home buying: Home Warranties: Buying Tips from an Expert - 03/29/18 10:36 AM
If you haven’t come across the term “home warranty” don’t worry, most Americans haven’t. While home warranties are definitely picking up in popularity, led by American Home Shield’s impressive $1bn annually, this service is a drop in a water of the world’s most advanced and active real estate market in the world. Unlike homeowner’s insurance, if the property owner uses mortgage financing, home warranties are not a necessity. It’s a type of a service agreement that fits some type of customers and is completely useless for others. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty and explain what home warranties are about. The … (2 comments)

home buying: 7 Steps to Take Before You Buy a Home - 07/07/16 01:09 AM
Originally posted by houselogic.By doing your homework before you buy, you'll feel more content about your new home.
Most potential home buyers are a smidge daunted by the fact that they're about to agree to a hefty mortgage that they'll be paying for the next few decades. The best way to relieve that anxiety is to be confident you're purchasing the best home at a price you can afford with the most favorable financing. These seven steps will help you make smart decisions about your biggest purchase.
Most potential home buyers are a smidge daunted by the fact that they're about to agree to … (0 comments)

home buying: 5 Reasons to Hire Michelle Haverstick, Your Real Estate Agent - 11/13/14 11:09 PM

My Promise
Your happiness is far more important than any sale.

 
Diversified
Michelle harbors a vast amount of knowledge in real estate, inspections and finance. This diversity allows her to see a larger picture beyond the scope of real estate alone.

 
Insight
Having   been inside countless homes, Michelle developed an insight into what buyers are drawn to and what seller can do to accommodate for those needs. Trends shifts and change over time. 
The regularity of Michelle’s interaction with the market allow her to see the patterns. 
 
Realist
Authenticity, realistic expectations, and a no-nonsense approach are all … (1 comments)

home buying: Respect and Remembrance in Real Estate - 11/11/14 03:12 AM
VA Loan Overview

The VA Loan program is designed to help (DD214 approved) service members, Veterans, and eligible surviving spouses become homeowners by means of buying, building, repairing, retaining, or adapting a home for your own personal occupancy.
A Home Loans are provided by private lenders, such as banks and mortgage companies. VA guarantees a portion of the loan, enabling the lender to provide you with more favorable terms. (SOURCE)
The outcome is a reasonable and valuable loan package.
PROs: 
No down payment mitigating the stressful costs involved with closing on a home. Interest rates are competitive and more likely … (4 comments)

home buying: 5 Reasons to Hire JR Tonjum, Your Real Estate Agent - 11/05/14 12:18 AM

MY PLEDGE: As an Agent, I pledge to serve my clients with honesty, dedication and enthusiasm.
 
 
FOR BUYERS: Initially living in Bozeman, and ultimately purchasing a horse property in the surrounding area, J.R. has knowledge of both Bozeman and the quaint towns and communities in the Gallatin Valley.
 
FOR SELLERS: As a listing agent, J.R.'s homes have sold at a higher percentage of list price than the average home sales in the Gallatin Associate of Realtors area. Let J.R. market and showcase your home to potential buyers and sell your home faster!
 
RELOCATION KNOWLEDGE: J.R. relocated from Georgia in 2007 … (1 comments)

home buying: Why List Your Home This Fall/Winter? - 10/08/14 12:29 AM
Many people think the real estate market freezes over as the weather gets colder. Truth is, the fall and winter months provide unique advantages that can actually assist in the selling of your home! Listen to learn more…
 

 
Greater Number of Serious Buyers Looking
During the fall and winter months, you find only serious home buyers previewing homes. They people who really need to buy now, and are willing to go above and beyond to find a home. They often have a pressing need to close quickly and move in soon due to a job relocation or major life change. Also, … (2 comments)

home buying: Branding Promise :HOMES: Your Dream. Our Passion. - 09/24/14 01:14 AM
The first week of fall brings with it the tiding of change. Each morning, Bozemanites are reminded that it is time to start changing over the tires, wintering the pipes and gathering the fire wood. The change means something unique to us here at Bozeman Montana Real Estate.net. In an effort on continually improve and adapt to the world of branding and marketing, we adopted a new business promise.

