If you are in the market to buy a home this is great news for you!

The Home buyer Tax Credit is set to expire 12/1/2009 and has been extended to June 30^th 2010.

There have been a couple of important revisions to the current bill that may be very important to you.

Here are a couple of highlights for you to review:

• You have to enter into a contract by April 30^th 2010 and close by June 30^th 2010 to be eligible for the credit.

• First Time Home Buyers will still receive a credit for 10% of the purchase price up to $8,000. This credit can be applied to your 2008 or 2009 tax returns with an amended tax return.

• Current Home Owners are eligible for a $6,500 tax credit if you have owned and lived in your home for the five out of the last eight years and are making an upgrade to a newer or larger house.

• Learn more about the tax credit by clicking here: http://www.hartmortgageservices.com/navPage.html?targetPage=http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/glance.php

Even if you currently own a home you can take advantage of this Tax Credit along with record low interest rates and rock bottom Florida real estate prices!

If you would like to take advantage of this buying opportunity please use or Free Purchase Assistant to get pre-approved today!

Click Here:  http://www.hartmortgageservices.com/forms/purchaseAssistant.html 

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns regarding your potential purchase.

Have a great day!

Congratulations

Alan Williams and Lindy Williams for closing on their new home!

Tim Hart of Hart Mortgage Services, Alan Williams, Lisa Marie King of Florida Resale Properties, Lindy Willams and Baby Jordan CLICK HERE FOR MORE PICTURES OF THEIR CLOSING!

Testimonial: Tim- Thank you for everything that you, JoAnne Rosario and Lisa Marie King did for us. We really appreciate your hard work and professional attitude. Thanks again for all that you did!

Alan and Lindy Williams

Hart Mortgage Services

O- 239-437-4278 ext 11

www.hartmortgageservices.com

Buyers agent:

lisak@movesouth.com

Hart Mortgage Services is happy to offer to all of it’s Florida Mortgage clients our Free Florida Mortgage Calculator so that they can calculate their own payments. This tool will help you in understanding what type of loan amount you feel comfortable with.

Our Mortgage Calculator has many different options including: Mortgage Payment, Rent vs. Own and Interest Only. Please use these tools to help you prepare for the next step in your pre-approval process.

Read the entire article here: Use Our Free Florida Mortgage Calculator

Please check out the next Florida Mortgage University lesson: Have Your Mortgage Documents Ready

Hart Mortgage Services in it’s ongoing section called “Florida Mortgage University” would like to share a home buying tip with you.

You will want to be ready to explain your past credit conditions if you have any. Hart Mortgage Services will require you to explain these events with a Letter of Explanation or better known as an “LOE”.

You can review the whole article by Clicking Here.

Feel free to read the rest of Hart Mortgage Services informative section called “Florida Mortgage University” 

This is one of the first installments from Hart Mortgage Services which is called “Florida Mortgage University”. This is made for anyone that is pursuing a Florida Mortgage. We hope you enjoy this helpful tips and that it makes your loan process smooth and easy!

Know Your Credit Health!

Your credit score is one of the most important pieces to you obtaining your Florida Mortgage. Hart Mortgage Services will use your Credit Score as it’s main tool in judging your ability to pay back the mortgage along with your income. Every bank that is offering mortgages want to have a loan that pays them back on time and according to the terms and great credit is the right first step!

Check out the rest of this helpful tip from Hart Mortgage Services- Know Your Credit Health

Please review the other lessons from Florida Mortgage University by Clicking Here!

This is to report the Florida Mortgage Rates for Febuary 6th. These rates will change during the week but this will help give you a good idea of what to expect this week if you are trying to obtain a Florida mortgage. Mortgage Rates ar eslowing creeping up so make sure you make your move now before they get into the 6% range and even 7%

Conventional 30 year fixed Mortgage- 5.5%

USDA/ Rural Housing Loan- 5.25% 30 year fixed

FHA 30 year fixed- 5.5%

These rates are all subject to change and are only for informational purposes. Please know that you mus tmeet certain qualifications for these rates and can find out what you will qualify for by using our Free Florida Mortgage Rate Tracker. Hope you have a great week!

While the rest of the country is having trouble selling real estate Lee County Florida which includes Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres, Sanibel, Estero, Bonita Springs and Pine Island has posted an increase for the month of December 2008 of 146% over the previous year!

Read the entire article from the Fort Myers News-Press by clicking here.

The buyers have been coming out of the woodwork for months and this will only increase the buying urgency. The days of low balling all of your offers are gone and if you see a house you like, make sure you offer them a fair price to get it because a serious cash buyer will swoop in and steal your house.

With Florida Mortgage Rates being at all time lows along with bottom of the barrel prices, buyers are jumping on this opportunity. If you are a cynic please note that 80% of Hart Mortgage Services closed loans over the last three months have been Primary Residences including many First Time Home Buyers.

