Great Tips to Close the Deal

In our market, competition for buyers is high and sometimes the seller may need to look at sweetening the pot, so to speak, to get the deal done.  Sellers often ask me what they can do to help make their home stand out among the sea of homes currently listed. The following are five creative ideas that I believe might just help close the deal.

Foreclosed Homes Trouble Spots

Buying a Foreclosed Home? Top Problem Areas to Look Out For
Today's real estate landscape offers some great buys for savvy real estate consumers, especially when it comes to foreclosure properties. Unfortunately, even though there are already a large number of foreclosures on the market, analysts are predicting that yet another wave of distressed properties will crop up in the coming months.

I've consulted with many clients seeking to capitalize on a foreclosure purchase. I always advise them, however, to weigh the pros and cons. While a foreclosure could represent your best chance to get a great deal, make sure you educate yourself about the potential pitfalls of purchasing a distressed property in advance - and what correcting those pitfalls might cost. In most cases, it's not so much about what damage occurred but rather the source of the damage and how long before the problem was addressed.
Here are the top 10 signs that may indicate trouble in a foreclosed home:

Mortgage Factors When Buyng a Home

While many great deals exist in today's real estate market, securing the optimal mortgage is a critical part of your home purchase decision.  The most important things to take into consideration are: interest rate, points, mortgage type, closing costs and fees, and down payment and mortgage insurance. Here’s a closer look at each:

Tips for Buying a Luxury Home

Despite the doom and gloom the media portrays regarding today’s real estate market, several unique opportunities exist for home buyers, in particular, luxury home buyers.

While home prices across the country have dropped or stabilized to varying degrees, according to my colleagues in the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, luxury home prices have been slashed, in many cases, as the market for such high-end properties has dwindled in challenging economic times. This presents a great opportunity, for those who have the financial resources, to purchase a luxury home that might have been completely out of their range six years ago.

Purchasing a luxury property, however, is unlike a standard home purchase. I advise all my luxury-home clients to consider the following before embarking on their search:

Looking for a Summer Remodeling Project? These Tips Might Help

Other than vacations, summer is the time of the year most popular for home improvement. The long days and warm, sunny weather make a great time to work on repairs and renovations without much of the hassles and delays that rain and other elements bring.  I have years of experience and understand how taking on a remodeling project is beneficial to you, both now and then later down the road should you choose to sell.

For these reasons and more, a good number of homeowners undertake home improvement projects, especially during the summer.

Following are tips and projects—both large and small—for homeowners looking to spruce their homes up this summer.

Simple Ideas to Go Green and Save Money!

First-Time Home Buyers: What You Need to Know Before Starting Your Home Search

With historically low interest rates persevering and prices starting to creep back up, more and more renters are grappling with the question of whether to buy now or keep renting.  I can confidently tell you, yes! Now is a very opportune time to purchase your first home.

First-time home buyers across the country have taken advantage of today’s market conditions to go from renter to homeowner. That said, the ability to move into homeownership is very dependent upon the overall health of your finances. Buying a home not only takes having the necessary cash on hand for the deposit and closing costs, but also the financial wherewithal to convince a bank to lend you 80% or more of the purchase price in the form of a long-term mortgage.

Here are some other important points to be aware of before embarking on a home purchase: