You can now Refinance a Rural Development Home Loan
Michigan USDA Refinancing Now an option for USDA rural development loan holders.
If you are one of the thousands of home owners in Michigan who used a rural development RD loan to purchase your home with zero downpayment there is good news. If your initial loan was written a couple years ago you can now refinance it to a lower rate. Not all company’s can help you with this, it is a test program that is currently offered in Grand Rapids at Treadstone Funding. It can also be done at a couple other places around the state.
If you or someone you know used a rural development loan call Treadstone today to see if you can refinance to a lower rate and save money.
Of note if you are currently looking to purchase a home an RD loan is a great option. There is zero required down payment and many areas qualify.
Below is a complete guide to the RD loan. It has all of the information on what areas qualify and also gives the basics of the program. It also explains the age old question of “what is a rural development loan”.
For more information on Michigan Rural Development Loans Call 616 774 9160. Treadstone is the michigan expert company when it comes to rural development loan requirements. You can also call today to find out the RD refinance interest rate.
What is Fat Tuesday? Mardi Gras Parades, Events, and Food – Grand Rapids, MI
Mardi Gras is the French term for Fat Tuesday! Fat Tuesday marks the last night of indulging oneself in rich, fatty foods before the beginning of Lent.
Today, it seems Mardi Gras has become one big carnival style party!
Don’t miss out on all the fun going on in Grand Rapids this Fat Tuesday! We have included a list of events that you definitely need to check out!
Fat Tuesday at the B.O.B
Fat Tuesday at The B.O.B., hosted by WLAV-FM, will feature music from Buckwheat Zydeco, The End Times Orchestra, David Molinari & Creolization, Mark Kahny’s New Orleans Nouveau, Lubriphonic and Zydecrunch. Completrly decorated the BOB will feel like a true New Orleans bar! The event will be celebrating its fifth consecutive year by giving away a $500 prize for the best Mardi Gras mask! The event begins at 3pm and is free to everyone 21 and up!
Fat Tuesday at McFadden’s
McFadden’s will host a traditional Mardi Gras party featuring authentic Cajun cuisine, a $100 cash prize giveaway and $2-you-call-it drink specials.
Motionless Parade!
The Motionless Parade begins at 6pm. Judging will be held from 6 – 730pm. Motionless floats of various themes will be set up outside participating Grand Rapids venues. Some of the venues include Hopcat, Bar Divani, 25 Kitchen And Bar, Georgio’s Pizza, J. Gardella, Bar Divani and McFadden’s. Floats are made out of any material and can feature live actors. Last year, Bar Divani took first place for a toga-style float.
Many of the Motionless Parade locations will also be featuring Mardi Gras entertainment and food so be sure to step in and check it out!
Where will you be at this Tuesday?!?
Are You Wondering ‘Wheres My IRS Tax Refund?’
We can help with that, but the real question is ‘What to do with it?’ Below we will help you figure out where your IRS Tax Refund Check is!
If you are asking “where’s my tax refund” there is a good chance that you filed your tax returns early. The IRS claims that most refund checks are issued ten days after they are received if filed electronically. People who file the old fashion way should expect to a longer wait.
For those of you who have already waited your dilligent 10 days and still have no check in your pocket you can check the status of your tax return online. (click online to go to it) There is also a smartphone app available.
Now that you know how much you will be getting back and have a reasonable idea of when you will get it you can start planning what to do with the money.
Although investing in real estate has fallen slightly out of vogue for many people in the past decade investing in your future is always a good option. If you have a sizable tax refund coming one good way to spend it is on a downpayment on a new house or towards closing costs on a home mortgage refinance. When interest rates are so low (both for mortgages and in the bank) any way to maximize what you do have is beneficial. By spending your tax refund to refinance your home you could save thousands of dollars over the course of your mortgage. Some people who purchased 5 years ago could be at rates as high as 9% as and current rates (depending on your credit) are around 4% there is definitely room to save.
