How Much Money Do I Need To Buy A Home As A First Time Home Buyer in Massachusetts

The first step in buying a home for a first time home buyer is to assess how much money do you need to have saved. Now more than ever rents are making buying a first home attractive from a financial standpoint. Combine that with an overall financial outlook of owning a home for years and buying a home offers financial as well as emotional stability that many first time home buyers are looking for. First, there are several financial obligations that you must consider like your down … Continue reading...

Choosing a Community to Live In

8 Variable in choosing the right community to live in

When it comes time to buy a home your are not just buying a house. Not only do you want the perfect house you also want the perfect community to suit you and your families lifestyle and needs. Choosing a community to live in can be equally as important as the house you choose to buy. For most home buyers identifying communities that suit their needs is usually done prior to even looking at homes to purchase. Finding the right community to purchase a home in can certainly … Continue reading...

Closing Costs for Home Buyers

Home Buyer closing costs prepaids and escrow

When buying a home, of course home buyers are always thinking about the down payment. Your down payment can be 3%, 5%, 10% or more of the total purchase price. But, when some home buyers are planning on buying a home they forget about the closing costs associated with closing a home loan. This why getting a good pre-approval and the loan started before you even look at homes is a good idea. By starting the financial piece early, you can talk in real numbers and know exactly … Continue reading...

Days on Market Data, What Does it Mean to A Home Buyer

When it comes time to buy a home and negotiate an offer there is many things to consider. One piece of data that is often misinterpreted by home buyers is days on market or DOM. Days on market will also sometimes be referred to as market times. While DOM can be a useful bit of information for home buyers, bear in mind there is never one data point that should ever be used exclusively to determine anything when it comes to real estate. Different data points can be combined … Continue reading...

What NOT To Do Before Closing on Your Home That Can Derail Your Financing

what fnot to do before closing on your home

You put an offer in on a house. Its accepted! Now its time to get your home loan approved and close on the your new home. Here is what not to do before closing on your new home. The period of time between an accepted offer and closing home is also called escrow. While you are in escrow awaiting to close on a home there are things you should not do to interrupt or destroy your financing. The best advice I can give is status quo is the way to go! When in … Continue reading...

The True Value of Owning a Home for Millennials

There is a value of owning a home for millennials. But, home ownership is down among the Millennial generation as reported by Business Insider and many other news outlets. There are lots of reasons why this could be happening, tighter credit standards, change in lifestyle, lower incomes out of college, high student debt and the fact that millennials are marrying later and having children later in life. And certainly coming out of one of the worst recessions in US history, many … Continue reading...

Make Your Life Easier By Making Your Agent’s Job Easier

As a home shopper, there are a few things you can do to make your life easier…and that is to make your agent’s job easier. You two have aligned goals, so it is best to work with each other instead of against each other. I have observed both sides of the transaction enough times to know a few of the items consumers can do to help their REALTOR®. Here is that list. Be Upfront and Communicative All good relationships are built … Continue reading...

Get Ready for Your Home Inspection- You Only Have One Shot

Get the most out of your home inspection

You have put an offer in on a home that was accepted!! Congratulations. There is probably no doubt you decided you should have a home inspection on your new home before closing. Today we will talk about how to get ready for your home inspection. Your home inspection is your last line of defense in insuring your home is safe and sound when you move in as well as alerting you to any repairs they may need to be done immediately or in the near future. I won't go into depth … Continue reading...

5 Reasons not to Hire a Family Member as Your Real Estate Agent

hiring a family member as your real estate agent

So I just arrived back at the office from a showing where I heard, I have a "family member who is a real estate agent" they will be handling the transactions. This article discusses 5 reasons why may not want to hire a family member as your real estate agent. This woman spent a half an hour on the phone with me saying her and her husband are wanting to downsize their home and they don't know where to start. I layed out the steps for her that made sense for their … Continue reading...

Rent to Own – A Good Way to Purchase a House?

Rent to Own Contract the devil is in the details

Today we are going to discuss whether rent to own is a good way to purchase a house or not. Other terms for rent to own could be lease to own or lease option. While not terribly popular in New England because of the strong housing market, rent to owns can still be found. However, I probably get several calls a month from a hopeful home buyer looking for a home they can lease to own. The rent to own or lease option gives the hope to many of buying a home instead of renting … Continue reading...