Hunter Ray 501-915-2838 / HunterRay.Realtor@gmail.com

Arkansas REALTOR with Keller Williams Realty
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Hunter Ray

  • Now is the best time to buy Hot Springs Real Estate

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    If you watch data that is regularly published on the topic of little rock real estate, there are several trends that keep reoccurring.  These trends include theories that real estate prices have still not hit rock bottom, that interest rates will soon start to creep up, and that some areas are doing far better than others. That last trend really relates to issues that affect real estate prices; for example, foreclosure levels and unemployment levels.

    Why Hot Springs Real Estate is Hot!

    Hot Springs seems to be fairing very well. It constantly appears in the top five for low foreclosures, stable home prices, and reasonable unemployment levels. Does that make Hot Springs Village, AR a good place to buy a home? We think it does. In fact, here are six darn good reasons to buy real estate in Hot Springs Village, AR.

    • Prices
    • Interest Rates
    • Affordability
    • Buyers Market
    • Short Sales
    • The American Dream

    Hot Springs Real Estate, a safe bet.

    Buying a home in Hot Springs Village, AR in today's market is a relatively safe proposition when compared to many other areas in the country. While home prices will drop again over the next 12 months, Hot Springs will be protected from some of those effects and that's good news for both buyers and sellers.

  • Why VA Loans are great option for Hot Springs Real Estate.

    Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Purchase with no money down

    More and more banks are asking for large down payments, some as high as 10-20% down, putting home ownership out of reach for many first time home buyers. A VA Loan is perfect for young families and first time home buyers because the borrower can finance 100% of the home's value and purchase with $0 down. The VA is one of the only loan programs that can offer this same benefit.

    VA Loan are easier to obtain

    Because many first-time home buyers typically don't have a lot of established credit, getting qualified for a conventional loan can be difficult. The credit and income standards are not as strict with VA Loans making the loan qualification process easier.

    The savings are HUGE every month!

    Because the loan is backed by the government, banks do not require PMI (private mortgage insurance) which is an added monthly expense. Rates for VA Loans are typically 0.5%-1% lower than conventional loans. These two advantages add up to continuous monthly savings
  • How to buy “resell” real estate

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    How to Choose a Real Estate Agent for the process

    When choosing real estate for your purchase, it makes the most sense to buy in a city with a viable and stable economy. Five, ten, or even fifteen years from now – when you want to sell your home – you can have a reasonable expectation that your community will still be a desirable place to live.

    In addition to residential neighborhoods, there should be a healthy mixture of commercial and business districts. These not only provide jobs to the local residents, but also add an income source that the city can use to upgrade and maintain roads and city services.

    How to Choose a Real Estate Agent for the process

    In fact, you should take a drive and see how well the community is maintained. You have probably heard of “pride of ownership” when referring to an individual home or an automobile. Look to live in a city that demonstrates community pride, as well.

    Also don’t forget to get pre-qualified for a mortgage before you start your real estate search. Searching for real estate can be tough but it will pay off in the end.

  • Selling Your Hot springs Village Home

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                                                                                             Selling Your Hot springs Village Home

    Determining Your Offer Price

    When you prepare an offer to purchase a home, you already know the seller's asking price. But what price are you going to offer and how do you come up with that figure?

    Determining your offer price is a three-step process.

    First, you look at recent sales of similar properties to come up with a price range. Then, you analyze additional data, such as the condition of the home, improvements made to the property, current market conditions, and the circumstances of the seller. This will help you settle on a price you think would be fair to pay for the home. Finally, depending on your negotiating style, you adjust your "fair" price and come up with what you want to put in your offer.

    Comparable Sales

    The first step in determining the price you are willing to offer is to look at the recent sales of similar homes. These are called "comparable sales." Comparable sales are recent sales of homes that compare closely to the one you are looking to purchase. Specifically, you want to compare prices of homes that are similar in square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, garage space, lot size, and type of construction.

    If the home you are interested in is part of a tract of homes, then you will most likely find some exact model matches to compare against one another.

    There are three main sources of information on comparable sales, all of which are easily accessed by a real estate agent. It is somewhat more difficult for the general public to access this data, and in some cases impossible. Two of the most obvious information sources are the public record and the Multiple Listing Service.

  • Little Known Facts about Hot Springs Village Real Estate

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    Hot Springs Village Arkansas Real Estate & Cost of Living

    Arkansas's housing, utilities and taxes rank well below other areas of the country. ACCRA Cost of Living Survey people who live in Hot Springs Village cost of living 14% lower than the national average. (Items surveyed included housing, grocery items, utilities, transportation, health-care, and miscellaneous goods and services.)

    If your income here is $50,000, to enjoy the same lifestyle somewhere else you will need income of...

    • $103,750 in Los Angeles
    • $86,685 in Seattle
    • $68,965 in Santa Fe
    • $106,865 in Chicago
    • $153,524 in Manhattan
    • $100,843 in Boston
    • $76,118 in Dallas
    • $70,822 in Atlanta
    • $105,754 in Washington D.C.

