Case Study: Help with Refinancing
The Situation:
Julie is a divorced mom with a teenager at home. Her finances were perilously low, and she needed help. A friend of hers who had worked with me previously asked Julie to call me to explore her options.
The Challenges:
Julie felt she didn’t have the credit history or sufficient income to refinance and was hesitant to even start. She assumed her application to refinance her home would not be approved.
The Actions:
We had an initial conversation and I gave her suggestions on how to increase her credit scores. (Julie jokingly said “OK, Mom,” when I gave her the list of suggestions.) By her own admission, she was dragging her feet during the process and I encouraged her to continue. She felt completely overwhelmed and frozen from taking action. I helped organize her finances and get her paperwork in order to put the plan in motion. She needed a Marie Kondo of mortgages to “tidy up” her financials and I acted as her coach. From there, good things started to happen. She got a promotion, she updated and completed her paperwork, and I submitted the mortgage application and documentation.
The Results:
Four months and lots of encouragement later, her new mortgage was approved, closed and funded! Julie said, “Debbie is a life-saver. I could not have done this without her help and guidance. My life continues to improve as my credit score is steadily rising and new opportunities are presenting themselves.
“Thank you, Debbie, for helping me get back on my feet. I appreciate the care you took with me that went beyond anything I had ever expected. You kept me on track and accountable through this whole process. I would recommend Westchester Mortgage to anyone concerned about qualifying for a mortgage or refinance, especially those who need some extra hand-holding during a challenging process.”
Ready to buy a new home or refinance the one you own? Please get in touch and I’ll be happy to answer your questions and help guide you through the process. I look forward to speaking with you.
Happy Leap Year Day!
Just when you thought winter couldn’t possibly drag on further, we’ve got an extra day of February this year.
Here are some Leap Year facts you may not know
- Julius Caesar added the first Leap Year Day to his Julian Calendar in 45 BCE. The date was February 24 and in his calendar, February was the last month of the year.
- Babies born on Leap Year Day are called “leaplings” and there are approximately 4 million leaplings out in the world.
- Famous “leaplings” include Dinah Shore, Dennis Farina, Tony Robbins and Pope Paul III.
- The odds of being born on February 29 are just 1 in 1,461.
- Leap years are also Summer Olympics years as well as US Presidential election years.
February’s Home Improver: Cleaning a Sewage Spill
Sewage can flood your basement when pipes break or when drains are backed up. Raw sewage can damage your basement and cause severe health problems. If your flooding is significant, please call a professional. For smaller leaks you feel confident in handling yourself, here are a few tips:
Dress appropriately. Wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, boots or waders and rubber gloves. No exceptions!- Turn off gas or water lines and keep a window open when possible. This will keep fresh air coming in and air circulating.
- Use a hose to rinse the floor and direct water towards the basement drain.
- Fill a bucket with a gallon of water and a cup of bleach. Swirl a stiff-bristled brush broom into the mixture. Scrub the walls of the basement and move down toward the floor. Continue saturating the brush broom and scrubbing the basement.
- Hose everything down again. Very important to keep going. Rinse off your brush, too.
- Repeat step 4. Yes, you have to do it twice! This is non-negotiable, even for minor seepage.
- Hose a third and final time. Then turn on fans and use a dehumidifer to help rid the basement of water.