The lender said it is very hard to get a mortgage loan now                                                 First, I am not a mortgage lender, I am a REALTOR®.  I can't precisely explain the mortgage regulation and new changes to you.  I just have enough knowledge to share with my clients and prospects about what the basic requirements are to obtain a home loan. I do know new regulation has applied to getting a home loan since Jan 10th this year.  To sum it up, and to my understanding there will be more paperwork for the borrower to fill out and more verifications needed throughout the process. New rules are added to mortgage industry in the beginning of each year, it is nothing new.  There are good and not so good changes all the time throughout the year, sometimes it may affect some bo... 02/15/2014

Seller please remember to keep an extra key for yourself Hi Seller!                                     Now you decided to put your house on the market, great!  Just one little minor detail that I would like to remind you, I do need a house key from you to put in the lock box on your front door, so agents can have access to go inside the house and sell it.  Don't forget to keep one for yourself, too....I don't want you get locked out of your own home at 20 degrees outside. Of course, you can always call us to come rescue you and let you in, but there may be times we are not available immediately when you call, that will be very inconvenient for you if you don't have an extra house key for yourself. I know this is minor, but I just want to give you a heads up and a friendly reminder   02/13/2014

New Homes are still building in Rustling Oaks Marion Ar. 72364  Are you thinking to move into a brand new home in 2014?  Better yet, what about having the Holidays dinner, and welcome the New Year in one of those brand new beautiful homes in Rustling Oaks subdivision? There are 5 brand new homes in Rustling Oaks built by Master Design Builders from Memphis, Tn. right now, a few of them are still under construction, and some of them are ready to go.  All of them feature with a living room, and a dining room in real hardwood floors, a master bedroom with a master bathroom, and 2 bedrooms, all in carpet, a hall full bath and a eat-in kitchen with beautiful tile floors plus granite kitchen counter top.  There is also an unfinished bonus room upstairs for future expansion, or if you like to ... 11/11/2013

Rural Development Loan in Marion Arkansas Beginning October 1 2012, Rural Development loan will not be applied in Marion, Ar. anymore.  Rural Development (RD) is a popular type of home mortgage loan in Marion, Ar., no down payment, lower mortgage insurance than FHA loan, competitive low interest rate...I have a client doing a RD loan right now at 3.25% interest rate, they are so excited!! RD is very popular among first time buyers especially, they can almost move in for nothing if the seller can help with their closing costs and prepaids.  Time is running out, if you are serious about becoming a home owner, no matter you are first time buyer or not, you have less than 2 months time to get pre-approved, look, buy and close.  Don't hesitate to email/text/call me if you have any questions ... 08/05/2012

Bed and Breakfast in Marion Ar - The Cedars of Marion Before I start talking about The Cedars of Marion, I would like to invite you to visit this bed and breakfast at www.thecedarsofmarion.com It is just beautiful, check it out. I have the opportunity to tour and had lunch in this beautiful bed and breakfast, The Cedars of Marion one day this week.  I don't know about you, but I love bed and breakfast, the old style meets the new world, it just can't be replaced by any modern hotels in my opinions.  When I step in The Cedars of Marion, I feel like I am going back to the old days years ago, the old world charm, all the beautiful and unique decors just capture my attention.  The view, the landscapes, the atmosphere is so relaxing and romantic, no wonder so many couples like to have their ... 11/18/2011

New homes are still building in St John's Landing in Marion Ar Not long ago, someone said to me, "I can't believe builders are still building new homes in today's market."  Well, you'd better believe it.  Yes, they are still building new homes in Marion Ar. New homes are only building in a couple of subdivisions in Marion Ar.  St. John's Landing is one of them.  Currently there are 4 houses for sale in St John's Landing, one is a resale home, 3 of them are new homes and one is still under construction.     Why pick St. John's Landing? It is a relatively new subdivision, it is only a few years old It is quiet Smaller lots, less maintenance Still have plenty of lots to choose to build on  Relaxing settings Very affordable homes Conveniently located on Mound City Road, very close to Downto... 11/01/2011

Another happy closing for my relocation buyer moving to Marion Ar It is almost an year since I met this buyer who planed to relocate to Marion, Ar.  It started with a phone call one day about one of our listings, I kept in touch with her and hung in there.  She was not sure if she was going to move at first because of her job, after a few months of keeping in touch, she decided to move to Marion, Ar. She has great credit and got pre-approved immediately, the only thing was she needed to sell her house first.  She lived about 45 minutes away and she got a local real estate agent to list her house.  In the meantime, we went ahead to look at some houses, finally we found one and put an contingency offer on it and worked it out. It took longer to sell her house than anticipated because most... 10/28/2011

