Earlier this year I found myself in the midst of a very complex multiple property short sale transaction. To be honest, I was doubtful that the deal would get to closing and escrow. Here is a breakdown of some of the items that made this Wisconsin short sale(s) transaction so challenging. It involved 4 different investment multi-unit Janesville Wisconsin properties All four units were owned by a multi-person partnership Some of the rental units were vacant and some were rented out. The tenants of the rented unitswere hard to reach, making showings a troublesome task One buyer was looking to purchase all four properties at a significant discount As you can imagine, this was a daunting task. Luckily, the bank was local and easy to get a hold of. This, of course, didn't make the negotiatio... 12/12/2011

Are you looking for the most current real estate stats for Janesville, WI? Here is a great page that lists great statistical information about home prices and sales in Janesville from Zillow. Click the image below for details on recent: Zillow Home Values - including a graph of month to month changes Median Single Family Home Value Home Size in Square Feet Median List Price Per Square Foot Number of Homes Recently Sold Average Property Taxes Number of FSBO, New Construction, Foreclosures|REO These Janesville WI real estate statistics also compare national values as well. Following the link below will also bring up information like: Schools - Middle, Elementary and High Schools Walk Score - How close are Restaurants, Grocery, Parks and Shopping Yelp Score - Local recommended Shops and Ca... 12/01/2011

Janesville WI Short Sale Real Estate Agent53545, 53546, 53548  Are you looking for a Janesville Wisconsin Short Sale Real Estate Agent? Rock Realty is a real estate brokerage that specializes in Short Sales and Bank Owned Foreclosures in the Janesville WI area. Although we are based in Janesville, we have helped home owners in both Rock County and Dane County, from Beloit to Madison. My name is Michael Collins, broker for Rock Realty. I have completed the Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource training and have been given the SFR designation through the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Feel free to contact me directly at 608-921-8536 for help with any of your short sale home questions. I have helped many Janesville home owners with their distressed property needs and consider mys... 11/22/2011

  Below is a list of Janesville Wisconsin area colleges. You will find contact information, including phone numbers and addresses. This list is supplied by Education.com. If you are looking for specific details on Janesville area Colleges, whether 2-year or 4-year, this is a great place to start your search.  University of Wisconsin - Whitewater 800 W Main St, Whitewater, WI (262) 472-1234 College Type: 4-Year Highest Degree: Master's Students Enrolled: 10,000 - 19,999 Distance: 18.14 University of Wisconsin - Madison 500 Lincoln Dr, Madison, WI (608) 262-1234 College Type: 4-Year Highest Degree: Doctoral - Research & Professional Students Enrolled: 20,000 & Above Distance: 32.17 Madison Area Technical College 3550 Anderson St, Madison, WI (608) 246-6100 College Type: 4-Year Highest Deg... 10/24/2011

Below is a list of Janesville Wisconsin area Elementary schools. You will find contact information, including phone numbers and addresses. This list is supplied by Education.com. If you are looking for specific details on Janesville area Elementary schools, this is a great place to start your search. Adams Elementary School 1138 East Memorial Dr | (608) 743-6300 PK, K-5 | Janesville School District Harrison Elementary School 760 Princeton Rd | (608) 743-6400 PK, K-5 | Janesville School District Jackson Elementary School 441 West Burbank Ave | (608) 743-6500 PK, K-5 | Janesville School District Jefferson Elementary School 1831 Mount Zion Ave | (608) 743-6600 PK, K-5 | Janesville School District Kennedy Elementary School 3901 Randolph Rd | (608) 743-7500 PK, K-5 | Janesville School Distr... 10/24/2011

Below is a list of Janesville Wisconsin area middle schools. You will find contact information, including phone numbers and addresses. This list is supplied by Education.com. If you are looking for specific details on Janesville area middle schools, this is a great place to start your search. Edison Middle School 1649 South Chatham St | (608) 743-5900 6-8 | Janesville School District Franklin Middle School 450 North Crosby Ave | (608) 743-6000 6-8 | Janesville School District Marshall Middle School 25 South Pontiac Dr | (608) 743-6200 6-8 | Janesville School District Rock River Charter School 31 West Milwaukee St | (608) 752-8273 6-12 | Janesville School District WI Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired 1700 West State St | (608) 758-6100 1-12 | Wisconsin Dept of Public Instruction ... 10/24/2011

Below is a list of Janesville Wisconsin area high schools. You will find contact information, including phone numbers and addresses. This list is supplied by Education.com. If you are looking for specific details on Janesville area high schools, this is a great place to start your search. Craig High School 401 South Randall Ave | (608) 743-5200 9-12 | Janesville School District Parker High School 3125 Mineral Point Ave | (608) 743-5600 9-12 | Janesville School District Rock River Charter School 31 West Milwaukee St | (608) 752-8273 6-12 | Janesville School District WI Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired 1700 West State St | (608) 758-6100 1-12 | Wisconsin Dept of Public Instruction School District Janesville Acad for International Studies High School 31 West Milwaukee St | (608) 3... 10/24/2011

Tips for Picking the Right Home Finding the home that meets your needs and makes you happy will usually take a little time and effort.  Here are some tips that should make the whole process easier for you and your Realtor. Develop a List What exactly are you looking for in a home?  If you are buying the home with another person then there are two sets of opinions and preferences to contend with.  For this reason it is a good idea to make a short list of the features that you cannot live without.  You also need to determine what features you CAN'T live with.  Having these items identified and discussed before looking at homes can save some frustration.  An easy way to develop the list is to look at your current living arrangements.  Decide what you would like to have different in your n... 10/06/2011

Janesville WI Short Sale Realtors®53545, 53546, 53548  Are you looking for a Janesville Wisconsin Short Sale Realtor® or Real Estate Agent? Rock Realty is a real estate brokerage that specializes in Short Sales and Bank Owned Foreclosures in the Janesville WI area. My name is Michael Collins, broker for Rock Realty. I have completed the Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource training and have been given the SFR designation through the National Association of Realtors®. Feel free to contact me directly at 608-921-8536 for help with any of your short sale questions. I have helped many Janesville home owners with their distressed property needs. REALTORS® who have earned the SFR certification know how to help sellers maneuver the complexities of short sales as well as help buyers pursue sho... 09/19/2011

Tips on Buying Your First WI Home Getting that first home can be a really exciting time for anybody.  However, it needs to be approached with realistic expectations. Going through a few of the following suggestions will make the whole process much easier. Get Familiar with Real Estate Terms Buying your first home will involve learning about the home market as well as loans.  Therefore some terms may be unfamiliar to you.  Here is a list of some common terms used in Wisconsin mortgage loans and real estate transactions. Closing Costs– These are fees associated with all mortgages.  Amounts paid to a title company for the title search, recording the deed and mortgage at the court house, origination, credit report fees, appraisal fees and the fee from the attorney to close the loan are just... 09/16/2011

I receive daily updates on current mortgage rates in the Janesville Wisconsin area. One of those rates is for the WHEDA Home Loan. Todays mortgage rate showed a new historic low at 4.75%. These rates of course can and do change often so you will want to check with your bank to get the most up to the minute information. To give you an idea of how low this mortgage rate really is, consider this scenario. If you were to purchase a Janesville WI foreclosure property for $75,000 at a 4.75% mortgage rate, your mortgage payment with interest would be only $391. Say you purchased a Janesville WI short sale at $150,000 your monthly mortgage payment would be a reasonable $782. This is assuming no down payment. If you are looking to purchase a bank owned/foreclosure/REO property, short sale or sta... 08/08/2011

    Sometimes Ranches are just Ranches! But this one is Special!     94 S.  HARMONY, JANESVILLE, WI   This immaculate Three Bedroom Ranch has natural Hardwood floors, Great kitchen Dining Area, Formal Dining Room, Three Seasons Room, Remodeled Master Suite, 4 Baths, and a Great Fireplace.       Enjoy your morning cup of coffee on the Master Suite Deck!       Living Room Entertaining with a Fireplace.         It is Three Season Room time!   I have too many good pics for One Blog. Call me for more information on this spacious ranch, priced at only $229,900.00   Jerry Morse The Morse Company   608 436-4900 jerrymorse@gmail.com www.jerrymorse.com EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY     08/04/2011

The Wisconsin housing statistics are now in for June of 2011. Here is an excerpt from what the Wisconsin Realtors Association (WRA) had to say: As expected, the sale of existing homes in Wisconsin for June was below last year's pace, a consequence of artificially high sales a year ago due to the federal tax credit program, according to data released by the Wisconsin REALTORS® Association (WRA). Home sales in June were 16 percent lower than that same month last year, and the median sales price was down 7 percent to $140,000. "Actually these figures were a bit better than expected," said John Horning, Chairman of the WRA Board of Directors, noting the initial deadline set for the 2010 program required a signed contract by the end of April and a closing by the end of June. "The reality is... 07/18/2011

