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HomeRun Homes is a centralized marketplace which helps people Find or Sell a Rent to Own Home, both Nationwide and Globally to the thriving Rent to Own Market. http://www.lease2buy.com

October 29, 2013

Sandy Hits Howard Beach, and We Stand Strong

Hi Folks,
   In honor of friends and loved ones that have been severely impacted by Hurricane Sandy and continue to struggle, I am dedicating this post in their honor.

   In 2005, I was glued to the TV watching images of people on their roofs awaiting rescue. It seemed like they were stranded on Mars. I wanted to reach through my TV and pluck them off their homes myself. I had never seen anything like it, and living in New York, I foolishly thought it could never happen hear.

   Fast Forward to 2012: On this day just one year ago, I was home with my 6 year old son and joking about the possibility of losing power. He gathered all of his little flashlights and prepared them with fresh batteries. Yes, he knows the routine, because a year earlier, we faced Irene, and had no power for 3 days. We were veterans. So with the storm dumping some hit and miss rain and just winds blowing, my junior storm veteran kept asking me when the storm is going to hit. I told him I think this was it.

   About 8pm, the lights went out. We calmly got our flashlights ready and headed to the front door. There were sparks in the air and booming, with transformers blowing out on the poles (from the wind, I had thought). I turned on my portable radio and no sooner did I do that, I heard a loud twirling sound outside. It sounded like a freight train. Initial convincing thought: Tornado! No sooner did that thought cross my mind, my Emergency Alert went off on my cell phone and it warned the Howard Beach area to "take cover" for life and death conditions imminent. Yep, a tornado for sure I figured. To the basement we went! We put our Spongebob headlamps on our foreheads (silly, but I had to do whatever it took to keep him calm when the twister hit!!). I said we need to wait a little while and I was going to attempt reading to him by headlamp to keep things calm.

   Suddenly, I started hearing sounds like "Glop Glop Glop", or what you hear when a train is backed up. It turns out that we have a drain in the basement floor to drain out any seepage/leaks from big rainstorms, which never amounted to anything more than a damp floor in some spots. But this was different. I walked over with a big flashlight, and it was gushing up from the drain. I told my son that reading has to be moved back upstairs, since the water was coming fast and furious. He waited on the stairs and I grabbed anything I needed to bring up with us.

   When we got upstairs, I opened the front door, and our home became an island. Water up 2 of the 4 front steps, cars stuck in the water. Armageddon within less than 30 minutes, Images of Katrina flashed through my head. How can I get him to the roof? What is the best way? Strap him to my back? As I felt myself panic, I realized I needed to shelve the emotions, and focus on keeping him calm. I told my son that the streets were being washed by Sandy. Inside, I felt fear, but I knew that as long as that water did not hit the 3rd and 4th step, we'd be OK where we were.

   Then it hit the 3rd step, and I made a plan B in case it started coming into the main floor; we would camp out on the Dining Room table. I came down to peer at the basement with a flashlight, and it sounded like Niagara Falls. Water was shooting up from the floor! I saw the next high tide was coming at 8:20am, so I got him to take some rest, and I sat up with my radio listening to the news. There was no chance I was taking a snooze with this unprecedented catastrophe in progress and my little guy needing me to be the wall between him and the storm, both mentally and physically.

   To make a very long story short, the waters receded over night, and 12 days later, power returned !! My basement was gutted and made brand new, thanks to quick action by FEMA. I lost a lot of treasured items stored in my basement, however, I was given something in return that is more valuable than any of it: life.

   Many people lost lives in Sandy, and many people have still not recovered, even though their lives were spared. I was able to recover and move forward. I am thankful, and always pray for those who lost family and are still in dire straits.

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Have a Great Week
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes - Rent to Own Homes, since 2002
"Located at the Corner of Technology and Real Estate"
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com


TAGS: #sandy #howardbeach #newyork #queens #hurricane #superstorm

October 18, 2013

Buying a Home? Read This First

Hi Folks,
   I hope all of you have been well, and thanks for all of your correspondence.

   The reason we are all meeting here together in this Blog is for one purpose; Real Estate. Albeit a broad industry composed of multiple niche subdivisions, it all comes down to buying and selling properties. Today, we will turn our attention to buying properties, and we'll focus on some essential things that homebuyers should be aware of before making a purchase.

   Let's step back for a moment and look at all of the moving parts here in the most common of scenarios: A buyer will utilize the services of a Real Estate agent to find a home, make an offer, and if the offer is accepted, the buyer will then utilize the services of a mortgage broker/banker to gain access to funds. Are you with me so far?

   From another angle, you are buying a house, and borrowing money (paying interest, points, etc). To be more specific, as John Maxfield of the Motley Fool wrote in a recent article, when you buy a home, you're making two purchases, and says that, "the loan itself may be the most significant piece of the transaction".

   Some other points that Maxfield touched upon was that you should look at your Real Estate agent as a partner, and additionally, that you need to keep resale in mind from the beginning. A good suggestion is to start doing your homework on agents and ask around. Check their reviews online, if you can do so locally. Speak with neighbors in the area you are looking to buy a home, and start gathering names and suggestions for you to investigate further. Once you have narrowed down your options and decided on an agent, start building a relationship with them. Only then will you be able to confidently discuss the eventual or possible re-sale of your home while looking to purchase it in the first place.

   Maxfield says that most of us "delude ourselves into thinking that we actually know something about real estate", but says that the truth is that "few of us have any idea what we're talking about". I think this statement is especially true for those that are won over by a home and fall in love before the inspection. Maxfield says that, "Homes are like people -- they all have problems", and that the "shock generally comes when prospective buyers get their inspection reports back". That's when some tough decisions need to be made and some negotiations have to take place (regarding who makes repairs, who pays for them, and so forth). Not the most exciting time of the homebuying process...take my word for it!

