Buyer Information
October 8, 2019
Buying a home in South Florida is not like buying a home in other parts of the country. During a good portion of the year, we face the triple threat of heat, humidity and hurricanes. And if we happen to experience a reprieve from any of those, we might find ourselves staring down a King Tide. All that said, Florida is a great place to live as long as you take prudent steps to prepare your home for safety. That starts with getting a home inspection. Why get a home inspection? Some home buyers feel tempted to skip the home inspection either because they think it will speed up the purchase process or because they don’t want to spend money […]
September 24, 2019
Whether you’re buying your first home or you’re back on the market again and this time as parents, you’ve undoubtedly come to the realization that buying and selling a home with kids is tough. Not only is it difficult to even find the time to look for a house, your list of concerns and wishes have likely changed. Things you would have at one time easily overlooked now become deal-breakers for you. As parents you have additional considerations to factor above and beyond school districts, safety and other practicalities of daily life. If you’re a parent looking to buy a home in South Florida, identifying your priorities and keeping a few other important tips in mind will help your […]
September 3, 2019
When you’re house hunting, you’ll often find many well-meaning people trying to steer you in the right direction. While it can get old fielding advice from family, friends, and complete strangers, their guidance usually comes from a place of good intent – something they themselves wish they would have known before buying their house. And it’s true, hindsight is 20/20. While it’s impossible to prepare for every potential scenario when buying a house, there are some important tips to follow so you don’t end up mistakenly making one of these five home-buying mistakes: Not having a full picture of what you can afford– Buying a home requires you to be smart and sensible about how much money you have […]
August 6, 2019
If you’ve been procrastinating on your hurricane preparation plans or summer has simply gotten away from you, it’s not too late to make sure your home is in shape for hurricane season. Aside from securing these five areas of your property first, focus also on getting yourself and your belongings ready. After all, as we’ve learned by living through several major storms, having your home hurricane ready also means being prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice. Cross your t’s and dot your i’s by checking all of these preparation items off your list so you’re ready if and when a storm makes landfall on Miami: Pack a hurricane go-bag – FEMA recommends having enough water and food on hand […]
August 14, 2018
When you think about moving into your dream home, it’s easy to picture a breezy home-buying scenario. But, in a seller’s market, finding your perfect home is no small task. You don’t want to waste the better parts of your Saturdays and Sundays roaming open houses only to find multiple dead ends. So, how do you manage your time wisely when it comes to house hunting? Here are a few tips to help make your home search as productive as possible: Get pre-approved for a mortgage Getting pre-approved for a mortgage before you begin searching for your dream home is essential. If you start touring houses before you’re pre-approved for a mortgage, you won’t really know what price range you […]
August 7, 2018
If you’re buying a home for the first time, you’re probably trying to decide between purchasing a smaller home to get into the market now or stretching your budget to get a forever home that you can stay in long-term. Everyone has different ideas of what a starter home is, but in general, a starter home is something you’d be happy living in for around five to seven years. Eventually though, you’ll outgrow this home. A forever home, on the other hand, is one that you could see living in for the rest of your life, which means it meets most of the criteria of your dream home: the right location, the right size, and all of the extras you […]
July 31, 2018
Whether you’re planning on moving to a better neighborhood or you’re buying a home for the first time, saving up for a new home is a big step. If you are looking to buy a house in the near future, it’s important to build up your savings. Down payments for homes can be large sums of money – so large in fact that it can set you back years if not saved or planned for properly. Most people think this means slowly setting aside small amounts, which, as you can imagine, would take forever. But, don’t worry! You don’t have to wait around and save for years. Here’s how you can quickly save up for that down payment: Explore the […]
July 17, 2018
Real estate transactions revolve around written agreements or contracts. There are essentially four major types of real estate contracts, and they each have their different uses and stipulations. As in any legal transaction, these contracts are necessary to execute the sale. Not all real estate contracts are created equal, so it’s important to know what you’re really signing. Here are the differences in the main types of real estate contracts: Purchase agreement As the most common type of real estate contract, a purchase agreement lays out the agreement between the buyer and seller of a specific property. This contract will include the purchase price, signatures, party identification, and the closing date for the transaction. Although this seems simple enough, there […]
July 10, 2018
There are so many unknowns before you put your house on the market: who will buy your house and for how much? How long will it take? Will I find a new home before I sell my current one? And while the internet can be a really fun place to search for answers to these questions and more – it can also be rife with bad, if not flat out wrong, information. We’re here to bust some of the real-estate myths that have been going around since we can remember. And yes, we know you’re reading this on the internet – but consider this part of the good information you find online. Here are five home-selling myths you can dismiss: […]