RISMEDIA, September 3, 2010– With the U.S. economy facing the lowest home sale statistics in fifteen years and home values continuing to slide in many regions, it’s not surprising to hear that housing trends point towards a large percentage of American homeowners looking to improve and maximize their existing property investment versus buying a new home. When deciding to undertake a remodeling project however, there are several invaluable tips to keep in mind as you discuss your home make-over with potential contractors.

Through advice and stories shared by both contractors and consumers,  StageofLife.com, a blogging resource for homeowners, discovered 10 important tips on how to find a trustworthy home remodeling contractor to help ensure the right person or company is hired for your next home improvement project.

Tip #1: Does Your Contractor Have Proof of Insurance?
Ask the contractor to have his insurance company mail or fax a copy of his current contractor insurance card to you. If the contractor can’t do this – stay away. Why? If there is an accident at your home, you are then liable. This also applies to any sub-contractor or employee that the contractor may use – those individuals should have active insurance cards faxed or mailed to you as well.

Tip #2: Did You Check References and See Photos?
Ask for at least three references – with two of them being for the same type of project you are planning – and then call the references. Additionally, ask the contractor to provide photos of previous work, especially for the same type of project. If he produces lawn and garden photos and you’re planning a bathroom remodel, you may want to check out another contractor.

Tip #3: Does Your Contractor Take Debit or Credit Cards?
Besides your ability to earn a few points, bonus miles, or cash back on your project, a good sign that a contractor is financially savvy and has a bank behind his business is his ability to take debit and credit cards. This doesn’t just apply to big contracting companies. Many small, one-man shops will take cards if they have a good relationship with their business bank or credit union.

Tip #4: Manners and Appearance?
If the contractor drove his vehicle to your home to give you an estimate, take a look at the way he keeps the equipment and vehicle. Are things clean? Neatly arranged? If not – that’s a big warning. The way a contractor treats his tools is a direct connection to how he’ll treat your home. During the initial meeting, does the contractor present himself in a professional way? Do you feel comfortable around him or his employees? They will be working in your home after all.

Tip #5: Clean Up Policy?
Ask about the clean-up policy. For example, if your home improvement is a multi-day project, will the contractor be cleaning up at the end of every day or will he leave the dust, wood chips, and other mess laying there for day #2? The more mess in your home – the more it gets tracked around. Many homeowners find themselves with mouths gaping wide after the contractor has left for the day and their floors and home are dirty and messy around the project area.

Tip #6: Will the Contractor Put It In Writing?
Is your contractor willing to put both his bid and the scope of work in writing? If not – walk away immediately. You’ll be surprised how many homeowners have been duped by contractors who verbally tell you what’s included in their scope of work, but will then, in the middle of everything, require extra money to finish the remodel, thus holding you hostage with an uncompleted home project.

Tip #7: Availability?
Can the contractor get the job done in your timeline rather than his timeline? There’s nothing more frustrating than if a contractor tells you that a job will be done by a certain date and then it isn’t . On the flip side, if you can’t find a good contractor that’s willing to commit to your timeline, your expectations may be too high and you may need to adjust your timeline.

Tip #8: Does Your Contractor Use “Subs?”
Does your contractor plan on doing everything himself? Or will he “sub out” work to the “trades?” For example, if you are remodeling a bathroom, you may need a plumber, electrician, and carpenter. It’s okay if the contractor subs work out to these specific trades – it shows he wants the work done right.

Also, it’s fair to say that you can expect your contractor to make money off the trades, or other sub-contractors, by marking up those quotes for the project. That is a standard practice to help the general contractor recover costs in the time it takes to manage the schedule. If you don’t want to spend the extra money on your contractor marking up the trade quotes, then you should prepare to project manage the remodel yourself, but know this may limit your options on contractors willing to work with you.

Tip #9: Quoting & Billing Procedure?
Ask the contractor about his quoting procedure. Will it contain general information, or will it be specific? For example – most contractors will charge you for a fuel surcharge, material up-charges, waste removal, labor, etc. Some will show you these exact costs in a line item invoice, but others roll it up into one big bill. How much detail do you want? You should clarify that with your contractor upfront.

