We got through the home inspection, that was intense. What’s next? Why, title and appraisal of course! We are in the home stretch; you can do this. As the lender is finalizing the mortgage, they are doing a little bit more digging: appraisal to confirm the value, survey to confirm the boundaries, title to verify ownership, and title insurance. Appraisers will look at the home and comps to determine what they think the home is worth and relay this to you and the lender. The lender will only write a loan for the home’s appraised value, so if there is a difference between selling price and appraisal price-buyer and seller have to come together to cover the gap. Therefore, it is important to create a win-win situation, both parties have to work together at times. Survey is to determine where the homes boundaries are and are not. You would be surprised how many times a neighbor’s fence may be on your property due to boundaries of each property being forgotten over time and various homeo...

So by now, you have found your house and have reached an initial agreement with the seller. To close the deal though, you must remove contingencies. But how do you feel comfortable enough to remove them? You do due diligence. If you discover a reason you should not be purchasing this house in doing due diligence, you are saving yourself a lot of heartache and money and removing yourself from the transaction while you are still able to. One of your first major inquiries will be for: homeowners insurance and property inspections. While this may cause another round of negotiations-these steps are to protect you the buyer. In regards to your home owners insurance policy, here are some things to think about: 1.       How much coverage do you need? 2.       Replacement cost or actual cash value? 3.       What the named and unnamed perils? 4.       Do you need personal property ins...

That house you just walked through was perfect. In some ways you were compromising with it, but it hit all the major points and in that corner the L shaped couch is going to be placed. And think of all those boxes you are going to have to get. But before we start talking boxes, we need to put an offer. When writing an offer, make it a strong one. Also remember, you were thinking with your heart before-think with your head now. An offer can be broken down into three things: Price, Terms, and Contingencies. In terms of price, your agent will know if it is priced well or you should be offering more based on comparables (comps). Defer to their knowledge as they are the market expert. Terms, decide what details of the transaction you would like to handle: when the deal closes, does anything stay in the house, who pays closing costs. Use this to create a win-win situation for both you the buyer and them the seller. Lastly contingencies, there are five standard contingency clauses in a rea...

Can you say open house? I can. So many open houses! So many people walking through all of your potential houses! Before we figure out what houses to look at, we need to figure out what is important to find in your home. What do you value most? 1.       What do I want my neighborhood to be like? What do I want my home to be close to? 2.       How much space do I need? What do I need space for? 3.       What is most important-location or size? 4.       Would I be interested in a flipper Upper? 5.       How important is appreciation? 6.       How important is neighborhood stability? 7.       Would I be interested in a condo? 8.       Would I be interested in new home construction? 9.       What features do I need? What amenities do I want? ...