lending – Dirt2Doorbell

Tick Tock

DSCF1779-r-c_DxO — 404 Poppy in Garden Heights is Move In Ready!

We have a few Neighborhoods that are in close out this Fall. In fact we have many! So, if you have visited Garden Heights in Mansfield or Hidden Creek in Burleson and are thinking of buying in those neighborhoods, it’s time to get off the fence. We have one home site left in each of those neighborhoods and 3 move in ready homes between the two.

On the North Side of Fort Worth, Parkview Hills has only four home sites remaining and three of those are the coveted Meandering Creek Lane greenbelt sites.

Looking for a value in South Fort Worth? Matador Ranch has less than ten home sites remaining and those are going fast!

Do you want to move in before the end of the year? We can help! We have several homes available now ranging from 1430 to 3098 square feet, three bedrooms to five bedrooms with Media and Game Rooms!

Need a Lease Buyout? No Problem? Have a Realtor? Great! Credit Issues? We can help!

Tick, Tock!

New Year, New Home

625 Minkel Door — Open the door to a Brand New Year!

Have you been thinking about a new home for a long time? Have you watched interest rates and home prices drop? Have you noticed that home prices are now rising?

We are at the beginning of the upswing in pricing for Real Estate in our area. Guess what else is happening? Loan costs are on the rise too. That means both interest rates and mortgage insurance premiums will be higher on FHA loans. What does that mean to you? Move quickly! Claim your inventory home and lock in your rate and current MIP rates before they skyrocket at the end of this month. This could save you thousands of dollars over a 30 year loan.

It’s a New Year. Don’t you deserve a New Home?

It’s Easy!

Buying a New Home is Easy! We’ll show you how.

Did you know that buying a new home is a very simple process? You have one major choice to make before you begin the process: do you want to build your new home from the ground up or do you want to move into your new home in the next 30 days or less?

If you want to move quickly, let’s say your home has sold or your lease is up, or you have just re-located, an inventory home is the best option for you. An inventory home is one that the builder chose to build knowing that it is a popular floor plan and anticipating that some people may need to move into their new home in 30 days or less. There are about five steps to buying a completed inventory home:

-Gathering Your Paperwork

Now this is the first step no matter what type of home you are buying. You will need to provide your lender with a copy of your last two year’s W2’s, the two most recent paycheck stubs, a copy of your driver’s license, a copy of your social security card and your most recent checking and savings account statements. Getting this paperwork together before you begin looking will streamline the process when you are ready to make your decision.

-Loan Application

Most Home Builders will have their list of preferred or in house lenders. At Antares we have a list of over six Lenders that we prefer to work with. These people have earned their place on our list by providing great customer service to our Home Buyers and to our Sales Consultants. They are Lenders we can depend on to answer our phone calls even on weekends and after hours and they take care of our Buyers. You can submit a loan application at any of our Model Homes any day of the week. You are also welcome to use your own Lender that has already pre-approved you. Getting this part out of the way early on in the process helps you to determine what price range you want to stay in. It can also help with planning a budget for after you close. Having a realistic plan for your lifestyle is very important. For example, if you love to travel, you may want to keep your mortgage payment way below the maximum you can qualify for.

-Choose Your Home

This is the fun part! Visiting our Model Homes, looking at our completed inventory and imagining where you’ll place your furniture! Not sure what exactly will be the best style home for you? No problem. Our Sales Consultants are very good listeners and they will ask you lots of questions to discover which home will best suit your needs.

-Go to your Home Owner Orientation

Meet with the Construction Manager and find out all about the unique construction of your New Home. You’ll learn more about Water Heaters, Grout, Foundations and Insulation than you every wanted!

-Go to Closing

Signing on the dotted line and getting the keys to your future! Congratulations!

