Cathy Starkweather's (cathy_starkweather) Blog

Once all the buyers funds are received and cleared by the title company and you have a final HUD or closing statement, the title company will usually issue a check or wire to your account within 24 hours.

Be sure you've given your Realtor the following prior to showing to make the process smooth:1. Provide your Realtor with a contact phone number. If you are not on time, your Realtor should be able to reach you in case you are lost or if there are other issues. Especially if you have a preset appo...

 In 2013, HOA and Club fees increased... however, more services are included such as basic internet and a basic phone line.  HOA fee for the Regal Palms Resort is $210/month + a Regal Palms Club fee of $315/month.  The HOA fee includes: Ground maintenance of common grounds and around townhomes, b...

I specialize in Regal Palms among many others in the area. Regal Palms is a nice community for the price point, however you shouldn't rely on a property manage to turn a strong ROI here. What you're hoping for is to cover your running costs and use the property yourself for friends and family. De...

The reason why it's difficult to answer this dynamic question if because there could be many variables which could cause the price to be adjusted. Here are a couple: 1. If there are repairs needed that weren't evident originally, the lender may decide to take the home off the market while the rep...

Property tax for foreign nationals are exactly the same as property tax for US residents. Property tax in Florida is based on property value as assessed by the county. You can look up a property tax amount yourself by visiting the county Tax Appraisers office and looking at tax records.However, U...

The earnest money deposit is the deposit of good faith from the buyer to the seller. When making an offer, a deposit is required immediatly after the contract is executed (fully signed by seller and buyer). In many cases 3-5% is sufficient and sometimes banks require 10%, In a traditional sale th...

Yes, proof of funds is required by the seller and is to be presented with the offer so you should be prepared with documents having the portion of your purchase which is cash and if financing a pre-approval letter from a lender. For the cash portion, a certified letter from your bank or copy of y...

There are many factors you should share with your Realtor to ensure he/she is focused on what is appealing to you.  Some questions to ask yourself and share the answers with your Realtor are: What size (number of bed/baths), type of home (condo/townhome/detached home) are you looking for?  If det...