Quick Guide for New Home Buyers

Being a home buyer can be overwhelming at times, especially if you don’t know the first thing about the process and how to negotiate an offer.  But in a buyer’s market like this one, now is a great time to be in the market before rates and prices climb back up. Before you even get to looking at homes you need to understand your mortgage options and how to get from pre-approval to closing.  Here are some things to keep in mind: First things first. Before you start searching for your dream home, you should:

           •get pre-approved with a reputable lender

Here’s why you should get pre-approved. - It’s free and you can start the process today. - You’ll be able to target homes that are in your price range. - Sellers will take your offer more seriously. - You’ll be able to close on your home quicker. Consider using a Portfolio Lender first as they will be able to provide financing for all types of situations hat might fall outside Traditional loan solutions.

          •Find a Trustworthy Real Estate Agent

Most likely you’ll be spending a lot of time with your real estate agent throughout the home buying process. So it’s important to work with someone you trust and who will always keep your best interest in mind. If you need some suggestions, I would be happy to recommend someone who would be a good fit based on your individual needs. Then, you can work together to find the home that’s right for you.

•Get Financing

There are a variety of home financing options available today. From fixed-rate mortgages to variable-rate mortgages, VA and FHA insured loans. I'll work with you to pinpoint the solution that makes the most sense for you. As a Portfolio Lender I can do many loan solutions that do not fit traditional mortgages.  Non-Warrantable Condos, Self Employed, Investment properties and much more. It’s that easy!

Call today 508-728-3646 or email me at david.labbe@comcast.net

It's not to Late!

The refinance boom we have enjoyed for over three years is starting to slow down with recent economic signs showing that the economy is improving.  This data is putting upward pressure on the bond market as equity's are hitting all time highs and bonds need to raise their yields to entice investors.  Since the financial meltdown in 2008 historic rates never seen before have created the most prolific refinance boom ever seen.   Low Rates created by the Trillion dollar Government bond buyback program known as QE1-3, coupled with new Government programs such and HARP, HAMP and Streamlines have allowed homeowners to save thousands of dollars in interest on their home mortgage helping the struggling economy sputter along.  The low rates are now starting to improve the purchase market as property values are showing recent signs of recovery adding more fuel of positive data supporting the economy's recovery.  As all this information is gathered and the Fed considers it's position on the continuance of QE3 and the future of the sub 4% mortgage.  NOW is the time for anyone who has not refinanced their home mortgage to get off the fence and lock in a new low mortgage rate.  Don't miss the boat!

Please contact me at david.labbe@comcast.net  to see if I can help you!

David

Childhood to Empty Nester

Life is a journey that builds our personality and character.  Our childhood experiences with siblings and  rules of our parents slowly define who we are as a person.  We live, fail and learn from our experiences and eventually get to the point of looking for independence.  Leaving the nest is terrifying as much as it is exciting; wanting to show the world who we are and what we can offer.  The trials and tribulations continue to mold our character and we shift priorities to selfish concerns.  Fulfilling wants, relationships and enjoying our freedom seem to be our only priorities. Hopefully our paths bless us with a spouse to walk this journey and have our own families.  Our children grow up under our guidance and we see them go through the struggles we had ourselves, smile and now understand what our parents were thinking.  I'm at this point in life with a recent college graduate back at home trying to save money so he can join the ranks of the independent.  I would not call him a rebounder as we asked him to come home and my wife and I love having him with us again.  Our family is back at full strength and the younger siblings love having their brother back to torture with their endless antics and questions.  Lisa and I know that soon enough he will be moving on and the next one will test his wings followed soon enough by his sister.  In eight years we will be Empty Nester's thinking about retirement, long term care and downsizing to manage our expenses but until then I will cherish my time with my children and give them all they need. 

