Credit scores. Can’t understand them, but without a good one – or lots of cash – buying a house is not attainable.
How Is A Credit Score Broken Down?
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Category Archives: Home Buying
Why You Should – And Shouldn’t – Buy A House
Not counting the posts I’ve written and saved as drafts and never actually posted (often times for very good reason), this is the 1000th post on this blog. What started during Christmas 2006 as an experiment suggested by a friend has turned in to something that I count as crucial to my understanding of the market and how to best explain it – sometimes poorly, I’ll admit – to the people I work with. I’ve been thinking for quite a while about how to acknowledge the 1000th post … it seems like a milestone of some kind.
What’s the List Price to Sale Price Ratio in the New River Valley
I was sifting through recently closed sales the other day and noticed a property that had sold for its list price. While I certainly don’t have a problem paying full price for a good deal, when I looked a little more closely I noticed that the list price had been dropped to the sales price … on the same day that the closing took place. Someone emailed me later that day and asked me what the typical home in the New River Valley sold for relative to it’s list price. Well, if I used the example of the house mentioned above, 100%. Every property that goes on the market sells for every dollar of the list price … but you and I know that’s probably not the case.
How’s the Market Since the Expiration of the HomeBuyer Tax Credit?
It’s inevitable – everyone wants to know how the real estate market in the New River Valley is. The truth is … so do I.
Will A Cash Offer Get A Better Deal On A Foreclosure?
I read a question, posted online, recently, where a buyer said that they were looking at making a cash offer on a bank-owned foreclosure. Specifically, they were wondering whether a bank would take a cash offer for less than the listed price. For the purposes of this post, let’s assume that they mean “will the bank take far less than the asking price if I’m paying in cash?“
Well? Is It Really A Good Time To Buy New River Valley Real Estate? Part One …
Reprinted from the Wall Street Journal – see the full article here. Part Two forthcoming, with my thoughts. What do you think?
From Inman.com – The Anatomy of a Real Estate Appraisal
This article is cut and pasted from Inman.com, with a link to the full article here. I didn’t want it disappearing behind their pay wall. Every area is a little bit different, but this is a good, comprehensive look at the mechanics of a home appraisal. You can find New River Valley real estate tax rates here.
My Mistake – Here’s The Real Look at the New River Valley Real Estate Market
I’ve spent the morning working on Activity Reports for my listings – they’re a look at a very refined, specific price point for each listing, and shows what’s happened in the New River Valley market in that price point during the last month. One of the things I found interesting was just how different our market is right now. While the Activity Report looks at a very specific section of the market, I also wanted to know what real estate had been doing across the entire residential market … the numbers were surprising.
I’ve Signed Everything, But Why Don’t I Have The Keys?
Note: I’m not an attorney, nor do I play one on TV, radio or silent films. I also did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
How To Buy Your First Home – Part One
So you want to buy your first home? You’ve got a good job, you’ve saved up for a downpayment, and the house band the tenants upstairs started six months ago is progressively getting worse instead of better. Yes, it might be time to consider buying your first home. This is part one of a four part post that covers the general steps to buying your first home, and covers things like determining what you can afford, getting a loan, finding a house and handling inspections, and more. If you have questions not covered, email me or post in the comments below!