Florida Real Estate Girl

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Why Do I Need a Pre-Approval?

- February 28, 2018

When you’re ready to find a home, the last thing you want to do is limit your possibilities. Dream big, right? But you’d be totally bummed if you found a perfect pad, only to learn you don’t qualify for the home of your dreams. If you don’t earn a loan pre-approval before you start looking, you might actually prevent yourself from finding—and buying—your dream home. Here’s why. Streamlined Hunting With Pre-Approval Most homeowners start out by browsing homes for sale online to get an idea of what neighborhoods and housing styles they like. If you don’t know what you can afford, you may be looking out of your price range and wasting your time. You may also be looking below what you would have qualified for and not getting the right home for you. If you start off by getting a pre-approval, you can sort by price, identify the right neighborhoods, and find your dream home much faster. Better Results From a REALTOR® The bottom line is this: REALTORS® prefer to wo

How Much House Can/Should I Buy?

- February 16, 2018

How Much House Can/Should I Buy? Some Realtors are going to be mad at me for writing this article, but I honestly don't care, because I don't work for them. I work for you. Many real estate agents will get your pre-approval letter from your lender, see how much you are approved for, and only show you houses worth that much. The big problem though, is you may not be able to afford that much house! Better yet, maybe you can afford it, but you don't want to be spending all your hard earned money on your mortgage! The goal of this article is to get you to start thinking about how much you SHOULD pay and not what you CAN afford. I don't like the word CAN in real estate. I CAN technically take a 10 day cruise, but then I would be struggling to pay my bills next month. It would be really fun in the moment, but really suck after. The word SHOULD is what you "should" be using when it comes to purchasing a home. Like, I should go to work today, I should eat

How to Make an Offer on Your First Home

- January 20, 2018

Buyers should always be clear on how to make the best possible offer for a home. When a home is listed, attention is always drawn to the listing price and whether it matches comparable prices in the area. But when a buyer makes a proper offer to buy a home, matching the seller's list price isn't the only concern. In some cases, terms included in the offer can represent thousands of dollars in additional value (or additional costs) for buyers. These terms are important and should be carefully reviewed. Here are some other important items to consider for an offer to buy a home : How much should you offer? Oftentimes, you'll hear the amount of your offer should be a certain percent below the seller's asking price or an amount less than you're really willing to pay. In practice, your offer depends on the basic laws of supply and demand: If multiple buyers are competing for a home, sellers will likely get full-price offers and a house may go for over asking

Stop Renting and Start Owning!

- January 16, 2018

If you haven't read the article on my Facebook page yet, you can check it out here . It pretty much says you are wasting 13% of your income on rent. That is like real money! Vacation money! Extra pizza topping money!!!! Still not convinced? Here are a few benefits of buying a house as opposed to renting. 1 .You Will Build Equity Your rent payments builds equity for your landlord, not for you. When you buy your own house, you can put the money towards your own mortgage instead of making your landlord richer. Paying your own mortgage will gradually make you wealthier. 2. You Gain Independence Buying your own house means there’s no landlord to tell you that you can’t change the color of the walls, you can’t have the open space that you want, or you can’t drill holes to hang your pictures. Your options to decorate your rental space are limited but if you own the home, they expand greatly. 3. No Pet Restrictions Many landlords don't allow tenants to have

First Time Home Buyer Must-Do's

- January 09, 2018

We all need a little laugh sometimes, but lets get serious. Here is what to consider when buying your first home. Make sure you’re ready to buy, both emotionally and financially If you expect to relocate in a few years, this may not be the right time for you to buy. If you don’t have cash for a down payment, closing costs and other expenses, you may be better off waiting. Look at your life, your career, your finances and your future expectations, and determine whether buying a house is the right move at this time. Find the right agent The difference between deals that close and deals that don’t are the professionals involved. You want to make sure you find a real estate agent who will move quickly when a new listing goes on the market, as well as an agent who will advise you honestly on preparing your offer. You also want a mortgage professional lined up before you start looking. The lender is the most important person to closing on time. Get your finances in order

6 Easy and Affordable Ways to Increase Your Home Value

- January 08, 2018

How Do I Stand Out From The Crowd? Have you been thinking about selling your home? Now may be the right time, but how do you get the most bang for your buck? Following some of these easy and affordable tips, can make your house someone's new dream home. Trust me, I have seen it work. Tip 1: Clean Up Cost - (DIY) $0, (Pro) $500 Potential Return - 3-5% A clean home is a sellable home. So pick up the broom and break out the mop. I always tell my clients, "imagine you were interested in buying a home. You step into house A, it's cluttered, with stains on the carpet, chipped paint and a dirty pool. Now imagine house B, same style home, but the floors are clean, walls are freshly painted and the pool is crystal clear. Which house would you rather have? This goes for the landscaping too. Trim the over grown bushes, paint the front door and pressure wash the driveway. A couple of days of work could mean a higher sales price and quicker close on your home