Barbara Puorro's (barbarapuorro) Blog

When talking about buying a house, have you ever said:    "I'll know when I see the right place." "I want to see what I can find on my own." "I'll only buy if I can get a fantastic deal." "I'm waiting for interest rates to go down."   If you have then you are not ready to buy a house.   There ar...

Yes, it’s possible to sell your home without a real estate agent saving money on commission fees. But if you do, it’s a good idea to make sure you know what you’re getting into. Education yourself on the real estate process, learn the pros and cons of selling without an agent, is selling without...

You already know the less stressful way to sell your home is through a real estate professional, but you may not realize how much your agent really does for you. A real estate agent is licensed and regulated by the state to sell real estate. But many agents offer above standard services to their ...

An REO (Real Estate Owned) simply means that the foreclosure process on a particular house has gotten to the point where the bank has taken back ownership of a house from the owner. The bank can then put the house up for sale through an agent or put it up for auction. There are a couple of advant...

Potential homebuyers don’t spend nearly enough time thoroughly examining the neighborhood by getting out of their cars and talking to the neighbors, says Andrew Schiller, founder and CEO of NeighborhoodScout. Your real estate agent is great resource for information about the town you in which you...

The first two weeks after you put your home on the market are critical, that’s typically when you catch the eye of real estate agents and some eager buyers. If you're really ready to sell your home, the best thing for you to do is to price it right at the time it goes on the market and then sell ...

It can never be said enough – Location, Location, Location. The neighborhood is just as important as the house itself. This is why it’s no surprise that what’s known as transitional areas are overlooked by buyers. Transitional areas, also known as an area of revitalization, are usually depressed ...

Negotiating after inspections Ok! You made an offer, it was countered and after some back and forth, finally an accepted offer with the earnest money at the escrow agent’s office.  Now for the inspection. It’s important to know that no house is absolutely perfect, even newly constructed homes hav...

Price Finding out how much you need to sell your house to ‘break even” is a great starting point for pricing your house. Working with an agent you can factor in how much to pay off your existing mortgage, estimated closing costs and fees to determine how much is needed so you won’t have to pay at...

10: Keep Your Money Where It IsIt’s not a good idea to make big purchases or even open new credit accounts three to six months prior to buying a new house. Any action that can change your credit profile can affect your future mortgage rate. Lenders want to see that you make reliable and responsib...