Day: February 4, 2014

Your Tucson Real Estate Agent Discusses Obtaining a Down Payment

One of the first questions your Tucson real estate agent will ask you is how much money you are planning to bring to the home purchase. There are many advantages to bringing a down payment when purchasing a home. It can give you instant equity in the home and can help you afford a higher priced home as well. The problem is that many buyers, especially first-time home buyers, do not have the traditional 20 percent down. The good news is that there are many options to help you secure a down payment so that you won’t only be looking for a home with your Tucson real estate agent, but you will actually be able to by one as well.
One of the first things that you can consider is the type of loan that you are applying for. There are loans that do not require lenders to have a down payment. Many times these loans are specialized such as a VA loan for veterans and active military, first-time home buyer deductions, or rural development loans if country living is up your alley. Your Tucson real estate agent can help you know if there are houses that would fall under specific loan deductions as well.
If you do not qualify for any of these specific loans, your Tucson real estate agent has found that talking to family or friends for help with the initial down payment can be effective. Any amount of down payment that you can bring will serve as a negotiation tool for your Tucson real estate agent and can bring you closer to loan approval.
Your Tucson real estate agent will often find that people are using money saved through employee benefits can sometimes be used for a home purchase. Some employers offer benefits to employees that can be taken out and repaid over a period of time. Before you choose this route for a down payment, always explore the taxes that you will be responsible for and any penalties that can be incurred.

Does Your Realtor Know Wells Fargo’s Short Sale Process?

The reason I wanted to talk to you today was because if you have a Wells Fargo mortgage or an ASC Loan Servicing mortgage, really they are one in the same company, I would like to tell you that Wells Fargo is a company that we’ve assisted numerous times. We have helped an abundance of homeowners successfully complete short sales; we are incredibly familiar with their systems and processes, so much that they have provided us with all of the forms that are necessary to complete a short sale with them. If you have a Wells Fargo or ASC mortgage and you are considering doing a short sale, please contact us. The reason being that if you hire a real estate agent that has never worked with Wells Fargo before or isn’t that comfortable or familiar with their short sale process, the success rate of your short sale can go way down. I can tell you one thing, Wells Fargo is a great company to work with on short sales provided you know how they do business. They are not going to change the way they do business just for one particular short sale so they expect real estate agents to know how to follow their processes. We know how to work with them and give you the results you want.

Please pick up the phone and give us a call or fill out the short sale request form on our website and we will be in touch with you soon. If you have any additional questions regarding completing a short sale with them, or any other lender, please don’t hesitate to browse our website further or contact us with any questions. We have years of experience with all lenders and loan types and we are here to put our education and experience to work for you.

About Shawn Polston

Shawn has been a Realtor since 2006. Prior to becoming an agent Shawn and his wife were active real estate investors. Shawn takes his education seriously; he’s taken over 200 hours of continuing education classes, to keep up-to-date on current laws and trends. Shawn is a member of the Arizona Association of Realtors Master of Real Estate Society and a Graduate of the Realtor Institute. He is also a HAFA certified Short Sales and Foreclosure Specialist in addition to being a National Association of Realtors Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource.