After the bust, lenders came under fire for pressuring appraisers to inflate property values. Now banks are largely required to work with independent appraisers, which should help fix the problems that may have led buyers to overpay.

If you’re the owner and want to sell or refinance, however, it’s up to you to make sure your home isn’t mistakenly valued below your sale price or loan limit. That’s because appraisal-management companies tend to hire workers who can get the job done quickly and cheaply, rather than those who know the area best.

“Appraisers say they’re under pressure to crank out reports,” says one mortgage broker. (more…)

Lot #17 – Driveway and house site cleared. Open to offers. A unique, large acreage waterfront lot near a great full service town.

The Malone Bay community features 18 lots at W. Kerr Scott Dam & Reservoir. Fourteen (14) are Lakefront and meet private dock requirements. All lots have access to public water, saving owners from $5,000 to $10,000 on drilling a well. These lots have public water and will save you the cost of drilling a well. The entire development also features underground utilities.

This is a gated community with lots ranging from 2.3+- acres to 6.8+- acres on the Hwy 421 side of the lake just off South Minton Road, Wilkesboro, NC 28697

W. Kerr Scott Lake is 1500 acres with 50 miles of shoreline and is controlled by the US Army Corps of Engineers. It is clean water with good fishing and is excellent for boating, kayaking, skiing, and swimming. The property is surrounded by National Parks. Wilkesboro is a beautiful community and town with friendly people. It is located just 40 miles east of Boone and Blowing Rock, NC and one and a half hours northwest of Charlotte.

Main Channel Views.
Private dock.

3.87 acres.

MLS Number: 52139
List Price: $242,500
Lot Size: 3.87 ac.
Apx Acreage: 3.87
Type: Waterfront
Area: Area 2
Suitable Use: Residential

Topography: Rolling
Utilities: Underground Utilities
Road Frontage: Private Road
Restrictions: yes
Water/Sewer: Public Water
Location: Malone Way

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The Federal Reserve on Thursday approved proposals designed to make it easier for Americans with mortgages, or shopping for them, to better understand how the loans work.

The action comes after lax lending and, in some cases, borrowers who didn’t fully understand the terms of their home loans, ended up buying houses that they couldn’t afford. That contributed to the worst collapse in the housing and mortgage markets in 70 years.

“Consumers need the proper tools to determine whether a particular mortgage loan is appropriate for their circumstances,” said Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. “It is often said that a home is a family’s most important asset, and it is the Federal Reserve’s responsibility to see that borrowers receive the information they need to protect that asset.”

Contact Elizabeth Carter, 336.973.5594 or Greg Stikeleather, Broker, 704.880.5247 or email eacarter@charter.net

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No-doc loans got a bad reputation when the housing crisis occurred. Some borrowers who used the loans misstated and inflated their income. The loans thus became labeled, “liar loans”. But experts say these types and other alternative loans may soon be making a comeback.

For folks unable to fully document income and looking to purchase or re-finance soon, it’s important that they go above and beyond to document and prove their credit-worthiness. They should provide contracts, bill payment history, and any tax information they have. The key is to be creative. Be active in their attempt to convince the lender that they are a low-risk borrower, in spite of their inability to fully document their income.

Some say the overcorrection to the lending industry has missed the real issue. According to one source the elimination of a particular type of loan does not solve the problem. Various types of mortgages are needed to meet the needs of diverse borrowers. The real disaster occurred not because of one type of loan but instead because of a lack of accountability–the lender making the loan wasn’t necessarily concerned if the loan defaulted because these risky mortgages were pushed off lenders’ books and packaged up and sold to third parties. (more…)

Growing numbers of investors are emphasizing energy efficiency improvements to increase market values and cut marketing times.

In Baltimore, A-Plus Neighborhood Homebuyers LLC is now acquiring central city rowhouses — spending thousands of dollars extra on eco-friendly upgrades they’d never done before — extra heavy insulation, bamboo flooring and high energy- efficiency appliances and lighting.

Three thousand miles to the west in Seattle, Aaron Fairchild of G2B Ventures is raising $50 million for the Efficient Real Estate Fund, the first limited partnership designed solely to buy urban houses at wholesale prices, perform major energy-efficiency retrofits on top of regular rehabs, then turn the properties around as rentals and for-sale houses. (more…)

The Malone Bay community features 18 lots at W. Kerr Scott Dam & Reservoir. Fourteen (14) are Lakefront and meet private dock requirements. All lots have access to public water, saving owners from $5,000 to $10,000 on drilling a well. These lots have public water and will save you the cost of drilling a well. The entire development also features underground utilities.

This is a gated community with lots ranging from 2.3+- acres to 6.8+- acres on the Hwy 421 side of the lake just off South Minton Road, Wilkesboro, NC 28697

W. Kerr Scott Lake is 1500 acres with 50 miles of shoreline and is controlled by the US Army Corps of Engineers. It is clean water with good fishing and is excellent for boating, kayaking, skiing, and swimming. The property is surrounded by National Parks. Wilkesboro is a beautiful community and town with friendly people. It is located just 40 miles east of Boone and Blowing Rock, NC and one and a half hours northwest of Charlotte.

click here for more information

A recently released report cites that approximately 30 percent of the increase in a home’s sale value is accounted for by added tree cover. The results show that each $1.00 invested in upgrading an average landscape to excellent quality returns $1.35 in added property value. While most homeowners know that landscape is a big draw for buyers, they are unsure of how much and what kinds of landscaping affect the property value.

The study also reports that general tree cover adds 2 percent to 9 percent to the value of existing homes and 7 percent for new construction on tree-covered lots. Just a single tree can add up to 2 percent to the property value, according to the study. Hedges, walls, landscaped curbs, and dense vegetation can each add 2 percent to 4 percent to the property value. And if your home has more trees than nearby homes, the value shoots up by about 7 percent. Sophisticated designs in landscape affect property value in a very positive way. (more…)