Some are behind in their payments, or soon to be late.  Some have tried to work out a loan modification with their lender and were declined, and some homeowners simply want to get from under the property, but don’t want a foreclosure or possibly face bankruptcy.

Avoid a foreclosure on your record.  If you have received a notice of default, or your home is in foreclosure status, it is not too late to take the necessary steps that will help you in making the best decision out of a difficult situation.

Did you know that mortgage lenders encourage Short Sales? Homeowners have the need and the right to “recover” and move on.  A short sale allows you to do this, and to remain in control.  As the homeowner, you make the decision to sell.  You take charge of when you move, not the bank forcing it. You can sell your home and owe nothing to the bank.

As a Real Estate Agent and Certified Pre-Foreclosure Specialist, I focus on how I can help you and homeowners like yourself to make informative decisions based on the options available to you.

You deserve to know your options that have been made available to you prior to facing foreclosure. You can avoid having a foreclosure on your record, and look forward to a new beginning.

There are many questions you will want answers to.  If you would like more information on short sales and other resolutions, I would love to meet with you.  Please call or email to schedule a free confidential appointment.

If you are ready to move on, and start a new chapter in your life, please call or email.  There is no cost, no fee, and no obligation.  Call now for your free confidential consultation.

DeAnna Rehnert

Real Estate Agent and Certified Pre foreclosure Specialist

Star Real Estate

Lic: 01269974

(714) 815-6215

Email: DeAnnaRehnert@aol.com

www.shortsales.deannarehnert.com

If you’re looking to sell or refinance your home, you know that a home appraisal is a necessary step in the process. While the value of your home may not be what it once was, it is important for homeowners to be realistic when it comes to getting their home appraised.

As a member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, I know how vital it is to list your home at the right price. Price is, after all, only a part of marketing…but it is crucial, and having an appraisal done is the first step toward making the right pricing decision.

Here are 11 ways to prepare for a home appraisal:

1. The appraiser will need approximately 30 minutes to one hour to complete the inspection phase of the appraisal process, which includes: exterior photos of the front and rear of the home and a photo of the street in front of the property; measurements of the exterior of the home, garage and any outbuildings; a walk-through inspection of all rooms and levels of the interior of the home, including the basement.
2. Get organized. Put together a checklist that will help you get ready for your appraisal.
3. Be flexible when scheduling the appointment.
4. Have a copy of your home’s blueprint to help verify measurements and lot size.
5. Provide a list of improvements made to the property since the purchase. Improvements that should be noted include adding a pool, patio, updating your kitchen or bathroom, and any room additions, etc.
6. Allow your appraiser access to the entire property, including access to any crawl space or attic areas.
7. Keep in mind that a clean home makes a good impression. Be sure to trim the lawn, clean the pool and garage, repair cracked windows or torn screens, check for leaky faucets and secure gutters and down spouts before your appraisal.
8. Point out any amenities that may not be obvious to the appraiser: sprinkler systems, patios, pools, security systems, built-in pool vacuum, etc.
9. Provide a copy of last year’s tax assessment information.
10. Know what year the house was built and when improvements were made.
11. The first thing appraisers look for is comparables, so be prepared and have a list of recent sales of similar properties in the immediate neighborhood.

Following these steps will go a long way toward making the home appraisal process a bit easier.

For more information on home appraisals and preparing your home for sale, please e-mail me at deannarehnert@aol.com —and please feel free to forward these tips to any family and friends with a home sale in their future.

What You Need to Know Before Starting Your Home Search

With historically low interest rates persevering and prices starting to creep back up, more and more renters are grappling with the question of whether to buy now or keep renting.

Based on the countless clients I have helped buy their first home, I can confidently tell you, yes! Now is a very opportune time to purchase your first home.

According to my colleagues in the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, a national network of leading real estate agents, first-time home buyers across the country have taken advantage of today’s market conditions to go from renter to homeowner. That said, the ability to move into homeownership is very dependent upon the overall health of your finances. Buying a home not only takes having the necessary cash on hand for the deposit and closing costs, but also the financial wherewithal to convince a bank to lend you 80% or more of the purchase price in the form of a long-term mortgage.

