580+ Credit Score = Better Chance of Getting A Home!

Wow! If you've even been thinking about getting into a house with little to no down payment, or taking advantage of one of those fabulous grant programs that "wraps everything in" to your loan, here's a tip: PAY YOUR BILLS. It would appear that folks with a credit score lower than 580, also known as F credit, will NO LONGER be eligible for FHA/VA loans pretty soon. Earlier this week, the magic number was 560, but now it's 20 points higher. When word got out that the new restriction was on it's way, it looks like tons of folks started flocking to getting their mortgage loans "locked" since that's the only sure-fire way to ensure that you're "grandfathered in", if you will. This is the craziest thing though: THE FHA HAS RECEIVED OVER $280,000,000 IN LOCKS IN THE LAST TWO DAYS AND ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS HIGH NUMBER OF QUESTIONABLE LOANS, according to WR Starkey Mortgage... Well, I'd say so!

All this to say, whether you're in college, a newlywed or a well seasoned professional, unless you have a bundle of cash, a rich grandfather or creative financing of some kind, it's officially time to PAY ATTENTION to your credit rating and be a GOOD STEWART of your finances.

"On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up..." I Corinthians 16:2

New Year. New Home. New Beginnings!

Welcome home to The Fort Worth Realtor! Since 2008 is the Year of New Beginnings, I thought it was time to catch up with the rest of the world...and start a blog!

So much has transpired since I joined Keller Williams (KW) and I realize now more than ever, that I'm so blessed to be doing what I love. I'm working with people that LOVE what they do and LOVE serving the good folks in Tarrant County. I just got back from the Keller Williams International Conference in Atlanta, GA last month and I'm telling you - what a rush! So many KW family members, so many millionaires, so little time! I had to wonder how many of these people got their start. Gary Keller, of course, has told his story many times and constantly reminds us all that he "failed his way to success." Hey, the same thing seemed to work fr Abraham Lincoln - must not be a bad idea! Anyway, he's now a millionaire many times over and still takes time to sit down with us and show us how to get there: God first, then family, then work. Period. You have to love a company that doesn't spend more time brainstorming on how to be great than it does on investing in its entrepreneurs to show us how to be great. Its official; joining Keller Williams is one of the best life decisions...I've ever made.