Tagged ‘magnolia’

Pet restriction 1-2-3’s for homebuyers
Posted: February 23, 2011 By:

Whether you’re a cat person, a dog person or something in between you may be impacted by the “pet restrictions” that are part of your next home purchase.  When pet policies are part of a home’s or condo’s rules they can affect both your personal uses and investment potential.

For instance, in the Seattle market, I heard an interesting statistic that more home owners have pets than children (more…)

Ins and Outs of HOA’s Financials for Buying a Condo or Townhome
Posted: August 1, 2010 By:

When you are in the market to buy a condo there are some thing you need to know about Home Owners Associations (HOA).  The HOA is responsible for building amenities, maintenance and, in some cases, utilities.  As an owner, you may have some voting rights for the management of the budget, but the majority has the final say.  I like to make sure that my homebuyers review the building’s finances to know whether or not the HOA is financially strong or as useless as a Deutsche mark.   

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Homebuyer Success Stories!
Posted: June 22, 2010 By:

This spring I handed house keys to a first time buyer who’d been dreaming  of owning his own home for over ten years.  In fact he’d been (more…)

How Much Home Can You Afford?
Posted: April 28, 2010 By:

Dreams of home buying your first home

When working with a homebuyer, I don’t start off by asking, “How much are you approved for buying?”  The better question is, “How much of a payment is comfortable for you?”  Typically, a homebuyer is pre-approved for an amount that is more than what they are willing to pay monthly.  (more…)

The Seller’s Disclosure, Fact or Fiction?
Posted: April 23, 2010 By:

When a homebuyer is purchasing a residential property, the seller is required to provide them with a Seller’s Disclosure Statement to detail any pre-existing conditions.  Now, the million dollar question is whether or not everything in the disclosure statement is 100% true.  Is it fact or fiction? 

 Consider that the homeowner is (more…)

The New FHA is Quickly Becoming Obsolete With Larger Down Payment
Posted: March 12, 2010 By:

FHA has been sustaining first time homebuyer market and lower price point homes through the collapse of the real estate market.  Now that the market is slowly on its way to recovery, FHA is not so subtly backing away from their low down payment options, making it harder for a lot of homebuyers to buy their first home.  (more…)