Suzanne's Blog
Common Mistakes When Closing on a Home
Ever notice that when you’re unprepared, it heats up stressful situations? Take the preclosing stage of the home buying process. You may keep thinking about the money at stake, while forms, disclosures, and reports fly at you. It’s enough to overwhelm anyone. Anyone who isn’t well prepared, that is. You can get a head start, […]
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Quick, the Appraiser Is at the Door!
Take the listing? Check! Sell the home? Check! Inspection completed? Check! Appraisal okay? Things could have gone better! What happened? Everyone benefits when appraisers and listing agents work together. Often a low appraisal value could have been avoided if all parties knew their roles at the beginning of the assignment instead of at the end. […]
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As the Housing Market Corrects, Is It Better To Rent or Buy?
Q:I’ve heard the housing market is ‘correcting’ and home prices are falling. However, mortgage rates and rents keep going up. So should I wait to buy until prices go down further and rent now instead? Whether to rent or buy a home has long been on the mind of potential homebuyers. Soaring mortgage and rental […]
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Tax Breaks for Older Couples Who Sell Their Homes
Consider Irene, who recently became a widow when her husband, Henry, died. Like most married couples, they held the title to their home in joint ownership with the right of survivorship. In plainer language, this means that co-owner Henry’s death results in his loss of all ownership in their dwelling. Surviving co-owner Irene automatically acquires all […]
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5 terrible reasons to refinance your mortgage — that have nothing to do with today’s rising rates
After years of record-setting low mortgage rates, the days of easy loans are long gone. But even with rates on the rise, there are plenty of excellent reasons to refinance your mortgage — like changing the length of your loan, switching from a variable to a fixed rate or tapping into your home’s equity. Americans are facing a […]
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How to Move Past Student Debt — and Into a Home
You want to buy a house. But you’re worried you won’t qualify for a mortgage because of your student loan debt. You’re not alone. Half of non-homeowners (51%) say student loan debt is delaying them from buying a home, according to a survey from the National Association of REALTORS®. That number jumps to 60% for […]
Read More7 Most Popular Bathroom Upgrades
Homeowners are spending more money to spruce up their bathrooms as the pandemic-fueled home renovation boom continues. The national median spend for bathroom renovations jumped nearly 13% year over year to $9,000, according to the 2022 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study, a survey of more than 2,500 homeowners who are planning or recently completed a bathroom […]
Read MoreChasing The Ball Down The Road In Real Estate
Sellers have been chasing the ball down the road. What I mean is prices have been going down lately, and sellers are trying to find the market through price reductions. I can’t speak for the entire country, but I’d like to talk about what’s happening locally. I’m not writing as a housing bull or bear […]
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