Down Payment Assistance Programs for Home Buyers

For buyers looking to buy a home but don’t have enough money saved up, down payment assistance programs are a great option.

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I’m here with market expert Brandon Colberg at Element Funding. Now is a great time to buy a home, and there are plenty of great programs out there to help you buy or refinance a home. 

Today, Brandon has some information about a 5% down payment assistance program for home buyers. 

Although there are many down payment assistance programs out there, the 5% down program is one of Brandon’s staples. If you are buying a $200,000 home, you can get almost $10,000 in down payment assistance. Now is a fantastic time to buy a home, so this is a great option for buyers who want to take advantage of the current real estate market but might not have enough money saved up to do so.

This program allows you to get into a new house with zero money down. The 5% down payment acts as a forgivable second mortgage. As long as you remain in the home for a certain amount of time, the 5% loan will be completely forgiven. You don’t have to make any payments and there is no interest rate; this program essentially gives you free money. You can get as much as $14,000 in down payment assistance. 

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This 5% down program essentially gives you free money to buy a home.

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If you are interested in this program, give Brandon a call at 704-999-6646 or email him at bcolberg@elementfunding.com. Brandon will let you know about any qualifications for this program and help you get into a new home. 

If you have any other real estate questions, just give me a call or send me an email. Brandon and I look forward to hearing from you!

There Are Great Programs Available for Home Buyers Right Now

Some first-time home buyers in North Carolina are taking advantage of a down payment assistance program that essentially gifts them $15,000 that they don’t have to pay back.

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It’s a great time to be a first-time home buyer right now. There are some excellent programs coming out right now via the North Carolina Housing and Finance Agency and I’ve got Brandon Colberg from Element Funding to help explain these programs in further detail. 

Starting in October, first-time buyers can get up to $15,000 in down payment assistance. This money can be used towards a down payment and/or closing costs. Many buyers will use this program to get a home for zero money down. It may sound too good to be true, but it isn’t. The only catch is you have to act quickly.

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The only catch is you have to act quickly.

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This program was around for a while last year but was limited to the first 1,500 people who were approved. In about four months, all the money was gone. This year, however, there are 3,000 spots available for this program. If you’ve been thinking about buying a home, the urgency is there to take advantage of this program if you qualify.

The program does have some stipulations. The biggest one is that it can only be used in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus Counties. These were the areas that were hit hardest by the recession, and the goal of this program is to help lift these areas back up. If you live in one of those counties, you should absolutely try and take advantage of this fantastic program. 

If you don’t live in either of those counties, don’t feel too bad. There are plenty of other down payment assistance programs out there for you to utilize.

We have had many clients take advantage of this program in the past, and we expect the trend to continue this year. This is a very rare opportunity for home buyers. You can walk into $15,000 in equity without having to put a dime in yourself. It’s quite remarkable.

If you have any questions for Brandon about these programs, give him a call at (704)-999-6646 or send him an email at bcolberg@elementfunding.com. If you have any other questions, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

How to Get a Forgivable $15,000 Down Payment Loan

I'm excited to share that the North Carolina Housing and Finance Authority is bringing back the very popular $15,000 down payment assistance loan. If you're interested, don't wait to learn more.

Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home search
Selling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price Evaluation 
Call me at (704)996-2613  for a FREE home buying or selling consultation

I received some information in regard to the North Carolina Housing and Finance Authority that I wanted to share with you.

They are bringing back the very popular $15,000 down payment assistance loan program.

This is awesome news for anyone who is potentially looking to buy a home. Why? They will give you up to $15,000 in the form of a loan that can be used for a number of things in the down payment process, and it's 100% forgivable after living in the house for five years.

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This $15,000 can be completely forgiven.

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I have some great loan officers that can explain it to you in a little more detail; there are some income requirements and you do have to have at least a 640 credit score.

If you're interested, you need to act right away. The program should come around in October and last year there were only 1,000 of these grants available. This year there will be 3,000 available.

You have to get in line because they are first come, first served.

For those of you thinking about selling your house, it's awesome news because there will be that many more people who will be qualified to buy your house. If you wait until after the holidays, you're going to be in the thick of a lot of competition because that's when the housing market heats up.

I can personally attest that this is an awesome program because I've helped several people buy a property this year with it. I've actually had people get money back at closing, which is rare.

This program is available in five counties, two of which I cover: Mecklenburg and Cabarrus.

If you're interested, give me a call or send me an email to learn more. You have to move fast, though, because more and more people are going to be interested in this program. I hope to hear from you soon!

How the Market Affects North Carolina Buyers & Sellers

Now is a good time to both buy and sell your home. Across the United States, the market is on fire. Fannie Mae recently released a National Housing Survey that found that 52% of Americans felt that now was an awesome time to sell their house. We’re now seeing home sellers getting more for their homes because of a lack of inventory.

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Now is a good time to both buy and sell.

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Selling the home is the first and most critical step of the buying-selling process. In today's market, 85% of sellers indicate that they will buy another house, so while they’re adding to the inventory, they’re also coming back around as competition when it comes time to buy again. One advantage they enjoy is that, having just sold a home, they have more money to put down and better credit than first-time buyers. A disadvantage are that they may still have a home to sell, and that’s not as appealing to other sellers who can consider buyers who don’t have to sell their previous home first.

As buying competition, homeowners are moving for a variety of different reasons. I’ve listed the most important as discovered recently by a survey done by the National Association of Realtors:

• Wanting a different neighborhood
• Needing a home with different features
• Wanting a bigger home
• Wanting a better location
• Needing to lower their cost of living

Sellers from the 35 to 44 year age range noted the desire to be in a different neighborhood or needing a bigger home as their primary motivations, while sellers ages 55 to 65 preferred homes with different features or a better location. The biggest factors (or barriers) in today’s market preventing all sellers from selling their home are time, the necessary changes that need to be made for the house, and finding a replacement home.

