buying a home: Talk to the Bank first? Are you agents all nuts? Why you SHOULD pre-approve first!
- 04/02/11 10:18 AM
What's the Point in Talking to the BANK first? Another buyer asked me today - "Why is it that Realtors keep telling me to get pre-approved before I even look at a house?" He was truly irritated. To him, there was no sense in checking on a loan until he had found the house he wanted to purchase.
Buyers, I promise we don't do it to be irritating or brush you off. There are solid reasons for you to get pre-approved before looking for a home to buy. And most of the reasons are for your benefit! … (3 comments)
buying a home: Your Love Story right here - West Side Beauty for Sale! 202 N. Gow, Wichita, KS Home for sale - $109,900 full brick ranch 3 bed 1.5 bath, finished basement, garage, and extra lot included!
- 03/30/11 11:55 AM
Adorable West Side Love Story 202 N. Gow, Wichita, KS 67203 View Map Step into a world of charm with this affordable west-side home. Welcome is evident in every aspect of this home, from the lush sodded front yard to the warm traditional brick exterior and the inviting front porch. The 2-car width of drive and parking provide ample space for your family to gather and friends to visit. Welcome them inside to the large living room, with its warm wooden floors, updated lighting, and calming paint scheme. 3 bedrooms upstairs await your family, all with lovingly maintained wood flooring, crisp … (2 comments)
With gas prices going sky-high and a definite national push over the last several years to decrease our carbon footprint, a curiosity has grown in buyers. They want to know - How walkable is the home?
Many sellers are caught off guard. "How what is my home?!"
Luckily, for sellers and buyers, there's "an app for that!"
To find out the "walkability" of your home, one ingenious company came up with a score called a Walk Score. The Score is an algorithm that takes into account the nearness of … (0 comments)
Old homes are such fun to visit! They're full of character, charm, and surprising features. Most importantly, these features are often unique to this period and simply can't be really replicated in today's homes. Lots of great woodwork, tall moldings, intricate details, carvings, and more! I love to go show these homes and even more fun when I can list one! They're just full of surprises and each one's unique! Here are some questions I often get when showing these old gals to prospective homeowners!
Getting your Down Payment from a Retirement or Brokerage account? Be prepared to wait for your money!
When it comes to your down payment money, the banks have all kinds of rules about where it can come from, how long it must be there, what kind of documentation you need, and all that fun stuff. Mostly, they really don't want your down payment to come from another loan and they really want to see where it came from so they can prove it wasn't a loan.
While many buyers do have the cash … (5 comments)
buying a home: Termites in Town - Wichita, KS home buying and the Termite Inspection!
- 05/08/10 12:40 PM
The Terror of Termites One of the things we'll discuss when you get ready to buy or sell a home in the Wichita, KS area is the wood-eating insect inspection. While commonly referred to as the termite inspection, the pest control specialist will actually check for all sorts of insects that could eat the wood of your home, including carpenter ants, carpenter beetles, termites, carpenter bees, etc.
The most commonly found buggy of importance in our area would be the termite, however, so that's what we'll focus on for today's discussion! The reason the termite inspection is so … (0 comments)
There's a reason your agent recommends you look at certain websites for your home-shopping. And it's not just because we want to make sure you stick with us! A lot of websites pull straight from our MLS sytem - the database that maintains the status of all listed homes for our region. That's a good thing, as it means their data is as accurate as the MLS's. This is called IDX, which you might see mentioned somewhere on that website. These are the best kinds of sites to search for homes. … (2 comments)
The Frontier Centre for Public Policy put out its 6th Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey and also expanded its reach to cover the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and New Zealand.
Note the chart to the right, which indicates whether a market is Unaffordable or if the area is Affordable!
They calculate this by calculating the “Median Multiple” (median house price divided by gross annual median household income) to rate whether housing is affordable. An Affordable housing area is one where the median house … (1 comments)
buying a home: Kansas News -Home Inspectors Now Regulated and MUST be Registered!
- 01/06/10 04:28 AM
Kansas Home Inspectors - Now Regulated! Home inspections are a very important part of every home purchase. I always recommend that you, the buyer, obtain one! Even if the home is as-is and the seller will not make repairs, you really need to know what you may be getting into. It's a couple hours out of your time and a couple hundred bucks normally, but if it saves you from making a bad decision, it's well worth it! Plus you'll start off knowing what needs to be done to your home to keep it running smoothly and prevent further problems. … (2 comments)
Particularly first time buyers, but also many others, have no idea what they need to know about Property Tax Values. For many of you, you've never owned a home and have had no need to know this information before now. And for those coming in from other areas, it may be handled differently there and this may be entirely new to you! For an overview of how Property Tax Valuations are determined, visit my Property Taxes 101 article.
Over the weekend, I received a plea for help from a friend located in another state. She'd been searching online for properties, and noticed acronyms that she just couldn't make out. The one she finally gave in and called me on was FROG. She was concerned that it was a new decorating style, like the roosters, chefs, or ducks that were popular!
In fact, it's generally a Finished Room Over Garage.
What other acronyms might you run across in real estate ads, why are they used, and what on earth could they … (6 comments)
Residential Real Estate the right way! Service with a personal touch! Wichita, Goddard, Cheney, Maize, Andover, Newton, Valley Center and Derby, Kansas!
What's the Point in Talking to the BANK first? 
;)
;)
;)
