From Hopelessness to Business Owner in India

If you’re reading this, then you are better off than more than half the women in India who have no ability to read or write. Access to a computer is not even a possibility. Life for them is “hopeless.” That’s their word.

The country does have a very successful technology sector. However, for the other half of India, the future is bleak. One in three people live in extreme poverty. Thanks to the caste system, they are taught to believe that their status in life was decided when they were born.

There is no way out and, in an emergency, the only option is local money lenders who charge 120 to 240 percent interest. For the women of India, there is no way to move up. Often, staying afloat is enough of a challenge.

With the help of Hope International, women in India are leaving poverty and becoming empowered. They are learning about the Gospel, the love of Jesus Christ and that He has a plan for them. It starts with a simple idea: 10 to 15 women get together and create a savings group. A dollar or two a month is saved. Soon, an internal pool of money is available for the women to use to pay off money lenders, in case of emergency or to start a business.

Suddenly, these women who saw the future as just more of the same struggle are experiencing Jesus’ love for them and seeing that the road ahead is bright. For instance, Shanty used the money from the group to start a small grocery shop. Women like Andandi can sign their names, an important skill now that she and the rest of the women in her group are dealing with banks on a regular basis.

Where they were alone and scared, they are now united and strong. “One woman alone can’t do much, but when there’s 10 of us together can accomplish anything.”

It’s a message we should all remember. With Jesus Christ, we can change the world for the better. Hope International has served 35,000 people in India. As you look forward in 2014, know that anything is possible with Jesus Christ.

Until next time,

Jeff Rutt

A Look Back at a Great Year for Homes For Hope

The start of a new year is a good time to look back and see the good from the past year. Homes for Hope broke ground on a number of homes throughout the United States, helping not only local families but thousands of underserved and underprivileged families all over the world.

We often think of the time around the holidays when we want to give back, but the needs of the impoverished are year-round.

In 2013, Homes for Hope was busy all year and built homes in Colorado, North Dakota, Southern California and more. These houses were more than just homes. The money raised reached families overseas who used it to build their own businesses and break the cycle of poverty.

Let’s take a look at some of the homes and their impact:

·         Wathen Castanos Hybrid Homes built the first Homes For Hope home in California. The goal of the home was to raise $100,000 to fund entrepreneurs in 17 countries like Haiti, Afghanistan, Romania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

·         In North Dakota, Red Door Homes broke ground on the state’s first Homes For Hope home in September. Red Door Homes owner Art Goldhammer said, “It is hard to put your finger on just the sense of joy that you can help out that many people and that, things you can’t even relate to, but you can make that big a difference in the world from Bismarck, North Dakota.”

·         Baessler Homes raised $123,777.97 after building and selling a home in Millikin, Colorado. The money will provide microloans to more than 5,000 people. “At Baessler Homes, we realized that Homes for Hope offered us the opportunity to meet the needs of many more people than we could serve alone,” said Jamie Baessler, vice president of the company.

All of these companies are local, yet their impact to end poverty is being felt on a global scale. With so much success in 2013, it’s exciting to think what the new year will bring for Homes for Hope and the thousands of people it will help.

For more information about Homes for Hope or to find out how you can help, visit www.Homes4Hope.org.

 Until next time,

Jeff Rutt

American Volunteering Efforts Continue to Increase

64.5 million; that is the total number of Americans who contributed almost 7.9 billion hours of their time to volunteering in the past year. These findings come from the latest annual "Volunteering and Civic Life in America" study conducted by The Corporation for National and Community Service and the National Conference on Citizenship.

This year's overall number of volunteers total exceeds last year's 64.3 million volunteers, and the study values this year's volunteer service at $175 billion ($22.14 an hour).

Here are other interesting findings from the study:

• More than 25 percent of adults volunteered through a nonprofit organization.
• Americans 65 and older donated almost twice as many hours per volunteer than the population as a whole with a median of 90 volunteer hours.
• The median number of volunteer hours for the general population was 50.
• Generation X (those born between 1965 and 1981) had the highest volunteer rate.
• Volunteering among teenagers has increased by 3 percent in the past five years.
• Volunteers are twice as likely to donate to charity with almost 80 percent doing so.
• More than half of all Americans donated at least $25 to charity in 2012.

These are encouraging numbers for someone who has founded two nonprofit organizations and relies on the work and donations of volunteers. I am always glad to see that more Americans are giving back in terms of their time and their financial resources. No matter how much time or how many resources you have, there is always a way you can contribute, and your contribution will make a huge impact in the lives of others.

If you volunteered somewhere in the past year, I'd love to hear about your experience in the comments below.

Blessings,

Jeff Rutt

New FHA Loan Changes Impact Buyers and Builders

The Departmentof Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced new FHA single-family loan limits that will go into effect on January 1, 2014. This announcement came just weeks after the department claimed that it would not lower home loan limits in 2014. The new loan limits will vary by county depending on the median cost of housing for that area. However, the new changes are mostly targeting high income earners  who looking to take advantage of favorable FHA loan financing options, and focusing instead on the lower income borrowers.

These changes will have a dramatic impact on both on buyers and builders. Buyers who were planning on purchasing a more expensive home using the favorable FHA loan terms may no longer be able to buy the home they were planning on. In turn, more builders may lose buyers who were planning on buying within the next few months.

If you are a buyer who wants to secure your FHA loan before these lower limits go into effect, you must have a case number on file with HUD before the end of the year to not be affected by these changes.

