It’s a Generational Thing

According to NAR 2017 Home Buyer and Seller Trends Report, 92% of millennials used a real estate agent to buy a home.  Even with information at your fingertips through websites, apps and social media, Realtors are still a very important part of the home buying and selling process.  Utilize their resources and expertise to navigate the ins and outs of an often complicated process.  Find an Alta agent in your area.

The study also found that sixty-six percent of recent buyers were married couples, 17 percent were single females, seven percent were single males, and eight percent were unmarried couples.

Eleven percent of home buyers purchased a multi-generational home to take care of aging parents, for cost savings, and because children over the age of 18 are moving back. One in five home buyers aged 52 to 61 purchased a multi-generational home.

Read the full report.

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Creative Ways to Organize Kids Stuff

Any parent knows that kids create messes like it’s their job.  Organizing doesn’t have to mean endless plastic bins and shelves.  Here are a few creative ways to keep their stuff off the floor.

Display Dress-Up Clothes

Instead of stuffing all of their dress-up clothes into plastic bins, put them on display! A classic coat rack, peg hooks or a small garment rack allow for easy access and a cute play space.  Find step-by-step instructions for this DIY rack at LayBabyLay.

Courtesy of LayBabyLay

Hide it under the bed

The space under the bed is commonly used for storage, but is it easily accessible for your kids?  Without becoming a mess?  Eat Pray Create created Lego storage drawers for her son.  These are perfect for any and all small toys, like ponies, robots or trains.

Courtesy of Eat Pray Create

How about all those stuffed animals?

I don’t know about you, but I’m not really into buying stuffed animals for my kids. How is it that they still seem to multiply.  Exponentially!  There are tons of ways to store these, but have you seen anything like this?  A zoo!

Little Zoo Keepers

Get creative and incorporate your organization into the decor.

Join Team Alta

Alta Listings = Agent Lead Flow

Our partnership with multiple clients provides Alta agents with a built-in portfolio of listings.  We not only provide an opportunity for steady lead flow, but also give you the tools and support to leverage these assets and build your business.

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Our partnership with a growing network of specialized clients offers our agents with various lead flow opportunities.

Our regular training seminars give agents an opportunity to learn the Alta perspective on the REO business.

Minimize typical out of pocket expenses by opting to use our in-house utility reimbursement department.

 We provide a systematic marketing plan to leverage each asset into more leads and in turn, grow your business.

 

 

How Much House Do You Really Need?

It might be tough for some to grasp and obvious to others, but you really should only buy as much house as you need.  Americans have been doing anything but!  This could be for social status, personal pride of accomplishment or you really just like large homes.

Here are a few quick reasons why buying a bigger home can be a problem.

Taking on larger debt then necessary.  It is so common these days to live paycheck to paycheck.  You may feel that you can truly afford the larger home, but you could also be saving more.

Bigger homes raise expenses, like property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, heating and cooling bills, maintenance and repairs.  It’s easy to figure the mortgage into your budget, but don’t forget – the more house you buy, the greater the daily expenses across the board.

Bigger homes could suffer a large drop in price based on changes in the market.  Changes in the market can happen at any time.  The more you spend, the more you have to lose.

So, how much home do you really need?  Sit down and think about how many rooms you will really put to use.  You may be surprised.

Looking for a deal? Check out these properties.

Not convinced?  Still want that dream home?  Take a look at our Summit Collection.

Great Reasons to Buy a Home

It’s that time of the year… tax season!  Or it was.  If you haven’t gotten them in yet- well, you’re late.  But I’m sure you have and if you’re a home owner, you had a great tax advantage.  Since both mortgage interest and property taxes are tax deductible, owning your home can save you a significant amount of money each year.  According to National Association of Realtors, home owners saved an average of $2,173 in 2014 due to the mortgage interest deduction.

Why else should you buy?

Hello! It’s a Smart Investment
When you invest in a home, it offers the possibility for appreciation in value.  The equity is all yours!

Planned Housing Costs
You decide how much you spend on your home, including repairs and improvements.  Unlike renters, homeowners with a fixed loan can lock in their monthly housing costs.

Freedom to Make Modifications
Paint or renovation, you can choose to do whatever you want – without permission!

Questions about home ownership?  Ask an Agent.

Home Buying: Don’t Give Up the Good Stuff

Home browsing can be a lot of fun.  I love looking at homes that have been completely renovated with the latest upgrades, in the best neighborhoods and usually a bit out of my budget.  Actually sitting down to sort out what you can afford is a lot less fun.  A little reality check doesn’t mean you can’t buy your dream home, but it does often narrow the options.  In my case, by a lot.

