Keep Your Comments To Yourself When Touring Homes

A good rule of thumb when you’re looking at homes as a buyer and you’re walking through is to keep your thoughts and your comments to yourself until you’re out of the house and talking to your realtor. 90% of people have some sort of recording device whether that’s an Alexa, Siri HomePod, cameras, or something where they can record and listen in on any conversation. Whether or not that’s right…it doesn’t matter. It means that your sellers could be listening in and if you say something negative about the home, they could be offended and if they hear that you are falling in love with the property. They could also use that against you. So, when you’re walking through, use it to your advantage and keep your mouth shut, until you and your Realtor can debrief later.

What Do Changing Interest Rates Mean For Buyers?

The interest rates are changing on a daily basis, and they always have been. It’s just that we notice it more now, because the swings seem to be so much bigger. So what does this mean for you as a buyer, as you’re getting ready to buy a home? Well, let’s take an example. A $350,000 loan with a 1% change in interest rate will cost you a $200 difference in price. So if it goes up 1% it is $200 more for you. This doesn’t include any PMI, taxes, or anything like that. It’s just on the principal and interest. So hopefully that helps you as you get ready to plan on purchasing a home and understanding what the interest rates are doing when experts are talking about them going up or coming down. You know, exactly what that practically might mean for you.

Why Work With A Realtor® When Building A Home?

Building a home is an exciting process and you want to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible all the way through. That’s why you should work with a Realtor®. In fact, 93% of people who build a home are represented by a Realtor®. A Realtor® is going to help you negotiate with the builder, can be your advisor to make sure that you’re choosing a location that’s going to fit you, and that you’re going with a builder that’s going to match up with your needs. They’re going to know the reputations of the builder. They can help advise you on upgrades and things like the trends in the industry that they see and they can help make sure communication is happening and everything stays on track. So if you’re considering building, please also consider using a Realtor®.

The Importance Of A Local Lender

One of the first things that you want to do when you’re shopping for a new home is to talk to your lender. It won’t cost you anything and they’re going to help you understand your purchasing power, what your monthly payments might be, and the paperwork that’s going to be involved in the application, then they’re probably going to have you submit that loan application so that they can get you an actual pre approval letter so that you can be best positioned when you want to make an offer on a house. And that is one of the first things that you want to do.