VA Mortgages Celebrate 75 Years

Since being signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the VA loan program has assisted GI’s with 24 million home loans. This fantastic military benefit was created back in 1944. The National Association of Realtors continues to lobby on behalf of veterans for improved access to the VA home mortgage program.

Down Payment Assistance Programs

More and more home buyers are taking advantage of government down payment programs to buy their first home.  Across the nation there are a whopping 2,500 government assistance programs.  And the number of home buyers using these programs has doubled in the past ten years. 

But will these programs remain available?  FHA has continued to tighten guidelines imperiling access to home buyers.  In our area, the CHFA program is a great option.  Read about it now.

Fed Meeting And Mortgage Rates

Home mortgage rates in general remain fantastic. My 2 cents? The uncertainty created by the current politics of America. Are we about to go to war with Iran? Will we place tariffs on Mexico?

The job report numbers last week suggest the US Labor market is losing steam. This sort of disappointing economic news can be a boon for home buyers with better home mortgage rates. Benjamin Adams with Northpoint tells me applications surged last week by a whopping 28.6%. That’s a big week.

My own experience is watching first time home buyer clients Dustin and Jordan lock in at 3.8% for a thirty year fixed mortgage. There are great opportunities out there for clients.

Starbucks Adds Real Estate Value

Believe it or not, a national study shows that the opening of a Starbucks leads to a half point value increase for residential real estate in the neighborhood.  How come? Its a sign of gentrification. 

Home Energy Savings

Colorado will reward you for making energy efficient improvements to your property.  There are currently 131 policies, programs and credit opportunities in our state.  This is four times as many compared with neighboring states Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska, Utah – you get the idea.

Consider an energy audit to improve your home’s efficiency because this will also reduce your utility bills.  Big items – such as having a correctly sized A/C unit make an impact. But small changes can be even more impactful.

Switch from incandescent bulbs to LED lighting and then watch savings of 85% add up each month!  Utilize power strips and programmable thermostats.  Tape/insulate air ducts to minimize heating and cooling loss.  Look up programs for your state on the database of State incentives for renewables and efficiency. 

Clean Air

If you are concerned about your indoor air quality, consider adding HRV, ERV or the mother of all air cleaning systems, the Zehnder whole-house ventilation system.  These options are designed to pull bad air out of our living spaces and improve the health quality of our houses.  Of course, you could also just open some windows to let in some fresh air.