If you need help selling your home and buying your next one, please feel free to contact me by phone or email.

4 Things You Need to Know About Home Appraisals

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Most people don’t know much about the home appraisal process. Whether you are buying or selling a home, here are four quick points for you to consider:

1. How does an appraisal work? An appraisal is ordered by the bank and paid for by the buyer. The bank will order the appraisal because they want to know the home is actually worth the amount they are loaning the buyer.

2. Who does the appraisal? The bank orders the appraisal from a third party appraiser. The bank doesn’t want to work with someone who will be more favorable to the buyer or seller; they simply want an unbiased opinion on what the home is actually worth.

3. How does this process affect buyers? As the buyer, you want to make sure that the appraised value matches the amount they are offering for the property. If not, there is a problem. If the appraisal comes back short, you can walk away from the deal. If the appraised value is higher than what you are offering, you may either raise your offer or negotiate with the seller to come down. That can cause a little bit of contention, but that’s for your Realtor and the listing agent to deal with.

4. How does this affect the seller? As a seller, you believe that you have listed your home at the correct price. If there is a short appraisal and the buyer wants to lower their asking price, you have to negotiate with them. If the home appraises higher than you thought, the buyer might walk away if you ask for a higher price. Again, that is for your Realtor to handle. They will negotiate with the buyer’s agent. Maybe you will find a happy medium.

If you have any other questions about appraisals, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

Big O Limo Is More than a Car Service

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My wife and I recently attended a gala in Charlotte, and were in need of a car service to take us to and from the event. We came across Big O Limo, and could not have been happier with the results. It was easy to book the appointment, they arrived early, and the overall experience was wonderful. I wanted to invite Otis and Jeffrey to talk to us a little bit about their business and what they provide to the good people of Carolina.

Big O Limo & Chauffeur Services is a professional, point-to-point transportation service. They are certified (in both North and South Carolina), adamant about being on time, and have a fleet of different vehicles to accommodate their clients’ needs.

Whether you need a classic stretch limo, Hummer limo, party bus, or just a car to the airport, Big O Limo has what you need. They stress professionalism and customer service, and just celebrated five years of being in business.

They have transported important political figures, movie stars, and music legends. However, they treat every customer with the utmost respect, a statement that Otis and Jeffery echo.

To learn more about Big O Limo, visit their website here, where you can find all their social media accounts as well. You can also give them a call at 704-880-2737.

If you have any real estate questions for us, don’t hesitate to reach out. We would love to hear from you!

Does Zillow Really Know How Much Your Home Is Worth?

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If you’re thinking of selling your home, it is important to know how much your property is worth. Can you trust Zillow to give you an accurate home value?

The short answer is no. Zillow’s home values can be grossly overstated by 15% to 30%. Zillow uses a computer-generated algorithm that pulls recent sales in your area in and spits out a value. However, there are many factors in a home’s value that Zillow cannot take into account.

The best way to know your home value is to hire a local real estate agent. We can do a much more thorough analysis of your property. Zillow’s algorithm doesn’t know anything about your neighborhood, school distrcit, or what’s going on in your area like a local real estate agent would.

We can determine if your neighborhood is on the rise or if it’s declining. We know what new industries and businesses come into the area. We can actually see the inside of the home to determine the property’s condition. Sites like Zillow and Trulia cannot do that.

The bottom line is that you want to get the most money for your home. It is your largest asset. Do not trust that computer-generated algorithm. If you want to know what your property is really worth, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

Photos Are Essential to a Good First Impression

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It’s incredibly important to have great photos included on your property’s listing. Statistics reveal the vast majority of buyers start their home search online, so photography is the first impression for buyers. Before they decide to step foot inside your home, they’ll see the pictures!

That’s why you should make sure your photos are pristine and gorgeous. You should try to capture curb appeal within those pictures as well. Talk to your listing agent for their recommendations.

Stay away from grainy and dark photos, especially taken with a smartphone. Instead, your photos should have great resolution and excellent lighting. For instance, open the windows when you’re shooting, because that provides you with more natural lighting. Turn on the lights, but avoid overkill. Too much light can cause glares.

It’s all about the eye candy! I hope this gives you some insight on why pictures are so essential to a quality listing. You won’t get a second chance if you don't make a positive first impression.

If you have any questions about this topic or anything else related to real estate, you can reach me by phone or email. I’d be happy to talk!

What You Need to Know About Buying a Home in North Carolina

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Today’s question is from my friend, Courtney, and she wants to know what happens after her offer is accepted by a seller.

In North Carolina, your first step is to mail off your due diligence amount to the seller. Due diligence is a period of time when the home is not considered to be on the market, and this is when you make all the necessary inspections to the home.

You would also mail off the earnest money deposit to the buyer representative’s attorney’s office within five business days of the contract being signed. In South Carolina, there is no required due diligence period, but I recommend that everyone to get an inspection on their potential home. Your Realtor will most likely order inspections for you, and you’ll also have to get an appraisal done on your home.

During the appraisal period you’re going to negotiate with the seller over which repairs need to be done on the property in order to move the transaction forward. There might be a broken furnace, which is very expensive to replace, and figuring out who will pay for that could delay the transaction. This is typically when home sales fall apart, but we do our best to move forward whenever possible.

After everything is negotiated, you have a final walkthrough of the home. I recommend that people re-inspect their homes at this time, just to make sure that all of the repairs have been handled properly.

If everything goes well, then you are pretty much ready to move in. There are a few other steps that you’ll have to go through, but there are the most important by far.

Thanks for tuning in, and if you have any final questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me!