Home Buyer Tips: The whole truth and nothing but the truth...

The home buying process is filled with questioners... mortgage loan officer,  Realtor®, seller, insurance agent, etc.  And it is critical answers provided by completely honest.

This starts with the first step in the home buying process - the mortgage pre approval.

Related article:  The Home Buying Process in Florida - Where do I start?

When applying for a mortgage loan it is imperative all the answers provided be on the level.  Why can't I just ballpark some answers?   Because every piece of information on that application is subject to verification and most of the critical stuff (like income, employment, debts and payments) will be verified and re-verified before final approval at the closing table!

When buying a home I suggest non-cash buyers (most) do two things -

1. provide accurate answers and documentation,
2. temporarily freeze their lives until closing (no loans, no job change, no new debts or major expenditures).

When you are ready to buy a Melbourne, Florida home please give me a call at 321-693-3850 if I can help in any way.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Florida Homes For Sale: Signs that your home is not priced right...

This post was originally published on August 14,2008.  Although the Brevard County, Florida real estate market is better now than it was six years ago the message is still the same.

Selling you home is all about price.   Price for condition, location, competition and motivation. 

Signs that your home is not priced right...

To sell your home, it must be seen by potential buyers.  If your home is presentation ready, curb appeal looking fantastic and still no one is coming maybe it is priced incorrectly.

The first sign a home is not priced right is no showings during what I call the "golden period."

The "golden period" is a term I coined to describe the first two weeks a property is listed.

Most real estate agents and motivated buyers watch for new listings.  They want to buy but they are particular.   It is during its first two weeks a listing will garner the most activity. 

If it did not, look at the price.

Another measure I use to gauge whether a home is priced correctly is my 30-10-1 rule.

If a home is listed for 30 days and has less than 10 showings and not one realistic offer, then the price is most likely an issue.   While this is a buyer's market a home that is priced right will garner the appropriate attention early on in the process.

If you are considering selling your Rockledge, Viera or Suntree home, please give me a call to discuss how I can market your property.

Want a free market analysis on your Melbourne or Viera, Florida home?  Send me an email or give me a call at 321-693-3850.

The Home Buying Process...More than just opening a few doors.

I recently read an article that talked about how consumers "these days" only need a real estate agent to open the doors so they can look in the house.  It seems many seem to think the information is all on the Internet so they can go from there.

The reality is that information can be good or it can be bad.  The key is separating the wheat from the chaff.  In real estate that key is your Realtor®.

The home buying process is an education.  Ask anyone who has ever purchased or sold a home and they will attest to the educational process!  In real life very few can start school ready to graduate - even if they have all the books in their bookshelf!

So where does a buyer start?  Regardless of experience home buyers should start at the same place - get an experienced local real estate agent.  A major responsibility of your real estate agent is educational including the process, area, prices, trends, etc.

Your real estate agent will likely start with an assessment of experience and goals.   This will mean a lot of questions!

With these answers your agent will begin your education.  It may end with a new home purchase now or a plan to purchase at a later date.  Sometimes getting the mortgage lined up takes time.  Sometimes it is a matter of saving cash for closing expenses.  Sometimes the time is just not right to make the purchase.

Having an individualized plan based on real, verifiable information is critical to the home buying process.

Ready to buy or sell a home in Melbourne, Florida?  Call me at 321-693-3850 or send me an email.  It doesn't cost a thing to discuss your goals and how I can assist you in meeting them.

"I find them on Zillow but then they are already sold."

I find them on Zillow but then they are already sold.
What is there about this web site that the data is so old?
What is a home buyer to do?
You know I can not live in a zoo?

I had a call yesterday afternoon from a prospective buyer who had reached his limit.  He has been searching on Zillow for homes for sale in Rockledge, Florida.  And it seems every one he finds he likes is "already sold when he checks on the Brevard MLS system web site."

Zillow and other mega sites are not the local multiple listing service.  They operate on a quantity over quality basis.  The local Brevard MLS system, like others, has mechanisms in place to monitor quality and accuracy (fines possible for agents).

So the question is....why deal with an inaccurate site and the frustrations of not knowing if a house is really for sale when you can call a local Realtor®?

I found it on the MLS when it was new.

This is what a home buyer should do.

The local MLS I can count on you.

No need to find out later its sold and be blue.

Looking for a house for sale in Rockledge, Florida?  Call me at 321-693-3850 or send me an email.  Why not?