Blog

Marketing Strategies: Luxury homes vs average priced homes

by Sandra Callen


Marketing Strategies: Luxury homes vs average priced homes

    As you can imagine, driving up demand for a luxury home takes a uniquely different approach than does selling a regular home.   From the word, go, you need a strong, clear and focused strategy that details how it will position your luxury home above the ordinary, illustrating and marketing its unique features in proper manner to perfect buyer at the perfect price. There are some very different ideas, thoughts and strategies around marketing a luxury home, which in...

Read More

Owning vs. Renting

by Sandra Callen


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...

Read More

Property tax assessment too high...what you can do about it?

by Sandra Callen


Property tax assessment too high...what you can 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 by the state and/or municipality in which you...

Read More

Your home is under contract, what’s next?

by Kenny Ga


Your home is under contract, what’s next?

    Great news, you’ve put a home under contract and you’re excited to move in one day soon.  There’s a lot that has to happen before you can take occupancy: home inspection, appraisal, financing paperwork, contingencies and other dates to be met. Here’s what you can expect to happen over the coming weeks. Due Diligence Now that the home is yours to negotiate exclusively with the seller, you have a due diligence period that allows you to...

Read More

What will be your payment on your new home?

by Kenny Ga


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 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...

Read More

Why You Should Have A Home Inspection Before You List

by Kenny Ga


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 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...

Read More

10 questions you must ask an agent before you list your home

by Kenny Ga


10 questions you must ask an agent before you list your home

Currently, there are over 1.3 million Realtors in the United States alone. The number of people that have joined the real estate sales force over the last 10 years is staggering.   No two agents are the same and less than 10% of the total number of Realtors to 90% of the business.   In addition to that, not all agents are created equally. Many of them don’t get you the best results for your specific needs.   In 2017 — one of the hottest markets in recent history...

Read More

How to beat other buyers to hot, new listings (Before they even know about them)

by Kenny Ga


How to beat other buyers to hot, new listings (Before they even know about them)

    Buyers want three things when they’re making a purchase:   Selection: Have the largest number of options from which to choose Price: Get a smoking hot deal on what I want to buy Ease of doing business: Don’t make it hard for me to buy it   It doesn’t matter if you’re buying shoes, a toaster or a house, all three of them matter and they usually matter in that order.   And when it comes to buying a home,...

Read More

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

by Kenny Ga


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

    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,...

Read More

How much you should put down to purchase your new home?

by Kenny Ga


How much you should put down to purchase your new home?

      Historically, home buyers seek to put down 20% when they purchase a home.  However, according to a recent survey by The National Association of Realtors (NAR), the actual national average is much closer to 10%. When it comes to first-time homebuyers, the average down payment is at 4% as per the same survey. While down payment requirements vary based on the lender you choose to work with, the amount required will usually depend on your credit score and your...

Read More