Stay On Track During Home Walk Throughs With Buyers Agent



April 18, 2012Stay informed and don't rely on your emotions. Buying a home is an emotional experience, and you want to LOVE the home you purchase.  But, it’s also an enormous investment and making an emotional decision can be disastrous, or at the very least, a waste of money.   Shopping is naturally an emotional experience, and working with a buyer's agent can protect you from making a bad decision...

Why Work with a Buyers Agent (Besides Saving Money)?



April 16, 2012This morning I was going to write another blog about the ways our buyer’s agent saved us money- preventing us from making bad deals, helping us find good ones, pointing out significant structural damage or repairs before we got to the inspection phase (or worse, ownership phase), and using his experience to recommend special inspections that were unusual but helpful in our area (sewer line...

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...

Everything You Wish You Knew BEFORE Calling a Listing Agent



October 22, 2010I am interested in a home I found online.  Should I call the listing agent and set up a viewing? Nowadays, many home buyers begin their home search from the comfort of their own home using online home search tools.  These sites also conveniently provide the contact information of the listing agent so that you can schedule a home viewing. What the sites conveniently don’t tell you (and...

Home Buyer Tip: Don’t buy the most expensive home in the neighborhood



October 18, 2010Buying your home is a large financial investment, maybe even the largest one your family will make. As a home buyer, you want to get the most value for your money.   If your primary motive for purchasing the home is to sell it and make a return, this tip is for you. Room to be Promoted Location, location, location:  The most important rule in Real Estate.  Everyone knows that the location...

Investment Opportunity, Look at Fannie Mae



October 8, 2010Who's Afraid Of Fannie Mae? This weekend the Denver Post featured an article about possible “good deals” of buying a Fannie Mae home.  It explained that they can be offered at a considerable discount because Fannie Mae is trying to unload a large supply of foreclosed homes.  For anyone searching to get that “good deal”, this is certainly interesting. Good deals come at a cost,...

Establishing Your Home Budget is a Delicate Balance.



September 25, 2010Recently, we talked about an important home buyers tip: carefully planning for your future so that you find the perfect home to fit your needs. Let’s revisit the subject by taking a look at why people chose to move, and what the potential downside is to moving to early. The three most common reasons to move are: “moving up”, family, and work. According to the Current Population Survey,...