Also – what is the payment or billing policy? Is money required upfront? If so, go back to #1 and #2 above to make sure you have the contractor’s references checked and have a copy of his contractor’s insurance.

Tip #10: Did Your Contractor Get the Permits?
Ask your contractor to take care of the permits. Although permits cost you money, the inspection process is meant to protect you from poor workmanship and to make sure that everything is being built to code.

By following these 10 tips for hiring a home contractor, you’ll feel more confident that you’ve found the right contractor for your remodeling job.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog.  Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search house available in the Reno/Sparks and all Northwest Nevada neighborhoods.  I can be reached by email @  chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

By Paige Tepping

RISMEDIA, August 26, 2010–You wouldn’t buy a house without shopping around first, right? Then why would you commit to the loan you use to buy that house without making sure you’re getting the best deal possible? From the experts at LendingTree, here are six reasons why it’s essential to take a few minutes to browse before you borrow:

1. To get the best interest rate possible
Over the life of a $200,000, 30-year fixed rate loan, a one-tenth of a point difference in interest rate could save or cost you thousands of dollars.

2. To pay lower loan fees
Once your loan application is accepted, the lender will get back to you with a good-faith estimate (GFE), including an itemized list of all the costs associated with the loan. If there are any parts of the GFE that you don’t understand, don’t be afraid to ask the lender to explain each fee that is listed.

3. To avoid a prepayment penalty
In these transient times, it seems no one stays in their home long enough to pay down their mortgage the old fashioned way: in monthly increments over a period of decades. So you’ll want to be clear on whether the terms of your loan include a penalty if you pay off your mortgage early—either because you move or refinance.

4. To find a lender you feel comfortable with
You don’t want any surprises popping up at closing time. Get a lender who is responsive to your questions and is willing to give you the details in writing.

5. To find a lender that specializes in your situation
Recent volatility in the mortgage markets means that people with bad credit or little money for a down payment might have to look a little harder to find a lender.

6. To get the rate lock period you want
Once you’ve found the lender offering the best mortgage rate and terms, you’ll want to get a written commitment, known as a “lock” that puts in writing that the lender will make the loan to you at that the specified interest rate. The length of the lock can vary from 30-90 days, but many lenders will charge a fee for a rate commitment of longer than a month. Negotiate the lock period that is right for you, depending on when you plan to close on your new home and if interest rates are expected to creep higher during that time.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog.  Please feel free to use my back door to the MLS and search house available in the Reno/Sparks and all Northwest Nevada neighborhoods.  I can be reached by email @  chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

Everything Marilyn does is different from any other woman, strange and exciting, from the way she talks to the way she uses that magnificent torso.

Hell, if I’d jumped on all the dames I’m supposed to have jumped on, I’d have had no time to go fishing.

I’m just a lucky slob from Ohio who happened to be in the right place at the right time.

It’s an extra dividend when you like the girl you’re in love with.

The only reason they come to see me is that I know that life is great, and they know I know it.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog.  You can email me @  chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

Data obtain from the Reno/Sparks Association of Realtors for Area 100, Greater Reno/Sparks

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog.  You can email me @  chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

RISMEDIA, August 9, 2010—The real estate industry and especially the mortgage industry have been overwhelmed with changes, regulations and consolidations recently. In the last couple of months, many transactions nationally have experienced delayed closings or worse as a result of the application of new guidelines affecting APR, Good Faith Estimates (GFE), Truth in Lending (TILA) and condo project approvals to name a few.

There is one more issue that is critical for real estate agents, loan officers, and anyone else who deals with consumers purchasing a home or obtaining a refinance. Effective with applications on or after June 1, 2010, Fannie Mae has issued new lender mandates (FNMA LL-2010-03 Loan Quality Initiative) on a national basis that, if not understood properly, could have devastating consequences for many buyers and sellers. We want to be certain that everyone understands the implications of the new rules and ensure that all interested parties know what they need to know to minimize negative repercussions.

The intent of this initiative is to assure that all applicant information is disclosed and is honest and accurate as of the moment of closing. Lenders will now be required to re-pull credit report information just prior to closing, re-verify employment, validate Social Security numbers, verify intent to occupy and verify that all parties to the transaction have been checked against the national “excluded party” list, which is managed by HUD and by the General Services Administration. Changes in any of these factors are likely to result in a re-underwrite, the need for additional documentation, or suspension of loan closing.

