Real Deal

Unless it is a short sale or you have a foreclosure notice, selling a home should not be a next-day deal. It requires preparation maybe months; even a year or more than that. This is to make sure you get the best updated market trends and the home is ready from top to bottom. To be the best property in the block is your goal, to get the most dollars from your home. First and foremost: get a real estate agent that you trust. AGAIN, YOU TRUST!! Best bet is a referral from your friends and family as they worked with them and got the first-hand experience. Look at their reviews on Zillow, Yelp and other online reviews so you have an idea who you are dealing with. Let me tell you a story: I once had a client referred to me by a previous client. We had meetings; I answered all their questions and concerns then we proceeded to preparing their home for sale. Suggesting what needs to be done as to renovations, etc. I visited multiple t

I just sold six properties this month; one rented and two contracts on the way. Don’t get me wrong, it is not a walk in the park as each transaction in real estate has its own character. (A nice word for “dilemma”). Let’s be realistic here: selling and buying a home is a complicated process by itself. It involves a team of professionals and multiple processes both legal and financial, not counting the emotions of both buyers and sellers. In my 10 years’ experience, I can only count with my fingers the “easy” ones or any that went smoothly. Most of the issues were beyond my control. With years of experiences, I learned how to unlock the difficulties before they get in the door before me. Here are ways to avoid these bumps or at least minimize them through the whole process. And yes, you are a big part of home buying and selling success. First: Hire professionals!! Do not sell or buy your homes on your own unless you are a real estate agent yourself. If you are a seller; you might

Utilities are something you need to focus on to save some precious dollars. Not just for home maintenance but in general. Small things become big when they are taken together on a monthly basis. I understand that when renting, some or all utilities are included in the price but nevertheless; conservation is always good for the environment. Try to consider the following aside from turning off unused lights and unplug appliances when not in use. You will be surprised that you can use the money instead on your internet bills etc. Change your light bulbs to Energy-Efficient ones – it took me a while to do this as I want my bulbs to run out first but it will take a while. These are compact fluorescent light bulbs that we used back home. Remember those white lights? This Energy Star certified light bulbs use about 70-90 percent less energy than the traditional incandescent bulbs and they last 10-15 times longer. Programmable Thermostats – no need to buy the expensive ones, it may cost

Most homeowners think their home is the most expensive and the most beautiful in the neighborhood. It is because they are emotionally attached to it aside from the work they’ve done like repairs, remodeling and renovations. That may be true but in the eyes of the buyers, the assessments and the appraisal will speak for themselves. They have control over the actual value of your home. Preparing your home for sale most of the time requires a long process and preparation on a case to case basis. For example, your home is just five years old and there is no need for an upgrade but just a fresh coat of paint and maybe a change of carpet. You may have a home that you lived in for years until the kids grew up and it is now an empty nest; that’s a lot of work unless you will sell it “AS IS” but of course you have to expect a lower price than the fair market value in the neighborhood. When I go meet potential home sellers, some of them tell me what sales price they want on their home. Yo

“ We do not have money for down payment ” Yes I get that a lot from buyers who were qualified for a loan but just do not have the funds in hand for a down payment or closing costs. Don’t panic, there are programs out there and in fact I’ve closed a lot of transactions where my buyer didn’t need to put a single centavo on the table and was still able to pay off one year HOA/Condo fees. Sounds too-good- to-be- true? Yes but it’s true, considering seller pitched in on closing costs. The Law of Equilibrium of course applies in one way or the other. Let’s face it, conventional loans require from five percent to 20 percent downpayment. Not all qualified buyers have that money in hand. An average home of $300,000 requires $15,000 down payment for example and about three percent closing cost or $9,000. We are talking $24,000 there; that’s a lot of money for most people who’re just starting. It does not mean if you do not have that, you cannot pursue buying a house. There are programs fo

Interested to buy properties in the Philippines? Yes you may but you have to brace yourself as it is entirely a different scenario and processes compared to what we have here in the U.S. Yes, it is a very wise investment I should say. I have wanted to buy a condo at The Fort Bonifacio Global City. My two sons who were based in Manila since 2008 and 2012 respectively work and train in the area. Very convenient for them since almost everything is walking distance. You know how bad traffic is everywhere so this is really a big factor. BGC as what they call it short for Bonifacio Global City is considered high end area that surpassed the status of Makati nowadays. The municipality of Makati once tried to claim a portion of BGC for this obvious reason. I want to kick myself for not buying at least one at that time when the pre-selling price was just a million pesos or two. Nowadays it is on a whopping 8.5 million pesos for a decent one bedroom with very small kitchen, bath and

  When I meet potential buyers who have been renting for quite a while but fully qualified for a loan; I feel bad for the lost years they have been paying the mortgage for the landlords and earning equity for them. The irony of it is there are lots of people trying hard to buy a home but due to previous unfortunate situations cannot get approved for a loan. They have to wait years to maintain good credit scores again before it happen. I have to admit it’s not a smooth ride from getting loan pre qualifications to approvals; searching online and drive around on weekends; meeting with your real estate agent to look for potential homes. The stress and excitement of submitting an offer until either accepted or denied. The start of inspections, appraisals, more negotiations along the way until the nerve wracking final approval from the loan. The walk through moment, transferring utilities, changing address and the whole process of moving in. Then you ask yourself, is this really h

View Full Article Here Most homebuyers and sellers utilized the internet on simplest purchase even on home buying and selling process. Tons of information out there and sometimes you think there is no need for professionals to help you. One of my pet peeves is when someone thinks a real estate professional’s job is to find a home for you and go to closing. Then get that hefty commission at closing. Another one is when builders tell clients that they get more price reduction if there is no real estate professionals involve. The job is not as simple as that. There’s a lot more behind the scenes before you go to the settlement table. Like when you are watching a movie and what you see is how good or bad the movie is. You do not realize that a specific scene may take hours or days of hard work by the staff.   As a home-buyer and seller you have to make sure you are well protected in your most precious and important purchase in your life. The job is a team work among brokers, r

Pre-approved or pre-qualified Rodney Jaleco   15 days ago Opinion   Leave a comment   36 Views Pre-Approved or Pre-Qualified? Know The Difference Do you already have a pre-approval letter from your lender or pre-qualified on the mortgage loan?  Huh?  This is usually the reaction of my potential buyer clients on my initial phone calls with them.  I can’t blame them as same reaction I had when I bought my first home.  I had no idea what my realtor was talking about.  Due to social media nowadays, a lot of buyers are well informed and sometimes get too much information; the more they get confused. Let’s make it simple by starting with the basic. You have a good stable job and earning well; took care of your credit for years so most likely you know you can be a good candidate to buy a property.  Before even looking or surfing on the internet; contact a loan officer or go to your bank for a pre-qualification or pre-approval process.  No need to go from pre-qualification if you c