How Much Is Too Much For a Scottsdale Home

Are you looking for a home in Scottsdale, Arizona? Scottsdale has earned a reputation as an expensive community, one of affluence and sophistication. Unfortunately many people firmly believe that these traits come with a hefty price tag. Although this is often true, you may be surprised by your options.

Maybe you haven't figured out how much your can afford for a home. Some prospective buyers deliberately stay away from Scottsdale because they think prices are out of their reach, while others don't realize when they are in over their heads.

How exactly do you figure out how much you can afford for a mortgage? The formula many mortgage agents formerly suggested was that home owners' plan that their mortgage payment (including taxes and insurance) be about 30% of the total gross monthly earnings.

But times have changed and this formula doesn't always work for all buyers. This old computation method doesn't take into account the debt that most people carry in addition to their mortgage payments. Unlike the good old days, today, many of us owe on credit cards, as well as car, student, and personal loans.

A far better formula for calculating how much you can afford is to add up all of your monthly bills, and then plan that the total amount of debt with mortgage, insurance and taxes, then keep this total at 45% of your gross monthly income or less.

There are a number of mortgage options that give home buyers more choices. For instance, no interest loans allow buyers to pay against the principle only on the loan for a period of time. This is a great choice for anyone anticipating that their income may increase over the next few years.

Some of these mortgage options are great for buyers in the Scottsdale market. It gives them more opportunities to buy into more expensive home communities. The main caution of course is to not overextend yourself financially so that your home ownership becomes precarious.

Even though Scottsdale is an expensive community, there are still homes available at various price points. There are elegant yet affordable condominium communities, and older single family homes with great potential.

Owning a home in Scottsdale is an important step in planning for your financial future. Scottsdale is certainly a market that will continue to appreciate, and there is no better investment than real estate. Scottsdale also has traditionally been a very in demand community, which means this investment offers stability and growth.

With careful planning, you can find your perfect home in Scottsdale and not lose your shirt in the process.

Reg Gustin is a senior loan officer with Sun American Mortgage and specializes in helping families and their financial lending needs.

Get a FREE mortgage rate quote from a reputable Arizona mortgage company at http://www.arizona-homes-store.com/arizona-mortgages.html

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Purchase Property With The TwoNote Technique

The two-note technique is another of the many ways to purchase property with no money down. It not only gets you into real estate with zero down, but it can also get the seller a good chunk of cash at closing. This is especially important if he has to pay off an existing mortgage loan on the property.

First, a definition is in order. What is a note? It is the debt instrument created to finance a real estate purchase. The most common example is a mortgage note. A bank loans you the money to buy a house, and you sign a note promising to repay, and you pledge the property as collateral. Other notes include land contracts, second mortgages, and any legal document obligating someone to repay a certain amount of money under specific terms.

You may be aware that a bank often sells it's mortgage loans to large funds that invest in such notes. Maybe you have had to start making the payments on your own home loan to some other place than the original lender. What you may not have thought of, is that if you someone owes you money on a property, you can sell that debt to an investor. More importantly, if you owe a seller on a real estate purchase, he can sell that note. This is crucial to understanding the two-note technique.

A Creative Way To Purchase Property

This creative way to purchase property may initially sound more complex than it is. Read through the following example a couple times, though, and you'll understand.

Suppose a seller is asking $350,000 for a rental property. He may only expect to get $335,000 in the end, right? Let's also assume he is willing to take payments on the property (much more common with investment properties than with homes). He hopes to make 7% on his equity instead of the 4 or 5% he'll make in the bank. The problem is that he needs to get at least $60,000 out of the deal in cash, to pay closing costs and to pay off the small mortgage balance remaining.

You, on the other hand, have to buy his real estate with no money of your own. You offer him $360,000, in the form of two mortgage notes, one for $280,000, and the other for $80,000. Amortized over 30 years, with 8% interest the payments on the first would be $2,054, and $587 per month on the second. You'll have total payments of $2,641 per month (be sure you still have cash flow).

