If you are not behind on your mortgage payments, but are close to falling behind, there may be hope for you, too! The article referenced above outlines this plan as well.
Posted Wednesday, November 12, 2008 by
Chris Rooker
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are now owned by
the federal government. They came up with a broad plan to reduce the
burden of loans on many homeowners in the U.S. This plan could help as
many as 300,000 families who are behind on their mortgage payments. Of
course, there are many “qualifiers” for this plan, but perhaps you fit
right in. Read this article to find out if you qualify. You may just be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel!
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Posted Wednesday, November 12, 2008 by
Chris Rooker
Selling an existing home is what many folks worry about these days, knowing they probably won’t get top dollar for their listing. However, first-time home buyers do not have an existing home to worry about, so the number of sales for this group is on the rise. It only makes sense because now is a fantastic time to buy, there are some great first-time buyer programs available, and if you need not worry about ensuring a sale from your current home, why not buy?
MSNBC recently published an article reviewing survey results about first-time home buyer trends. Click here to read up on the details. Pretty interesting stuff!
Posted Tuesday, November 11, 2008 by
Barry Suttles
If you are waiting for a good time to invest in real estate, I'd say, "What are you waiting for?" Our American economy has historically experienced crisis after crisis. We've experienced the great depression, world wars, inflation, stagflation, market booms, market bubbles, economic slow downs, stock market bears and bulls too. But the one thing that remains consistent and true; those who invest inteligently in real estate will over time become wealthy.
If you are waiting, and trying to "time" the market, good luck. Wealthy people like Warren Buffet and T. Boone Pickens are investing right now, and in this economy! No one can "time" the market,by the time you have decided to act, the opportunity has passed you by.
As a real estate professional in Harrisonburg, Virginia, I believe this a great time to invest right here in the Shenandoah Valley.
And here are some reasons why:
If you are waiting, and trying to "time" the market, good luck. Wealthy people like Warren Buffet and T. Boone Pickens are investing right now, and in this economy! No one can "time" the market,by the time you have decided to act, the opportunity has passed you by.
As a real estate professional in Harrisonburg, Virginia, I believe this a great time to invest right here in the Shenandoah Valley.
And here are some reasons why:
1.
2. The Shenandoah Valley is one of the most beautiful places on earth.
3. Harrisonburg has low real estate taxes and a low crime rate with a great proximity to major cultural areas.
4. The local economy is resilient and strong and continues to have one of the lowest, if not the lowest rate, of unemployment in the state.
5. From agriculture, to high tech, Harrisonburg Virginia has it all.There is an abundance of investment opportunity here.
While other areas of the country have been hard hit by the recent economic problems, our area continues to be, and has been, stable with few real estate foreclosures and good price stability. But even with that said, there are still bargains to be had. So, purchasing real estate in the valley is a smart investment.
Remember, unlike other types of investments, when you buy a piece of land, a home, or other real property, you have a tangible asset that is unique, and generally speaking, never worth zero.
Contact me for more information.
Barry Suttles – Realtor
New Homes Group
Kline May Realty
Posted Thursday, November 6, 2008 by
Laura Wolfe
As a Realtor I am constantly hearing the buzz about the housing market across our country. As I focus on the Harrisonburg/Rockingham County market I can see that the home owners are holding their chins high as they are not facing the devistating drops in home values or experiencing record breaking forclosure rates as the metropolitan areas in Virginia are facing.
Historically real estate in The Shenandoah Valley has not experienced the dramatic peaks and valley's in a fluciating market place, this hinges as a result of taking a more conservative approach to real estate investing. The beauty of the Harrisonburg/Rockingham County area is that it houses James Madison University, RMH, an Agriculture Community and many other venues allowing for pentiful opportunity and continuing to bring growth to our area. With a mix of opportunity and a legacy of smart investing, the Valley is truly a desirable locallity to invest in real estate.
Kline May Realty is dedicated to providing the most accurate local market statistics, maintaing a community focus and insuring the best customer service an agency can provide. Our focus is to deliver security to home owners in today's turbulent market.
Historically real estate in The Shenandoah Valley has not experienced the dramatic peaks and valley's in a fluciating market place, this hinges as a result of taking a more conservative approach to real estate investing. The beauty of the Harrisonburg/Rockingham County area is that it houses James Madison University, RMH, an Agriculture Community and many other venues allowing for pentiful opportunity and continuing to bring growth to our area. With a mix of opportunity and a legacy of smart investing, the Valley is truly a desirable locallity to invest in real estate.
Kline May Realty is dedicated to providing the most accurate local market statistics, maintaing a community focus and insuring the best customer service an agency can provide. Our focus is to deliver security to home owners in today's turbulent market.
Posted Thursday, November 6, 2008 by
Karl Waizecker
It can be difficult to sift through all of the information coming at us each day to get the facts most important to us. One of the best ways to zero in on what's going on with real estate in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County as well as information on our local economy is a great new website full of accurate, local information.
TheFactsStartHere.com has been created to separate the local information about economics in the Shenandoah Valley from the national news, and is populated with information from local media as well as statistics provided by the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Association of REALTORS and the Shenandoah Valley Builder's Association - local information supplied by local folks.
Harrisonburg and Rockingham County typically have a more stable economy than other parts of Virginia or the nation due to great job creation, low unemployment and a strong collection of both technology and manufacturing companies.
Check out the website, and when you have specific questions about our local economy or Shenadoah Valley real estate give us a call. We're always glad to be of service!
