If you’re a homeowner who is unable to refinance to a lower interest rate because your Fontana home’s value has decreased, there’s hope.

A program called the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) has been extended for another year.  This program, intended to help borrowers whose homes have fallen in value, was due to expire as of June, 2010.  Fortunately, HARP has been extended and will now stay in effect through June 30, 2011.

How does HARP help?

The program allows qualified borrowers who owe more than their homes are worth to refinance at lower interest rates.  It’s projected to help 4 to 5 million homeowners with loans owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

If you’re a Fontana home owner whose mortgage interest rate is significantly higher than the current market rate, you could see an immediate reduction in your payments.  However, some homeowners may not see their interest payments go down if they refinance to a fixed rate and payment.  Those include homeowners who are:

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A little-known tool that I use to keep updated on national and Fontana real estate news is Google Alerts. It’s a handy tool. A few days ago, Google Alerts sent me a list of online links, along with one talking about an individual being indicted for real estate fraud. Today, I received another Alert with a link to real estate fraud. Unfortunately, it turned out to be another case, rather than the same one.

I love Fontana real estate. I enjoy being able to help home sellers find buyers, and buyers find their dream homes. With all those trying to sell homes, buy homes or keep the homes they have, I get angry when I see reports of fraud like these:

• On June 18, 2010, Sacramento Today reported that two individuals were arrested for six counts of real estate fraud, pretending to be licensed with the Department of Real Estate.

• On July 8, 2010, Fraud News reported that three individuals in New York were found guilty of real estate fraud to the tune of $23 million.

It’s become enough of a major issue, in fact, that the IRS has created a page on their website specifically for information on real estate and mortgage fraud.

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Many people have trouble relaxing, even in their [city] homes.  Why?  Frequently, it’s because of too much visual stimuli such as unfinished projects, knickknacks and clutter.

You may think the answer to being able to relax is to move into a “better” home.  However, what usually happens is that you move your unfinished projects and clutter with you.  Instead, if you take the time to get organized, you may find – like many owners who have backed out of a sale – that you don’t need to move, you just need to re-organize.

Take a moment from your busy, stressful life to read these tips and discover how you can improve and de-stress your personal castle:

1. Add money to your wallet. Unwanted or unused items can be turned into cash. eBay and Craigslist are two heavily-used websites where you can sell your unwanted/unused items.  Make a little cash and clear the clutter.
2. Be generous. If you don’t want to sell your items, don’t throw them away.  Donate them to places such as Goodwill. Online, there’s FreeCycle, where you can share your items and give them away to those who really need them.
3. Keep it clean. Set up a system to decide what to do with mail. Many people end up with piles of mail throughout the house. Rather than letting it pile up, decide the day you get it where that mail goes: trash, take action or file away.
4. Include your family in the de-clutter process. After all, your spouse and kids live there, too. As well, if others have a chance to give their input, they may be more willing to keep your Rancho Cucamonga home organized. Let others in your family have a part in the decision-making process and implementation.
5. Take stray worry off your mind. You may be subconsciously worried about things in your home. Reduce the potential stress by creating a sense of safety. For instance, make sure your smoke detectors are working, that you have a radon meter (if necessary) and a carbon monoxide detector.

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If you have never purchased a home before, you may not yet recognize how crucial it is to acquire the services of a professional Fontana real estate agent.

Buying a home will probably be the most expensive purchase you ever make.  Therefore, you undoubtedly should consider enlisting the help of a REALTOR® who has experience, extensive knowledge of the area and integrity.

Benefits of using a professional Fontana real estate agent

Having your own buyer’s agent to walk you through the entire home buying process saves you a lot of time and stress, as well as money.

You decide:

• Size of home desired
• Style preferred
• Location
• Price range

That’s easy!  With this basic information, your agent begins the hard part: searching for the perfect home for you and successfully guiding you through the purchase process.

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You may just be targeting the wrong market. Young families, Gen-Xers and 30-somethings tend to want to move into a Fontana home with high technology: expensive items like home theatres or home automation. Older buyers, however, have a frugal mindset, are often on a fixed income, and have a different set of requirements for their potential Fontana  home.

Why would you want to market to older buyers? Several reasons, but the main reason is the size of this market, especially the size of the baby boomer generation.

The Population Reference Bureau reports that there were 76 million births during the 19 years covering the baby boomer generation.  A large percentage of these baby boomers, who are now between the ages of 46 and 64, are looking or soon will be looking for a home to live in during their retirement years.

What are they looking for? The National Association of Home Builders says this market wants practicality over technical advances:

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