Behind the Scenes Look at C21 Super Bowl Commercial

www.arrowheadinniceville.com

Finally getting organized. It took awhile to figure it out, but we've got more information on Arrowhead put together on its own website: www.arrowheadinniceville.com. I know some of you have been asking for floor plans and I'm in the middle of uploading these to the site as well. The homes are extremely well built with simply gorgeous attention to detail. As always, don't hesitate to call to set up a showing or come on by in the afternoons between 2 and 4pm.

BRAND NEW SUBDIVISION IN NICEVILLE

ARROWHEAD
STARTING AT $234,000

Don't miss out on this beautiful new subdivision located off of Hwy 85 N just past Edge Elementary. These three and four bedroom homes are built to be luxurious, yet affordable. Some of the standard interior features include crown molding in the main areas, brand new GE appliances, recessed lighting, hardwood and tile flooring, 9' ceilings, granite countertops in the kitchen, and glass enclosed showers.

If you or someone you know is looking for a new home, you've found the right place to start your search. This is a great location whether you commute to Eglin, Crestview, Fort Walton Beach, or Destin.

Lots are still available if you're looking for something custom and three homes are move-in-ready now! Don't hesitate to call 850.428.4682 for more information.

LISTED AT $234,900

LISTED AT $274,900

LISTED AT $279,900

And much more to choose from! Give us a call today. 850.428.4682

The Numbers Are In!

More people are choosing to list with Century 21 Wilson Minger Agency, Inc. than any other real estate office in town!

Century 21 Wilson Minger has the number one spot for new active listings since the start of the new year.

We're also number one for sales pending, with an impressive 22% of the Niceville market.

Our committment to our clients is unmistakeable and our professionalism cannot be beat. We care about your home buying and selling needs and are committed to providing you the best home buying and selling experience possible!

*These statistics were taken from the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors MLS site; Feb. 12th, 2012

Today's Adventure

10:00 am - Made quick flyer for homes left at The Preserve at Swift Creek; hurry we only have about three left!
11:45 am - Previewed a home in Niceville; newly spruced up 3Bd/ 2Ba with new carpet and paint, great starter home.
12:00 pm - Met first family out at Arrowhead. They love the beautiful construction and elegant finishing touches.
12:30 pm - Met second family in Niceville just a street over from Arrowhead. Beautiful REO home, another great starter that's move-in ready condition.
1 pm - Took second family to see another great home on 26th St. Great floor plan with very nice kitchen; loved those granite countertops.
2 pm - Met third family in Bluewater Bay; looking to upgrade to something with more space for their growing family. This particular home we looked at had a great backyard and lots of great storage space inside.
3 pm - Back at home and working on an offer.

I feel truly blessed to get the chance to bring so many wonderful families into the homes they are looking for!

Get Pre-Qualified

If you bought a home in 2003 and are ready to upgrade to something larger, you might get a huge suprise when it comes down to talking with a lender today. It wasn't too long ago that anyone that walked in the door could get a loan with little to no hassle. Pull up a credit score, get a few documents together, no big deal. And while many people understand and have followed the state of affairs in the housing market on TV, they aren't realizing how this translates to their process of getting a loan in today's finance environment.

The bottom line is, yes, lenders want much more information now than they used to. I'll say it again: much more. The good news is that your lender is on your team and wants you to get that loan just as much as you do. So while they're going to need everything from your last two year's w-2's, two months bank statements, landlord information, letters explaining cash deposits, and a blood sample (ok maybe not a blood sample) be prepared and even willing to give them what they want.

You also will want to talk to a lender BEFORE you start looking at homes. Not only will they guide you to a budget, they will give you good strong advice about how to handle your finances once you are under contract until closing...and it's not always the same advice Suze Orman would give.

Trying to pay off debt before you close? Actually, your lender might caution you otherwise. Some banks would rather see lots of cash in the bank and notice you're paying off monthly expenses towards credit cards than see no debt, but no cash either. Just talk to a trusted lender first.

If you're not sure who to talk to, your realtor can give you the name of someone they have worked with successfully before.

Just make sure you do your homework and get pre-qualified before you go out and fall in love with a home. If you're buying, it's got to get done sooner or later, so approach it with a positive attitude and when your lender says he or she needs something remember, you share a common goal.

Super Bowl Open House

Well, the day of the Big Game is finally here! But before you settle into your favorite team's jersey and line the food up between you and the television, take a minute to enjoy the beautiful day outside and come visit us at Arrowhead from 1 to 3pm.

Picture what a championship party would look like in your new kitchen with sparkling GE appliances! Look how many people you could have over to celebrate with you in your new spacious living room!

Have fun today, sports fans!

Could Obama's Refinance Program Work?

My husband and I are a young couple and like many of our friends, we bought our home years ago when housing prices were still high. We had a growing family, knew we were in a location that we planned on staying in for a long time and although interest rates were high, we still thought we would prefer to own than rent.

And even though it hurts now to see what we could get for the money we spent back then, I don't regret our decision. In our case, we were able to snag a beautiful home, close to family, and in a very desirable part of our area.

We've been able to pay our mortgage, although some months it's been very tight, but we've never been able to refinance. Our home just won't appraise for what we paid. But now with Obama's plan for underwater home owners, is it really a possibility?

The following inserts were taken directly from the NAR Website:


"Under the refi initiative President Obama discussed in his speech, underwater home owners who are struggling to stay current on their mortgage would be able to refinance to take advantage of today’s historically low rates.

Policy experts speaking with politically active REALTORS® in Washington this week said it would be relatively easy to create the program if an agency like FHA or even if the two secondary mortgage market companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were given responsibility to do it. As policy consultant and former HUD official Brian Chappelle put it, the program could be implemented “almost overnight” because FHA already has its lenders and refi procedures in place.

But Chappelle and others said if FHA or the GSEs undertook the program, it would be best for the government to create a separate insurance fund to cover the new refinanced mortgages. That way, the entities’ main insurance funds wouldn’t be at risk should a portion of the loans go bad.

Brian Gardner, a Wall Street analyst, said the program would require close coordination with the Federal Reserve, otherwise investors in mortgage backed securities would demand a risk premium in interest rates to account for future political uncertainty of the program.

Patrick Swire, a former Obama administration domestic policy advisor and now an analyst with the Center for American Progress, said Obama’s refi initiative is a logical extension of the administration’s previous efforts to help underwater home owners since the economic crisis hit several years ago. The Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) was a first attempt to give lenders, investors, and troubled borrowers an incentive to modify their mortgage before the house is lost to foreclosure. This new program would provide an opportunity to implement lessons learned from that earlier effort.

Would lenders even want to participate? Ann Schnare, a policy consultant who formerly was an executive with Freddie Mac, said lenders are worried about getting hit with loan repurchase penalties, which previously happened infrequently but since the mortgage market upheaval have become far more common. So, unless that issue is addressed, lenders would likely be worried about the risks of participating.

Of course, whether the program will even pass Congress is another matter altogether, and that remains the big question. But the panelists appeared to agree that implementation was clear-cut should it pass."