2% Guarantee Fee that is mandated by Congress to help repay the cost of this program. Historically, this program runs out of money every year and then is funded again by Congress. Over the last 2 years, the program has exhausted its funds in the Spring. Last year it was quickly funded, this year, not so. The program is currently out of funds and is awaiting Congressional funding.

There is a Bill before Congress to make the USDA Guaranteed Rural Home Loan self-funding. This will enable the program to continue to exist without the need for Congress to continually allocate for funds. The Rural Housing Preservation and Stabilization Act increases the maximum loan guarantee fee that USDA’s Rural Housing Service has authority to charge for new housing purchases from 2.0 to 3.5 percent and allows an annual fee of not more than 0.5 percent per year on the balance of the loan. This will result in a nominal increased monthly payment of around $8 per $100,000 at 5% Interest Rate.

A modified version of the Rural Housing Preservation and Stabilization Act has been added to H.R. 4899, the Disaster Relief and Summer Jobs Act of 2010 and will hopefully be voted on soon.

We are still accepting applications based on the 3.5% Guarantee Fee, underwriting them and then putting them in suspense until the USDA gives us further direction.

If you need to close soon, I suggest using an FHA or conforming loan. If you have the luxury of waiting a few more weeks or months, than this is still the best loan on the market if you don’t have 20% down payment and you and your property qualify.

Apply online Today http://www.zfgmortgage.com

Friday, May 21, 2010

Monday, May 3, 2010

Homebuyer Tax credit extended for active duty military

Tax credit extended for active duty military U.S. servicemen out of the country for 90 days (since 2008) may have an extra year to get the tax credit, up to $8,000, for buying a home.

The active-duty rule is not new. It’s part of the current tax credit law, though its use is limited. The qualification must be for “official extended duty outside the United States for at least 90 days after 2008 and before May 1, 2010.”

Should that be the case, however, the homebuyer has an extra year to buy a home. He or she has until April 30, 2011, to secure a binding contract, and until June 30, 2011 to close on the home. Other conditions such as a maximum $8,000 for first-time buyers and $6,500 for move-up buyers still apply.

http://www.zfgmortgage.com