first time home buyer: Moving, Millienials and Multiples
- 08/21/15 06:51 AM
Earlier this week I received a call from my electrician. I wasn’t surprised by the call since we have an open permit on work he completed a few weeks ago. But things have been crazy busy in real estate for me as well as construction for his business so it hasn’t been a priority. Interestingly, the call had less to do about my electrical job and more to do with my real estate expertise.
It turns out that his twenty four year old son is buying a first home and after being in the fourth multiple-offer situation in less than … (2 comments)
|
first time home buyer: That's a GREAT Question for a HOME Inspector!
- 07/14/14 06:46 AM
I like helping buyers find the homes of their dreams. Not all homes are perfect and some do have issues. Some issues are very obvious. Last week I showed a home with a front step where the sidewalk had settled nearly three inches on one corner of the slab. I pointed it out to my buyers. When they asked if it could be repaired or if it was a problem, I answered, "That's a great question for an inspector."
Sometimes buyers see things I have never seen before. Yesterday I was showing a 1950's ranch home. The windows opened with a … (1 comments)
|
first time home buyer: This REALTOR Welcomes Helicopter Parents!
- 03/11/14 06:37 AM
“I was accused of being a helicopter parent.” This statement was recently made by a friend of mine while we were chatting at a local coffee shop about our adult children.
My response to her was, “Really? Did you say thank you?”
Being a helicopter parent doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. It means you care about your children enough to give them advice rather than let them go off on their own and make mistakes. Okay, it’s not a good thing to ride with them on the school bus, follow them into the classroom and do their homework. … (8 comments)
|
first time home buyer: Real Estate Word of the Day--Septic System
- 01/28/14 06:42 AM
Buying a home is often a once or twice in a lifetime experience. There are often lots of things to learn. Buying a home on acreage has it's own set of unique terms that the average city-dweller might not have heard before.
From time to time I am surprised that a simple term I use everyday as a REALTOR® is like a foreign language to some home buyers. It is not unusual to see a glazed look come into a buyer’s eyes when I talked about escrow or earnest money but also when I mention well water, septic systems and compliance … (3 comments)
|
first time home buyer: Resolved to Buy a First Home in 2014? Here's a FREE Class to Help!
- 01/05/14 07:10 AM
Did you make a New Year's resolution for 2014?
Maybe it was to workout more, eat healthier, be happy or spend more time with friends and family. Or maybe you resolved that 2014 is going to be the year to buy YOUR first home.
What a great decision! Owning a home is still the American Dreamand with housing affordability in the Minneapolis/St Paul area, this can be a very realistic aspiration. Home ownership is not just for older, wealthy Americans. People of all ages can afford to be homeowners in the Midwest. In fact, many young people are buying homes … (2 comments)
|
first time home buyer: Couch Ouch—Resist the Urge to Splurge!
- 07/25/13 04:54 AM
Buying a first home is an exciting time. There are so many things that have to be arranged and purchased besides the home like home owners insurance, utilities, cable, internet, moving truck rentals and furniture. There is one common theme in all of these arrangements, money. Everything is going to cost something and quite possibly, require a look at your credit. But this should be no big deal, right? You found the home, wrote the offer, it has been excepted and were pre-approved for the purchase, so now you are good to go. You don’t have to worry about … (9 comments)
|
first time home buyer: Why Should a Home Seller Pay the Buyer's Closing Costs?
- 06/05/13 01:00 AM
Sellers are excited about being in the driver's seat again...yes, it is a sellers market in the Minneapolis/St Paul north metro again. When I do a market analysis on a home for a potential home seller, I give always net sheet of estimated of closing costs associated with closing the sale of the home.
One of the items on the list is “Seller contribution to the Buyer’s Closing Costs.” This particular cost doesn't sit well with most homeowners. Every now and again, a seller will verbally scoff and say something to the effect of, “My own closing costs are … (44 comments)
|
first time home buyer: Put the Horse In FRONT of the HOMEBUYING Cart--Have YOU Talked to a Loan Officer Yet?