As part of your offer, you arranged for the sale of the second note at closing for $60,000. Unfortunately that's all a note investor is likely to pay for an unseasoned note. The seller gets that $60,000 at closing though, which is what he needed, and he gets 8% on the other $280,000, which is better than he expected. He effectively got $340,000 for his property, which is also more than the $335,000 he was expecting.

You now make payments to the seller of $2,054 every month for 30 years, or until the balloon is due, if the seller insisted on structuring the loan with one. The note investor gets your other payment of $587 per month. You invested none of your own money. In fact, if the seller had been willing to take $55,000 cash at closing and a note for $280,000, effectively getting him what he expected, you could keep the other $5,000 cash from the sale of the note for yourself. That might cover your closing costs, making this truly no money down.

The numbers and exact structure of the offer will be different in each deal. You might have some cash. The seller may need more cash, so the second note will have to be for a higher amount. Interest rates, balloon payments, and your credit rating all affect what a note buyer will pay for the note as well. In any case, the lesson is that you can create cash out of seller financing, meaning you can purchase property with nothing down, or with less down.

Copyright Steve Gillman. For a Free Real Estate Investing Course, visit: http://www.HousesUnderFiftyThousand.com

Squamish Whistler Real Estate Markets Gear Up For 2010 Olympics

There is nothing like worldwide attention to drive interest in a region?s real estate market, and nothing drives World-wide attention like the Olympic Games. Since the announcement that Vancouver and Whistler would co-host the 2010 Olympics, The real estate market in the area between Vancouver and Whistler has been exciting to say the least.

While the Whistler Real Estate Market is historically famous for its high priced homes and chronic staff housing shortages, much of that has dissipated over the last few years. Whistler Real Estate sales remain steady as its profile is further increased, and since, compared to options like Vail or Aspen, Whistler offers a competitive option in securing ski resort real estate.

Further to the South, things are even more interesting. For decades, Squamish BC, a quiet industrial town at the end of the spectacular inlet of Howe Sound, lived in relative obscurity between it?s much more famous neighbours of Vancouver and Whistler. This quiet town of 15,000 was home to those who were tolerant of the commute to Whistler or Vancouver, forestry industry workers, and a few passionate outdoor recreationists.

However, the fact that the next Winter Olympics will take place in venues both north and south of Squamish and a concurrent booming British Columbia economy, combined with a hot Vancouver housing market have boosted awareness of the Squamish Real Estate Market. Squamish is now attracting a great deal of interest as a place to live and invest in real estate. Housing developments are springing up or being planned all over this town, which has recently branded itself ?The Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada?.

For decades, the spectacular Squamish waterfront has been dominated by industry, most notably a saw mill, a deep sea port, and a chemical plant. But the Sawmill is gone, and 1300 housing units are planned as part of ?Waterfront Landing?, a development by Pridham that will see townhouses, apartment towers, and an impressive a waterfront walkway talk the place of a former sawmill.

Further south, The District has also attained ownership of another 60 acres of oceanfront property ? a former chemical site, which it hopes to develop as a park and residential area, with perhaps some light industry to provide local jobs.

For many, Squamish?s key attraction, the one thing that by far sets it apart from just about any place on earth, is the incredible variety of outdoor recreation opportunities available in this town. Just the sheer number of outdoor recreation activities available is hard to comprehend and it is a challenge to even attempt to catalogue them all. The rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, white water kayaking, ocean kayaking, kite surfing, wind surfing, and river rafting are all frequently described as ?world class? in Squamish. Add to that three great golf courses, horseback riding, scuba diving, fishing, some road cycling and options for boat tours or air tours, and it is clear that many days of adventure can be fulfilled in Squamish, whether by resident or tourist. And of course, for those living in Squamish, a considerable bonus is the proximity to Whistler, putting world class downhill skiing a short drive away.

Moving towards taking advantage of the growing tourism opportunities, The District of Squamish has just completed a Tourism Information Centre on the well-traveled Highway 99. The $6 million structure is known as the ?The Adventure Centre?. The impressive, ?saddle shaped? building contains a coffee shop and district offices as well as standard Tourist Information Offices.

Real Estate in Squamish draws a great deal of interest from North Vancouver and with the commute from Squamish to Vancouver now shorter than from the Fraser Valley, there is a lot of interest from residents who are not sure they want to endure the daily slow drive from the Fraser Valley, the area to the east of Vancouver that has seen the greatest interest from the Vancouver based worker. And with its isolation, Squamish offers an escape from urban sprawl and an authentic small town feel.

Squamish has seen a huge increase in prices, with eight $1,000,000 plus homes for sale at the current time, and it is predicted that in a couple years time, it will be quite common to see $1,000,000 homes. At the other end of the real estate market, Squamish remains the most affordable community between Maple Ridge and Whistler.

Squamish market is also attracting young urban dwellers hoping to purchase reasonably priced homes in a favorite destination for recreation. Squamish is confident that it can sustain this growth and that it has every opportunity to become the service centre for places like Whistler and Pemberton, the other main towns in the Sea to Sky corridor. The addition of stores like Wal-Mart and Home Depot will inevitably make Squamish the place where people from Pemberton and Whistler go to shop, rather than having to drive the extra miles to North Vancouver.

Squamish Real Estate: www.myseatosky.com/squamish Whistler Real Estate: www.myseatosky.com/whistler Squamish www.DiscoverSquamish.ca

Cheap Property For Sale ? How To Make Huge Gains

Buying cheap property for sale and selling it at a profit is the aim of many real estate investors.

Follow one rule and you will make huge gains quickly and it can be several hundred percent in profit per annum so here it is.

Buy Cheaply but don?t buy the cheapest!

Many real estate investors just like to buy cheap property because it?s cheap, but keep in mind it?s cheap for a reason.

The cheapest property never tends to make much money!

What you need is the cheapest property you can find in relation to its upside potential.

You may pay a bit more but your upside is considerably increased. Let?s look at this in more detail.

Location

Does the location you want to buy in have potential or might it have potential in the future?

Forget the ?might have? that?s your view look for solid facts to buy upon.

A good example of this is to look for property near transport improvements. Is there a fast train link or new road coming to the area in the near future?

Keep in mind how important transport is.

Many properties are judged by how long and how easy it is to get to work from them.

When new transport links come people will move in ? This is a simple economic fact you can see in any country in the world.

Keep an eye on communications network, as soon as its public knowledge get in early and wait - when the changes come watch the area come up in value.

There must always be a reason to buy!

Never buy cheap property for sale unless there is a specific reason that you can see in motion that will increase future value of the property you want to buy.

Don?t buy just because it?s cheap and that itmay rise see a concrete reason first if you don?t the property could remain cheap or get even cheaper!

The rule is don?t buy the cheapest, buy cheaply with a solid reason in motion for value to increase in the near future. Buy on facts, not on hopes maybe's or your view.

Of course, if you are in major industrialized country property is expensive, but you can buy cheap property for sale overseas and apply the same rule.

For example, a favourite of many North American and European investors is Costa Rica. Cheap property for sale is up to 70% cheaper than the US so you get get in cheaper and your upside is far more.

Savvy investors are doubling and even tripling their money in just one or two years, by buying in the right location here and you can to.

There are major communications changes being built and being planned.

Buy in advance and you can buy cheap property for sale with triple digit potential gains!

Take a look at the changes and see the potential for yourself.

FREE REPORT

Packed with facts to help you invest in property for profit rules that can be applied in any country to make big gains. Its free and available at http://www.costaricalandlots.com

House Hunting Tips for Buyers

House hunting can actually be an enjoyable experience if you take your time and do your homework. Really! In my years as a Realtor, Investor and just a plain old looker before that I discovered the following ways to make house hunting less stressful and more effective.

