Buying Pre-Qualified vs Pre-Approved: What’s the Difference? Pre-qualification and pre-approval are two terms you may hear used interchangeably when shopping for a mortgage, but they are actually two optional steps you can take to start the loan approval process. A mortgage pre-qualification is usually a much shorter process that requires you to honestly report your own financial information, while a mortgage pre-approval typically requires you to […]
Buying What Are Contingencies in Real Estate? How Contingent Offers Are Used in Real Estate Contingencies offer a way to protect both the buyer and seller in a real estate transaction. The homebuying process requires a series of steps and at any time in that journey, unexpected issues may arise that neither party was prepared for. Contingent offers act as a guide […]
Selling If Your House Hasn’t Sold Yet, It May Be Overpriced I have this conversation often when I meet with sellers prior to listing their home. I take the time to prepare an in depth market analysis on their property, analyze comparable homes and recent sales in their area. Sometimes there is data that “the public” cannot see on the actual final sold price of a […]
Building a Home The Expert Guide of Home Building Terminology Great Article Shared from a Local builder – David Weekley Learn about the home building process with this list of home construction terms and definitions written to be easy to understand. Home Building Glossary The field of home building is often where skilled craftsmanship meets specialized knowledge. With the specialized knowledge comes a lot of […]
Market Info The Good News for Real Estate Investments in 2024 The 2023 housing market has seen many ups and downs, leaving investors wondering what to expect in 2024. The good news is that regardless of interest rate increases and lower than average inventory, real estate investments remain one of the most lucrative areas to invest in as we head into the new year. High Demand […]
Uncategorized Well written by a fellow agent regarding the Recent Realtor Industry Lawsuit Good  and thoughts shared by a fellow agent. Some of you may have heard of and may have been following the recent Realtor industry lawsuit. News reports have spurred a lot of discussion in the Realtor forums. I’d like to take a moment to share my perspective on the home buying and selling process, how […]
Market Info What’s Up with Real Estate? National news and local views for the week ending Friday, November 3, 2023 Very happy to deliver some good news to would-be buyers: mortgage rates just had a nice move downward! If you’ve put off buying (affordability) or selling (feeling locked-in by low mortgage rates), let’s have a discussion to make sure you’re ready to move when the time is right. What’s Up with Real Estate? National news […]
Market Info Has the residential real estate market changed? For the better or worse? By Mark Sprague, State Director of Information Capital A question Realtors, economists, real estate analysts, and more have been getting for the past 18+ months: Has the residential real estate market changed? For the better or worse? Contrary to owners/investors’ fears, the so-called “strong housing bubble” of the last 3+/- years has not burst (“bubble” in quotes because […]
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Buying Should You Buy or Rent a Home? In today’s competitive real estate market, you may wonder if it’s better to rent a place or buy a home. Purchasing a residence can provide more privacy and future investment potential, while renting allows for more flexibility and less maintenance. Both options have a myriad of pros and cons, but it ultimately will depend on […]
Home Improvement Interesting how color can influence the human brain in a number of ways. Color can influence the human brain in a number of ways Stagers typically recommend painting homes in neutral colors like beige or gray to appeal to more buyers. But that advice isn’t always true. Science has proven that up to 90% of homebuying decisions are influenced by color, which can have a greater impact on […]
Uncategorized Understanding Title Insurance Title companies are nothing new in the real estate industry. But do you understand their function and how vital they are to you? Title insurance is the inverse of other insurance coverages. Instead of assuming risk, title insurance companies eliminate the risk with a one-time payment, assuring the homeowner maintains the title as owner of […]
Home Improvement Drought Causing Foundation Problems and What to do About it Shared from an inspectors point of view on water or lack there of in a foundation and it’s health. Desiccation Cracks – my mud is cracking! Texas is hot and dry and as we are moving into September, we are seeing more and more desiccation cracks, which means that the soil itself is starting to […]
Newsletters August Real Estate News August 2023 https://www.debbiemarett.com/media/id/19585977/
Buying Important Tip when Applying for a Mortgage Shared by a local lender who takes great care of their clients!! Go to www.optoutprescreen.com before pulling your credit. The reason is so that you might be inundated with phone calls, texts, and emails from every mortgage company on the planet when pulling your credit. If you forget to do this FIRST, it cannot be […]
Market Info Mortgage Rates Dip Back Down July 20, 2023 The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) dropped from last week’s average of 6.96% to an average of 6.78% this week, according to the latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®) from Freddie Mac released Thursday. This week’s numbers: 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.78% as of July 6, 2023, up from last week when it averaged 6.96%. […]
Market Info Existing-Home Sales Fall 3.3% In June In keeping with the challenges of low inventory and high home prices, existing-home sales fell 3.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.16 million in June, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ (NAR) most recent existing-home sales report. NAR’s latest data on existing homes found that year-over-year, sales fell 18.9% (down from 5.13 […]
Market Info 4 Reasons Not To Always Believe Online House-Value Estimtes Prospective homebuyers often check national brokerages online for information. It’s logical to see houses for sale with list prices. But what about the ones that are not for sale? We all look at them, as almost every house has an estimated value. But it would be good to know why the ‘what-they’re-worth’ prices listed should […]
Selling First Impressions Matter – Get Your Home Market Ready If you are considering selling your home, there are several things you can do now to make the best first impression on potential buyers. Taking the time to declutter, deep clean and make simple repairs will show buyers that your house and property are well-maintained and ready for a new owner. Increase Curb Appeal A […]
Buying Do You Need Down Payment Assistance? You may be surprised to know that many of the homes listed in the MLS are eligible for a number of assistance programs to help you get into a home! But if you are not sure on a particular property and just need to know what might be available, you can search on your own […]
Uncategorized Are you Putting your Faith in Zestimate? Excerpts from Inman Article Admit it, you have Googled your property address or gone to Zillow to see how much your home is worth. Haven’t we all? Everyone probably has checked online to see what the online AVMs (automated valuation models) say their home might be worth at one time or another.  It may be […]