Blog

Why Get Pre-approved? Structuring Your Offer to Get the Best Deal

by Mitchell Meyer

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    Buying a home is a dream come true, but the process of getting an offer prepared and accepted can be a nightmare if you don’t know what you’re doing.   There are over 80 variables that need to be managed properly when buying a home and mishandling just one of them could cost you tens of thousands of dollars in unnecessary expenses.   Making a home purchase is expensive enough that you don’t need to part ways with any more of your hard-earned...

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Why landscaping can make your home sell faster and for more money

by Mitchell Meyer

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      Plain and simple, the quality of your landscaping determines whether or not your home feels inviting from the outside.   Curb appeal is what people call it and it’s a key ingredient in the decision to buy a home to more than 71 percent of homebuyers. As you know, landscaping plays a huge role in the curb appeal that you present to prospective buyers for your home. The first impression is key: if buyers don’t like what your home looks like from...

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Why You Should Get a Home Warranty When You List Your Home

by Mitchell Meyer

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    Home warranties aren’t just for buyers anymore. In the past, buyers have asked sellers to pay for a home warranty to give the them a year of protection after it sells on roughly 16 major systems in the house including things like the electrical system, appliances, hot water heater, furnace, etc. Overall, it makes sense because the first time claim on a home warranty for most buyers runs around $1,100 - $1,200 including the $75 deductible that comes with making the...

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Why You Should Have A Home Inspection Before You List

by Mitchell Meyer

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        One of the largest home sale killers is the home inspection.   Nearly one-third of all terminated real estate contracts fell apart because of the inspection results. Inspections also ranked as the number three cause of delayed settlements, accounting for 13 percent.   For some reason - and I’ll never get it - a home inspection that comes back with anything less than a perfect report strikes fear into the hearts of buyer agents and home...

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What happens when you overprice your home?

by Valerie Moore

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    When the real estate market favors sellers, it’s almost like there’s a feeding frenzy among buyers trying to secure listings that seem to get snapped up within hours of being put on the market.   Such demand drives the prices of homes up rapidly, which only feeds into the perception that the good times will last forever.   Unfortunately, trees don’t grow to the sky and there will always be a top of the market. What this means is that even...

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What is the Interest write off deduction?

by Valerie Moore

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        Tax deductible interest is a borrowing expense that a taxpayer can claim on a federal or state tax return to reduce taxable income.    Mortgage interest for both first and second (home equity) mortgages, mortgage interest for investment properties are among the list of deductions you can take on your taxes.   This is another reason why owning a home is more favorable than renting. In addition to building equity in a home that you...

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What is your debt to income ratio...why should you care?

by Valerie Moore

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      Any time you have more income and less debt, you’re in good shape in life. That said, there is an ideal ratio between your debt and income in order to qualify for a good mortgage.   When your debt to income ratio is on the high side, you run the risk of not getting a good loan (or not getting a loan at all) if your income were to take a hit during right before or during the loan funding process.   Conversely, having no debt can work against...

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What will be your payment on your new home?

by Valerie Moore

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    Buying a new home can be overwhelming. Between understanding the financial aspects of your loan and all the paperwork required to buy your home, things can get a little crazy. One of the biggest parts of getting a new home is figuring out the terms and conditions of your mortgage. Two of the biggest areas that impact your loan are credit and your down payment. In this post, we’ll cover both and also explain how to determine the down payment on your new home. Understanding...

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What's the right amount of money to spend in upgrading your home?

by Valerie Moore

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  You’re wanting to freshen up your house a little bit and you’ve already determined what you think you should do to make it amazing for you to really enjoy it. Before you jump into your renovation project, make sure you set a budget so you can spend the right amount of money upgrading your home. Without a plan and a budget, you can spend tons of money on all kinds of neat options — from a new marble island-top for your kitchen to a swanky hot tub for your backyard...

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When is the Best Season of the Year to Buy to get the Best Deal

by Valerie Moore

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    Since the market meltdown in 2008, the US housing market has rebounded dramatically. In fact, even if you purchased a property at the lowest point of the market crash and held onto it until today, your home would have appreciated by roughly 25 percent. What’s even better news is that It’s expected that the housing market will continue to climb in the future due to the changes that were made in the lending market coming out of the mortgage debacle.  Plus,...

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