4 REASONS YOU NEED A PRE-QUALIFICATION LETTER BEFORE SHOPPING FOR A HOME
Yes – you really do need to seek advice on this topic. Why? Because it’s one thing to decide you need to find a new home for your family’s needs. It’s quite another to know how much home you’re actually qualified to buy. So before you start house-hunting online and looking at pretty house pictures, […]
WHAT DOES – AND DOESN’T – AFFECT YOUR CREDIT SCORE?
Are we all tired of hearing yet that “It’s a New Year! Time to Keep Resolutions! Set Goals! Make Changes!” Yeah, we are, too. So in the interests of ‘moving-right-along,’ we’d like to touch on a subject that seems to make all the “What to do in 2016” lists a lot, but in reality requires […]
AN 8-STEP CRASH COURSE IN “FOR SALE BY OWNER (FSBO)” TECHNIQUES
If you’ve ever sold your home or an investment property before, at some point you’ve probably asked yourself: “Why shouldn’t I just sell it myself and save the commission?” That’s a great question. And although we touched on this topic in our last article, we thought it might be a good idea to delve a […]
TO HIRE – OR NOT TO HIRE – A REAL ESTATE AGENT.
(Or: How To Lose Money By Not Hiring One to Sell Your Home) Everyone loves “a deal.” In fact, if you’re like most people, finding a great deal on a product or service doesn’t only save money, it just plain makes you feel good. You were smart enough to know where to look, you put […]
8 Ways Home Sellers & Buyers Can Ensure A Successful Transaction
No two real estate transactions are ever going to have the exact same set of circumstances. But there are things that are rule of thumb for both buyers and sellers, and your Realtor has experience with what those things are. Without them, the odds are that getting to the finish line will be tougher for […]
What Could Possibly Go Wrong With My Real Estate Transaction?
If you’ve bought or sold real estate before – and it all came off without a hitch – congratulations! It actually happens most of the time just that way. Everyone does their job in a timely manner and all the pieces fall into place right on schedule. It’s a beautiful thing to be a part […]
Home Ownership Isn’t Always About The Money
We’ve written before about many of the financial reasons that owning a home makes good sense (especially right now – with interest rates so low and rents so high). And you’ve probably seen many other headlines and articles explaining the monetary benefits that you gain when you buy a home, too. But let’s set the […]
HONESTY IS CRITICAL ON SELLERS REAL PROPERTY DISCLOSURE (SRPD) FORM
Remember how you used to cringe for those people you’d see on television – as you watched Mike Wallace walk up to them with a cameraman in tow? It was everyone’s worst nightmare, because it meant some piece of information that they’d rather had stayed long buried was now front page news. That’s pretty much […]
Buy or Rent? And How Should You Decide?
It’s the rare individual who gets to leave their parents’ home and head straight into buying a place of their own. Most of the time, we’re in a hurry to declare our independence – and we see the biggest part of that as having a space to call our own (even if it is rented). […]
The Truth About Builder Incentives and Seller Concessions
If you’re a seasoned homeowner – or even getting ready to make your first leap into home ownership – the odds are you’ve seen those ‘special offers’ in real estate listings. They are, after all, designed to catch your eye – with phrases like: “$20,000 in free upgrades!” or “We’ll pay up to $10,000 of […]