The most onerous of these is the credit re-pull. It is important that this is done as a “soft pull” so it does not show as an inquiry, which could potentially change the borrower’s credit score. Firms will, however, have to match the outstanding debts and inquiries with the report used to approve the loan. Additional credit or increased balances that change the debt-to-income ratio more than 2% (or less if it now exceeds guidelines) will require the loan to be suspended and re-submitted to underwriting.

Any additional delinquencies will result in a new, full credit re-pull and re-underwriting, utilizing the new credit. Any and all inquiries from other lenders or credit suppliers must be verified by the credit bureau and certified that new debt did not occur. If new credit has been extended, the new debt must be included in the borrower’s debt-to-income ratio and the loan must be re-underwritten.

Other considerations are W-2 employees that may own more than 25% of a business, mandating business returns and cash flow analysis and full disclosure of child support and alimony. Changes could render the applicant unqualified or could delay the closing. As a result of TILA, GFE and risk-based pricing changes, additional debt could result in re-pricing the loan due to a change in credit score, which even if approvable, would delay the closing three business days as re-disclosure would be required.

So How Do We Manage the New Process?
Real estate agents and lenders must impress upon the applicants the need for full and honest disclosure at the time of application, during the loan process and at closing. Buyers must be cautioned against applying for new credit during the process, changing jobs (30-day pay stub requirements are being enforced), and charging to their credit cards. It is imperative that they notify the lender if anything changes from application to closing.

We must all be aware that an applicant that signs an erroneous initial or final closing application could be committing fraud. Lenders choosing to approve loans without the proper loan quality processes and documentation are only endangering the buyer. Any lender or real estate agent that encourages someone to falsify information could be equally responsible. It is noteworthy to mention that many loans go through an immediate quality control audit post closing, so this could affect highly qualified applicants as well. Identified fraud of this nature could be investigated by the FBI.

While this new policy was implemented first by Fannie Mae, it is already a mandate of all national lenders and, based on experience, will soon be required on every loan. It is important to keep this in mind on every deal, not just ones that may involve Fannie Mae.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog.  You can email me @  chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

For Immediate Release July 27, 2010

RENO, Nev.- Manager Brett Butler and select Reno Aces players will act as celebrity servers for a special dinner at Bugsy’s Sports Bar and Grill on Aug. 11, with all proceeds to benefit the Reno Aces Foundation, the organization announced today.

· Learn more about the
Reno Aces Foundation

Following the Aces’ 1:05 p.m. game on Aug. 11, the ballclub will host a private dinner in the Freight House District beginning at 5 p.m. Butler and several members of the team will serve dinner to participating patrons, in hopes of raising money for the Reno Aces Foundation. Beloved mascot Archie, as well as Aces Ballpark on-field MCs Austin & Tina, will join in on the festivities.

Admission into this special dinner will be just $65. For the price of admission, fans will receive dinner, drinks and a ticket to that day’s game against the Memphis Redbirds.

Dinner will consist of one-half slab of ribs, a plate of nachos, the choice of one of four premium entrees and dessert. All beer and wine will be included in the price of admission, courtesy of New West Distributing and Southern Wine and Spirits.

The event serves as the first major benefit for the newly-launched Reno Aces Foundation. All proceeds-including tips for the Aces celebrity servers-will go to the foundation, which supports youth and family initiatives throughout Northern Nevada.

Fans can RSVP beginning at 10 a.m. on Wednesday by contacting Amanda at (775) 334-7002. Space is limited, and spots are expected to fill-up very quickly.

For more information, visit www.RenoAces.com or call (775) 334-7002.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog.  You can email me @  chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

FlickrRISMEDIA, August 6, 2010—(MCT)—Bruce Baldwin is well past the “extreme excitement” he felt when he became a first-time homeowner three years ago. In fact, the cabinetmaker has now joined thousands of homeowners who face foreclosure. He says he feels so snake-bit by homeownership that he doubts he’ll ever buy again. “It was the American Dream. Now I could care less if I ever deal with a bank again,” said Baldwin, who lives in Ocoee, Fla., not far from Orlando. “What I went through was an absolute nightmare.”

