Why You Should Get a Home Warranty When You List Your Home
by Duane Caraballo

Why You Should Get a Home Warranty When You List Your Home Home warranties aren’t just for buyers anymore. In the past, buyers have asked sellers to pay for a home warranty to give 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 $1,500 to 1,600 plus a deductible...
Read MoreHow to get qualified to purchase a home for no money down
by Duane Caraballo

How to get qualified to purchase a home for no money down Even with all the insanity that happened during the mortgage meltdown and all the changes that resulted in how money would now be lent to buyers, there are still some amazingly affordable loan programs out there. Included, believe it or not, no-money-down options for buying a home. Here are some of the best programs that are out there today and how you need to get qualified to purchase a home using them to buy a home for no money...
Read MoreHow to get the home with the furniture included
by Duane Caraballo

How to get the home with the furniture included So you like the dining room table in the house you want to buy, but your agent tells you it’s not included with the sale. What do you do? In short, you ask for it. Well, you negotiate it as part of your offer to purchase the home from the seller. To effectively get the home you want with the furniture included, you should identify in advance any furniture that you are interested in buying and let the seller (or your agent) know...
Read MoreHow much money will go into your pocket after your home is sold?
by Duane Caraballo

How much money will go into your pocket after your home is sold? It’s not what you make, it’s what you keep that matters. This holds especially true when it comes to the sale of your home. The sales price you see at the top of the closing paperwork is rarely, if ever, the amount of money that ends up in your pocket as the seller. There are often a variety of costs and fees associated with getting a home sold, so it’s important that you understand exactly what you’re...
Read MoreHow much should you offer on the home you fell in love with?
by Duane Caraballo

You’ve spent the last few months looking for a home and now the only thing that stands between you and having the right to negotiate full ownership of the home you fell in love with is preparing an offer that will be acceptable to the seller. The purchase and sales agreement is the first formal communication that leads to the final deal and eventually a closing when it’s time for you to take ownership of the property. The total agreement between...
Read MoreHow to Find Bank Foreclosures and Distressed Sales
by Duane Caraballo

How to Find Bank Foreclosures and Distressed Sales Everyone wants a hot deal. For those who have the ability/desire to work with a home that is, in most cases, less than perfect, foreclosures and distressed sales represent some of the hottest deals out there If you want to locate distressed properties, the first thing you have to understand is that no one will usually advertise their home as a “distressed property” unless they are absolutely desperate to unload their home. Homeowners,...
Read MoreHow to handle a multiple offer situation
by Duane Caraballo

How to handle a multiple offer situation Over the last few years, buyer’s hunger for properties has been insatiable. As a result, properly priced homes were fetching multiple offers on a consistent basis. Though things have settled a bit recently, we’re still in a seller’s market, and that means the chance your listing will receive multiple offers on it is still very much a reality. But, as exciting as having a bidding war on your property is, it can also provide for...
Read MoreOwning vs. Renting
by Gena Sexton

Owning vs. Renting Making the decision to own a home versus renting one is no small decision. Not only does it affect your expendable cash, but it also has a huge impact on your lifestyle and how much money you’re able to save over time. Sometimes, the goal to achieve the “American Dream” of owning a home clouds some people’s vision for the future and they buy a home when they should really be renting one. Similarly, there are people who continue to rent for the...
Read MoreProperty tax assessment too high...what you can do about it?
by Gena Sexton

Property tax assessment too high...what can you do about it? An increase in home values is great because it increases the equity in your home without you having to invest more money in making it happen. Unfortunately, as the price of your home increases, so does the perceived value of your home in the eyes of your local tax assessor. When that happens, your taxes also go up. The bad news is that your tax rate - the annual percentage of your home’s value that you pay - is fixed...
Read MoreHow to sell a home that didn't sell
by Gena Sexton

How to sell a home that didn't sell The real estate market has been a little crazy lately. Despite that, we’re still looking at homes selling for a great price when they are priced properly based on current market conditions. So, if your "for sale" sign has been sitting on your front lawn a lot longer than you expected, you might be wondering how to sell your home that didn’t sell when you thought it would. As a best practice, it is ideal to consult your real...
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