Why You Should Have A Home Inspection Before You List
by Joe Costa
Why You Should Have A Home Inspection Before You List One of the largest home sale killers is the home inspection. Nearly one-third of all terminated real estate contracts fall apart because of the inspection results. Inspections also ranked as the number three cause of delayed settlements, accounting for 13 percent. For some reason - and I’ll never get it - a home inspection that comes back with anything less than a perfect report strikes fear into the hearts of buyer agents and...
Read MoreYour home is under contract, what’s next?
by Joe Costa
Your home is under contract, what’s next? Great news, you’ve put your dream home under contract and you’re excited to move in one day soon. That said, there’s a lot that has to happen before you can take occupancy: home inspection, appraisal, financing paperwork, contingencies and other requirements necessary to close. Here’s what you can expect to happen over the coming weeks. Due Diligence Now that the home is yours to negotiate...
Read MoreWhat will be your payment on your new home?
by Joe Costa
What will be your payment on your new home? Buying a new home can be overwhelming. Between understanding the financial aspects of your loan and all the paperwork required to buy your home, things can get a little crazy. One of the biggest parts of getting a new home is figuring out the terms and conditions of your mortgage. Two of the biggest areas that impact your loan are your credit and your down payment. In this post, we’ll cover both and also explain how to determine the...
Read More10 questions you must ask an agent before you list your home
by Joe Costa
10 questions you must ask an agent before you list your home Currently, there are over 1.61 million Realtors in the United States alone. The number of people that have joined the real estate sales force over the last 10 years is more than a half a million.. No two agents are the same and less than 10% of the total number of Realtors to 90% of the business. In fact, the average agent has sold roughly 4.2 homes for more than five years now. In addition to that, not all agents are created equally....
Read MoreHow to beat other buyers to hot, new listings (Before they even know about them)
by Joe Costa
How to beat other buyers to hot, new listings (Before they even know about them) Buyers want three things when they’re making a purchase: Selection: Have the largest number of options from which to choose Price: Get a smoking hot deal on what I want to buy Ease of doing business: Don’t make it hard for me to buy it It doesn’t matter if they’re buying shoes, a toaster or a house, all three of them matter and they usually matter in that order. And when...
Read MoreWhen is the Best Season of the Year to Buy to get the Best Deal
by Joe Costa
When is the Best Season of the Year to Buy to get the Best Deal The housing market here in the United States has been moving at a blistering pace for a while now. On the whole, home prices increased more than 33% from February 2020 to June 2022. What’s even better news is that It’s expected that the housing market will continue to climb in the future — albeit a little more slowly now — due to the changes that were made in the lending market coming out of the mortgage...
Read MoreHow much you should put down to purchase your new home?
by Joe Costa
How much should you put down to purchase your new home? Historically, home buyers seek to put down 20% when they purchase a home. However, according to a recent survey by The National Association of Realtors (NAR), the actual national average is much closer to 10%. When it comes to first-time homebuyers, the average down payment is at 4% as per the same survey. While down payment requirements vary based on the lender you choose to work with, the amount required will usually depend...
Read MoreWhy You Should Get a Home Warranty When You List Your Home
by Joe Costa
Why You Should Get a Home Warranty When You List Your Home Home warranties aren’t just for buyers anymore. In the past, buyers have asked sellers to pay for a home warranty to give them a year of protection after it sells on roughly 16 major systems in the house including things like the electrical system, appliances, hot water heater, furnace, etc. Overall, it makes sense because the first time claim on a home warranty for most buyers runs around $1,500 to 1,600 plus a deductible...
Read MoreHow to get qualified to purchase a home for no money down
by Joe Costa
How to get qualified to purchase a home for no money down Even with all the insanity that happened during the mortgage meltdown and all the changes that resulted in how money would now be lent to buyers, there are still some amazingly affordable loan programs out there. Included, believe it or not, no-money-down options for buying a home. Here are some of the best programs that are out there today and how you need to get qualified to purchase a home using them to buy a home for no money...
Read MoreHow to get the home with the furniture included
by Joe Costa
How to get the home with the furniture included So you like the dining room table in the house you want to buy, but your agent tells you it’s not included with the sale. What do you do? In short, you ask for it. Well, you negotiate it as part of your offer to purchase the home from the seller. To effectively get the home you want with the furniture included, you should identify in advance any furniture that you are interested in buying and let the seller (or your agent) know...
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