Values for residential property have dropped nationwide. In the Orlando area, half of all mortgaged homes are worth less than their mortgage debt. What was once seen as an opportunity to build wealth has, in some cases, turned into dead weight.

It’s unclear whether residents’ appetite to own homes can survive the record real estate downturns.

“For 30 months, this has been nothing but a financial anchor,” said Baldwin, who was unable to refinance or permanently modify his $204,000, 12% adjustable rate mortgage after the housing-construction slowdown killed his cabinetry business.

The push to get buyers to purchase homes has played such a central role in the state’s economy that, as recently as 2008, Florida and Hawaii were more reliant on construction and real estate services than any other state in the nation, according to U.S. Department of Commerce data. That economic infusion makes few people willing to publicly question the longtime pursuit of the American Dream.

Few organizations, for instance, have seen the frontlines of foreclosure outfall like Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Central Florida, which recently added CredAbility to its name. Despite seeing families’ finances undone by the mortgage meltdown, CredAbility interim director Richard Schram said homeownership remains essential in the U.S.

“I don’t know if it should be reconsidered,” said Schram, who advocates counseling as part of the home purchase process. “One of the things that has been the hallmark of the American economic system is pride in homeownership. It still drives the economy.”

While the federal government has pushed tax credits to boost home buying during the past 18 months, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development now measures its successes based more on home affordability than ownership.

HUD’s Housing Scorecard released in July touted that “home affordability in the U.S. remains near the most attractive levels in 10 years.”

During the Clinton and Bush administrations, HUD pushed ownership, particularly for minorities. Federal data shows that, at the peak of the market in 2007, Hispanic home buyers in Central Florida got a disproportionately high number of subprime loans and they were more likely than other borrowers to get the highest interest rates on adjustable-rate mortgages.

Sanz said Hispanic buyers who were saddled with those onerous loan terms have been especially hard hit by foreclosures.

At a conference of real estate journalists in Austin in June, Clinton-era HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros said his agency pushed specifically for minorities to purchase homes because “homeownership is the key to middle class. When they own a house with equity, that constitutes wealth.” But, he added, “clearly some people should have never been purchasing homes.” The problem became unscrupulous lenders who sold mortgages to buyers who could not afford them, he added.

Rollins College political-science professor Richard Fogelsong noted that HUD’s push for minority homeownership continued during the Bush era.

Fogelsong is finishing a book about former U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, whose Cuban immigrant story helped launch his ascension from the Orange County Commission to HUD secretary and then the U.S. Senate.

Titled Immigrant Prince: Mel Martinez and the American Dream, the book refers to Martinez’s drive to push minority homeownership at HUD with initiatives that included a traveling bus called American Dream Express. Martinez declined to comment for this story.

“The sad story from the Bush era was that there was a significant increase in homeownership among minorities, but those were the first people to lose their homes,” Fogelsong said.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog.  You can email me @  chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

(c) 2010, The Orlando Sentinel (Fla.).

RISMEDIA, June 18, 2010—E & O insurance is certainly nothing new for Madison, Wisconsin-based HSA Home Warranty. In fact, with its own in-house insurance division since 1986, HSA Insurance Services, risk management and liability insurance is built right into HSA’s corporate structure.

“Back in the day, when we first started offering E & O insurance 25 years ago, it was something of an unknown entity,” says HSA Chief Corporate Development Officer, Gary Lombardo. “We sold home warranties on the basis of it being part of a risk management program. If the warranty didn’t do an adequate job of deflecting lawsuits, you had the safety net of E & O insurance.”

While risk and E & O insurance may have been downplayed during the market boom of the early 2000s, in today’s tumultuous market, risk is at the center of the conversation.

“Today, there’s more risk than there has been in the past 10 years,” according to Lombardo. “In the era of short sales and REOs, there are a lot more activities that create more liability than there’s been in the past. Since HSA has an insurance agency, we have the ability to consult our clients through these more turbulent times when agents and agencies need to protect themselves that much more. We are better poised to address these issues than most of our competitors because we are only one of two companies that has its own insurance agency. At HSA, this has always been a part of our corporate structure.”

