This is the year! The year you stop paying rent and become a homeowner. To help you achieve that goal, keep these New Year’s resolutions and you’ll be on the track to homeownership.

There are many myths surrounding homeownership and many of them prevent some individuals from even considering the possibility of ever owning their own home. I’m here to tell you – there are homeownership opportunities for almost every situation.

If you’ve set a goal to purchase a home before the end of 2018 and are discouraged as the holidays approach, don’t quit yet!  Although the summer months are the hottest for home buying, holding out for your dream home as the leaves fall and snowflakes fly have some great advantages.

You’ve finally made the decision that this is going to be the last summer you’ll be a renter. You’ve started to stash away some funds so you can buy your own home at last; but wait, do you know what your credit rating is? Knowing exactly where you stand as far as creditworthiness is an essential step. If you haven’t done so already, you should sign up for a free service like Credit Karma to view and monitor your credit.  Often times consumers find there are things on their credit report that come as a complete surprise to them. Sometimes those things are legitimate like the credit card you got in college and never paid for or a medical bill that’s been turned over for collection, but sometimes, negative information can be an error that will continue to hurt you until it’s addressed.

You finally find a home that’s right for you and have a signed Purchase and Sales agreement, now what?  Hopefully before you signed the contract you made sure to include an inspection clause that makes your transaction contingent on the findings of a professional home inspection. This clause should include the terms and conditions to which both the buyer and seller are obligated.

Most everyone has a parent, aunt, uncle, cousin, co-worker or friend who owns their home and is full of advice that you should follow. Listen to them and you’ll derail your dreams by believing a lot of myths. Truth be told, there’s a lot of misinformation out there about buying a home and you also must consider that Uncle Joe bought his [...]

It’s a seller’s market and the best way to arm yourself with some excellent negotiating tools is to become pre-approved before you start working with a Realtor. But before you begin researching lenders, get your credit report! You can do this free through [...]

When you begin the home buying process you are immediately thrown acronyms and new terms from professionals at every turn.  Here’s a list of 10 most frequently used terms to get you started with the [...]

Your dream of owning a home can become a reality if you set realistic goals, get sound advice, plan carefully and clearly understand the costs of home ownership. Let’s face it, it’s not like we took Home buying 101 in school and navigating through, or even starting the process, can be overwhelming. The good news is that there are a multitude [...]

As a new Agent I thought at first it seemed kind of offensive to immediately ask “Are you pre-approved for a mortgage?” or “Are you going to be an all cash buyer?”  especially to someone who is looking at/for property you just met for the first time! First meetings are to be opportunity to gather as much information from your prospect, to [...]

Buying your first home can be emotionally and financially challenging. With rising home prices, limited inventory, down-payment requirements and upfront closing costs, it’s enough to overwhelm someone right out of the process.  In New Hampshire some local banks recognize how difficult entering the housing market can be and able to offer some [...]

According to the IRS, in Fiscal Year 2016, the average individual income tax refund was about $3,050.  Suggestions of what to do with this chunk of change are endless but certainly, amongst those ideas, must be homeownership. After all, purchasing a home is a great investment. Unfortunately the big picture of the situation isn’t whether you [...]

Home Safety

“The Safety of the People shall be the Highest Law” -Cicero

Being a new homeowner can be as daunting as it is exciting. Especially if you have selected a fixer upper project as your first adventure in home ownership. But the benefits of owning a home and building equity in a property can vastly outweigh the difficult moments spent on repairs and renovations.

Living and owning a home in today’s techy times can be a benefit to you as a homeowner. There are many affordable options for home security and cameras can be installed easily connecting right to your cellphone via WiFi. These are the ones I recently ordered from Amazon, under $200 and easy to install: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IT8LLQG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_O9ytAb3DG3KPZ   to read more

Whether you planned to search for a home during the holiday season (November to January) or outside forces made the decision for you, you’re actually house hunting at a good time.  While there is less inventory in July, there will also be less competition.  There are more advantages at this time of year as there are fewer buyers for one and the homeowner; if their property has been on the market for a while may let the sale of their property go below asking price.  Sellers may be willing to stay in their homes through the end of the calendar year, but rest assured, they’ll want to seal the deal for the New Year. Just because there are limited buyers doesn’t mean you’ll get a fire sale price, sellers who keep their homes on the market through the winter typically are motivated but also willing to wait until they get a fair and reasonable offer.  Every home and every seller are different; here are 12 tips to remember when looking for a home during the holidays.

1. Balance your budget – Have a firm number you can comfortably afford for a mortgage. The last thing you want to do is make yourself house-poor.
2. Check your credit – You don’t want your lender to be surprised by any forgotten accounts – good or bad. more

If you’re looking to purchase a new home in a seller’s market you are likely to hit a few barriers; limited inventory and increased competition from other buyers, just to name a few.  The best offense is a good defense so be sure to get pre-approved with a reputable lender and have hearty funds on hand for a down-payment. Accept that you are trying to buy in a seller’s market and prepare yourself to be patient until the home in your area and price-range comes along.

While you’re waiting for that one home to come on the market, use the time to become familiar with listings in your area.  Pay particular attention to listing prices in comparison to the amount a property actually sells for. Most local real estate agencies have a link on their website for sold properties. In Waterville, Campton and Thornton, NH, single family homes are selling for an average of 91% of the listing price. Keep this in mind when you’re putting together an offer, you don’t want to submit an more  

Having a good credit score isn’t just necessary for financing a home; it’s also used to keep insurance premiums down and for screening applicants by some employers.  The use of credit scores is the same across the board, It’s to mitigate risk, plain and simple.  Banks want to know if they lend $300,000 for a home that they will get the money back within the terms set forth in the loan. The insurance industry has also proven time and time again that individuals who pay their bills on time have less insurance claims. And now employers are using credit scores with the same premise that on time bill payers make better employees.  How does your credit score stack up? Check out this chart and see which category you fall in to.  If you don't know your credit score you can sign-up for free with Credit Karma. Learn more on how insurers use credit information. more