The Arizona Department of Housing (ADOH) will offer 22 percent in purchase assistance to qualified homebuyers

The Arizona Department of Housing (ADOH) will offer 22 percent in purchase assistance to qualified homebuyers purchasing an eligible foreclosed home in the state. ADOH provides help in the form of a deferred second mortgage loan for purchase assistance. This is a 0% interest second loan and will be completely forgiven at the end of the designated time period.

The loan amount in Maricopa County can be up to $342,250 and this type of second would be 22% of this loan amount or $68,450. These loans are for Foreclosed properties only.

Have clients that are coming to Arizona? Call me and we can get them some incredible financing if they qualify and you will get a great referral.

Best Regards,
Terry

OH, BY THE WAY, I'm never too busy for your referrals!

Terry@TerryForsberg.com www.TerryForsberg.com

7 social media blunders that might hurt your career

Found this and thought you might enjoy...

7 social media blunders that might hurt your career
June 26, 2009 at 4:28 am by Tracy Ormsbee
It was so gratifying to see this story earlier this week confirming what we’ve all thought a billion times — that people shouldn’t fixate on their blackberry/iPhone while another human being is talking to them — and even more importantly, this article points out, not in a meeting with their boss, who might be going over important stuff that relates to, um, their ongoing employment.
As social media tools, and the devices that let us use them, become more commonplace, Barbara Pachter, author of “NewRules@Work: 79 Etiquette Tips, Tools, and Techniques to Get Ahead and Stay Ahead” warns of some costly blunders professionals can make when using social media:
1. Criticizing your employer. One woman recently posted on her Facebook page, “Attending another stupid work meeting. Can’t wait to get to the bars!” People are still posting negative comments about their company or boss on social networking sites. You can get reprimanded or fired because of it. Why would you bite the hand that feeds you?
2. Posting offensive photos and videos on Facebook or YouTube. Recently two Domino’s employees lost their jobs after posting a video of themselves doing unmentionable things to a pizza.
3. Not having a strategy if you don’t want to accept a friend request from a client or boss on Facebook. You don’t want to offend someone by denying their request. Think about the person and what would be the best way to say “no.” You can explain that you are saving Facebook for your family and friends and ask them to please join you on LinkedIn. You can ignore their request on Facebook and just send them a LinkedIn request. You can also accept the invitation and use the privacy controls to limit which sections of your profile they can see.
4. Using your BlackBerry under the table. People think you are ignoring them and there can be consequences. One company lost a large contract because their vice president played with his BlackBerry during a meeting with the potential client.
5. Sending ludicrous tweets on Twitter. I don’t need to read what you ate for dinner. Do I care? Be helpful to people so they want to hear what you have to say.
6. Placing your Blackberry or iphone on the table when meeting with someone. You are so ready to drop them and connect with someone else!
7. Not participating in Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. You are missing out. If you do not participate, you will never know how social media can help you and your business.
Posted in Saving money, Your job

Condition of Short Sale, Phoenix Arizona

Condition of Short Sale
Check this condition of short sale that I got on a counter to my contract. I represented the buyer on an offer for a short sale property and the listing agent had this as a condition of sale. ‘Earnest money to be non-refundable for 45 days after contract acceptance and escrow to be opened upon acceptance of seller.’
The purpose is to try and detour buyers from making numerous offers on different properties. Then bailing on everyone of them except the one they ultimately want to call home. Like it or not it did make my buyers rethink making too many other offers.
I find the market evolving as everyone is trying to find the best methods of representing their clients. We are trying to find the shortest route to successful closings on these short sales. With all the banks doing their own thing it is taking some time to get through this learning curve. For me having a professional Short Sale negotiator seems to be the quickest. He has talked with most of the Mortgage holders already, in some cases has closed deals and knows these guys by first name.
Got any other terminology or conditions of contracts for short sales you have seen? I would love to hear it.
Terry
Terry@TerryForsberg.com
www.TerryForsberg.com

Luxury Fountain Hills Condo!!

Fountain Hills Condo!!
13606 N Cambria Dr # 109, Fountain Hills Arizona, is as price competitive as you can find. Original price was $305,000and is now listed at $250,000. This two Bedroom, Two Bath and Two Car Garage is turn key condition. Owner occupied, newly painting interior with new furniture (included if you like) and tile throughout. This could be your new winter home or your full time residence.
Check out its website http://www.cambriadrive.com/ to see photo’s of the wonderful home. It is a one level townhouse with double patios. It is an elevated end unit with no neighbors on either side has an open floor plan with mountain views and a spotless interior.
This unit has an extended garage with one full wall of storage, comes with a newer roofs that came with a 10 year warranty and newer exterior painting that came with a five year warranty.
The unit is located close to downtown Fountain Hills and The Fountain they are both a short walking distance away.
Priced at short sale values, REO’s or foreclose pricing it is ready to sell.
Contact me at my email address, Terry@TerryForsberg.com or check out my website, http://www.terryforsberg.com/. You can also call me direct at 602-410-9547. MLS# 4121104
Selling Arizona Real Estate where ‘Timing is everything’.

