Purchasing An Investment Property or Second Home

 A great way to invest in real estate is in either a second home or an investment property. This type of real estate is a sound and profitable way to build wealth and generate a passive income. Fixed mortgage rates keep mortgage payments the same each month, so investors can predict their cost and profit. There is a risk with investment properties, so consider these four tips to find out if you are ready to purchase an investment or a second home.

Be sure to do your research and get advice

Like any decision, you will want to do your research before making the decision to purchase. There are many factors you will need to consider such as the condition of the property, location, and the area's demand for rentals. Before you take a step, do your due diligence when it comes to your finances. You will want to make sure your income can support two mortgages even if you plan on renting your second investment. Also keep in mind that there will be additional expenses such as home repairs, maintenance, and furnishings.

Budget for the expected and the unexpected

Second properties have some expenses that are different than your primary home. If you purchase a second property either to sell for a profit or rent, many areas have permitting fees and additional taxes for investment properties. Remember to work with a tax preparer who will help you with capital gains or an increase in income.

Knowing when the time is right

Right now home prices are rising, so you may be able to use the equity on your primary home to pay for your second home. This can be done through a cash-out refinance or a home equity loan. A cash-out refinance is the most popular choice. There are no limitations on what you can use the money for. A home equity line of credit is secured by your primary home's collateral. Right now is a great time to take advantage of these types of financing with such low rates.

Understand how you plan to use the second home

Either way, you need to speak with a mortgage lender whether you a using the second property for rental income or a second residence. Lenders follow the guidelines of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to ensure that you are able to afford both mortgages. There are different terms you must meet to be approved for a mortgage on a second home.

If the property will be a renovation or resell you will more than likely have to pay a higher downpayment and interest rates. Lenders take more of a risk when they lend money to someone who is purchasing a second home or investment property. Do not plan on trying to obtain a VA or FHA because these two types of loans cannot be used on second properties.

Not only do you want to secure a lender, but also secure a Realtor to help you with your purchase. A realtor can navigate the purchase from searching for your second home to closing the deal.

 

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The West Bank Will See 154 New Homes Thanks to Habitat For Humanity and One Gracious Donor

 Habitat for Humanity is building a new 154-home community close to Terrytown. The New Orleans affiliate says this is the largest-ever project that they have built in the New Orleans metro area. Fifty of the homes will be built for people 55 or older.

Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has given the local Habitat for Humanity $4.5 million for the project. Marguerite Oestreicher, executive director of the local chapter, praised Scott for her generosity. In fact, Scott's donation is the largest donation both the local and national Habit organizations have ever been given.

"When you get a transformative gift like this it gives you an opportunity to innovate," said Oestreicher.

The new community will be located on the property site that was formerly Plantation Golf & Country Club. The 44-acre tract is off Behrman Highway and is planned to be called Rising Oaks. The $56 million project will be developed by Woodward Design & Build along with architect Garrity & Accardo.

The neighborhood will consist of a mix of two, three, and four-bedroom homes. The remaining 50 homes will be cottage-style homes for older residents. The remaining land will house a community center and retail center, including a health center, restaurant, pet store, bank, and many other retailers.

This will be one of the first projects Habitat has started from the ground up in the area. It was a rare opportunity for the chapter to build a live, work, and play community from scratch.

"It has allowed us to plan a community that is livable, walkable, green, and beautiful," she said.

In order to be allowed to live in these mid-century architecture homes, you will have to qualify. Residents will qualify if their income is between 30% and 80% of the median New Orleans income which is around $20,000 to $57,000 a year.

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The Gloriette a New Restaurant in the Southern Hotel

The Gloriette, the new restaurant in the Southern Hotel in Covington, opened just after Mardi Gras. Amy and Jeffrey Hansell, who owns the Thorny Oyster, in Mississippi, opened the Gloriette which takes the place of Oxlot 9. The restaurant glorifies local Louisiana cuisine and offers drinks at the bar, Cypress Bar which is connected to the restaurant.

The new restaurant has a "theme of garden verdure" which compliments the old oaks outside of the hotel. Hence the name the Gloriette which means a garden pavilion in French. Patrons can view these oaks through the dining room that is lined with windows. The restaurant has white tile floors with baby blue walls and lattices. Among the walls are murals of blooms and garden scenes.

