Month: July 2017

If you bought a home recently, it may already have increased in value. Equity growth goes hand-in-hand with pride of ownership (and fun stuff like tax breaks) when it comes to homebuyer goals, so say a big, “Yay!” “Nearly 91,000 homeowners regained equity in the first quarter of 2017, according to real estate data firm CoreLogic’s latest housing report, said Realtor.com. “Since the end of the most recent housing crisis, 9 million owners in total have regained equity, the report notes. About 63 percent of all homeowners have seen their equity increase since the first quarter of 2016, with...

Resistance to change is common for buyers and sellers. This may seem surprising since both buying and selling mean seeking out a move with many related changes, but resistance is common none the less. Buying and selling real estate involve many complex decisions packed full of real estate terminology, all of which are new territory for most buyers and sellers. Add the pressure of time-sensitive decisions and the stress of dealing with huge amounts of money (much of it borrowed) and most buyers and sellers are way out of their comfort zones. Does resistance in buyers and sellers make more...

Brokers share their listings with other brokers in the multiple listing service (MLS) under certain rules of cooperation and compensation. One of the rules of cooperation is that each broker and agent make a new listings available to other MLS members within 24 or 48 hours of signing the listing agreement with the seller. This is to give you, the seller, the greatest chance of selling your home during the first two weeks of marketing. This critical two-week period is your best opportunity to sell your home. Several key events happen quickly: Your home will be entered into the...

Summer is the perfect time of year to be outside with family and friends. The cold weather, snow and rain are gone, and you see bright, sunny days ahead of you. If you’re getting ready for a season full of pool parties and barbecues, here’s everything you need to make your patio look great: Update Your Furniture It’s a new season with new trends, so you might be in the market for new patio furniture, or your old furniture just needs some updating. Chances are your cushions and pillows are looking faded, worn out and tattered from last year,...

“I can’t wait to move!” How often do you hear someone say that? What they mean is they can’t wait to be in their new place, all unpacked and organized and enjoying their new surroundings. What they don’t mean is, “I can’t wait to spend a month packing up everything I own and hauling it into a truck we’re going to drive across country when I’ve never driven anything larger than a mid-sized sedan, only to have to haul it all out, and into that new house. The new house that has two flights of stairs and narrow hallways....

You’ve done the work to clean up your credit score, scrape together a down payment and pry a preapproval letter from your mortgage lender. Cheers! Getting preapproved is a smart move, especially in a seller’s market characterized by tight inventories and, in some regions, bidding wars. Having a lender’s letter in hand signals to sellers that you’re a legit buyer whose offer merits serious consideration. Even so, a preapproval letter is just a conditional commitment. It can be withdrawn if your financial situation changes in a way that makes your lender nervous. The best advice? “Maintain the status quo,”...