Your home is your castle, truer words have never been spoken. You may own a 1,000 square foot modest townhouse, but it is yours. It may not be fancy, but it provides shelter, memories and a place for family. Then why do people treat a home as if we were buying a coat, chair, couch or some other simple purchase? Why do people look for ways to save money, instead of ways to ensure they are getting the best representation to purchase their castle? Read the rest of this entry »
When buying a home the appraisal contingency addendum in a sales contract says the home buyer has a certain number of days (the date is negotiable) to get an appraisal that is equal to or greater than the sales price in the sales contract. If the appraisal is less than the sales price the buyer can Read the rest of this entry »
Does anyone know how Realtors really get paid? I know people love to complain about Realtors and how they "get 6%" of the sales price, but that is not the whole story. It's barely any of the story. I love to beat up on any industry with grossly overpaid and inefficient workers as much as the next person, but only if it is merited. Read the rest of this entry »
When you decide to sell your home you usually think you have a fairly good idea of what its worth, after all, you live in the neighborhood! Most of us schedule appointments with three local listing agents who we know, or we have been referred to, or maybe we have been getting their marketing material in the mail. Usually each Realtor will recommend a different sales price. Sometimes those prices are close together, but usually there is one or more Realtors who give you a much higher number, that excites you, and seems to agree with what you thought your place was worth. But, if this is the case, how is it that most homes seem to sit on the market for a long time, and end up getting the price dropped one or many times? Is it just due to a slow market? But even in a slow market won't just about anything sell if its priced right? The problem is most of us are convinced our house is worth more than all of our neighbors, for varied reasons. Read the rest of this entry »