   Look, the truth is that the right home is out there for you. If you educate yourself, learn the market, know what you will be facing as far as home price, mortgage "price", possible resale value, and whatever else might be necessary in your state, you will prevail.

   Remember, if you want to take a softer approach to buying a home, the answer is quite simple; look into Rent to Own. You're certainly on the right website for that option !


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Have a Great Weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes - Rent to Own Homes, since 2002
"Located at the Corner of Technology and Real Estate"
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com

HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com


TAGS: #buyhome #realestate #agent #broker #mortgage #inspection #renttoown



September 5, 2013

Big Market Players Focus on Filling Homes with Renters

Hi folks,
   I like to consider my readers as quite familiar with the way the Real Estate market works, namely, the ebb-and-flow of buying properties and selling properties. With that being said, you know that Investors make up an important chunk of overall home purchases. However, per data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), in early 2009, 25% of homebuyers were investors. Earlier this year (in February), they made up 22% of home buyers, but then, in July, that figured dropped to 16% Nationally.

   "Housing has morphed from a form of shelter to one of the most popular tradable assets, thanks to a huge influx of institutional investors in a mammoth, albeit decreasing, supply of distressed properties", writes CNBC Real Estate Reporter Diana Olick. Olick adds that this is why, "...it should come as no surprise the housing market is now nearly as volatile as the stock market". Indeed, it is volatile, but what happened to all of these investors?

   Not too long ago, large investors like funds Blackstone and Waypoint were buying properties by the bushel, and pushing up home prices. But now? Well, with all of the homes under management, they are working on filling the homes with renters, as Olick wrote in her article, "As investors shift, housing is the new stock market", now investors are focusing on filling those houses with renters.

   With the slowdown in investor purchases, Olick say that there could be a consolidation of investor firms (larger firms buying up smaller players). But the volatility remains. A contributor for Olick's story was Glenn Kelman, CEO of Redfin (an online real estate sales company), who said that, "We've seen more volatility in real estate in the past five years than we have in the past 500".

   Stay strong and Stay tuned!



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Have a Great Weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes - Rent to Own Homes, since 2002
"Located at the Corner of Technology and Real Estate"
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com

HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com



TAGS: #RealEstateinvestor #buyingproperties #sellingproperties #homepurchase #Realtor #NAR #distressed #housingmarket #sales



August 31, 2013

What's Up? Home Prices and Sales of Existing Homes

Hi Folks,
   It's great to report this, but guess what's up? The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) just released their figures for the June 2012-June 2013 time period, and there was a 7.7% increase in home prices. The big winner was the West Coast, which checked in with a 17% gain, followed by the Mountain Region, at 11%. The slacker was the Mid-Atlantic, including New York, which was only up 2.5%. Additionally, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) released figures for the July 2012 - July 2013 time period, and the median price of a previously owned home popped up close to 14%. As for sales, the sales of previously owned homes jumped by 6.5% last month.

   Know what else? Even with these increases, homes are reasonably valued, and they still have room to increase further. Additionally, it's still cheaper to buy than rent, which also bolsters the opinion that housing prices are still undervalued.

   What's going down? Not mortgage rates. That makes buyers nervous and makes them scramble to take action before the rates increase. A perfect example that John W. Schoen points out in his article on CNBC.com, titled, "Home prices across the US defy gravity, despite rising rates", Mortgage applications for both home purchases and refinancings dropped for a second straight week as rates rose, and he cites the Mortgage Bankers Association. "Demand fell 4.6 percent in the week ended Aug. 16 as the rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 4.68 percent, matching this year's high mark.". In order for people to keep buying homes, credit needs to stay available, and the post-bubble vice-grip needs to be eased further in order to allow folks to get approved.

   So overall, this is some pretty good news !! What are your thoughts?

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Have a Great Weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes - Rent to Own Homes, since 2002
"Located at the Corner of Technology and Real Estate"
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com


TAGS: #homeprices #existinghomessales #rates #mortgage applications #refinance #fixed mortgage #credit #bubble

August 14, 2013

Printing Power, Redefined !

Hi Folks,
   I hope all is well, and I'm glad to be back here with you.

   The good people at Epson have provided me a wonderful opportunity to test out their Epson Workforce Pro WP-4533, which has truly made an impact in my chaotic office.

THE PRINTER:
   This is a solid multifunction machine! The Epson Work Force Pro WP-4533 has some pretty slick features, such as the ability to Network it or print from devices over the Apple or Google Cloud-Print types. It tops out at a maximum printing resolution of 4800x1200 dpi, but in work-horse mode, it also acts as a two-sided printer, plus it functions as a Copier, Fax machine, and a Scanner. Scanned images can be saved to a PC or a flash drive, saved to PDF file format, or sent as E-mail.

PROs:
   Let's start out with the positives; I'm a tech-guy, and I have unboxed some messy equipment before, but this was a snap. Great instructions and very easy to assemble, with the installation of the four ink cartridges, and no need to toss everything when it's gone. Real quality machine, and great value!

CONs:
   The printing speed is 16 black pages per minute, a little slow, but just fine for my team. Additionally, the printer sleeps in a power save mode, but it wakes up fast! The LCD control panel is a little small, for those of us with imperfect eyesight.


THE BOTTOM LINE:
   This is a turn-key printer that provides you with not only a printer, but also, a copier, scanner, & a fax. Additionally, it is quite a bit less to use that a laser printer.



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Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com

HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com




TAGS: #Printer #Epson #review #renttoown