VA Loan / Veteran Mortgage News
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MARCH 2009
Veterans Returning to the Workplace
The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) Advisor helps veterans understand employee
eligibility and job entitlements, employer obligations, benefits and remedies under the Act. The law is intended
to encourage non-career uniformed service so that America can enjoy the protection of those services, staffed by
qualified people, while maintaining a balance with the needs of private and public employers who also depend on
these same individuals.
Employers are required to provide to persons entitled to the rights and benefits under USERRA, a notice of the
rights, benefits and obligations of such persons and such employers under USERRA. Employers may provide the notice,
"
Your Rights Under USERRA", by posting it where employee notices are customarily placed. However, employers are
free to provide the notice to employees in other ways that will minimize costs while ensuring that the full text of
the notice is provided (e.g., by handing or mailing out the notice, or distributing the notice via electronic mail).
This USERRA Advisor was developed by the Veterans' Employment and Training Service. The Department of Labor (DOL)
developed the elaws Advisors to help employees and employers understand their rights and responsibilities under
numerous Federal employment laws. Each Advisor includes links to more detailed information that may be useful to
the user, such as links to regulatory text, publications and organizations. Additional information is also available
from the
National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.
More information can be found at http://www.dol.gov/elaws/userra.htm.
Great Rates Help Owners
Lower interest rates are helping homeowners to refinance their mortgages. Recently refi applications reached their highest
levels since 2003. Some owners are finding now is a great time to move out of their adjustable home loan, and lock
in attractive long-term rates. Others are reducing their current payment, even if they already have a fixed-rate mortgage.
Making sure your payments fit into your budget and future plans makes homeownership more enjoyable. Your situation may have
changed from the time you first purchased - and that could mean your existing mortgage no longer is the best one for you.
Contact us right away to see if you could benefit from refinancing today. No one knows how long today's rates will be
available, so it's in your interest to act soon. We'll go over your borrowing options, and show you how different loan
types would fit into your household budget. Together we'll chart a course which will allow you to reach your long-term
financial goals. You're more likely to achieve a worthwhile objective once you've developed a concrete plan for obtaining it.
You'll then have a road map for realizing your dream.
We'll help you by making suggestions of ways you can improve your credit score and obtain funds for closing costs.
You'll then be able to take steps every day to turn your wish into reality.
Ask us for the names and phone numbers of persons like yourself who have benefited from our professional assistance.
Let our experience guide you to happy results in today's real estate marketplace!
Favorable Conditions Emerging
Real estate moves in cycles, and many areas have seen prices pausing after years of strong gains. A natural question is,
"When will the next positive cycle begin?" Some national commentators see evidence that housing is bottoming out.
Softer home prices and lower mortgage rates are starting to entice buyers.
Home buyer affordability "has risen to its highest level since 2004," notes one economist. He explains that affordability
"has risen almost 25 percent" since reaching a low point early in 2006. Savvy buyers are beginning to look for bargains
in neighborhoods which seemed unaffordable a year or so ago. Additionally, they're finding low mortgage rates make it
easier to purchase now.
Our current market slowdown has been modest compared to the vigor of the earlier upturn. House prices nationally
fell 1.3 percent in the last three months of 2008, according to a government report.
Yet over the last five years U.S. home prices are up more than 40 percent, the federal study adds.
Getting Brighter
Expect to continue hearing news of economic weakness for a few months. But many economists foresee increased
growth rates in the near future. One reason for this optimism is that household incomes are growing, and
employment has stayed steady in most areas. Last year American workers earned a total of $350 billion more than in 2006.
Lower interest rates and tax rebates are beginning to help our economy. New rules for mortgages larger than $417,000
also should make it advantageous for many borrowers to refinance their jumbo mortgages.
"It's darkest before the dawn," says Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial. She
adds that Americans "are all but assured a better second half" of 2008.
We're ready to assist you in making a smart real estate move soon. Contact us right away to see how
today's expanding opportunities can help you.
Prepare for Success
Planning a home improvement project is an important part of the process. Yet it can be hard to know where to
start, and which decisions need to be made first. One tip is to give each room you're redoing a focal point.
Often this is a feature which draws people into the room, while also defining that space's main function.
A dining table encourages a household to gather around it. Or a comfortable sofa invites us to sit down to read or talk.
If your focus is a large window which provides a great outside view, then you may want to spend a little extra on nice
draperies to frame it. But you probably wouldn't need fancy artwork to go on the opposite wall, since that would
distract from your view. Yet a room with small windows will seem more inviting if you put interesting wall
decorations there.
Once you have a point of emphasis established, you can make sure the lighting, flooring, and other features
in a room reinforce that primary function. You can choose whether you want a bookshelf and reading lamp near
your sofa - or an entertainment center.
Ready for Living
Thinking about when and how your family will use the dining table will help you pick one out. How many people usually
will be sitting there at the same time? Do the table and chairs need to stand up to hard use? Which table materials
and colors will look nice in the lighting you have there? Considering a number of factors allows you to make choices
which will suit your needs.
Plan for practical matters, as well as making sure your remodeling project looks great. You may need to build storage space or add electrical outlets to get the most use from a renovated room.
Reviewing every aspect of a home improvement project before picking up a hammer will save you money. You then won't be making last-minute changes to include something which hadn't occurred to you earlier.
You'll also be well prepared for a successful renovation by setting a budget before you begin. We can go over how various financing options would work for you, so you'll know at the start what you can afford.
Healthy Markets
Real estate sales in many neighborhoods are stronger than you might think from reading newspaper reports. U.S. home purchases last year were the fifth-highest ever recorded.
Contact us soon to start the home buying process. We'll go over your credit report with you, since we may find ways to improve your score.
Waiting to purchase could mean that both interest rates and house prices are higher in the future. Folks shopping for homes now are finding plenty of properties to choose from, and sellers who are eager to negotiate.
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