Auburn, AL Real Estate News

By Laura Sellers, www.AuburnOpelikaALRealEstate.com
(Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Preferred Real Estate, Inc.; www.AuburnOpelikaALRealEstate.com)
Change Your Life – Wherever your dream home, I'll help you find it.Whether you want to be in the middle of it all or get away from it all —if you're ready for what's next, as your Forever Agent℠, let me help you find the perfect home for your lifestyle.#ForYouForLife #YourForeverAgentBerkshire Hathaway HomeServices Preferred Real Estate, Best Auburn Realtors, Best Opelika Realtors, Relocate to Auburn, Move to Auburn, Homes for sale in Auburn, Homes for Sale near me, Houses for Sale Opelika, Luxury Homes for Sale Auburnwww.AuburnOpelikaALRealEstate.com
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By Laura Sellers, www.AuburnOpelikaALRealEstate.com
(Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Preferred Real Estate, Inc.; www.AuburnOpelikaALRealEstate.com)
Hickory Dickory Park in Auburn, ALAbout Hickory Dickory ParkHickory Dickory Park is “a unique playground experience for children,” according to the Auburn Community Profile. This 12,000 square foot park located at 1399 Hickory Ln is composed of a play space, picnic area, and restrooms facilities.  The park is not available for reservations for functions or parties. I was blessed enough to participate in building it with other volunteers and I have so many great memories of the experience. When my daughter was younger we spent many hours enjoying this absolutely fabulous playground. It was definitely a happy spot for us and we have so many great memories from this lovely park.Play AreasHickory Dickory Park has two playground areas. One area is for preschool aged children while older chil...
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By Laura Sellers, www.AuburnOpelikaALRealEstate.com
(Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Preferred Real Estate, Inc.; www.AuburnOpelikaALRealEstate.com)
AUBURN KICKOFF KIDRegister YOUR child for their chance to be the “Kickoff Kid” at an Auburn home football game!At each home game this season, one lucky child between the ages of 5 and 12 will enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of running out to retrieve the kickoff tee at Pat Dye Field and being recognized on the video boardEach winner will receive Four (4) game tickets Four (4) VIP pre-game hospitality passes Pre-game sideline access for Kickoff Kid and a guardian Recognition on the Jordan-Hare Stadium videoboard Auburn T-Shirt 2022 Home Game Schedule: September 3 vs. Mercer September 10 vs. San Jose State September 17 vs. Penn State September 24 vs Missouri October 1 vs. LSU October 29 vs. Arkansas November 12 vs. Texas A&M November 19 vs. Western Kentucky Eligibility: Parents c...
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By Mara Hawks, Inactive-2012 REALTOR - Homes for Sale Auburn Real Estate, AL
(First Realty Auburn )
SPRING is a time for all things growing to be renewed... a time for all things hibernating to awaken. A time to grow where you are planted and time to plant some things to grow. This link is filled with excellent and well-organized information on growing native and naturalized wildflowers in the state of Alabama    http://www.auburn.edu/awac/watch1.htm If you are wondering where to find some seeds or bulbs or accessories for your garden in Lee County, Alabama, here are a few favorites that I've found: Fred's Feed & Seed (334-502-6602), right on the outskirts of Auburn in Loachapoka, on the north side of Hwy 14. It's a place that speaks of the past, with its unique, old world charm and superb customer service. You will find an extensive selection of supplies here, for planting and wildli...
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By Chris McDonald
(WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP.)
Tuesday's bond market has opened well in negative territory following sharp gains in the stock markets. Stocks are doing very well this morning following an unusual move by the Fed to add liquidity to the markets. The results are stock rally and bond selling. The Dow is currently up over 200 points while the Nasdaq has gained 35 points. The bond market is currently down 28/32, but we will still see an improvement in this morning's mortgage rates as a result of strength late yesterday and optimism in the Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) market.The only piece of economic news released today was January's Goods and Services Trade Balance. It showed the U.S. trade deficit at $58.2 billion. This was smaller than expected, but since the data is not considered to be of high importance, it had ...
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By Chris McDonald
(WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP.)
