Posted in Credit Score

5 Reasons You Need to Improve Your Credit As A Local Real Estate Expert

If you’re looking to purchase a property or secure financing for your dreams, then improving your credit score is key. As a local real estate expert, I have seen the positive impact that credit improvement can make in giving individuals access to better mortgage rates and loan terms. Here are five reasons why it’s important for you to improve your credit before pursuing a home purchase.

Lower Interest Rates: One of the biggest benefits of improving your credit is that it can lower the interest rate on your loan. When lenders look at potential borrowers, they take into account their credit scores when setting their interest rates. The higher your score, the lower the interest rate you can expect on the loan – and this can result in substantial savings over time!

More Home Buying Options: Improving your credit will also open up more options for you when it comes time to buy a house or condo. If you have bad credit, many lenders may be unwilling to provide financing or may require higher down payment percentages than if you had a better credit score. Having a good rating puts more homes within reach and greatly increases opportunities for homeownership – something every person deserves!

Easier Debt Management: Good credit helps not only during the home buying process but after as well. Having high enough scores gives access to more attractive debt management options like balance transfers and debt consolidation loans which help reduce monthly payments significantly while paying off debt faster with more favorable terms than default repayment plans. This can help relieve stress and give peace of mind knowing that there’s an easier way to pay back debt without sacrificing personal financial security in order to do so.

Increased Access To Other Loans: Not only does having good ratings open up home buying possibilities but it also grants access to other types of financing such as car loans or personal loans with much lower interest rates compared to what subprime borrowers typically experience due to their poor scores! With regularly scheduled payments, these can easily be managed and paid off quickly – leading towards increased financial success long-term and asset building sooner rather than later!

Higher Credit Card Limits: As noted above, one benefit of improving one’s rating is being able to apply for more attractive cards with higher limits which allow consumers greater freedom in making purchases while avoiding excessive fees associated with maxing out their cards each month – something especially important during times of economic hardship where every penny counts! And because these are revolving lines of credit, regularly utilized ones lead towards even further improvements in a consumer’s score over time – meaning more opportunities down the road!

Credit improvement isn’t just about getting better rates on mortgage loans; it’s about opening doors that otherwise would remain closed due to having weak ratings in the first place! Whether wanting improved debt management options or greater financial freedom overall, taking action towards improving one’s rating should be seen as an investment into both short-term stability and long-term success – all through simple steps such as checking reports regularly, disputing errors promptly, making timely payments consistently and focusing on reducing existing balances whenever possible!

Posted in Best Time to Sell, Buying Homes, Real Estate Bay Midland Saginaw, Selling Homes

Best Time to Sell? Is it too late?

Spring, Spring, Spring!!! That’s what people think about when you mention the best time to sell real estate. Is it true? If you’re thinking about putting your home on the market, should you wait til spring? Well, my response to people in the past has always been that if April is the month with the highest number of closings, then people are obviously looking in February and putting offers in during March in order to close in April or May. I’ve looked at our Mid-Michigan stats before, but I thought recently that I’d study them a bit closer in regard to when people are most likely to buy. The truth is – it’s not Spring! At least not here in the Great Lakes Bay Region.

According to the closing stats, each of our three counties vary slightly. Midland County has a highest number of closings in June, with May & August tied in second and September coming in slightly after them. Saginaw County #1 closing month is August, with June being second and September & May being tied for third.  Bay county is almost the same as Saginaw, with August being 1st, May being 2nd and June & September tie for 3rd.

The biggest margin between the 1st and 4th most popular month is only 9 sales. So, in reality there are several great months to sell. Tis true that January is markedly the slowest month in all three counties, but things still sell. So what would my advice be to sellers? Get it on the market now! You can’t sell a house that’s not on the market. Your biggest asset is going to be your agent and their marketing plan, not the month. And for buyers, go on out and keep looking. Inventory is good. Been listing like hotcakes. Truth is; whenever you’re ready to buy or sell – that’s the BEST time to do it!

Remember, if you’d like a free market analysis I’m only a call/text/email away. And if you’re ready to find your next perfect home – same applies to you! 🙂 I would love to assist you.

Until next week – Monique, Your Real Estate Matchmaker; Connecting buyers and sellers for a perfect match.

Posted in bay city, midland, real estate, saginaw

Answering My Biggest Question: How’s the market??

It never fails when I meet someone new, the word Realtor pops up, the same question pops out! “How’s the market?” Everyone seems to want to know – whether they’re 25 or 75 the real estate market has an impact on their lives. Maybe they’re thinking of buying, or most likely they want to know if they have positive equity in their home and what it might be. I remember reading an article a few years back that stated some staggering statistic that 85% of people between the ages of 30-55 who’d bought a home in the last ten years were upside down in their mortgage. That’s pretty crazy! So I guess the How’s the Market question is pretty important. Let’s see what my experience and statistics are saying about the Mid-Michigan Area.

Mid-Michigan is made up of three counties, and they vary pretty drastically so I’ll address them separately. Saginaw County is where I reside, but I’m a member of all three area boards.  Of Bay, Midland, and Saginaw, we definitely hold the reputation for the lowest priced homes here in Saginaw. You can find all kinds of properties in the City limits for under $20,000; 127 to be exact. But what did surprise me is that statistically, Saginaw’s mean average has recovered a lot more than Bay County since the crash in home values back in 2008-2009. The average Saginaw County home back in 2005 was $107,073 and it fell to an average low in 2008 of just $64,143- a 40% drop. Keep in mind, that is an average for the county, which holds some “shining stars” as far as real estate prices are concerned, like Frankenmuth and Freeland. The average in the city of Saginaw at that time was around $13,000! The good news is that after the initial two years of prices in the depths of despair, we are crawling up and out! We rounded out 2014 with an average sales price of $91,985. That’s some good progress. The question is not just about sales price however, but about number of transactions. The last two years, 2013-2014 showed less homes sold than did 2012. So, we are finding that transaction #’s are down slightly, but sales volume is up. This is great news for people who are waiting to sell their home. Just in case you’re wondering the best months to sell in Saginaw are April-August, with August actually being number one in transactions – which busts the bubble of believers who think spring is the only good time in real estate. That means it is time to get your home on the market.

Statistics aside, I can tell you this: I have sold more real estate in the 1st quarter 2015 than I did annually 2009-2012! Granted I’ve been really working to grow my business, but I’m hearing it from lots of agents; “I’m crazy busy! The phones are ringing!”. I am excited to see what our stats show for 1st quarter when they come out next week.  Reality is, things are selling and prices are slowly rising, and our inventory is low. Good, nice, clean homes of all price ranges are in short supply. It’s a great time to sell and it’s a great time to buy. Interest rates are low, there are a lot of lending options, and I know of a really great agent who’s looking for both buyers and sellers!

I’ll share soon about Midland and Bay Counties. If you would like more specific market information for your location, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I have breakdowns for every township – some rebounding swiftly, others a bit more slowly. Regardless of where you’re at though, if you’ve a home to sell; it can be sold using great marketing and implementing tips about what’s most important to buyers.

Have a great day! (Despite the crazy snow we can’t seem to shake even toward the end of April!)