Often times, I encounter buyers that have not obtained a pre-approval or even spoken to a lender because they do not want their credit to be adversely affected by an inquiry. Unfortunately, most agents will not take buyers around that have not been pre-qualified. Time and gas are expensive, and few agents will invest in... Continue Reading →
Buying A Starter Home? Buy SMART!
Many buyers I meet find themselves looking for the perfect “starter” home. That is typically a home with 2 bedrooms or more, 1100 sq ft more or less, and they will generally settle for a single family house or condo/townhouse. Because prices in our area have skyrocketed, a relatively turn-key home that meets such criteria... Continue Reading →
The Closing Date – what does on/about mean?
The greatest source of frustration for any buyer or seller is this nefarious on/about closing date that is imputed into the contract. What is that about? You buy a house in CT and you are closing on THE date set in the contract, no ifs, ands or buts. You will have to be in the... Continue Reading →
Big Banks vs. Boutique Mortgage Lenders…
Ok, I get it. You bank at Bank of America, have about 3 accounts there and would like to get your mortgage there too. Maybe you have your whole life savings there, and as a loyal customer they are going to offer you a special rate. Maybe you don’t bank there, but they have a... Continue Reading →
THE REAL TRUTH IN LENDING…. The skinny on the preapproval
Lets get right down to business. The first step of the home buying process: identifying the property you want to make an offer on, right? WRONG. The first step is GETTING PREAPPROVED. Why get preapproved before you shop? Well, there is the logical reason of needing to sort of know what you can afford before... Continue Reading →