Wilmington NC Real Estate Guide

Welcome to our Free Wilmington NC Foreclosure Site.

These prices won’t last for long!

Foreclosure, short sale closeouts.

Many desirable properties sell within 48-72 hours of availability.

Be the first to know about these homes!

Foreclosures from $50,000 – $175,000  Click Here…

Foreclosures from $175,000 – $300,000 Click Here…

Foreclosures from $300,000 Click Here…

Click Here to search on your own

We will provide you with free daily updates on Foreclosures and Short Sales in the Wilmington area.  Save money and enjoy quick equity when you purchase a foreclosed  or a short -sale home.  You provide the price and what you are looking for, and we will put you on our automatic  listing alert service directly from our MLS system, so that only the homes that match your criteria will be emailed to you.  At your convenience look through the listings  and if one catches your eye, call us and we will make arrangements with the bank to get more information about the home. It’s just that simple.
Just fill out the email request below and leave the rest to us.

Our speciality in todays market is short sales, foreclosures and Bank owned property.  We are knowledgeable and up to date on how to get you the very best price. Just have questions about the real estate market, email us anytime and we will be glad to answer your questions or concerns.

This service is available for New Hanover County, Brunswick County & Pender County. Wilmington NC Real Estate searches can be done on our websitewww.cbbaker.com

Mortgage companies and banks are working overtime these days processing new mortgages – which raises an interesting question: Will they ever run out of money to lend?

The chances of that happening are virtually nil, thanks to a highly complex investment market for mortgages that has grown immensely since the 1970s. The key players in this game are “Fannie Mae” (Federal National Mortgage Association), “Ginnie Mae” (Government National Mortgage Association), and “Freddie Mac” (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp.). These agencies, along with several private companies, turn homeowners’ mortgages into investment vehicles for individuals, pension funds, insurance companies and other large institutions. Altogether, these investment groups make up the bulk of what is known as the “secondary market.”

When a bank or mortgage company writes a mortgage, the loan is lumped with other mortgages in a bundle (or “pool”) that is often sold to one of the agencies. With the sale of the mortgage, the bank or mortgage company again has money to lend to another home buyer.

Fannie Mae, Ginnie Mae, and Freddie Mac differ as to the type of mortgage bundle they buy and in the type of investment vehicle they use to attract investors. But the process they use is the same: Assembling large packages of mortgages and issuing securities backed by the mortgages.

While the original lending bank may no longer hold the mortgage it gave to a home buyer, it still services the loan. That means collecting the monthly payments, keeping escrow accounts to pay for insurance and property taxes, and – through the agencies or companies that issued mortgage-backed securities – paying investors.  Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage is a full service real estate company with in house mortgage brokers from Alpha Mortgage.  Contact  us about all your Wilmington NC real estate needs.  Visit www.cbbaker.com to search or catch us on mobile at mobile.cbbaker.com

More Credit Score and Credit Report Transparency | Mortgage Match News.

According to Mortgage Match new rules will make it mandatory for Mortgage Lenders to give mortgage applicants credit scores and credit report factors used during the loan application process.  If a Mortgage Lender quotes an applicant an interest rate and points that the loan will cost and there is a difference between interest rate and costs quoted to other applicants the loan officers will be required by Federal law as of July 21 to:

“–Tell you that you received a less favorable offer because of negative information in your credit bureau files;

–Provide you the actual credit scores used for your rate quote;

–Disclose the name and contact information of the credit reporting company that supplied the scores that led to your less favorable quote;

–Provide consumer education materials explaining credit scores, how they are used, and how your own score ranks against other applicants, plus the credit file factors that may have depressed your score. For example, if maxed-out credit cards and late payments are in your files, they could play significant roles in lowering your credit scores” per Mortgage Match.

The applicants will be able to have access to their credit report and the whole loan application process will become more transparent for the applicant.  Consumer education materials will be available for the applicant, so they can see why they were turned down, or received a higher interest rate.  They will have the right to obtain a  free credit report if turned down for the loan.

We’ve all thought about it while lying on the beach or inhaling the fresh mountain air: “Why don’t we buy a vacation home?” Owning a vacation home can be a good decision if you buy smart.

They provide another investment that includes a mortgage-interest tax deduction.

Whether you rent it out or not, you can deduct the mortgage interest as long as you use the home more than 14 days or more than 10% of the number of days the home is rented annually at a fair rental, whichever is longer.