Have you decided you would like to pick all of the colors for your new home? Need a few months to save up your down payment? Want a floor plan that we don’t have as a completed inventory home? In love with that over sized Cul-De-Sac Home Site? Build! After the first two steps above, the next step is:

-Choose Your Floor Plan and Home Site

It can be overwhelming when we have so many different plans and locations to build. But don’t worry we are here to help! With plans ranging from three bedrooms to six bedrooms, we will have the perfect plan for you!

-Visit the Selection Studio

This is my favorite part! Since we don’t limit our Buyers to pre-selected packages, every home can be customized in many different ways. We will help you choose options that are beautiful and within any budget!

-Watch Your Home Emerge!

The construction process is very interesting if you ask me! A lot of our buyers will visit their home weekly to take pictures and observe their dreams taking form. You will meet with the Construction Manager during this time to get an overview of the construction process. He will also be able to answer any questions you have about how your home is being built. All of the Construction Managers at Antares Homes are Graduate Master Builders! Where else can you find that?

-Save Your Down Payment Money

Most of our buyers are using FHA loans. These loans require 3.5% of the mortgage value of the home as a down payment. A lot of people don’t have that amount sitting around and have to budget to save it. Since it takes us four months to build your new home, most of our buyers are able to save down payment money in that time period. We also have various Zero Down loans available for qualified buyers. If you want more information on those programs, please contact one of our Sales Offices. Our Sales Consultants will be able to tell you very quickly if you qualify for one of those programs.

-Meet with the Construction Manager

You will meet with your Construction Manager at least three times during the building process. He is a great educational resource for our buyers. Every wonder why we do what we do? He’ll be able to tell you!

-Go to closing!

The same last step: Signing on the dotted line and getting the keys to your future! Congratulations!

Now Wasn’t That Easy?

A Little Something Extra

No stress. No worries. From extra inspections during construction to engineered steel rebar foundations to guaranteed heating & cooling costs, your Antares home will provide peace of mind.

Sometimes you just want that little bit more. Something extra. We get it. And we think that little bit more is peace of mind. With the hustle and bustle of life, you don’t need any more stress and worry than absolutely necessary. So we go out of our way to provide our customers with a worry-free experience. Let’s examine the ways:

Guaranteed Heating and Cooling. Seriously. Not Kidding. It’s a warranted item. Our 3098 square foot floor plan in Garden Heights is GUARANTEED to average 907.5 kWh/month to heat and cool. At a price of $0.084/kWh that’s $76.23 on average to run the HVAC. Incredible, and true.
Extra Inspections. We go above and beyond to get additional third party inspections on each home. We want to make sure that a second set of eyes has inspected our homes to catch mistakes we may have missed. The result? Fewer Warranty Requests from our Home Owners.
Rebar Foundation. Each foundation is tailored to the specific needs of each neighborhood. Did you know that Tarrant County soils can vary so much that a soils test in one neighborhood can yield completely different results when compared to another? We always take the most conservative approach with our foundations and it shows in our record with Bonded Builders — our Third Party Warranty Partner. We have been claims free on our foundations since the company was founded in 1998.
Graduate Master Builders. Astonishing as it may be, all of our Construction Managers that build our homes are Graduate Master Builders. Continuing education is vital for anyone who desires to be the best in their field. We are no different. Experience and education make a difference in the end product. We are very proud to have such a great team building our homes, and you will be too.
Top Notch Salespeople. Our Sales Team is the best in the business. Why? What’s different about them? They are highly trained in areas that make the most difference to our Customers. They are very knowledgeable about the latest loan programs for first time buyers, repeat buyers and credit challenged buyers. If there is a way to save you money and get you the Home of your Dreams, they can find it. They are most concerned with helping people, not selling people. And our Customer Service Surveys reflect their hard work.

And if you still want more, call one of our Sales Offices to find out what’s so special about their neighborhood!

STOP! Don’t work on improving your credit all by yourself!

