Expert Tips To Help You Find A Great Real Estate Agent

Most people only speak with one real estate agent, even though a lot of experts say you should interview at least a few. So, how do you pick a good one, and how do you select prospective agents to interview in the first place?tips on finding a great real estate agent

Let’s start with the selection process, after all there are about 9,500 real estate agents in Orlando to choose from. Here are three ways to narrow the field.

First, personal referrals are a tried and true method of selecting a prospective real estate agent. Most of us probably know someone that has purchased or sold real estate in the last six months or so. Ask your friends, family or co-workers who they used and what they thought of them. Second, if you are new to the area or cannot get a good personal referral try review sites like Yelp or Angie’s List. Third, try Googling your neighborhood or town for real estate such as “Orlando real estate” to see who pops up. Odds are, an agent that shows up in these results is tech savvy and it likely means more experienced.

Now that you have a few agents to interview what should you look for in a good agent? Ask them questions about their qualifications:

“How long have you been in real estate?”
“How many homes do you sell each year?”

What is a good answer to these questions is hard to say. Let’s face it someone who has only been in real estate for a year may be a much better fit for you than someone who has been around for ages. If a more direct connection with your agent is what you are looking for, you may not want a big team that sells 50 or 100 properties a year. If you like the team approach, then you may not want to speak with an agent that works alone. I do think if an agent is selling fewer than six properties a year they may not be very “in touch” with the market. Here in Orlando, a huge percentage of the real estate agents sold fewer than two properties last year. Ask about the market, and see what they can tell you about what is going on in your area.

If you are selling ask them to put together a comparative market analysis (CMA) and check out the properties they are comparing to your home. Try not to list with an agent just because they gave you the highest value for your property. Buying or selling, you want an agent that asks you questions too. If they don’t know what your situation is, how can they know how to best help you? Keep this in mind too. Once you select a real estate agent, you may be working closely with them for several weeks or even several months. Ask yourself if this is someone you want to spend that much time working with.

6 Tips on Buying Your First Home

Buying your first home is a very exciting time in your life but it can also be a very stressful and confusing experience. For that reason we came up with 6 tips to help you through the process of buying your first home!help for first time home buyers

1. Attend a First-Time Home Buyer’s Seminar to learn all the ins and outs of buying and owning a home. You will be able to ask questions about securing loans for payment of your mortgage, what types of things to look for in a home and even learn about maintaining and repairing your home when you get it. The best part about it is that many of these seminars are free.

2. Seek Pre-approval for a Loan. This will allow you to have a better idea of just how much you will be able to borrow. It also lets the seller know how serious and committed you are to purchasing a new home.

3. Find a Right Real Estate Agent. We talked about this in a previous post so be sure to check that out for further details on how to find and pick the right one. This will be very important in the home buying process. Bear in mind that there are Buyer agents and Seller agents.

4. Make Sure You Know What You Can Afford. This is another subject that was mentioned in a previous post. There are numerous affordability calculators available online through many different websites which will be able to help you gauge you price range. This goes hand in hand with calculating your monthly mortgage payments. You want to make sure that you can afford it and that the monthly costs will not be a surprise to you when calculating you budget.

5. Don’t Forget about the Closing Costs. These are charges by the lender and include title and settlement fees, taxes and homeowner’s insurance.

6. Lastly, Look at the Big Picture. Remember that a home is an investment and with it there may be many hidden costs associated. You should take into account possible repairs and renovations prior to purchasing the home. Also remember to try to separate what you want from what you actually need in a home.

Your first time will be very exciting but you want to ensure that you are making a wise decision and the right decision.

If you enjoyed reading this post you will find the main Mover’s Atlas site even more Interesting! There you can discover important information about what surrounds your current or future Florida home, give it a look: Mover’s Atlas.

Tips on Being a Smart Home Buyer

Being a smart home buyer is much like being a smart car buyer, the best tool you can have is being equipped with the right knowledge. Doing complete and thorough research will help ensure you make the best decision possible.  After you have Advice on buying a new homefound the perfect house or narrowed it down to multiple houses you are interested in it would be wise to sit down and carefully look over the financials in many different aspects.

The price of the home is just the start.  If you have ever gone through the process of being preapproved for a home loan you know that typically you are approved for a lot more money than you actually want or need.  In this case you need to set your own personal budget for your new home, some recommend this should be a third of your take home pay on a 15 year FIXED rate mortgage.  This would be combined income and could vary depending on your personal debt like cars, student loans or credit cards.  This may seem like it is much less then you thought you could afford but there are many additional expenses that come along with being a home owner.

One big expense that most people overlook if it is their first time buying a home is buying furniture and other standard household items. Many people are used to living in apartments, condos or even mom and dads and in these cases many don’t have enough furniture to even fill the place; this may not seem important at first but depending on the individuals circumstances using bean bag chairs for living room furniture or TV trays for the kitchen table gets old very quickly.  These items tend to sneak up on most and end up being a burden that turn into more debt and more cost that is overlooked.

Some more expenses to consider are additional taxes, HOA fees, mortgage insurance and home insurance.  The fees that are tacked on during the purchase, known as closing cost, can vary depending on the type of purchase. The closing cost can typically be calculated fairly easily and fortunately is a onetime cost; on the other hand taxes and HOA fees are ongoing and should be carefully included into the consideration when purchasing a place.  Many times there are HOA fees that can be several hundred dollars a month, this money could be better used elsewhere so it is important to educate yourself on these additional expenses before you close on a new house.

It is said that knowledge is power, this is especially true when buying your home. It is important to have a full understanding of all the hidden costs, what your limitations are and how comfortable you want to live.  The best thing you can do is take your time, do your research and be honest with yourself and your situation.

If you enjoyed reading this post you will find the main Mover’s Atlas site even more Interesting! There you can discover important information about what surrounds your current or future Florida home, give it a look: Mover’s Atlas.