Colleen Low

I'm a:	Real Estate Professional
Company:	First Team Real Estate
Location:	Rossmoor Seal Beach Cypress Huntington Beach Long Beach Los Alamitos Signal Hill View all locations...
Web sites:	My Web site
Phone:	562.221.7744

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About Me

I hope this web page helps you with your home buying or selling experience. If at any time I can be of assistance, please don't hesitate to let me know. Whether you need help finding your dream home, investment property, free market analysis or a referral for repairs around the home, please call me.

I grew up in Long Beach and currently reside in Rossmoor. I have three children. My oldest will be attending GWU in the fall. My middle child is in high school and my baby is in elementary school. They all are active in sports and music.

I have spent many years volunteering locally. Whether I am a worker bee behind the scenes or taking a leadership position, I love the feeling and satisfaction that comes from making a difference in someone else’s life. I have served as the President of a local non-profit, a PTA President and I am currently serving as a Board Member of We Care of Los Alamitos.

I am committed to helping you negotiate the best deal possible.

Testimonials

"January 9th, 2008 I have been so impressed by the work that Colleen did for me in regards to the sale of my property. She took on a very difficult job at a time when the housing market was set to go on the skids. The property needed considerable work and improvement in order to be able to secure a sale. Colleen had the judgment, the know-how, the talent, the contacts, the determination and above all the continual hard work to bring all this to pass. In a short time, Colleen presented a beautiful remodeled property complete with lovely staged rooms and furniture. She did not seem to be deterred by the apparent impossibility of the job. I would highly recommend Colleen as to her competence, hard work and character. Kathleen Broderick"
Kathleen Broderick Thu May 8

"We would highly recommend Colleen Low as a Real Estate Agent for buying or selling a home. From start to finish, Colleen was always very professional, knowledgeable and attentive to every detail of the sale of our home. Colleen kept us informed, sometimes on a daily basis as to the status of any transaction that was occurring. We felt, at all times, that our sale had her complete attention and we knew we could trust her judgment because of the knowledge and honesty that she showed us. Thank you Colleen for making what, at times, was a stressful situation easier to cope with. Mel & Terri Bolding"
Mel Bolding Thu May 8

"March 26, 2007 Colleen, I want to thank you so very much for the great job you did in helping us sell our house. My wife and I really appreciate the work you did before hand to help us stage our house so it looked "right" for any potential buyers. I truly believe this went a long way in helping the sales process -- especially when there are other homes in our neighborhood that to this day are still not sold. And your daily updates once we went into escrow were invaluable. The attention during the escrow process really helped put our minds at ease. Thanks again and best of luck in the future. Regards, Larry & Nelma Maddox"
Larry Maddox Thu May 8

"We would like to commend and recommend Colleen for the excellent service she rendered to us during the process of selling our home. A year ago we put our home on the market with the wrong agent. Our home languished on the market for six months with only one nibble. We took it off the market because the agent did not properly market it. This time we decided to use Colleen. She aided by her husband worked very hard to make the sale. We were astounded to make the sale in less than one week. Colleen gave us helpful advice throughout the process including advice to seek tax counselling from our CPA, which was very helpful. Every step of the way, Colleen kept us informed and up-to-date about every detail of the transaction. Colleen is a gem, she's honest, up-front and helpful to a degree above and beyond the call of duty. We highly recommend Colleen to all who are looking for a Realtor. Don't hesitate for a second to engage Colleen and her professional services. Louis & Joy Chavez"
Louis Chavez Thu May 8

"Colleen was always there. If anything came up, she helped us work through it. She's GREAT! I would recommend her to everyone. Martha Villalon & Gilberto Rodriguez"
Martha Villalon Thu May 8

"Colleen Low is very honest and forthcoming. She is a hard working professional who has great energy and great communication skills. Colleen was the listing agent on my dream home. I was comfortable with Colleen from the start because of her sweet demeanor and her honesty. Colleen constantly followed up and resolved issues throughout the transaction. I would highly recommend Colleen as an agent. Yvette Amezuca"
Yvette Amezuca Thu May 8