Key to it all is first deciding where you'd like to live, then making it your business to learn as much about schools, hospitals, grocery stores, shopping, medical facilities, recreational amenities and so on.

Once you've done that you're ready to investigate about the crime rate. Is it a safe location, or do you need to be considering another location?

And as awkward as it may be to talk about, you want to assess the quality and character of the people who live in the area. Obviously, you can't interview them, but you can get a fairly good sense of their character by the condition of their homes and from the activities you might observe.

For example, if your prospective neighbor has discarded auto parts, household appliances and other stuff in their front yard you might want to reconsider your choice. A poor location when you buy will definitely be a negative factor if and when you decide to resell the home at a later date.

But once you've zeroed in on a good location, you're ready for the next step of finding your dream home. can start to think seriously about searching for your dream home. But instead of spinning your wheels by looking at houses randomly, you should determine what you really want in a house beforehand and be quided by those things in your search.

Make a list of things that are important to you. Do you want a single story house, or do you prefer two stories? Will 3 bedrooms and 2 baths do, or do you really need 4 bedrooms and 2 & 1/2 baths? Making a list will not only save you time, it will also be a big help to your Realtor in planning your viewings.

Next comes the biggie. Get pre-qualified for a mortgage loan before jumping in the car to tour houses. You need to know how much house can you afford, which most people don't know.

Affordability is based upon income, credit status, interest rates, down payment, closing costs and the type of loan selected. By getting pre-qualified by a lending institution you will know what you can afford to spend, which will save you time by establishing the price range you should be looking in before you begin your house hunting tours.

Once armed with information about how much house you can afford you're ready to begin looking at homes. Make notes after each viewing each property, because after 2 - 3 homes they'll start running together and you won't be able to remember the details of each one as you think you will.

Finally, you need your own Realtor; someone who is working for you and is looking out for your interests. When you call the Realtor on a house for sale sign you're speaking to the seller's agent, who represents the seller and will be looking after the seller's interests.

Like I started out saying, house hunting can be an enjoyable experience when you take your time and do your homework, but when done wrong it can be a terribly stressful situation. Fun and easy, or difficult and stressful. You decide!

Lanard Perry, author of a real estate marketing system that shows Realtors how to average 1 or more listings a week. Visit him at Real Estate Marketing Talk for more marketing ideas.

Help I am Pregnant and an Addict

by: Patty Hone

There are a lot of resources on the internet, in books, and from the medical community on the dangers of drug and alcohol use during pregnancy. However, there is not very much quality information on what you should do if you have a problem with alcohol or drugs and are pregnant. The simple answer is you need to quit. With all the treatment programs availabele; AA, treatment facilities, therapy, self-control, etc., why wouldn't a women be able to get help. Why would anyone use drugs or alcohol while they are pregnant. Most pregnant moms know or have read that using drugs or alcohol can cause numerous problems for their unborn baby. But there are many reasons women avoid treatment.

Some do not believe they are really an addict or alcoholic. They may convince themselves that they don't drink or use very much or that often. The truth, if you are not capable of quitting during a time in your life when it is most essential that you do not drink or use, you are an addict. If you were not addicted quitting during pregnancy would not be difficult.

Many women falsely believe that an occasional drink or drug use is not really harmful. They may minimize their problem and rationalize what they are doing. They may say things like well when my mother was pregnant she drank/smoke and I turned out fine.

Sometimes a woman may convince herself that she is done and it won't happen again. Perhaps she has used during the first month but she will tell herself, I will get help if I do this again. With the next time it happening repeating the same rational in her mind, each time thinking it is the last.

Addiction is a shameful disease. Addicts come in all forms. People with addiction can hide their disease very well. Their friends and family may not even realize that they have a problem. Talking to a health professional about this may be something they are too afraid to do.

They may be afraid to talk to a professional for fear of having an investigation by Child Protective services.

Marijuana supporters put out a lot of false information about the risks to an unborn child. Minimizing the dangers, even going as far as to say babies born to marijuana users are less fussy and more content. They may choose to believe this misinformation in order to avoid facing their addiction.

Risks of using drugs and alcohol during pregnancy

Smoking:

Babies are more likely to be born preterm and with low birth weight.

Alcohol:

Can cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Babies born with FAS may have symptoms of alcohol withdrawal shortly after birth. They often have a small head, small eyes, a wide flat nose, and a small jaw. Children with FAS may have growth problems, diminished mental capacity, and emotional problems.

Marijuana:

Can cause preterm birth, low birth weight and some studies say it can cause attention problems in children.

Coccaine:

Babies born to cocaine users often go through withdrawal symptoms after birth. Fetal growth may be retarded, there is a greater risk of premature labor and abruption of the placenta. Babies often have low birth weight, may have feeding problems, and are at greater risk of sids. Children of cocaine addicted mothers may have emotional problems, short attention span, and learning disabilities.

Heroin and other narcotics:

Mother is at a greater risk of having preterm labor and having a baby with low birth weight. Babies of heroin addicted moms may have breathing difficulties, hypoglycemia, and intracranial hemorrhage. They also will go through withdrawal after birth.

If you need help

If you think that you have a problem there are places to get help. Please do not wait.

One of the best places to get help is at
Acoholic Anonymous
www.aa.org

Or you can look in your phone book under alcoholic anonymous. Someone there will gladly help you find meeting locations and someone to talk to.


Resources
NIDA
March of Dimes
American Council for Drug Education

Fitness While Pregnant - Information You Should Know

by: Tina Titas

Pregnant women can and should exercise in moderation unless there are health factors or risks that prevent them from participating in a fitness program. This should consist of intervals of no more than thirty minutes at a time, several days each week if not every day of the week. Exercising has been proven to help pregnant women feel and look better, and also will help in minimizing the amount of weight gained during pregnancy.

Keep fit during pregnancy can help prevent or avoid problems such as gestational diabetes, a common form of diabetes that sometimes develops during pregnancy. It will also help increase stamina, which will be needed for labor delivery and increase your physical and emotional well being before and after delivery. Staying in shape will also help speed your recovery after the birth of your baby. Always be sure to consult with your physician before beginning any type of fitness program while you are pregnant.

Fitness programs that are appropriate for pregnant women include walking, swimming, low or no-impact aerobics (done at a mild pace), yoga, and Pilates for as long as you are able to complete the required moves. You should always avoid activities that can put you at a high risk for injury. Forms of sports or exercise that may cause you to be hit in the abdomen or are performed lying flat on your back are considered high risk. This is extremely important after the third month. Another sport you will need to avoid during pregnancy is scuba diving. While this may seem completely harmless, especially since being in the water makes you feel lighter and more agile, it can cause dangerous gas bubbles to form in an unborn child's circulatory system.

There are numerous benefits that exercise can bring to a pregnant woman. You will burn calories, which will help prevent any excessive weight gain. If you work out on a regular basis, you will improve the condition of your joints and muscles, which will be very helpful during the birth of your baby. The long-term effects will also continue after giving birth and will also help you lower your risk of heart disease and many other serious illnesses.

Staying in shape will help to relieve any anxiety and stress you may feel. It will also help to prevent the "baby blues" that many new mothers experience after the birth of their child. This is valuable information since so many new mothers worry if postpartum depression will affect their lives and the lives of their family. Participating in fitness programs while pregnant gives many emotional as well as physical benefits.

Once your doctor give you the go ahead to begin a fitness program, decide on a program that fits both your likes and schedule. Keep in mind that it is best if you do not exceed a 30-minute period of time while exercising. If you are finding it difficult to pick a program, try several different types of exercises that are appropriate for pregnant women then decide which you enjoy the most. You may want to incorporate a variety of exercises into your routine to help prevent boredom and discouragement. Exercising while you are pregnant is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your unborn child.