Communication

One of the biggest complaints that people have with their Realtor is the lack of communication. Whether you are buying or selling, it is very important to set the communication expectations when you first start to work with the Realtor. Make sure that he/she lets you know when new houses come on the market or when houses sell. Also, you'll want to know when you'll be able to see houses you are interested in, or know the feedback that your Realtor receives after someone looks at your house. It is important that you make an informed decision when buying or selling a house and you'll want to be informed the each step of the way!

Media

I am sure you have heard plenty of negative media coverage about the housing market. Did you know that this year is actually the third best year EVER in real estate based on the number of sales? It's absolutely a fantastic time to buy a house because there are plenty of houses on the market to choose from plus interest rates are near the lowest they've been in the past 30 years!

Listings online

Since you're reading my blog, I assume you are very internet-savvy. The internet is becoming a bigger part of selling real estate every day. Already, more than 80% of buyers look for real estate listings online and it's great! You can see all the details about a house (like the number of bedrooms, square footage, etc. that you wouldn't be able to see from the curb). Most houses even have several interior pictures so you can determine if you like the interior style. This saves buyers a lot of wasted time going into houses that won't meet their needs.

However, there are some things that you just can't determine from the internet. You need to decide if you like the location and would feel comfortable living in that neighborhood. Drive around first and see what the neighborhood is like and what amenities surround the neighborhood. Pictures can be deceiving and can easily cut undesirable features out of the frame.

Open House

How do you find out if that house you've had your eye on is going to have an open house? Unfortunately there is not one magic source that can tell you about every open house. You can look in the newspaper classifieds. Also, look at a variety of websites for agents and local real estate brokerages. OpenHouse.com offers a list of open house dates and times. Probably the most common way for people to find open houses is to look for signs as you're driving around. Sometimes you'll see it advertised a few days before the open house on the yard sign. Otherwise, look for directional signs leading you from the main road to the open house during the actual event. Most open houses are on Sunday afternoons, but it is becoming more common to find them on Thursday evenings or Saturday afternoons as well.

FHA

So, I'm sure you are well aware about the issues with sub-prime lenders by now. The media has done a great job repeating the stories over and over. What if your credit score isn't perfect or you don't have any money saved to make a down payment? You might want to ask your lender about an FHA loan. It's a government loan that might be a great deal for you. Even if you don't qualify for a conventional loan, you might still be able to get a loan and buy a home with FHA!

Where to start?

So, you think you'd like to own a home someday? Where do you possibly start? Well, the first thing to do is to contact a lender, not just any lender off the internet, but a big, well-known, reputable one. The worst thing that can happen is that you're all packed and ready to move into your new home, only to find that your lender still doesn't have your loan ready and that they stopped returning your phone calls. Or worse, they went out of business!

The lender can tell you how the price tag on the house translates to monthly payments and how much they can lend you based on your income, assets, debts, and credit score.

Just had a closing!

I just had a closing for two of my first-time homebuyers! It always feels amazing to see how excited they are about their new house! From the time they decided this was the perfect house for them, throughout the in-contract period, and after the closing, they kept bubbling about all of the fun things they were going to do in their new house. They even took a picture of themselves with the "just sold" sign in the front yard! They're so excited to start on home improvement projects and make this house their home. It's great when people have such big dreams that become realities!

Nice to meet you!

Hello and welcome to my blog site! I appreciate that you are taking the time to read my postings. I am a Realtor with Coldwell Banker King Thompson in Columbus, Ohio, working mostly in the Northwest. I specialize in helping first-time homebuyers achieve their goals of homeownership. I have been in your position, where you'd like to buy a home, but aren't sure where or when to start. I know you have questions and love teaching people as I work, so that's why I think that first-time homebuyers are perfect to work with. I would like this to be a conversational blog, so if you ever have any questions or comments, feel free to post them!