Here's a look at what the new FHA loan single-family home limits are for the counties Keystone Custom Homes builds in:

Pennsylvania

• Adams-Current: $271,050 vs. New: $271,050
• Berks-Current: $300,000 vs. New: $271,000
• Chester-Current: $420,000 vs. New: $379,500
• Cumberland-Current: $271,050 vs. New: $271,050
• Dauphin-Current: $271,050 vs. New: $271,050
• Lancaster-Current: $383,750 vs. New: $271,050
• Lebanon-Current: $271,050 vs. New: $271,050
• York-Current: $425,000 vs. New: $271,050

Maryland

• Cecil-Current: $420,000 vs. New: $379,500
• Harford-Current: $560,000 vs. New: $494,500

If you have questions about the new FHA loan limits, I would love to answer them. Feel free to leave a comment below.

Until next time,

Jeff Rutt

Americans Express Preference for Walkability in 2013 Community Preferences Survey

The results of the National Association of Realtors' 2013 Community Preference Survey are in, and the findings are definitely worth talking about.

Here are a few highlights:

• 60 percent of respondents prefer a neighborhood with a mix of houses, stores and other businesses that are easy to walk to
• 52 percent want a single-family home with a large yard
• 78 percent believe the neighborhood itself is more important than the house
• 57 percent would trade a larger yard for a shorter commute to work
• 55 percent for forego a large yard for walkability to schools, stores and restaurants

What are the takeaways from these numbers? The key factor to a successful community is walkability. Today's homeowners are putting a much greater emphasis on being able to walk from their new home to their favorite shops, restaurants, parks and schools. Americans are even willing to give up their treasured yard space to ensure they have an easier, faster commute to their workplace and local businesses. They don't want a community with just homes, they want a community that offers them a complete lifestyle; one that they very seldom have to leave, and when they do, they don't want to have to travel far.

While some homeowners will still fall in love with a single-family home in a community filled with just homes or homes and an amenities package, builders need to make sure that even these communities are readily accessible to shops, restaurants, entertainment, recreation and transportation. The other solution is to plan mixed use or traditional neighborhood developments, which incorporate a mix of homes, businesses and amenities all within one community.

What are your thoughts on the findings from this year's survey? I'd love to hear your opinion in the comments section below.

Until next time,

Jeff Rutt

Homes for Hope Program Expands to California

Jeff Rutt, here.

I recently got back from a Homes for Hope trip a wonderful group of people from all over the country to the Dominican Republic. This trip, like so many others I've taken, reminded me of the true purpose behind Homes for Hope and HOPE International. It's still amazing to me how so many people have banded together over the past few years to help make a difference in global poverty.

Following on the heels of this trip, I am glad to announce that Wathen Castanos Hybrid Homes has joined the Homes for Hope team, and that they have started construction on our first Hope home in California.

Wathan Castanos is nationally recognized for their quality, green homes. However, the builder also embodies a culture of stewardship, supporting organizations such as Project Playhouse, Youth for Christ, Habitat for Humanity and now Homes for Hope.

Through this build, we hope to raise more than $100,000 in funds for HOPE International who will use the money to find micro-loans to aspiring entrepreneurs in 17 developing countries, including the Dominican Republic.

The new home will be located in the Artisan Harlan Ranch subdivision at 4317 Salem Lane, Clovis, CA 93619.

If you're in the home building industry either as a builder or trade supplier, I hope you will take the time to check out Homes for Hope. To date, we've generated more than $10 million, which has helped more than 100,000 entrepreneurs break the cycle of poverty. By joining our team, you too can experience how giving a "hand up" can build a future of hope and promise.

Blessings,

Jeff Rutt

Using Technology to Help You Buy and Sell Homes

Unsurprisingly, as of May 2013, 56 percent of Americans owned a smartphone. And, if you're a real estate agent, chances are you fall within that 56 percent of people who have traded in their old flip phone for a smartphone. Thanks to the smartphone, we can now search the Internet and enjoy our favorite apps all in the palms of our hands. However, smartphones are good for more than just play, they can also help you be more productive in your career.

Here's a look at some of my favorite apps for Realtors:

• DocuSign: While the app may be free, the real estate edition is well worth the $14.95 subscription fee. This app gives you the ability to digitally sign legal documents on the go.
• Evernote: You never know when inspiration (or information) will strike. Evernote is productivity app that helps you organize your notes, lists and photos into notebooks you create. You can even add tags to help you find what you're looking for later. The best part? You can access everything you've stored in Evernote from your phone, tablet, computer and even their webiste.
• Houzz: Show your home buyers and sellers a world full of potential with this design eye candy app. Houzz is great for helping you find ideas for staging a home or decorating your brand new home. Plus, it allows you to easily track down professionals in your area and find out what products are used in the rooms.
• HomeSnap: Users can take a picture of a home that's for sale, and then the app matches the image and GPS location to display teal-time data from MLS and other sources on its price, size, features and additional photos.
• Mortgage Calculator: Ever wanted to quickly show your buyers just how much that home will cost them per month? There are plenty of free mortgage and loan calculator apps that quickly provide all of the financial information you need.
• REALTOR.com: This is the largest and most popular database of real estate listings. The app is GPS supported, so you can easily see what properties (and all of their important details) are available nearby.

Agents, what apps are you using on your phone or tablet? I'd love to hear from you in the comments section below!

Until next time,

Jeff Rutt