Think you know how to repair your credit score? You’d be surprised at how easy it is to make it worse. Best advice: Talk to an expert before you take any action. There are plenty of dos and don’ts when it comes to credit repair.

bad-credit — Photo Credit: money-for-single-moms.com

Sorry for yelling STOP in all upper caps but this topic is way too important to let slide. A prospective home buyer–let’s call her “Melanie”–just stopped by one of our sales offices to share some exciting news. Turns out she’s been trying to repair her credit score on her own. (Insert big “oh, no” here.) Ms. Melanie said her credit score (pulled just two months ago) was only 20 points short of qualifying for a loan. She had taken on the challenge to boost her score and proudly announced, “I’ve been paying on some old stuff.” (Insert another “oh, no” and throw in a sigh.)

So what’s the big deal?

The problem is that credit repair is very tricky these days. Recent credit items are more important than old debt, and most lenders can overlook some dings to your credit if they occurred a long time ago. Believe it or not, paying on an old debt breathes new life into that carcass and makes it show up on your credit report as a recent item. This can cause your score to tank.

No one told Melanie to do this. Despite a consultation with Marcy Rutherford, a veteran sales counselors who is very knowledgeable in credit repair, Melanie didn’t take her advice. The result is that Melanie may very well have set herself back over 100 points! This will take a very long time to undo.

Please take a lesson from our unfortunate friend and stop working on your own credit. We can help! Just call one of our Sales Offices and make an appointment to find out more about our Credit Watchers Program. Call toll free: 1-800-Antares (800-268-2737) or choose your favorite neighborhood and phone number from this list.

Shocking!

After all of the gloomy predictions about what a downgraded credit rating will do to our economy I was shocked to learn today that many of our recommended lenders are offering a 30 year fixed rate loan at 3.75%. Crazy! Just a few weeks ago rates were hovering around 5%. What does that mean to you? On a 30 year fixed rate FHA loan for $120,000 your payment at a 5% rate including Taxes, Insurance, Mortgage Insurance and Interest is around $1065/month. At 3.75% that number drops below $1000/month to a shocking $979/month! If you buy our least expensive home, priced at $99,490, your payment becomes $812/month. Why would you not buy today? With prices and rates so low, you can’t miss this opportunity to invest in your future!

–Link to 8825 Highland Orchard, pictured above.

Did you Know?

The Homebuyer Tax Credit was extended for members of the Uniformed Services, members of the Foreign Service and members of the Intelligence Community.

If you fit into one of those categories and you were serving on qualified official extended duty service outside of the United States for at least 90 days from January 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010, you can still qualify for the Homebuyer Tax Credit.

Are you one of the above qualified people and did you buy a home after the tax credit ended this spring? You can still claim the credit.

Thinking about buying a home? There is still time. You must be on contract before April 30, 2011. Call one of our Sales Offices today to find out more information! We have a Home for You!

1-800-ANTARES

Here are the Forms you need to claim your Tax Credit, even if you are not eligible for an extension, but you just haven’t filed for it yet.

10 Rules to Follow

Whether you have just put in your loan application at the sales office, or if you currently have a contract on a home OR if you are just thinking of buying a home very soon, there are a few guidelines that can help you accomplish your goal of Home Ownership!

Do not change jobs or become self-employed or quit your job. Job stability is key and most lenders are going to verify that you have had the same income for the last two years by looking at your tax returns.
Do not buy a car, truck or van (or you may be living in it!) Taking on an increased debt load can count against your buying power.
Do not use credit cards excessively or let you current accounts fall behind. You do need to have a good payment history on all of your debts. If you increase your balances owed on your credit cards after you have been approved for a loan, you may find that loan has vanished!
Do not omit debts or liabilities from your loan application. We’ll see it anyway and it is better to have a good idea what to expect when submitting your loan application. It will make a difference as to which lenders and programs we need to consider for you. We want to help and all information is crucial!
Do not spend money that you have set aside for closing. You need it for closing on your New Home!
Do not buy furniture. Or any other high ticket items. See number 2 and 3.
Do not originate any inquiries into your credit. That means no new store accounts, book-of-the-month clubs, credit cards or visits to the car lot!
Do not make large deposits without checking with your loan officer. Christmas gift money and cash savings can cause huge problems when deposited into your bank account. Call your lender for advice first.
Do not change bank accounts. So Bank of Everywhere has made you really mad with their crazy charges? Suck it up until after you have closed. Changing banks at the last minute can keep you from closing as bank statements are necessary for underwriters.
Do not co-sign for a loan for anyone. Sorry that Grandma needs a new car. Someone else needs to help her besides you. See numbers 6, 2 and 3.

