The Moeller Team Blog

While we have always been extremely good about keeping our listings updated with agent information, one simple practice we recently implemented has saved us countless hours. More importantly, we have saved other agents the same amount of time in unnecessary calls, emails and frustration. Every mo...

Rent vs. Buy Calculator ... an invaluable tool (edit/delete) I hope the best thing that comes out of the mortgage mess is that only people who can afford a house, buy a house. The rest of the population needs to wait until they rebuild their credit, increase their income and save some money, not ...

That's right, calling a Realtor can cost you tens of thousand of dollars. And I'm not talking about the commission. I'm talking about the tax implications. A Realtor's job is to help you buy and sell real estate, not to advise you on the right tax strategy. Unless you are an expert in real estate...

If you've been putting off your taxes or still gathering information to prepare them accurately, today is the day to file or extend. Just remember, if you request an extension, you MUST mail a check for your estimated tax balance. Many people are confused by extensions. The IRS only grants extens...

We received an email inquiry yesterday from a homeowner facing foreclosure. He was approached by an investor offering to buy his home for well below market value and negotiate his short sale for him. Because the sale date was approaching quickly, he insisted on an immediate response. Do not act f...

Have you been looking at homes and avoiding short sales? Or perhaps, you've pursued a short sale, only to get beat out by another buyer's offer? Or maybe, your offer was submitted and for some reason the short sale did not get approved or the seller backed out? We had a seller declare bankruptcy ...

I'm not a big fan of daylight savings time. It's one thing I miss about living in Arizona when I was a kid - no daylight savings time. My internal clock just has a tough time with the adjustment. However, like many things that annoy us, there is a good use. Since it happens twice a year, it's a g...

Fannie Mae is offering a 3.5% incentive for buyers who purchase and close on a Fannie Mae property before April 30, 2010. The incentive covers: Closing costs The purchase of new Whirlpool appliances by Fannie Mae Or a combination of both To be eligible for the incentive: The property must close b...

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced changes to help improve the ratio of trail loan modifications to successful permanent modifications. These changes are supposed to take effect June 1. Here's why the current process makes no sense: Under previous guidelines,...

Our partners at Bank of America provided this update on FHA Loans: Effective for loans with case numbers assigned after April 5, 2010, FHA will collect an up-front MIP (mortgage insurance premium) of 2.25% (up from the current 1.75%).  While this increase is certainly not good news, the financial...