Use or Free Purchase Assistant to receive a free Florida Mortgage Analysis.

Have a great day!

This is to report the  Florida Mortgage Rates for January 26th. These rates will change during the week but this will help give you a good idea of what to expect this week if you are trying to obtain a Florida mortgage.

Conventional 30 year fixed Mortgage- 5%

USDA/ Rural Housing Loan- 5% 30 year fixed

FHA 30 year fixed- 5%

These rates are all subject to change and are only for informational purposes. Please know that you mus tmeet certain qualifications for these rates and can find out what you will qualify for by using our Free Florida Mortgage Rate Tracker. Hoep you have a great week!

With USDA/Rural Housing being out of money until early March most Realtors and buyers are not trying to obtain 100% financing because they think they can’t. Please know that we are still funding USDA/Rural Housing Loans whether USDA has the funds or not. We can do this because we are a direct lender with the funds to not worry about USDA funds for now. The Florida mortgage rates are at 5% for a 30 year fixed rate!  Please let us know if we can help you with your Florida Mortgage Home Loan. Have a great day!

Hart Mortgage Services wanted to share this article from the Fort Myers News-Press wth you in regards to Florida Mortgage Rates dropping below 5%. Please use our Free Florida Mortgage Rate Tracker or call us today at 239-437-4278.

Enjoy the article!

It’s a great time to get a mortgage as rates drop below 5 percent

By Tim Engstrom • tengstrom@news-press.com • January 16, 2009

The average rate on 30-year mortgages fell below 5 percent for the first time on record this week.

That has potential homebuyers lighting up the phones at area banks.

Freddie Mac reported Thursday average rates on 30-year fixed mortgages dropped to 4.96 percent this week, down from the previous record of 5.01 percent, established last week. It was the 11th straight weekly drop, and below the rate of 5.69 percent at the same time last year.

Rates at are their lowest since the company started its survey in April 1971.

Mortgage rates have been dropping since late November, when the Federal Reserve said it was going to pump money into the banking system by buying $500 billion in mortgage-backed securities to get banks to lend more money and perhaps aid the ailing U.S. housing market.

“We are getting a lot of shopping calls, but we are getting more calls than actual applications right now,” said Brenda O’Neil, chairwoman and chief executive of Preferred Community Bank in Fort Myers. “I think we are going to see that translate to business in the next few weeks because there are some tremendous deals out there right now.”

Scott Evenson, owner of Lee-Co Mortgage Inc., in Cape Coral, said he has seen a noticeable increase in business in recent weeks, especially in bargain-priced, entry-level homes and high-end second homes.

“It’s either on the high end or the low end,” Evenson said. “There is nothing in between.”

Evenson said he has seen rates as low as 4.625 percent for people with credit scores of 710 to 720 and above.

Buyers using Federal Housing Administration loan programs are seeing rates around 5.25 percent.

Cape Coral resident Chris McCarter closed on the mortgage for his first home just a few weeks ago.

“I have been working for two or three years to get into a house,” said McCarter, 41. “Prices have dropped to the point where you have to make a move.”

Average home prices in Lee County have been steadily falling for months as foreclosures have flooded the market.

The median sales price of an existing home in Lee County was $106,100 in November, down 53 percent from $228,100 in November 2007.

McCarter said his home off Gator Circle in north Cape Coral was a foreclosed home.

“I feel bad for the people who were foreclosed on, but they weren’t using it as their home,” McCarter said. “It’s our home.”

While falling home prices and low mortgage rates have sparked buyers, current homeowners thinking of refinancing may find it challenging.

Origination loans and refinanced loans are taking up an equal portion of loan activity at Fifth Third Bank, but not everyone who would like to refinance can make it work, said Ed Erickson, who leads the bank’s mortgage lending operations.

“With interest rates in the fours, that is driving interest, but in some cases, the values just aren’t there to allow the refinancing,” Erickson said.

Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, said mortgage rates have fallen as the Treasury Department and the Fed added more than $100 billion in liquidity to the mortgage market since September.

The average rate on a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 4.65 percent. That rate was 4.62 percent last week, the lowest point since June 2003, Freddie Mac said.

Freddie Mac and sibling company Fannie Mae own or guarantee about half the $11.5 trillion in U.S. outstanding home loan debt. The government seized control of the companies in September.

- The Associated Press contributed to this report

Here is the link for the story– http://www.news-press.com/article/20090116/RE/901160399/1076   

Congratulations

Hart Mortgage Services would like to congratulate Casey and Christina Burnett for closing on their new home!