If you know of someone who has exceptional people and problem solving skills, competitive and looking for an opportunity to work with a company that has received numerous awards for its workplace (or anyone looking to purchase a home or refinance a home loan as well!), please contact David Labbe at david.labbe@comcast.net

Dealing with Adversity

The mortgage industry has radically changed over the past four years and everyone that has chosen this profession as a career has realized that in order to be successful you must be able to manage daily chaos.  Making new sales, dealing with rejection and resells, managing existing clients, balancing priorities, meeting company expectations, processing files, and when it's all done fulfilling the needs of our customers and asking for referrals to start the process over again.  Every day seems to bring a new challenge driving some to the brink of insanity and others to be better professionals.  It's a never ending cycle that is incredibly challenging but at the same time highly rewarding.  How you deal with adversity will define your success or ultimate failure in sales.  Some foolishly avoid the problem only to make it worse while others embrace the challenge and tackle it head on. Do you get knocked down and take the 10 count or get right back up with new insight and inspiration to go the distance?  If you know of someone who has exceptional people and problem solving skills, competitive and looking for an opportunity to work with a company that has received numerous awards for its workplace (or anyone looking to purchase a home or refinance a home loan as well!), please contact David Labbe at david.labbe@comcast.net

Goals - Direction or a Dream

As we near the end of the year it's time to reflect on our annual goals we set last year and see where we excelled and where we need a little more work.  For many, myself included, it's a challenging exercise defining your own shortfalls and making the adjustments to meet your goals.  So where do you start?  A good place to start is to reflect on what you have accomplished in the past week, month, year and give your self a pat on the back for a job well done.  Then think about what more was possible if.  IF you focused a little bit more, IF you spent a little more time on that key project or asked for more referrals from existing customers.  Once you have an idea of what you think you could have accomplished, now raise the bar and challenge yourself to what you think you are capable of accomplishing.  With that frame of mind come up with a long term goal.  Long term could mean a year or a quarter but the time must be defined and long enough to make adjustments along the way.  This goal must be quantifiable and measurable.  Next, chop it up into smaller equal parts.  Months, weeks, days and define what would need to be done each segment to meet this annual goal.  Be clear and defined as to activity needed to meet each segments requirement.  Once you have the goal defined and dissected you need to mentally commit yourself. 

Write it down where you can see it every day and keep yourself committed to the plan.  Now here comes the hard part.  Hold yourself accountable every day to meet or exceed the needs. To quote Benjamin Franklin:  "Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve."   As time passes and you hit key benchmarks to your goal, reward yourself for a job well done and push yourself harder if you fall a little short.  So take the time over the holidays and figure out what your 2013 goals and reward yourself!

Please contact me at david.labbe@comcast.net

Putting things into perspective- giving thanks

This year Thanksgiving has a whole new meaning for me.  Last week I made my annual road trip to visit my family in NJ, chain saw and tools packed to help with the cleanup, to celebrate and give thanks for much more than usual.  I have family all over NJ and was blessed that although they lost their power for almost two weeks, forced to wait in gas lines on odd and even days for hours on end, lost income needed to pay their mortgage, that no one was injured or worse.  The devastation that Sandy caused through the region is so wide spread that it seemed no one was untouched.  Living up on the south coast of MA my area was relatively untouched by the storm but I feel it's impact through the stories of those I work with, family and friends.  It's been two weeks since the storm and the news has moved on.  The news has moved on to fighting in the middle east.  No more scenes from Atlantic City, Staten Island or Cape May but trust me they look like war zones still and will for years to come.  Homes that survived the storm have to be torn down anyway due to mold and contamination. 

Families lives will be forever scarred by the financial hardships and memories Sandy destruction left behind.  My brother in law and his sons have been donating their time delivering food and demolition seeing firsthand the hardship of the victims and outpouring of humanity form everyone else.  Thousands from all over the country have been offering assistance, hotels have slashed rates for families in need of housing, and many have opened their homes to those in need.  So this year I am thankful that God spared my family from this devastation and also for the hearts and generosity of all those that stood up and helped out their neighbor.  So please find a charity that supports the Sandy Relief effort and make a difference. 



Know, Care, Serve

Today we had a follow up meeting with our CRL training mentor to discuss out team meeting and the response.  Earlier this month our team met to share and celebrate each other’s achievements and struggles.  As the leader of the meeting I shared a very difficult personal challenge my family is undergoing and how this was affecting me in and out of work and opened the floor to others who wanted to share as well.  As expected, some individuals were not comfortable with opening up and sharing but to my surprise there were some that very unexpectedly that did it was amazing.  It was out of character for them and it caught others off guard.  They exposed themselves and others cared for their struggles.  As a leader I learned just a little bit more on how I can better care and serve and hope as we continue on this journey that everyone will open up and share and allow the rest of us to care. 

Please contact me at david.labbe@comcast.net

David