Category Archives: Real Estate Tips

Preparing your home for sale can be a very stressful time as you get ready for your life’s next chapter. You will want to be sure that you cover the basics by decluttering, deep cleaning and staging your home. However, it is possible to do too much with your home. Here is some advice on things to avoid when you list your home for sale.  Do not over-improve To get top dollar it is important that your home be updated with things like flooring, modern appliances and fixing any glaring repairs that are necessary. However, there is a point when you don’t want to overdo it. For example, you might not want to install a wall of built-in floor to Read More »

Moving can be an undertaking and sometimes stressful even if you are super organized. While there is no way to totally remove any of the stress, there are some tricks you can do to make the process go smoother. Here are some tips: Create a checklist Creating a list of to dos will help quantify all that is needed to be done and will help you stay on schedule. This should include things like packing, cleaning, setting up utilities, scheduling movers, etc. Put things in order so you can process each step in an organized way. Change address early on Doing this early on will help you stay organized and avoid missing any late payments or snafus. It is a Read More »

As much as we all dread making those monthly mortgage payments, one way to think of them is paying towards your future in the way of equity. Simply stated, equity is the cash you can access as you accrue it. If you are looking to renovate a property or maybe even pay off some high interest credit card debt, equity can be an amazing way to get some quick cash into your pocket. Here is some more information about home equity, what it is and how to use it. What is home equity When talking about real estate, equity refers to the ownership of a home. So even though you legally may own the home, you only have all of Read More »

There are many things that go into the purchase of a new home. Most everyone knows that there is a necessary down payment to save up for other than the obvious purchase price that needs to fall into your budget. Here are 10 costs that you should be aware of when you buy your home.  Earnest money When you put your best foot forward during the offer process your “earnest” money is the purchase commitment. Typically 1 or 2% of the purchase price is standard for most areas.  Escrow account An escrow account is how your mortgage company makes sure you have necessary funds to cover related taxes and mortgage insurance. This is more common for loans with less than Read More »

Despite it being a common thing not everybody knows just how long the homebuying process can take. As there are many different parts that go into the preparations and process, there can be select variables that can make it take longer for some than others. Here is a closer look at the timeline of what needs to be done. Steps of Home Buying  Search – This step in the process can be most fun but really vary and can take longer these days given the extreme lack of inventory. However, the average person usually takes a couple of months of searching properties that come available and fall within their criteria.  Offer – Once you have found the home of interest Read More »

There are many benefits of investing in real estate, perhaps even more than one thinks. So if you are considering a purchase in real estate soon, here are some of the best benefits of investing in your next property. Equity One of the most straightforward ways to pump up your wealth is when you make each of your mortgage payments. As time goes on, your property appreciates and the more equity you build. Diverse Portfolio It is always wise to diversify your portfolio. Instead of putting all of your eggs in one basket, invest in real estate so that not all of your money is in stocks or funds of the same nature. Inflation Safeguard Inflation can make one nervous Read More »