We are also currently working on our first HAFA short sales, which we expect will move quickly as well thanks to the HAFA government guidelines which require the banks to approve or reject short sale offers in no more than 10 business days.

With short sales becoming the main stream real estate sell, it is a good thing that banks like BofA have grasped this concept and are helping to move the process on as quickly as possible. Wells Fargo and Wachovia are also getting much easier to work with and getting approvals at a faster rate.

If you or someone you know are facing a foreclosure, let Newton3 Real Estate Services help through the process. Save your credit and move out on your terms not the banks.

Visit: ShortSellOption.com for more information regarding a short sale

Surely you have heard people use the names “Realtor” and “real estate agent” interchangeably. But did you know that not all agents are Realtors®? Let me explain what a Realtor® can do for you.

Both “agents” and “realtors” are licensed professionals. The term “Realtor” is a registered trademark that means the agent is a member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR). This NAR was formed in 1908 and has grown to over 1 million members.

Every year Realtors pay membership dues, which are spent well. They go towards advocating for issues that are important to the association such as marketing and economic research, helping the public understand the value of working with a realtor, helping Realtors understand their industry and improve their business and obviously supporting Realtors at the local and state levels.

Once an agent becomes a Realtor, Realtor, he or she is able to access an abundance of statistical information about markets and sales, all of which can be used to your advantage during the home buying or selling process. They can look up information in regards to your local community, and even on issues such as zoning, schools, and utilities.

Another plus to working with a Realtor? It ensures that your agent follows a code of ethics, the ones set down by the NAR itself.

NAR principles, put in easy to understand terms, are: 

• Loyalty to clients 
• Fiduciary (legal) duty to clients 
• Cooperation with competitors 
• Truthfulness in statements and advertising; and non-interference in exclusive relationships that other REALTORS® have with their clients.

Realtors have access to some of the best properties as well. Realtors love their jobs!

The positive impact of the federal home buyer tax credit is clear. Nearly 40 percent of first-time home buyers said they would not have purchased a home if the federal tax credit for first-time home buyers was not offered, according to C.A.R. research conducted last year.
 
The state’s previous home buyer tax credit program was so successful that it ran out of tax credits by the end of June 2009, eight months before it was set to expire and just as housing markets appeared to be turning a corner.  Unlike last year’s legislation, AB 183 adds a tax credit for the purchase of an existing home by a first-time home buyer.
AB 183 will significantly contribute to the effort to stimulate jobs-creation within California’s housing market by helping to incentivize first-time home buyers to purchase homes that have been abandoned, foreclosed upon and returned to the lender, or have been sitting on the market for extended periods of time. It is these homes that will require substantial rehabilitation by the new owners, which will in turn generate a tremendous increase in jobs and accessory purchases connected to home improvement activities.
 
Your Association’s efforts at the state and federal level to help protect private property rights and your right to conduct business are ongoing. This promises to be another busy year in the state legislature and in Washington, D.C. 

               (619)987-6987

New York—U.S. home prices rose 3.1 percent in the third quarter of 2009, posting the second consecutive quarterly increase this year, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices.