Gorgeous Cape Coral Gulf Access Pool Home

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This breath taking property is located at 1517 SW 56th Ter Cape Coral, FL 33914. This home is on a listed price of $700,000!  Direct Gulf acces, No Bridges!  This home is located in Cape harbor neighborhood. It is a four bedroom and three bathroom home with over 3000 sq. ft, With a gorgeous pool & HUGE boat dock. Please feel free to contact by email Justin Ruzicka  or fill out a contact form on this blog so he can get with you for private showings for other beautiful homes like this located in Cape Coral Fl. Justin Ruzicka is a Cape Coral waterfront specialist and local realtor and is happy to help you find your dream home in your price range.

Gorgeous Cape Coral Waterfront Pool Home

 

Formal Living Room

 

 

Feast your eye’s on this fabulous formal living room with beautiful lighting throughout! Amazing view to the pool, and beautiful marble floor really top the beauty in this home.

Formal Dinning Room

 

 

 

Enchanting chandeliers complete the luxury in this formal dining room. Feel like royalty dinning in your own home. Beautiful view of the rest of the home.

Home Office Area

 

 

 

Enjoy working from home in your own custom designed office. Keep everything organized all the time, in the comfort of your own house.

 

Master Bath Room

 

 

 

This beige master bathroom gets its airy look from it’s high ceilings and beautiful lighting. Kick back and treat yourself to a warm bubble bath for total relaxation in the Jacuzzi tub.

 

Cape Coral Pool Home

 

 

Tropical style pool area with view of palm tree’s. Huge pool with extended lanai area, and sitting area perfect way to spend your summer soaking up the sun. Top it off with the perfect water view.

 

Cape Coral Gulf Access Pool Home

 

 

 

If you are wanting to buy a home, condo, or town house in Cape Coral contact the House-guy, Justin Ruzicka for a private viewing of homes like this.

 

*Listing Courtesy of Miloff Aubuchon Realty Group.

 

Short Sales on the Rise…this is GOOD NEWS

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According to the article below from Floridarealtors.org the number of short sales in January 2012 was higher than the number of Foreclosures.  If you are a home owner struggling to make your payment and foreclosure is in “process” than a short sale is often your best option.   Justin and his team at House-guy.com have saved hundreds of home owners in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres, and Estero from Foreclosure.  His team is dedicated to 2 things. 1. Successful Short Sale, 2. Waiver of Deficiency balance at the end of the short sale.  These two things DO NOT always come hand in hand when you are working with other realtors.  Getting the waiver of deficiency balance is not easy, and it is Justin’s reputation on the line, when his team is working towards this on the short sale!   Don’t trust anyone to do a short sale for you, trust the best, Justin Ruzicka your Fort Myers Realtor, and very successful short sale agent.

Short Sale Article: 

NEW YORK – April 20, 2012 – Short sales outnumbered foreclosure sales in 12 states in January, indicating that more homeowners are finding an easier way out of a distressed home loan.
Short sales – which occur when a lender agrees to a home sale for less than what’s owed – were up 33 percent in January year-over-year, and preliminary February numbers also look strong, according to market researcher RealtyTrac.

Its data underscore lenders’ increased willingness to do short sales, which tend to harm neighborhoods less than foreclosures. Homeowners also may regain eligibility for a new mortgage sooner than those who go through foreclosure.

More short sales “is mostly a good thing,” says Ira Rheingold, of the National Association of Consumer Advocates. One concern is that homeowners may have to short sell after being denied loan modifications that would have enabled them to stay in homes, he says.

RealtyTrac says foreclosure sales, which occur after a bank has repossessed a property, still outnumber short sales nationwide but the gap is closing.

Earlier this week, Bloomberg News reported that data from mortgage tracker Lender Processing Services show short sales surpassed foreclosures in January for the first time.

RealtyTrac’s data show that occurred in key states at the forefront of the housing downturn, including California, Arizona, Florida and nine others.

Lenders are pricing short sales more aggressively, RealtyTrac adds. In January, the average short sale price was 10 percent lower than a year earlier, exceeding the drop in U.S. home prices.

Some mortgage servicers started pursuing short sales more aggressively months ago. Bank of America says it did 107,000 short sales last year, up from 92,000 in 2010 and double the 2009 volume.

New measures are also likely to boost short sales.

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, which own or guarantee 60 percent of home loans, will soon require lenders to decide short sale offers within 60 days. Realtors have complained that short sale offers often linger. The recent $25 billion mortgage settlement also encourages short sales.

New rules have slowed foreclosures in many states, increasing short sales, says Florida foreclosure defense attorney Roy Oppenheim.

Copyright © 2012 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc., Julie Schmit.

In closing, email Justin today to hire him for your short sale

Beware of Chinese Drywall

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The construction boom of 2004-2007 caused shortages in many building materials, including, drywall, cement and copper.   One solution for shortages was to import large quantities of drywall from China.  However, domestically we had an error in manufacturing as well buyer’s should really beware of “toxic” drywall issues.

For Chinese manufactures the process was faulty, and drywall was made of waste from coal-fired plants.  Chemicals that seep from drywall have damaged houses, fixtures and personal property.  Corrosion of copper pipes, copper wiring and AC compressors are serious concerns with Chinese Drywall, or Toxic Drywall.  There have been no health issues directly related to Chinese or Toxic drywall but many home owners are requesting medical monitoring, and time will tell us the truth in this matter.

More than 10 million square feet was imported into Southwest Florida, in 2006 alone. This product is believed to be installed in more than 60,000 homes in over 13 states (thank God it’s not ALL in Southwest Florida).  Currently a national class action suit is wending its way through the courts and may be one of the largest product liability cases related to home construction in US history.

The drywall looks like any other drywall but smells like rotten eggs, from what is believed to be the suffer gas given off as one of the “toxic chemicals.” If the words “knauf” are printed on the back of the drywall (you can check by going into your attic), you have the Chinese Version.

What’s to be done is the questions of homeowners and lawyers and government officials alike.  Builder’s don’t yet know whether it will have to be ripped out of whether it can be treated.  However, many large builders who were affected by this such as US homes, Lennar, Pulte, or other National firms doing business in Southwest Florida, have taken it upon themselves to “gut” the properties they have had claims against with “toxic” drywall and redo the homes.  They are footing the bill many times, and even working with the home owners to find them suitable rental for the 4-6 month time frame it takes the builder to complete the project.

Beginning in 2012 Property appraisers were given a rule that they must adjust the assessed value of the single-family residential properties affected by Chinese Drywall or Toxic Drywall.   If the home cannot be used for its intended purpose without remediation or repair, the value of the property must be assessed to $0.  To qualify for this, the home must have substantial amounts of Chinese Drywall and the buyer must not have been aware of this at the time of purchase.  After completed remediation or repair, the property shall be assessed as if it did not have Toxic Drywall.

 

Renters want to BUY, but don’t have Savings

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A recent study completed by Fannie Mae’s National Housing Survey found an overwhelming number of Americans would prefer home ownership. “Despite the recent housing crisis, most Americans continue to believe that homeownership is better than renting.”   The study found, “Across all education levels, Americans say owning makes more sense than renting. This belief is held consistently across all demographic groups.  Also, Nearly two-thirds of current renters say that they will buy a house at some point in the future.” The problem becomes perception of gaining a mortgage and reality of the difficulties in gaining a mortgage.   Here is what the Cheif Economist for Fannie Mae said.

“In spite of the impact of the housing crisis on home values and homeownership rates across the country, Americans by and large still hope to become homeowners,” says Doug Duncan, vice president and chief economist of Fannie Mae. “A point of concern for the industry is that some consumers find the mortgage shopping process difficult to navigate. If potential homeowners avoid the process because they believe it to be too complex, we will likely see a continued impact on homeownership rates.”

Here are some mortgage beliefs:

  • Renters are consistently more likely than mortgage borrowers to think it would be difficult for them to get a home, and say financial reasons are the major reason they have not bought a home.
  • African-Americans and Hispanics are more likely to indicate that getting a mortgage is difficult, regardless of income level. They’re also more likely to cite bad economic times and the complexity of the mortgage process as major reasons not to buy a home.
  • Hispanics are less confident than other groups about receiving information they need to choose the right mortgage.

I am going to do a series on How to Get a Mortgage, and How to save money for a down payment on a home. Stick with me as I go through these  issues, because you may find out it is Easier than you THINK TO GET A MORTGAGE, and more so, if done properly saving money for the down payment just becomes second nature.

If you are a First Time home buyer struggling to find the right home or a trustworthy mortgage banker, please contact Justin Ruzicka the House-Guy.  I am happy to assist all buyers, but really feel the need to help First Time Home Buyers as they are most likely to be taken advantage of in this industry and so I have dedicated my services to them.   The reason a First Time Home Buyer can feel comfortable with me is because of my, Honesty, Trustworthiness, and sometimes Blatantly Harsh Truth I share with them.   There are many realtors out there that try to Force you into a home, or try to scare you into a purchase.  I am not that kind of realtor.  I do my homework and then I educate you on the pros and cons and work towards the best solution for you and your family.  If you wanted you can check out what others have said about me on my Zillow Profile Page.

Real Estate “best investment” says Warren Buffet

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Warren Buffet would “buy a couple hundred thousand homes” he state on “Squawk Box.” If he says BUY, most say it is good advice to follow.  I have helped dozens of investors purchase real estate and do HOLD their investments, for some time now.  We are purchasing homes in Lehigh Acres, Cape Coral and even Fort Myers Florida ranging in price from $70 – $150K.  These homes on the low end rent out for $800 a month and on a $75K purchase price, with $25K down a loan on $50K, we are CASH FLOWING the HECK out of real estate.  A yearly return of nearly 30% ROI is what we are earning our investors who work with Justin Ruzicka the House-guy.com in Fort Myers and Lee County Florida.

Read below more on Warren Buffet, compliments of Floridarealtors.org 

WICHITA, Kan. – March 1, 2012 – Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor and Berkshire Hathaway CEO, said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” recently that he’d “buy up a couple hundred thousand” single-family homes if it was practical.

Buffett said that’s because he believes purchasing a home with ultra-low mortgage rates and holding it for the long-term has become a better investment than stocks right now.

“Housing will come back, you can be sure of that,” Buffett wrote in his annual letter to shareholders recently.

Buffett forecasts an increase in household formations, as more people who moved in with their parents or family members during the recession look to move out and get their own home soon.

“People may postpone hitching up during uncertain times, but eventually hormones take over. And while ‘doubling-up” may be the initial reaction of some during a recession, living with in-laws can quickly lose its allure,” Buffett said.

Buffett said the recovery in the housing market could vary quite a bit among local housing markets, however. He did not provide a timeline of when he expected a full housing recovery, admitting that his prediction last year that a housing recovery will take shape within the year turned out to be “dead wrong.”

Source: “Housing Market Forecast Beyond 2012 From Warren Buffet,” International Business Times (Feb. 28, 2012) and “Warren Buffet on CNBC: I’d Buy Up ‘A Couple Hundred Thousand’ Single-Family Homes If I Could,” CNBC (Feb. 27, 2012)

© Copyright 2012 INFORMATION, INC. Bethesda, MD (301) 215-4688

FHA Mortgages

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It might cost you more money the next time you purchase a home with and FHA mortgage. Could this mean that 90% of home buyers will choose to RENT instead?  Is allowing the government control over this large Financial Giant the best interest of you and I, and John Q  Tax Payer?

Courtesy of Florida Realtors.org

WASHINGTON – Feb. 28, 2012 – Acting Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Commissioner Carol Galante announced a new premium structure for FHA-insured single-family mortgage loans: FHA will increase its annual mortgage insurance premium (MIP) by 0.10 percent for loans under $625,500 and by 0.35 percent for loans above that amount. Upfront premiums (UFMIP) will increase by 0.75 percent.

The premium changes will impact new loans insured by FHA beginning in April 2012. Details will soon be published in a Mortgagee Letter to FHA-approved lenders.

“After careful analysis of the market and the health of the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund (MMI) fund, we have determined that it is appropriate to increase mortgage insurance premiums in order to help protect our capital reserves and to continue encouraging the return of private capital to the housing market,” says Galante. “These modest increases are one of several measures we are taking towards meeting the Congressionally mandated two percent reserve threshold while allowing FHA to remain a valuable option for low- to moderate-income borrowers.”

The Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011 requires FHA to increase the annual MIP it collects by 0.10 percent for case numbers assigned on or after April 1, 2012. FHA is also exercising its statutory authority to add an additional 0.25 percent to mortgages exceeding $625,500 assigned on or after June 1, 2012.

The UFMIP will increase from 1 percent to 1.75 percent of the base loan amount, which FHA says will apply regardless of the amortization term or LTV ratio. FHA will still allow buyers to finance this charge through the mortgage. It’s effective for case numbers assigned on or after April 1, 2012.

FHA estimates that the increase to the upfront premium will cost the average borrower about $5 more per month.

Borrowers already in an FHA-insured mortgage, Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM), and special loan programs outlined in FHA’s forthcoming Mortgagee Letter will not be impacted by the pricing changes announced today.

The official announcement will be posted online in HUD’s mortgage letter web page.

Successful Short Sale Fort Myers FL

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What constitutes a SUCCESSFUL SHORT SALE?  Good question.  A successful short sale is where the sellers have a WAIVER OF DEFICIENCY BALANCE!  A successful short sale is where the seller gets $3,000 or more at the end of the transaction often because of HAFA APPROVAL process for Short Sale.  Many lenders are giving sellers cash at the closing for a successful short sale.  Lenders like Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase Bank, GMAC Financial, Nationstar Mortgage, Ocwen, Aurora Loans, Litton Loan Servicing, Green Tree Mortgage, just to name a few are lenders we have worked with on short sale who have given the sellers $3,000 or more at the closing table for their efforts in making the short sale a success.

I have completed hundreds of short sales in Florida, Arizona, Illinois, and the Carolina’s and all the time we work with sellers who are living in the home as their primary residence and since 2009 when HAFA became a viable option we have worked with this government short sale program to help the homeowners we work with.  As your Fort Myers Realtor I am dedicated to a successful short sale on your home if you need it, contact Justin Ruzicka the House-Guy.com.

The most recent short sale we succeed with the lender was Ocwen Loan Servicing who happens to be located in the Southern Part of Florida.  Ocwen Loan Servicing Approved the short sale with over $220,000 NET Loss to Ocwen Loan Servicing.  This loss was a result of the huge price reductions many homes in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Estero, Bonita Springs, and even Lehigh Acres, have seen since the real estate crash started in 2007.   The important thing to note is if this home were short sold after December 31, 2012 this $220,000 Loss would be come taxable income to the home owner!  That is why we are recommending all home owners to complete the short sale of your home in 2012 and NOT 2013.

It is also important to note the benefits of HAFA SHORT SALE

- Lender’s must waive the right to pursue a deficiency balance

- Sellers receive $3,000 to help with moving expenses

- Sellers can purchase a home as soon as 24 months from short sale comlpetion

- Servicers are paid $1500 form the US Treasury for HAFA short sales

- Investors (often Fannie, Freddie, or Large Financial Institutions) receive $2000 for release of subordinate liens.

Happy First Time Home Buyer Cape Coral

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The best gift a realtor can receive is seeing the joy on a first time home buyer’s face as they close on their home.  Justin Ruzicka, your Fort Myers Cape Coral Buyers Agent and licensed realtor was able to see that joy yesterday.  I had the pleasure of helping a First Time Home Buyer purchase a home in Cape Coral Florida.  This first time home buyer was so excited, as seen in the picture…..that I couldn’t have thought of any better job than being a Realtor and helping buyers!

At closing Table For First Time Home Buyer

The home was a HUD home, and was financed with the FHA 203K financing.  The FHA 203K mortgage allows for a primary home owner to purchase a property, and invest thousands of dollars in repairs and those repairs are paid for with Draws from the lender and it all goes into your mortgage.  Many buyers whether you are a first time home buyer or buying a third home in your life, as long as the property is your primary residence you can take advantage of this FHA financing option.  If you are first time home buyer and every home you look at needs repairs or work to make it livable this is a great way to purchase a home, and have the work done and make it your Family’s Home!!  If you need help finding a qualified mortgage broker to work through the FHA 203K program please let me know, fill out my contact form and I would be happy to email the mortgage broker I work with on these types of loans.  It is a tricky process, and you need an expert mortgage banker to work through the FHA 203K financing, so please do not hesitate to ask for me for that info.

Imagine opening YOUR Front DOOR!!

 

Are you looking to Buy a Home with the House-Guy.com?  Do you need expert advice on the local real estate Market?   Contact me, I am happy to be at your service, Justin Ruzicka, The House-Guy!

Could you call this beautiful OAK door yours?

First Time Home Buyers GET FUN Gifts from Justin Ruzicka at Closing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations to My First Time Home Buyer!!

 

If you didn’t have this much FUN buying your First HOME you owe it to your friends to tell them about Justin Ruzicka your Local Realtor in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and Lee County, because your friends deserve to have this much fun when they buy their first home!!

2012 is Deadline for Short Sales

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I have said this numerous times to all my sellers who are on the fence that if short sale is even a slight blimp on the radar and a break in income could send you down the whirlwind path or financial distress, then you better read what they state of Florida say’s if you don’t believe my past blogs.

