When is the best time of the year to sell?
by Jen Gatlin

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 and sometimes, you just don’t have a say...
Read MoreTop deal breakers for a home under contract and how to fix them
by Jen Gatlin

Selling your home, while exciting, can also be extremely stressful. Even the best of real estate agents have to deal with complicated issues that arise with a home sale. In fact, you’ll find that even when seller and buyer get along great and the sales process is humming along smoothly that challenges can crop up requiring lots of negotiations and may delay the transaction weeks before you can close on the transaction. Conversely, some deals are complicated...
Read MoreWhy you should wait to buy that car until after your home purchase?
by Jen Gatlin

Getting preapproved for a mortgage is a major step in buying a home. 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 dreams. But its name gives you a hint as to how fragile this financing instrument can be. You see, it’s a “pre” approval, which means you’re...
Read More10 questions you must ask an agent before you list your home
by Jen Gatlin

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 MoreHow to beat other buyers to hot, new listings (Before they even know about them)
by Jen Gatlin

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 MoreWhen is the Best Season of the Year to Buy to get the Best Deal
by Jen Gatlin

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 MoreHow much you should put down to purchase your new home?
by Jen Gatlin

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 MoreWhy You Should Get a Home Warranty When You List Your Home
by Jen Gatlin

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...
Read MoreHow to get qualified to purchase a home for no money down
by Jen Gatlin

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 among them, believe it or not, are 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 More10 questions you must ask an agent before you list your home
by Jesse Acosta

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...
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