Almost Home Real Estate Services

It's similar to a computer automated home valuation you could find online. Have these property assessors been in this house? Unless you are one of the 6% of homeowners (national average) who have an actual walk through, the answer is no. Let's face it, as a homeowner, you don't want to let an assessor in to update that value more accurately because if the value goes up, so do your taxes. You'd likely prefer the property assessor to modify based simply on trend the other 94% of homeowners do. Even when this happens, it can happen as infrequently as once every 3 years! Most home assessments update annually, and some update monthly. Keep in mind, the real estate market and true real estate market values change daily, every time a home sells. How accurate would an home assessment from 3 years ago, or even 1 year ago, be today? The sole purpose of a home assessment is to determine the tax liability for the town. If you want to know the true potential value for your home or one you are considering buying, your real estate agent can do a market analysis calculated on recent sales of similar properties in similar locations. This is exactly how a bank looks at your home value as well.

Not necessarily. In fact, it may end up costing you more! The commission to be paid is determined before the house even gets listed. The real estate agent and seller determine how much of that will be shared with a real estate buyers agent. In many cases, if there's no buyers agent, the sellers agent simply gets the full commission. The listing agent represents the seller and negotiates on his behalf. As a home buyer, you are entitled to your own representation. Someone who can determine fair value for your purchase, negotiate repairs, make sure legal contract dates and terms are met, and connect you with trusted partners along the way such as inspectors, attorneys, insurance agents, movers, etc. Having someone on your side costs you nothing, but it can absolutely save you money AND headaches.

Nothing good happens with time especially with home shopping. If you find "the one", do you want to risk someone else who was already prepared falling in love at the same time? Do you want to wait until you are ready to make an offer only to realize that you don't have all the documentation your lender needs in order to issue an acceptable mortgage pre-approval? If your goal is to find a home, take care of this step FIRST because that is how all experienced agents are advising their buyers...and those buyers won't miss out. Plus, imagine how horrible you would feel if you found the perfect house only to find out you actually can't get approved for it.

Your real estate agent can be an excellent referral source for all key players. He or she likely handles dozens of home transactions per year so is very familiar with who makes the process quick and smooth verses who is unreachable or can't meet a timeline. I will always recommend a local mortgage lender. Most will provide a cell for after hours contact, which is super important when you need an updated home mortgage pre-approval to submit an offer. If you have questions about how much a particular home will cost you monthly or how much you'd need to put down in a specific scenario, you can reach out to your mortgage lender and not have to wait until the banks open. Most of the online providers are not even in the same time zone (and try holding someone who doesn't even have a face, accountable). Additionally, if you are in a situation where more than one offer is on the table on your DREAM HOME, you can almost guarantee that the offer that includes a home pre-approval from a local mortgage lender will be favored.

You can still cancel the home purchase contract within the allowable timeline if you discover mold, foundation issues, a termite infestation, or faulty electrical.

Is it worth spending a few hundred dollars to make sure the home you're investing 30 years and several thousand of dollars on isn't a money pit?

A good rule of thumb is to list your home at, or very close to, what it's worth. If you price it slightly under, you can expect more interest, more offers, and fewer contingencies. If you overprice it, you risk extended time on the market which decreases the perceived value. Overpricing also gives potential buyers the impression that you are unrealistic and you risk losing out on the buyers who could afford your home at what you're willing to sell it for because they are not looking in that inflated price range.

No one can answer that until they've physically walked through your home and then completed a market analysis based on similar style, condition, and size homes that have recently sold in your area. Online estimates are simply that and hold absolutely no weight.

You may have bought or sold a home before, but there are so many pieces to a smooth and successful transaction. An experienced real estate agent will help negotiate the best terms for your purchase or sale of your home and will navigate through all the legal timelines and contracts, all the key players, and provide solutions to hiccups along the way.

Not at all. With more than 95% of homebuyers doing their search online, their first impression is in the presentation through pictures. Do you want them focusing on little league magnets and school drawings all over your fridge? Your collection of porcelain dolls? A display of rod & gun magazine with dead animal heads above? Definitely not. You want the potential homebuyer to see clean, neat, organized, bright spaces. You don't want to potentially offend a buyer and reduce your potential offers. It happens, believe me. Your goal is to sell your home and move. Well, start packing BEFORE your real estate pictures are scheduled(and continue to do so throughout the process). Store these items neatly in closets, under beds, in garages, and basements. Pack anything non-essential or out of season. Remove personal items, family pictures, magnets on the fridge, etc. Pack religious or political memorabilia. Remove evidence of hunting. This includes tidy pet toys, supplies, bedding and yes I know it's the kids "play area" but teach them to that their toys have a place too. It can be their "Toy Store". Nothing ruins a showing more than stepping on a lego. When you're preparing to sell, you're marketing your home to entice as many homebuyers as possible.

Similar to a credit limit or balance in your bank account, you need to know how much you can afford to spend on a home purchase. Your lender will determine your maximum spending budget based on a number of factors such as debt to income ratio, credit worthiness, current interest rates, etc. The lender also determines which type of financing you may qualify for, which can affect the requirements for the home you can buy. From there, your agent and lender will work with you to determine how much you are comfortable spending on a monthly basis for your mortgage payment, which consists of principle, interest, taxes, and insurance. When your agent has this monthly number, he or she can then determine your "shopping budget" based on specific taxes for each individual location because there can be a very large swing in monthly taxes from one location to another. No one wants you to get into a home that doesn't fit your budget and all these preofessionals will work together to alayze your budget and make sure you're comfortable and understand completely everything you're about to venture into.