 
Our prior team promise was 'Team Service Above Expectation.'

The team-centric focus of our office certainly makes that statement true no matter was clients’ expectations are. Our model allows … (1 comments)

home buying: Understanding Where You Fit In the Home Buying Process - 08/07/14 01:00 AM
There are now 5 phases home buyers are using when purchasing a home.   From start to finish these phases can take up to 30 months.
 

Consideration – this is the time that you will want to build a foundation for the long term relationship.  Leads in this stage are just thinking about buying, they will start noticing real estate news and info as well as asking family and friends.  They will also start “looking” online.  This phase can last up to the 16th months.
 

Online Research – this is when the home buyers start researching online to … (1 comments)

home buying: Common Credit Card Errors: Monetary News and Tips - 07/30/14 06:40 AM
Here are a few credit card errors that can happen and what you can do to recover.
Missed Credit Card Payment – contact your credit card company as soon as you realize that your payment is late and make the payment.  The credit card company doesn’t report a late payment until the payment is 30+ days past due. Going Over Your Credit Limit – You should work on paying down the balance.  The ideal ratio of available credit to balance is about 30%.  Make sure you have opted into allowing your credit card company to approve purchases over your credit limit.  … (3 comments)

home buying: How Much Home Can My Money Buy? - 04/24/14 06:29 AM
In January 2014, the average American home was $322,800.
How much does $322,800 but you in Bozeman, Montana?

How much does $322,800 but you in Three Forks, Montana?

How much does $322,800 but you in Belgrade, Montana?

 
Now, let’s take a look at getting the  for your buck…
 
 
Method I: Calculating Cost per Square Footage of the home you are seeking to buy. Square Footage Cost Formula:
Total Square Footage = Length x Width
Total Cost = Length x Width x Cost per Square Foot
Cost per Square Footage is a quantitative approach … (1 comments)

home buying: Home Buyer and Home Seller Advice in a Recoverying Real Estate Market - 07/03/13 02:34 AM
Buyers:
Listings are moving quickly. Too quickly for some sellers in fact. As a non-monetary perk for an offer, there are options like a seller’s residential lease that will allow a home to close quickly as the buyer would like to see, but the seller will not get cold feet from their home selling too quickly and they can have the 60-90 days to plan what their next step is.
Move with certainty. Enter into a deal at your max, no lower and no higher. No lower because although it gives you negotiating power, multiple offers may mean you put … (2 comments)

home buying: Gallatin Valley Active Foreclosures and Short Sales: February 22, 2013 - 02/22/13 01:15 AM

Active Foreclosures in Bozeman, Belgrade, Manhattan, Dillon
Three Forks, & Big Sky! Thursday, February 21, 2013
The following links are for the current FORECLOSED HOMESin the Gallatin Valley.  They are usually priced well and most do not stay on the market for long.  Take a look, find your favorite, then call to schedule your appointment to see them!
Bozeman Montana Foreclosures
Belgrade Montana Foreclosures
Manhattan Montana Foreclosures
Three Forks Montana Foreclosures
Dillon/Madison County Montana Foreclosures
 
These links are the SHORT SALE HOMES that are available presently.  If you do not know the details for purchasing a short sale home, … (0 comments)

home buying: Today's Real Estate: It's A Race to the Finish Line - 06/14/12 11:37 PM
Real Estate always has its challenges. When it is doing poorly, buyers are struggling to finance their dream. When news turns positive, like in today’s market, when even with the market getting healthier by the day, the challenge is now high competition. A shortage of good homes in a market that is primed for buyers leads to intense multiple off situations in nearly every transaction.
“Would-be buyers are packing open houses and scrambling to make offers on properties before they are even listed. Bidding wars are erupting. And real estate agents are vying fiercely to represent the few sellers that … (0 comments)

home buying: What Importance Does it Make To Know The Sellers? - 06/12/12 06:31 AM
 
