Scott J. Lee's (sjl) Blog

If you have the time and don't want or need to move into a new home immediately or just want a home that is customized to yuor personal tastes and style, consider new construction when house shopping. In most communities you have a good selection of neighborhoods, lots, builders and home plans fo...

There are several trails in Fort Collins that are maintained year round where you can hike, bike, skate, walk or run. Most of them connect and several have great scenery that makes you forget you are in the middle of a thriving city. Here's a short guide to the trail system; maps are available at...

Real Estate Investors BEWARE!   There is a new guideline implemented by Fannie Mae to restrict investors from purchasing a Fannie Mae REO (Real Estate Owned) and turning around and selling it for a profit (flip).   Fannie Mae has begun requiring agents who market its REO properties to include pro...

You've heard all the hype about why now is the time to buy a home; besides the $8,000 tax credit for first time home buyers and AMAZINGLY low interest rates there are other reasons why it makes good financial sense to buy now. Why pay someone else's mortgage when you can put your hard earned mone...

Save on Your Property Tax Assessment; Seniors & Veterans May Get Exemption Colorado property tax law requires reappraisals of residential properties every two years. For the 2009 reappraisal, property is valued according to the real estate market as it was on June 30, 2008. What makes this apprai...

  Effective May 1, 2009 there will be new standards in place regarding home appraisals under the Home Valuation Code of Conduct. Here are some of the important points: Realtors® and mortgage brokers are prohibited from selecting appraisers including retaining, recommending, or influencing the sel...

There are some positive things going on in Real Estate right now; here are some of them: The ability of ordinary consumers to afford to buy a home with their current incomes at current mortgage rates.  Right now the affordability equation is at its most favorable point in decades. In markets acro...

This plan is estimated to help some seven to nine million homeowners make their mortgages more affordable and help to prevent the continuation of foreclosures in this country. Homeowners who have a solid payment history on an existing mortgage owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac would normally be ...

On February 17, 2009, the president signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This act includes a large tax credit for first time home buyers. If you purchase a home between January 1, 2009 and December1, 2009 as a first time home buyer and use the home as your primary residence,...

What do changes in rates do for a Buyer's purchasing power and how low is "low" when it comes to rates? First, to give you a better perspective as to how low current rates really are, here's a look back at mortgage rates over the years: Year 1974 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 Annual average ...