At the helm of HSA’s in-house insurance operation is James Candler, president of HSA Insurance Services. With 21 years’ experience in professional liability insurance and real estate liability insurance, Candler is quite familiar with the impact of today’s market and its implications for insurance. In the current real estate climate, says Candler, insurance carriers have become more stringent.

“Carriers perceive more risk in the market building up because of the financial crisis, largely, and are becoming more conservative,” he explains. “Not only do we write insurance for real estate agents, but also for property managers, appraisers and mortgage brokers. Things have been especially tough [for those professionals]. On the real estate side, if it’s a company that’s got some blemishes, carriers are often not willing to give the best pricing…if [they are willing to insure those companies] at all.”

That said, the need for real estate professionals to have effective liability coverage is essential in the current, litigious real estate environment. According to Lombardo, in today’s market, brokers and agents need to review their insurance coverage in great detail to ensure they are prepared.

“It became clear to us how many clients were unaware of the risks their policies didn’t cover,” he explains. “Our industry is under siege right now. We are trying to refocus agents on the big-picture role that warranty and E & O insurance plays in their lives and their careers and how this should be more important to them than the small fee they get for selling the warranty. In recent years, in many of the agent’s minds, the value of the home warranty was measured by the per-transactional remuneration. Chances are, though, they would spend more money on a lawsuit than they receive as an administrative fee. It’s the only over-riding risk management tool they have to shield them from post-litigation liability.”

According to Candler and Lombardo, the risk climate of today’s market is presenting unique insurance issues in terms of short sales and bank-owned properties.

“Many banks are requiring our clients to affiliate with the bank in order to sell these types of properties,” explains Candler. “Banks are requiring real estate firms to carry higher limits and they are trying to get these firms to name the bank as an additional insured on their policy. But agents need to know that when they name an additional insured on their policy, they are then sharing that policy value with the bank. While banks are looking to protect their interests, they really don’t need to be on the agent’s policy, because if the agent makes a mistake, the bank could bring suit against the agent or the real estate firm. If they’re on the agent’s policy, then they become a co-insured, and one co-insured cannot sue another.”

While Candler advises real estate agents to never add a bank to their liability insurance, he does strongly recommend that all real estate professionals make sure they have an adequate amount of quality insurance, despite the financial strain they may be feeling in today’s troubled economic environment.

“Many are focusing more on the money than on the value of protecting themselves from post-transaction litigation,” Lombardo explains. “When you look at the big picture, the cost is such a small percentage compared to the liability reduction we create for people. It’s hard to measure the costs of a lawsuit you prevented. And, more often than not at the brokerage level, if home warranties are being endorsed, they’ll reduce the E & O premium.”

While many agents and brokers are tempted to be led by price alone when buying insurance, Candler stresses that how the insurance company performs is more important. “We have the ability, through our strong relationships with our insurance carriers that if we have a claims issue, we can get to the right people immediately and resolve the problems for our customers.”

Candler recommends firms never buy a policy worth anything less than half a million dollars. “You need to purchase a limit that is realistic for your area,” he adds. “That is the biggest message we’re trying to get across. Money is sensitive, but you don’t want to skimp on what you’re buying.”

According to Lombardo, in today’s real estate climate, seller’s E & O insurance is also gaining popularity. “We are in a cycle now where seller’s E & O insurance is making a resurgence,” he explains. “This provides the seller coverage in the event they are sued.”

In addition to promoting effective liability coverage, Candler stresses the importance of taking the proper risk-reduction steps throughout the real estate transaction.

“From a risk management standpoint, E & O is always going to be there as an umbrella, but real estate agents need to educate themselves to make sure they are providing the proper disclosure and making inspections and warranties available, and communicating all the information they can to buyers,” says Candler. “There are so many properties out there being sold as-is—agents need to disclose what they know about the property’s condition but also should disclose the homeowner’s financial condition and whether the lender has approved the short sale. All of these steps are necessary to keep themselves out of litigation.”

For more information, visit www.onlinehsa.com.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog.  You can email me @  chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

I like to be against the odds.

I never stop looking for things to try and make myself better.