    Hot Springs Village Arkansas Real Estate & Education

    The over 400 plus students from the Hot SpringsVillage area attend either Fountain Lake or Jessieville public school districts located outside the gated property. Both schools offer kindergarten through grade 12 with a commitment to excellence in education. Each facility enjoys a 14-1 student teacher ratio offering individualized instruction and attention.

    The schools have access to the latest in computer and informational technology, as well as science, and score higher than the state and national average on standardized testing. The education systems also have a full schedule of extracurricular activities. Fountain Lake has an extraordinary band and performed in Washington, D.C. at the America's Year celebration and Jessieville School offers an 11,000 square foot secondary library and a new sports arena providing a 1,500 seat gymnasium. Both schools have very active sports programs and high academic standards providing students with skills to become active and productive members of the community.

    Higher education is available from National Park Community College in Hot Springs plus a satellite classroom just a mile or so from the Village. Academic 1 or 2 year degrees are offered as well as a variety of adult classes which many Hot Springs Villagers participate in.

  • Making sure your listing gets seen

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    Every home seller likes to be assured that their listing agent or the real estate company will run ads featuring their home. Newspaper ads could be large display ads with lots of listings or small classified ads featuring just your property. Ads may also appear in local real estate magazines and your listing will also show up on the Internet.

    Of course the agents and companies will run ads featuring your house, but not for the reasons you expect.

    You see, the main job of advertising is not to sell your house directly. Advertising creates phone calls and some of those callers become clients of the agents answering the calls. This builds up a pool of homebuyers looking for property in general, all represented by selling agents (buyer's agents). Multiply this by all the agents and companies who also advertise homes, and there is a large pool of homebuyers in the market at any given time - all of whom are represented by selling agents.

     

     

  • Choose your lender wisely

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    The most important step in purchasing a new home is not simply finding a home,  but finding a reliable mortgage lender to make sure you can afford it. Working with a mortgage lender is really one the top priorities, your mortgage lender will be with you for the life of the home ownership so make sure and choose wisely when selecting a lender for your hot springs village real estate.

    It is essential that you only deal with a lender that has a high code of ethics. Interview the lender in the same way you did the realtor. Do not be intimidated by a lender, or think you are wasting their time. It is, after all, your money. Visit at least four lenders before making your choice.

    The lender will look at your debt to income ratio. This figure is currently 28/36%. The first figure, 28%, is what the lender feels is the maximum amount of your gross income that is available for monthly mortgage payments. This includes monthly mortgage payments, private mortgage insurance if you must pay it and property taxes. The second figure, 36%, is the amount the lender signifies as housing expense and recurring debt. This includes such things as utilities, phone and cable bills and trash removal.

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  • Hot Springs Real Estate For Sale…Limited time only!

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    Hot Springs Village, AR is a very special place. From the landscapes to the local people, it’s all beautiful. So it’s no wonder why the real estate here is among the most “sought” out places to buy real estate and to live. Hot Springs plays host to some of America’s most prestigious landmarks and as a community host many popular festivals such as the documentary film festival or the world famous Oak lawn horse racing arena.

    Hot Springs has it all. When it comes time to find a new place to live, look no further. My company is here to help you find the perfect hot springs village real estate. Feel to contact us anytime to find out some available listings.  

  • Finding the right Agent

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    You're probably on the Internet, If you're reading this. One key to a successful relationship between a real estate agent and their client is that, in addition to representing your interests competently, they educate you about the process as it unfolds. So don't simply look for property on the web - look for an agent that informs you about the process.

     

    Perhaps a friend, co-worker, or family member recently bought a house in the same community and had a good experience. Referrals are always a good way to go. However, if they bought a house twenty miles from where you want to move, it may not be a good idea to use the same Realtor.

     

    You want an agent who knows the area in detail and has already previewed many of the homes available for sale in that community.  Community knowledge should be important to you because you are not just buying a house.  You are buying a home in a local neighborhood in a specific community.

     

    Every Realtor can show you every property available for sale in the Multiple Listing Service. Since that is true, you can call any real estate office and find a Realtor willing to show you houses for sale. The problem is that you do not know if you are talking to an excellent Realtor or a lazy inactive one.

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  • Foreclosures rise in August

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    The abuses likely affected many borrowers, given Fannie's huge footprint in the mortgage market. By 2008, when it entered conservatorship after suffering large losses in the mortgage meltdown, the value of loans it backed exceeded $3 trillion -- 26% of the total mortgage market.

    As the foreclosure crisis deepened, many of those loans defaulted. In 2010, Fannie foreclosed on more than 260,000 borrowers.

    "It appears that an untold number of borrowers with loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae may have suffered abuses that violated their legal rights," said Cummings.

    Fannie should have known the problem existed. A Fannie shareholder alerted the company back in December 2003 that its attorneys may have engaged in abusive practices in Florida, and the agency hired an outside firm to investigate.

    In 2006, an internal report from that probe concluded that "[F]oreclosure attorneys ... are routinely filing false pleadings and affidavits."

