Your First Steps

In today’s market, 1 in 7 homeowners is having trouble paying the mortgage. More than 70% of these homeowners proceed without seeking assistance or getting the facts. Many do not even realize that foreclosure is a process, and that there is time to make decisions that may result in a better outcome.

You are not alone. Millions of other homeowners nationwide are in the same circumstances. To assist you, I’ve prepared a free report outlining the first steps a homeowner should take when facing a foreclosure.

Fill out your information in the link below for this free report. Don’t hesitate. Get back on track today!

http://hosted.cdpe.com/43911/Your-First-Steps-To-Avoid-Foreclosure.aspx

Ashton Gustafson is a Certified Distressed Property Expert in Wichita Falls, TX.

www.LuxuryHomesWF.com

Fast. Easy. Automatic. FREE!

LuxuryHomesWF.com is a FREE service from Ashton Gustafson to help area home buyers view the finest homes Wichita Falls has to offer, the minute they hit the market. Your first email will list all homes currently for sale that meet your search criteria. Then each morning you will be emailed a list of all of the new homes for sale and price changes since your previous search. No more having to rely on manual searches. Fill out the form  and start your auto-email home search today! It's just that easy!

We look forward to unlocking the door to spectacular real estate on your behalf.

Good Monday morning to you!

I wrote a blog this week that can be read at www.ImAHappyBuyer.com. This shows just how significant the savings can be with these interest rates we are seeing.

3.875% 15 year fixed and 4.25% 30 year fixed were available this past week with our local lenders! That should make all of us interested, Happy Buyers!! See www.TheFallsHomeFinder.com and see where you could invest today.

The Prairie

I also have the privilege to market a new Green-Sustainable residential development, called The Prairie. 

The Prairie is a 200-acre development in Archer County near Wichita Falls, Texas, whose goal is to maintain and enhance the beauty and ecological processes of the restored mixed prairie native to this region of the United States. The large lot community embraces green building concepts and promotes the conservation of energy, land, water, and resources thorough appropriate site and building design, construction, and maintenance. The principles that guide The Prairie’s development includes minimizing land disturbances, protecting natural resources, optimizing solar orientation, using storm water runoff on-site, creating neighborhood connectivity, developing passive recreation areas, and managing the restored prairie.

The community is a comprehensive neighborhood of streetscapes, quality built residences, and related site improvements that reflect an elegant but casual outdoor lifestyle. The development, as a whole, is designed to respect The Prairie landscape. In addition, each building and lot stands on its own design merit and contributes to the desired neighborhood character. Thus, the compatibility, long-term quality, and appreciation of value of the original investments and the overall community are optimized. Each proposed new home addition or improvement, including site improvements and landscaping, is designed and reviewed for consistency and/or compatibility with the appropriate character outlined in the Sustainable Guidelines. See www.ThePrairieWF.com for more information.

If I can answer any questions or be of service this week, please let me know.

Make it a great week!

PS - I love this week's quote.

"Your positive energy and vision must be greater than anyone's and everyone's negativity. Your certainty must be greater than everyone's doubt." Quote from The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon

FROM:       NAR Government Affairs
DATE:       15 July 2010
RE:           Flood Insurance Update
 
Today the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 5114, the Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act of 2010, among the key elements of the bill  is the extension of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to September 30, 2015.  The actions of the House are an important step toward enacting meaningful reform for the Flood Insurance Program and ending the uncertainty of stop-gap measures that have been keeping the program in place.  NAR has been actively seeking NFIP reform since 2008.
 
The bill now will move to the United States Senate where the prospects of passage are not clear.
 
Unless a longer term reauthorization is enacted, Congress will again have to consider another short-term extension before September 30 2010, when NFIP authority is next set to expire.  Since September 2008, the House and Senate have not been able to agree on the NFIP debt reforms and thus has resorted to approving a series of short-term extensions.  There have been eight such extensions so far and, twice, the NFIP authority has been allowed to expire. NAR will continue to provide regular updates on the status of this legislation and the short-term extensions in the interim.

You have 92,750 reasons to be happy if you missed the 1st Time Home Buyer Tax Credit.

Less than 2 years ago, rates were at 6.5% fixed on a 30 year conventional loan.

Today, with Wichita Falls local lenders, rates hit 4.5% on a 30 year conventional loan.*

If you took a $200,000 loan out, this change in interest charged would save you $92,750 over the life of the loan, as compared to where rates were not long ago.

This is a HUGE savings and should not be taken lightly. See www.TheFallsHomeFinder.com for every home available at this time in our market.

*You must qualify, and rates vary and are not guaranteed.

Ashton Gustafson - Owner- Bishop Realtor Group

Welcome to the Prairie

The Prairie is a residential green development located  just 10 minutes from Wichita Falls, Texas off of FM 1954 on Decker Road. It consists of 200+ acres with 28 available home sites made up of five to seven acres each.

The Prairie is the first green development in Northwest Texas! It has walking trails, native plants & grasses, and wild flowers, with an abundance of wildlife such as turkey, deer, water fowl, song birds and much more. Please feel free to contact us for pricing, availability, and lot descriptions. Or you may view our Sustainable Guidlines for more information.

Ashton Gustafson, Owner at The Bishop Realtor Group, is proud to be the listing agent for The Prairie.

Vision

Originally,three fourths of the state of Texas was covered by prairie and savanna. The tallgrass prairies covered 20 million acres. Today these tallgrass prairies have been reduced to less than one percent of those original 20 million acres.

