McGuire Real Estate

Articles, Stories & Questions

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Maternity Leave Can Affect Getting a Loan If you are pregnant and looking to purchase a home or refinance, maternity leave may affect your ability to get a loan. With the ever-changing loan standards and lenders verifying employment (for loan applicants) up to the close of escrow, families with pregnant mothers that go on maternity leave during the escrow process are in jeopardy of not getting the loan. If you are in a situation... more... Blogged on 6/30/2010	David Varni
California's Homebuyer Tax Credit The federal tax credit recently expired on April 30th. However the state of California is offering a tax credit of its own. The California tax credit is available for buyers that purchase between May 1, 2010 to July 31, 2011 (but they must be in contract by December 1, 2010). The credit is for 5% of the home price up to $10,000. To qualify you must either be: A first-time homebuyer or B... more... Blogged on 5/31/2010	David Varni
The Tax Credit: Not Worth The Rush The federal tax credit is set to expire on April 30, 2010. For many buyers who were on the fence, this was the incentive needed to bite the bullet and purchase a home. Not all the buyers qualified however, and many were disappointed to find the credit was not as much as they expected. You see ads and hear people talking about how the credit will be expiring at the end of this month and buyers n... more... Blogged on 4/29/2010	David Varni
Wait Time for Noe Valley Muni May Get Longer The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (MUNI) is trying to close this year’s budget gap by making service cuts on all four Noe Valley transit lines: 24-Divisadero 35-Eureka 48-Quintara/24th Street J-Church rail line Of the four lines, the 35-Eureka would experience the most service cuts. The proposed cuts would reduce the current weekday hours of operation from 5:30am-11:20p... more... Blogged on 3/30/2010	David Varni
More Restaurants on Noe Valley's 24th Street? San Francisco’s planning commission voted unanimously to lift a strict 23 year ordinance that has restricted new eateries from opening on 24th Street. The area has lost seven restaurants since the restrictions were imposed and residents are eager for new places to dine. Over the past few years, Noe Valley residents have watched new cafes gravitate to the Mission, leaving several storefron... more... Blogged on 2/24/2010	David Varni
Cost of Ownership to Increase The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is poised to implement several changes for loans guaranteed by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA). These changes will come just weeks before the April 30 deadline for the Home Buyer Tax Credit, and just days after the March 31 expiration of the Federal Reserve Board’s mortgage-backed securities purchase program (which has kept home lo... more... Blogged on 1/28/2010	David Varni
Just When You Thought Rates Couldn't Get Any Lower In case you haven’t read the news, home loan rates have gone down again, dropping to their lowest level on record. And not just the 30 fixed has dropped to an all time low. According to the weekly Freddie Mac survey, this is the first time ALL rates have been at their lowest level. For example: 30 yr fixed: 4.75% 15 yr fixed: 4.25% 5/1 ARM: 3.75% As you can see by this chart of rates since... more... Blogged on 12/4/2009	David Varni
Bernal Heights on the Rise Recent real estate trends in Bernal Heights make for a unique buying opportunity. Prices have declined 4% year-over-year (Q3 2009 vs. Q3 2008). For those who put their homes on the market during this time, there has been a high level of stress to price the home correctly and get it sold. Now that we are heading closer to the holiday season, this stress is greater than usual: there will be fewer... more... Blogged on 11/12/2009	David Varni