Water Cooler Real Estate

Thinking about Buying a Home? Most people only purchase a home maybe 1, 2, or 3 times in a lifetime. As quickly as the landscape of the Lending Industry can change, you definitely want to make sure you're up to date. In this episode, The Insiders discuss important factors that will go into your decision to select the right loan for your needs.

Whereas in the 1990's, it seemed like Fixers were All the Rage, many of today's Home Buyers are really looking for Turn-Key homes with upgrades. Whether you are a buyer looking at New Construction, or maybe a Seller, looking to improve your home sale bottom line with some remodeling projects, working with Contractor/Builders can be a painstaking process. In this episode, The Insiders discuss questions and concerns you should address with your Contractor/Builder as you prepare to launch these types of home construction/ improvement undertakings. 

As a First time or first time in a long time Buyer, typically the most important criteria as to how much home you can afford comes down to your Total Monthly Payment.   In this episode, The Insiders break down and explain the 6 factors that make up the complete monthly outlay, when it comes to purchasing a home.   

Whether you are a Buyer or Seller, you may be considering doing some remodeling or new construction projects. In this episode, The Insiders offer you some helpful tips to think about before you hire a contractor to do the work. 

The Number One most vital criteria in evaluating and valuing Real Estate is the Location.   In this episode, The Insiders discuss various types of Location criteria that Buyers should take into consideration when deciding upon a city or neighborhood to move into, that checks off the most criteria on your list.

Buying and Selling you home can be a stressful, emotional, and rewarding time, especially when you are expected to carry on your "Normal" life at the same time.  When it comes time to actually move, the To Do list and time crunch, can really sneak up on you. In this week's episode, The Insiders introduce some Apps that can really help organize and coordinate those items on your moving checklist that may fall through the cracks, or send you on that last minute emotional roller coaster.

Selling your home is one of the largest financial and emotional endeavors most people tackle in their lifetime. In this episode, The Insiders share 12 Secrets of Selling, to boost your knowledge and confidence as you prepare to navigate through your upcoming transaction.

There are many financial reasons to owning a home versus renting. For most Americans, Home ownership is the single most important step in building personal wealth. However, in this week's episode, The Insiders focus on the emotional and personal reasons and benefits of Home Ownership.

The simple economics explanation of a Seller's Market is when the Demand for Homes outnumbers the existing Supply of homes available for sale in a given Real Estate market. In this episode, The Insiders discuss the signs that are indicative of a Seller's Market, along with various factors that create or drive a real estate market that overwhelmingly benefits Sellers over Buyers.

"That's Not What Zillow Says!" As a Realtor, our fiduciary responsibilities are to our clients, and so, as a client, you should be able, you Need to be able to talk to us about anything related to a home sale transaction. In this episode, The Insiders list some of the comments and/or questions that will make your Realtor cringe. The Insiders also discuss their context and help to explain why these comments are most likely not in the consumers best interest after all.

In almost every situation, buying a home is going to require some out-of-pocket cost for the perspective buyer.   Typically the down payment amount is self explanatory, and based on your loan.  In addition to the down payment, Buyer's Closing Costs are what will ultimately contribute to the overall cash a Buyer will need to bring to closing/Escrow, when purchasing their new home. In this episode, The Insiders list and help to explain the many charges, payments, and fees that are considered "Closing Costs", that the Buyer will ultimately find on a Final Closing Statement.  

The Real Estate Selling Process can really be a Rollercoaster of Emotions. In this episode, The Insiders discuss the various steps of the selling process, and how these situations lead Sellers to the emotional swings attributed to them. When Sellers can understand that these are Normal, it can be much easier to cope!

The Crooks are getting smarter and our societal never ending quest for convenience are contributing to a major win-fall of money for the Darkside. In this episode, The Insiders discuss how to protect yourself from wire fraud in Real Estate, and why your Real Estate transaction can be an easy, Big $ target for the new age Cyber-Thief.

When Buyers are shopping for homes online. they have access to Real Estate listings with an "Active" status. However, these are not technically all of the homes which are actually Available to the Buyer. In this episode, The Insiders discuss various levels of listing "Status", and explain the legal meanings, as well as touch on a few "Opportunities" a Buyer may find when working with an experienced Realtor.

When it comes to the Real Estate Industry, regardless of the market, there are some basic "Truths" that Seller's must understand, going into the Home Selling process.   In this episode, The Insiders list these 6 primary "Truths" and how Sellers can be the most successful in the sale of their home. 

FIRPTA - The Foreign Investment Real Property Tax Act The disposition of a U.S. real property interest by a foreign person (the transferor) is subject to the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act of 1980 (FIRPTA) income tax withholding.   FIRPTA authorized the United States to tax foreign persons on dispositions of U.S. real property interests. In this episode, The Insiders discuss the FIRPTA process, and how it will now affect Buyers and Sellers in a real estate transaction.

In the 70s & 80s, much of the population were seeking the sprawl of the Suburbs.  However, now as Buyers are transitioning back to the Big Cities, they are finding that they cannot afford a single family home in the heart of the city. In this episode, The Insiders discuss the Pros & Cons of the Big City, High Rise Lifestyle.

As a Buyer, if you want to verify Seller repairs or property condition prior to closing, it is VITAL that you include "Final Walk Through" wording in your original offer or your accepted Repair Addendum.  In this episode, The Insiders clarify what is allowed in a Final Walk Through, and offer a checklist of items to look for while you are there.

You know what they say about a first impression . . . As you are preparing your home to sell, you want to maximize your home's first impression to Buyers. In this episode, The Insiders give you some Easy, Low Budget ideas to improve the "Show-ability" of your home to perspective Buyers!

When you are listing your home for sale, you strive to expose your home to the entire Buyers market.  Considering this upcoming exposure, there are a few important issues to think about. In this episode, The Insiders discuss how Sellers need to be knowledgeable and practical as they prepare their home and themselves for a safe and successful Selling Experience.