Thanksgiving Special, to Home Owners Everywhere Part One



November 24, 2010A few weekends ago my husband and I decided to finish The Molding.  The Molding is a home improvement project that we started a good 3 months ago.  When we decided to redo the kitchen floor, which we finished in about 3 days, we did not realize that redoing the kitchen floor would also require redoing the molding.  So, The Molding is that little bonus project that I am learning is a part of...

Why are exclusive buyers agents so important to negotiating the best price and terms?



November 23, 2010For the most part, when a person wants to purchase a home, the goal is to get the best possible value for their money.  Each step of the home search process ultimately affects the value of your deal, because each step ultimately affects the price of the home. For example, the time that you decide to buy affects the price of your home as market values change.  The time you decide to buy also...

buyer’s agents Help Buyers Find the Right Home



November 22, 2010According to the National Association of Realtors survey of home buyers that purchased a home within the last year, 88% worked with a realtor to purchase their home.  Home buyers reported that the two most important things that the realtor helped them do were find the right home, and negotiate sales price and terms. Why is working with an exclusive buyers agent so important to finding the right...

Home Sellers See Equity Gain of 24-40%



November 17, 2010In the real estate race, the tortoise wins, not the hare, according to the National Association of Realtors consumer study released on November 5, 2010.  Homeowners that lived in their homes for a longer period of time made a greater return on their investment.   In other words, home buyers should consider it a long term investment, not a quick turn-around.  Long term home owners are still...

Home Buying Basics: Pre-Qualification and Pre-Approval



November 15, 2010What is pre-qualification? Pre-qualification is the first step towards securing a loan.  Typically, the pre-qualification process is a phone interview with a lender, but some lenders allow you to submit information online.  The lender is gathering information about your financial status to make a tentative decision about whether or not they will loan you money.  They will ask about your...

Boulder: A Premium College Town



November 15, 2010Boulder is the fourth most expensive college town to live in according to a report released by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC this week. The first three most expensive cities were Palo Alto, California with Stanford University, Honolulu Hawaii with University of Hawaii, and Los Angeles with University of California. The average home listing price in Boulder for 2010 was $791,877. What makes...

Equity, Appreciation and Tax Savings Anyone?



November 10, 2010One of the primary benefits of home ownership is financial.   Buying a house is an investment.  According to Wikipedia, “Investment is putting money into something with the hope of profit.”    I appreciate the honesty of this definition.  There is some hope involved.  Most investments are not a sure thing.  Let’s take a look at the basics of a real estate investment. Equity For a...