Thursday, September 21, 2017 / by Tom Nickley
Want to sell your Orlando Home? Get a free home value report | Want to buy an Orlando Home? Search all homes for sale
Purchasing your home can be a tricky process. Today, I wanted to go over five of the most common mistakes made by first-time homebuyers.
Hopefully by going over these mistakes, I’ll be able to help you avoid making them when you move forward with purchasing your first home. Knowing what not to do can be just as important as knowing the things you should be doing.
1. Assuming you won’t be approved for a mortgage. A high credit score, a low debt-to-income ratio, and a 20% down payment are always ideal. However, not all of these things have to happen. It’s a lot easier these days to get approved for a mortgage. Confer with a local lender to find out what kind of purchasing power you have. It could be more than you think.
2. Not getting pre-approved early. Many first-time homebuyers underestimate the importance of getting pre-approved early on. ...
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home buyer tips
Wednesday, July 12, 2017 / by Tom Nickley
Want to sell your Orlando Home? Get a free home value report | Want to buy an Orlando Home? Search all homes for sale
Here in Orlando, the market is hot and more often than not we are finding that buyers are competing in multiple-offer situations. Unless you really understand what it takes to be successful, you’re properly educated by a great agent, and know how to position yourself in these situations, then you will find yourself easily frustrated by the home buying process. So today I wanted to list four things that you can do to compete in multiple-offer situations.
1. Be fully pre-approved by a local lender. You want to make sure that they will absolutely go to bat for you in these types of situations. The days of getting pre-qualified are over; you have to be fully pre-approved and have undergone an underwriting process. You should also look for a lender who knows the market well and is well-respected locally. They should be someone who is willing to call the seller ...
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home buyer tips
Tuesday, March 21, 2017 / by Tom Nickley
Want to sell your Orlando Home? Get a free home value report | Want to buy an Orlando Home? Search all homes for sale
What’s it like being a homebuyer and working with us?
In the beginning, all buyers want to see homes. They don’t want to talk to an agent and hear all about them. That’s why we have a required five-minute response time on every lead we get. We then have a new business consultation meeting with that buyer and ask about their specific situation. We like to start the criteria off large and focus it down to what they’re looking for.
Most buyers think that they need to call five, six, or seven agents, and that’s because of the service they get from those different agents. They can’t get the service they need from one, so they call others.
We connect with our clients on a higher level than most other teams. We have the best technology in the industry for clients to search homes and we make sure they’re using that technology! ...
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home buyer tips
Friday, April 22, 2016 / by Tom Nickley
Want to sell your Orlando Home? Get a FREE home value report | Want to buy an Orlando Home? Search all homes for sale
April 1st marked the start of the official home buying and selling season here in Orlando. Right now, many buyers are finding an extremely competitive market due to a lack of inventory. In fact, Orlando has seen inventory steadily decline for eight consecutive months, causing a lot of headaches for unprepared buyers. So, what can you do to succeed in this tough market?
1. Work with a strong local lender. This is not only very important, it’s the difference between getting and not getting a home. The lenders we work with are taking our clients all the way through the underwriting process, which means that once the buyer finds a property, they are strides ahead of the competition. A strong lender will call the listing agent and go to bat for you, which is a huge advantage to have in a multiple offer situation.
2. Work with an experienced agent. Th; ...
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home buyer tips
Tuesday, March 1, 2016 / by Tom Nickley
Want to sell your Orlando Home? Get a FREE home value report | Want to buy an Orlando Home? Search all homes for sale
Today we’re going to talk about obstacles to homeownership and whether or not they’re real or perceived. A lot of people don’t think they can afford a home, but they really can. There are some obstacles to homeownership, but many of them are manageable.
Down payments are one thing that keep people from buying homes. A 20% down payment is not a requirement . There are many loan programs that don’t require 20%, such as a VA, FHA, or USDA loan. Sometimes a down payment isn’t even required.
Credit scores are also keeping people from buying. Your score does not need to be above 700 to purchase a home. Even people in the low 600 range can purchase.
Your debt to income ratio is also something that might be stopping you, but it shouldn’t. There are programs that allow people to purchase with a 50% debt to income rati! ...
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home buyer tips