Guest Post from Tony Collins

For the week of April 23, 2012 – Vol. 10, Issue 17

QUOTE OF THE WEEK..."A great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." --Walter Bagehot, English businessman, essayist and journalist

INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE... People say home building can't recover any time soon. Yet the signs continue to mount that a recovery is underway. Off 5.8% for March, Housing Starts are up 10.3% from a year ago, to a 654,000 unit annual rate. The monthly drop came from volatile multi-family starts, while single-family units were down only 0.2%. And the number of homes under construction was up for the seventh month in a row! Even Building Permits are up 30.1% versus a year ago. It's early in the home building recovery, but some are saying we could get to 1.5 million units by 2016.

More signs the housing market is recovering slowly but surely came with March Existing Home Sales. Although off 2.6% for the month, at 4.48 million units, they're up 5.2% over a year ago. In addition, the median price rose in March to $163,800 and is up 2.5% over a year ago, while the months' supply of inventory stayed at 6.3. Frankly, no one expects a big bump in home sales soon, but the market is definitely beginning to heal, as it's obviously a great time to buy. 
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When dealing with your home financing, I not only work with one of your largest personal financial investments; I also handle one of your biggest dreams. As your mortgage planning specialist, I will give you my best consistently. My team specializes in renovation financing both for the purchasing of a home or for renovating a home you already own. In fact, Renovation Loans are all we do. Renovation loans allow you to purchase or refinance and renovate the home in one seamless transaction.

With over 13 years experience working with only Renovation Loans you can trust myself and the rest of the St Louis Renovation Team to help guide you from application to project completion. 

Tony Collins
Renovation Specialist
Office: 314-288-2462
Office: 866-997-0358
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A word from Provident: The housing market is getting ready to rebound. If you are looking to invest in real estate, now would be the time to start. If being a landlord isn't for you, contact us. We are ready to manage your units professionally and competently. 
 

Guest Post from Tony Collins

For the week of March 19, 2012 – Vol. 10, Issue 12

QUOTE OF THE WEEK..."I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy." --Marie Curie

INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE... The Polish physicist and chemist, famous for her pioneering work on radioactivity, could have been describing the U.S. housing market. But we are making progress. Realtor.com reported that the U.S. median list price of homes they track was almost 7% higher in February than a year ago. The web site of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) also reported that the inventory of U.S. for-sale housing is 22% lower than a year ago. Additional progress was seen in the median age of inventory of homes on the site dropping almost 10%, year over year.

Realtor.com summarized the situation this way: "The nation's housing markets as a whole are in better shape today than at any time since the 2009-2010 tax credits." But it should be noted that although current inventory levels are near a two-year low, they're likely to grow a bit during the spring selling season.

BUSINESS TIP OF THE WEEK... Rules (as opposed to laws) aren't there to control us, but to guide us. If you need a creative solution, you may have to break the rules. But that can be profitable, and it's always fun! 


When dealing with your home financing, I not only work with one of your largest personal financial investments; I also handle one of your biggest dreams. As your mortgage planning specialist, I will give you my best consistently. My team specializes in renovation financing both for the purchasing of a home or for renovating a home you already own. In fact, Renovation Loans are all we do. Renovation loans allow you to purchase or refinance and renovate the home in one seamless transaction.

With over 13 years experience working with only Renovation Loans you can trust myself and the rest of the St Louis Renovation Team to help guide you from application to project completion. 

Tony Collins
Renovation Specialist
Office: 314-288-2462
Office: 866-997-0358
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A word from Provident: The housing market is getting ready to rebound. If you are looking to invest in real estate, now would be the time to start. If being a landlord isn't for you, contact us. We are ready to manage your units professionally and competently. 

Guest Post from Tony Collins

For the week of January 30, 2012 – Vol. 10, Issue 5


"INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE...Getting ready for a recovery could be the theme of last week's housing reports. Pending Home Sales, after hitting a 19-month high in November, dipped a bit for December, yet came in 5.6% above where they were a year ago. The National Association of Realtors chief economist observed, "Even with a modest decline, the preceding two months of contract activity are the highest in the past four years outside of the homebuyer tax credit period."