I think everyone needs to be a role model, period.

I’d like to help educate kids about the Major Leagues – what to anticipate, what to expect, what they’ll need to do to prepare themselves.

I’m not afraid to be lonely at the top.

It’s not the name that makes the player. It’s the player.

There is nothing better than walking out and hitting a home run.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog.  You can email me @  chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

RISMEDIA, August 2, 2010—The lending landscape has changed quite drastically over the past several years. Practices, approvals and standards that were once widely accepted have either vanished or transformed beyond the point of recognition. Many banks, which were once extremely careless with their loan underwriting techniques and approvals, have dug themselves into a significant hole that will take many years to climb out of. Promotions such as “100% Financing” and “No Doc Loans” were both major contributors to the financial crisis banks and consumers are facing today.

Today, banks are making sure they don’t make the same mistakes again, so loan underwriting standards have become more stringent than ever before.

According to a recent Federal Reserve survey, it was found that about 75% of the banks surveyed indicated they had tightened their lending standards for prime, subprime and commercial mortgages. That was up from about 60% in the previous survey. With this sharp increase in lending standards, borrowers are being turned down for real estate loans at an alarming rate.

Here are the top seven reasons banks are denying home loan requests:
1. Poor credit: The borrower may have a heavy down payment or excellent equity built-up in their house, but if their credit score is under a certain threshold, obtaining a new loan or refinance from a traditional bank is challenging. Even FHA (Federal Housing Administration) loans, which have traditionally catered to borrowers with lower FICO scores, have an average borrower credit score of 693, according to CNN Money, which is above the national average.

2. Insufficient liquidity: If the borrower doesn’t have a heavy down payment (20%-30% for most banks) and strong excess liquidity, banks don’t want to take the risk on funding their loan.

3. Lack of income: The borrower doesn’t have consistent proof of income for the last two to five years. Regardless of how good their credit score is or how much equity they have in their home, if they can’t show the bank proof of income, loan approval will be tough. This can be a big hurdle in the loan process, particularly for retired borrowers.

4. Lying on the application: Banks have learned their lesson and are no longer putting up with borrowers stretching the truth on their applications.

5. Debt: Borrower has excessive debt and their debt-to-income ratio exceeds the bank’s guidelines.

6. Unemployment: Most lenders will like to see at least two years of stable work to issue loan approval.

7. Self employment: Lenders are looking at self-employed applicants with a lot more scrutiny these days, making it very tough for these borrowers to get approved.

Obviously some of these newly structured standards are for the betterment of the industry, and our overall economy, but at the same time, home buyers across the country are realizing quickly that reputable credit and stable income aren’t always enough in qualifying for a loan through a traditional bank.

This predicament is not only affecting potential home buyers, but also the real estate professionals who represent them. Real estate professionals nationwide have expressed that this has become a challenging part of the transaction.

According to Monique Bryher  http://www.californiarealestatefraudrepo…), a broker associate at Keller Williams Realty, “Home buyers are definitely having a harder time in being qualified. Several of the loan officers with whom I work have complained that loans that would have been approved 6 months ago are being denied now. What’s interesting is that loan applications in terms of volume are up, lenders are busy processing them, but it’s harder to get them approved and it’s taking longer to close even simple, straight-forward transactions.”

Once the traditional lending route has been exhausted, both Realtors and potential buyers are often times at a loss of what to do as a backup plan. Private lending has been around for many years, but most borrowers and brokers have no idea that it’s even an option.

“With the strict underwriting guidelines banks are governed by these days, private lending is the wave of the future for getting real estate loans funded,” explains Eric Wohl, president of NoteFlo, an online private lending marketplace launching today. NoteFlo’s unique service allows borrowers to post loan funding requests for free, which will be broadcast out to thousands of private lenders that will bid for the opportunity to fund their loan. “Our goal is to make sure borrowers know that they have plenty of other options if their loan application is denied by a traditional bank,” says Wohl.

As a Reno/Sparks real estate professional, I encourage all questions and comments on the Reno/Sparks real estate market or any of the articles posted in this blog.  You can email me @  chance at ballard-company.com or http://www.myspace.com/chancegates

For more information, visit www.noteflo.com.