San Joaquin Homes Community Blog

Installing window treatments; cost savings
April 27th, 2009 11:49 AM
Installing window treatments, such as blinds, shades or curtains can do more than help dress up a room; they also can help cut cooling bills in the summer and heating bills in the winters.  Window treatments can run anywhere from $5 for inexpensive pull-down blinds to as high as $150 or more for shutters that are professionally installed.  Homeowners also may realize a savings in their energy bills in as little as one year.
Posted by Norbert G. Huston on April 27th, 2009 11:49 AMPost a Comment (0)

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Overcoming the National Obsession of Owning a Home
April 24th, 2009 11:28 AM
Overcoming the National Obsession of Owning a Home
Digested From "Why Home Ownership Is U.S. Obsession"
National Public Radio (03/26/09) by Kai Ryssdal

Edmund Phelps, director of Columbia University's Center on Capitalism and Society, was recently interviewed on National Public Radio about why so many Americans want to own their own homes. Phelps said the dream of homeownership has largely been fueled by the federal government, as both Democrats and Republicans have been overly eager to make owning a home "almost a national purpose." Phelps also called the nation's banks to task for focusing too much of their lending efforts "on residential mortgages and other soft targets." Phelps extolled the virtues of renting, explaining, "If you rent, that's it. You don't have to pay any interest to anybody, [and] you don't have to pay any maintenance costs to anybody." By contrast, homeowners have a myriad aggravations, from yard upkeep to roofing to plumbing repairs. Phelps remarked, "In strict money terms, there is no reason to think there is a systematic, long-run, sustainable, durable difference between the two." Phelps concluded by urging the Obama administration to push a new American dream of having a rewarding career and succeeding in that job. He states, "That's what we have to get back to, and get away from this mystique that the most important thing in your life that could ever happen to you is to be a homeowner."
Posted by Norbert G. Huston on April 24th, 2009 11:28 AMPost a Comment (0)

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Norbert Huston featured in Record article 4-2-09
April 2nd, 2009 8:50 AM
State realty group offers mortgage help
Protection plan for first-time buyers unveiled
 
By Bruce Spence
Record Staff Writer
April 02, 2009 6:00 AM

STOCKTON - The state Realtors association will launch a new plan today to boost home sales - a free mortgage protection program aimed at getting first-time buyers into the market by providing up to $1,500 per month for up to six months of monthly mortgage payments if they lose their jobs due to layoffs.

There's a $1 million cap on the program, which could benefit as many as 3,000 families in California, the California Association of Realtors said.

"The Mortgage Protection Program was developed to help allay concerns of consumers who are worried about potential job loss and its impact on their ability to pay their mortgage should they purchase a home, as well as providing peace of mind to those buyers who are actively searching for a home," said CAR President James Liptak, a Paso Robles real estate broker.

Norbert Huston, a Stockton real estate broker who owns Huston Associates Real Estate, said that he had never heard of such a program for the housing market but that the timing was good to try to prop up buyers' confidence as unemployment rises.

"It gives assurance that you can work through something if you do lose a job," he said. "I do think there are a lot of fence-sitters out there."

To qualify for the program, an applicant must be a first-time home buyer or someone who has not owned a home in the past three years; open escrow today or later and close before Jan. 1, 2010; buy a California property; be a W-2 employee (cannot be self-employed or military personnel); and use an agent who belongs to CAR.

The program can apply to either an existing home or a newly constructed one. Home buyers must request an application for the program from their CAR real estate agent.

A qualified co-buyer also can participate in the program for a reduced monthly benefit of $750 per month for up to six months in the event of a job loss. Program benefits include coverage for accidental disability and a $10,000 death benefit.

Such programs have sprung up in the beleaguered auto industry.

On Tuesday, Ford and General Motors Corp. announced programs that would cover buyers' monthly car payment in the event they lose their jobs.

The Ford plan would have Ford make a buyer's monthly payment for up to one year with a monthly maximum of $700. GM's program will make customer payments up to $500 for up to nine months in the event of lost employment.

Contact reporter Bruce Spence at (209) 943-8581 or bspence@recordnet.com.

 

Posted by Norbert G. Huston on April 2nd, 2009 8:50 AMPost a Comment (0)

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