June 2013 Raleigh Real Estate Market Favors Who Now?
By · CommentsWho does Raleigh real estate market favor in June 2013 –buyer or seller? Media sound bites are normally national in scope. Here’s Raleigh, NC trends.
What are media comments based on? In my experience, it’s usually a comparison between the current month and the prior month or the current month compared with the same month a year ago. More comprehensive data is needed by those who will actively participate in the real estate market. In response to that need, I present you the following market analysis. Read More→
Seller Financing
By · CommentsWho benefits from seller financing? What are the benefits? Are there obstacles / risks? Do the benefits outweigh the obstacles / risks? Let’s take a look.
I had lunch with an attorney. We’ll call her Legal Eagle (name withheld by request). We discussed benefits, types of financing, how it works and tips for reducing risk. Here’s what she told me: Read More→
Secret to Attracting Buyers when Selling Your Home
By · CommentsWhat’s the secret to attracting buyers when selling your home? No, it’s not granite countertops. Shrink Margaret E. Allen reveals reason why.
Margaret and I were having coffee and the conversation strayed to attracting buyers. She was researching this topic for a talk she was scheduled to give the following month. Old time marketers believed you had to get prospects into the store in order to make a sale. The same is true today in real estate – you have to get them into your house. Read More→
Benefit Requirements on HARP Loans
By · CommentsTo protect upside down borrowers, loan officers must make sure they meet certain benefit requirements on HARP loans. What’s this mean to you?
It means that as a mortgage loan officer, and I can’t just do a HARP loan to earn a payday for myself. I must be able to prove that you, the borrower, benefits from the HARP loan. Read More→
Purpose of Credit Scores
By · CommentsWhat is the purpose of credit scores? Most believe it’s a grade or report card. Credit insiders have a totally different view. Does this impact your life?
You bet it does. Credit insiders (providers of credit information and lenders) don’t see credit scores as a ‘grade’ on our past. Yes, current and past data is used but to what end? This is where the impact on you arises. Read More→
How Many Credit Scores Do I Have Anyway?
By · CommentsAs a loan officer I get this question often: “How many credit scores do I have anyway?” A straightforward question. Answer a bit complicated.
To be frank I don’t know the correct answer. Since I deal in mortgages my world revolves around FICO scores. As a result I will limit my answer to FICO scores. Some folks are surprised to learn they have more than one. Others think the answer is three. Surprise. Read More→


Barbara Godin – Mortgage Loan Officer
Kathy Godin – Branch Manager