If you are thinking about entering the home buying market in Michigan in the next 5 years starting to put money aside for that down payment is definitely the way to go. Conversely if you werent thinking about buying a house you can actually get a rural development loan for zero money down and use whatever tax refund you have coming towards that purchase.
Finally it never hurts to invest a tax refund in energy efficient improvements. That way your savings today won’t end with a trip to Vegas but rather in lifetime savings.
Top 5 Tips For Monitoring Your Online Brand
Whether you think its a good thing, or you have been avoiding it like the plague, the online world is here to stay. Its a simple fact that people feel free to say whatever they feel online because they don’t think the consequences will be as severe or they are just more uninhibited when speaking from behind a keyboard.
Whether you are a person, a company, or a brand people are talking about you online. Do you know how to find out what they are saying? More importantly can you use it to your advantage?
Below i am going to outline the top five tips for monitoring your online brand. I will also briefly touch on one important distinction, and one real life example.
Distinction: Social Media is a very broad topic. Social Media Monitoring is using the social media and other tools that analyze social media sites to hear what people are saying about you or your brand. It is not enough anymore to simple be on social networks you have to be an active listener. This is where many marketers went wrong. They all jumped on board with Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube but only started pushing without ever listening to what people were saying. At the very least social monitoring would be looking at what your followers are writing on your page’s wall. To take it a step further social monitoring is monitoring every utterance on every site on the web for keywords that mean something to you.
Real Life Example: There is a candy company in the US that manufactures tasty circular treats that make you feel like you are “tasting the rainbow”…. They are active in social monitoring. Every time someone tweets about their candy they get notified. At any moment they can gauge the sentiment regarding their brand. To take it a step further they can then reach out to people who mention them who had a bad experience and rectify it, but more importantly they can find out the most influential people who like them and make them like them more! If you knew that the president was one of your biggest fans why wouldnt you entice him to say more good things and get some free publicity?
Top 5 Tips For Monitoring Your Online Brand
1. Figure out what keywords you want to listen for. Could be your company name, product, or an event or item that correlates to your product or audience.
2.Set up an organized listening post. If you want to do this free, i suggest Google Reader. If you have a budget check out ViralHeat or Radian6. Once you have a listening post set up, add your keywords, and the sources that you want your keywords to pull from. Example: you could tell Google Reader to import all of the tweet mentions of “brownies” that came from the Grand Rapids area.
3.Use Boolean Logic to get better results. If you are getting a lot of “crap” or a lot of the same thing when you are listening you can use Boolean Logic to narrow it down. For example if you are monitoring the White House, but you are getting a lot of reposts from 4 square saying people checked in to the White House you could change your keyword to be “Whitehouse NOT check in”. You will get all of the mentions of the term whitehouse that does not contain the phrase check in.
4. Figure out who likes you and who likes them. If you notice that out of the 10 people who talk about you two have 500 fans, you can reach out to the important two people and reward them for the free publicity or you can let them know that from now on they will receive special access to new information that they can share with their fans.
5. Reviews Matter. This is the last one but it is very basic. People leave people they like and don’t like reviews online. These are what people will often first see when they Google you. You want to entice people to leave you good reviews, and you want to address bad reviews and try to figure out what went wrong. This will help other people realize that you are always available for customers etc.
If you have any questions about social monitoring or strategies for your business feel free to comment below and we will try to help!
How to get a Home near Grand Rapids with Zero Downpayment
Many people claim that the biggest barrier to home ownership is the often times high downpayment that most home loans require. In reality zero down home loans are alive and well in many areas. In the Grand Rapids area for example almost all of the land right outside of the city boundary is classified as rural development land and thus qualifies for zero downpayment home loans.
Not only is the RD rural development loan a great option for those people wanting to avoid a high downpayment it is also a good program because it is overseen by the government and thus all of the loans are scrutinized to make sure you are getting a fair deal.
One thing to think about for further savings with the zero downpayment loan is that although the downpayment might be zero many big banks will sock it to you with high closing costs which can often defeat the purpose of the zero down promise. One way around this is to use a local lender and ask them t help you choose a realtor who you can help you negotiate. Many realtors can help you negotiate with the sellers so that they pay the closing costs leaving all of the money in your account as a safety net.
Did you know you could buy a beautiful house in say Rockford, MI with a monthly payment that is less than rent on a typical apartment? Rockford is one of the hottest areas right now for zero down home loans. Rockford has great school districts and the Rural Development Loan Program makes Rockford a fantastic place to begin looking for a zero downpayment required home.
Interest rates are at or near historical lows as it is making now the perfect time to buy a home with zero downpayment.
For more information preview our FREE ebook below!
Grand Rapids Mortgage Refinance– Is it the right time?
If you live in Grand Rapids or really anywhere in Michigan you have probably wondered if it was the right time for a mortgage refinance. Being that you are on a mortgage company’s blog you would expect us to say “YES YES YES”! Unfortunately as much as we would love to help all home owners refinance and save money it really isnt for everyone.
If you are considering a Grand Rapids mortgage refinance there are a couple factors you need to consider.
1. How are your credit scores? Although not the only factor a large drop in credit score from an original mortgage or a sudden change in income can make refinancing much harder with many banks.
2. What are the current interest rates? There is good news here, at the time of this writing interest rates are prime to help most people save money in a refinance. You can call us anytime at 616 774 9160 to check what the current interest rates are and to get advice on whether a Refi may be the best option. You could end up at an interest
3. There are closing costs that need to be paid but on average for more expensive homes the initial monthly savings can cancel them out. Your lender should provide you with a good faith estimate which outlines the estimated closing costs. GFE’s are usually good for 10 days.
4. Underwater on your Michigan mortgage? Regulations, programs, and everything about this are always changing but we always say it never hurts to try when so much money is at stake. We have been able to help some people refinance their original home loans even if they weren’t doing so well. You do not incur any fees by inquiring or trying.
If you have good credit, stable income, and a good loan to value ration on your current home now is most likely a great time to refinance. In fact if any of those criteria describe your situation it never hurts to try. Treadstone Mortgage in Grand Rapids Michigan is a local mortgage lender who specializes in helping West Michigan’s home owners and future home owners make the decisions that will leave them feeling comfortable.
AirBnB! The Un-Hotel:Find a Room, Rent a Rooom, Make Your Clients Money.
Unique opportunities and inventions almost always rise out of dire need. Airbnb is a company that did just that. Not only did Airbnb start from the ashes but it represents a unique opportunity for you and your clients also for well, rising out of the ashes.
The premise: Airbnb lets users post open rooms, houses, apartments, igloos, and even boats up for rent (by calendar date) for travelers in need of accomodations. It is great for weekends when hotels are booked or when you dont know anyone in the city and need someone to show you around. Prices can range between $20 a night for a couch to crash on in a downtown apartment to $5000 a night for a mansion in California with a view. Average prices per night often go for $55-150 in normal cities (including Grand Rapids).
How it started: Two entrepeneurs who couldnt come up with rent money one month realized that their apartment was in high demand that week due to a conference in town that had sold out all the hotels. They rented part of their loft out for a couple weeks and made more than enough money to cover rent for the next two months. The company then raised millions in venture capital and Airbnb was born.
Why its a good tool to know about: Lets say you are a realtor, a mortgage officer, or a home owner who wants out or is under on their mortgage. Most homes have guest rooms, couches, basements, living rooms etc that go unused. You can post your room on Airbnb and make a couple hundred dollars extra per week to help pay down your mortgage. If you are a realtor/mortgage officer this is the tool that could push your clients over the edge and give them enough for that downpayment.
Is It Safe? There is a strong review process that weeds out users who dont play nice in the Airbnb world. Once a guest’s stay is over the guest reviews the landlord/place and the landlord reviews the guest. Airbnb doesn’t transfer the money to the landlord until both parties are satisfied. It is free to list but when a transaction happens both parties give a small % cut back to the site for processing. There is also landlord insurance available.
There are other sites out there that let users connect to rent their vacation properties, but Airbnb seems to be way more chill, relaxed, and to be honest- fun.