Thursday saw December New Home Sales drop 2.2%, to a lower-than-expected 307,000 annual rate. Yet sales remain in the narrow range they've occupied since May 2010. And the best news was that new home inventories dropped to 157,000, the lowest level on record, since 1963. Unsold new homes under construction and unsold completed new homes are at or near record lows. Experts say this is what's needed to get ready for a sustained housing recovery. Finally, the FHFA price index for homes bought with conforming mortgages was UP 1% in November."
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When dealing with your home financing, I not only work with one of your largest personal financial investments; I also handle one of your biggest dreams. As your mortgage planning specialist, I will give you my best consistently. My team specializes in renovation financing both for the purchasing of a home or for renovating a home you already own. In fact, Renovation Loans are all we do. Renovation loans allow you to purchase or refinance and renovate the home in one seamless transaction.

With over 13 years experience working with only Renovation Loans you can trust myself and the rest of the St Louis Renovation Team to help guide you from application to project completion. 

Tony Collins
Renovation Specialist
Office: 314-288-2462
Office: 866-997-0358
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A word from Provident: The housing market is getting ready to rebound. If you are looking to invest in real estate, now would be the time to start. If being a landlord isn't for you, contact us. We are ready to manage your units professionally and competently.

Guest Post- Tony Collins at Prime Lending

Market Update for the week of December 12th, 2011:

INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE...The housing recovery may be proceeding slowly, but things are definitely not at a standstill. Earlier this year, an industry rent vs. buy index found it is more affordable to buy than rent a two-bedroom home in 72% of America's 50 biggest cities. In fact, renting was less expensive than buying only in New York, Kansas City, San Francisco and Seattle. And in 10 of the cities where renting was relatively affordable versus ownership, people felt buying may still be a financially sound long-term decision.

A recent consumer study showed people are getting the message. With home prices now at such affordable levels, 62% of those surveyed said buying in today's market is a good investment over the next 10 years. The most popular advice people would give to anyone thinking of purchasing a home is to avoid buying more house than they can afford. Good advice indeed.


When dealing with your home financing, I not only work with one of your largest personal financial investments; I also handle one of your biggest dreams. As your mortgage planning specialist, I will give you my best consistently. My team specializes in renovation financing both for the purchasing of a home or for renovating a home you already own. In fact, Renovation Loans are all we do. Renovation loans allow you to purchase or refinance and renovate the home in one seamless transaction.

With over 13 years experience working with only Renovation Loans you can trust myself and the rest of the St Louis Renovation Team to help guide you from application to project completion. 

Tony Collins
Renovation Specialist
Office: 314-288-2462
Office: 866-997-0358
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A word from Provident: So what does this mean for you? While most people do think it's a good idea to buy a home, not everyone can afford it. Even though it may be cheaper to buy than to rent, lending restrictions make it difficult to find loans for some people. There will always be a market for rentals. If you have the money to invest in real estate, now is the time. We want to be your property management company. We will handle all the rental details so you don't have to. Please contact us for more information!

Real Estate Asset Management

Today's Guest Post is by none other than our very own owner and operator Alann Severinsen. Alann is the owner of Provident Property Management, a St. Charles-based full service property management company. We offer a new approach for today's real estate rental market. Our unique service model allows owners to pick the services they need and customize their service package. Because we are a service oriented company, we work hard to keep our clients and don’t rely on strict contracts to force people to stay with us. Alann has a Masters in Real Estate Development, is a local Real Estate Agent and has 7 yrs of investment property experience.

Real Estate Asset Management - How It Works and Why You Should Find Someone to
Help You.

The real estate asset management function is made up of property level specialists who add value to an owner’s Portfolio. The specialists are experts in either local market fundamentals or in specific property types, and are responsible for optimizing the value of the assets in their custody. Asset managers help to aid owners in creating an investment plan and on selecting the properties they want to acquire to meet that plan.
In addition to providing portfolio management information on local prospects and facilitating transactions, the asset manager is responsible for property-level performance.

In addition to approving budgets and performing expense management, asset managers increase value by managing the leasing at one or more properties. Although it may seem like a simple affair, leasing is a complex task that decides property and portfolio value. Successful leasing is achieved by finding and executing the highest possible leasing opportunities at each property and by conducting a leasing program that aligns with portfolio strategy while maintaining the best relations with existing tenants. A good manager never loses sight of the owner’s goals while engaging tenants in leasing.

When it comes to real estate investment, management's ability to execute asset management plans in addition to performing leasing practices is key. As a real estate investment manager, this means optimizing the value of the properties in his or her portfolio, both through the selection and management of the portfolio's real estate assets. Lots of time and effort goes into making sure only the correct properties are acquired and that the leasing program is followed through on every property in that owner’s portfolio. Finding an asset manager that is willing to work with you on your goals and then follow through on those plans is key to having a successful and stress free owner portfolio.