     
After all the stress of buying a home, once you have found ‘the one’ does it really matter what you know about the prior owners of your soon-to-be home? Understanding the seller’s situation, why they have put their home on the market, and details like this may come back to be beneficial to you when it comes to negotiations in this multiple offer market we are in today.
The most helpful and non-offensive question a buyer can ask is simple: Why are they moving? It can be a snowball from there. Job transfer, divorce, death in the family, just … (3 comments)

home buying: $500 Home Buyer Credit!! - 06/11/12 01:08 AM
Freddie Mac is offering up to a $500 home warranty credit to its homebuyers. A home warranty gives buyers the peace of mind that if unexpected repair costs arise, they are covered. Real estate transactions will take on a new air of confidence due to the greater amount of client protection.
AVAILABILITY: This credit is only available for owner occupied offers on Freddie Mac properties.
One of America’s leading home warranty providers, American Home Shield, gives their opinion on Freddie Mac’s move: “Home warranties like American Home Shield’s Home Protection Plans are a great way to help minimize risk, … (0 comments)

home buying: Simple Rules For The Real Estate Market - 05/09/12 12:53 AM
Money Is  A Pre-Requisite For Buying
In order to legitimately get into the game, a cash deposit is needed. “No-money-down purchases—no way! Very little down, because you can barely afford the house to begin with―no way! No money down can immediately put you into a negative-equity position—especially in a downward-moving market. The days of 100 percent financing are long gone.” 
If You Cannot Afford It—Don’t Buy It
Everybody wants it all. Size, amenities, location, quality, ect. Tighter lending restrictions do not translate to the possibility of buying anything! Buying within your means with make your investment reasonable in the long run.
(2 comments)

home buying: How Do You Determine How Much House You Need - 04/09/12 01:47 AM
3 Steps to Help Inform Your Decision
Future: Knowing what is around the corner can help make the process of finding a home more rewarding when you don’t have to turn around and move again. It is a costly and a stressful process. Impending marriages, the addition of children, the loss of children to college, increase responsibilities of an aging parent, ect… all factor into the size/layout of the home you will buy. Handy Man: Are you okay with making the needing repairs to a home or do you stay as far away from that as possible? Depending on your … (0 comments)

home buying: The Renting/Owning Breakdown - 04/03/12 11:58 PM
Two trends we have been seeing in the market: rental prices are soaring and housing prices are declining. Many people predict it is moving more and more to a buyer’s market. In a recent study, 98 of 100 cities back up the theory that buying has the most advantages when compared to renting in the current market. Even better, the cities that are showing the boldest signs are those along the Rust Belt, the places that were hit hardest by the housing crisis.
Find how much you can afford to buy in Montana
Search For Homes In Bozeman Montana 
Contact … (3 comments)

home buying: Bozeman Montana First Time Home Buyers Classes - 02/29/12 11:08 PM
When I type ‘first time home buyers programs’ into google, some of the results are: first time buyer FHA loan, military first time buyer, first time home buyer program specialist-zero down loans, and the list goes on. Your question may be, “I am a first time home buyer. How do I take advantage of all these opportunities?” My answer is simple. Get educated on what being a homeowner is. Below are dates of classes in Bozeman, MT. If you are not from around this area, look into classes in your area. The more knowledge you have going into the process, the … (2 comments)

home buying: Home Ownership: Our Business is all about it, but WHY DOES IT MATTER? - 09/07/11 04:18 AM
 
“…the most important message of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS for 2011 is as simple as it is powerful: Home ownership matters.”
(NAR 2011 Public Awareness Campaign: www. REALTOR.ORG/homeownership)



There are five documented benefits to owning a home:

1. Stronger Families
 
2. Higher Academic Achievement
 
3. More Cohesive Communities
 
4. Improved Health and Safety

5. Stronger Economy
 
The argument has been pushed, especially in this economically hard time, that home ownership is a misrepresentation of reality.  No one can argue that a small minority of the populous buys a home when they are not financially or … (0 comments)

 
Jenifer Lower, Your Dream.  Our Passion. (Bozeman Montana Real Estate .net)

Jenifer Lower

Your Dream. Our Passion.

Bozeman, MT

More about me…

Bozeman Montana Real Estate .net

Address: 2101 Durston Suite #4, Bozeman, MT, 59718

Office: (406) 556-7188

Mobile: (406) 209-0022



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