Austin Real Estate Update

Hi Mike,

I have a quick question for you.

I currently have a 30 year FHA Mortgage on my house in Pflugerville, Texas which I just refinanced 2 years ago at 4.25%.  I have had many offers to refinance again which would lower my payments.  They have stated the following:

No lender Costs
No Appraisals
No out of Pocket Cost
No Re-qualification
No Credit Score Required
No Income Verification

Is it worth for me to refinance again to bring my payments down?...... I have been trying to bring my house payments down even more if I can as long as it won’t cost me anything?

Thank you, 

Happy Home Owner

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Hello Happy Home Owner,

That’s a great question and one I am asked quite often.  It depends on closing costs and years left on your current mortgage.  If there are truly no closing costs associated with refinancing then why not since it’s only been two years into your new mortgage.  However, be very leery.  Most lenders state “No closing costs” because they add it to your existing mortgage balance or “Back end”. 

Here are a few questions to ask:

2.    Are there any government required fees?  If so, who will pay for it?

3.    Please send me a good faith estimate or “GFE”.  This will show all fees or closing costs and who will be responsible to pay for them.  It should also show your new principal and interest payment or “P&I”.  Make sure to compare your current P&I with the new one.

If you have any other questions or would like me to review any paperwork, call or email me any time. 

Mike Cusimano, Broker
Premiere Team Real Estate
Austin, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Round Rock and surrounding areas
mike@premiereteam.com
512-795-9918

Why keep renting a home when you could own? Mortgage interest rates are at all time lows, only 3 to 4%. It’s a great time to buy in Austin, Cedar Park, Leander, Pflugerville, Round Rock, Texas and outlining areas.

Did you know as a tenant every month part of your rent goes towards lowering your Landlord’s mortgage? Did you know as a tenant you are paying off the Landlord’s house that you live in? In other words, you are throwing money away.

All that money you spend in rent each month on rent could be going towards paying off your mortgage not your Landlord.

Do you have Bad Credit, No Down Payment or are you Self-employed? We can help you get Homeownership!

Are you stuck in a lease? Buy from me, I’ll take over your lease for FREE!

It’s an easy process and it only takes 10 to 15 minutes to get started. Call now and we’ll give you a 13 month Residential Service Contract (Home Warranty) for FREE at closing. Call Premiere Team Real Estate at 512-794-9914 today. 

As the overall economy improves so does the desire to buy a home in Cedar Park, Texas and the other outlining areas of Austin, Texas. 

With interest rates so low and rents so high it's no wonder why homes sales and prices continue to rise once again in the Austin, Texas and surrounding areas like Cedar Park, Leander, Pflugerville and Round Rock, Texas.

Local Renters and inbound snowbirds are starting to see the true value in home ownership once again especially when real estate in the Austin, Texas and surrounding areas is considered to have some of the best homes for the money throughout the United States.

Having said that it is also very important to know what the buy and why.  Here are 3 home buying tips that have helped save our clients thousands of dollars.

1)    Location: Be aware of your surroundings.  Know what's going on in and around the neighborhood you are thinking about buying in.

2)    Demographics: Understanding the real estate market, employment, schools, etc. and why people chose to buy or rent in certain areas can make or break you when you go to sell.

3)    Loan Program: Create a 3 to 5 year plan before you consider buying a home.  This will help you make the best decision on the type of loan program you go with.

There are many more tips when buying a home in Cedar Park, Texas.  For more information, Call Mike Cusimano with Premiere Team Real Estate at 512-795-9918 today.

There's more to consider than just finding home to buy for you and your family in Austin, Cedar Park, Leander, Pflugerville and Round Rock, Texas.  Not only do you want to find that perfect home but if you are going to get a home mortgage then you want to get that perfect financing as well.

Home financing is never an easy thing to fully understand. It seems like there is an unlimited supply of financing options available for homebuyers these days, and it’s incredibly hard to figure out which option is right for you. Not every financing option works for all people.

In fact, some options might even cost you more money because of its’ rules that go overlooked or not even mentioned until it’s closing. It's important to have a trusted and experienced real estate agent leading you through home-buying process. There is no doubt in my mind that we can guide you through your home financing and provide you with the best options.

Did you know that if you are a Texas Veteran you additional discounts? How about buying a home with no money out of pocket when you buy a home on the out skirts of town? Police officers, fire fighters and teachers also have special loan programs allowing them to buy with little to no money down.

We would love the chance to talk about what it takes to buy a home in today’s marketplace and what sort of financial options are available to you. Please call Mike Cusimano with Premiere Team Real Estate at 512-795-9918 or email him at mike@premiereteam.com with any questions or just to talk about your real estate options. We look forward to hearing from you.

It's hard to believe that Austin, Cedar Park, Leander, Pflugerville and Round Rock, Texas area home sales have increased over 22% over the past 12 months.

Here are 8 Reasons why Austin, Texas Real Estate has been doing so well.

1. Sales activity. There have been a significant number of home sales in Austin, Cedar Par, Leander, Pflugerville and Round Rock, Texas over the past 6 months.

2. Higher asking and selling prices vs. appraisal value
There are more homebuyers than sellers forcing multiple offers. Thus, we are starting to see home buyers pay more than the appraised value.

3. Shorter marketing times. In most balanced residential markets, properties that are priced competitively will typically sell in less than 6 months. The average home in Austin, Cedar Park, Leander, Pflugerville and Round Rock, Texas is selling within 3 months.

4. Stabilized employment. Stable or increasing local employment rates provide the necessary confidence for potential buyers to invest in a home. Since most buyers rely on borrowed funds to make real estate purchases and borrowing money usually requires a source of repayment and that usually means jobs, an increase in this basic need, will enable more real estate sales.

5. Fewer buyer incentives and seller concessions. We are starting to see seller-paid incentives or concessions less frequent.

6. New construction starts. Most builders will not build new homes without a corresponding contract for sale or a perceived increase in demand. There is an increase in the number of building permits which indicate current higher demand and higher prices to come.

7. “Move-up” buyers entering the market. There are currently more home owners willing to move to a larger or superior quality home because of the low interest rates and limited opportunities.

8. More first time buyers and investors entering the market. Home buyers and investors are buying homes because of the low interest rates, rising rentals rates(up over 21% for the year) and there are more people moving into Austin and surrounding areas.

For a more detailed look into the Austin, Cedar Park, Leander, Pflugerville and Round Rock, Texas real estate market, call Mike Cusimano, Broker anytime at 512-795-9918 or get a FREE Market Snapshot.