Many potential homebuyers start their home search by doing research online. If you have been researching financing online, your email inbox may become inundated with mortgage offers and unsolicited messages. Now the search engine giant Google has a new mortgage search feature that can help. Their new mortgage seach will eliminate the unwanted emails and calls by streamlining your search and making a mortgage match just for you – without the accompanying spam.
Google has recently introduced a similar process for refinance customers and they promise to extend that service to all mortgage seekers.
Still in Beta mode, the service is only available in 38 states. However you can go to https://www.google.com/comparisonads/mortgages to see lists of lenders and their product portfolios. You can choose the package, along with rates and other costs, that works best for you. Google also gives you the ability to calculate your monthly payment by inputting variables such as your down payment, credit status and the kind of loan you want.
One of the best features with this search tool is that you can choose to receive an offer from just one lender, and your direct contact info is not readily available. Google also promises that they will hold the lender to the offer made online – as long as basic criteria given in the search are correct and unchanged (such as the appraised value).
Google has not been able to attract major lenders, so the list of companies may be a little obscure to the average buyer. Even though, this new search tool is excellent for helping consumers shop for competitive mortgages online, without the hassles of overeager sales people and email overload.
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Architect Marshall Erdman
Marshall Erdman was often called a visionary. In the 1950′s he worked with Frank Lloyd Wright on the design and construction of housing and the landmark Madison First Unitarian Church. In the years that followed, Erdman served as a consultant to the Peace Corps and was involved in many community and state boards and commissions, while continuing to oversee operation of the firm. A few years later saw the production and sales of the “U-Form-It” House, using precut, pre-marked lumber and cabinetry. In 1953 LIFE Magazine featured the home with this comment: “…Neither the first nor the cheapest but probably the best designed manufactured house.”
In 1980, Marshall Erdman introduced a line of high quality furniture and cabinetry known as Techline. Later that year, due to his efforts in Wisconsin the Company was awarded a contract to design-build the state office building, GEF III (General Executive Facility – 3). This project set many records for excellence of construction, energy efficiency, short construction time and cost savings. GEF III was the third office building built for the State of Wisconsin. The contract called for 50-50 sharing of savings from the contract price. When the building was completed, ME&A returned over $150,000 to the State. The first year it cost 0.15 cents/square foot to heat GEF III versus at 6.14 cents/square foot to heat GEF.
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