SHOW HIGHLIGHTS JULY.2.2018
Today’s special guests were Frank Duran “The Real Estate Man” and Brent Ivinsin from Ideal Home Loans.
Frank said the market is slowing down every-so-slightly. He said last year he’d get 30 to 40 offers per listing and nowadays he gets only 6 to 8 offers. This is still very good, but an indication that things are cooling off just a little bit. He also indicated that homes in the high-priced categories - like the million-dollar range - are not moving quickly.
Brent Ivinsin says the market for VA is still strong where vets can get 100% loan-to-value, with no private mortgage insurance required. That’s for purchases and refinances! He said FHA is also going strongly, with the only drawback is that the loans top out at around $530K. He said conventional loans are also going well from mostly buyers who made profits from their home-sale and now have a substantial amount to put down.
Remember Doreen? The woman who was evicted from an apartment complex for no reason? We promised to help her as much as we can - including direct “hands-on” help and this past weekend the Troubleshooter Network and friends came through. See more on our Referral List Facebook page for this weekend and more and more and more and more and more!
Leslie called because a massage clinic was taking monthly payments from her debit card each month even after she thought she had canceled. They are now out of business. We told her this quickest way out of this mess is to contest the charges at her bank. Although debit cards do not offer the same protection as credit cards, in the case of fraud banks are pretty good about reversing charges. The only big problem here is that it took Leslie several months to discover the unauthorized charges. TIP: Make sure you check your credit and debit card statements and report unauthorized charges promptly!
Marsha’s mom turned 100 years of age and is now entering a skilled care facility. She is currently in an assisted living facility , which required 60-days notice. Marsha thinks it’s unfair and they can’t afford it. We told her the reality of this situation is that they can demand the money but if her mom does not have it, she is basically “uncollectable”. That means, they may get a judgment, but so what? There is nothing they can do about it! The mom’s social security is not subject to garnishment.
Jennifer moved to California (from Colorado). She rented an apartment that was supposed to be a non-smoking unit. Guess what? It stinks! The management company offered to move her into another unit. We think that’s fair.
Keith asked about “Special Needs Trusts” for those with assets that need public assistance. Our expert on Elder Law, David Salsbury said he often does these trusts for people. He said it is a way for those with disabilities to keep public assistance, while using private money and assets to pay for stuff medicaid doesn’t pay for. While the person on public assistance can not technically and directly control the funds, they can be used for their care.
Myron signed a lease in a noisy neighborhood next to a fire house and an ambulance station, now he regrets it! He just signed a new lease and then found another place in a quieter neighborhood. Too bad! Personal problems seldom serve as adequate excuses to get out of contracts. However, in this case, the management company agreed to only charge him one additional month of rent as a cancelation fee. We think that’s fair!
Peter called while the tile-setters were still at his house. He said they are lining the shower with water resistant backer-board, but they are “taping it” with regular drywall tape and mud! He wanted to know the proper procedure. Our experts say you need to use a mesh tape - NOT drywall tape and NOT drywall mud, but RATHER a thin-set adhesive (the same kind you use to set the tie). Fortunate for Peter, he called before the tile-setters began covering up the backer board. He is making them re-tape and re-mud the shower - THE RIGHT WAY!
Mitch says his friend (a woman) was slipped a “roofie” by some pervert. She got away before anything happened and Mitch took her to the Hospital ER. He said they were only in the ER for 10-minutes before healthcare workers said she needed a special “crime lab”. Mitch said she spooked and left. The hospital is now billing her around $2,000 for the 10-minute stay. We’re working on this case to get those ridiculous charges waived.