Eleanor's RTP Blog

We have a ton of inquires from folks who start the conversation with... "I want to buy a home in NC, but..."  often times we find that what's holding them back is CASH in their back pocket.  With the rough times of the past few years, it's not surprising that fewer parents have the extra cash to ...

USDA is quickly becoming one of the Country’s most popular mortgage loan programs, and with that, the USDA Rural Development Offices are getting backlogged!  In the past 2 months, NC went to a “Centralized” Underwriting Process for these loans… and we are sometimes seeing 2 week turn times with U...

We talked to a Veteran today who wants to buy a house, First Time Home Buyer, who was referred to a “Credit Repair Company” a couple of years ago (a well known, National Law firm)… they, of course, disputed EVERYTHING on his credit report.  They also suggested that he obtain a Secured Credit Card...

Several of the agents we work with currently have listings for horse farms in North Carolina.  Financing these properties can offer unique challenges. Our daughter rides, and so we understand the unique challenges of finding the right “home” (barn). When you’re financing a farm, the first thing w...

Twenty-one communities in North Carolina who are currently eligible to receive USDA Home Loans could LOOSE that aid starting October 1, 2012.  My daddy always says that we “Get Rural Fast” in North Carolina… one minute you can be neighborhood after neighborhood, and 20 minutes later you are in th...

There’s a new FHA Streamline Refinance program coming on June 11, 2012 and lots of people are interested in it!  It has a new “tier” for the FHA PMI rates – that is much lower than the current rates!  Of course, FHA doesn’t actually make loans, they just insure the Lender against default.  Becaus...

HUD (and Congress, and FHFA) is putting pressure on FHA to be more solvent, and less of a looming Risk on the Economy.  Because of this, FHA Underwriting Guidelines, have gotten tighter, they've instituted changes in downpayment requirements for those who are higher risk... and they've continuall...

NC Residents are getting an added benefit from the Obama Administration during the next 24 months.  In a program announced for the economically hardest hit counties in the Country, last week USDA announced a new Streamline Refinance Program! NOT ALL STATES HAVE THIS PROGRAM.  It is unique to Nort...

Most folks want to avoid PMI… but they don’t realize that they are happily paying a “kind” of mortgage insurance no matter what kind of loan they are getting! Mortgage Insurance is not the insurance that covers you if you die, or are disabled and can not pay the mortgage… it’s the insurance that ...

In June of 2010 I wrote that I wasn't sure I really "GOT" the hole "Checking In" thing - and I wasn't sure I really WANTED people to know where I was all of the time! I had friends, though, who SWORE there was a way to make this work to my advantage... and so reluctantly, and not with a ton of e...