Who's the Best Loan Officer in Houston?

We are proud to announce that Zeus Mortgage President, Steven Kaufman, has been included as an honorable mention in the December issue of National Mortgage Professional Magazine as one of the “40 Under 40 Most Influential Mortgage Professionals in the United States”. Mr. Kaufman was included on the prestigious list in 2010 and is the only mortgage professional from Houston included in 2011.

As printed: “There are those who are making serious waves in the industry who could not be overlooked. They, like those on the “40 Under 40” list are the leaders of this industry for years to come, so keep an eye out as well for the following innovators and originators as they continue to shape the industry.”  www.zeusmortgageblog.com

President Obama's Refinance Reform

Experts Say Obama Home Plan a Small Improvement: MyFoxHOUSTON.com

www.zeusmortgageblog.com

Is it better to rent or buy? Houston Mortgage Loans

HOMEOWNERSHIP BEATS RENTING IN 74 PERCENT OF MAJOR U.S. CITIES

Trulia Releases Summer Rent vs. Buy Index, Revealing Housing Market Rebound in Miami and Continued Setbacks in Detroit, Fresno and Sacramento

SAN FRANCISCO, August 16, 2011 – Trulia today released its Summer 2011 Rent vs. Buy Index, which compares the cost of buying and renting a two-bedroom apartment, condominium or townhouse in America’s 50 largest cities based on population. Based on current market conditions, buying a home is cheaper than renting in 74 percent of major U.S. cities.

“Many aspiring homeowners are on the fence about renting and buying in today’s market. Should they take advantage of falling home prices and low borrowing costs, or should they continue to rent until the economy stabilizes?” said Ken Shuman, Head of Communications at Trulia. “Price alone should never be the sole factor in deciding to purchase a home. Instead, buyers should first ask themselves if they plan to live in the home for at least seven-to-10 years, could make monthly payments on the house, and have enough cash in the bank for a down payment and an additional six to eight months worth of mortgage payments. If you can answer ‘yes’ to each of these questions, then the cost of buying a home definitely outweighs renting in most cities.” Houston mortgage loans at Zeus Mortgage is a great place to start. With the lowest interest rate on home loan mortgage refinances and incredible first time home buyer mortgage loan programs.

• Lower your mortgage payment

• Prevent your existing payment from rising

• Combine your first and second into one low payment

• Payoff credit cards and other debt

• Get cash from your home

• Get cash from your investment property

Zeus Mortgage

The Baldest Guy In Houston

Zeus Mortgage Complaints

www.zeusmortgageblog.com

The History of Houston Real Estate Prices! - Zeus Mortgage Blog

Have you ever wondered how much prices in real estate have changed over the last 100 years? Okay, maybe not, but I thought you might find this gem helpful or at least entertaining. This is a flyer for a home for sale in 1910. This flyer is courtesy of the Houston Fire Museum and shows the cost of building a 6 bedroom house in Houston over a century ago only ran you about $495. Yes, that is four hundred and ninety five dollars. Today's median cost of a new home is around $250,000 depending on who you ask. That's some appreciation... or is it? One thing is for sure, mortgage financing is completely differently today compared to how it was 100 years ago. What you and I regard as “normal” in Houston mortgage programs is completely different since the introduction of the New Deal by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Programs like Houston FHA mortgage, VA loans, Jumbo and self-employed Super Jumbo loans were non-existent prior to the New Deal. In fact, refinances or cash-outs mortgages or home equity loans were considered lowbrow activities. www.zeusmortgageblog.com

.

Prior to the New Deal by FDR, only 4 out of 10 Americans/Houstonians/Texans owned a home. Today the most popular mortgage amortization or term is 30 years, but at the turn of the 20th century 5 and 10 year mortgages were the standard. What about down payments? Well, prior to the New Deal, families had to put down 80% and finance the remaining 20% over the next 5 to 10 years at a national average of 8%. Yes, I said it right... you had to put 80% down!!!!

.

Okay, well that's my best attempt at a history lesson for today.

.

Enjoy the photo!

.

Steven Kaufman

President of Zeus Mortgage

www.askzeus.com

.

.

.

The Baldest Guy In Houston: Zeus Mortgage Complaints

The Best Houston Mortgage Company

Off The Coast of Zanzibar Book Reviews - The Baldest Guy In Houston (Zeus Mortgage Complaints)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Steven Kaufman
steven@askzeus.com

Off the Coast of Zanzibar by Greg S. Reid & Steven Kaufman

Motivational Business Allegory Encourages Readers to Welcome Coming of Age Once Again

“Here it was. The biggest physical feat he [observant business owner, father and husband, Karl Patrick] had yet attempted. Part of him felt satisfied enough with what he had seen to turn back, grab the next flight out and go home to his family.”~ Excerpt from Off the Coast of Zanzibar

Opening at the bottom of Mount Kilimanjaro, entrepreneur Karl Patrick is in a good place. He is getting a chance to work on his bucket list while keeping his business afloat and maintaining a great relationship with his wife and son.

Despite his track record, Karl can’t seem to ignore the ever present feeling that he seems to just be floating by and dare he say it: feeling a tad empty.

The physically exhausting journey induces Karl to recall memories of trials and tribulations he had with himself and his work. At one point realizing, “I’ve been so anxious about failure lately, that I haven’t been able to enjoy my work much at all.”

