Category: General Info

Successful Open House In many markets a well prepared open house can attract buyers as well as realtors that could bring buyers and a hopefully a closed sale. A successful open house is more than having a clean house, some flyers, and a sign.  This article will provide you with suggestions to give you a successful open house. […]

There are some great resources to avoid foreclosure now which include the NC Foreclosure Prevention Fund, the Hope Hotline, and the VA Compromise Sale program. So if you are facing foreclosure, there is help.  The first thing to do is realize that this happens to a lot of homeowners and don’t be afraid to ask for […]

Fairly often we receive questions about FHA heat source requirements.  So recently we received one of the more popular questions from a real estate agent.  “Does a wood burning stove meet the FHA heat source requirements?”  Basically, can a buyer use an FHA loan to purchase a home where the sole source of heat is a wood […]

UNCW continues to rack up the awards lately and is growing in popularity. The University of North Carolina at Wilmington was once again named one of the best Southeastern schools.  The award was given by the Princeton Review.   Other recent awards include: 2015-2016 College of Distinction by Colleges of Distinction 30 Most Beautiful Coastal […]

How to Use the SC Property Tax Exemption Veterans have sacrificed to defend our country and freedom.  First of all, disabled Veterans with VA eligibility are exempt from the VA funding fee.  But in addition, there is the SC property tax exemption.  No property taxes!! Who qualifies for the SC Property Tax Exemption? South Carolina is very […]

Coastal NC VA Loans – Jacksonville, Hampstead, & Wilmington Living at the beach, on the waterway, or in coastal neighborhoods is a reality with a VA home loan.  Many of our VA home mortgages are concentrated in wonderful coastal areas.  First of all, Jacksonville, NC is home to the Camp Lejeune Marine Base and the New River Air Station.  Then, historic […]

USDA Property Eligibility We receive lots of questions daily.  A popular one is “how do I tell if a property is USDA eligible?”.  Whether you are a buyer, seller, or realtor, you should use this site.   USDA is a great opportunity for a buyer to get affordable, no money down financing.  Actually because of a recent […]

Are you considering a purchase in Myrtle Beach, Conway, Loris, or Little River?  Well, Horry County tax rates are based on the type of occupancy.  The SC property tax rates are higher for farms and properties not used as a primary residence.  These property types are taxed at a rate of 6%.  Yet an owner occupied home […]

Student loans play a big role in people’s finances nowadays.  It is certainly true with mortgage loan approvals as well. CNN Money reported in an article that the average student loan debt for the class of 2012 is $29,400! Read the article here.  Student loan payments are typically included in calculating a borrower’s debt to income ratio.  […]

Many self-employed business owners today are faced with two dreaded phrases from a mortgage lender.  “Your debt ratio is too high”.  The other is “You don’t report enough income on your tax returns”.  Now, if a borrower reports no income or reports losses on the tax return as self-employed, options are limited.  But there are a lot […]

Owning a business has lots of advantages, but one of them is usually not easily qualifying for a mortgage.  Obtaining a self employed home loan requires more documentation than a salaried employee.  But with knowledge and some preparation, qualifying for a mortgage is easier for business owners. Self Employed Home Loan Documentation Lenders are not […]

You know what you are thinking about during the whole purchase and mortgage process. When do I get the keys to my house?! Of course, buyers want the keys ASAP. Conversely, the sellers want to make sure everything is recorded first. But, for a buyer it is very important to know what needs to happen […]

Did you know that a retired borrower can use a new distribution of income from a retirement account as qualifying income for a mortgage loan as long as the income from the asset should continue for at least 3 years?  Sometimes a buyer may not have enough social security or pension to qualify for a […]

Low down payment jumbo loans Jumbo mortgage loans over recent years have been more conservative than other loans.  Although we have some low down payment solutions for today’s luxury home buyer. The improvement in the US economy has really helped increase the number of sales of the higher priced luxury homes. For single family primary […]

Not every service member or Veteran has perfect credit or an 800 credit score.  Actually a very small percentage of Americans achieve this score.  Luckily VA loans are reasonably forgiving when it comes to credit scoring.  Therefore this flexibility along with the ability to buy a home with no money down makes VA a great financing option.  […]

A little known number near the back of a borrower’s business tax returns that can cause a huge issue with a mortgage loan approval is “mortgages, notes, and bonds due in less than one year”.  This figure, which is found on the corporation’s balance sheet, must be deducted from the corporation’s after-tax income since it […]

We see this misunderstanding of condo versus townhome more than any other property types as a lot of listings will call the property a condo/townhome and there is no such thing. Understanding this difference  between a condo and a townhouse is very important for buyers, sellers, and their agents! Condo characteristics: The owner owns only the […]

Columbus County is the 3rd largest county in the state of North Carolina.  Also it’s largest town and county seat is Whiteville, NC.  So if looking to buy here, you should look up the Columbus County property tax rates.  In addition to knowing the actual taxes, often the taxes are included in the mortgage payment.  Therefore knowing the taxes will […]