saving_bank_400If you're planning to buy a house someday, like most people are, then you will want to take steps to make that process go smoothly when the time comes.  Your ability to put these pieces of advice into action will depend on how close you are to buying a home, but they are all good to keep in mind.  This is advice for future home buyers.

Take Care Of Your Credit

Not everyone realizes how much their credit history will affect them when they go to buy a house.  Good credit makes a world of difference when it comes to buying a home, so make sure you have it.  This means you want to pay all your bills on time.  This includes credit card bills, utilities, rent, car payments, and such.  If you have fallen behind, then do what it takes to catch up, and start…

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log_cabin_400Finding the perfect home for sale is more a matter of preparation than of luck.  If you take the proper steps, then it is almost guaranteed that you will find the perfect house, and you will be well on your way to home owning bliss.  The following steps are ones that everyone should take when they are trying to find a home.

Take Time To Make A Detailed List

There is almost no such thing as being too prepared when you are trying to find a home.  Keep that in mind as you make a detailed list of everything that you want in a home.  If you wish, you can also include anything that you definitely do not want in a home.  Having copies of this list with you when you see houses will allow you to check off everything as you see it so that you don't need to try…

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sold_sign_400There is an art to bidding on a house and winning.  If you learn this art, then you can increase your chances of getting that coveted winning bid and having your new home.  For all you know, these tricks could be all that stands between you and buying a home of your dreams. 

Get An Agent

This one is self-explanatory.  When you have a good agent, they can tell you what you need to know, and they can skillfully handle the bidding process.  At Realty Executives, we have experienced realtors you can trust to guide you through this process and to give you the best chance of getting the winning bid.

Offer As Much As You Can

Offering as much as you can is the best way to increase your chances of winning a bidding war.  Money talks and higher offers are…

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home_interiors_2608Getting ready to sell your home isn't only about making changes to your home.  You also need to change the way that you look at your home for sale so that you can let go and so that you can makes changes that potential buyers will find appealing.  Here are some of the ways that you can get yourself and your home ready for the sale of this home.

It's Not Your House Anymore

This is the first thing you need to make peace with.  You are selling your home so it is no longer yours.  You might a well make peace with that fact before it is even sold.  This will make the next steps easier as you are no longer going to be making this home attractive to you but attractive to others looking to find a home.  Be ready to leave this house behind so that you can…

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house_400First-time home buyers often make mistakes when looking for a new home simply because they do not know any better.  This can cause them to become disenchanted with the dream of home ownership but can help them to learn important lessons along the way.  To save you some of the pain of learning through experience, here are the biggest mistakes that first-time home buyers make when trying to find a home.

Not Picking The Right Agent

This can mean that you pick the wrong agent or that you opt to go without an agent at all.  The wrong agent won't have the right experience in the right area or may not have the right track record of success.  Or they may not be the right match for you simply because of personality issues. 

Not hiring an agent at all will…

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school_buss_400It's every new home buyer's fear that they will forget something important when buying a home.  Even if you complete the home inspection on a house that meets your basic home search criteria and that meets with your approval, there are still many other factors to consider.  This is a list of things to look for when you are buying a home beyond the number of bedrooms and bathrooms so that you don't forget something important.

Quality Of The Neighborhood

When you are looking at buying a home then you want to look at the neighborhood that the home is in.  To get a feel for what kind of neighborhood the home is in you want to visit on different days and at different times.  You want to see it during the day and after dark as well as during the week and on…

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new_house_400Many people look at the housing market with a degree of trepidation.  They wonder if now is the right time to buy a house or if they should put off the purchase of a new home until the market is better.  This is a question that should be answered with knowledge instead of fear.  So the question remains.  Should you buy a house now?

You Can Get Great Deals On Homes Anytime

It is good to begin answering this question by acknowledging that you can get great deals on homes anytime.  It may be more work in the current housing market or you may stumble right into a great deal.  Just don't assume from the start that because other people are having trouble then you will too.  You could get lucky and find your dream home tomorrow 

What About The Housing…

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accept_an_offer_400One of the tricks of selling your home for all you can is knowing when to accept an offer from a home buyer and when to reject it.  Sometimes the answer is an obvious one while other times you may not be sure what to do.  Here are some thoughts to mull over when you are deciding on whether to accept an offer to buy a house.

How Much Are They Offering?

Start off by taking a look at the offer.  Is it the asking price?  Is it more?  Is it less?  If an offer to buy your home is at or above the asking price then you probably want to accept the offer.  If it is below the asking price then you want to ask yourself how far below the asking price it is.  Then you need to decide if you are willing to wait and take the risk that you might not get a better one. …

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check_out_prices_400Choosing the right asking price for real estate for your sounds a lot easier than it is.  You would think that you could just figure out how much your home is worth, pick a price in that range, and be done with it but that's not how it works.  Here are some tips that will help you choose the right asking price so that you make the real estate sale and make some money too.

Check Prices In The Local Real Estate Market

The prices of houses fluctuate.  These days almost everyone is aware of this fact but not everyone realizes that the local real estate market is more important that the overall real estate market.  Check the prices of comparable homes in your local area to start getting an idea of how much you should be asking.  Don't forget to check if…

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Decisions on offers may be trimmed to 20 days or less.sold_300

Bank of America says it's making changes to its short-sale procedures that will shorten decision times on short sale offers to 20 days, down from 45 days or longer.

The new task flow in Bank of America's short-sale management platform, Equator, will enable short-sale specialists to conduct tasks like document collection, valuations and underwriting simultaneously. When buyers walk, agents will have five days instead of 14 days to submit a backup offer.

Bank of America is requiring a new third-party authorization form for short sales initiated beginning April 14.

When the changes to Equator take effect Saturday, five documents will be required to process short sales initiated with an offer:

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