CRS Prescott for the Winter Conferences

Monday, March 16, 2009

This past week Realtors from all across Arizona joined together in Prescott for the Winter Conferences. It was an opportunity to review the market and exchange ideas as to how to best serve the market and review the current strategies. From Foreclosure escrows to short sales the ideas were very informative and right on track to keep agents up to speed with change.
One of the best formats was the annual Certified Residential Specialist meeting. We discussed the best way to get word to Realtors that the best referral network is alive and well. CRS designation is one of the top referral networks in the business and has interstate connections matched by few other organizations.
On a more local level the state chapter of CRS has the benefits of its own. The website at www.arizonacrs.com, is connecting and networking our state members with each other for Arizona referrals. Our quarterly meetings in 2 different areas of the state, with premier speakers adds to our professionalism. Discounts on CRS courses, leadership training opportunities, involvement and in community charities are just a few more benefits to our local chapter.
The Phoenix Metro area has six meetings a year with many topics being discussed. Join us this month on the 20th for our round table discussion. We will have three tables of discussion and then rotate every twenty minute to exchange ideas. Bring your market suggestions and contribute.
Are you a CRS member and not an Arizona member? Call me today and let me help you make the decision to advance your career and join our state chapter.
I am Terry Forsberg, RE/MAX Fine Properties 602-410-9547 or email me at terry@terryforsberg.com , my website is www.TerryForsberg.com . I have been selling Phoenix Real Estate and the surrounding areas for more than 30 years and know firsthand the compliment that CRS designation has been to my career. Memberships in both CRS and the Arizona Chapter of CRS continue to help my business keep pace.

Fountain View Village, Fountain Hills Arizona

I recently toured the senior facilities at the Fountain Hills Senior Lifestyle community. What they offer is a lifestyle any senior would love. Units are available in Independent Living and Assisted Living offering a lifestyle of your choice.
Independent living at the Fountain View Village is just that, independent to come and go as you please with complete units for your living pleasure. One Bedroom, One Bedroom Den and Two Bedroom are all available for your choosing. Full kitchens and elegant baths to use in your own home unit for your enjoyment and individual living of the retired seniors.
The Community Amenities are extensive with Formal Dining rooms for your private parties, Library with fireplace, heated pool and spa. Country store on sight, art gallery, housekeeping services available, Beauty and Barber Shop, Sagebrush Pub and Scheduled transportation for those outings, all for you to enjoy and share with your friends.
Call or stop by and see some the finest Phoenix Real Estate that there is available. Nestled in Fountain Hills the views are incredible and small town atmosphere is truly a place to call home.
You can check out their website www.seniorlifestyle.com or email Jean Martin at jmartin@seniorlifestyle.com for further information.

It's no secret that the U.S. economy is in trouble.

It's no secret that the U.S. economy is in trouble. We're in the midst of the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. But how we got here, what it means for the average American and how we can fix it is pretty confusing. "We all want to know what this $700 billion bailout really means and why it matters to everybody, not just the folks on Wall Street.
CNN senior business correspondent Ali Velshi is giving a lesson in Economic Crisis 101. He's been poked fun at for his gloom and doom financial reports, but the current situation is no laughing matter. "It's serious," he says. "But the fact is we'll get through this if we understand how it affects us and what we can do."
The first step toward grasping the bailout plan is to understand how we got in this mess in the first place. Ali says it started with three basic assumptions about the American economy: homes will increase in value over time, wages will go up over time and investments in the stock market will go up over time. "Very rarely do all three not go up at the same time," he says. "So we thought that things will be better for us financially year after year." The banks encouraged that concept, Ali says, because the more the American people spend, the more money banks make.
Ali says that since Americans thought their finances would increase over the years, they spent as if that money was guaranteed. "We all lived a little beyond our means and then a lot beyond our means," he says. "Now, our country, our people, our banks and our government are all heavily, heavily indebted and the money is running tight."
Credit Crunch
The other key to understanding the financial mess is understanding credit, Ali says. "Let's show you how central credit and banking is to your life," he says. "The bank gives you a credit card, and you use that to spend money at the grocery store. But the bank also gives the grocery store money because the grocery store has to [borrow] to buy things from a supplier, let's say the cereal factory. …The supplier [or cereal factory] needs to buy wheat or flour, so they borrow money from the bank [too]." But because of the current economic situation, banks don't trust anyone to pay them back, Ali says. "Your credit line, if you did nothing wrong, may have been reduced by the bank just because they are scared that you might get into trouble."
Ali says that, due to credit reduction, the cereal factory can't buy as much wheat, and the grocery store can't buy as much cereal. When stores or suppliers can't afford to buy as much they used to, they can't do as much business. Then, people get laid off.
As a result, all the people who lost their jobs aren't paying taxes or shopping as much, Ali says. "They're a net drain on the financial system. They're not contributing." Ali says that in the first nine months of 2008, 750,000 people in the United States lost their jobs. In September 2008 alone, an incredible 159,000 jobs were lost. "This is what hurts this system," he says. "And that's why it affects you."
In order to start fixing the financial problems plaguing the country, the U.S. government has proposed a $700 billion bailout plan. "People were phoning their congressmen and congresswomen saying, 'We don't want you bailing out these fat cats,' because the perception was we were helping all these guys on Wall Street and they were going to get richer and richer even though they'd done all of this to us," Oprah says. "But it's really all of us who are going to be affected." Ali says that if the bailout doesn't get passed, credit will get even tighter and more jobs will be lost. "Inadvertently, we're going to have to help Wall Street to get the money trickling down to you, because that's the system through which money flows," he says. "But there's a real reason to be angry."Still, the task at hand should be to fix the problem instead of wasting time blaming Wall Street, Ali says. "The bottom line is it's like your 3-year-old has set fire to your curtain, and you're having a conversation about whether 3-year-olds should have matches or whether your kid's a brat," he says. "Put the fire out, and have the conversation with your kid later. That's the situation that we're in right now. The fire is going to consume your house if it does not get put out."