My lender went out of biz!

Posted on August 12, 2007 by Ginger Wilcox

What should I do if my lender goes out of business? Who do I make my payments too? These are great questions that I have been asked this week.

So what do you do?

Make your payment as usual. Often times, the person you make your payment to is the company servicing the loan, not the actual holder of the note. If the loan company servicing your loan changes, you will be notified. In the meantime, make your payments as planned.

This post from David Podgursky, a mortgage broker in Lake Worth, Florida. has a great explanation about loan servicing.

The bottom line- you still owe your upcoming mortgage payment, even if your lender has closed their doors.Â (Darn it!)

Mortgage crisis- is the sky falling for Marin County Real Estate?

Posted on August 8, 2007 by Ginger Wilcox

Market conditions in the lending industry continue to go downhill. It seems like every other news report mentions a lender who has closed its doors or has stopped doing new loans.

Why is this happening?

There is a liquidity crisis in the secondary market where loans are sold. The investors who buy loans in the secondary market have virtually stopped buying nonconforming loans. This doesn’t just mean bad credit or stated income loans- this also means jumbo loans- any loan over $417,000. Due to the price of homes, most loans in Marin County are above $417,000. Yes, these mortgage troubles impact Marin! These loans , which are difficult to sell on the secondary market , are causing a liquidity crisis. Lenders are over compensating and raising rates and implementing restrictions which make it more difficult for borrowers to get a loan.

What does this all mean to you?

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Marin Neighborhoods- San Anselmo Part 2

Posted on August 5, 2007 by Ginger Wilcox

This is Part 2 of my Marin Neighborhoods series about San Anselmo. (View San Anselmo Part 1)

Making sense of the different San Anselmo neighborhoods is not all that easy. The neighborhood names can change depending on who you are talking to, how long they have lived in San Anselmo and how old they are! Downtown, Sleepy Hollow, Barber Tract? What do they all mean.

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Marin Median Price Falls in July

Posted on August 3, 2007 by Ginger Wilcox

So, what’s happening? August is here and the Marin real estate market is definitely feeling a little sluggish. With the stock market sliding and lenders closing doors left and right (or so it seems) , many people are feeling pretty dismal when it comes to the real estate market. What’s happening?
The median price for single family homes in Marin County fell to $970,000 in July, down 16% from a median high of $1,160,000 in June. The average days on the market stayed relatively consistent at 63 days, up 1 from 62 days in June. This drop is consistent with the drop we saw in the same time period last year. In June 2006, the median was $1,075,000. In July 2006, the median was $940,000.

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I looked up your birthday on the world wide web

Posted on August 1, 2007 by Ginger Wilcox

You might be surprised how easy it is to find out:

your home addresses- for the past twenty years
names and ages of spouses, siblings, parents and more
much, much more

Today I stumbled across two search engines, Zabasearch.com and Peoplefinders.com. I am sure there are many others. One quick search on peoplefinders and I saw my name, age (my age is right in one spot, OLDER in another- now that is just wrong!), and a listing of my possibly relatives + their ages. Pay a small fee and you can get home phone numbers, home addresses, and even my exact birthdate (which thankfully might be wrong in at least one spot!)

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Nearly 1700 REALTORSÂ® in Marin- which one should you choose?

Posted on July 31, 2007 by Ginger Wilcox

Like all professions, not all real estate agents are created equal. This post explores what to look for and avoid when you are looking for a real estate agent.

Hire a REALTORÂ®– First of all, what is this all capital REALTORÂ® stuff? Why a REALTORÂ® instead of a real estate agent? In a nutshell, a REALTORÂ® subscribes to a strict Code of Ethics and they are governed by them. Ethics are a good thing when hiring an agent!

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Marin Neighborhoods- Strawberry Part 1

Posted on July 30, 2007 by Ginger Wilcox

The Strawberry neighborhood is an unincorporated community located just east of the 101 freeway between the Seminary exit and Tiburon Boulevard. The community is an easy 10-15 minute drive to San Francisco (about eight miles).

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San Anselmo History- Wade Thomas School

Posted on by Ginger Wilcox

A little San Anselmo history- The first official San Anselmo school opened in 1898 on the grounds of what is today the Wade Thomas School. The school at that time was called the San Anselmo School and served 48 students. The name was changed in 1909 to Main School. The Main School was renamed Wade Thomas in 1946.

How to Protect Your Views of the San Francisco Bay

Posted on July 23, 2007 by Ginger Wilcox

It is no surprise that a view of the sparkling San Francisco Bay can have a substantial impact on your property values. Views of the Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge or Angel Island are not the only views with a premium price tag. With Marin’s beautiful landscape, don’t forget about your views of Mt. Tam, Mt. Baldy or open space. SO, you pay a premium for a view of downtown San Francisco, how do you keep it?