Three executives from major mortgage industry companies were on the hot seat Friday as the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform looked into executive compensation at corporations involved in the subprime mortgage-market shakeout.The committee, headed by Rep. Henry Waxman, questioned Angelo Mozilo of Countrywide Financial, Stanley O'Neal, former chief executive of Merrill Lynch & Co., and Charles Prince, former CEO of Citigroup, Inc.It was Mr. Mozilo who received the brunt of the committee's questions. The founder of Countrywide received total compensation of about $250 million in the years 1998 to 2007 and another $406 million from the sale of his company's stock.Mozilo is the only one of the three who is still employed. The other two lost their jobs last fall after their ...
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By Chris McDonald
(WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP.)
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that it has charged Cesar A. Lopez, a Chicago landlord with housing discrimination for posting an on-line ad that discriminates against men and families with children. The Fair Housing Act makes it unlawful for a housing provider to make, print or publish, in print or on-line, any statement or advertisement that states a preference based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or disability. The Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under law, Inc., (CLC) regularly monitors the content of rental ads on craigslist.org. In January 2006, Justin Massa, a fair housing testing and outreach coordinator at CLC, viewed an on-line posting advertising an owner-occupied three-story dwelling. In his ad...
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By Chris McDonald
(WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP.)
We expected that the lead story of this week would be the Congressional testimony of Countrywide Mortgage CEO Angelo Mozilo and other mortgage company executives about their high levels of compensation which continue despite the enormous loses their companies have suffered in the subprime mortgage collapse. While we will report on that hearing before the House Committee on Government and Oversight, other news over the weekend has served to overshadow that sideshow.First, The Wall Street Journal reported that Countrywide Mortgage and Wells Fargo and Company were under investigation by the Attorney General of Illinois for having improperly steered minority borrowers into high-cost or inappropriate loans Attorney General Lisa Madigan subpoenaed units of the two investment giants asking for...
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By Chris McDonald
(WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP.)
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) climbed 20 basis points from the average 6.04 rate a week earlier although fees and points declined from 0.6 to 0.5. One year ago the 30-year FRM averaged 6.18 percent.The average contract interest rate of the 15-year FRM was 5.72 percent with 0.5 point, up from the week before when it averaged 5.65 with 0.5 point. During the same week one year ago the average rate was 5.92 percent.Five-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) averaged 5.43 percent with an average 0.4 point. The previous week it averaged 5.37 percent with 0.5 point and during the same week in 2007 the average was 5.93 percent.  One-year Treasury-indexed ARMS rose to 5.11 percent from 4.98 percent. Points and fees also rose from 0.6 to 0.7. One year ago the rate ...
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By Chris McDonald
(WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP.)
Yet another program to help homeowners who are delinquent on their mortgages was announced last week by Fannie Mae. HomeSaver Advance, a part of the corporations larger HomeStay initiative, is not for everyone and sort of feels like a finger in the dike attempt to stop the tide of foreclosures, but for some borrowers, especially those who have been derailed by temporary events such as a medical emergency, it could be an excellent solution.HomeSaver Advance is designed for the borrower who is otherwise capable of meeting his obligations and will be able to resume timely payments once the arrearage is brought current. Under the program Fannie Mae authorizes its servicers to offer an unsecured personal loan that will enable a qualified borrower to cure the payment default on a Fannie Mae o...
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By Chris McDonald
(WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP.)
U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson today announced that HUD's FHASecure product has helped 100,000 homeowners refinance their mortgages and avoid foreclosure.  Since September 2007, FHASecure has enabled tens of thousands of families - who are current on their home loans or past due because their teaser rates reset - to close on loans refinanced through HUD's Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which is backed by the full faith and credit of the government. The following is a statement by Secretary Jackson: "FHASecure has helped more than 100,000 families stay in their homes.  Homeowners are cutting their monthly mortgage payments by an average of $400 a month compared to their exotic subprime loans.  They no longer have anxiety about finding foreclosure not...
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By Chris McDonald
(WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP.)
