Avoiding a Big Mistake and Still Being A Competitive Buyer One really big mistake the house hunters are being talked into is waiving your home inspection. Why do you need an inspection? If you hire an experienced exclusive buyer’s agent, you have the backing of...
Summertime is when Massachusetts heads outdoors, so does most of the US. Sometimes, this leads to tragedy. A fire in Arlington, Massachusetts reminded me that smoking on the porch is not a foolproof way to keep your house safe from fire. Smoking Can Set a House On...
1. Most of the time, if you have a documented pre-approval, you will get your mortgage, so a mortgage contingency is not really necessary, right? Wrong. It is only unnecessary if: You can afford to lose 5-10 percent of your...
Consider the not so perfect house; why prioritizing the location, lot size, and lay of the land before considering the interior features of the home is so important in this market. These are challenging times for home buyers. Housing inventory is at record low levels....
Not every year is the same, but there’s a pattern. First, though, I want to remind you that it takes about five weeks to close on a house, once you have an accepted offer. Here, I am talking about when you get your offer accepted, not when you close. So, for example,...
Real Estate Negotiations are Handled by a Home Buying Expert Home buying assistance from exclusive buyer’s agents focus on negotiations since they devote their work to the buying side and are considered home buying experts. They understand that home buyers value their...
In real estate, there’s often a misunderstood and confusing part of the buying process. Who pays for the buyer’s agent? Most real estate agents fall into two categories, the Exclusive Buyer Agent or the seller’s (listing) agent. As the names suggest, seller’s agents...
Anyone who's looked into the home buying process will have come across the term "earnest money" a few times. What is it? Simply put, it's a "good faith" deposit that is paid once you've made an offer on a home. It's intended as a way to show the seller that you're...
In the real estate game, you’ll often hear the phrase “Days on the Market” (DOM). For home buyers, this is a crucially important term to understand. Why? Because it tells you how long a home listing has been on the market. The higher that number gets the more its...
Today we’ll be looking at the due diligence part of the buying process. This is an important process that no buyer can afford to leave out. By doing your due dilligence you will avoid buying a home which has more issues than you might first realize. What is Due...
Most people have heard of Home Owners Associations (HOA), but fewer people know about them in the detail they should. These are homes in areas that typically have walled enclosures, swimming pools, tennis courts, and other amenities. All of which are only available to...
The real estate industry is full of buzzwords and catchphrases. The one we’ll be looking at today is the price per square foot. This is a phrase you’ll hear a lot when comparing different homes on the market. It’s meant to give you an idea of a home’s market value and...