    A Fannie Mae spokeswoman declined to comment on the full report, but confirmed that the 2006 investigation identified a specific issue with the practice of filing lost note affidavits, which she said was immediately addresses Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
  • Home Ownership: The American Dream

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    To be able to own a home is the true American dream. Home ownership is about more than just being able to have a nice home for people to look at and visit from time to time, it's about the nature of freedom, the ability to call something your own.  

    Hot Springs is truly a unique place to live and work. Over the past years, it has been an honor to help get families moved into what will be their "Dream" home or the place where their children remember growing up. Whenever it's time to either buy or sell your home, remember to choose someone with experience and who knows Hot Springs real estate and can get you exactly what you need. 


  • Homeowner’s Insurance Basics

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    The reason why homeowners insurance is such an important part of the home owner process is because a home is a huge investment, often one of the largest purchases many people make in their lifetimes.

    Naturally, people want to protect the value of their precious property. Homeowners insurance is a contract between a homeowner and an insurance company. As long as the owner pays the required premiums and meets the other policy requirements, the insurance company guarantees to reimburse the owner for any losses incurred due to natural disasters or human-caused damage
  • Tips for selling your home

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    There is some good news: Mortgage rates remain at their lowest point in nearly 60 years, and prices are settling in several markets. Hot Springs real estate is becoming more affordable and needs-based instead of speculator-driven, making a home primarily a shelter once more.

    For them, here are 10 real estate tips for 2012.

    1. Redefine "market value"
    2. Hire personal peeps
    3. Extend the selling season
    4. Check the seller's addition
    5. Gather micro data
    6. Smoke out pervs
    7. Feel what the buyer feels
    8. Keep dream alive after foreclosure
    9. Set your goals in writing
    10. Play the field

    These quick tips will help you when you're looking to purchase your new home.

  • Understanding your mortgage

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    Purchase Points

    Purchase points, also known as a "buy-down" or "discount points," are an up-front fee paid to the lender at closing to buy-down or lower your interest rate over the life of the loan. Each point is equal to one percent of your total loan amount. If you have a $100,000 loan, one point would equal $1,000. The more points you buy, the lower your interest rate, but the more money you'll need at closing.

    How do you decide whether you should buy points and if so, how many? Well, the decision should be based on how long you plan on living in your home and what you can afford to pay each month toward your mortgage. If you plan on living in your home for more than five years, it's probably a good idea to purchase points. The longer you live in your home, the more you can save on interest over the life of the loan.

    Interest Rate

    When you get a mortgage, you are charged an interest rate.this is the rate which the lender charges you for using their money to buy a home. It determines how much your monthly payments will be. Generally speaking, the higher the interest rate, the higher your monthly payment.

    Mortgage interest rates change constantly.daily, even hourly. If you speak to a lender and are quoted a specific interest rate, that's not to say you'll necessarily get that rate when you close on your loan. Not unless you formally lock-in that rate with the lender.locking in an interest rate will guarantee you get your loan with a particular interest rate. Lenders will allow you to lock in for 15, 45 or 60 days. But the longer you lock in, the more expensive it will be, since it's more of a risk to lenders.

    Fees

    There are always fees associated with getting a mortgage, these fees cover the cost of processing and underwriting the loan. These fees can include charges for ensuring the title to the home is free and clear; paying for a land survey; or paying for a home appraisal which gives you the estimated value of the property (lenders require an appraisal to close on your mortgage).

    Deciding which mortgage to get may depend on what each lender does because different lenders may charge different amounts. Some may charge lesser closing fees to lure you in, but may charge you a higher interest rate, which means you may pay more in the long run. But everyone has different needs.you may or may not be able to afford to pay more at closing and are willing to pay more over the long term.

    Before it comes time to close, do your homework, make sure there are no hidden fees, and ask your lender lots of questions so that you understand all the costs involved with your mortgage.

  • The Best Way to appeal your real estate taxes

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    If your tax bill seems too high compared to the true value of your home, you can appeal the bill, and you may have your taxes reduced. Here are some important steps for filing a grievance.

    1. Ask about the appeals process. Cities and counties that charge real estate taxes generally have a grievance procedure for taxpayers who believe their bills are in error. Call your local government office or visit its website to determine the process. You may have to fill out a grievance form and even appear at the government facility in person to state your case.
    2. Collect sales data. An important way to establish the true value of your property is to document the sales prices for similar properties in your area. You can find this information through public tax records. You can also ask local real estate agents, who routinely pull comparable sales data, or "comps," on local properties. A more formal way to evaluate the worth of your home is to hire an appraiser. He or she can give you an independent, expert assessment.
    3. Consider hiring a third party. Some professionals focus on helping homeowners appeal their real estate taxes. If you have a lot of money at stake, it may be worth it to hire a professional, such as an attorney, who specializes in real estate tax appeals. Before hiring a third party, however, understand that no one can guarantee your property taxes will be reduced. In addition, the professional will likely charge you a fee for appealing your real estate taxes.
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