All Forum Posts by: Steven E.

@Melina B. Yes ! @Erica Larence connected me with a great lender. I'm sure if you send her a DM shed connect you as well

Hi BP

I'm currently looking for .5 - 1 acre lot in North Port. The idea is to build a new home and hold for 5 - 10 years as the city continues to grow.

Any advice on where to look ?

Close to electric please!

@Mike Terry

Thanks for this information! I'm still doing my research. If you happen to hear any good recommendations please shoot them my way.

@Mike Terry

Thank you for this information !

Another question, I'm not from the area nor familiar with building a home, any home builders you recommend over another?

Maronda home builders, I like their models, but the reviews online mention they don't use the best material.

@Darius Ogloza

Any particular reason? I heard it's beautiful out there

@Michael P.

Hey, sorry I don't understand what that means

I'm currently in the process of looking at model homes and have my house built. The problem is where ?

North Port seems to be up and coming very quickly. A lot of new constructions going up. The new Braves stadium seems to have brought in a lot of attention to the area. It's also part of Sarasota County which is a positive. Close to all the beaches. The land is super cheap.

Port Charlotte seems to be already populated and established with tons to do. All of the above is also true for Port Charlotte minus the county and the land (it's not outrageously priced, but decently priced)

The home in North Port are on the older side and I can buy land in a good area and build a home for the price people are selling their homes for (currently everyone is asking for above market)

Port Charlotte you can find newer homes, but for the same price as a new construction.

Our goal is to buy and hold for 5-10 years North Port seems like the ideal place for this, but what's your thoughts? I can't be the only one thinking about this.

If North Port is the ideal city what zip code should I look at? What should I avoid? Same for Port Charlotte.

Thanks BP

I'm currently in the process of buying a home using my VA loan. I have little education on credit / credit use but I've been doing countless research since I began mortgage shopping. I could have sworn up and down that I had good credit, but I didn't know about the '30%' credit utilization rule. Long story short I paid down my debt from owing 60% to 18%.

After reviewing my credit report (that I received from a potential lender while mortgage shopping) I noticed a few items in bold.

Best Buy/CBNA - Closed - amount owed $625 - 1 late remark 2015 - this account is current I make all monthly payments I can also pay this off.

Verizon - Collection - amount owed $529 - this was for equipment that we already returned we have the receipt and everything and were told it was going to be taken out of collection, obviously it didn't.

Dept of VA - Collection - Amount owed $125 - this was an over payment that I honestly don't even remember ever getting. I just got off the phone with the VA and they have an old address on file which explains why I haven't seen this. Apparently the debt is with the Treasury department now not the VA.

Comenity/Boscovs (department store) - amount owed $0 - 4 late payment remarks. 3 of them are 5/2016, 8/2016, and 5/2017 30-59 days late and 1 of them 9/2016 is for 60-89 days late. This account has been paid off and not used in over 2 years.

Conserve (a collection agency used by my University) - Amount owed $0 status reads 'Paid Collection'

My credit score should be at a 640 (fico) with my debt paid down from 60% to 18%, but I want to be at a higher score so I can get better rates. A different lender mentioned a credit repair agency, but I rarely see good reviews on these agencies.

I have the money to pay the debt on the Best buy and VA loan but my lender told me not to do so just yet because it might reflect negatively on my credit. Would it be the same if I write pay for deletion letters? Does it make sense to have an agency or someone do this for me? Are there any recommendations? Is this something I can realistically do myself? I'm really anxious and would rather get approved with better interest rates than just get approved if that makes any sense.

I'm definitely learning my lesson the hard way

Hi BP,

So I'm currently in the process of looking for a home in Florida. I've always read about people "Rate Shopping," but is this even worth it on VA loans? One thing I did realize while using the VA loan is that you do need to pay for closing I was under the impression this could be rolled into the loan. My current closing cost is higher than i'd like it to be, is this a reason to rate shop? Or are the closing cost always the same ?

Also any recommendations on how to rate shop, or where is greatly appreciated. I should add that I'm looking to do this fast. Thanks !!  

Looking for a real estate agent in the orlando area.

I'm looking to move to Orlando from NJ until about February/March. I'd like to buy a property that I can rent out after we move out. I have about 30 days to make this happen 😬. I'm looking for an investment property, not a "dream home." Using VA loan. I'm in the area this week so I can do tours.