Guest Post- Thinking INSIDE the box

Caryn Burstein –         President and Founder

                                    Allied Member, ASID

            Caryn Burstein is the President and Founder of Arcterior Design, LLC, a premiere design firm that transforms ordinary to extraordinary by blending the dynamic elements of architecture and interior design along with construction management services—the outcome is a total solution that enhances her clients’ lifestyle. Passionate about design and helping her clients achieve their ideal environment, Caryn is well-known for her creative and trustworthy expertise. 

Her award-winning work has been featured in numerous national publications, including Salon Interiors, Architectural Digest, Luxury Homes, Professional Builder, Traditional Home, Distinctive Kitchens, as well as other regional St. Louis local magazines and newspapers. In addition, she has been published on the covers of several books including Spectacular Homes and Showcase of Interior Design II and III.  Caryn is a member of the Advisory Board for the University of Missouri, Columbia Architectural Studies Program.    

"Thinking outside of the box" has become the new catch phrase for sparking creativity. But when thinking of changing a room or space, sometimes "thinking INSIDE the box" has its advantages too. It costs a lot less to reestablish interior space efficiency than to push outside the existing walls. Rooms can be renovated or relocated within your home's shell. For example, a small kitchen can be expanded into a seldom used dining room or refigured within its existing space to better meet your needs.

Sometimes just rearranging the furniture you already have can make a big difference in the look and feel of the room. Think spatially. All too often people are too linear when it comes to furniture arrangement. Everything does not have to line the walls. It often works better when furniture floats within the room and can actually create less dead space and certainly a lot more visual interest.

Most everyone has a budget when it comes to decorating and for the sake of "filling the room", some people are tempted to buy less expensive pieces. We need to think about furniture as an investment and not something that will be changed in a year or so. Multiply buying less expensive, trendy furniture that does not stand the test of time by five (this represents the five times on average you will replace cheaper pieces over a 25 year period) and you probably will have spent more than you would have on a one time purchase of quality pieces, not to mention the positive effects this philosophy will have on protecting our environment. If you choose neutral colors and finishes, you are less likely to get tired of your furnishings and they will stand the test of timeless design. Remember you can always change your room accessories to match your mood and everything goes with neutral.

So many of our clients come to us with ideas about how they want their home to look, and it is a great starting point on which to build. Magazines, color samples and fabric swatches can provide the inspiration to achieve the ultimate look they desire. But do-it-yourself mistakes can be costly when trying to implement your design vision. You used a real estate professional to find the right home for you. Protect that investment by using an interior design professional who can understand your vision, translate it into reality and increase the value of your home investment.

Special Guest Post from Tony Collins

When dealing with your home financing, I not only work with one of your largest personal financial investments; I also handle one of your biggest dreams. As your mortgage planning specialist, I will give you my best consistently. My team specializes in renovation financing both for the purchasing of a home or for renovating a home you already own. In fact, Renovation Loans are all we do. Renovation loans allow you to purchase or refinance and renovate the home in one seamless transaction.
With over 13 years experience working with only Renovation Loans you can trust myself and the rest of the St Louis Renovation Team to help guide you from application to project completion.
Market Update for the week of September 26, 2011

INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE...To help the economy succeed, the Fed is certainly using its ability to the max. Coming out of the FOMC meeting Wednesday, the Fed announced "Operation Twist"--a strategy of selling its short-term securities to buy long-term bonds to drive down long term interest rates,  especially for mortgages. This latest Fed effort to help the housing market is great news for anyone thinking of buying a home, as mortgage rates should stay very very low.

Wednesday's other great news for housing was August Existing Home Sales came in UP 7.7%, to an annual rate just the other side of 5 million units, the best reading since March. This dropped the supply of existing homes to 8.5 months. Tuesday, August Housing Starts were down 5%, to a 571,000 unit annual rate. But, hey, dealing with a hurricane and floods, builders across a good part of the East were hesitant to break ground. Better news came with building permits--UP 3.2% for the month and now UP 7.8% versus a year ago

Wall Streeters were obviously ignoring the good economic signs. Same-store sales were UP 3.4% versus a year ago, as measured by the International Council of Shopping Centers. Redbook Research reported an even better 4.1% boost in same-store sales. There was the positive housing data reported above. Then, some economists said they expect consumer spending to climb at a 1.5%–2% annual rate in Q3. The economy may not be booming, but it's not double-dipping back into recession either.

Tony Collins
Renovation Specialist
Office: 314-288-2462
Office: 866-997-0358