Posts Tagged ‘home buying tips’
Smaller Real Estate Agencies Are Better
When the time comes to buy or sell a home, there are many advantages to enlisting the help of a realtor. They have the education and experience in your local market, can act as buffers between you and the seller’s agent if you’re looking at a home to purchase, and can handle the negotiations and…
Read MoreMust-Have Homebuyer Apps
Buying a house is an exciting time, but a stressful one as well. More often than not, homebuyers are burdened with self-doubt, confusion over paperwork and industry-related jargon, and the general stress of making a huge financial commitment—all of which make it difficult to stay on the ball. Fortunately, however, there are apps for that.…
Read MoreYes, It’s True – Fees Are Negotiable When Buying a House
When you’re buying a new house, the actual house itself isn’t the only thing you’re paying for—there are a number of fees that are rolled into the final price in order to make it officially yours. Although many experienced homebuyers are aware of the extra costs, there are plenty of first-timers who are hit with…
Read MoreBuying new construction? You’d better hire the right title company.
I’ve always said that an educated home buyer should start the process by finding the title/settlement company they would like to use before they get emotionally involved in negotiating for the new house. This is especially important when buying new construction. When you deal with a builder, you’ll need a good title company to assist…
Read MoreRates still historically low, but how much you pay for the house still matters.
While none of us have a crystal ball, the smart money says that interest rates that have been rising over the last few months will continue to go higher and higher. An environment where rates are rising will almost certainly put downward pressure on housing prices. The question still remains, is this the best time…
Read MoreOur service doesn’t end at settlement.
I recently received a phone call at 9:42 am on a Sunday morning from a very nervous couple, clients of ours who had just settled on their new home the Friday before. Over the weekend, they began the process of moving into the house when they discovered mold along the baseboards in two of the…
Read MoreTop 3 Reasons to Give Up Your Right to Choose
We’ve designed our website www.ALTtitle.com to be a resource for anyone who’s considering buying or refinancing real estate. From the more than one thousand people who visit our site every month, we list the top three reasons that they’ve been given as to why they shouldn’t shop around for title insurance and related settlement services.…
Read MoreWhy is my real estate agent so persistent about using her title company?
I just had a first time home buyer ask me the following question: Why is my real estate agent so persistent that I use her title insurance company? We would all like to assume that it’s because her title company delivers great service at a reasonable price, but unfortunately that is not the motivation in…
Read MoreThe Value of Having Your Own “Wrecking Crew”
Twenty five years ago when Ronald Reagan was finishing up his second term in office, I passed the real estate exam in Pennsylvania. I still remember the first house that I sold in Willow Grove PA for $85,000 and the rate for the borrower’s thirty-year mortgage was 10.75%. I think I showed Sharon and Jay…
Read MoreConsider all of your options before signing a contract to use your builder’s title company
If you plan on purchasing new construction, do a little homework and weigh all of your options before using the builder’s title company, no matter how hard their sales associates push and try to pressure you. Why? It’s likely that the builder has a “business relationship” with the title company that they’re steering you towards,…
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