If you have been looking for a manufactured home mortgage then you just connected with the regions #1 source for MH mortgage loans. Our company is 100% dedicated to serving people in this badly underserved market. I guess if it were easy then everone would be doing it, right? Manufactured home mortgage is pretty new considering that 95% of all manufactured paper were financed as  home only transactions and the investment vehicle used to secure them were ABS (asset backed securities) not MBS (mortgage backed securities). The number of companies that truly know the construction process from lot prep to final inspection, inspections needed for every different market & situation (and they are many), the sales and management process from meet & greet to FUNDED are very few. I am that person,...
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By Chris McDonald
(WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP.)
San Francisco - Tens of thousands of California families could benefit from affordable government-insured mortgages under a plan to be announced shortly that will temporarily increase home loan limits, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson said today. Highlighting the Bush Administration's plans to help Americans keep their homes, Jackson said the President's economic growth package, which became law last month with wide bipartisan support, could allow more than 30,000 California families to be eligible over the next several months for safe, affordable mortgages insured by HUD's Federal Housing Administration (FHA)."The plan raises FHA's loan limits, enabling more families to qualify for a safe, affordable FHA mortgage. This is critical for Californ...
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By Chris McDonald
(WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP.)
Half of the respondents have already moved back to New Orleans. Currently, there are 1,824 families living in a combination of rehabilitated and newly-constructed public housing units in New Orleans. There are another 253 units available for lease and another 790 units under repair. Former residents who are not living in public housing units are receiving housing assistance under the Disaster Voucher Program either in New Orleans or in another city. In addition to gauging the housing preferences of current and former HANO residents, the survey sought to explore when residents intend to return to New Orleans. Nearly 80 percent expressed a desire to return to New Orleans within six months. When asked what barriers, if any, might delay their return, many families indicated they needed tran...
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By Chris McDonald
(WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP.)
A significant majority of public housing residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina do not want to return to public housing in New Orleans, according to an independent survey commissioned by the Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO). Conducted by the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), the representative unbiased sampling of more than 2,100 current and former public housing residents found that while 71.6 percent want to return to New Orleans, only 35 percent preferred to return to public housing in New Orleans. When asked what form of housing they prefer, only 20.3 percent of respondents wanted to return to their former public housing units. A closer examination of families who resided in the C.J. Peete, B.W. Cooper, St. Bernard, and Lafitte developments ("the Big 4") found that ev...
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By Chris McDonald
(WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP.)
Friday's bond market opened is trading in positive territory after this morning's employment figures added more fuel to the economic recession debate. The stock markets opened in negative territory before moving into positive ground. However, those gains were short-lived as the major indexes are now well into negative territory. The Dow is currently down 97 points while the Nasdaq has fallen 8 points. The bond market, which also has seen plenty of volatility this morning, is currently up 9/32. But, despite those gains I am expecting to see an increase in this morning's mortgage rates of approximately .250 of a discount point compared to yesterday's morning rates due to severe weakness late yesterday.The Labor Department said early this morning that the U.S. unemployment rate slipped to ...
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By Chris McDonald
(WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP.)
FHA Mortgage Limits List - FHA Forward Message:   MORTGAGE LIMITS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED Mortgage maximums as of Friday March 07, 2008(1 records were selected, 1 records displayed.) MSA Name MSA Code Division County Name CountyCodeStateOne-FamilyTwo-FamilyThree-FamilyFour-FamilyLast RevisedAUBURN-OPELIKA, AL (MSA) 12220  LEE081 AL$271,050$347,000$419,400$521,25003/05/2008Selection criteria Sorted by:County State:ALCounty:LeeCounty Code:MSA Name:MSA Code:Limit Type:FHA ForwardLast Revised:  The current basic standard mortgage limits for FHA insured loans are:    One-family Two-family Three-family Four-family  FHA Forward $271,050.00 $347,000.00 $419,400.00 $521,250.00  HECM $200,160.00    Fannie/Freddie $417,000.00 $533,850.00 $645,300.00 $801,950.00 High cost area limits are subject to ...
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By Chris McDonald
(WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP.)
