FHA-- NEW GUIDE LINES

Hope that everyone is ready for the NEW YEAR, I know that I am completely ready!!! I have lost a lot of weight and will continue on with that goal, I also want this year to be the best in Real Estate. I have a lot of work to get to. Setting goals is a way to keep you on track and to monitor yourself and work habits. Everyone always suggests putting it down on paper, so I will do that and see if it keeps me on track, it couldn't hurt!!!

Here are new guidelines from FHA for the New Year, I thought it would help.

New Year, New FHA Mortgage Limits HUD Secretary Steve Preston has announced new limits on the mortgage amount insurable by the Federal Housing Administration beginning January 1, 2009. Under the 2008 Housing & Economic Recovery Act, limits are set at 115 percent of a market’s median house price. They can’t be lower than 65 percent or higher than 150 percent of the national conforming limit of $417,000. Preston says the limits will ensure FHA can to continue help struggling homeowners refinance and allow many first-time buyers take advantage of today's buyers market.

It is a great time to buy a home, prices have dropped and interest is at all time low. Loans are beginning to become available, So give me a call and lets get to work.

GETTING READY FOR THE NEW YEAR

Well it is that time of the year, can you believe it!!! We have to seek our New Years resolutions, make them good, make them attainable. Now that is the hard part. Well we have the usual ones, lose weight, get rich, exercise more, the list can go on and on. Well in May I had kind of a mid year resolution, I was going to lose weight once and for all. Well since then I have lost 80 Lbs. and I am still going!!! WOO HOO! It was easy and fast. I started on the Take Shape For Life program. It is a portion controlled meal replacement program. It was a no brainer. You eat six times a day with one snack and the weight just comes off. Women lose 2-5lbs a week and men lose 3-7lbs. You are not hungry !!! Your cravings go away. It has been a life saver. I had such good results that I became a Health Advisor for the Company. I can't tell you what an improvement in my life this has made, it is tremendous.
If you need help just give me a call you will never be sorry. 801-440-0067 or 208-766-6613 www.debrasiglin.tsfl.com Have a look investigate and then call me.

Have a great New Year and Be Healthy
Debra

SALT LAKE NAMED ONE OF 25 CITIES TO REBOUND

Smart Money magazine names Salt Lake as a city ready to rebound
Salt Lake City is in great shape to rebound from the struggling real estate market, Smart Money, the monthly personal finance magazine from the Wall Street Journal, reported in its November issue. The article, noting that the national housing statistics are dragged down by boom-and-bust markets like Las Vegas, said there are signs that “the overbuilding and speculative pricing that inflated the housing bubble are working their way through the system.”
Salt Lake was named one of 25 cities poised for a rebound because of job gains in a variety of industries such as health care, education and natural resources. “That diversity has offset tough times for local home builders and information technology companies, keeping job growth in positive territory — and putting a safety net under home prices,” the article said. Citing an analysis by mortgage insurer PMI Group, the article indicates Salt Lake City has a less than 1 percent chance of home prices being lower two years from now than they are today.
Some good news for home sellers and buyers. Maybe the market will start picking up. Now if we can get the mortgage industry on its feet, that would be a good thing.
Winter is upon us so get ready to enjoy it.

SUMMER IS ON ITS WAY OUT!!!!!!

Summer is fast leaving the area. In the mountains Labor day weekend just above Salt Lake City we had snow!!!! I really don't want to think about it. BRRRR. Here is a little goods news, 10 cities where jobs and home prices are growing. Woo Hoo!!! SALT LAKE CITY IS AMONG THEM.

10 Cities Where Jobs, Home Prices Are Growing To determine where home prices are expected to rise most in the next couple of years, Forbes.com looked at projections for housing starts from the National Association of Home Builders and job-growth projections from Moody’s Economy.com. Forbes identified cities that are likely to be vibrant markets because jobs are increasing and the housing market wasn’t overbuilt during the boom."The logic is pretty straightforward," says Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com. "People will spend as much on housing as their income will allow them. House prices are very closely tied to household income over the long run when you look at business cycles."According to Forbes, these are the 10 cities where home prices are most likely to rise:
Albuquerque, N.M.
Charlotte, N.C.
San Antonio, Texas
Portland, Ore.
Austin, Texas
Salt Lake City, Utah
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Minneapolis
Atlanta
Oklahoma City

