Home Resource Council

Know any Veterans?

In this day and age, that's almost a silly question -  literally everyone knows someone who is either serving or has recently served in our armed forces. What has that got to do with the Home Resource Council you might ask.  Simple I say, in this "new" economy that is neither kinder not gentler, with all of the other issues that we face we sometimes find it easy to ignore our returning heroes. Once again ( at least here in Virginia) we are enjoying a very robust real estate market.  Seller can afford to sell  and buyers are finding that good properties are not so easy to find (some would say that they are in short supply).  Mortgage rates continue to be...Continue Reading...

Hey – Play My Guy

I recently received the following from Laurie MacNaughton and had to pass it along.  Laurie is perhaps the most honest and compassionate specialist in senior housing that I have ever met.  She is one of those rare individuals who knows how to listen and puts her knowledge and skill to work when she answers questions.  While there are a number of actors and even a stray former US Senator or two talking about financing for our seniors, Laurie is the only one that I would trust if my parents were in need of advice.  Please read and after you have done so, your comments would be appreciated. Dear Adam, Recently I attended an event where the speaker, a D.C. attorney, led off...Continue Reading...

Tags: Finance, housing, housing crisis, mortgages, real estate, reverse mortgages, seniors, Virginia

LETS GET REAL, Thoughts on Health and Wellness in Loudoun

LETS GET REAL This time of the year everywhere you look you will see something about “New Year, New You,” followed by some gimmick that promises that you will look 10 years younger and 50 lbs lighter when that particular product or diet is followed. As you have already figured out, it doesn’t work. What does work takes time and effort. Less calories in, more energy out, eating all natural, not processed food, using natural products on your hair and body without toxic petroleum based chemicals. Our bodies are finely tuned machines and all that processed food, chemical laden beauty products like body lotions, skincare, hair care and makeup, clog up our systems. Food and ingredients from beauty products are all passed through the...Continue Reading...

Tags: Health, Leesburg, Loudoun, Organic, Skin Care, Virginia, Wellness

Potato Skins, Housing Trends, and Aging In America

The following was written by Laurie MacNaughton, a Reverse Mortgage Specialist with Middleburg Mortgage.  One of my clients recently did a "Reverse for Purchase" that allowed them to get into the home that they needed at a cost that they could afford.   Enjoy the story - Laurie is a very gifted writer! Charles, Jr. always preferred the name Chuck. But in his years as a scrappy street-fighter in Providence, Rhode Island, he was known as "Bull Dog." The aptness of that description I will leave unaddressed. Chuck was the only son of Charles, Sr. and Elizabeth, New England socialites who had come into fast money when Charles, Sr., a chemist, patented a durable fabric blend for Pullman sleeper cars. Wanting nothing...Continue Reading...

Ashburn Real Estate – Think you should wait?

ASHBURN REAL ESTATE? Think you should wait for the market to bottom out? That's a big question!  Here's another one:  What's more important:  Price or Monthly Payment? Most everyone that I speak with tells me that  the monthly payment is the most important consideration. Do you know how much of a difference even minor changes in the interest rate will make? It might surprise you!  Here is a link to a  chart that shows the difference  each quarter of a percent increase in the interest rate will have on a mortgage amount of $330,000. I chose the amount $330,000 because it reflects the average mortgage on median priced townhomes  in Ashburn. Interest Rate Chart Huh!   Half a percent increase in the mortgage interest...Continue Reading...

Tags: Market conditions

Deficiency Judgements and the High Income Homeowner / Investor

If you are unemployed, under employed, poor, broke, almost broke or without the financial resources to pay a deficiency judgement, short sales are not that difficult to do. However if you are employed, have a security clearance, are considered a  high income earner or have significant assets, the credit risks and possibility of a deficiency judgement most likely are keeping you locked in to your current situation.  It is almost enough to make you envy the poor!  What happens if you find that you need to move?  You know, a job change,  family changes, divorce, illness or any of the thousands of bad things that can happen to good people. Over the past year my team and I have encountered...Continue Reading...

Tags: delinquency judgements, deliquent mortages, Finance, foreclosure, housing crisis, real estate, short sale

How I lost $5,000.00 when Purchasing my First Home

I purchased my first home many years ago before I became a Real Estate Agent and made a very basic error which cost me $5,000.00 on an $185,000.00 purchase which was a 2.7% increase in what I paid for the Home. My wife and I used a personal friend of hers’ as an agent and did not sign a buyer agency agreement with her. There was no need as she was a personal friend and would take care of us. Not having taken any Real Estate courses I did not understand that the Real Estate Agent was working for the Seller unless a “Buyer Agency Form” had been signed by the Buyer and Agent. This form changes the representation...Continue Reading...

A Message of Hope or a Lesson Learned?

Hi Everyone, What follows is an email that I have been given permission to print on the condition that the author remains anonymous.  I can verify however that the story is true and accurate.  I have known the individuals who were involved for the past several years.  What I would like you, the reader to take away from this , is the fact that when you are willing to presservere in spite of the difficulties being presented, there is a chance that you will succeed.  Today's banks are becoming more interested in promoting short sales and providing work out solutions for homeowners who find themselves in trouble.  The problems often arise from the investors who hold the notes that the bank...Continue Reading...

Tags: deliquent mortages, Finance, foreclosure, housing crisis, real estate, short sale

Bad Odds! Did you know that 1 in 12 Seniors Can’t Afford to Retire? Read on…

Reverse Mortgage For A Graying America Laurie MacNaughton A couple years back my friend Robert took his first-born, Jessica, to college. Robert said the whole weekend Jessica walked a couple steps ahead of him, for fear someone would actually suspect she had PARENTS. Funny thing about life: we all have parents. And, though we haven't aged a day since high school, we do have to admit that last time we saw Mom and Dad they were looking a bit, well, older. And so were Aunt Nancy and Uncle Bill. And for that matter, so were Mr. and Mrs. Johnson next door. Fact is, we're living in a graying nation. And, fact is, only one in 12 - TWELVE! - have put by enough in...Continue Reading...

Do you think the rest of the world has a better opinion of US Real Estate than we do?

This came across my desk this morning from my favorite renovation lender, Judy Haller. Thought it was worth passing along to all my readers" Thanks Judy. International Buyers 2011 International homebuyers — those with permanent residences outside the U.S., recent immigrants and temporary visa holders — are snapping up homes and condos in the U.S. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), they increased their purchase of U.S. residential property from $66 billion in 2010 to $82 billion in 2011, a 24% increase in just one year. Fueling international investors is their sense that U.S. home prices are a bargain. A favorable currency rate is also working to their advantage. The value of the dollar has fallen against most foreign...Continue Reading...