This year I have been completing numerous BPO's for homes in my area. BPO is an acronym for Broker Price Opinion.  Broker price opinions are a valuation service that real estate brokers can offer to banks.  Performing these BPO's has only strengthened my ability to properly assess how much a property/home is worth in today's market conditions.  Completing BPO's in local cities like Janesville, Milton, Beloit, Evansville, Elkorn and Madison has given me a unique view into the intricacies related to each market.  I also have a better understanding of how the banks determine their home values when it comes to short sales, pre-foreclosure decisions and REO properties.  The article below explains in greater detail what a broker price opinion is.Regards,Michael Collins - BrokerShort Sale & Fo... 07/01/2011

Bank of America is offering...PRINCIPAL REDUCTIONS! You read that right..the nations largest lender is now going to offer a program to bail out underwater owners...here are the details directly from BofA: CALABASAS, Calif. - Bank of America, a leader in developing and carrying out programs to help financially distressed homeowners, is leveraging the federal government's Hardest Hit Fund (HHF) initiative to begin pilot programs of principal reductions for customers in Arizona who owe considerably more on their mortgage than their property is worth in today's depressed market. The bank has become the first major mortgage servicer to send letters of interest to homeowners who may qualify for HHF-supported principal reductions in these states. Previously, Bank of America began testing and i... 06/28/2011

With Independence Day just weeks away, many families are preparing for a night filled with loved ones, barbeques, and fireworks. However, even while our carefree celebrations will be occurring, thousands of military members will remain deployed over the holiday fighting so that we may maintain our freedom. If you have a loved one who is serving or has served in our nation's military, take the time this Independence Day to say thank you for serving by making sure they are aware of all the benefits they are eligible for. In addition to health and pension benefits commonly associated with the military, veterans and active duty service members are also eligible for a host of other benefits, including the VA Home Loan, which can enhance the quality of a military member's life by making homeo... 06/24/2011

WORRIED ABOUT FORECLOSURE? We want you to realize that your situation is not hopeless, regardless of what you might be thinking or may have been told by others. Your lender is not looking for an excuse to foreclose. The truth is most lenders would rather have you keep your home and keep making payments each month. You are not alone. Thousands of people across Wisconsin have similar issues with their mortgages every year. The most important key to resolving your situation is being proactive. Even if your mortgage payments are just a few months behind, your lender has probably already started foreclosure proceedings against you. Doing nothing is the fast track to foreclosure. Thousands of dollars in penalties and legal fees may be added to your balance due. The longer you wait, the harder... 06/14/2011

Are you looking for a real estate agent or realtor in the Madison or Janesville Wisconsin area? Have you been thinking about purchasing a discounted home in this great buyers market?! For anyone looking to purchase property in Dane or Rock County, I would be happy to assist you. My name is Michael Collins and I am a SFR certified Realtor and broker. The SFR certification stands for Short Sale & Foreclosure Resource. Although I'm based out of Janesville Wisconsin, I also service the Madison WI area as well as Beloit. I have buyers agent experience which includes assisting home buyers purchase Short Sale & REO properties at a great price and I'm committed to doing what's best for my clients! Feel free to call me at 608-921-8536 or visit our website www.RockRealtyWI.com   06/07/2011

Have you heard about the closing cost assistance that Freddie Mac is now offering to home buyers?  How would you like to have an extra 3.5% credited to you at closing?  Here is an excerpt from the Inman News article:Inman NewsTM"Hoping to boost sales of foreclosed homes, Freddie Mac is offering up to 3.5 percent in closing-cost assistance to homebuyers"... the article continues "On the purchase of a home priced at $150,000, for example, HomeSteps will pay up to $5,250 toward closing costs. Investors are not eligible for Freddie Mac's HomeSteps summer sales promotion -- only homes sold to owner-occupants qualify." Here at Rock Realty, we understand that funding a down payment in this economy takes a heavy toll.  That's why we offer our buyer clients a 1% of home purchase discount at clos... 05/23/2011

The article below from Inman News is quite promising.  Anybody who has dealt with short sales is fully aware of how long and tedious the process can be.  Fannie Mae appears to be making an effort towards expediting this process.  They have implemented a Short Sale Assistance Desk program.  The Sunnyvale California CAR MLS has just implemented this listing service.  My hopes is that this could be implemented in our South Central Wisconsin MLS system soon.Michael Collins, SFRBy Inman NewsInman NewsTM Sunnyvale, Calif.-based MLSListings Inc. is the first multiple listings service in California to implement a short-sale assistance program from Fannie Mae, the multiple listing service announced last week. On March 31, the California Association of REALTORS® and Fannie Mae announced they had ... 05/19/2011