"Colleen Low was superb as an agent. Her idea to have an auction was fantastic. She has a great personality, is extremely supportive and knows how to listen. If you want to work with someone who is friendly, professional, always optimistic and knows the neighborhood: I would recommend Colleen (and already have) to any interested party. Dennis Houghton, Trustee of the Leo A. Houghton Trust"
Dennis Houghton Thu May 8

"Colleen helped us find a beautiful property that was right for our family. She always kept us informed of everything that was going on. Colleen is very honest and very knowledgable about her job and real estate. We will surely recommend her to others. Michael & Josephina Cawley Chino Hills, CA"
Mike Cawley Thu May 8

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Colleen Low's Questions (0)

Colleen Low's Answers (2)

what's the difference between mortgage broker, lender, and banker?

Asked Thu May 8 2008, 12:12 by Eric - Boston - Financing - 5 answers

Colleen Low answered:

Eric,

A mortgage broker provides loans to clients using relationships with mortgage bankers or lenders. They usually have many different sources to fund loans.

A mortgage banker funds loans from lines of credit that they have established with banks. They then package and sell their loans on the secondary market.

A mortgage lender is an entity who makes a real estate loan. ie. mortgage banker, a bank, an insurance company, etc...

A broker or banker can lock your rate and have your loan underwritten. A mortgage banker would hold this on their line of credit until they sell it. Then the servicer (the one who receives your payments) holds the loan for the owner of the mortgage back security. The servicer could still be the mortgage banker that provided your mortgage, but it could also be a different servicer.

Sallie Mae is affliated with student loans. I think you might have been referring to Fannie Mae (FNMA) or Freddie Mac (FHLMC), these conforming loans are underwritten to guidelines published by these entities. This allows mortgage bankers to streamline the sale of loans on the secondary market. The problems that have been disucssed in the media about non-conforming loans.

Selling loans on the secondary market allows the lender to lend out there money, many times over instead of once every 30 years. - Thu May 8 2008, 13:28

How long does it usually take to close on a short sale or bank owned property? Is there a general rule of?

Asked Thu May 8 2008, 11:21 by Steve - Fairfax - Home Buying - 10 answers

Colleen Low answered:

Steve,

Let's discuss a short sale first. Keeping in mind, lenders are backlogged with many properties that fit into this category, they are slow to respond.

1.) How short are the sellers on paying off the present loan(s)? The closer they are to covering the whole loan(s) the simpler it will be.

2.) Are there multiple loans to be paid off? Is the junior loan the only one needing to be paid short? If there are multiple loans are they from the same lender? Same lender makes the process simpler. (Keep in mind that making payments to the same loan servicer does not mean that they are the same lender. Most loans are sold off on the secondary market and no longer owned by the servicer.) Proceeding to foreclosure wipes out all junior lien holders (lenders.)

3.) How quickly do you want to get into a property? You can make an offer and still keep looking for a different property. Most lenders that I have encountered have wanted to get as many offers as they can to push the price up. The lender might never accept an offer or if they do they can only accept one.

I have had experience with short sales. Once the lender took over 6 months and claimed that they never received the hardship package to proceed on discussing the sale. Now that same house is now in escrow, as a REO listing, for less than was offered 10 months previously on a short sale. There were two loans and a gap of several hundred thousand dollars.

If you choose to go the short sale route, make sure that your agent is on top of the situation and keep looking at other properties.

On an REO (Real Estate Owned) property, the lender already has possession of the property through foreclosure (FC) or deed in lieu of FC. They are working to get this asset off of there balance sheet and are much more motivated to complete a transaction. They have usually hired a local agent, market priced the property and sell the property “as is”. REO transactions move much quicker than a short sale, it is basically two parties coming to an agreement. You should be able to close quickly.

As a buyer or seller, make your choice of an agent your asset.

I wish you the best fortune in locating your dream property.

Warm Regards,

Colleen Low - Thu May 8 2008, 13:05

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