If you can manage these 10 rules, you might just find that you are a Home Owner sooner than you think!

Top 10 Reasons Antares Homes Salespeople Are the Best!

Contender for Salesperson of the Year: Monique Tinsley!

1) We are present at our sales offices during operating hours:

We have heard from our customers that Builder A is never open, or Builder B never has a salesperson at the office even though it is open. We are in the business of selling homes and that can’t be done without a salesperson to meet with you!

2) We are excited to see you when you walk in our door:

All of our salespeople will give you a hearty welcome when you come to our offices. We know that there are many other builders to choose from and we are glad to have the opportunity to serve you!

3) We want to know what your needs are:

Don’t be taken off guard when you are in one of our sales offices and our salespeople are asking you endless amounts of questions! It is important for us to make sure we match you to the right home or floor plan. We are focused on building neighborhoods that are occupied by happy Home Owners just like you!

4) We know a lot about financing:

In the current financial landscape, lending regulations change very often. We do our best to prepare for upcoming changes and understand what all the options are. Each Home Owner has a unique set of circumstances and we need to be able to problem solve on the fly.

5) We can help you with your credit:

As lending regulations change, so do credit requirements. We have experienced several increases to the bottom line credit score requirements and have figured out several ways we can help our customers to increase their scores without enrolling in pricey credit repair programs.

6) We are knowledgeable about construction:

We have the luxury of working with Certified Graduate Builders who teach us about why we build homes the way we do. If we don’t know an answer off the top of our heads, an expert is a phone call away!

7) We are dedicated to customer service:

We want to make sure you have the best home buying experience possible and that starts with good follow up. We make sure to keep in touch with you even before you buy a home with us.

8) We are honest:

We offer the best value at the best price. No bait and switch here!

9) We are constantly striving to improve:

Our sales people attend weekly training. We rely on each other for feedback and help. We have a spirit of service to each other as co-workers that benefits our customers.

10) We have fun!

If you only knew…

Seller Paid Closing Costs VS Rolling Closing Costs into the Loan

One of the biggest hurdles we have as salespeople are conversations about closing costs. Most of our competition offers the buyer a package which includes the Seller paying for all closing costs. I’ve even heard $8,000 in closing costs advertised by the competition. Well, where do closing costs come from?

Closing costs include a multitude of fees from Home Owner’s Association Fees to Title Company Fees and the cost of a Survey of your home and home site. This is the cost of buying a home. Most builders’ contracts have a list explaining which of the closing costs the Buyer pays and which are the responsibility of the Seller. What is confusing is that most other builders talk to Buyers about contributing to the Buyer’s closing costs.

At Antares Homes we begin with a Value Base Price (A) on our homes and then a buyer can add upgrades and options (B) to the price of the home at the Selection Studio. After this is completed we can often add the Buyer’s closing costs (C) to the final price. A+B+C=Your Mortgage!

What other builders are doing is A+B+C+D (padding for negotiating) = Starting Asking Price. How do you find the Bottom Line Price? And how do you know they won’t lower it even more for the next buyer after you??

We feel that our practice of rolling the closing costs into the loan at the end of the process is the fairest option. You are only paying for the closing costs generated by the sale of the home you are purchasing and not some round number with extra padding that another person has chosen for you.