- 11/11/11 07:31 AM
"Hello, this is Teri!" "Hi Teri! I saw your ad for the home you have listed on 2 acres in Anoka County and would like to set up a showing." "That is a nice home and it is still available but I have a few questions for you before I can show the home. Are you working currently working with a REALTOR®? No? Well, have you talked to a loan officer yet? " That is how I begin almost every single conversation with a potential buyer. Have you talked to a loan officer yet? It is an extremely … (3 comments)
|
first time home buyer: REALTOR® Selection 101—How to Choose the BEST REALTOR® for YOU! (Part One of Two)
- 11/01/11 03:44 AM
How does the average home buyer or seller find their REALTOR®? Did they meet a friendly person hosting an open house? Call their best friend's brother who just got licensed? Answer an ad on Craigslist? I don't know the percentages but I am certain that most home buyers don't spend any more time researching their real estate agent than they do their groceries. But a home is not an everyday purchase; it is too big of a decision to not have sound advice. So how does one select a good REALTOR® to work with?
The average American will buy or … (2 comments)
|
first time home buyer: 100 Real Estate Questions Answered for the First Time HOMEBUYER!
- 05/12/10 05:54 AM
First time buyers have many, many questions as they move through the process of buying their dream home. Some of these are general in nature and some are very specific to a property and location. While specific questions are best handled by a local REALTOR, there is an awesome resource for those general, "where do I start" questions.
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development, better known as HUD, thought so too. HUD has prepared a list of 100 of the most commonly asked questions regarding real estate and the process of how to buy that first home. To make … (2 comments)
|
first time home buyer: Attn Homebuyers: Going at it Alone is A Heavy Load Indeed!
- 01/26/10 01:59 AM
Are you a homebuyer going it alone? A renegade who doesn't need the support and expertise of a real estate agent...at least not until you have found "THE" house. Is this the best plan to get the best deal on an Anoka County home in current real estate climate?
I read a great blog today that I wanted to share with home buyers (and sellers) in the north and east Twin Cities metro area. Will Nesbitt is a real estate agent in Fairfax, VA. As an arrogant east coast youth with Minnesota's own Fran Tarkenton as an idol, he challenged his … (10 comments)
|
first time home buyer: It Passed! Update on the Extended & Expanded Homebuyer Tax Credit
- 11/06/09 05:30 AM
Did you hear it? That big woosh of air was all of those buyers, sellers, REALTORS, loan officers and title representatives that had a purchase agreement with a November 30, 2009 closing date breathing out a collective sigh of relief. An extension for the tax credit for first time homebuyers was approved by both the house and senate and is scheduled to be signed by the president today. Professionals in the industry were worried about the potential bottleneck of all the closings trying to happen before the original deadline because we all know, S*** Happens on the way to the … (5 comments)
|
first time home buyer: June 2009 Twin Cities Real Estate Market Video Update--Continuing to Move Out of the Woods!
- 06/26/09 12:53 AM
Continued low interest rates and the $8000 first time home buyer tax credit continue to build on the more positive trend and path out of the proverbial real estate woods for the Minneapolis/St. Paul real estate market. According to the Minneapolis REALTORS® Association's June Monthly Skinny, the positive signs continue that the Twin Cities market is moving out of the woods. Overall inventory is at 7.6 months currently (a balanced market would be 5.6 months). But while lender-mediated inventory stands at 5 months, traditional homesellers face double the competition with 9.9 months of inventory. The supply of bank-owned and short sale … (4 comments)
|
first time home buyer: May 2009 Video Update—Answer to the Big Housing Market Question....In or Out of the Woods?