Qualified second homes include houses, condominiums, cooperatives, mobile homes, house trailers, boats or similar properties that have sleeping, cooking and toilet facilities.

Here’s an interesting twist on the mortgage interest deduction: If you take out a home equity loan on your first home and use the funds to acquire your second home, the interest on the home equity loan is also deductible. That’s three mortgage interest deductions off your tax return!

Consult IRS Publication 936 for a complete discussion of how mortgage interest for a second home is deductible.

You can purchase your future retirement home in Wilmington NC now, at today’s prices.

Though your second home may be a vacation home now, if you buy right you can convert it into your principal residence later.

They can produce their own income.

Renting out a second home occasionally or often can help you pay for the property with OPM (other people’s money). Check with your tax advisor about how much of the upkeep and management expenses are deductible against your income.

Buying Tips From The Experts

Buy something within a reasonable distance.

Be sure you can get to your vacation home in a short amount of time. Before you make a final decision, travel the distance on a typical Friday afternoon to see whether the drive will be too much to deal with after a long work week.

Rent in the area several times before you buy.

If you really like a particular area, check it out during different seasons. This way you get to know the climate, people, pests, traffic patterns and other regional particulars first-hand.

Consult other owners.

Check with owners of nearby properties about public and private facilities, special maintenance required due to location or weather, the social climate, local development plans and prevalence of crime. Learning about the lifestyle of the area may help you narrow down your choices.

Think home first, investment second.

Although you may be able to generate rental income from your vacation home, it may not cover your ownership costs. (If you want to try real estate investments, give us a call to look at properties in the Wilmington NC  local area.)

Consider different styles of properties in a vacation area.

To minimize upkeep and have a more secure environment, a condo may be preferable to a single-family home. If you plan on converting it to a retirement home, consider what type of home you’ll want as a full-time residence.

Here are some of the current Wilmington NC real waterfront/waterview real estate  in our area.

Priced from 100,000 – 200,000  Click here

Priced from 200,000- 400,000  Click here

Priced from 400,00 -600,000  Click here

Priced from 600,000 – Click here

To search all properties please visit www.cbbaker.com

Everyone wants to get the lowest mortgage interest rate when shopping for a Wilmington NC home. The rates have been at high 3′s and low 4′s the last couple of months. Freddie Mac just announced this week after it’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey that the rates for fixed and adjustable have risen again for the third straight week. 30 year rates hover around 4.46% up last week from 4.40%. It is still a great time to purchase a home. The housing prices are at a low, coupled with rates under 5%, it is a win win situation. To search all Wilmington NC real estate, please visit www.cbbaker.com. We have lenders that can give you a current quote and do a pre-qualification to get you started.

Fantastic positive news was released from the National Association of Realtors today.  The news release stated that the historically low interest rates combined with the $8,000 credit for first-time ( or homeowners who have not purchased a home in 3 years) helped raise the pending home sales contracts, for the third consective month.

The Pending Home Sales Index a “pending prediction” indicator based on contracts signed in April, rose 6.7 percent to 90.3 from 84.6 in March,
which is even above the April 2008 index of 87.5.

To get the first time home buyer credit of $8,000, contracts must be firmed up by November 30, 2009 to receive the credit, so we look forward to an increase in home sales.

The Wilmington NC real estate market has also enjoyed an increase in pending sales contract and still is in a a strong postion to continue this trend.

To search all Wilmington NC real estate and find out about the $8,000 tax credit please read more about the Wilmington NC real estate market here.

Wilmington NC Real Estate Market Conditions

“The answer, my friend, is blowin in the wind. The answer is blowin in the wind” Bob Dylan. Where is the answer? While the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department think they have the answer. Congress thinks they have the answer and Wall Street has a bailout, now the Auto Industry is looking for help. With so many plans and paths the consumer is confused and has no confidence in our economic system right now. So they sit and wait and hold on to what they have. What is the answer for the consumer? Read the rest of this entry

Contrary to popular belief in the media, we aren’t having any trouble getting people mortgages.  Yes, they have to have a job, yes, they to have decent credit (but not perfect) but we are getting them done. The media has the public believing its impossible to get a mortgage because things are so tight.  Actually with many mortgage brokers going out of business, the landscape has changed in our industry.  Read the rest of this entry