Home Insurance - You can't close on your new house without it Buying a house is an exciting thing, really it is.  You can take advantage of the low interest rate right now, it is a buyers market, so many choices out there, you may even find some good foreclosure deals and save more money. If you are working with a good lender, and good real estate agent, you will be guided towards closing in every step of the way.  You will be reminded what you need to do before closing, and there are a few things you need to do.  One of them is you have to have home insurance in place before the closing or you can't close. Even if you are buying the property in cash, it will still be your best interest to get home insurance on the house you are buying before closing.  Things can happen unexpectedly. If... 10/25/2011

A new group of buyers in West Memphis and Marion Ar - Investor Rental is in high demand in Marion, West Memphis Ar., it helps to push another group of buyers out in the market - investors. Many of them are seasoned investors and have been doing this for a while, some of them are 1st time investor, trying to get a piece of pie while it is still available, and why not?  There are foreclosures coming out often, there are different types of investors, and there is something for everyone. I have a couple of seasoned investors working with me, they know what area they want, they can see the potential of the property despite of the repairs.  Within a short period of time, they will let me know if they decide to put an offer on the property or not, they know time is of the essence.  A good inve... 10/19/2011

Trunk or Treat in Marion and West Memphis Ar 10/30 and 10/31 2011 Ooh, parents and kids, it is the time of the year again!  Have you got the costumes, trick or treat bags ready yet?  Halloween is just around the corner, different churches are hosting their trunk or treat on 10/30 and 10/31.  One church does their fall festival on 10/26. Here is the list of churches where you can go trunk or treat in Marion and West Memphis this year: West Memphis 10/26 First United Methodist Church at 215 N. Missouri is hosting Fall Festival from 5-8 p.m. Tickets to purchase to play games at the festival.  For more details call 870-735-1805 10/30 First Baptist Church at 200 N. Missouri is doing trunk or treat from 4-6 p.m.  For details call 870-735-5241 Marion 10/30 United Methodist Church at 81 Militar... 10/19/2011

1st Annual Scarecrow Festival in Marion Ar on 10/22/2011 Fall is here and Halloween is around the corner, guess what is the center of the attention in Marion, Ar. lately? Miss and Mr. Scarecrow it is!  Our 1st Annual Scarecrow Festival in Marion, Ar. is coming this Saturday 10/22/2011 from 10 am to 12 noon at the Marion Courthouse Square.  There are games for kids, hayride, pumpkin painting, face painting and of course they are going to announce who the winner is for the 1st Annual Scarecrow Festival in Marion, Ar. Have you seen those scarecrows everywhere in town?  There are many local businesses have entered the scarecrow contest, they are so much fun to look at, and they are so creative. Vendors, if you want to know more information about the 1st Annual Scarecrow Festival in Marion, ... 10/17/2011

2nd annual Crittenden County Italian Festival coming on 10/15/2011 in Marion Ar Wanting some authentic Italian cooking in Marion Ar?  Here is your opportunity to enjoy some homemade Italian cooking at the 2nd annual Crittenden County Italian Festival in Marion Ar this Saturday, 10/15/2011.  This is also a fundraiser event to benefit St. Michael Catholic School in West Memphis, Ar.  They will be located at the Marion Softball Complex and Park on 3820 Complex Road.  I went to the 1st Italian Festival last year, I truly enjoyed it.  A few local Italian families were serving their homemade goodies, spaghetti, lasagna that I missed out which was sold out in the first half an hour after they opened!!  I got to be there earlier this year to catch some of the good ole lasagna. This year the fes... 10/13/2011

Another successful story of building your dream home in Marion Ar Building your dream home is like nuturing your own child, it is.  From the day it is born, you watch it keep growing and changing right in front of your own eyes.  There are days it will bring you so much joy, there are days that it makes you frustrated and stressed, but at the end, you are so excited of the end result that you work so hard for.  Your dream home finally is closed and you can move in!! My client has been wanting to buy since last year, she was approved but couldn't get the amount she wanted to buy a nice home that she visioned.  She decided to wait, she worked hard to eliminate some more debts off from her credit report, improve her score to make it even higher.  She called me this March, we started to loo... 09/22/2011

