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The Truth About Buying A Foreclosed Home
Dec 5, 2007
Author: Family Realty LLC

Once the realm of only seasoned real estate investors, the interest in purchasing foreclosed properties has fanned out to a growing number of ordinary home buyers. As the sub prime lending fiasco continues to push homes into foreclosure, many prospective home buyers are eyeing these properties as a way to get a lot of house for little money.

What Is A Final Walk-Through?
Nov 28, 2007
Author: Family Realty LLC

The notion of a “final walk-through” seems to confuse both buyers and sellers of homes. What is a walk-through? What is its purpose? Is it just a formality? Read further and let’s take a look.

To Flip Or Not To Flip…That Is The Question.
Nov 21, 2007
Author: Family Realty LLC

With what seems like every TV station hosting a weekly show about investing, it is little surprise that everyone thinks they can delve into real estate investing-or flipping-and turn a quick profit. Doing so is not entirely impossible; you too can succeed, especially if you go into it with realistic expectations. Apart from the obvious financial rewards you can reap by buying low and selling high, you can also take away a great sense of satisfaction from creating wealth for yourself. Beware, “flipping” isn’t for everyone…here is an overview of what you can do to successfully flip a home, or decide if doing so is even for you.

Mortgage Woes: Be Patient With Closing Dates
Oct 31, 2007
Author: Family Realty LLC

Both agents and clients have called our office in the last couple weeks seeking assistance in meeting settlement dates, looking for advice on how to get a lender to move quicker and bemoaning the slow-down of transactions across the board in the last few weeks.

Pre-approval May Not Always Be Enough…
Oct 24, 2007
Author: Family Realty LLC

For years, Realtors® have advised their clients to get pre-approved for a mortgage before they start looking at houses. Today, getting pre-approved for a loan may not be enough to prepare you to be a buyer. You also need to know that you’re insurable.

Disclosure, Disclosure, Disclosure!!
Oct 17, 2007
Author: Family Realty LLC

If you’ve had the misfortune to experience repeated or serious unresolved problems with your home, it may be tempting to sell it and let someone else deal with the headaches and expense. There is nothing wrong with this, as long as you do not mislead prospective buyers about the condition of the property and make full disclosure of all of the problems.

How to Protect Against Carbon Monoxide
Oct 10, 2007
Author: Family Realty LLC

The days are getting shorter, there’s a nip in the air, and the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning is on the rise.

Getting Pre-Approved for Your Mortgage
Oct 3, 2007
Author: Family Realty LLC

You've spent a lot of time imagining your dream home. Now imagine this. You've found the perfect neighborhood, the cutest little house with a great backyard, and you think you can afford it…

Avoiding Costly Mistakes of Selling Your Home
Sep 26, 2007
Author: Family Realty LLC

There are always appropriate steps to investing in real estate. However, there are inappropriate steps sellers can walk down when it comes time to put their house on the market. Having seen these mistakes played out, it makes me shake my head as to why sellers forge ahead with unwise strategies, instead of listening to the voice of a licensed professional.

Tips for Selling Your Home This Fall
Aug 22, 2007
Author: Family realty LLC

With fall getting ready to mark its entrance, kids back in school, and the holidays just around the corner, home sales tend to slow down around this time of the year. If you’re selling, it means you need to take extra measures to make sure your house stands out above the others on the market in your neighborhood.

Keeping in Touch After a Move
Aug 29, 2007
Author: Family Realty LLC

Keeping in touch with friends and family after a move can be difficult. Its easy after a move to become quickly involved in various activities, becoming so busy that a week or more can pass without talking to even the oldest of friends or closet family members. Just remember that although you have moved on to new and exciting things, there are loved ones you have left behind.

Benefits of a Pre-Listing Home Inspection
Aug 6, 2007
Author: Family Realty LLC

It has happened many times in the real estate world – a buyer is all set to buy what they perceive to be his or her dream home – only to discover (via a buyer ordered professional home inspection) that the home has some structural problems or extensive roof deficiencies.

Real Estate 101 -- Showing Your Home
Aug 5, 2007
Author: Family Realty LLC

So, you’ve decided to place your home for sale. You’ve cleaned it from top to bottom, priced it at what you feel is a fair price. You’ve planted flowers and painted so your prospective buyers get that “WOW” first impression, what else can you do?

What’s missing in that TV mortgage ad?
May 16, 2007
Author: Family Realty LLC

You're sitting in front of the television and a familiar mortgage commercial begins to play. "You can get a mortgage for 5!" Of course you can, through any mortgage lender in the United States.

For those thinking of “For Sale By Owner”
May 3, 2007
Author: Family Realty LLC

Many homeowners believe that to maximize their profit on a home sale they should sell it themselves. At first glance, they feel selling a home is simple and why should they pay a broker fees for something they could do themselves? In fact, close to 25% of all the homes sold last year were sold for sale by owner (FSBO).

Poll reveals lack of mortgage knowledge
Mar 30, 2007
Author: Family Realty LLC

As we talked about last week, the nation’s sub-prime lenders have been struggling recently with growing default rates. Bankrate.com recently conducted a poll to look into the consumer side of the borrowing to attempt to identify some of the causes of the high default rates. What they discovered is that many borrowers simply did not understand their mortgage position.

Preparing for an open house
Mar 14, 2007
Author: Family Realty, LLC

To extend that exposure, your REALTOR® may suggest holding an Open House. Now an open house may attract a lot of “browsers”, but if your home is clean, attractive, a good price and in good condition, it could turn a browser into a buyer.

2007 a year of tranistions in real estate market
Mar 8, 2007
Author: Family Realty, LLC

Most experts in the real estate industry are predicting 2007 will be a transitional year for the nation. Although they do not agree on what the transition will be like, most do agree that it will not be a boom year for appreciation like in the past five years. However, local markets should continue to see strong growth in the Norris Lake areas.

Has your home been on the market for a long time?
Feb 21, 2007
Author: Family Realty LLC

Has your yard started to overtake the “For Sale” sign? When you listed your house, a Democrat was in the White House. Did you just get an invitation to your real estate agent’s retirement party? Hmm. Maybe your house is taking a little too long to sell.

Find your next house… online
Mar 4, 2007
Author: Family Realty, LLC

The times have changed. Just a few years ago, you would spend the afternoon riding in the back seat of a real estate agent’s car looking at house after house. It can be a long and exhausting process for the agent and for the homebuyer. Now, homebuyers are doing something that saves them valuable time and effort.

PMI Is Now Deductible
Mar 1, 2007
Author: Family Realty LLC

On January 1, 2007 a new law made private mortgage insurance (PMI) a deductible expense for new borrowers with less than a 0,000 income. This new legislation will help homebuyers who may have used a more risky “piggy-back” type of loan to avoid PMI over the past few years.