Brian Ripp ~ Your Bay Area & Fremont Real Estate & Financial Agent » 2009 » December

Lender to Halt Foreclosures Evictions over the Holidays

Brian Ripp — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:08:43 +0000

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will suspend foreclosure evictions from December 19, 2009 through January 3, 2010. To help struggling families over the holidays, both owner-occupants and tenants living in properties foreclosed upon by Fannie Mae will not be evicted. Freddie Mac’s suspension of evictions will be limited to properties up to four units.
In a similar move, Citigroup Inc. will suspend foreclosure sales and evictions for 30 days through January 17, 2010 for loans it owns. Citigroup’s foreclosure moratorium, however, does not extend to loans it services on behalf of other investors. Given these developments, other lenders may follow suit, so check with the lender if appropriate.

Fed’s leaves key rate unchanged

Brian Ripp — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:12:51 +0000

The Federal Reserve today announced it will maintain its target for the federal funds rate in the 0 percent to 0.25 percent range, and expects economic conditions to warrant exceptionally low levels of the federal funds rate for an extended period of time. “Information suggests that economic activity has continued to pick up and that the deterioration in the labor market is abating,” the Fed said in a prepared statement.

“Financial market conditions have become more supportive of economic growth, although economic activity is likely to remain weak for a time. The Committee anticipates that policy actions to stabilize financial markets and institutions, fiscal and monetary stimulus, and market forces will contribute to a strengthening of economic growth and a gradual return to higher levels of resource utilization in a context of price stability,” the Fed said.

To provide support to mortgage lending and housing markets and to improve overall conditions in private credit markets, the Federal Reserve also said it will purchase a total of $1.25 trillion of agency mortgage-backed securities and nearly $175 billion of agency debt, and will gradually slow the pace of these purchases in order to promote a smooth transition in markets.

Community Alert System for Fremont

Brian Ripp — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:28:43 +0000

The City of Fremont uses a Community Alert System, CodeRED®, which is provided by Emergency Communications Network. The CodeRED®system is a high-speed notification system that gives City officials the ability to deliver pre-recorded emergency alerts and non-emergency notifications to targeted geographic areas or the entire city. CodeRED® is a “reverse 911” system that currently contains land-line phone numbers for most residents and businesses. The community is encouraged to enroll additional information to receive notifications by email, SMS (text), and cell or work numbers.

Additional information visit: http://www.fremont.gov/index.aspx?NID=1024
information obtained from the City of Fremont’s website

Brian Ripp, CRS, GRI, Broker – your Bay Area Realtor
www.BrianRipp.com serving Fremont, Newark, Union City & surrounding communities.
Real Estate & Property Management.

Home Improvements

Brian Ripp — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 18:02:34 +0000

Updating Bathrooms

After kitchens, bathrooms are a home buyer’s biggest concern. The good news here is that bathroom renovations typically realize a homeowner an 80-90% return on their investment. For a small space, $1,000 can go a long way to helping you boost your home’s value.

In addition to tiling the floor, you could upgrade the vanity and sink. Depending on the size of your vanity and the number of sinks you would like to install you can buy a premade, finished piece at most “big box” home improvement stores and sink for several hundred dollars. Or opt for a pedestal sink (or two) and freestanding cabinets for storage – a hot new trend – and you’ll still come in well under your $1,000 spending limit.

Get Efficient

Use your $1,000 budget to make a smart and eco-friendly investment in your home such as:

Going tankless. Installing a tankless hot water heater for $150-$1,000 (depending on size) is an attractive energy-efficient upgrade for today’s homeowners and buyers…and it will save you between 10-20% on your utility bills monthly.
Installing ceiling fans. Ceiling fans aren’t just decorative – they’re an easy way to reduce your overall energy consumption during hot summer months.

Not sure where to start? Hire an interior designer for a flat hourly fee to get some professional advice or ask a local realtor to walk through your home and give his/her opinion of the best renovations you could make given your local market.

Brian Ripp, CRS, GRI, Broker – your Bay Area Realtor

www.BrianRipp.com serving Fremont, Newark, Union City & surrounding communities. Real Estate & Property Management.