I wrote A successful story of credit repair to become a home owner at last a few days ago, my client is under contract today!!  Got a great deal on a house that was redone, new carpet, new paint, move in ready for a very great price, seller is paying for the closing cost, home warranty, and best of all, her interest rate is only 3.5%!!!  She is using ADDI loan, inspection will be paid and done by ADDI for her, and seller has to fix all the repair items if there is any.  All she needs to pay is her earnest money, she really moves in for nothing. My client is so excited, and so am I.  She got the house which is within her budget, spacious enough for her family, great interest rate; good things are surely coming her way after she worked so hard on her credit and it finally pays off for her... 09/16/2011

A successful story of credit repair to become a home owner at last I call my client Mary here. Mary was referred to me from one of my old clients about an year and a half ago.  She wanted to be a home owner, but there was some works needed to be done on the credit part before we could buy.  I explained to Mary how and what a lender was looking for before she could get pre-approved, I told her I was willing to guide her if she agreed to work hard to improve her credit history and score.  Mary gladly accepted. First, she needed to get a credit card to help her establish a positive credit history, and increase her score.  I gave her a link to apply for a secured credit card, told her what she needed to do, how to do it and paid her bills on time.  I was pretty much coaching her along the s... 09/11/2011

No, you don't need a real estate agent to help you to buy a house.   Have you heard of this line before, I am almost certain most of you have.  I know I did. A few years ago, I was working with a couple who was selling their house themselves and I was their buyer agent.  I tried to get the listing and helped them selling it, but they told me they have sold and bought a few times and they could handle it themselves to save some commission.  No problem, I offered at least. They put a FSBO sign in their yard, put an ad in the newspaper, and sure enough, they got a call one day.  A lady from out of town saw the ad and went to look at their house, she liked it, she put an offer.  (Maybe I need to learn a few tricks from them to see how to sell a house quickly) I forgot to mention one thing, ... 09/09/2011

As a real estate agent, I tend to cringe when I hear someone wants to buy a FSBO house without an agent, especially if they are first time buyer.  It is way too risky to enter a twilight zone like that without any proper guidance at all. I have a FSBO nightmare to tell today.  I got a call from a young couple about a month ago, and wanted to see a very cute older home and they told me they were already pre-approved to buy.  After meeting with them, they told me they were buying a house which was FSBO and it was fine at first.  As the process continued, more and more things were not adding up.  First, the appraisal asked for a lot of repairs, including structural engineer report for the foundation of the house.  Then, it did not pass the termite inspection, and that drew the line there f... 09/08/2011

Beautiful home for sale in Riverwest Estate in Marion Ar. Single Family Home for sale in Marion, AR Overview Maps Photos Features Description Neighborhood $295,000 Single Family Home Main Features 4 Bedrooms3 BathroomsInterior: 3047 sqft Location 610 River Birch DriveMarion, AR 72364USA To get updates on open home dates and other property events, please click the "Like" button below: Rita Fong RE/MAX Real Estate Today(901) 488-9590ritafong@remax.nethttp://www.ritafong.remaxarkansas.com  Listed by: Rita Fong Our recent listings Possible Short SaleSingle Family Residential for $109,000 in Hughes, ARSingle Family Residential for $105,000 in Marion, ARSingle Family Residential for $120,000 in Marion, ARSingle Family Residential for $295,000 in Marion, AR Subscribe to our listing feed Nearby... 09/03/2011

I will say I usually have pretty good clients in general, there may be one or two are more challenging than others to work with, yet they all lead to happy endings.  The couple I am going to write about today probably is the happiest couple who loves their new home so much I know by far.  From the day we looked at the house, the wife immediately fell in love with the house, and everytime we went back to the house for inspection, walk through, they were always smiling, big smile from ear to ear. They are so easy to work with, no complaints, always happy, we actually closed ahead of our schedule by almost 2 weeks.  The husband is so good in communication, we never have any problem in keeping each other in the loop, what a wonderful client he is! It is always a blessing when we have a chan... 07/29/2011

In today's real estate world, it definitely needs to be creative to make the business work.  Being stubborn and not willing to be flexible are not going to get you anywhere in most of the cases. When it comes to negotiation, it doesn't matter you are a buyer or the seller, it is important to understand your market, not the National Market, I mean your local market.  You may think the house is worth X amount of dollars, you may be right in some cases, but, facts and numbers don't lie.  As your real estate professional, I put a comparable together for you so you can see what has been sold and how much they were sold for that is similar to the property you are either selling or buying. Some adjustments maybe needed to the comparable based on the condition of the property, I work in my mark... 07/07/2011