The Bank of Mom and Dad: Helping First-Time Buyers Buy a Home

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Homeownership is becoming a team effort for many families. Parents often step in to bridge the gap between savings and high property prices. However, handing over a down payment or co-signing a mortgage requires careful legal planning.

Benefit Title Services helps families navigate these complex transactions to protect their financial interests. You need to structure the transfer of funds and the property title correctly to avoid tax audits or lost savings later. Read more

How To Reduce Closing Costs?

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When buying a home in the state of Florida, it is important to be aware of the closing costs that will be associated with the purchase. These costs can vary depending on the property, but there are some ways that you can reduce them. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the most common closing costs in Florida and how you can save money on them.

Review the Loan Estimate Form

The Loan Estimate form is a document that you will receive from your lender after you have applied for a mortgage. This form will itemize the closing costs associated with your loan. It is important to review this form carefully and make sure that you understand all of the fees that are being charged. If there are any fees that you do not understand, be sure to ask your lender for an explanation. Read more

Selling Your Home in a Seller’s Market

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Selling Your HomeToday’s real estate market is on fire — if you are a seller, that is. The current supply of available homes is down by around a third since last year! Homes are also selling in record-setting times, sometimes within just hours of hitting the market. Many people are currently going all out to purchase any home that pops onto the market, and sellers are receiving multiple offers (in some cases, 50 or more!) well over their asking price.

This many offers to consider can leave a seller feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Accepting the highest offer is not always the best choice, but it can be difficult to know which factors are the most important when deciding between multiple offers.

If you want to sell your home in today’s red-hot seller’s market, follow these tips to maximize your profits while minimizing your stress: Read more

How to Market Your Home for Sale

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Market Your Home for SaleAlmost three-quarters of Americans say their home is their biggest asset. When it comes time to sell, you want the highest price possible with minimal investment. More and more people choose to market their homes themselves, skipping some of the selling costs that eat into sellers’ profit. Knowing how to market your home effectively is the difference between selling quickly or having your property sit on the market for months. Follow these guidelines to get your home sold so you can move on with the next chapter in your life:

  • Conduct a Comparative Analysis

The absolute first thing you’ll want to do is a comparative analysis of nearby properties like yours that are currently for sale or recently sold. Use online tools like those available at www.realtor.com and www.zillow.com to see similar homes in your area. Focus on homes closest to your property, as property values, even from one neighborhood to another, can vary widely. When comparing properties, look for similar: Read more

Proven Ways to Increase Home Value

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Increase Home ValueIf you’re like most Americans, your home is probably your most valuable investment. When it’s time to sell your home, there’s probably one thing on your mind, and that is getting the highest price possible. You can’t control all of the factors that determine your home’s value, but making repairs and renovations is a popular way to get your home sold quicker and for a higher price. There are many tried-and-true ways to increase your home’s value before listing it on the market, including:

  • Increasing the square footage

Much of a home’s value is based on liveable square footage. Adding a bedroom, family room, or bathroom is an almost guaranteed way to increase the home’s value. The addition needs to be built well and within local ordinances. It should also go with the overall aesthetic of the house. Read more

Three Reasons Homes Don’t Always Sell in Winter

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Selling a home at any time of the year can be a challenge depending on the property and the situation, yet many homeowners find that it is even more difficult to sell homes in the winter months. Here are a few of the reasons you might find it difficult to sell your home during this time of year.

School Session

Anyone who has school aged children is not likely to be looking to move during the winter months. Moving in January or February can cause children to have to switch schools in the middle of the semester, and most parents will not do that if it can be avoided. However, this limitation doesn’t apply to families with younger children or no children. Read more

Three Things That Can Affect the Selling Price of Your Home

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You know that the size and age of your home, its location, and other factors about your home itself have an impact on the selling price of your home, yet there are several other things that can affect the selling price of your home that you may not have considered. These things are generally beyond your control, but they can have a big impact on the selling price.

The Local Market

How much other houses in the area are selling for directly impacts how much you will be able to sell your home for. The local market can also vary depending on supply and demand. If there are a lot of houses in the area for sale and only a few people looking to buy in that area, houses are going to sell for less in that market. The local market can also determine how quickly your home sells. Read more

3 Reasons We’ll See a Strong Housing Market in 2017

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After the Great Recession hit in 2008, many people wondered if they would ever be able to recover. Now, nearly ten years later, the housing market is looking stronger than it has in a long time. While buyers suffered in 2016 from a sharp rise in home prices, experts expect price growth to decline in 2017. Such a decline would be a welcome relief for potential home buyers who aren’t looking to spend a fortune on their dream home. Read more

2017 Anticipated to Deliver Strong Housing Market

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Buying a home of your own is one of the largest accomplishments of your life, and if you’re looking to buy a house right now you’ve probably been saving money for years to make that dream come true. Luckily for you, experts predict that 2017 will be a great year for home buyers.

Positive Trends

For 31 months straight, the National Association of REALTORS® has announced that the Pending Home Sales Index posed above its benchmark value of 100. Since a home is considered pending once it is under contract between a buyer and a seller but not yet sold, a high number of pending homes indicates positive growth for the future. In fact, 80 percent of pending homes close within two months of the contract being established. Read more