17 Essential Home buyer Tips The Internet is awash with short and incomplete lists of tips for homebuyers. Market Leader gathered tips for homebuyers from half a dozen sources but not just any one. They surveyed almost 400 real estate agents about the importance of each tip. Professional insights over years of experience are very important home buyers’ tips. For the many Americans unfamiliar with the home-buying process, trying to determine which tips to focus on could be confusing. Upon reading these lists, aspiring home buyers must ask themselves, “Are these tips that industry experts would actually recommend, and are [&hellip

Housing Numbers Sacramento and Placer March 2014 Charts are good for viewing what the data of the housing marketing is doing. This chart of the number of Homes for Sale and Homes that Sold in Sacramento county shows that the numbers of houses are staying about the same as the last four months but the number sold and pending sales are moving up. This move is a very strong direction for people wishing to sell their property. If this continues we can be in a very challenging time for individual buyers. The inventory of new homes just makes it hard [&hellip

Renting Versus Owning Renters Have Much to Gain by Pursuing Home Ownership Buying a home vs. renting is a big decision that takes careful consideration, as most mortgage consultants will agree. But the rewards of home ownership are great. For many years, purchasing real estate has been considered an extremely profitable investment. It is an achievement that offers a sense of pride, financial stability and potential tax advantages. Yes, there are certain responsibilities associated with owning a home. Landlords will often argue the benefits of renting, and for obvious reason. If you are renting, you’re helping them make their mortgage [&hellip

  Open Letter to the Fat Me   The taunts of “fat boy” rang in my head as I got off my bike and started to walk the hill. I knew everyone else could ride the hill but big, fat me could not. The reality was I was alone on the trails around my home and 54 years old. But those thoughts resounded in my ears. They came from the inner me of my childhood. But now I was determined to push through the pain, physical and mental. As I grabbed the handle bars from the side and walked up [&hellip

Megan’s Law and looking for a home What is Megan’s law? Megan’s Law is named after seven-year-old Megan Kanka, a New Jersey girl who was raped and killed by a known registered sex offender who had moved across the street from the family without their knowledge. In the wake of the tragedy, the Kankas sought to have local communities warned about sex offenders in the area. All states now have a form of Megan’s Law. California has required sex offenders to register with their local law enforcement agencies since 1947. California’s Megan’s Law provides the public with certain information on [&hellip

Do you get it? How old are you?   The info graphic used to explain this frequently convoluted process is a “meme.” If you’re wondering what exactly memes are, they have been described as “virally-transmitted cultural symbols or social ideas” or cultural elements like jokes and turns of phrase that are created and disseminated by individuals. Communication is a big part of real estate. I don’t communicate like this, but I have people on my team that get it. I am a firm believer in a team of different experiences and abilities. If you get this, then I have people [&hellip

Sacramento Housing Numbers January 2014 Charts are good for viewing what the data of the Sacramento housing marketing is doing. This chart of the number of Homes for Sale and Homes that Sold shows that there are many more homes for sale than are being sold.  The charts are showing a strong change from last year. In January of 2013 there were 1,249 properties for sale; and, in January of 2014 there were 2,356. That is almost double the number of properties for sale. Despite the large numbers of properties for sale, fewer properties actually sold during January of this [&hellip

  DIY Simple Drywall Repair     The inside walls of most homes are created with drywall. Drywall is also known as wallboard or gypsum board. Drywall holds up well, but every now and then gets damaged. Fixing drywall is a fairly simple process.   To fix a small hole or dent one method is a simple 5 step process. Step 1 is prepare the damage. Cut out the damaged area. Make sure all the broken drywall is cut out. Generally a square shape is easiest to work with. Drywall cuts well in a straight line. Make sure that the [&hellip

How Real Estate Commissions Work     Real Estate Commissions Basics   The standard and customary real estate commission to sell a property is 6%. Some properties can be handled for more based on the situation. And other properties can be listed for less.  All real estate commissions are negotiable, but not every agent will negotiate.   The first point to understand about real estate commission is the listing real estate agent (the agent who is going to put property for sale) receives only part of the commission. Depending on the property situation, it is generally 50/50 split. That means [&hellip

Qualified Mortgages The win for Lenders What is the big win for lenders making a Qualified Mortgage (QM)? A lender that fellows the rules of a QM loan have greater protection from law suits. This provision of QM is called “safe harbor”. In theory, under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s final mortgage rules, low-priced loans that meet all the criteria of QM are supposed to be largely immune from consumer lawsuits. Lenders that make Qualified Mortgages get certain legal protections even if the loans default. For QMs that are not “higher-priced,” lenders get a “safe harbor.” This means that the [&hellip