What's the best company to get a mortgage through?

[@ badhabits]

Looking to buy a house when I get to Juneau. I'm doing some homework beforehand so I'm ready as soon as I get off the ferry to look at pre-selected properties and make a decision._ _ _ _ _ _ _


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"Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."

Adlai E. Stevenson

[phat95m3]

[:) evil]

[DoubleD!]

USAA does lending, don't they? You have access to military credit unions - take advantage of it.

[orooj]

[frayed]

better rates. I used Larry Kethan at larry@txmlp.com; his rates rock but I don't know if he handles stuff outside TX.

Another great place is Provident. Email Josh Afi at JAfi@provident.com. https://www.provident.com/

[H8-Rain]

AKA: Mark
LOCATION: Connecticut USA

[MarkG]

Before you buy anything there. If you aren't going to be there for at least 5 years you might want to reconsider, since resale in that market might be challenging to say the least.



2008 BMW X5 4.8i Space gray/black
2007 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Supercharged Onyx Black/Black
2001 BMW M3 Imola red/black

[@ badhabits]

Longest I'll probably stay in one area for the next decade.

Gotta get started some time, don't want to wait till I'm retired before starting to build equity._ _ _ _ _ _ _


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"Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."

Adlai E. Stevenson

[Giznaz]

Juneau is a nice town, don't get me wrong. But it has government and cruise ships for industry. Only.

It has snow, cold and wet most of the year. Darkness for many hours during the winter, and more wet in the summer.

Prices are high, but stable. In a 4 year tour you won't have any(much) equity build up.

If Port Snettisham power goes out again, power rates will jump, as they need the diesel generators for town power. It only took a snow slide last time, for about 6 months IIRC.

Douglas, Mendenhall, and Auke Bay are the more "suburban" areas, and are a bit of a drive from town

[Capt.Molecule]

Foundations. When we were looking ,advised to stay away from them. Wasiila has a lot of empty places.

[frayed]

I think that the housing bust showed everyone that you can't think of buying a house as an investment. I would recommend doing full rent v. buy financial analysis over the next 4 years. When buying you have to factor in

realtor costs (at both the buy and sell ends)
maintenance costs
necessary repairs
extra insurance
true equity built assuming zero appreciation (your principal amount paid off)

Add into all of that, now you will be stuck with a house to sell in 4 years, it's likely a bad idea.

[frayed]

realtor costs at the sell end, but high transaction costs at both ends like recording fees, title or attorney fees, etc.

[keithjack]

I would seriously consider renting.

[:) evil]

or any of the many shows now featuring the State. Its a beautiful ****hole and you should seriously consider renting.

[@ badhabits]

I'll be calling a realtor or two this week to see about house rentals vs what's for sale.

Must have a garage, at least one car if not two._ _ _ _ _ _ _


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"Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."

Adlai E. Stevenson

[tenaciousE]

meme, almost as bad as the idea that owning a house is or is a part of the american dream. you can also build equity by taking on a lower cost rental and putting the difference investments yielding something. seriously consider renting if you don't plan to stay there for the long haul (say 10 yrs)..

when you're weighing your options, keep in mind that mortgage style amortization (if you go the traditional route) is virtually all interest upfront (the monthly payment is mostly interest at first). to build equity in four years would mean prepaying, not sure if that's what you had in mind.

also keep in mind the entrance and exit costs of ownership, and the ongoing property tax and depreciation expenses.

on the plus side, a mortgage may give you a boost in your taxes. and, if a really inflationary environment develops, then you're repaying debt in devalued bucks (assuming that your income and/or investments keep up with inflation in that case though).

[Capt.Molecule]

Number of homes that didn't have any garage. Jobs and the market in Wasilla were the 2 main things that was moving us to buy a duplex or triplex that would cash flow there. Building equity or building appraised value wasn't nearly as important as cash flow.

[@ badhabits]

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"Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."

Adlai E. Stevenson