It seems that loan options over the past year or two have diminished greatly. Many complain of the huge barriers that seemingly exist that prevent them from home ownership. Did you know the USDA has Rural Development Housing loan. These guaranteed loans provide 100% financing with expanded ratios to qualify. Expanded ratios mean that if you carry more debt than might meet “conventional” loan guidelines, you can still possibly qualify. Unlike FHA there is not maximum loan guideline.

To view Rural Eligibility Areas please click the link. Once on the USDA site, click on “Property Eligibility” on the Tool Bar on the left side of the screen and click Single Family Housing.

Think you can’t qualify? Take time to look at their Frequently Asked Questions. From reviewing these myself it appears that they have no “minimum credit score” restrictions. You have to show that you are “adequately willing” to repay your debts. Furthermore, you want to renovate the property you are purchasing, do it with this loan product.

This is not for farms. It is for Rural Residences. Other than most of Athens and Watkinsville, there are plenty of areas around the Greater Athens area that would qualify.

If you are waiting for homeownership you may not have to wait any longer!

CMAs can include homes that are currently for sale and those which have recently sold. They can cover areas as narrow as one or two streets surrounding your home, or as broad as an entire subdivision.

Most real estate agents will give you a CMA for free, hoping you’ll list your home with them. Each CMA contains valuable information on several recent sales, including:

*How long each property stayed on the market

*How close the sale price was to the asking price

*Notes comparing each home to yours, i.e.; number of
bedrooms and baths, approximate square footage, sizes of
major rooms, amenities such as fireplaces and pools, age of
the home, property taxes and more.

The CMA is an informative selling tool, but like any tool, it doesn’t work by itself. For this reason, the CMA will always need to be interpreted by a professional or with complete objectivity by the seller or buyer.

Remember, too, that the CMA is also a buying tool; it is considered just as seriously by the buyer and his or her agent. As you and your agent are going to use the CMA to ask the highest possible price for your home, the buyer is going to use it to find reasons to either choose or eliminate your home, and to arrive at the lowest price possible.