FHA changes for buying your Omaha Real Estate

 

FHA is increasing their minimum down payment/investment into the transaction from 3% to 3.5% so if you plan on purchasing FHA, NOW is the time to buy.  This change is effective January 1st  and with   FHA NIFA rates at  5.84%  0+0  it can't get much better than that.  The upfront MIP is also increasing to 1.75% effective October 1st.    Lots to take in so if you have any questions always feel free to call.

Interest rates for Omaha Property

Rates dropped again - 30 year is running right at 5.625% to 5.875% depending on the loan amount and 15 year is 5.25% to 5.375%. Of course we don't know what rates are going to do in the weeks ahead but we can start the process - we don't know when rates are at their lowest until we have "missed the boat" and they start going up.

Omaha Property-NIFA rate update

For those of you who are first time homebuyers, I thought I would update you on the interest rates. This information was passed on to me from Diana Foral with First National Bank of Omaha.

FHA and VA NIFA rates dropped to  5.84% and the NIFA FHA and VA HBA (homebuyers assistance program) dropped  to 6.48%   1 + 3/4%.  

The 5.84% program is a much better deal if there is

Any way  that you can come up with the down payment.  Loans against a 401K and gifts of money from family members are all acceptable.  Also I was told if you have a banking relationship with First National Bank they might receive a discount off closing costs.

 

If you are interested in buying Omaha Real Estate or a home in the surrounding areas, please contact me direct at 1-800-497-2171 or visit my website at www.housesinomaha.com

 

 

Omaha Property

Who makes the difference between Listing Omaha property

and SELLING Omaha property?

Mark Ciochon

When the time is right for you to move, you don't want to merely offer your Omaha property for sale, you want to actually sell it.

Since so many Omaha properties are expiring off the market unsold, you may have already experienced what happens when you choose a Realtor who lacks the commitment, the expertise and the marketing know-how to get the job done. It isn't fun.

Mark has the commitment, the expertise, the experience in selling Omaha property, and the marketing system to sell your house quickly, and for top dollar.

As you read this page, you'll see why Mark is confident he can sell your Omaha Real Estate - and why he can make this promise:

I will sell your Omaha Real Estate within 90 days,

or I'll make your payment.

________________________________________________________________________

Hi, I'm Mark Ciochon,

…and I'd like to help you get moving toward life's next great adventure - by providing a buyer for your Omaha real estate.

You may have listed it before, and been sorely disappointed with the service and the results. I'd like to see to it that you never feel that way again.

In fact, I'd like to become your "Realtor for Life," by giving you service far beyond your expectations.

Here are just a few of the tools I'll use:

· Market knowledge: I stay on top of everything going on in the Omaha Real Estate market, so the Market Analysis I prepare for you is based on the most recent Omaha property sales, and based on homes which most closely match your home for sale.

· Area knowledge: I've lived in Omaha for 40 years and can answer your buyer's questions about everything from taxes, to zoning, to shopping, to medical care, to schools, to recreation, and much more.

· Experience: I have been successfully matching Omaha home sellers with buyers since 1998. I'll match the right buyer to YOUR home.

· A powerful track record: I close an Omaha property about every 9 days.

· A Commitment to Communication: I keep my cell phone handy, and on those rare occasions when I'm not available, I return phone calls and e-mails in a timely manner. That means you're never left feeling frustrated or ignored - and your potential buyers are always contacted quickly.

In addition, I'll give you feedback after every showing .

· An Assistant: I have full time office staff that keep busy processing paperwork, creating flyers, and freeing up my time for SELLING your Omaha Real Estate.

· A Marketing System: I have an extensive marketing system designed to sell your Omaha home in the least possible time for the best possible price.

· Buyers Waiting: At any given time, I have about 2,200 buyers who are waiting for the perfect Omaha property to be listed for sale. When I list your home, they'll be notified immediately.

· Negotiation Skills: While some Realtors allow you to be intimidated, or "bulldozed over" by the other side, I have the market knowledge and insight into human behavior that gives you the edge in negotiations.

· Designations: GRI, ABR, and CRS designations mean that I have taken the time to gain EXTRA education and knowledge. Only 3% of all U.S. Realtors have all of these designations.Why did I bother? So I could do a better job for YOU.

· A Written Satisfaction Guarantee: If you are unhappy with my service at any time prior to the acceptance of an offer to purchase, you may cancel your listing with no cost or obligation.

 I keep my listing clients by serving them well, not by legal obligation.

· A Written Selling Guarantee: If I cannot sell your Omaha home within 90 days of listing, I will make your house payment. details…

As you see, I've removed all the risk from listing your Omaha home for sale with me. I can only do this because I know the market well, and I market my listings aggressively. While some Realtors will simply hang a sign and enter the minimum of information in MLS, in hopes that some other Realtor will sell your home - I'll get busy working to find the buyer.

