Real Estate Blog Post
18 Brandy Lane Beautiful condo in Aliso Viejo
Wow, location location location! This is super close to all major freeways and is located in Heather Ridge. This home is 800 sq feet of living space with a one car garage. Cheaper then renting!!
Call me today for more information 949-606-3747
Beautiful Condo in the Tierra Vista, 25235 Birch Grove Ln 6, Lake Forest CA
Upper Level Condo in Lake Forest with 2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms and 1 Car Direct Access garage with driveway. 2 master suites create a nice floorplan. Dining Room is off of the kitchen. This property has new interior paint and new appliances scheduled to be installed. Living Room has balcony access. Association swimming pool and spa. Close to shopping, parks, schools, restaurants and more. HOA dues are $230.00 per month.
Foothill Ranch Cutie, 32 Santa Barbara Ct
Fannie Mae HomePath available financing!! Don’t know how great this program is? CAll ME!!
Carriage unit located in the Vineyards of Foothill Ranch. This is a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo with a 1 car attached garage. The property has new interior paint. Surrounded by biking and hiking trails. Close to shopping, dining and entertainment. Association Pool and Spa.
Newport Beach beauty, 10 Riptide Ct 28, HAFA approved
Wow! Check out this awesome Newport condo in Newport Heights. It is a short sale but you would not know it! HAFA Approved – no waiting like a traditional short sale.
2 Bedrooms, 2 Full Bathrooms, fenced yard and patio, 1 Car Garage accessed from the private patio, and 1 Carport accessed from the private patio/yard. No unit above or below. Upgraded home includes travertine floors, granite counters in the kitchen, stainless steel appliances, plantation shutters, and more. Living room has a fireplace and vaulted ceilings. HAFA approved short sale. Bring offer. Enjoy all of the HOA amenities: pool, spa, volleyball, and more. Trails and bikepaths to the beach.
Call me today to find out how HAFA works and how you can take advantage of this great opportunity!
949-606-3747
Awesome home in the prestigious guarded gate community of Coto De Caza, 23551 Avenida La Caza 129
Live in the sought after community of Coto De Caza in one of the safest cities in the world!! This home qualifies for homepath financing, making it a great buy for first time home buyers.
Lovely townhome in one of Coto De Caza’s most prestigious communities. 3 Bedrooms, 3 Baths + loft. 2-car attached garage. New interior paint, new appliances and new carpet. World class Association w/ miles of trails, pool & spa. Close to the Coto lodge, a quaint general store, golf course, equestrian center & bus stop. HOA dues are $360 & $98 per month and include HOA amenities, common area, trails & slopes maintenance and more.
Contact me today to find out more or to schedule a viewing
949-606-3747
Beautiful home with pool, 23972 Carmel Dr, Lake Forest CA
Awesome, Single Family detached pool home in Lake Forest. This home has 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, 2 Car Garage, and private pool and spa. 2 story home with new interior paint, new appliances, and new carpeting. Enjoy entertaining in the private Pool and Spa. 2 Bedrooms downstairs and full bathroom. 1 Bedroom and Bathroom upstairs. Tile flooring in the living with cozy fireplace. Front courtyard area with planter. The best part of this home is that it qualifies for Homepath financing. This type of financing offers 3% down payment, no MI and no appraisal. Fannie Mae, who offers homepath financing, also allows up to 3% back for the buyers closing costs. Call me today to find out more about this awesome deal!
949-606-3747
Beautiful New Listing 33852 Del Obispo #129, Dana Point CA
Beautiful location, so close to everything. Walk to the Harbor, eat dinner at the best restaurants…what a lifestyle. This 2 bed, 2 bath condo is designed to have two master suites so that each bedroom is roughly the same size and has use of its own bathroom. The condo complex is nicely kept with ponds and streams and tons of greenery. This is a short sale but you wouldn’t know it!
Boost Your Refund with Home-Related Tax Breaks
Homeownership is not only a long-term investment for your family and your future, but an important annual tax benefit. The tax experts at Jackson Hewitt Tax Service® advise homeowners not to overlook the many credits and deductions that can add thousands of dollars to their refund amounts.
Be sure to review the following tax breaks available covering home-related areas, such as:
Mortgage Interest: The amount of mortgage interest paid on a principal residence or second home is deductible and generally reported on Form 1098. Taxpayers can also deduct all the points paid to purchase the residence, even if some have been paid by the seller. If certain requirements are met, the points may be deducted in full in the year paid. Otherwise, they may be deducted over the life of the mortgage. Seller-paid points that taxpayers claim as an itemized deduction reduce the cost basis of the home.
