Buying your first home is such an exciting and important time of your life. It’s a big step in creating financial freedom for your future. First homes are often referred to as a “starter home” as people tend to live in the home for a shorter period of time and use the equity they gain from appreciation and paying down the mortgage towards buying their next home. [Read more…]
Options for Buying a Starter Home
January 22, 2025 by Leave a Comment
Helping Your Adult Child Buy a Home
August 29, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Buying a home for your child is a major financial and emotional decision. It’s a generous gesture that can offer security, stability and help create wealth, but it’s essential to carefully weigh the pros and cons before making this commitment. Here are some important factors to consider: [Read more…]
Watch Out for Property Taxes when Buying a New Home
August 16, 2024 by Leave a Comment
A few days ago, I was reviewing a homeowner’s Closing Disclosure from their purchase that closed with another lender. This couple had come to me when they were purchasing the home, however the builder was offering extra incentives for buyers for working with the builder’s lender. I was surprised to see that property taxes were very under-estimated.
When someone is buying a home that has recently been built, it’s very likely that the home has not yet been valued by the county’s tax accessor. The only value that has been determined is for the lot. However, once you purchase the home, even though the home has not yet been assessed, you will owe taxes on both the land and the home. The “missing taxes” are called “omit taxes”. [Read more…]
Understanding the Numbers Behind an Offer: Bidding Wars, Low Appraisals and Commissions
July 26, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Recently I wrote a post “How to Improve Your Odds of Getting YOUR Offer Accepted” which included this bit of advice:
“Understand the numbers: Bidding wars, low appraisals and commissions. Your mortgage professional should review strategies regarding how your offer may look like, including how long it will take to “break even” on bidding above the list price. What do your payments look like if you need to bid up $5K, $20K or more in order to “win” the bid. What happens if the appraisal comes in lower than expected? What if the seller is not offering to pay your real estate brokers commission? Understanding the numbers helps to reduce the stress involved with the “what ifs. You may be surprised that bidding up on a home doesn’t impact the payment as much as one would think as cost is amortized over 30 years with a typical mortgage.” [Read more…]
How to Improve Your Odds of Getting YOUR Offer Accepted
July 14, 2024 by Leave a Comment
The housing market in the Pacific Northwest remains competitive with the continued lack of inventory. Homebuyers need to be patient and prepared for the process to possibly take a while.
Here are some actions that you can implement to help improve your odds of having your offer accepted over other offers. [Read more…]
Are you considering an ADU?
April 30, 2024 by Leave a Comment
Have you been considering a “mother-in-law” apartment or backyard cottage? This type of dwelling is technically referred to an accessory dwelling unit aka “attached dwelling unit” (ADU) or detached dwelling unit (DADU). [Read more…]
What’s the Difference Between being Pre-Qualified or Pre-Approved for a Mortgage?
February 6, 2024 by 2 Comments
Do you know the difference between being prequalified or preapproved for a mortgage?
This short video reviews the importance of being preapproved.
If you are currently preapproved with a lender, I recommend making sure that your preapproval has been underwritten by a “human underwriter” and not just “AUS” (automatic underwriting i.e. a computer). [Read more…]
Does Zillow’s Gloomy Article on Buying Now Pencil Out?
November 10, 2023 by Leave a Comment
Zillow’s recent gloomy attention grabbing headline stating “If you buy now, it can take 13.5 years to make a profit on your home sale” has been creating quite a buzz with various media outlets. I thought I’d run some scenarios to compare. [Read more…]
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