How many of us have said this;

When conditions are perfect I will....(fill in the blank). This can be anything from taking that dream trip, buying that dream car, getting the dream job, or buying a house. "IF ONLY" the conditions were perfect, if they were right, then I would "do this." This expands to everything else. We try to make things and life "perfect" for our kids because we only want the best for them.

There comes a point in time when you just have to move forward and realize that rarely are conditions "PERFECT" for anything. This is life we live in, and it's to be enjoyed, and lived. In a continuous process, we learn in school, about life, and we grow. As we learn more, and expand our awareness, we continue to learn how to go after the things we want most.

Want to take that dream vacation? Why not start doing the research to see how much it would cost? Believe it or not, instead of putting that dream vacation on a credit card, you can put it on layaway. Or maybe take shorter smaller vacations that don't cost as much. There are SO many discounts out there where you can get a vacation on a budget.

As for having a better family life, and wanting the best for your kids. They don't necessarily want (or NEED) more THINGS, they want mom and dad to "be there." When I retired from the Air Force, everyone asked my then 5-year old son what he was going to do once I retired. His answer "Eat waffles for breakfast every day!"

So what about buying that PERFECT HOUSE with the PERFECT conditions? In my opinion, the PERFECT time to buy a home was about 50 years ago. They were a LOT cheaper then. Except I wasn't alive 50 years ago. I didn't NEED a house. Wouldn't it be great to make today's income, but pay house prices of 50 years ago?!

Realistically, conditions now are ripe for buying a house. For the first time home buyer, there's an $8,000 First Time Home Buyer IRS Tax credit (money in your pocket to buy a home!?), PLUS low interest rates (do you know that in the 1980's--when I was alive and could buy, but didn't, interest rates were in the double digits?)

Most people purchase a home based on the payment they can afford; not the home they can afford. I once worked for a mortgage broker who said price doesn't sell a house, the payment sells a house. I realized how right he was. Watch this:

The payment on a $250,000 house, financed at 100% (I work mostly with VA--one of the few 100% financing programs currently available), for 30 years; These are PRINCIPAL ONLY payments (Taxes and Insurance are usually included in your monthly payment at 1/12th the annual premium for each).

Percentage Monthly Payment

5.00 $1,342.05
6.00 $1,498.88
7.00 $1,663.26
10.00 $2,193.92

WOW! What a difference a few interest rates points can make!

For many real estate markets, prices are now on the rise--albeit MUCH slower than during the "boom" and interest rates are currenlty low. What better time is there? (hint: 50 years ago!)

Not sure if you qualify? Then call or go talk to a lender. Not sure where to find one? Contact me, and I can send you a list of lenders I work with that are there to help you. They are not there to "judge" you if your credit is not perfect, nor will they laugh at your situation that you feel may be less than perfect. If you know you need to work on your credit, then take the time to do it. It's a pay-off in the long run. Situations happen (that's life again!), and as with everything, circumstances do change.

Believe it or not, it is in YOUR power how you handle YOUR situation and what you choose to do with it.

Have questions?

Give me a call or email!

Until next time...

Valerie Sullivan
Owner/Broker
Sullivan Enterprises, LLC
850-803-8446
www.ValerieSullivan.com
Valerie@ValerieSullivan.net

Hi all! I hope this finds you doing well! We've been having some interesting weather around the country lately. I honestly don't remember seeing a hurricane making it so far north along the eastern seaboard, but then, when I lived in the midwest, I really didn't pay attention much to weather along any coast-lines. Or maybe that was because we only had 3 channels back then, and no weather channel!

Well, now that I have the weather channel (or maybe because I live in Florida Panhandle just a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico?) I keep an eye on major weather systems. Here's the newest one out...

Tropical storm Erika may or may not become a Hurricane, but this shows the expected area of activity from the NOAA.com website. This may be another one that goes up the eastern seaboard again, however, it looks like it is in line for Florida.

So, if you live in the Florida Panhandle, and don't even get a drop of rain from the storm itself, how does this affect you? Well, if you plan to have insurance on your home, once a tropical depression becomes a hurricane, and is within a certain distance of this Sunshine State, insurance companies immediately stop writing new insurance policies throughout the entire state. If you don't plan on getting insurance on your new home, it's not a big deal. Carry on and you'll be fine, however, for those of you that are getting a loan, your lender will require proof of insurance before the loan closes.

Does this mean you stop looking for houses all together if you are in the process of your diligent search? No, continue your search, but keep an eye on the weather. Insurance companies will begin writing (usually) once a hurricane has hit landfall and dissipated.

But what if you just got a contract? Does this put you on hold? It doesn't have to. When seeing something like this pop up, once again, keep an eye on it (it may never "grow up" in to a hurricane), talk to your insurance agent, lender, and realtor. You do have the option of locking in your policy before their "magic shut out" time. Locking in the policy means you can close as planned--even in the middle of a hurricane.

BUT, don't forget to keep other factors in mind...if the hurricane is heading or could head to your area, your closing could be delayed due to mandatory evacuations. Even if you and the seller are willing to sign the paperwork before getting out of town, the lender, title company, closer, and realtor may have all left town. OR, as the case with the military, when I was active duty, depending on the trajectory of a storm, we had mandatory evacuations--we were not given a choice.

Just make sure you keep an eye on the weather, and talk with your realtor if need be. If you have to extend closing, that's not necessarily a bad thing. If you come back to town, and the house you were planning on buying isn't there any more, you'll have to find another one. If it is still there, you have the reassurrance that your new home survived a hurricane!

With that said...how do YOU prepare for a hurricane? Assuming you don't live in the mid-west, that is!

Until next time!
Valerie Sullivan
Owner/Broker, GRI, e-Pro
Sullivan Enterprises, LLC
Fort Walton Beach, Florida
Valerie@ValerieSullivan.net
www.ValerieSullivan.com