barb corcoran: FOX BREAKING NEWS ON HUMPTY DUMPTY
- 09/21/10 02:53 AM
Renee Porsia, Real Estate Girl Humpty Dumpty sat on the real estate wall waiting for home prices and mortgage ratesto fall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall and "CRACKED!" All of the Realtors® and all of the lenders couldn't put Humpty together again. You see boys and girls, the moral of Humpty’s story is, because he didn't take advantage of all the great home prices and low interest rates he cracked both physically, from his fall and emotionally, due to his lollygagging and was forced to move in with his egghead parents and became a couch potato. Happy Tuesday. Renee Porsia is an Associate Real Estate Broker with RE/MAXAction Realty and published … (5 comments)
barb corcoran: Time Really Running Out For The $8000 First-Time Home Buyer Credit
- 09/17/09 10:01 AM
If you are a first-time home buyer and want to take advantage of the $8000 tax credit, this may be your last chance.The deadline to take advantage of this credit is before December 1, 2009.What does this mean to first-time home buyers? Well, it takes about 30-60 days to close on a home barring any issues that may arise. It’s now September 17, 2009. A buyer must find their home now in order to close on either October 17, 2009 or November 30, 2009. That's just a little over 60 days people. If you are someone who doesn’t like to be … (2 comments)
barb corcoran: Dual Agency, Not In Anyone's Best Interest
- 08/27/09 05:44 AM
It seems as though every time I post my professional opinion either in my own personal blog or in a public forum about how I feel about dual agency, a bunch of Realtors jump all over me because they just can't understand how a Realtor can have such an opinion. The problem is that most Realtors do not actually understand what dual agency really is or the consequences thereof. Dual agency is very complicated so it is easy to see how most Realtors wouldn't understand it however due to their lack of understanding, it hurts consumers. I wanted to explain what … (7 comments)
barb corcoran: $8000 First-Time Home Buyer Credit, The Clock Is Ticking
- 07/20/09 01:31 AM
$8000 First-Time Home Buyer Credit, The Clock Is Ticking. If you are a first-time home buyer hoping to take advantage of the $8000 tax credit, I hope you have done your homework and are out there looking for your home because time is quickly running out. If you haven’t been preapproved for a mortgage, you should find yourself a reputable lender and get yourself preapproved. It takes time and there may be some issues you need to address before you can get your approval. Find yourself a buyer agent and get out there looking. If you are not aware, it takes … (1 comments)
barb corcoran: Before You Sign That Listing Contract, Read This
- 06/11/09 12:55 AM
I am writing this blog with the hopes of saving many home owners a lot of aggravation, stress, time and attorney fees. Before you sign the listing contract with that Realtor you have been so gracious to allow in your home, there are some very important things you should be aware of. 1. Make sure the listing contract is a PAR form (Pennsylvania Association of Realtors) If you do not see that anywhere on the contract. Do not sign it. That means that that listing agent's Broker's office created their own contract which could contain clauses that may take away your rights. … (1 comments)
barb corcoran: Closing Costs 101
- 06/03/09 09:03 AM
What are closing costs is a question I get almost every day. Many home buyers are not aware that in addition to their down payment, they will also need money for closing costs and are very shocked when they find out just how much they will need in order to settle on their home. Closing costs are fees paid at the time of settlement (when you sign the papers for your new home). These fees could include, points, origination fees, title search, insurance, taxes, appraisale fees, insurance, recording fee, notary, credit report, endorsements and conveyancing to name a few. These fees … (2 comments)
barb corcoran: Using the $8000 First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit As a Down Payment
- 05/14/09 12:20 AM
VOCATIONS By Renee Porsia | May 13, 2009 Great news for first-time home buyers. This week, Shaun Donovan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development stated that the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is now going to permit it's lenders to allow home buyers to use the $8000 tax credit as a down payment. Previously, buyers had to wait to file their taxes to take advantage of the tax credit, which hindered some home buyers from buying. By allowing buyers to utilize the tax credit as a down payment, money will now be freed up for the buyer … (4 comments)
barb corcoran: Buyer Etiquette
- 05/11/09 08:50 AM
Buyer Etiquette By Renée Porsia Is there such a thing as buyer etiquette? I say, yes, there is. I'd like to set the record straight for buyers when I say that there is a good way to behave when setting out to find your new home. Most buyers think they can just pick up the phone and call a local Realtor without giving one thought to the actual home buying process. The problem also lies with Realtors who run out to meet an unprepared buyer. Both buyer and Realtor have different motives for behaving the way they do. The buyer just … (1 comments)
barb corcoran: Should Realtors Be Paid Like Attorneys?
- 05/04/09 08:32 AM
Real estate is the only profession where people clearly do not value a Realtor's time. Just because many Realtors do not charge an hourly fee for their time and choose to be paid out of the proceeds at settlement, consumers feel they can just waste a Realtor's time. This is the fault of Realtors because many Realtors need business, any business, so they will run out at all hours of the day or evening to meet with consumers at the drop of a dime, putting no value on their time. If a Realtor doesn't put a value on their time or … (0 comments)
barb corcoran: Why Do Celebrities Use Twitter?
