Real estate financing for their Off -Grid Homes.

Hot August Nights

noreply@blogger.com (solar guy) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:32:00 +0000

Almost half way through the month of August.
Viewing my chalk board for the lending industry, a fancy way of saying looking outward six months. I see some changes that could have major impact on the mortgage brokers within our industry. Fannie Mae is going to have lenders select the appraiser not the originating loan officer.
Which can also complicate issues further if the loan is turned down by that specific lender. The appraisal is the lenders and not the mortgage brokers. To resubmit to a different lender a new appraisal will have to be ordered. If each report is $350- $450. that can get expensive very quick. I will keep you posted as more information comes in regarding this matter

The Days Of Wine & Roses

noreply@blogger.com (solar guy) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:20:00 +0000

Some of you may remember a great Henry Mancini song with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, no it is not the theme to "The Pink Panther", the song is "The Days Of Wine and Roses". Was also a movie with Jack Lemon.

The days of wine and roses laugh and run away like a child at playThrough a meadow land toward a closing doorA door marked "nevermore" that wasn't there before

The lonely night discloses just a passing breeze filled with memoriesOf the golden smile that introduced me toThe days of wine and roses and you

(The lonely night discloses) just a passing breeze filled with memoriesOf the golden smile that introduced me toThe days of wine and roses and you-oo-oo

In my industry currently I am singing this song. Oh the memories of the times when there were not enough hours in each day to work on the files you had in process. WE all understand that the real estate market is cyclical, it has its ups and downs. I was not expecting a trough. But when there is gloom , there is always a small spot for opportunity; every single time if you look hard enough under the rocks you will find opportunity. Well I am off to seek the rock I need to look under. Remember today is the present we all have hoped for.

Article in Homepower Magizine

noreply@blogger.com (solar guy) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:20:00 +0000

Financing an off-grid home or property is not entirely different than financing a home in a typical subdivision. There are three major categories that apply to residential real estate financing—income, credit, and collateral.
Collateral is the most important factor in financing an off-grid home, and it is up to an appraiser to address the typical issues and evaluate the property’s features for potential underwriters. You’ll need to find an appraiser in your area who specializes in out-of-the-ordinary properties, with experience appraising off-grid properties.
Many off-grid homes are near other off-grid homes, which can be used for appraisal comparisons. Have the appraiser prepare an addendum to the property’s appraisal that details other nearby off-grid properties and their sales histories. This will help show underwriters that your property is not an anomaly for the area.
Your appraiser will not necessarily be bound by the normal rule of having to use sales comparables within five miles. The lending company Fannie Mae will allow greater distances as long as the appraiser is able to support the necessity for using a sales comparable outside normal guidelines. The appraiser may also search for older sales comparables of off-grid homes to support the value of the home. If you know of any off-grid homes in the area, let the appraiser know—sometimes sales of off-grid homes are private sales and do not show on the multiple listing system, which is how many appraisers find comparables.
Once an underwriter is able to see how the value of the property is supported with reasonable sales comparables, you will soon be enjoying your off-grid property or home.
Terry Phenicie • First Priority Financial

CASBA CONFERANCE in CAMBRIA CA.

noreply@blogger.com (solar guy) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:41:00 +0000

Straw Bale Conference in Cambria Ca.

The CASBA conference this past weekend was a success. I heard it was the most attended conference to date.
The presentations were informative and there was time to ask questions from the presenters both during their presentation and after.

Joy and Maurice Bennett were the primary backbone to the event, making sure we kept to our schedule, gathering the funds from the attendees, and making sure people attending were enjoying themselves. They were great hosts of the event. I am sure there were many other people involved with the behind the scenes happenings, but Joy and Maurice appeared to me as the driving force of making the event as prospers as possible for all.
There was a roundtable on Saturday afternoon that dealt with the window openings. How best to approach the water and element issue so the area below the windowsill did not saturate the stucco below and seep into the walls below the window seal.
The attendees included, architects, contractors, owner builders, realtors, and myself a lender. I look forward to next year and seeing where this event will be scheduled.

Financing the Off Grid Home

noreply@blogger.com (solar guy) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 17:47:00 +0000

This is my first post to the wonderful world of blogging.
In the business word there is a saying, find a need and fill it.
For the past eight years I have been assisting clients with finding conventional financing for their off grid homes. I have not been successful every time due to various issues with their financing. However, there are many happy clients from the results of me finding funding for their loans.

This coming weekend March 14-16 I will be a speaker at the CALIFORNIA STRAW BUILDING ASSOCIATION Conference. The event will be located in Cambria California at Camp Ocean Pines( www.campoceanpines.org) There will be a line up of informative speakers and presenters discussing the many aspects of Straw Bale Building. Hope to see you there!!!

Real estate financing for their Off -Grid Homes.

noreply@blogger.com (solar guy) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 00:11:00 +0000

Countries around the world offer incentives and tax breaks for investment in solar and renewable energies. This makes sense for a number of reasons.It's a little-known fact that governments subsidize the petroleum industry. In the U.S., for example (according to sources), between 5 and 10 billion dollars a year of taxpayers' money goes to the petroleum industry. Less than 500 million a year goes to renewables. Around the world, fossil fuels are more expensive. Governments recognize the finitude of oil reserves and their damage to the environment. They encourage consumers to switch to renewable energies that tap into free sources and do far less harm to the environment. For example, in 1994, the government of Japan introduced incentives for solar energy. This program has resulted in a 72 percent reduction in the average cost of solar energy systems, due to the expanded market availability and increased efficiency of distribution. Solar energy is now competitive in Japan, and the need for incentives is being reduced.