Meet Our Real Estate Team – Jeff Taylor
A life-long resident of Virginia, Jeff Taylor
graduated from James Madison High School and George Mason University. He has been a licensed Realtor since 2004. In 2008 he obtained a Class ‘A’ Virginia Contractors license and built a successful residential and commercial construction business, offering professional and quality interior and exterior renovations. Ready to tackle the Real Estate market once again, Jeff’s goals are to assist clients in safely procuring quality properties for a great value.
His success is predicated upon honesty, diligence, and his expertise in both construction and Real Estate. In his free time, Jeff can be found cheering on all of the local Washington, DC sport teams.
Jeff can be reached via email at Jeff@JSRealty4U.com or by calling 703.909.2020.
I worked in a Day Spa, where day after day a vast majority of our clientele was women. That’s not to say I never saw men – some guys do love their facial treatments! Fast forward to the present and my Real Estate career. Over the past 13+ years in this industry, I’ve worked with both men and women, and I can honestly say there is a difference between the two. While both are treated equally at the table, they show up with a different view on the Real Estate transaction, and their approaches and needs can be very different as well.
A native of Loudoun County, Virginia, Katie Hofer began her career in the Real Estate industry as a Property Manager. She did this for 5 years before becoming a Realtor. Having grown up in Northern Virginia, she has the unique advantage of having witnessed the area transform in many ways. Utilizing this knowledge of the local community, she is able to build lifelong relationships with her clients. She is also able to watch them, along with the Northern Virginia area, grow and thrive.
Many borrowers will scour the internet for the lowest possible mortgage rates. Low rates will indeed pop up, but most often they won’t apply to most borrowers. The rates may assume a very high credit score, a large down payment, or even the cost of paying discount points to get the advertised rates. Many of the low rates that are advertised are also coming from mortgage brokers. Typically, mortgage brokers are third parties that have relationships with multiple investors. This means they can “shop around” for the lowest rates when it is time to lock in. Because the broker is a third party, they don’t control the processing and underwriting aspects of the loan. If something unusual is found during the loan process, many times the issue is not communicated immediately and causes loans to close late. Once a sale is postponed due to loan issues, the buyer can face the possibility of losing their earnest money deposit and can be sued for damages by the seller. This is why lower rates aren’t always the best way to go for a borrower.
Generally, an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) will offer lower rates than a 30 year fixed rate mortgage with the shortest term on the ARM offering the lowest rate. For example, a 5/1 ARM may have a rate of 3.375% while a 30 year fixed loan may be at 3.75%. The monthly payment for the ARM will be less than the 30 year fixed rate for the first 5 years. After five years, the rate will adjust based on the then current market. Since rates today are close to the lowest ever, it is likely that in five years the interest rate will soar – causing the monthly payment to skyrocket!
Another thing to factor in is Mortgage insurance. Mortgage insurance comes into play when a purchaser is putting less than 20% down on their desired home. There are a couple of ways in which the mortgage insurance can be paid. One way is to make monthly mortgage insurance payments. If making the minimum payment required each month by the lender, these mortgage insurance payments continue until the loan-to-value reaches 78%. In the case of a beginning loan-to-value of 95%, these payments may take as much as 9 years before reaching the 78% threshold where the payments stop. The second method of dealing with mortgage insurance is to have the lender pay for the mortgage insurance premium. This results in a higher interest rate – but no mortgage insurance payment. The overall monthly payment will be lower on this option even though the rate may be up to .5% higher. Paying even $25 more each month for 9 years will cost the borrower $2,700!
It is always important to let a lender help you determine the best possible loan solution. Some of the most important factors for the loan officer to know are:
A separate Dining Room features hardwood floors, a chandelier, a pass-through to the Kitchen, crown molding, and chair railing.
The 2nd & 3rd Bedrooms both have hardwood floors, closets, and ceiling fans. A Full Bathroom has shower/tub combo, single vanity, and tile floors.
Main Level Master Bedroom features a walk in closet, 3 windows, & hardwood floors. 
The Spacious Living Room feature huge front-facing windows that let in tons of natural light. 