Please look over my marketing plan, and compare it to the work done by your previous Realtor. I think you'll find a big difference.

You'll also find a big difference in communications. Many of my listing clients have told me that the only time they heard from their previous Realtor was when it was time to renew the listing.

When you list with me you'll get regular updates, including feedback from showings. If buyers or other agents voice concerns, I'll bring them to you so we can address them together.

If you're ready to offer your Omaha home for sale, or if you're in the thinking stages and just want to ask some questions, call me at 402-596-1234 or e-mail me today.

I'll be glad to talk with you on the phone, or sit down in person.

I look forward to helping you,

Mark Ciochon

Mark Ciochon, Realtor

ABR, GRI, CRS

402-596-1234

mark@housesinomaha.com

Omaha Real Estate - Homes sales fall sharply

Home sales fall sharply in Omaha
By Christine Laue
Published: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 4:49 AM CDT
Midlands News Service

OMAHA - Home sales in the Omaha metropolitan area dropped 34 percent in July
compared with the same month last year, continuing a trend of sluggish sales
this year and suggesting the housing market hasn't bottomed out yet.

Spokesmen for the city's largest real estate companies said overall sales
this year are down 15 to 20 percent compared with 2007.

Nationally, sales of existing homes rose 3.1 percent in July, mostly because
of sales of deeply discounted properties in parts of the country hit hardest
by the housing bust.

"I would not have guessed the market would be off this much this year," said
Vince Leisey, president of Prudential Ambassador Real Estate. "I thought the
market would be tough, but I didn't think we'd be off 20 percent. . . . I
don't know if we've bottomed out or not, but I think we're awfully close."

Leisey said the subprime mortgage crisis has created a domino effect:

Lenders tightened their standards, eliminating many buyers.

Owners in some areas saw the market value of their homes fall.

Owners unable to sell their homes, or unwilling to sell at the lower market
price, could not buy new houses.

In addition, Leisey and others said, low consumer confidence in general kept
many potential buyers on the sidelines.

"It's going to be a long haul to get out of this, but it didn't happen
overnight," Leisey said.

Gregg Mitchell, president of Mitchell & Associates Inc., an Omaha real
estate appraiser and consultant, said in his monthly report on the west
Omaha market that high gas prices this spring and summer slowed sales of
homes costing $400,000 or less.

But gas prices have declined a bit and August looks better, his report said.

"Every Realtor I've talked to in the last three weeks is busy showing
houses," Mitchell said. "It tends to be a pretty good predictor of what
we'll see in contracts down the road."

April, May and June typically are peak months for sales activity, he said.

But sales in each of those months declined this year when compared with the
same months in 2007 and 2006.

"The real estate market in Omaha, Nebraska, today is slower than it was in
'07," said Larry Melichar, president of CBSHome Real Estate. "But remember
this - most of '07 was a very good market."

Omaha experienced strong home sales from 2002 to 2006. For most of 2007,
while much of the country struggled, sales were even with or slightly better
than 2006.

But 2007 ended on a sour note. Home sales in Omaha fell nearly 10 percent in
the fourth quarter, compared with the same period in 2006.

And that downward trend has continued.

Home sales in the first quarter this year were 24 percent lower than in the
first quarter of 2007, according to numbers from the Greater Omaha Chamber
of Commerce.

Van Deeb, owner of Deeb Realty, characterized the market as "good" but
acknowledged that sales for the entire market are down.

"I think we're on our way back up," Deeb said, "but we're not on our way
with a sharp incline."

Real estate experts have said that reducing inventory is key to stabilizing
the market, and while the number of homes for sale in July compared with
July 2007 was nearly flat, the number of new homes decreased.

The number of homes on the market in July of both 2008 and 2007 hovered
around 6,300, according to the Multiple Listing Service.

But the portion of that inventory that is new construction has decreased,
said Robert Wiebusch, operations director of NP Dodge Real Estate.

There were 1,446 new homes on the market in July 2007, compared with 1,188
in July 2008, he said. That's an 18 percent drop.

Meanwhile, building permit numbers - an indicator of future supply -
decreased 24 percent, from 356 in June 2007 to 270 in June 2008, according
to a Greater Omaha Indicators report.

Since the beginning of 2008, however, the number of building permits for
single-family residences has steadily increased. Scott Strain, senior
director of research at the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, sees this as
a positive sign.

"What I can tell you is that it's a little more optimistic outlook," he
said.

"I always look at it as the builders know their market, and they're seeing
something in the marketplace that they want to act on," Strain said.

This report includes material from the Associated Press.