Seven Reasons to Own A Home
Often, what seems an impossible climb is just a staircase without the steps drawn in. ~ Robert Brault
Here are steps to increase your chances of getting your dream house in a competitive housing market.
Get prequalified for a mortgage.
You’l...
Wouldn’t it be great to own a place at the beach, in the mountains, or by the lake? If you are seriously considering buying a vacation home, you have probably weighed many of the pros and cons already.
But you should carefully consider everything before you buy. Have you taken these additional costs and benefits into account?
As any experienced home buyer knows, there are additional annual costs that come with owning a home, such as property taxes, home insurance, and any association fees.
Make sure you consider maintena...
Here are the top six resources you should use to make buying a home easier and enjoyable.
First determine what price, location, size, and any special features your new home must have. Then you can hone in on your favorite properties by searching for additional features that you would prefer.
What do you want your monthly mortgage payments to be? We have an easy mortgage payment calculator you can use to find out how much you can afford for a home. This tool takes into account the length of th...
Anytime you relocate to a new area, whether it’s a city just a few miles away or across the country, you face a unique set of challenges.
The housing market, the transit, and even the weather may not be what you’re used to. Planning your move can be difficult, too, since you need to coordinate when, where, and how you’ll be moving your belongings to a new area.
Because moving to a completely new area means learning about a new housing market and a new community, we wanted to share a few helpful relocation tips to make it a much easier experience for you.
Everyone wants to save money on energy bills every month. But did you know that having today’s popular energy-efficient features in your home can also save you time and stress when you sell your home?
More and more first-time home buyers are searching for homes in the area, so there is more of a demand for move-in ready homes or homes with certain features.
As Millennial Magazine notes, what buyers are looking for in a home include open f...
Spring is almost here! The warmer weather, beautiful flowers, and longer days are perfect for viewing homes in person, and it’s no wonder that the spring season is a popular time for home buyers to start looking at homes and neighborhoods.
But before you start driving around and visiting open houses, you should follow these important house hunting tips.
Getting preapproved for a home loan is one of the best tools you have when searching for a home, especially when you have competition.
If you are preapproved, the home sel...
The term “agency” is used in real estate to help determine what legal responsibilities your real estate professional owes to you and other parties in the transaction.
The buyer’s representative (also known as a buyer’s agent) is hired by prospective buyers and works in the buyer’s best interest throughout the transaction. The buyer can pay the agent directly through a negotiated fee, or the buyer’s rep may be paid by the seller or through a commission split with the seller’s agent.
The seller’s representative (a...
First-time home buyers who work with us often have the same question: Should we or shouldn’t we get a first-time home buyer loan?
In fact, there are a number of advantages and disadvantages attached to this type of loan.
A first time home buyer loan offers financial assistance to qualified buyers by utilizing a variety of methods:
Generally speaking, the best candidates for ...
The month of April is a very important time for real estate professionals all across the nation.
Why? This is in the month that we celebrate the anniversary of the passing for the Fair Housing Act and recommit to the goal that inspired the legislation.
For those of you who may not know, the fair housing act essentially eliminated housing discrimination and created equal opportunity in every community.
And, as you might imagine, it’s a critical piece of legislation for anyone interested in buying property in the Minneapolis Area.
