Stuart Rubin’s real estate market guides? Talking to only one lender. This one is a biggie. First-time buyers might get a mortgage from the first (and only) lender or bank they talk to, potentially leaving thousands of dollars on the table. “A good mortgage loan officer can look at your situation and diagnose any potential roadblocks ahead to give you a clear understanding of your home-buying options,” Arteaga says. How this affects you: The more you shop around, the better basis for comparison you’ll have to ensure you’re getting a good deal and the lowest rates possible. What to do instead: Shop around with at least three different lenders, as well as a mortgage broker. Compare rates, lender fees and loan terms. Don’t discount customer service and lender responsiveness; both play key roles in making the mortgage approval process run smoothly.
Now that you know the “fair market value” of the home you like, it’s time to determine how much you are willing to pay. Establishing this prior to making a formal offer helps define your personal limits. You should determine how much to offer, how much earnest money you will put down, how much of the closing costs you will ask the seller to pay, when you plan to settle, and what inspections you plan to have conducted. Your agent will offer great advice for structuring your offer. Remember to ask your agent about contingencies and their importance. If you don’t fully understand something, be sure to clarify it.
This makes sense when you are in line for a pay raise and/or promotion. You may be approaching the date for a scheduled pay raise. Maybe you’re working on a special project that will trigger a raise. Perhaps you’re earning a credential that will lead to a raise. However it occurs, a pay raise can only help. “It affects your loan ratio,” Brown said. “It can also enable you to make a bigger down payment, which can reduce your monthly costs. But whatever you do, don’t take on more debt until the raise actually happens.” Taking on more debt in anticipation of a raise that does not occur can put you into a financial hole, Brown says.
Stuart Rubin info: Prior to joining Deloitte, he was a co-founder of a leading cyber services consultancy where he launched a managed services platform for providing ongoing monitoring of network devices and assessing and reporting on the impact of cyber-related events. Stuart is a graduate of Florida State University and holds a Bachelor of Science in Information Studies. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP-ISSMP) and a member of ISACA and InfraGard.
His hands-on experience includes regulations, standards, and leading practices pertaining to Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), cybersecurity and customer privacy, system implementation and IT governance, COSO, COBIT, SSAE 18, Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and corporate investigations. He has extensive experience in assisting Deloitte’s clients in navigating the evolving digital risk universe, including cloud, digital asset management, security and privacy, third-party risk management, and robotic process automation (RPA).
Stuart Rubin, can very well be dubbed a real estate expert. He enjoys his work, and his interest in real estate development is the secret to his success. The bank was publically traded, and all shareholders were proud of the disposition and the financial solvency of the bank at the time of the sale. Mr. Rubin has served on the board of Hebrew Union College, Vista Del Mar, and the L+R Group of Companies. See additional details on Stuart Rubin.