Buying your new home is a serious venture. Your house is not just your  home, it is a serious investment in the dwelling, the area and your  future. Let me help you find your dream home!

When buying a home,  you are bound to have many questions. For example, “In what area can I  find a home that suits my needs?”, “How much money will I need to afford  the monthly payments?” and “How long will the home-buying process  take?”.

Below is some information that you might find useful in the home-buying process. 

• Pre-Qualification: Meet with a mortgage broker and your financial advisor to find out how much you can afford to pay for a home.
• Pre-Approval: While knowing how much you can afford is the first step, sellers will  be much more receptive to potential buyers who have been pre-approved.  
• List of Needs & Wants: Make two lists. The first should include items you must have (i.e., the  number of bedrooms you need for the size of your family, a one-story  house if accessibility is a factor, etc.). The second list is your  wishes, things you would like to have (pool, den, etc.) but that are not  absolutely necessary. 
• Focus & Organization: keep handy the items that will assist you in maximizing your home search efforts. Such items may include:
  • One or more detailed maps with your areas of interest highlighted.
  • A file of the properties that your agent has shown to you.
  • Paper and pen, for taking notes as you search & a measuring tape.
  • A  list of location attributes: Look at a potential property as if you are  the seller. Would a prospective buyer find it attractive based on  school district, crime rate, proximity to positive (shopping, parks,  freeway access) and negative (abandoned properties, garbage dump, source  of noise) features of the area.
• Visualize the house empty & with your decor: Are the rooms laid out to fit your needs? Is there enough light?
• Be Objective: Instead of thinking with your heart when you find a home, think with your head. Does this home really meet your needs? 
• Be Thorough: A few extra dollars well spent now may save you big expenses in the long run. Don’t forget such essentials as:
  1. Include inspection & mortgage contingencies in your written offer.
  2. Have the property inspected by a professional inspector.
  3. Request  a second walk-through to take place within 24 hours of closing so that  you can see that no changes have been made that were not agreed on  (i.e., a chandelier that you assumed came with the sale having been  replaced by a cheap ceiling light).

All of the above may seem overwhelming, so securing a Buyer’s Representative is essential for protecting your best interests. Please email me or  call me directly to discuss any of these matters in further detail.

 When selling your home, there are steps that you need to take so  that your property receives maximum exposure to attract a ready, willing  and able buyer.

The appearance of your home, a buyer’s first  impression, and other considerations can also affect the sale of your  home. Have you considered that home prices in your neighborhood and the  value of your property are also factors used for pricing your home? In  many cases you may have to bring your home to the buyer. Effective  preparation and marketing will help ensure that your home is sold in a  timely manner at the best price.

Below is some information that you might find useful in the home selling process. 

What is a CMA and why do you need one?

 CMA is real estate shorthand for “Comparative Market Analysis”.  A CMA  is a report prepared by a real estate agent providing data comparing  your property to similar properties in the marketplace.

The CMA  process takes place before your home is listed for sale. This is a good  assessment of what your house could potentially sell for. Owners who are  upgrading or remodeling can benefit from a CMA when it’s used to see if  the intended changes will “over-improve”  their property compared to  others in the neighborhood.
CMAs are not only for prospective  sellers.  Buyers should consider requesting a CMA for properties they  are seriously looking at to determine whether the asking price is a true  reflection of the current market.

Preparing to Sell Your Home

When it comes to selling your home, there’s one thing to keep in mind:  people don’t buy houses, they buy homes. Your goal is to make it easy  for potential buyers to picture themselves living in your home. The act  of grooming and decorating a house to properly showcase its features and  make it more attractive is referred to by industry experts as home  staging.
Ask us how we can help you showcase your home’s features.

The Home Sale - Securing the Deal

Ready to close the deal? Maybe not.
Sometimes unforeseeable issues  arise just prior to closing the sale. Hopefully, with negotiation, most  of these have a workable solution. By negotiating calmly and looking at  all possibilities, what could be a “deal breaker” can often be turned  into a win-win situation for both the buying and selling parties. 
When  negotiations don’t meet the expectations of both the buyer and seller,  there is more than likely a buyer who will purchase your property as is.
To  protect yourself against last minute “buyer’s remorse,” make sure the  purchase contract anticipates and closes as many loopholes as possible  after all known defects have been fully disclosed. As your real estate  agents, we will ensure that the purchase contract  represents your best  interests.