Good morning to the Holiday Season of Great Joy,
In this season of great hope, may you have great days of celebrating life with family and friends. And in the spirit of love, may we also remembering those who are not here with us. I hope the best for you in your daily life, and if it seems the constant bombardment becomes to confusing, let’s talk. For at the days end, let us be an encouragement of joy, to one another.
Year-end reviews are also a good way to close out the year. It is a great way to plan for next year and prepare for helpful modifications. Please call us. We can offer positive guidance.
Great News:
Local real estate markets continue steady,
as it carefully watches low and steady mortgage rates,
and typically lower prices during Fall season.
Like many of you, I am an active Buyer, Seller, and Investor in real estate. In this, we share the goal of sustaining a long-term, diversified portfolio – a plan benefitting today’s income and tomorrow’s wealth. To improve on this success, I continue to read and interact with many diversified professionals. I have particularly enjoyed real estate in need of being updated and modernized. It is here, you learn first hand, the importance and significance of how to evaluate property, the significance of location, and having the best lenders for each property type.
My sources for information:
Economy: Dr. Doug Duncan, Dr. Chris Thornberg, John Mauldin, Barry Habib.
Real Estate: Bruce Norris, Real Capital Analytics, Yardi, NorCal REIA, SJREN
Personal: Richard Smith, David Granzella, Vikash Sachania, Paul Goetz, Cliff Keith
Reading: Kiplingers News, Landlord, SV Business Journal
Naming just a few, I cannot express my thanks enough, for the encouraging conversations and positive ideas. Walking through the maze of ever-changing regulations can be challenging, but networking with fabulous professionals, helps keeps one ready and motivated. Thank you all !
The Good News: The special talents of well-tuned experience and focused training I bring to you and our conversations. It helps assure the quality of the sale or refinance of your home. So, is now the right time to act? Best Answer: Call today for a quick overview.
So to keep you wise and aware, ours is to point out pertinent facts and avoid the fictions. We will layout current market conditions – jobs, location, and the local economy – and how they are influencing property values and demand. This helps keep you wise and up-to-date as you answer the question; Is now the time to buy or refinance? It is what makes the market, our market, and why I relish the opportunity to assist and guide – Buy, Sell, or Hold.
Rates are great, so prepare today, for your tomorrow. Call today.
More News: Homes are selling, especially when priced to meet today’s market. Key is pricing homes that meet the market. Thus avoid pricing outside the range of their professional agents review of current market appraisals. Buyer’s are in the market and rates are excellent. Call.
Current home owner? Fantastic ! Let talk, for now is “that” good time you have been waiting for to refinance or establish a credit line. With rates not seen since the lows of 2012 and 2016 – now is the time to finish your Summer projects or get your home ready for winter. It is also a great time to consolidate debt or simply reduce payments on a current loan. Let’s talk.
Still renting? With todays’ very low rates – call us to see how much more your downpayment can buy today. We will lay out loan programs – ones’ fit for you – while offering an excellent, step-by-step approach, before deciding. Best of all: It’s free. And with your help, we know how to keep buying a new home, simple and straightforward.
Give us call. We now how to build strong loans so you can provide the Seller a solid offer. Our real estate friends often say, this is the difference maker. Set yourself apart. Let’s talk.
Is this your Time to Buy or Refinance?
We are ready to make it happen – Call Mike.
Helpful News:Facts prove the best way to counter fake news attempts to fear us into a recession. It’s how to correct any misguided distortion of what is real. A goal of ours.
- Economy: Some signs of slowing. Manufacturing holding steady, yet transportation continues its decline. (Note, the transportation numbers are NOT as bad as those in the later half of 2015 into the 1st half of 2016). Unemployment claims have bumped up slightly the past 2 weeks.
- Who pays the tax bill: 2017 numbers: the bottom 50 % of filers paid 3.11 % of the total fed tax bill. The top 10 % (AGI line is $ 145,000) paid 70.08 % of the tax. The ‘TOP 1%’ (AGI is $ 515,000) paid 38.47 %. FYI, Dems and Reps are out to collect more from the top 10 %.
- Foreign Accounts: IRS can find you. Recently, a US Citizen was found having a Swiss Account for a number of years. End-of-day, the penalty was $ 800,000 ! Be aware, banks and governments work together to plug perceived gaps in reporting.
- Monetary policy influence: Let’s be clear – fears of the ‘inverted yield curve’ have been removed as a useful indicator due to manipulations by non-market factors, including our Federal Reserve, China, and EU-Reserve. Thus yields are no longer predominately driven by open market variable. Topic now moot.
- Sign of Positive or Negative: Attempts to predict a recession, in todays’ globalized, multi-layered complexities, of intertwined factors, are at best, an educated guesses. One must now look to several factors just to attempt to confirm direction – recession or expansion. Timing is a gift of great skill. Currently, Federal rate policy & liquidity of available cash in the market, is key. Watch rates, interbank rates, and currencies.
- Trade talks: Missing from the headlines – failure to pass the USMCA – NAFTA II. It will prove a boon for California, all US farmers, and workers. Yet after one year, the House fails to pass it. Next is China / US trade/tariff talks. This seems more about political posturing, awaiting 2020 elections. For those against tariffs, it remains the primary tool of negotiations, recognizing treaties fail when a Countires fail to deal honorable with another.
Bay Area Good News: The Bay Area continues adding net new jobs, even amidst the news about the great California exodus. Our strength and resilience is amazing. Of particular interest: The largest “growth-group” – in renters – is Seniors. They now far outpace the younger generations. How significant? The average age of renters, is 52.
WE ARE MORE THAN HOME LOANS
1) We provide loans for Small Business and Commercial. 2) Even more, we offer specialized tax-advantaged alternatives, when selling highly appreciated real estate. We are proud to say: Don’t pay Capital Gains taxes now, unless you want to deplete your cash. 3) We provide strategies to stay in your home longer, one solution being the Reverse Mortgage.
Quick Plug
I am presenting our
‘Tax Deferral and Avoidance Strategies for
Highly Appreciated Real Estate’
Evening of Dec 5 & Dec 6, and the morning of Jan 18.
Call today and let’s prepare for your tomorrow – Now.
The Good, the Bad, n the Ugly
The Good: Wage Growth
In spite of calls for a US recession, we will finish yet another year with strong, positive growth. Such calls fail to recognize Fed action to keep us strong and provide liquidity to the world.
The Bad: Rent Control
Blatantly ignoring facts. A recent comment made note that the City of Mountain View, has ‘lost’ 400 units from rental inventory. Why? Investors are selling out to owner-occupants to get away from a city ‘no-win’ housing policy. This is good news for home buyers, but for those renting, it could prove costly. Call – See if you qualify to buy, as rental risk is rising.
A second aspect of rental risk: Fewer ‘apartment’ communities’ are being planned, having switched strategies to ‘for sale’ communities. Sadly, for renters, the proposed stock of new rentals is being negatively impacted by public policy, guided by ignorance.
The Ugly: City of San Jose
By an 8 to 2 vote, a request to increase the transfer tax assessed – upon each sale of a property – is now on the next year’s ballot. And the money is to go into the general fund, with the promise of affordable housing.’ And to think, we the people, keep buying into this Ugly.
Fall Buying Season – A Unique Season of Great Opportunities
With mortgage rates so attractive, are you, your friends, or co-workers looking to buy or refinance? Give us a call. We would love to discuss your options and opportunities. This will give you the opportunity to see for yourself the advantages of a highly qualified, experienced loan officer working on your team. You will note, I puts each of my client’s success first – today and tomorrow – standing with you until the sale is completed and all questions answered.
Such is the importance of building a trust relation with you. It is key and far superior to an “Internet-only” approach, lacking my 30 years of proven success and learned perspective. Together, we can avoid unsuspecting hick-ups, added expenses, and unsuited loan programs. This is my commitment to you, to be your advocate and loyal team member.
Closing Thoughts:
We are the financing arm to help leverage your assets and accumulate long-term wealth. We offer needed information – perspective and plausible financial solutions – with strong lenders ready to say “Yes”. Give us a call. If you are interested in this kind of outcome, let’s start building your future, today.
Thank you and continued blessings.