TheFactsStartHere.com has been created to separate the local information about economics in the Shenandoah Valley from the national news, and is populated with information from local media as well as statistics provided by the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Association of REALTORS and the Shenandoah Valley Builder's Association - local information supplied by local folks.
Harrisonburg and Rockingham County typically have a more stable economy than other parts of Virginia or the nation due to great job creation, low unemployment and a strong collection of both technology and manufacturing companies.
Check out the website, and when you have specific questions about our local economy or Shenadoah Valley real estate give us a call. We're always glad to be of service!
Posted Tuesday, November 4, 2008 by
Chris Rooker
This morning’s edition of the Daily News-Record ran a story reporting that the unemployment rate in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham area has dropped to 3.5%, which is down from 4.2% a month earlier. More good news on the stability of our local economy can be found on this very cool web resource provided by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. (Thanks to JoDee Lambert of StellarOne Mortgage in Harrisonburg — she sent this to me earlier today in an email.) You can find the foreclosure rate for almost every city and county in the country on this map. Here are the rates for some nearby localities:
Augusta County, 0.87%
Staunton, 2.64%
Waynesboro, 1.23%
Shenandoah County, 1.62%
Page County, 1.58%
Rockingham County, 0.53%
Harrisonburg, 0.77%
The rates for Rockingham County and Harrisonburg (especially the county) are among the lowest in Virginia — and the nation. This is great news for local property owners, and for our local economy in general!
Posted Tuesday, November 4, 2008 by
Chris Rooker
A friend of mine — a local high school student — emailed me earlier today with interesting information about a project she and her classmates are currently working on. Her Environmental Science class is giving away trees to the community. They have gathered seeds from their campus and have grown these trees in their nursery, and will have a brochure with each tree with particulars on how to care for that specific type of tree. Pretty genius, if you ask me. Making something from nothing, helping our community, and living green — all rolled up into one amazing project.
She also provided me with some fascinating facts:
- Trees around a house can increase the house’s value by 15%
- Trees next to a house can cut cooling bills by 15-35% and cut down on heating bills by breaking the cold winds that hit your house
- Trees can also help with global warming by removing CO2 from the air
- Trees could also help reduce stress, noted in blood pressure and muscle tightness according to recent studies
- Trees help filter water and clean it before it enters the streams
- Trees help prevent erosion
Interested in helping out? Click here to order a tree (or two or three!).
Posted Tuesday, November 4, 2008 by
Chris Rooker
Is it really possible that home sales are rising despite the state of our nation’s economy? Apparently so! Here are some facts from Realty Times:
- Resales of existing homes jumped by 5.5 percent last week — that was the largest monthly increase since July of 2003, in the middle of the housing boom. In the western states, sales were up a record 34.4 percent!
- Sales of newly constructed homes also were higher in the latest month, according to the Census Bureau — up by 2.7 percent on average nationwide, but by an impressive 22.7 percent in the West.
- New mortgage applications took another big jump this past week, with 30-year fixed interest dropping to 6.26 percent and 15-year rates to 6.1 percent.
To read more on this issue, check out this article published earlier today. We shouldn’t put too much merit in these numbers, especially with the way our economy is, but maybe the real estate industry has a bright future after all.
Posted Thursday, October 9, 2008 by
Chris Rooker
Harrisonburg real estate and Rockingham County real estate isn’t as bleak as the economy may suggest! Check out a recent story from WHSV (Harrisonburg's local TV station) regarding this very subject.
Many sellers are still lowering prices on their homes to get them sold, and often are willing to negotiate with buyers. Home buyers are often able to get more “bang for their buck” because of the housing prices and lower mortgage rates. We can’t say it enough these days… Now is the time to buy!
Posted Monday, September 22, 2008 by
Chris Rooker
This is my first blog post here on the new Kline May blog. Although I have been blogging for a few years now, it is always exciting to post a fresh entry to a brand new blog. I think of new things to come, great beginnings and opportunities... sort of like the first day of school each year. Something amazing is going to happen with this blog, and I'm proud to be a part of it!
I'll typically be posting about Harrisonburg market trends, current listings, why you should work with Kline May in your real estate needs, and will also be adding photos and videos along the way. My real estate team (The Harrisonburg Homes Team) works hard to provide our clients with quality relocation services, too, so I'll be writing about events and new restaurants, shops, etc. in the Harrisonburg area as well.
So stay tuned for future blog posts by me, my team, and others at Kline May Realty! We look forward to serving you with your real estate needs...
I'll typically be posting about Harrisonburg market trends, current listings, why you should work with Kline May in your real estate needs, and will also be adding photos and videos along the way. My real estate team (The Harrisonburg Homes Team) works hard to provide our clients with quality relocation services, too, so I'll be writing about events and new restaurants, shops, etc. in the Harrisonburg area as well.
So stay tuned for future blog posts by me, my team, and others at Kline May Realty! We look forward to serving you with your real estate needs...
Posted Thursday, July 3, 2008 by
Karl Waizecker
Kline May Realty is pleased to announce gret progress is being made in the development of a new website which will bring great value to folks looking for real estate in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.
www.HarrisonburgOpenHouse.com will offer detailed information and multiple photos of all of the homes we are holding open each Sunday, giving home buyers a chance to learn far more about the home thatn they would from a small photo in the newspaper.
Visitors to the site will see all of the Open Houses listed together, and will be able to get a full information sheet on the home, additional photos of the home, and a map to the home - all by simply clicking an icon beneath the home;s photo.
We expect the site to be up an running by the middle of July...stay tuned for more information!
Karl Waizecker
General Manager
Kline May Realty
