home buyer: Buyers Say "No" to HOAs
- 07/30/11 03:20 PM
This was the feedback from an agent who showed one of my listings this week: Stephanie, we ended up not looking at this home. Buyers don't want to be in a neighborhood with HOA where they have to pay the fee and are so restricted. Surprising? Not really. Lately I'm hearing the same thing from the buyers I'm working with. Whether they've had a firsthand negative experience with a neighborhood HOA (Home Owner's Association) or they've heard horror stories at work and from friends, HOAs are fast becoming the least desirable "feature" for today's home buyers. What once seemed like a … (10 comments)
home buyer: New Video Series: Home Buyer Basics
- 12/31/10 05:10 AM
There are a handful of questions that come up consistently when I’m counseling home buyers. The process of buying a house can be very overwhelming. Terms like earnest money and down payment get confused with each other, and the time line can sometimes seem impossible. I’ve taken a few of the common questions I get from home buyers and started a new video series, called Home Buyer Basics. This video series will be a great resource for anyone thinking of buying a house. The idea is that one specific question about the home buying process will be answered with each short, … (4 comments)
home buyer: The Clock is Ticking for Home Buyer Tax Incentives
- 01/17/10 11:20 AM
Last November Congress passed The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act, which extended the $8000 tax credit for first-time home buyers and expanded the credit to include $6500 for qualifying repeat home buyers. The new deadline for the tax credits is April 30, 2010 for a contract; June 30, 2010 for closing. That means you must have a contract written and ACCEPTED by the seller on the house you want to buy no later than April 30. The sale must be COMPLETED by June 30. Claim the tax credit when you file your 2009 taxes if you close before you file, … (3 comments)
home buyer: Banks Write Their OWN Rules
- 04/07/09 04:09 AM
Last week I helped my buyer client write an offer on a bank-owned, foreclosed property. We set the expiration of the offer at 5:00 Friday afternoon (last Friday). We wrote the offer on Tuesday (last Tuesday). The bank set the listing price. The bank should know what they are willing to accept for the property, right? This is not a short sale, so there should be MUCH LESS red tape to cut through to get the ball rolling, right? That was my thinking when we wrote the offer. Well, here it is, Tuesday, seven days after we made the offer. Two … (5 comments)
home buyer: Time to BUY and REFI with Rates at 4.78%
- 04/07/09 02:56 AM
Are you waiting for the market to bottom out? What will you do if the interest rates shoot up as prices fall? Will you really be able to take advantage of the lowest prices if the money you have to borrow for the house costs more? The Washington Post today reported that mortgage rates are at their lowest rate on record for the second consecutive week. (See the article: http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=62841288842&h=2Itbj&u=cBrXG&ref=mf) But while the real estate market has definitely picked up in the last 30 days with activity from first-time home buyers, move-up buyers are still sitting on the fence, waiting for … (0 comments)
home buyer: 2009 Stimulus and First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit
- 02/20/09 07:55 AM
The stimulus plan signed into law by President Obama this week contains several provisions to prop up the ailing housing market. One of the most talked about is the $8000 tax credit for first-time home buyers. Click here to download a quick fact sheet created by the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors® (CTAR) with information about what it is and who qualifies for it. If you have any questions or would like to know more, call me at 843.574.3193. I will do my best to help. … (0 comments)
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This was the feedback from an agent who showed one of my listings this week:
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