Courtesy of Floridarealtors.org “Short Sale Sellers Need to close in 2012″

WASHINGTON – Feb. 3, 2012 – If a bank writes off debt in a short sale, it’s a “taxable event,” and the lender tells the Internal Revenue Service about the deal by submitting a “Form 1099-C, Cancellation of Debt” at the end of the year. Home sellers must acknowledge the amount when they fill out their federal taxes. Through Dec. 31, 2012, however, the federal government forgives any tax liability associated with forgiveness of a mortgage loan.

“In general, homeowners believe the government will extend this tax provision,” says San Diego Realtor Joy Bender. “However, as evidenced by the First Time Homebuyer Credit expiration in 2010, you can’t always count on the government to bail you out.”

The government generally considers forgiven debt to be income. If a seller has signed legal loan papers to take out a $200,000 mortgage and the lender accepts $100,000 in a short sale, for example, the seller received the equivalent of $100,000 in free money by government estimates. As a result, the IRS taxes it. For tax year 2012, however, the government still forgives the debt; in 2013, it might not.
The tax amount can be significant. On a debt of $100,000, a short-sale seller in the 25 percent tax bracket could end up owing $25,000 in income taxes.

Since short sales can take months and even fall through, homeowners considering a short sale may want to start the process sooner rather than later.

This all relates to the Mortgage Debt Forgiveness Act  of 2007, put into place by our Republican President GW Bush.

I have closed hundreds of Short Sales and I am a Certified Distressed Property Expert, or CDPE Designation for Realtors®.  I can walk you or anyone you know though the short sale process.   Read my many reviews on Zillow.com on how I have helped home owners through the difficult short sale process.   Contact me today to discuss in private how I can help you  complete the short sale in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres, Buckingham, or Bonita Springs Florida.

First Time Buyers | Credit Scores for Buying a home

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One of the greatest pleasures we realtor’s have is helping first time home buyers buy a home.  The joy of being a first time home buyer and closing on a property is second to….(marriage and child birth). That being said, the many troubles, or turns, or tricks of the trade needed to get a first time buyer to the closing

Classic First Time Buyers Home

table are endless. You need a good mortgage broker, who knows how to educate the buyers on certain guidelines they have to live by from start to finish.  My favorite guideline that most first time buyers don’t like is, Don’ CHANGE anything in your life from the time you start the mortgage till the time you close.  What does that look like for a buyer?

It looks like this; don’t buy a new cell phone, because it changes your credit rating, or FICO score.  Don’t buy a new gym membership because it effects your Expenses to Income Ratio, or Debt to income ratio because now that monthly membership bill is viewed as debt. Don’t buy new furniture even with cash, because now your savings account has decreased and the dollar amount needed in reserves has changed. Don’t buy a new CAR, duh.  I think it boils down to don’t buy an extra pack of bubble gum at the store because your ‘spending habits’ are different.   If you are a first time home buyer it is really critical that you take this seriously because that pack of gum, could be all that sits in the way of owning your first home.

Here’s the funny thing with Credit Scores, and funny might be a polite way saying it. One of the first time buyers I worked with paid all their bills on time, but in the middle of the month their credit card had hundreds of dollars owed on it, so that effectively brought their credit score down.  Everyone asks me, “How is my Credit Score affected by a short sale.”  Well let me tell you how a first time buyers credit score is affected by having hundreds of dollars owed on a credit card that routinely for 3 plus years they pay in full each month.  OK, with the credit card half full at mid month, the median credit score or FICO was effected by 60+  points!  Can you believe that.  They had 637 middle credit score, in order to qualify for FHA financing they needed 640 credit score.   They paid their credit card off in full in the middle of the month, two days later when a ‘rapid re-score’ was done their median credit score or FICO was now 703.  This brought the buyer from “sub-prime” quality borrower to a “b” rated borrower based on credit score.  The negative affects of just a few hundred dollars owed on your credit card could be the only thing holding you back from buying a house.  Oddly enough doing a short sale on $200,000 mortgage could affect your credit as little as 100 points.

If you want more information on how to ensure your credit is looking good or to check your credit to see if you qualify for a home as a first time buyer or even a buyer who has gone through a short sale feel free to fill out the Contact Form so we can chat.

I love helping first time home buyers purchase a home in Fort Myers Florida, Buckingham area, even Cape Coral, Bonita Springs and Lehigh Acres.   Thanks for reading my blog, I appreciate your comments and as always every comment is responded to.