Ivan Brehmer's Blog

Home sales remain steady in Des Moines as homebuyers and sellers move into the fall home-buying season. As is normal for this time of year, the number of written contracts increased slightly to 793 last month, up 5 percent from July, but up 24 percent from one year ago.
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On September 11, 2011 at 13:00 PM, you are invited to an Open House at 3308 Maple Street in West Des Moines. If you are looking for a Resale – single family property in this area, don™t miss this rare opportunity to visit this magnificent property. For a preview of this Resale – single family property, check out my site at http://www.DesMoinesRealEstate.com. Please do not hesitate to Contact Me if you have any questions or wish to schedule a private showing.

I™ve just sold a Resale – single family property at 2300 Park Avenue in Granger. Come and visit my site to see other properties in that area. If you are interested in looking for or selling your home, please Contact Me.

The numbers for the Des Moines Metro area show a lot of positiive trends for July 11, versus July 10. Take a look at the trends for yourself.

Check out this link to the numbers.

http://www.trendgraphix.com/FactsAndTrends/ViewReport.aspx?Id=5d7bd545-9e91-4439-9129-df651e2921ed

Do not forget, I’m happy to provide this information for your specialized situation. All you need to do is ask.

Home owners selling their homes this year may want to review these tax tips by the IRS.

This is an excellent article. About a year ago lightning struck a   little to close to home. It seems like we have had our share of lightning this year also.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110722/NEWS/107220333/Thousands-of-Iowa-homes-at-fire-risk-from-gas-tubing

Home sales remain strong this summer in the Des Moines area, which isn’t the case in many parts of the country. Last month, 841 contracts were closed, up 15 percent from May, according to statistics published today by the Des Moines Area Association of Realtors ®. The median sale price of a home increased to $160,000 up $17,000 from last month.

Here are the numbers for your review. As always, I’m happy to provide numbers for your particular situation. Just let me know your needs. market trends thru june 2011.pdf

market trends thru may 2011.pdf

http://www.realtor.org/press_room/news_releases/2011/06/pending_may

Veterans Looking to Call Des Moines Home  

Des Moines, the capital and largest city in Iowa, is a growing metropolitan area full of friendly people, strong neighborhood communities, and provides a small town feel with all the amenities of any other urban city. Des Moines also offers a military friendly community that strongly supports those who have dedicated their lives to serving our nation, such as the National Guard members close by at Camp Dodge.

However, financing a home in Des Moines is not always an easy task for military members. Because of the nature of their service, many military members have been required to move frequently, often spending long durations of time abroad, which prohibits them from establishing equity or strong credit. Without being able to establish themselves financially, many have difficulty securing financing for their home purchase. To make achieving homeownership possible for veterans, the VA established the VA Home Loan program.  

Why Choose the VA Home Loan Program?  

Since 1944, the VA Home Loan program has made achieving homeownership affordable and accessible to nearly 19 million veterans and active duty service members by catering specifically to the needs of our military members.

The VA partially insures each loan given to military members to provide them with benefits they would not be able to receive with conventional home loan programs. With the VA™s guarantee, VA-approved lenders feel more comfortable granting eligible borrowers money-saving benefits including:

1.  flexible mortgage terms
2.  competitive interest rates
3.  zero money down option  

The VA home loan also offers higher loan limits, allowing veterans and active duty service members the opportunity to obtain housing more suitable to their needs. Since home prices in Des Moines fall in affordable ranges and the VA loan limit is $417,000, military members can easily find the home of their dreams in Des Moines without putting a penny down.  

Who is Eligible for a VA Loan?  

Eligibility for the VA Home Loan program is also lenient. To obtain initially eligibility for the programs, military members must simply submit their Certificate of Eligibility and meet one of the following service requirements:

• Have served at least 3 months on active duty during war time
• Have served 181 days on active duty during a time without conflict
• Have served 6 years in the military Reserves or National Guard

 The VA home loan program does not have any income or credit requirements; however, a majority of VA-approved lenders will desire a credit score of at least 620 to secure financing. Interested borrowers with an imperfect credit history are still encouraged to apply as the program™s progressive design has helped those with a history of bankruptcy or foreclosure achieve homeownership in the past.  

For more information on finding the home of your dreams and using your Iowa VA home loan benefit, contact Ivan Brehmer by phone at (515) 453-5136 or email at Ivan@DesMoinesRealEstate.com. Ivan can put you in touch with a highly qualified local VA approved lender. Contact Ivan today and make the enjoyment of a home of your own a reality!

 Matt Polsky is a blogger associated with VA Benefit Blog, a blog focused on providing veterans and service members with current news and information on the VA benefits they have earned through serving our country.