Category Archives: Buying a Home

Just like many areas of life, the housing market is subject to trends.  If your home happens to have a feature that’s one of the hottest trends, it’s likely to sell very easily and for your asking price or even higher.  If it has a trend that’s out, it may be more difficult to sell.  Here are a few different home features that were hot for a time but have now cooled off.  Many are seen as luxuries in a […]

There are many lending institutions out there that will provide you with a loan that meets your needs, your budget, and your timetable.  However, there are also some unscrupulous lenders out there who will try to take advantage of you.  These lenders will target the elderly, those with credit problems, and those who don’t make a lot of money by tempting them with the prospect of home ownership.  However, as with anything that’s sounds too good, these loans always come […]

When many people think of buying a luxury home, they picture a mansion with a huge swimming pool and dozens of bathrooms. They may also hire a shower installation company to put an elegant shower in their bathroom. Today, luxury real estate has been redefined. Yes, many people still want the large mansion, but more and more people are looking at smaller properties that have specific appeal to them. To ensure that your new frameless glass shower remains in top […]

As a seller, one of the most exciting things you can hear is that someone has made an offer on your house.  This is especially true if you’ve been on the market for several months without a lot of interest.  But once you’ve finished letting out that sigh of relief or jumping up and down, it’s time to actually take a look at the offer. Your agent will most likely want to meet in person to discuss the offer because […]

In a perfect world, you’d put a bid out on your dream house, the seller would accept, and everything would be great.  Even if you and the seller had to go back and forth a bit, you’d still end up with a great house.  But more and more, especially when it’s a seller’s market, people end up in bidding wars with other potential buyers.  What can you do if you get caught up fighting for a property?  Here are a […]

When shopping for a house, you may come across a few properties that your Realtor tells you have contingency offers on them.  What does that mean?  Basically, it means that a buyer has made an offer on the property and the seller has accepted it, but before everything is finalized and the sale actually takes place, certain criteria have to be met. Contingencies are generally to allow the prospective purchaser to get their home sold, the buyers mortgage hasn’t officially […]

You’ve found your dream home.  You’ve made an offer and it has been accepted.  Now you’re just a few days out from the closing.  Then the call comes in.  For whatever reason, your financing didn’t go through.  Now it looks like the house you’ve always wanted is lost!  What can you do if your financing falls through at the last minute? First of all, do everything you can to make sure you’re never in this position.  This is one of […]

While some first time home buyers are couples who have chosen not to marry, and others are not able to legally marry, still others have just gotten married and haven’t started a family yet, there are many families with one or more children who are looking to purchase a house.  These families will have slightly different priorities than families without children.  If you’re in the market for a house and have children, you’ll need to keep these things in mind: […]

When you set out to buy a house, you might want to see every home you come across.  However, that’s not really practical.  Even with a realtor helping you, you may still end up with a huge list of houses you want to take a look at.  Some people start out looking at one or two homes, but by the time they settle on one, they’ve been inside dozens. The problem really only comes when you’ve found two or three […]

If you’re looking for a new home, especially if you’re a first-time homebuyer, you may not know exactly what you want.  Buying a home in a huge investment, though, and once purchased, it’s not like you can simply return it or trade it in like a used car.  Selling a house takes a good amount of effort, time, and even money, so you need to make certain the house you buy meets your needs.  Many first-time homebuyers end up selling […]