LARGE INCREASE IN HOME SALES

SALT LAKE BOARD OF REALTORS® REPORTS LARGE INCREASE IN HOME SALES,
ACTIVE LISTINGS REPRESENT 8-MONTH SUPPLY
23 July 2008 (Sandy) – The number of single-family homes sold in Salt Lake County in the second quarter of 2008
increased to 2,581 homes, a 39 percent increase (725 more homes sold) compared to 1,856 homes sold during the
first quarter in 2008, according to a report today by the Salt Lake Board of REALTORS®.
This year’s increase in home sales follows a period of declining home sales that began in the second half of 2007 and
resulted in a bottoming out in January, an eight-year low in monthly sales. Since the end of January, Salt Lake home
sales have climbed consistently over the past five months.
Home sales in the second quarter of this year were down 28 percent compared to the same quarter a year ago (2,581
sales versus 3,590 sales).
“Last year’s reckless lending artificially inflated sales,” said Jillinda Bowers, president of the Salt Lake Board of
Realtors. “Finally, we have gotten rid of the rampant speculation and loose lending standards. This year’s sales are
down compared to last year, but we are cautiously optimistic going forward that home sales will continue to gain
momentum as they have since the end of January.”
SINGLE-FAMILY HOME PRICE: The median sales price of single-family homes sold in Salt Lake County
during the second quarter increased to $249,900, up 3 percent compared to a median sales price of $242,000 in this
year’s first quarter, but down 2 percent compared to a median sales price of $254,000 in the second quarter of 2007.
CONDOMINIUM SALES VOLUME: The number of condominiums sold in Salt Lake County during the second
quarter increased to 587 units, up 25 percent (116 more condos sold) compared to 471 condominiums sold in the first
quarter in 2008. Condominium sales were down 32 percent in this year’s second quarter compared to the same period
in 2007 (587 sales versus 866 sales).

Jillinda Bowers
President

CONDOMINIUM PRICE: The median sales price of a condominium sold in Salt Lake County in this year’s
second quarter dropped to $172,500, down 1 percent compared to $174,500 in the first quarter and down 1 percent
compared to $173,800 in the second quarter of 2007.
TOTAL ACTIVE LISTINGS: The combined number of active home and condominium listings in Salt Lake
County in the second quarter totaled 8,142 units, representing roughly an eight-month supply of “for-sale” inventory.
In the first quarter, active listings represented an 11-month supply of inventory. In the second quarter of 2007, active
listings made up a seven-month supply of inventory. Total active listings in the second quarter were down 1 percent
compared to 8,212 listings in the first quarter of this year and down 17 percent compared to 9,823 listings in the
second quarter of 2007.

TAKE SHAPE FOR LIFE

Hi just wanted to let you know about a great weight loss program I have started. I have lost 20 LBS WOO HOO!!! in a month. My friends had been on it, they lost 90lbs in 2 months between them. It is a meal replacement, Medifast is the parent Company. They have been in business for 25 yrs, with 15,000 physicians using the program in their practices. But now we have it available to us the general public. It works fast and is easy. If you would like more info go to my web site www.debrasiglin.tsfl.com or call me.

MOVING MADE EASIER

Hope everyone is having a good spring, it hasn't quite made up it's mind. Here is a little information that I hope is useful to everyone.


Moving can be very exciting...but it can also be a bit of a pain as well. Besides packing and unpacking, there is a long list of details to be handled. Things like choosing a mover, connecting utilities, getting Internet and cable service, or subscribing to newspapers or magazines in a new area can be quite a chore. And if you forget to connect one of the utilities you could be stuck in your new home for several days without that much needed service. To ease the stress of moving and schedule new connections for all of the utilities in one convenient location, simply log on to www.whitefence.com.
You can quickly compare prices for movers, phone, electricity, television, or high-speed Internet. Just select the service you wish to compare--for example, phone, cable, and electric. Or, enter your address on the home page, hit search, and within seconds a list of services and prices available in that area will appear. Next, click on the service of your choice to view details and pricing or comparison shop by choosing three providers. Once you determine the provider, select the service plan, complete the requested information, enter the connection date, and within minutes a confirmation will be sent to you.
If you want to change your current provider, simply hit the icon for phone, cable, or Internet, select "switch provider", complete the requested information and a list of providers in the local area will appear. Choose the new provider and the service will be changed.
Additionally, on the site you can complete a change of address form, subscribe to local newspapers, and order magazine subscriptions. Moving to a new home should be enjoyable and exciting. Using this tool can help remove a bit of the stress of moving and will also help save valuable time.
Have a great Summer, remember it is a great time to buy a home, if you are a first time home buyer or are thinking of moving up. Interest rates are good and home prices are down.