Real Estate Decoded

Buying a home is one of the single biggest purchases people make in their lives and for several of us, it will be a process we go through multiple times at various points in our lives.  Welcome to the third and final part of our series in which we are exploring the surrounding circumstances of home buying and/or selling  throughout the various stages of your life. After years of living in the beautiful home you traded up to in order to accommodate your growing family, there will come a point where the kids move away and you'll discover that you now have simply too much space.  When that moment arrives, you'll want to embrace the beauty of downsizing.  Downsizing: The Competitive Edge Of the three stages of the home buying circle of life, sellers who find themselves in the downsizing stage are typically in the most advantageous position of them all.  Those in the downsizing stage have usually bought and sold a house or two by now, so they'...

Buying a home is one of the single biggest purchases people make in their lives and for several of us, it will be a process we go through multiple times at various points in our lives.  Welcome to the second part of our series in which we are exploring the surrounding circumstances of home buying and/or selling throughout the various stages of your life.  This week we will take a look at the pitfalls to avoid and best moves to make for those families who are looking to trade up.  Trading up is a term used for home buyers who already have a home, but are in the market to purchase a larger, and often new or newly upgraded, home to accommodate their growing family and changing lifestyles.  Trading Up: Challenges and Advantages When it comes to those who are looking to trade up in the world of real estate, you'll no doubt quickly discover that you will have a very tricky balancing act --- one in which you must figure out how to max out the sales pric...

Buying a home is one of the single biggest purchases people make in their lives.  Depending on where you are in life and what your circumstances are, you might have the opportunity to buy and/or sell a home multiple times in your life. Over the next two weeks we will take a look at the pitfalls to avoid and best moves to make depending on your current stage of life.  Regardless of whether you're a young family just staring out, a growing family looking for more elbow room, or empty-nesters ready to downsize into something that's easier to take care of and is more your style, we'll show you how to find the perfect home at the right price for you! First-time Homebuyers: Challenges and Advantages For most first-time homebuyers, your current circumstances will typically find you as being recently graduated, just starting out in a new career and possibly, newly married.  Because of this, you're likely to bring less cash to the homebuying table at this point than you ...

Spring is finally here and so is one of the most highly anticipated home buying and selling seasons we've seen in years.  The buyers are ready...but is your home? While there is still a shortage of available houses across the nation, that gap is starting to close.  More buyers are turning to new construction builds rather than selecting from a pre-built home in order to get exactly the home and value they want.  With their choices improving, buyers are becoming a bit more selective in their choices. In today's market, you want to make sure your home is in the best position possible, removing any hesitation from a potential buyer's mind. To help get your home in tip-top shape and to attract the attention of hungry buyers this season, we've put together a list of tips that will help you stand apart from the crowd, showcase your home in the best possible light, and sell your home like a true boss. Remove YOU from Your Home : The double meaning on this one was i...

One of the most exciting times of adulthood is realizing that you're finally ready to purchase your first home.  Your student loans are under control or paid off, you're secure in your career and you're at a place in your life where you're ready for both the additional responsibility and rewards that come with home ownership.  Congratulations and welcome to the big leagues! Now that the high-fiving is behind us, it's time to really focus because there is more to your first home purchase than simply finding that perfect home that "just speaks to you."  Yep, it's time to talk about budgets. Setting a realistic budget is where many first-time home buyers simply miss the mark by not having the experience and full understanding of what all actually goes into owning a home.  Here are seven tips that will help you lay out a plan that will set you up for first-time home ownership success. Down Payment - While this is a no brainer for most first-time...

An improving economy and steady job market signals an improving housing market. In the natural order of real estate, one stimulates a rise in the others. This factual phenomenon will remain virtually unchanged by the most recent rate increase for the foreseeable near future. How does this impact housing prices?  Well, if the average home price is $225k, this would mean on a 30-year fixed rate loan, the increase would reflect a predicted drift to a $26 a month increase on buyers. This is clearly not enough to stop people from buying a home when home values are on the rise. Interest rates increasing is actually a sign that the economy is improving and showing no signs of slowing.  When the Federal Government raises interest rates, the masses will always shudder. Here is the reality: #1. Interest rates are still low -- even after this raise. #2. Buying a home still makes sense in America. #3. The dollar is strong. #4. Buying property is still one of the safest ways...

We all want to get the best deal. The only time we settle for less is when we do not care about the thing we are trying to buy. These are the things we consider both low in price and low value Items that fall into the high price and high value category are ones that we think through before we buy them. Not only because of the higher price, but also the long term value justifying the cost. Here is an example: You are traveling to a foreign Country for a business meeting. You decided to leave your tooth brush at home because it is a $200 dollar Sonicare. You advised your spouse you will buy a cheap one when you go to the hotel. Before arriving at the hotel you ate an onion bagel. Now that you have realized you are behind schedule, you are in a panic! You think... “Why didn’t I just pack that tooth brush?!” You look at your watch and you have five minutes until you meet the CEO of a company that can potentially offer you the best deal of your life. In this moment y...