A veteran of the local culinary scene, executive chef Steven Marsella has an amazing way of creating dishes from local French cuisine. Marsella is from Providence, Rhode Island where he completed culinary school and began his career "at one of the city's most ambitious seafood restaurants." In New Orleans, he helped open Emeril's Restaurant and recently was the corporate chef for Creole Cuisine Restaurant Concepts.

The French-inspired menu has many dishes that the chef himself created. Dishes include pork and clams Alentejana, crab gumbo, oyster stew, steak tartare and steamed mussels with Calvados, fried oysters with brie fondue, and a crawfish tagliatelle and lank of flounder thickly encrusted with crab and torn morsels of brioche. There are also fabulous desserts at the St. Tammany restaurant. These include apple galette and strawberry trifle.

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Even Through Real Estate We Can Help Support Our Environment

 

The environment is precious to us and if we respect it, it will respect us. When we think of ways we can improve our footprint, most real estate transactions do not come to mind. Most realtors and those that are involved in some way with the National Associaton of REALTORS® (NAR) are familiar with the Preamble of the Code of Ethics.

"Under all is the land. Upon its wise utilization and widely allocated ownership depend the survival and growth of free institutions and of our civilization. REALTORS ® should recognize that the interests of the nation and its citizens require the highest and best use of the land and the widest distribution of land ownership. They require the creation of adequate housing, the building of functioning cities, the development of productive industries and farms, and the preservation of a healthful environment."

“REALTORS® will have to make sustainability a primary focus — because our customers and our planet demand it,” states NAR 2022 President Leslie Rouda Smith.

Every way we can, we should think about how it affects the Earth. Real estate transactions should not only focus on the clients but on the impact, they will have on the land itself. Here are three aspects to think about when respecting our environment.

First, governance.

Decision-making is the first step to take when thinking about how a real estate transaction will affect the earth. The National Associaton of REALTORS® under the 2022 NAR Leadership Team has created the Sustainability Advisory Group. The group consists of all Chairs who sit on the Public Policy Coordination Committee and the National Association of REALTORS®' Vice Presidents of Advocacy and Association Affairs. They are currently working on joining in a partnership with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to help keep those in the real estate industry up-to-date on how weather events affect housing and markets.

Second, resilience.

The National Associaton of REALTORS® is working on how it can change and sustain the environment. An example of what they are currently working in is the Flood Factor on realtor.com. This provides flood risk data on each listing, allowing property owners to accurately assess their risk and better prepare for future flooding events.  Another great example is NAR's Smart Growth Grants and Placemaking Program. This program supports both state and local associations giving them the resources to build parks, trails, and community gardens. NAR is backing FEMA's Risk-Rating 2.0 which helps with rating individual homes when it comes to flooding rather the rating flood zones. By doing this, homebuyers will have a better perspective on how flooding will affect the specific property they are looking to buy.

Third is environmental stewardship.

Data has shown that homebuyers will pay a premium for homes that are certified Energy Star or the National Green Building Standard. Realtors are also encouraging healthy green communities for homebuyers of all income levels and backgrounds.

If you are in the market for a new home, contact a Realtor who can help navigate the green housing market. Everything we do from the products we use to the homes we live in can impact the beautiful earth we live in.

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Follow These Two Suggestions When Purchasing A New Home

Springtime is a time when many home buyers come into the housing market. This spring, the housing market is still going strong with tons of competition. If a homebuyer finds a home they like, there is no time to think if you want to compete for an accepted offer. Here are two important things you should take action on before purchasing a home.

Bulk Up Your Credit Score

A homebuyer's credit score can either hinder or boost your chances of purchasing a home. Credit scores determine whether a homebuyer can get approved for a loan. Before starting the home buying process, a homebuyer needs to make sure their credit score is 650 or higher.

Lower Your Debt-To-Income Ratio

A homeowner's debt-to-income ratio is very important. It can not only affect getting a mortgage but can also affect the price of a home a homebuyer can purchase. A good debt-to-income ratio is less than 43% according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. For example, if a homebuyer's monthly income is $5,000 and monthly expenses are $1,000, then the debt-to-income-ration is 20%.

If you are considering purchasing a home, make sure to not only follow these two things but also contact a Realtor. A Realtor can help you with the process from start to finish. They will find the perfect home for the perfect price.

