What To Do If You Don’t Have Credit & Want To Buy A Home
Occasionally, I get a call or meet with a client who doesn’t have any credit established. There are several reasons for this, either they are young and just haven’t had enough time to establish credit or they pay everything in cash. Either way, this makes it difficult when applying for a loan. I came across [...]
How Accurate Are Zillow’s Zestimates?
A whopping 55% of all home buyers visit Zillow each month. Zillow offers a user friendly site to search for homes for sale and to see what homes in the area have sold for. While on the site, many home buyers take a look at the Zestimate listed to get an idea of the home’s [...]
Tampa Bay Builders Are Going Green
Florida builders are catching onto the green trend. Five years ago you could hardly find a builder who would use double pane windows. Today, almost all have made the switch and some have even gone so far as to get green certified. Some of the eco-friendly features you will find in homes being built in [...]
7 Steps to Buying Your First Home
The home buying process can overwhelming for the first time home buyer. By following these 7 steps to buying your first home, your home buying experience will be a bit easier and definitely less overwhelming. Hire A Realtor – If you’re new to the area or just unfamiliar with the communities, this will save you [...]
Differences Between Buying a Foreclosure vs a Regular Sale
There are lots of bank owned foreclosures on the market in Tampa Bay but you may have reservations about making an offer on one. While buying a foreclosure is slightly different than buying a regular home, it may be worth it. Bank owned homes are typically 10-15% below market and with knowledge of the process [...]
Importance of Title Insurance
If you’ve ever bought a home, you’ve probably noticed a fee on the HUD for title insurance. Most people don’t have a clue what it is or why your lender requires it. Title insurance protects the buyer and their lender against loss arising from problems connected to the title. As a home is bought and [...]
3 Good Reasons to Love Real Estate
This being Valentine’s Day we thought it appropriate to focus on what there is to love about real estate. We came across the following information in a recent issue of SmartMoney Magazine. You may find it useful in motivating your buyers to make their move now. 1. Smart people are buying real estate. Last fall [...]
Negotiating? Don’t post it on social media.
I just read an interesting article about a couple who cost themselves quite a bit of money for posting too much information. Who would have ever thought a social media site could cost you while you’re negotiating on a house?
New Home Buyer Tax?
Beginning September 7th, the cost of mortgage insurance on FHA loans will be increasing. FHA loans only require 3.5% down payment which makes them a preferred loan for most first time home buyers. To avoid the increased mortgage insurance and higher mortgage payment, you must have your FHA case number assigned prior to this change. [...]
Investors Are Back! Why Is That A Good Thing?
If you ask most people, they’ll tell you that investors drove prices up and caused the housing boom. Well, that’s sort of correct. At the beginning of the housing boom investors were purchasing properties and making wise business decisions, and then the “get rich quick” amateurs came in. These are the people who saw the [...]