The mortgage you can afford depends on many factors.  Annual income, down payment and interest rate are a good place to start.  My list also includes regular Starbucks runs and Target trips gone wrong.  You may have little league or music lessons to keep in mind.  Everyone’s circumstances are unique, but a mortgage calculator is a great place to start. Figure out what you think you can afford before the banks tell you what they think.  You know better.  Their forms don’t typically include a coffee, wine or sale on your favorite jeans section.  If you don’t want to give up your little luxuries, budget them in.

A well rounded budget should looking something like this:

Income (take-home)

Loans/Debt

Mortgage (Target Mortgage of Your New Home) // Credit Card // Car Loan // Student Loan // Utilities // Gas/Electic // Phone // Internet // TV // Water/Sewer

Insurance Premiums

Life // Auto // Home // Health

Savings and Investments

Emergency Fund // College Savings // Retirement

Miscellaneous

Groceries // Child Care // Vacation // Entertainment (movies, dining out, etc.) // Clothing // Gas // Commuting (parking, etc.) // Charitable Contributions // Out-of-Pocket Medical Expenses // Your Version of Target Gone Wrong

Once you’ve narrowed down your budget, take a look at our Mortgage Qualifier.  This will give you a good visual of how your monthly payment breaks down and will help you set the parameters of how much you can afford.

Next step, set up a personalized search.  Don’t waste time searching for new listings every day.  Have them sent directly to your inbox!  Still not sure exactly where you want to purchase? Setup and save multiple searches.  Save your favorite homes to visit with your Alta Agent.

 

How much do you love your pet?

People love their pets.  Animals are often treated as part of the family, so of course they are considered during the home buying process.  With the popularity of pets across the country, NAR decided to do a study on how animals impact home sales from both the buying and selling side.  The following infographic depicts the highlights; find the full report on their site.

 

Meet Temple View Capital

Temple View Capital, is a private investment company created, in response to a restrictive credit market environment, to provide non-traditional, alternative loan products to real estate investors.  Temple View Capital utilizes long-term partnerships with real estate investors, borrowers, servicers and real estate professionals to develop optimal financing solutions for residential investment property acquisition, bridge loans, short-term credit resolutions, or emergency refinance funds.
As the markets shift so does Temple View to deliver the products and services their clients need. Our management team is comprised of executives who have previously held high-level positions in a variety of industry firms including advisory, investment banking, real estate law and national mortgage lending.

Our lending model is based on detailed knowledge of the residential real estate and credit markets, distressed asset management, REO/rental management and real estate law.  Contact us to inquire about our current investment opportunities.

For more info on hard money lending, check out their site.

A Note on Darren Samsel

Greetings!

My husband Robert and I closed on our first home last week and moved into the home on Saturday. This is a dream come true and we could not be more grateful, this also all would not have been possible without our incredible realtor, Darren Samsel. From our first conversation with Darren, he presented himself as a seasoned realtor with patience, kindness and a great sense of humor. He stood by our side every step of the way using his expertise to correspond with the seller, Home Owners Association and our mortgage company.

This was a short sale and we choose the route of a Veteran’s loan; Darren never ceased to have answers with the obstacles that we faced. When we came upon an issue with radon, he took care of the issue by corresponding with the appropriate parties and educated us as to the proper steps to take. When we were waiting on a document from our Home Association, he expedited the process by keeping in constant contact with both the HOA and Mortgage Company to assure that the proper documentation was provided.

There are not enough positive words that my husband, family and I can say to describe how truly grateful we are that Darren was placed in our life. He is literally our real estate angel and went so above and beyond anything that we could have ever imagined; he was truly our rock throughout the entire home buying process.

For anyone in the home buying season, purchasing a home will undoubtedly present stress and challenges, but with Darren by your side, you will be in secure hands no matter what they may be.

Best Regards,

Robert + Kristina Lee Dobrick

Congratulations on 2016 Industry Awards

We have many amazing agents at Alta Realty, but a few have really shined in 2016.  Congratulations to the following agents who have received industry awards this past year.

David Liggan	NRBA Director’s Award
Rochelle Jones	NRBA Most Influential Member
	Progress Residential Top Producing Agent
Roger Stein	GLVAR Dedication to Professionalism
Jewel Wrenn	SMAR Gold Award for Individual Units Sold