Blog

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

by Kate Wham

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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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How much money will go into your pocket after your home is sold?

by Kate Wham

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  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 going to walk away with before you...

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How much should you offer on the home you fell in love with?

by Kate Wham

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    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 of you fell in love with is preparing an offer that will be acceptable to the seller.   The purchase and sales agreement iis 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...

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

by Heather Strazinsky

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    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...

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What does a real estate agent actually do?

by Heather Strazinsky

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    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 what an agent does each day in one or two sentences 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 they do than just “helping people buy or sell properties”. If...

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What happens when you overprice your home?

by Heather Strazinsky

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    When the real estate market favors sellers, it’s almost like there’s a feeding frenzy among buyers trying to secure listings that seem to get snapped up within hours of being put on the market.   Such demand drives the prices of homes up rapidly, which only feeds into the perception that the good times will last forever.   Unfortunately, trees don’t grow to the sky and there will always be a top of the market. What this means is that even...

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What is the Interest write off deduction?

by Heather Strazinsky

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

by Heather Strazinsky

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      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 during right before or during the loan funding process.   Conversely, having no debt can work against...

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What will be your payment on your new home?

by Heather Strazinsky

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    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...

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

by Heather Strazinsky

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  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 for your kitchen to a swanky hot tub for your backyard...

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