MORTGAGE BLOG!

The online edition of Forbes magazine says the Tampa Bay area is in first place as the best location in the country to buy a house. Because of our area's overall strong, growing economy and comparably modest housing prices, Forbes calls Tampa-St.Petersburg-Clearwater a prime "bounce-back" market! This is the same prediction we've heard since last summer and THANKFULLY it is still being reported by a very reputable source.

ALSO, feds lowered rates again today by ANOTHER .50%!!!! Add to all of this the good news that Amendment #1 passed yesterday, which should promote home sales since people can take their "save our homes" tax cap with them to a new property and WE HAVE THE INGREDIENTS FOR A REAL ESTATE MARKET RECOVERY.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY! I don't think anything else needs to be said!

5% for a 30 year fixed rate!! Wow! That's where the market closed today. The next question undoubtedly then is, "Do you think they will go lower?" This is just like gambling in Las Vegas. It's a game most people lose. You do not need to be one of those people.

Noone knows what the rates will do for sure. You may as well consult a crystal ball. But while rates are low take advantage and give PINELLAS FINANCIAL a call. Let us watch the market for YOU! When the time is right we will LOCK YOU IN! DON'T DELAY, or you may find yourself saying the following sentence, "I should have locked in yesterday's rate". I'm not a gambler, and you don't need that stress. Call us at 727-667-6792, we'll talk about it!

We hit 5.5% for a 30 year, fixed yesterday! If things continue, we'll see 5.25% by the end of the week! What a great time to buy or refinance! Make sure you are dealing with an honest, ethical Mortgage Broker such as PINELLAS FINANCIAL!

BUT BEWARE of "too-good-to-be-true" offers. A dishonest mortgage broker has a dozen or more dirty tricks to raise the price of your loan once they have you on the hook. A common "trick" is low-rate and NO Points. Common sense tells us that noone works for free. NO POINTS means the broker intends to make his money from your loan in fee's, many of which are truly disclosed at the closing table when it's really too late to go through the hassle of fighting over them. At that point, it's just easier to close the loan and be done with it, even though you feel cheated. Many mortgage brokers COUNT ON THAT!

PINELLAS FINANCIAL gives Good Faith Estimates IN THE BEGINNING! And those figures DO NOT change at the closing table! We want our clients to be able to refer us to their friends and family. We are not here to "hit" and run with our commissions with no concern for our clients being;

                COMPLETELY SATISFIED after the loan closes!

See ya next week!

WELL WHAT CAN I SAY? I wanted to have a little fun with this crazy real estate market.

On a serious note, more national reports today by respected economists, saying that the Tampa area has hit bottom. 2008 will be a year of slow recovery. The Miami area will be much slower and was hit harder than we were. On the other hand, the Sarasota area is already seeing improvement. Yeah! Maybe soon I will not have time to play around on cartoon web-sites because I will be too busy working on all of your loans!

See ya next week. As always, you can call Pinellas Financial for any mortgage related questions, concerns or information. We are here to assist you with any Real Estate related subject.

WELCOME to a fresh NEW YEAR! I believe it goes without saying that those of us in the mortgage & Real Estate industry welcome a NEW YEAR!

Pinellas Financial is "geared up", ready and taking no prisoners! We are on the move with several things planned for this year! We will be relocating our corporate offices, starting an aggressive marketing campaign and working with our local legislator's in Tallahassee for the good of all business's here in Pinellas County!

Interest Rates are awesome! There are tons of affordable homes on the market! And you have access to the very best lender right here at Pinellas Financial! Let us know what we can do for you.

•     Do you want to shop rates?
•     Do you want to know how to purchase a foreclosure?
•     Do you just want to know what you qualify for?
•     Do you need information about property tax changes?

We're here, We're ready! Give us a call with your real estate and lending needs. We'll get you pre-qualified and get you with a real estate professional that WE trust, if you do not have one.