Had you heard of AirBnb before?
National Marquette Day– Grand Rapids– Eat, Drink, Watch Marquette Hoops
National Marquette Day is a day to get together with fellow Marquette University Alum and watch a Marquette basketball game over some great food and drinks.
Every city that has a decent population of Marquette Alum and fans can have an event of their own. If you are in the Grand Rapids area Marquette Day will be held at Peppinos downtown at 3pm on Feb 11, 2012 for the game.
The contact person for the event is Brendan O’Driscoll. You can email him @ BrendanO@treadstonemortgage.com
Marquette Men’s Basketball vs. Cincinnati
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Peppino’s Downtown Sports Grill/Pizzeria
130 Ionia SW
Grand Rapids
Tipoff at 3:00 p.m.
Show your MU spirit! Gather together with fellow alumni, families and friends, and join fans around the nation to cheer the Golden Eagles to a victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats. It’s an afternoon of Marquette men’s basketball like no other. Let it be heard around the country that “We Are Marquette!”
Super Bowl 2012 – The Best Places to Catch the Game in Grand Rapids
When is the Super Bowl? What are you doing for the Super Bowl?
SUper Bowl 2012
It seems like so many people are asking when is the Super Bowl? When they should be asking is what should I do for the Super Bowl? We have a great list of Super Bowl Parties in Grand Rapids, MI. Although the Detroit Lions didn’t make it this year we are still celebrating the Super Bowl in Michigan! If you are a Giants fan, a Patriots fan, a football fan, or just want to watch the commercials we have the best places to go in Grand Rapids for game day festivities!
McFadden’s
There will be drink specials and a Halftime Slider Eating Competition at McFadden’s!
$1 Highlife Bottles
$2 Michigan Drafts
$3 Call Liquors,
$4 Car Bombs
$5 BYO Burger
Quaker Steak & Lube 12pm – 3pm
Watch the Super Bowl at The Lube for a chance to win a La-Z-Boy recliner.
Brann’s Sizzling Steaks and Sports Grill
Brann’s will be kicking off Super Bowl Sunday with a tailgate party during the Michigan vs. Michigan State game! One lucky winner will go home with a cooler of Brann’s steaks. Their Prime Time Party begins at 6pm. Brann’s will be giving away a 40” Plasma TV and has great dinner and drink specials including:
$5.50 Fortys
$3.99 Long Islands
$3.99 Limited Edition Bud Light 16oz. Super Bowl Aluminums
.50 CENT Wings
$10.00 Buckets of Wings
Vitale’s Comstock Park
Vitale’s will be hosting their 5th consecutive Super Bowl Party! This party costs $55 per person and includes a enormous tailgate buffet, 8 drinks, and a late night pizza bar. You can pick your seat and will be automatically entered to win one of two TVs, sports apparel, and more!
Mulligan’s Pub
Mulligan’s Pub is hosting quite the Super Bowl Party with FREE FOOD! There will be a full spread including Burgers, Brats, Meatballs, Salads, Sides ETC. Feel free to bring something to share with everyone. There will be enough food to feed 200 people so come early to get a seat or reserve a seat at the bar earlier in the week.
Joey’s Lounge
Head over to Joey’s for FREE SALSA & HUMMUS BAR 12pm – 3pm
FREE HOTDOGS DURING THE GAME
50cent Spicy Wings During the Game
$1 Jell-O Shots
$1 Pudding Shots
$2 Mystery Shots
$1 OFF ALL TALL DRAFTS 9p-12a
Bloody Mary & Mimosa/Juice Bar
KARAOKE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE GAME!
Don’t want to go out?
If you are staying in this year make sure you check out the Puppy Bowl starting ar 3pm! Enjoy your snacks!
Resources
If you are ready to apply for a loan right now, click here. This will take about 10-15 minutes to complete.
Are you still using that High School yearbook photo for your headshot? Contact Treadstone for a FREE professional headshot. Give us a call or e-mail us.. mattm@treadstonemortgage.com 1 (616) 774 – 9160
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