Jessica Gonzalez, CNE

This is one of the biggest factors buyers need to consider. The lower your down payment, the higher your interest rate can be and if you do not have enough to put down you will not get approved for the loan. 20% is typically the benchmark. If you are a first time home buyer, FHA charges as little as 3.5%. Please speak with your loan advisor about this.

It can be overwhelming to think about this because a lot needs to be done when you are moving. The most important things that almost every seller should do before selling their home includes: 1) Clean up - People want to buy clean homes and if they see that it's dirty they will always try to negotiate a lower price then what you are asking. 2) Get all the clutter out of the way and box it up. It's hard for buyers to envision themselves living there and you always want to make a great first impression. 3) Make repairs that are needed and visible to the eye. This includes door handles, missing floor boards and tiles, quick carpet cleans and even replacing window blinds. The more of these small cheap fixes you make, the more desirable your home will look. But always talk to me before making any major repairs.

Not only do I use the MLS but I provide exceptional marketing and advertising by using intelligent technology to design the best plan for my clients.

No, you shouldn't. Although they are good for giving you a general idea, they are not sufficient for pricing your home. A website algorithm cannot substitute for a skilled real estate agent. Pricing a home to sell in a reasonable amount of time is an art and science and requires someone to physically show up in person to see what your home has to offer compared to the other homes in your area.

Great question! What realtor agents and apprisers do are a bit different but we both are looking at comparable sales in the area to determine a sale price. Real estate agents provide a Comparative Market Analysis which is a what our reports are called. This shows what your home should be listed as and I will provide this to you for free.

Buyers typically buy in the spring or fall. No one likes to move during the winter so the inventory is low and buyers do not have much to choose from.

Home buyers pay little or no fee. In a real estate transaction there is typically a buyer's agent and a seller's agent. The seller's agent charges a fee to represent the seller and pay for any advertisement costs they incur. Buyer's agents are compensated by splitting the listing agent's fee. Therefore, buyers don't pay their agents.

Yes! Home inspections are required if you plan on financing with an FHA or VA loan. However, if you are financing with other mortgage options or buying cash then it is not required but highly recommended because they can reveal defects in the home that you would not have noticed.

If you have a good agent then you can require a response within 24 hours of your offer. I always submit the offer from my buyers with a time frame to respond back in the contract.

This is up to you but thankfully online searches can make this process a little easier and narrow it down. Visiting a house gives you a better sense of how it feels and looks in person.

If the equity in your current home is needed to purchase the new property then naturally you will need to sell your current home first. If you are going to rent out your current home then you will need to speak to your loan advisor to see if this is feasible.

Most loan programs require a FICO score of 620 or better. your score will be used to determine the interest rate you will receive and how much the lender requires you to put down.

This is when there's a decline in home prices and reduced demand. Economic changes can affect the market.

This is when there is an increase in demand for homes which raises the prices of homes. Fewer homes are available to buy.

This can take about 90 days in NY depending on your financing.

Get pre-approved with a lender! Why? You need to know how much you can borrow to see what you can afford. No one wants to waste time looking at homes they do not qualify for. It also shows that you are a serious buyer to your real estate agent and the seller. Most of the time we are required to show proof of your pre-approval to even view the property.