The tallgrass prairie is a proud part of our heritage. In an effort to preserve this beautiful, vanishing ecological system, Mr. Hirschi made a commitment to preserve and restore the Decker Road property to its natural prairie character.

The Prairie settlers of the past had many “common sense” practices in their architectural design and their use of energy. Rainwater collection, cisterns for water storage, solar orientation for heat protection and breezes, along with generous overhangs, and strategically placed window openings all worked to provide comfort and improved livability. Many of these ideas are again in vogue and known as “green or sustainable” practices. Keeping with these ideas and the incorporation of new technologies, we have developed the basis for The Prairie’s Sustainable Guidelines.

Master Plan

The Prairie is a 200-acre development in Archer County near Wichita Falls, Texas, whose goal is to maintain and enhance the beauty and ecological processes of the restored mixed prairie native to this region of the United States. The large lot community embraces green building concepts and promotes the conservation of energy, land, water, and resources thorough appropriate site and building design, construction, and maintenance. The principles that guide The Prairie’s development includes minimizing land disturbances, protecting natural resources, optimizing solar orientation, using storm water runoff on-site, creating neighborhood connectivity, developing passive recreation areas, and managing the restored prairie.

The community is a comprehensive neighborhood of streetscapes, quality built residences, and related site improvements that reflect an elegant but casual outdoor lifestyle. The development, as a whole, is designed to respect The Prairie landscape. In addition, each building and lot stands on its own design merit and contributes to the desired neighborhood character. Thus, the compatibility, long-term quality, and appreciation of value of the original investments and the overall community are optimized. Each proposed new home addition or improvement, including site improvements and landscaping, is designed and reviewed for consistency and/or compatibility with the appropriate character outlined in these Sustainable Guidelines.

Location

The Prairie is located just 10 minutes from Wichita Falls, Texas off of FM 1954 on Decker Road.

For more information on this beautiful developement, contact Ashton Gustafson @ 940.691.7355 or Ashton@ThePrairieWF.com.

Interest Rates (IR) are historically low. BUT, this doesn't necessarily mean you should Refinance.

To determine if you should REFI, you want to establish your BreakEven (BE) -- how many years it will take to re-coup the cost of your refinance through lower interest payments.

If you anticipate selling prior to BE (even if IR were at 1%), it doesn't always make financial sense to refinance your loan.

But, if you plan on owning your home beyond BE, taking advantage of today's historically low IR is likely a prudent decision. Rates today are hovering around 4.25% (4.34% APR) for a 30-year fixed and 3.75% (3.875% APR) for a 15-year fixed.

Contact us today to learn your BreakEven and to determine if now is a good time to refinance your current loan in order to take advantage of these interest rates if you are not in the market to buy.  

Remember our site for buyers: www.TheFallsHomeFinder.com

Good Monday Morning to you!

Did you know that 15 year rates hit below 4% last week? That is the lowest the market has EVER seen. When you stop and consider how inexpensive mortgages have become, it comes as no surprise to see more investors entering the rental market, just to take advantage of this incredible financing that's available for a 30 year loan.

We encourage our clients to take advantage of these rates while they're here, because they won't be around for long.

Right now, they can save A LOT! For instance, let’s say that a buyer takes out a $200,000 home loan at a rate of 4.75 percent. Their monthly repayment will be about $1,042 a month for the principle and interest, which is more than $200 less per month than borrowers are paying on a 6.5 percent loan taken out just a few years ago. Over the course of the mortgage term, today’s home buyer will save $80,000! That's 8 times more than the home buyers tax credit.

If we can help you today, please give us a call. And remember our site for home buyers @ www.TheFallsHomeFinder.com.

And don't forget, www.AshtonIsMyHOMEboy.com - the source for Wichita Falls Real Estate news and updates.

Make a difference.

Money has never been this cheap.

 
RATES AS LOW AS:
30 YEAR RATES 4.375%
15 YEAR RATES 3.875%
With local lenders today.

www.TheFallsHomeFinder.com  -

FIND YOUR NEXT HOME HERE!

When you stop and consider how inexpensive mortgages have become, it comes as no surprise to see more investors entering the rental market, just to take advantage of this incredible financing that's available for a 30 year loan.

We encourage our clients to take advantage of these rates while they're here, because they won't be around for long.

Right now, they can save A LOT! For instance, let’s say that a buyer takes out a $200,000 home loan at a rate of 4.75 percent. Their monthly repayment will be about $1,042 a month for the principle and interest, which is more than $200 less per month than borrowers are paying on a 6.5 percent loan taken out just a few years ago. Over the course of the mortgage term, today’s home buyer will save $80,000! That's 8 times more than the home buyers tax credit.

If we can help you today, please give us a call. And remember our site for home buyers @ www.TheFallsHomeFinder.com.

Good morning.

Interest rates have never been this low.

We haven't seen mortgage rates this low since the 1950's, when people were taking out 20 year loans.

When you stop and consider how inexpensive mortgages have become, it comes as no surprise to see more investors entering the rental market, just to take advantage of this incredible financing that's available for a 30 year loan.

We encourage our clients to take advantage of these rates while they're here, because they won't be around for long.

Right now, they can save A LOT! For instance, let’s say that a buyer takes out a $200,000 home loan at a rate of 4.75 percent. Their monthly repayment will be about $1,042 a month for the principle and interest, which is more than $200 less per month than borrowers are paying on a 6.5 percent loan taken out just a few years ago. Over the course of the mortgage term, today’s home buyer will save $80,000! That's 8 times more than the home buyers tax credit.

If we can help you today, please give us a call. And remember our site for home buyers @ www.TheFallsHomeFinder.com.