- 05/26/09 01:21 AM
It appears that the Twin Cities housing market is continuing to move forward to recovery as we head into the summer. According to the Minneapolis Realtors Association's May Monthly Skinny, there continue to be positive signs that we are moving out of the woods. Inventory did not inflate this spring as it usually does when the snow melts so the housing inventory levels that have been extremely high are starting to level off and come down. A major share of the homes, sold 46%, continue to be lender-owned or lender-mediated sales. These homes are selling at 21% less than in 2008 … (8 comments)
|
first time home buyer: Attention St Paul’s East Side Homebuyers: Details on the Pohlad Family Foundation Homebuyer Program
- 05/20/09 02:09 AM
The Homebuyer Assistance Incentive Program from the Pohlad Family Giving Foundation is the program that everyone is talking about on the east side of St Paul! It is a great program for homebuyers looking to buy in St. Paul’s 55106 zip code and available through the Pohlad Family Giving Foundation. I am currently working with several buyers who are interested in this program and boy are the homes selling quickly in these communities! Every other listing agent makes a point of reminding me about the "$8000 Pohlad money" for the buyer, as if we had not heard of the program. But … (7 comments)
|
first time home buyer: Homebuyers--That Voice Inside is Seldom Wrong!
- 05/07/09 12:52 AM
A few days ago I received a call from a past client. She excitedly told me that she was helping a very good friend who was in the process of buying his first home. The friend was enticed into the market by a Parade of Homes advertisement a couple weeks ago. It was for a new construction home in the Lindstrom/Chisago area that was for sale for around $150,000 with a zero down financing option. The friend was intrigued and asked my past client to tag along to see the home. At the model they were told that this particular home … (22 comments)
|
first time home buyer: April 2009 Video Update--Three Indicators is the Charm! Postive News in the Housing Market!
- 04/17/09 02:00 PM
Even though the economy has not recovered, the Minneapolis/St. Paul housing market appears to be making babysteps forward to recovery in Spring 2009. According to the Minneapolis Realtors Association's Monthly Skinny, there are three positive statistics (houses available per buyer, days on the market and original list price received) indicate the Twin Cities housing market is on the right track to recovery. This video update arrived in my inbox on the heels of another article where five experts were asked to select five areas that would see the earliest recovery in the housing market. Economist, James Diffley, selected Minneapolis and "refers … (6 comments)
|
first time home buyer: Without Nehemiah/Genesis, What will Cause the First Domino to Fall?
- 07/28/08 12:59 AM
Most people understand the concept of the domino effect on the real estate market. The starter homes must sell first so the owners of the starter home can move up to the next price level, which allows another home to sell and another; much like a child's game of dominos.Fortunately the real estate market has had continued to have a reasonable pool of first time buyers in the mix these past few months due to low interest rates, home prices and unique assistance programs. Early this year, the government gave the controversial but beneficial programs like Nehemiah and Genesis a reprieve. … (37 comments)
|
first time home buyer: 5 GREAT Reasons Minnesota Townhomes Make an Easy Transition from Apartment Life!
- 07/14/08 05:14 AM
The low interest rates and recent reports have many apartment dwellers considering making a first home purchase. House prices are making buying a very attractive option for many who want the investment potential and tax benefits that being a responsible homeowner can provide. But some on the fence might not like the idea of cutting the grass every summer weekend or shoveling a driveway before going to work on a Minnesota winter day. These fence dwellers should consider a townhome and dive into the market to receive the benefits of homeownership but retain some of the worry free aspects of apartment … (13 comments)
|
first time home buyer: Homes on Minnesota Wetlands--Affordable Beauty and Privacy!
- 05/22/08 09:19 AM
While browsing through the Q&A section of the real estate website, Trulia the other day, I ran across a question from a Twin Cities resident who was considering purchasing a home on a Minnesota wetland. This homebuyer was wondering whether buying a home with environmental lakeshore would be a huge mistake.I found this question very interesting. As a Realtor who works mainly in the Anoka, Chisago and Washington County areas there is an abundance of wetland and lakeshore homes. From Hugo to Wyoming and throughout the communities of Ham Lake, Lino Lakes and Blaine, there are properties abutting wetlands and natural … (15 comments)
|
;)
;)
;)
