Blog

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

by Kim Viscione


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...

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Why You Should Get a Home Warranty When You List Your Home

by Kim Viscione


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 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...

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How to get qualified to purchase a home for no money down

by Kim Viscione


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 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...

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How to get the home with the furniture included

by Kim Viscione


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...

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If your home inspection report comes back bad, now what?

by Jorge Garcia


If your home inspection report comes back bad, now what?

    One of the biggest deal killers for any real estate transaction is the home inspection. It strikes fear into the hearts of sellers and buyers...even though virtually everything about a home can be repaired or replaced. The good news is that if you have a great real estate agent and a competent home inspector, you can usually handle a failed inspection report properly without having to panic in the process. The key thing to remember is that when the home inspection report...

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What is the Interest write off deduction?

by Jorge Garcia


What is the Interest write off deduction?

        Tax deductible interest is a borrowing expense that a taxpayer can claim on a federal or state tax return to reduce taxable income.    Mortgage interest for both first and second (home equity) mortgages, mortgage interest for investment properties are among the list of deductions you can take on your taxes.   This is another reason why owning a home is more favorable than renting. In addition to building equity in a home that you...

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Why landscaping can make your home sell faster and for more money

by Jorge Garcia


Why landscaping can make your home sell faster and for more money

      Plain and simple, the quality of your landscaping determines whether or not your home feels inviting from the outside.   Curb appeal is what people call it and it’s a key ingredient in the decision to buy a home to more than 71 percent of homebuyers. As you know, landscaping plays a huge role in the curb appeal that you present to prospective buyers for your home. The first impression is key: if buyers don’t like what your home looks like from...

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

by Jorge Garcia


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 do?   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 the things you really dig about your home that...

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Marketing Strategies: Luxury homes vs average priced homes

by Jorge Garcia


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...

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Owning vs. Renting

by Jorge Garcia


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...

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