Here are some other important points to be aware of before embarking on a home purchase:

1. Having good credit is all important, so put out the bucks to Fair Isaacs’ myFICO.com to get your current scores (about $16 each for reports from Equifax and TransUnion, another $15 at Experian.com). Don’t be surprised if the scores differ somewhat, and check them carefully for errors. Remember that errors must be reported to and corrected by the agencies themselves, which could take weeks or months.

2. Know what you can afford. Aim for a home that costs about two-and-a-half times your gross income – less if you have significant financial debt. In all, your monthly home payments should not exceed 36% of your gross monthly income. Getting pre-approved by a lender should be your signal to start home shopping.

3. Check your cash situation. Whether you are aiming to amass 20% of the home’s price for a conventional loan, or 3% or more for a loan from Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, FHA or the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, you will also need to cover fees and closing costs, which can run up to 5% of the mortgage amount. First-time buyers may augment their cash by borrowing from an IRA or getting a cash gift from parents, but check with a financial advisor for amounts and tax consequences.

4. And speaking of tax consequences, remember that homeowners, unlike renters, must pay property taxes each year – and pay for any needed repairs or upgrades. Be sure to leave yourself a little financial wiggle room in order to meet these expected – and sometimes unexpected – expenses.

If you would like more information about preparing to buy a home, please e-mail me. I also invite you to forward this email to anyone else who might soon be joining the ranks of homeowner!

Top 5: First-Time Home Buyers

16827 Tin Mountain Circle, Fountain Valley, CA 92708 (MLS # S624167)

This house is fantastic! Located on a cul-de-sac street, this one story home has 2,400 sq. ft! Beautiful open floor plan with a formal living & dining room. Separate eating area with vaulted ceiling adjacent to kitchen. Remodeled kitchen with maple cabinets,custom stainless cook top and range hood, very light and bright with an extra window and pass-thru to the family room. 2 fireplaces..1 located in living room and 1 in family room. Master bedroom is large and features 2 closets, 1 is a walk-in closet and both are organized. Gorgeous remodeled master bath that features dual sinks, tub with jets, separate custom tile shower and more! Other features include some Anderson dual glaze windows,recessed lighting, inside laundry, plantation shutters, a whole house fan. Too many features to list!

Property Type(s): Single Family, Residential

Location

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Listed with Timothy Olivadoti (w/ DeAnna Rehnert), Star Real Estate

(view all details for MLS # S624167)

17101 Los Robles Circle, Fountain Valley, CA 92708 (MLS # S622440)

Very Nice 1 Story 3 Bedroom plus Den, Located at the end of a Cul-de-Sac Street. Totally Remodeled Kitchen with LotS of Granite Counters inlucing an Eating Bar, Gorgeous Cherry Wood Cabinets, and Built-in Stainless Steel Appliances inluding Built-in Microwave, Recessed Lighting. Newer Heating and Central Air, Inside Laundry,Large Living Room with Valulted/Scraped Ceiling, Big Backyard that has Gated Access to a Large Private Green Belt. Backyard also has 2 Separate Patios with Skylights. So much to more! Located in Green Valley, The 'Home in a Park' Community featuring: 3 Pools, 2 Clubhouses, 21 Acres of Private Park and 2 in-tract Award Winning Fountain Valley Schools.

Property Type(s): Single Family, Residential

Schools

Additional Details

Features

Location

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Listed with Timothy Olivadoti (w/ DeAnna Rehnert), Star Real Estate

(view all details for MLS # S622440)

With summer officially upon us, many homeowners will be confronted with rising electric bills as fans and air conditioners kick into high gear in an effort to keep cool. Demand for electricity can also increase if you have house guests or children home for the summer.

