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Why You Should Have A Home Inspection Before You List

by Jerilyn Gilleylen


Why You Should Have A Home Inspection Before You List

Why You Should Have A Home Inspection Before You List One of the largest home sale killers is the home inspection. Nearly one-third of all terminated real estate contracts fall 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...

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Your home is under contract, what’s next?

by Jerilyn Gilleylen


Your home is under contract, what’s next?

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...

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What will be your payment on your new home?

by Jerilyn Gilleylen


What will be your payment on your new home?

What will be your payment on your new home? 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 your credit and your down payment. In this post, we’ll cover both and also explain how to determine the...

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

by Jerilyn Gilleylen


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

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...

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When is the best time of the year to sell?

by Jerilyn Gilleylen


When is the best time of the year to sell?

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...

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Top deal breakers for a home under contract and how to fix them

by Jerilyn Gilleylen


Top deal breakers for a home under contract and how to fix them

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...

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Why you should wait to buy that car until after your home purchase?

by Jerilyn Gilleylen


Why you should wait to buy that car until after your home purchase?

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...

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What does a real estate agent actually do?

by Jerilyn Gilleylen


What does a real estate agent actually do?

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...

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

by Jerilyn Gilleylen


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

What is your debt to income ratio...why should you care? 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 right before or during the loan funding process. Conversely, having no debt can work...

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Why you should make a list of the top 20 features you love about your home when selling?

by Jerilyn Gilleylen


Why you should make a list of the top 20 features you love about your home when selling?

Why you should make a list of the top 20 features you love about your home when selling Who knows your home better than you? The short answer is: nobody. And because of that, you should take the time to make a list of the top 20 features you love about your home before you put it on the market. You see, if you like those things about your house, then so will someone else. And, in an effort to help your agent get your home sold faster and for more money, it will help if you point out...

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