Buying a Home: Most of the expenses incurred when buying a home are not deductible. However, there are certain closing costs that are added to the basis of your residence. Keeping track of the basis of your home is important because when selling, it is needed to calculate any gain or loss.
Property Taxes: Taxpayers may deduct real estate property taxes in the year paid. They may be reported on Form 1098, the annual statement from the financial institution holding your mortgage. Taxpayers may also be able to deduct some of the taxes paid during closing. The taxes must be the responsibility of, and paid by, the taxpayer.
Energy Credits: There are energy credits available for making energy efficient changes to a home. For 2011, the credit is limited to 10 percent of the cost of improvements, up to a lifetime total of $500. The credit will be further limited for each category of improvement.
Home Improvements: Home improvements are not generally deductible on a tax return. Instead, the cost of improvements is added to the basis of the home and helps keep any gain below the $250,000 ($500,000 if married filing jointly) exclusion amount when the house is sold.
For those who find themselves in the unfortunate position of a foreclosure or short sale on their home, there are tax breaks available as well. Foreclosures and short sales are treated as both a home sale and a canceled debt. When the house is a taxpayer’s primary residence, and they have lived in and owned the home for two of the last five years, any gain up to $500,000 on the disposition is tax-exempt. In addition, the canceled debt (mortgage still owed) is excluded from taxable income, as long as it is less than $2 million and is for the taxpayer’s principal residence. 
Source: www.jacksonhewitt.com
FHA Announces Price Cuts to Encourage Streamline Refinancing
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Acting Federal Housing (FHA) Commissioner Carol Galante has announced significant price cuts to FHA’s Streamline Refinance Program that could benefit millions of borrowers whose mortgages are currently insured by FHA. Beginning June 11, 2012, FHA will lower its Upfront Mortgage Insurance Premium (UFMIP) to just .01 percent and reduce its annual premium to .55 percent for certain FHA borrowers.
To qualify, borrowers must be current on their existing FHA-insured mortgages that were endorsed on or before May 31, 2009. Late last month, FHA also announced it will increase its upfront premiums on most other loans by 75 basis points to 1.75 percent. In addition, FHA will raise annual premiums 10 basis points and 35 basis points on mortgages higher than $625,500.
“This is one way that FHA can make a real difference to help homeowners who are doing the right thing, paying their bills on time and want to take advantage of today’s low interest rates,” said Galante. “By significantly reducing costs for these borrowers, we can make certain they cut their monthly mortgage burden, which will benefit the housing market and the broader economy in the process.”
Currently, 3.4 million households with loans endorsed on or before May 31, 2009, pay more than a five percent annual interest rate on their FHA-insured mortgages. By refinancing through this streamlined process, it’s estimated that the average qualified FHA-insured borrower will save approximately $3,000 a year or $250 per month. FHA’s new discounted prices assume no greater risk to its Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund and will allow many of these borrowers to refinance into a lower cost FHA-insured mortgage without requiring additional underwriting. FHA-insured homeowners should contact their existing lender to determine their eligibility.
Last month, the Obama Administration announced a broad package of actions and legislative proposals to help responsible homeowners save thousands of dollars through refinancing. This includes the changes announced today that will benefit current FHA borrowers –particularly those whose loan value may exceed the current value of their home. By lowering monthly mortgage costs for homeowners, FHA hopes to help more borrowers stay in their homes, thereby decreasing the potential for future default and reducing losses to the Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund.
The changes outlined in today’s mortgagee letter apply to all mortgages insured under FHA’s Single Family Mortgage Insurance Programs except:
- Title I
- Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM)
- Section 247 (Hawaiian Homelands)
- Section 248 (Indian Reservations)
- Section 223(e) (Declining Neighborhoods)
Browse Listings
Orange County Register Housing News
- Mission Viejo Kmart to be razed for apartments May 8, 2012MISSION VIEJO – Residents can expect to see the graffiti-stained former Kmart building at the city's north end come down within the next six weeks following a decision Monday night that cleared the way for a 320-unit apartment complex on the site.... […]By CHRIS BOUCLY
- ‘Magic of Tustin’ takes residents through Old Town May 7, 2012The Tustin Area Historical Society on Saturday held the Old Town Tustin 2012 Promenade Home and Garden Tour. This year's theme is, "The Magic of Tustin." Residents toured six period homes dating back to 1883, and stopped at the Means/Edgell garden... […]