Casey, Christina and Abigail Burnett with Tim Hart and Claudia Hart

Casey and Christina Burnett signing documents with Abigail

Casey Burnett, Brent Semachko and Tim Hart laughing

The closing table!

Claudia Hart handing over the keys to the new house!

Testimonial: Tim- Thanks for the great job that you did! We were so happy to find out about our low rate and had no idea that we could get a mortgage until we met you! Thanks again for everything that you did for us.
Casey and Christina Burnett

Closing Date- 12/19/2008

Financing provided by:
Tim Hart
Hart Mortgage Services
O- 239-437-4278 ext 11
tim@hartmortgageservices.com
http://www.hartmortgageservices.com/home.html

Buyers agent:
Claudia Hart
Selling Paradise Realty
O-239-770-5950
claudiahart@sellingparadiserealty.com
http://www.flhomelink.com/

WOW!! I can’t believe what I have been seeing over the last few days regarding mortgage Florida Mortgage Rates. If you are in the market to buy a home in Florida or refinance your current Florida Mortgage please look at these current rates as of 12/18/2008.

Conventional 30 year fixed rate- 4.625%

FHA 30 year fixed- 5.125%

USDA/Rural Housing- 5%

Congratulations

Hart Mortgage Services would like to congratulate Doug and Stephanie Miller for closing on their new home!

Doug, Stephanie and Ty Miller, Tim Hart and Claudia Hart

Doug, Stephanie and Ty Miller

Tim Hart reviewing documents with Stephanie Miller

Doug, Stephanie, Ty Miller and Claudia Hart

Testimonial: Tim-I just wanted to thank you for all of your help. You really went out of your way to help us out and I will never forget it. So THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Stephanie Miller

Closing Date- 12/10/2008
Financing provided by:
Tim Hart
Hart Mortgage Services
O- 239-437-4278 ext 11
tim@hartmortgageservices.com
http://www.hartmortgageservices.com/home.html

Buyers agent:
Claudia Hart
Selling Paradise Realty
O-239-770-5950
claudiahart@sellingparadiserealty.com
http://www.flhomelink.com/

Are you looking for an idea to help your Florida real estate listings sell? This may help you out!

In speaking with Jo Henrion of Lifestyle Realty of S.W Florida on how to increase traffic to high profile listings, we came up with several “out-of-the-box” ideas.

One of Jo’s past clients started an organic soap company, Happy Body Soap. She had agreed to host a “Soap” party and invited friends, realtors, mortgage brokers, business colleagues and past and current clients. It was a hit! Through this networking party, several guests made business contacts in a non-stressful environment while enjoying hors’dourves and other refreshments. Jo’s mind started racing with new ideas. She thought if she hosted parties such as this at her listings, she could maximize the amount of traffic while gaining free publicity for her other listings. We both agreed that this would be a great way to promote her listings. So, in this discussion, we found ourselves in a brainstorming session and we wanted to share our thoughts with you.

· Local Artists- Allow a local artist to use the listing as a gallery and schedule a free event around the artist’s work. I’m sure the artist would happily inform their database about the event.
· Network Marketing- The majority of us know plenty of people that are doing network marketing to make an extra income. You would surprised by the amount of people they can bring to one of their meetings. So, why not let them use your listing? Some of the more popular network marketing companies right now are HUB, Monavie, Somalife, I Learning Global and many others. And, don’t worry; you don’t have to join their group to network!
· Local Businesses- Team up with anyone that is new to the area since they are looking to grow their business. This won’t fit for all businesses, but may work out for some like Brian Tietz Photography, Diana Medina at Potomac Bead Company, or Summer Halgrim Photography. Look for someone that is newer or someone that wants to tap into the local market. It would probably be best if they have a viable product for the neighborhood or the real estate profession.
· Clubs or Networking Groups- These types of groups can always use a place to meet. Searching Meetup.com for Fort Myers revealed 114 different groups with monthly meetings. How many of them could have a new buyer in their group?

These were just a few of the ideas that we came up with and I am sure you have a few of your own. Hopefully this will help you in selling your next listing or picking up a new buyer! In these current Florida market conditions, sometimes we need to expand our minds and look to new, fresh ideas to lead us down the road of success.

To your continued success!!

To buy a home is the dream of everyone. Obtaining the best Florida Home Loan possible is the first step to homeownership. That’s why we have worked to offer you a distinct four quote system that allows you to choose the very best home purchase loan.

We know that everyone and every situation is different. Whether you are looking for a 100% financing, a low down payment, lowest monthly payment, or a custom loan, let the benefit of our multiple quote system go to work for you and help you get the loan you need.

We are one of the most recognized sites serving the diverse mortgage quote needs here in Florida. That’s why when purchasing a home you want the best possible pricing for your mortgage. Applying online is more easier and convenient. Visit the online sites offerring loans.