So, you're getting ready to buy your first home, and you feel like you're at the mercy of the market. And your mortgage lender. In some ways, it might even feel like they're working against each other - especially if you're in a really hot market in which you can't qualify for the amount you'd need to buy what you want.

When it comes to providing pre-approvals for would-be homebuyers, lenders today are more careful than they were in the years leading up to the market crash, and that means your financial picture will be more rigorously scrutinized to determine your credit-worthiness and develop your max approval amount. Trust us, that's a good thing. The last thing you want is to be house poor. Having a great place to live that you can't enjoy or furnish or even leave because you have no money left won't be fun.

Just because a lender says you...

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Found a Home Listing You Like? Watch Out for These Warning Signs

As the summer real estate season rolls on, true to form, more and more homes are listed and competition remains stiff. Another thing you can rely on – a seller and their agent are going to paint the home as beautifully as they can to secure a sale. But if you're looking to buy, you have to be careful you don't fall for such crafty salesmen tricks.

Pay attention when you visit a home and do your own careful inspections to look for any signs that the house you're walking around in isn't the home that's being promised by the Realtor. Here are four key warning signs to keep an eye out for that will tell you the home listing isn't all it's cracked up to be.

#1: Cracks in the Foundation

If you or your profess...

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Finding the perfect starter home is a journey as well as a destination. You've got to know what you want, then adjust expectations to meet the reality of the market. In the end, you don't have to settle on your "forever home"—just a place you'll call home for at least five to seven years.

But that's a long time in homeowner years, especially if you wake up each day in a place you wind up hating.

So how do you know what's going to stand the test of (a decent amount of) time? You've never done this before. You're taking a leap of faith that you have the money, skills, and tem...

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10 Tips for Making Your Home More Sellable

Selling a home isn't always a sure thing. With so much inventory on the market, a home needs to really stand apart from the crowd if the seller wants to draw the attention of buyers. The last thing you want to do is have a messy, congested home when it comes time for your agent to host an open house or to schedule a showing.

The trick to making your home more appealing to buyers is to make it as clean and neutral as possible. You want the buyer to be able to imagine themselves living...

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Never underestimate the importance of a pretty face…on your home or a client’s home. A curbside “facelift” is money well-spent, whether prepping to sell your house, increasing its equity value, or just for your own pleasure.

 

These new ideas and trends should get your creative juices flowing.

 

Re-Think the Front Door

REALTORS® have long advised that the front doorâ€"one of t...

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