As Karl negotiates each step across the terrain, he brings homage to the people he’s met and for sharing their wisdoms he found so useful at his times of hardships. He is pleasantly surprised to find those same life nuggets coming in handy during the trek.

Thus Karl comes full circle along the expedition, realizing that his times of difficulties and the growth he has endured serves as an anchor for him to move forward. He finally sees he can launch from the landing pad he has created for himself.

This fast-paced tale enlightens readers as much as the main character. Tellingly, Off the Coast of Zanzibar features expert commentary and co-authorship from a variety of great mentors who are also available for interviews and appearances:

Steven Kaufman’s insights on trusting the experience in life and business.

The story is a salute to everyone’s coming of age. As Karl Patrick’s deepest-held fears subside, readers are inspired to want more from their own lives. Just as important, like Karl, they are given a memento of tools for actively pursuing their own most fervently cherished ambitions.

# # #
Author: Steven Kaufman, CPA is a principal in Zeus Mortgage where he has coordinated over a billion dollars in real estate financing for companies like American Express, Hewlett Packard, and Exxon Mobil. Zeus Mortgage is the 37th fastest growing private financial service firms in the US according to Inc. Magazine. Steven is frequently interviewed by local and national news organizations like FOX, ABC, CBS, CNN, and Bloomberg on the current financial markets. Steven completed the Strategic Marketing Management Program at Harvard Business School and has a Masters Degree in Economic Development and Entrepreneurship from the University of Houston. Steven's enthusiasm, energy, and insight provide a unique experience during his discussions and presentations. Visit www.askzeus.com to contact Steven.
www.zeusmortgageblog.com

Off the Coast of Zanzibar
by Greg S. Reid & Steven Kaufman

Sherpa Press
Fiction
$16.95

Available at www.amazon.com and www.bn.com and www.zanzibarbook.com

For more information or to contact the author for media commentary,
email: steven@askzeus.com

How does the credit rating of Fannie and Freddie impact mortgages

So, everyone wants to know... okay, not everyone, but many home owners/buyers want to know how the credit ratings of the United States and Fannie and Freddie will impact their purchase or refinance, or sale. Here's a clip from my interview with ABC News anchor Jeff Ehling on how interest rates, home prices, refinancing, fast home purchasing, credit scores, jumbo financing, and FHA financing will be impacted by the credit rating changes. Zeus Mortgage reviews complaints

Is Facebook Wasting your Time?

You know you're addicted to Facebook If

You check your facebook account more then one time every hour

You visit sites that list reasons about being addicted to facebook.

Your profile has so man applications that it takes several minutes to load

Your long distance boyfriend broke up with you by posting a comment on your facebook page.

Your dreams involve people writing messages on your wall

You're one of the few people who actually use facebook chat

Your relationship status is only official if its been updated on facebook

You tag photos immediately after taking them with your camera phone

You have several facebook friends that you've never actually met in person

Before you accept a job you have to find out about their Facebook policies!

People don’t invite you out without facebooking you about it first.

You tell more (....force) people to join facebook.

The world "poke" is no longer considered something physical to you

You like to receive meaningless gift icons and you like sending meaningless gift icons in return

You've already checked your Facebook account three times before finishing this list!

You join a new facebook group on a daily basis/

You make posts about knowing if you're addicted to Facebook...

Have Fun!

Steven Kaufman

The Baldest Guy in Houston!

Zeus Mortgage reviews complaints

Getting Prepared for Hurricane Season!

Knowledge is power right?

Floods and flash floods happen in all 50 states.

Everyone lives in a flood zone. (For more information, visit our Flood Zones FAQs.)

Most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage.

If you live in a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) or high-risk area and have a Federally backed mortgage, your mortgage lender requires you to have flood insurance. (To find your flood risk, fill out the Flood Risk Profile.)

Just an inch of water can cause costly damage to your property.

Flash floods often bring walls of water 10 to 20 feet high.

A car can easily be carried away by just two feet of floodwater.

Hurricanes, winter storms and snowmelt are common (but often overlooked) causes of flooding.

New land development can increase flood risk, especially if the construction changes natural runoff paths.

Federal disaster assistance is usually a loan that must be paid back with interest. For a $50,000 loan at 4% interest, your monthly payment would be around $240 a month ($2,880 a year) for 30 years. Compare that to a $100,000 flood insurance premium, which is about $400 a year ($33 a month).

If you live in a moderate-to-low risk area and are eligible for the Preferred Risk Policy, your flood insurance premium may be as low as $129 a year, including coverage for your property's contents.

You are eligible to purchase flood insurance as long as your community participates in the National Flood Insurance Program. Check the Community Status Book to see if your community is already an NFIP partner.

It takes 30 days after purchase for a policy to take effect, so it's important to buy insurance before the floodwaters start to rise.

In a high-risk area, your home is more than twice as likely to be damaged by flood than by fire.

Anyone can be financially vulnerable to floods. People outside of high-risk areas file over 20% of NFIP claims and receive one-third of disaster assistance for flooding.

The average annual U.S. flood losses in the past 10 years (2001-2010) were more than $2.7 billion.

When your community participates in the Community Rating System (CRS), you can qualify for an insurance premium discount of up to 45%. Read more about CRS Ratings.

Since 1978, the NFIP has paid over $36.9 billion for flood insurance claims and related costs (as of 12/31/10).

Over 5.5 million people currently hold flood insurance policies in more than 21,000 communities across the U.S.

For more policy and claim statistics, visit the National Flood Insurance Program.

The Baldest Guy in Houston