- 04/21/09 08:06 AM
You have to be living under a rock if you haven't heard of Twitter lately. Everyone is tweeting these days, even celebrities. But why would a celebrity want to use Twitter? Don't we give them enough attention already? Aren't they always whining every day that they have no privacy? Why then would they go on Twitter and tell whoever wants to listen what they are doing or where they are eating dinner? Obviously for the attention. You want attention or you don't want attention? I can't tell. I myself am following many celebrities on Twitter. It seems as though all they … (0 comments)
barb corcoran: A Change is Brewing
- 03/24/09 11:34 PM
People keep asking me how the market is and for some time now, I could answer "slow." Now, I can honestly answer that a change is on the horizon. I've noticed that houses are moving,more buyers are out there looking with their buyer agents and even more are contacting me to find out how to get qualified. Months ago, when I would call to schedule a viewing of a home, every one of them was available and my buyers had weeks or months to compare and then go back to see many of the homes for a second or third time. … (5 comments)
After my first article regarding the $8000 tax credit, I received even more e-mails and questions so I wanted to touch on the subject a bit more. I wanted to clear up misinformation that has been aired on NBC's Weekend Today. Mrs. Barbara Corcoran was on Today last Sunday and stated to Jenna Wolfe that first-time home buyers can use the $8000 as part of their down payment. I then received quite a few e-mails asking me if this was true. No, it is not. It's not true because a new home owner … (0 comments)
barb corcoran: First-Time Home Buyer Survival Guide
- 02/26/09 09:48 PM
So many first-time home buyers have been contacting me, asking about mortgages and what to do and not to do when starting the home buying process. Here are some answers to those first-time home buyer questions. The first thing that every first-time home buyer needs to do is hire a buyer agent. Your buyer agent is going to play an important role in the entire process. If you find a good buyer agent, they will bring you in and sit you down and explain the buying process to you and answer all of your questions. So, be prepared and have a … (4 comments)
barb corcoran: The $8000 Home-Buyer Tax Credit
- 02/23/09 02:59 AM
Recently, I have been getting a lot of phone calls and e-mails asking me questions about the $8000 home-buyer tax credit so I wanted to answer the most asked questions and make it as simple as possible. So who gets the credit? First-time home buyers or someone who hasn't owned a home in three years. How much is the credit? $8000 or 10% of the home's value, whichever is less. What do you have to do to get it? Claim it on your 2008-2009 taxes. It's totally refundable, meaning tax filers see a refund of the full $8,000 even if their … (0 comments)
barb corcoran: Facebook Friends Or Acquaintances
- 02/19/09 08:14 AM
It seems like just about everyone I know now has a Facebook page. It has really become quite the phenomenon. People are reconnecting with high school friends, old girlfriends and boyfriends, family, distant relatives and even making new friends. It seems to have taken the place of a good old fashioned pen-pal. So, when does someone go from stranger to friend? That is a question that I recently started thinking a lot about. I originally created my Facebook page to network with other professionals. I wasn't looking to find new friends but things don't always end up like you thought … (5 comments)
barb corcoran: Pompous Realtors
- 02/15/09 10:14 PM
I thought everyone could use a good laugh so I thought I would poke fun of all the Realtors who love to say things like "I'm in the"top 1%", or "top producer", or "million dollar producer." Top 1%? The top 1% of what, the UUWSO....the unprofessional, unethical, whiney, show off group of Realtors? The top 1% of Realtors with brown eyes who have the most clients named Kathy, the top 1% of Realtors who over price their listings, or how about the top 1% of Realtors who sold big white homes with red roofs on Friday afternoons? There is a catagory … (15 comments)
barb corcoran: What You Should Know About Mortgage Rates
- 02/10/09 08:17 AM
Mortgage companies really tick me off. Constantly misleading the public by putting deceiving information out there to attract business. Telling consumers that they can get an interest rate of a certain percentage should not be allowed because the simple truth of the matter is that a bank cannot quote anyone any type of interest rate until a buyer finds a home and has an accepted Agreement Of Sale and even then, the buyer needs to lock in a rate. If the buyer does not lock the rate in, their rate will then be floating free to either go up or come down until … (2 comments)
barb corcoran: Short Sale Really A Long Sale
- 02/03/09 10:24 PM
For buyers, purchasing a home that is involved with a short sale can be a really great opportunity however be prepared to wait and wait and wait and oh, wait some more. For those home owners who simply can't afford their monthly mortgage payments anymore and are facing foreclosure, are now turning to their banks and asking if their home can be approved for a short sale. In case you are not aware of what a short sale is, a short sale takes place when a home owner owes more on their home than what the home will eventually sell for and … (4 comments)
barb corcoran: Do You Remember The Realtor Who Sold You Your Home?
- 01/29/09 07:12 AM
Do you remember the Realtor who sold you your house? You should. It was a stressful time in your life. Don't you think you should remember the name of the person who put everything together for you and got you to the settlement table? You have your family doctor, your mechanic, your hairdresser, your accountant and maybe even an attorney and you should also have your Realtor who you can contact should a need arise. You wouldn't just change doctors every time you fell ill or switch hairdressers every time you needed a hair cut. So why would you want … (4 comments)
barb corcoran: What You Should Know About Foreclosures Before You Buy
- 01/27/09 05:49 AM
I get a lot of calls every day from buyers who want to purchase foreclosed homes. After speaking with them for a few minutes, I realize that they really have no clue about what is really involved in purchasing a foreclosure. With so many foreclosed homes on the market today its no wonder that so many buyers are thinking about purchasing one. Buyers think that because the home was foreclosed on, that it just has to be a great buy. Not always the case. I have been working with bank properties for all of my career and I can tell you lots … (1 comments)
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