HUD to announce long-awaited FHA Condo rules

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The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is expected to release updated guidance on FHA-insured condominium financing. The new rules should benefit buyers by making low down-payment mortgages on condominiums more available to first-time homebuyers, small families and those who live in urban areas. “Condominiums are often the most affordable option for first time home buyers, small families, and those in urban areas,” said NAR President John Smaby, in a statement issued to the media Wednesday morning. “We are thrilled that (HUD) Secretary (Ben) Carson has taken this … Continue reading...

Watch Edmond Liberty Fest Parade at RE/MAX Platinum

Edmond's annual Liberty Fest Parade, one of the largest annual parades in Oklahoma, is July 4 in downtown Edmond, and one of the best spots to watch the parade is right in front of my office in downtown Edmond at Broadway and Hurd - 19 N. Broadway to be exact. The parade starts at 9 am and normally runs until about 10:30 am. Parking is at a premium, so if you would like to watch from our lawn, plan to arrive from the west off Fretz no later than 8:30 am. Bring lawn chairs and a blanket and come enjoy the fun. We will be there with refreshments and our bathrooms will be open if … Continue reading...

Buying an “as-is” property

Home buyers often come to me wanting to find “a deal." Of course everyone wants “a deal." Usually the only way to get “a deal” is to find a property that needs work. This could be roof repairs, an outdated kitchen, old carpet, inoperable HVAC system, or any number of other issues that need to be addressed to make the home marketable. Sometimes these issues are minor and sometimes they are major - and expensive. And it often means agreeing to purchase the home “as-is”. Agreeing to purchase a property “as-is” is a serious decision for any buyer. It means you are agreeing to purchase the … Continue reading...

Real estate phishing scams

The National Association of Realtors - NAR - recently issued a warning about phishing scams that are targeting the real estate business. A recent report from the cybersecurity firm eSentire found that real estate was the second most-targeted industry hit by malware events in the second quarter of 2018. These scams target both Realtors and clients and are quite diverse in nature. Many of them attempt to get the email recipient to wire transfer money, often using Western Union. In one growing scam, for example, scammers infiltrate the email account of a real estate professional - a Realtor, … Continue reading...

Oklahoma-based lender Gateway Mortgage offers home buyer assistance programs

I talk to people all the time who think they may not be in a position to buy because their credit has a few dings or they have not been able to save up money for a down payment or closing costs. But at a recent meeting at our Edmond office, I learned that one lender in particular offers a wide array of home buyer assistance programs specifically tailored to Oklahoma homeowners. Brett Baldwin presented updated information about Gateway Mortgage’s many home buyer down payment and closing cost assistance programs at a recent RE/MAX Platinum office meeting. Many mortgage companies have some type … Continue reading...

Hosting Bicycle Riders from South Korea

James and I hosted two young men - Min Ho Park Jaewon Heo -  from South Korea who were riding bicycles this summer from Los Angeles to New York. They contacted us through Warmshowers.org, where we offer a room for bicycle riders to stay as they travel across America. They are following Route 66 from Amarillo to Edmond, then turning north to Stillwater and then Kansas City, before turning back east towards St. Louis. We had a chance to visit with them about their travels and below are a few tidbits of information we discovered: They both served in the Korean military. Every male serves two … Continue reading...

KayPratt.com goes secure using SSL encryption

Good news for our clients. Our web site www.kaypratt.com is now a secure site using SSL encryption. All communications between your browser and our web site is encrypted and secured from hackers and wireless "snoopers". You will now see a small lock icon in your browser showing that the site is encrypted, and you should now see https:// in our URL versus http:// = the "s" means it is secure. This helps ensure your privacy and means we are the only ones who know you are looking at homes and what home you looked at, and we don't share this information with anyone other than our immediate RE/MAX … Continue reading...

Edmond Spring Creek Trail now open

Edmond's newest bicycling and jogging trail is now open. Spring Creek Trail is a 3.1 mile paved trail that goes from I-35 to Spring Creek Campground on Lake Arcadia and 15th Street. It is free to the public and great for bicycling, strollers, jogging or just walking and bird watching. It is part of a bigger trail system and will eventually be connected to over 20 miles of trails around Arcadia Lake and into east Edmond. In addition, bicyclists and trail runners can use the Arcadia Lake Multi-Use trail. This is a dirt trail that goes from the Arcadia Lake Park Office near the dam, west towards … Continue reading...

Mesta Park annual home tour

The historic Mesta Park neighborhood in downtown Oklahoma City will be hosting their 40th annual Holiday Home Tour Dec 2-3. Two different tours will feature five homes, a festive refreshment porch and a tour of the Wilson Arts Integrated School. On December 2 a candlelight tour goes from 4-8 pm and an afternoon tour will be 1-5 pm on December 3. There will be food trucks lining the streets along Perle Mesta Park at NW 18 and Shartel. Santa Claus will be available for photos. Tickets are $12 for adults in advance and $15 on the day of the tour. You can find more information at Mesta Park … Continue reading...

Long-term interest rates fall to lowest level for 2017

Mortgage interest rates dropped to their lowest level in 2017 this week, signaling a great time for home buyers and sellers in Oklahoma.

Interest rates reached the lowest level for 2017 this week. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac says the average 30-year fixed rate mortgage fell to 3.78 percent this week, the lowest level seen in 2017. That is down substantially from 4.2% earlier this year although still slightly above last year's average of 3.65%. This is great news for Oklahoma home buyers and sellers, since the cost of financing a home sale is at the lowest level in 2017. If you are thinking about selling or buying a home, this is a great time to give me a call and start the process. Rates are predicted to go up in 2018. … Continue reading...