• Use ceiling fans in the counter-clockwise direction to create a wind-chill effect, making you feel cooler. Also, whole-house fans that bring in cooler night-time air can pre-cool a house and reduce energy use in the daytime if heat is kept out by closing windows and shades.
• Install a programmable thermostat. If health conditions permit, raise the setting from 73 to 78 degrees. You can save 3-5% on your air conditioning costs for each degree you raise the thermostat.
• Close doors leading to un -cooled parts of your home. If you have central air conditioning, close off vents to unused rooms and be sure to keep filters clean.
• Plant shade trees close to the house on the South and West sides.
• Seal holes and cracks around doors and windows. Eliminate air leaks between window air conditioners and windows with foam insulation or weather-stripping.
• Turn off power sources. TVs, computers and other electronic devices draw power when they are in standby mode or turned off but still plugged in. Plug electronics into power strips and turn off the power switch when the items are not in use.
• Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), which use 75% less electricity and burn more coolly than incandescent bulbs. Keep in mind that CFLs are especially handy in hard-to-reach fixtures and won’t need to be replaced for about five years.
• Use timers and motion detectors on indoor and outdoor lighting.
• Delay heat-producing tasks such as laundry until later in the day. Wash full loads, using cold water whenever possible.
• Run the dishwasher at night, using the shortest cycle that will get the dishes clean. If manufacturers’ directions permit, turn the dishwasher off before the dry cycle or use the air dry feature if your machine has one.
• Take short showers as they use less hot water than a bath.
• Replace old appliances with new energy efficient Energy Star appliances.
• Unplug the extra refrigerator in your garage or basement and use it only when necessary. Refrigerators that are only 10 years old can use twice- as -much electricity as new Energy Star labeled models.

While it is certainly understandable why some people would like to avoid paying a real estate agent’s commission—especially in today’s economy homeowners need to be aware of the serious pitfalls that can occur before they embark on the process of selling their own home.

I have had many clients enlist my services after losing valuable time and money attempting to sell their own home. What seems like a relatively easy undertaking at first, can become a time-consuming and overwhelming process. I’d like to share with you some of the most significant snags that often occur when selling one’s own home:

1.  Ineffective marketing. Most homeowners simply lack the resources necessary to effectively market their own home. Working with a professional real estate agent, however, usually means your home will be marketed to the widest group of potential buyers possible, both through digital and print advertising, virtual tours, and online listing portals.

2.  Not pricing your home. In order to sell your home quickly for the best possible price, pricing your home correctly is critical. This very nuanced process of choosing the right listing price, however, is always best left to a real estate professional. Most who sell their own homes price too high, resulting in their home sitting on the market for an extended period of time. And, unfortunately, the longer a home remains on the market, the less desirable it becomes for buyers.

3.  Missing documentation. These days, a real estate transaction requires more documentation than ever before. It’s virtually impossible for the average homeowner to be aware of all the forms necessary to complete a real estate deal, and missing paperwork will bring any transaction to a grinding halt.

4.  Overlooking legalities. The risk of overlooking important legalities, such as disclosure and compliance regulations that vary from state to state, is high for most homeowners. The average person is, understandably, not well versed in the many laws that govern the sale and purchase of a property.

5.  Dealing with unqualified buyers. If you accept an offer from an unqualified buyer, you can delay the sale of your home indefinitely. A professional real estate agent will take the necessary steps to work with a lender to ensure a buyer is qualified before accepting their offer.

In most cases, owners end up exhausting more dollars than they would have paid in commission when attempting to sell their own home. If you would like more information on selling your home, please e-mail me. I also encourage you to forward this email to anyone you know who might be considering taking on the monumental task of selling their own home.

Super Nice Inside Tract Location in Greenbrook with 4 Bedrooms, (all upstairs)plus a HugeBonus Room. Features Include: Remodeled Kitchen and Baths, Scraped Ceilings, Recessed Lighting, Separate Family Room, Formal Dining Room, 3 Car Garage o a Cul-de-sac Street. This is a Must See! Nice Backyard with Built-in BBq, Fire Pit, and Above Ground Spa. Association Pool..is Just Around the Corner.

9292 Vons Drive, Garden Grove, CA 92841 (MLS # S612396)

Absolutely Gorgeous 1 Story Pool Home on a Large Lot. Features Include Newly Remodeled Kitchen with Maple Cabinets, Custom Tile Floors, Stainless Steel Appliances & Granite Counter Tops. Both Bathrooms are Also Newly Remodeled with Custom Tile Walls and Floors, New Vanities with Granite Tops, New Toilets and Fixtures. Hardwood Floors Through-out the Entire House, Crown Moulding, Pool, Newer Paint and Roof, and Scraped Ceilings. This House has it all!

Property Type(s): Single Family, Residential

Price History

Schools

Additional Details

Features

Location

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Listed with Timothy Olivadoti (w/ DeAnna Rehnert), Star Real Estate

(view all details for MLS # S612396)