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The Pontchartrain Vineyards Has New Owners

 Monica Bourgeois and Neil Gernon, a New Orleans couple, decided to purchase Pontchartrain Vineyards last November after they visited the winery's Jazz'n the Vines events featuring Charmaine Neville. The wine spot was put up for sale last summer.

“You could see every star, it was one of the most charming things I’ve ever seen,” Bourgeois said.

The couple will plan to reopen the vineyard under the new name Wild Bush Farms & Vineyards. They love the vineyard but want to put their own stamp on it. They have painted the tasting room walls and replaced the furniture. That will add a ping pon table, frisbee golf and a movie screening area. The couple will keep the traditional Jazz'n the Vines events every spring and fall.

“It’s going to be this really cool viticulture playground out here,” she said. “There are hardly any wineries in Louisiana and I don’t know anyone that’s trying to do what we are going to attempt to do out here. We're going to do the style of wines we would enjoy drinking from around the world: thoughtful, honest, sustainable wines and that’s what we want to focus on, building an ecosystem, producing things of nutritional value that are beautiful.”

Monica and Neil are no strangers to the wine industry. Both worked in the wine distribution and retail industry on Magazine Street in New Orleans. In fact, in 2009 the couple, along with a vineyard owner in Napa, founded Vending Machine Wines. The results were nice red blends with California grapes and Louisiana flare.  There was a Double Shotgun, a Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot blend, and a Cabernet Sauvignon called Crooked Mayor, which she said “speaks for itself.”

"We'll have a lot of different offerings for a lot of different people," Bourgeois said.

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Five New Rules To Follow When Purchasing A Home In This Current Red-hot Market

 The COVID-19 pandemic played a large part in the current strong housing market. Bidding wars have been predominant for the past year and a half. Now that the interest rates are starting to rise, the competition is getting even stronger. Here are five new rules to follow when buying a home in 2022.

1. Lock in a mortgage before you start your search

In the past, homebuyers would find a home and then get pre-approved. This is not the case in 2022 because of the strong demand. This fast-paced market makes it essential to get pre-approved before you start the homes search process.

“You should be pre-approved by a lender and knowledgeable about your finances before you even begin your home search,” says Beverly Burris, an agent with William Means Real Estate in Charleston, SC. “With houses going under contract as quickly as they are right now, often within days or sometimes hours of going to market, there is no sense in going to see a property before speaking to a lender and learning what you can afford.”

2. Shop for homes priced below what you can afford

Once you get pre-approved you then know how much you can afford. Homebuyers in the past have purchased a home on the high end of their mortgage approval and that resulted in a recession. Today, homebuyers are encouraged to purchase a home below the top of their price range.

“These days, houses are selling for more than their list price and, as a buyer, you’re more than likely going to end up in a bidding war,” Lori Ozley, a manager with Birmingham HomeBuyers explains. “If you look at properties that are under your budget, you’ll have room to submit a competitive offer that goes above the asking price.”

3. If you love a property, act fast

Purchasing a home is a big deal so most homebuyers want to think on it before they make the big leap. Today's market does not afford homebuyers this luxury.

“If you are interested in a property, you must act quickly or you risk losing out to another offer. When you really like a property, you should sit down with your real estate agent, go through the comp research, and work on putting together an offer the very same day,” says Bill Samuel, the agent and investor behind Blue Ladder Development.

4. Put your big number out there from the start

When it comes to purchasing property, negotiations have always been part of the process. This is not the case today in this hot market. Homebuyers need to put their best offer forward at first.

“Be prepared to make your best and final offer from the beginning,” advises Jodi Dougherty, a luxury broker at Downtown Realty Company in Chicago. “Since sellers often receive multiple full-price offers, you may not get an opportunity to counteroffer if you come in too low.”

5. It will probably take multiple tries before you succeed

Don't give up, there are tons of other homebuyers looking at the same homes in the same market. It might take more than once to put your best foot forward and have your offer accepted.

‘You can almost plan on having several offers not go through before one is accepted,” explains Brian Chinn, leader of the Brian Chinn Team at Newberry Real Estate in Tyler, TX. “While that isn’t always the case, it happens more often than not in this market.”

If you are interested in purchasing a new home, contact a Realtor who can help you through the process. “It’s easy to get frustrated,” Chinn adds, “but having patience is key.”

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