What's the right amount of money to spend in upgrading your home?
by Mari Van Meter

What's the right amount of money to spend in upgrading your home? 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...
Read MoreWhen is the best time of the year to sell?
by Mari Van Meter

When is the best time of the year to sell? You want to sell your home, maximize the amount you sell it for and get it sold in a reasonable amount of time. While there’s no horrible time of the year to sell your home, there are better times of the year to put it on the market to get the best results for yourself. We’ve done the research and the results are in. Here’s the best time of the year to sell. And the winner is… Life happens...
Read MoreTop deal breakers for a home under contract and how to fix them
by Mari Van Meter

Your home is under contract, what’s next? Great news, you’ve put your dream home under contract and you’re excited to move in one day soon. That said, there’s a lot that has to happen before you can take occupancy: home inspection, appraisal, financing paperwork, contingencies and other requirements necessary to close. Here’s what you can expect to happen over the coming weeks. Due Diligence Now that the home is yours to negotiate exclusively with...
Read MoreWhy you should wait to buy that car until after your home purchase?
by Mari Van Meter

Why you should wait to buy that car until after your home purchase Getting preapproved for a mortgage is a major step in buying a home. In fact, it’s a virtual necessity to secure a home in this market environment if you’re not paying cash. The great news is, when done properly, it’s like having cash in your hands so you can negotiate effectively with a seller to buy a home. It’s easily one of the most important things you can do in order to buy the home of your...
Read MoreWhat does a real estate agent actually do?
by Mari Van Meter

What does a real estate agent actually do? Being a real estate agent requires you to employ a significant number of skills to complete a variety of different tasks on a daily basis. Trying to put in one or two sentences what an agent does each day is virtually impossible to do. It would be like trying to tell you what a chef does — “cooks food” — or what a nurse does — “takes care of patients”. There’s a lot more that goes into what...
Read MoreHow much money will go into your pocket after your home is sold?
by Celeste Hagler

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 Celeste Hagler

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 Celeste Hagler

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 Celeste Hagler

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 MoreHow to Sell Your Home Fast and for the Most Amount of Money
by Celeste Hagler

How to Sell Your Home Fast and for the Most Amount of Money The market has been moving at a pretty good clip over the last several years and it appears that things are going to stay that way for a while. According to the Case Shiller Home Price Index across the United States have increased roughly 45% over the last 5 years. Despite all of the amazing things that have been happening in virtually every market across the country, including ours, one thing still rings true no matter...
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