Tag Archives: real estate

Real Estate, Real Estate Agents, Real Estate News

Seeing is Believing: Enhancing Real Estate with VR & AR Technology

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A person holding a tablet that is using VR to record a home tour.

The way we experience products pre-purchase is changing, and we have two types of technology to thank for that: VR and AR.

When potential buyers browse listings online, high-quality photos and videos are among the first things they look for. Not only do these visuals provide an excellent overview of what a property looks like and what it has to offer, but they also offer an element of convenience as they either encourage or discourage an in-person viewing. However, with advancing technology, real estate agents can now offer an online viewing experience that transcends mere two-dimensional browsing.

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Home Buyers, Home Sellers, Real Estate, Real Estate Agents

Traits to Look for When Choosing a Real Estate Agent

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A real estate agent standing with her clients.

If you are searching for a new home or looking to list a property, it is important to have a real estate agent by your side. However, a real estate agent needs to exhibit several traits before he or she earns your business. While almost all agents are passionate about their jobs and will do anything to help their clients, it is important to find the right fit. This blog will help you select a realtor by listing several traits you should look for when choosing a real estate agent.

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Real Estate

Responsibilities of a Title Company

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When buying a home, a common term that will come up is “title”. Although it’s a common term, do you really know what it means or what a title company does for you and the home seller? Let’s take a look at what to expect from a title company during your home buying process.

What is a title company?

The role of title company spans across a couple different spaces in real estate, but it’s main priority is to verify the title to the property or real estate given to the home buyer is legitimate. To put it simply- the make sure all the bases are covered and the seller has a right to sell the property.

Once the verification is complete, the company will guarantee the property title with title insurance. This insurance protects the owner in the event that someone or multiple people come along and claim ownership.

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Real Estate

Top 5 Ways to Convert Millennial Renters Into Home Buyers

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For first-time millennial home buyers, student debt, unemployment and rising home prices continue to pose formidable challenges, but, fortunately, we have agent-curated strategies — 2020-tested and approved in several hot markets — that can help turn renters into buyers for you.

1. Help Renters Think in Future Tense

Coaching clients to downsize their rent as a means of saving for the down payment, and supporting them rental-to-rental as they make their journey to a new home, might help to nurture the relationship early at the rental stage, says Ken Laroza, director of broker relations for Zillow. He advises agents look at the relationship through a five-year lens, which promises to pay off in high business volume.

Regardless of whether a millennial renter buys from you or not, chances are good that they’ll refer you if you deliver the best experience possible, says Laroza. “Millennials tend to be really loyal to those who treat them well.”

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Real Estate

Common Real Estate Terms and What They Mean

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Buying or selling a home is an exciting journey. But with so many different things to research and decide, it may be overwhelming. Especially when you aren’t familiar with terms commonly used during real estate procedures. Our experts are here to help! Let’s go through some of the most common real estate terms and what each one means for you.

Annual Percentage Rate (APR)

This phrase is mostly used for home buyers who are calculating their loan amount. Your APR is the amount of interest charged every year on the loan.

Contingency

This is one of the most used words in a real estate contract or by a real estate agent. A contingency refers to certain events that must take place in order for the contract, between buyer and seller, to not be nullified or voided. For example, a buyer’s contingency may state that the seller must replace the water heater before sale is final. If the seller chooses not to meet this requirement, the buyer may pull out of the sale.

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Homeowners, Real Estate

Tips for Moving During Winter

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Often considered the most magical time of the year, winter can be a tough season for any kind of obligation. Relocating can get messy on any regular day, let alone during a snowstorm or cold day. Luckily, we have some tips to tackle some difficulties of moving during winter.

Watch the weather

If you’re relocating during winter, it’s important to watch the weather forecast. Although weather can change quickly and unexpectedly, you can try to monitor as best you can and plan to move on a day that is reporting a high percentage of no snow or ice.

Prepare the gear for moving during winter.

You can minimize all the risks by preparing the necessary gear. This mostly applies to the transportation vehicle for you and your belongings. Some things you may need are:

  • Tire chains
  • Aid kit
  • Shovel for snow
  • Tow rope
  • Resilient window wipers
  • Warm clothes and blankets
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Homeowners

Common Questions About Property Taxes

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The journey in buying a new home is what many individuals dream of but, buying a home is not always easy and many long time homeowners can attest to that feeling. Owning your own home does come with extra duties and responsibilities. One of those responsibilities is property tax.

How much do you know about property taxes? What does it do, and what do you need to know about it when buying a home? If you’re a first-time homebuyer, budgeting the property tax cost is an important first step in knowing what you can afford. 

So, let’s cut to the chase, clarify some things about property taxes and answer some common questions.

What Is a Property Tax? 

Let’s identify first what a property tax is. A property tax is one of the long lists of government-issued tax to all its constituents who own a property, whether it be a house, a rental property or a building. Individuals and other legal entities, such as corporations, are charged with property tax. 

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Home Sellers, Homeowners

Five Reasons You Should Sell Now

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With the global pandemic causing many home sellers to put their listing on hold or to take it off the market completely, right now is actually a great time to put your house up for sale. Although, COVID-19. caused weariness, it has actually not affected the market in a negative way like many thought was possible. Here are five reasons to pull the trigger and sell your home now.

Demand is High

The market has more demand than ever right now with not less people selling and more people looking to buy. With the pandemic, many people have resisted listing their home, making it more of a challenge for those looking for their dream place. Plus as more millennials join the market looking to buy for a growing family or a young professional purchasing their first home, there is a growing demand that is just going to continue into the upcoming months.

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Home Sellers

Five Home Remodeling Ideas for Increasing Curb Appeal

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If you’re considering putting your house on the market, it’s never too early to start figuring out what it will take to make your home irresistible to prospective buyers. Amping up curb appeal isn’t all about the outside, as making your home more marketable is an inside job, too.

When you’ve got a longer list than budget, what are the must-do remodeling projects and what do you skip?

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Home Sellers, Real Estate Agents

What Does a Seller Agent Do For You?

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A real estate agent that works for a property seller is called a listing agent or a seller’s agent. They have a number of functions, but they can all be summed up in the fact that they are supposed to represent the best interests of the seller in all they do. 

Knowing what listing agents do is quite beneficial, especially if you’re at the point of making a decision on whether or not to hire an agent to help sell your property. 

This article will explain the functions a listing agent performs for a property seller. 

Set a List Price

It is only logical to set a price for your property, one that you believe is worth the value of the property. Your listing agent would typically use a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) to determine the list price of your house. 

The list price would be based on an analysis of the local real estate market, its prevailing market dynamics and recent sales of the property in your area.

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