The Federal Reserve on Thursday announced that, in 2007, American ownership in their homes as measured by equity fell below 50 percent for the first time since records were first kept in 1945.During the 2nd quarter of 2007 the central bank reported that homeowners' equity slipped to a downwardly revised 49.6 percent and slipped further to 47.9 percent in the fourth quarter. This was the third straight quarter that equity was under 50 percent.Home equity is a measure of the market value of the home minus the mortgage-related debt. Because Americans have repeatedly cashed out the equity in their homes through cash out refinancing, home equity loans and high loan to value mortgages, equity has steadily declined even in the midst of the surging prices of the housing bubble. The total value ...
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By Chris McDonald
(WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP.)
Tuesday's bond market has opened relatively flat with no relevant economic news scheduled for release today. The stock markets showing losses with the Dow down 150 points and Nasdaq down 26 points. The bond market is currently up 4/32, but we will likely still see an increase in this morning's mortgage rates of approximately .250 of a discount point due to weakness late yesterday.With no relevant economic news being posted today, the stock markets are in the forefront and the biggest influence on bond trading this morning. If the major stock indexes continue to slide, we may see finds move back into bonds. However, I don't believe that we will see much of an improvement in mortgage rates today.There are two reports scheduled for release tomorrow morning for the markets to watch. The fir...
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By Chris McDonald
(WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP.)
Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae may have gotten good news from their regulator which lifted the corporations' portfolio caps, but their earnings reports for the year just ended were pretty devastating.Fannie Mae released its 2007 earnings on Wednesday and Freddie Mac followed suit on Thursday morning. Both reported huge losses, the bulk of which occurred in the last quarter of 2007.Fannie Mae reported a net loss of $2.1 billion or $2.63 per diluted share for 2007 compared to net income of $4.1 billion or $3.65 per diluted share in 2006. Losses in the fourth quarter of 2007 totaled $3.6 billion. The corporation reported derivative fair value losses of $3.2 billion in the fourth quarter and $4.1 billion for the year largely due to the impact of declining yields on interest rate swaps used to h...
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By Chris McDonald
(WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP.)
The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) announced Wednesday that it would be lifting the caps it had imposed several years ago to limit growth of Freddie Mac's and Fannie Mae's owned portfolios.The caps had been instituted after both of the huge government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) had run into a lot of trouble over their rather creative accounting standards, their inability to file audited financial statements in a timely manner, and concerns over the two corporation's capital reserves.OFHEO director James Lockhart made the announcement after Fannie Mae filed its 2007 financial statements on time and Freddie Mac said it would file its 3007 reports on Thursday. The caps will be removed effective March 1.There has been considerable pressure from the mortgage industr...
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By Mara Hawks, Inactive-2012 REALTOR - Homes for Sale Auburn Real Estate, AL
(First Realty Auburn )
PAUMEanyone? Did you know that paume, the French work for palm, was a court* game in 12th century France, whereby a ball was volleyed back and forth, using the palm of the hand? As the game grew in polularity, so did the name, which became jeu de paume, and rackets were introduced. This game, beginning as paume, evolved centuries later to the contemporary game of TENNIS, now a worldwide and olympic game of skill and strength, recreation and fun. Bring your game to Auburn, Alabama. You'll love the new, 10-acre Tennis Center, located on Richland Road. Come out and play! Comment d'un jeu de tennis? *courtyards were the main, social gathering places back then, around the castles and in village centers. © This posting and the contents written above are the property of Mara Hawks, All Rights ...
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By Chris McDonald
(WR Starkey Mortgage, LLP.)
The foreclosure process varies in every state and it's imperative that homeowners understand this process. One this is for sure, time is NOT on your side. But, an educated consumer is always an informed consumer who can make a "good" decision based on facts. Learn everything you can because this will affect you in every which way and it is something that should not be taken lightly.The first thing you will need to do is understand the foreclosure timeline. Day 1 - Borrower misses first payment by a day. No penalties assessed at this timeDay 16-30 - A late charge is assessed to the borrower's payment.The lender or mortgage servicer will attempt to make contact with the borrower for an explanation.Day 45-60 - The servicer sends "demand" or "breach" letter to the borrower stating the mortg...
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