From the category archives:

FAQ

If I buy a home with an FHA loan, is the 3.5% down part of the closing costs?

December 29, 2009

I saw this question on a community website and answered it and thought it might be good to share with others.  Here’s what I wrote:
It’s easier to look at an example I think. 
Say you are buying a home for $100,000. 
It will cost you about $3,500 in closing costs to get a loan for this home. [...]

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Home Buyer Tax Credit 2010 FAQ

November 10, 2009

Question: Must the new house cost more than the old house?
Answer: No. Thus, for example, individuals who move from a high cost area to a lower cost area who meet all eligibility requirements will qualify for the $6500 credit.

Question: I am an existing homeowner. On October 25, 2009, I signed a contract to purchase [...]

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How Do You Know if Your Realtor Is Any Good?

Thumbnail image for How Do You Know if Your Realtor Is Any Good? June 15, 2009

From a linkedin question:
What kinds of questions might a first time home buyer ask prospective Realtors in order to gauge level of expertise and figure out who would best represent his / her interests? Assuming that no references are available, what criteria would you use?
Another response stated:
…The most important factor in finding a realtor [...]

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Fannie Mae Policies On Short Sale Through Foreclosure

January 27, 2009

I often get asked about the difference between the impact of a short sale and a foreclosures.
Here is a summary of Fannie Mae loan policies that went into affect on August 1, 2008.  This represents the time period that must elapse before borrowers can demonstrate they have reestablished an acceptable credit history after the occurrence of the bankruptcy [...]

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How do I find homes on the market that have assumable mortgages?

January 7, 2009

This question came from a buyer and I thought I should share it publicly.
How do I find homes on the market that have assumable mortgages?
You can actually have your agent do a search for them through the MLS. However, most agents are so inept at even understanding if something is assumable and how the process [...]

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Do Builder Incentive Affect Value?

January 1, 2009

It’s a common question and an even more common problem in today’s real estate market.  Competing with the builder to sell your home.  Knowing the builder’s position and promotions will give you a lot of information on how you should approach the sell of your home.
First things first, let’s do the short answer:
Do Builder [...]

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How Do I Avoid Foreclosure?

December 26, 2008

I get this question more than you might think.  There simply isn’t a ton of State specific information on avoiding Foreclosure in Georgia other than, "pay your bill."  If you are facing foreclosure you might have other options.

Loan Modification – There’s a lot of scams out there, but there are people who can help you [...]

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Why Short Sale? Short Sale VS Foreclosure

December 23, 2008

It’s come full circle, I’m loving short sales from a seller representative standpoint due to the fact that it helps get them out of a situation that could devastating to them financially.  For a long time I’ve not enjoyed showing short sales to my buyers, simply due to the hassle.  Having closed several this [...]

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Should I Buy A Home From This Builder?

November 7, 2008

When a buyer is looking for a new construction home, the question always comes up, "Is This A Good Builder?"  It’s a loaded question to say the least.  Although, the Real Estate Commission will be upset about this, most agents DO have opinions about the builders.  The bottomline however, is that an agent’s answers [...]

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What is a Foreclosure?

October 14, 2008

As many of you know the real estate market is flooded with foreclosures.  However, there seems to be some misconceptions about what a foreclosures is.  Some mistakenly think that all foreclosures are HUD homes.
HUD homes are not the only foreclosed homes out there. Foreclosed homes are often mis-categorized. There’s Pre-Foreclosure, Auction and Post-Foreclosure homes [...]

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