If your home inspection report comes back bad, now what?
by Spencer Barlow
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...
Read MoreWhat is the Interest write off deduction?
by Spencer Barlow
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...
Read MoreWhy landscaping can make your home sell faster and for more money
by Spencer Barlow
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...
Read MoreWhy you should make a list of the top 20 features you love about your home when selling?
by Spencer Barlow
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...
Read MoreWhat will be your payment on your new home?
by Jennifer Clark
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 MoreHow to get qualified to purchase a home for no money down
by Jennifer Clark
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 MoreHow to get the home with the furniture included
by Jennifer Clark
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...
Read MoreHow much money will go into your pocket after your home is sold?
by Jennifer Clark
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...
Read MoreHow much should you offer on the home you fell in love with?
by Jennifer Clark
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...
Read MoreHow to Find Bank Foreclosures and Distressed Sales
by Jennifer Clark
Everyone wants a hot deal. For those who have the ability/desire to work with a home that is, in most cases, less than perfect, foreclosures and distressed sales represent some of the hottest deals out there If you want to locate distressed properties, the first thing you have to understand is that no one will usually advertise their home as a “distressed property” unless they are absolutely desperate to unload their home. Homeowners,...
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