Home Buyers
Financing
The most important thing to do when buying your first or upgrading your home is to get the financing process started before even looking at houses.  In today's market, sellers are requiring pre-approval letters to accompany the offer. Getting pre-approval and knowing exactly how much your budget will allow for the purchase of a new home will give you and your realtor a good starting point when looking at houses as well as put you in a more comfortable negotiating position knowing the funds are there.

There are many good banks and mortgage companies out there to assist you with the multiple mortgage programs such as FHA, VA, Conventional Loans (Fixed Rate, Balloon Rate, 100% Financing, ARMS, etc).  Ask yourself a few questions before you meet with a broker such as how long do you think you'll own the home, what direction interest rates are going, is your income expected to change in the near future, how much are you comfortable with paying monthly including mortgage, interest, taxes and insurance?  All of these items are things to consider when applying for a mortgage loan program best suited for your needs and goals.

Remember to bring the following items when applying for a mortgage:

• Two most recent pay stubs
• W-2's for the last two years
• Federal tax returns for the last two years
• Last two months' bank statements
• Long term debt information (credit cards, child support, auto loans, installment debt, etc.)

Searching for a Home
Let your realtor know what features are important to you:

• Number of bedrooms and baths
• Formal living and dining room
• Great room plan
• Swimming pool
• Fenced yard
• Property on water
• Proximity to school and work
• Living area square footage

The more your realtor knows the better they can serve your needs of finding the right home for you.  Call or email and ask for the  Home Buyers Guide.

Home Sellers

Your home is one of your most valuable assets.  When sellers are looking for assistance in marketing their home, they want a professional who will:

• Get the best price and terms attainable for their property.
• Sell in the shortest possible time.
• Manage all the details
• Frequently communicate to keep clients informed through the whole home sales process.
• Show evidence that your representative is working diligently on your behalf

I work by the same standards that I list here.  It is simply the services I would want if I were selling a home.

Here are some valuable tips to consider when selling your home:

1. Why are you selling?  Your motivation to sell will determine how you approach the whole process.  Get a good home evaluation done and consider your asking price.  What is your priority? To maximize your profit and leave on the market longer or price closer to market value to sell quickly.

2. Appearance matters – it is critical to the sale of your home.  Prospective buyers react to what they see, hear, feel and smell.  Make your home marketable by cleaning and making it sparkle as well as fixing everything.  Get rid of clutter and pack away all the knick-knacks.  Prospective buyers need to visualize themselves in your home.  Make it warm and inviting.

3. Odors can be deal killers.  You may not realize it, but when prospective buyers come into your home and smell traces of food, pets and smoke, it can kill a deal.  They'll start to see stains and other items that might not even exist.

4. Qualify your buyers.  Have the potential buyers already been to the bank or mortgage broker and been pre-approved?  Their realtor should give you as much information as they can when making the offer.  Ask for a pre-approval letter when offer is being submitted.  The buyer should also provide a mortgage commitment letter in a timely manner as well once a deal has been reached.

There is more information that I would be happy to provide to both buyers and sellers when it comes to purchasing real estate.  Give me a call at 239-292-6476 or send me an email with your questions and request.