Marie Otis's (marieotis) Blog

In today's Omaha World-Herald there was an article, "A Guide to home valuation protest" was in the Omaha World-Herald in today.  Here is a link for the entire article http://budurl.com/protestvaluation.  If you feel your home valuation is high, there are three things to consider if you are going ...

I tell my Buyers that Title Insurance is the best insurance policy you can buy. You only pay for it once and it protects you from a wide variety of possible ills.  1. Property Titles: First, Title Insurance protects you from human error.  Titles to property were kept in book form for most of the ...

"Why didn't my assessed value go down this past year?"  Many people may be asking this question in the Omaha area this June.  There was an article in the Sunday World-Herald this week about home valuations.  Here is the link for the entire article: http://budurl.com/HomeValuation Assessed values ...

An escrow officer is someone who handles all the money, which makes certain the title of the home is clear and gets you to the closing table on time. It is vital that the Buyer chooses a great escrow company.  Here are three things to consider when making your selection:   Reputation/Reliability:...

"My Uncle is in construction and I want him to do our home inspection.  We're watching our up-front expenses and he won't charge us."  If I had a nickel for every time a Buyer said that to me I'd be a rich woman.  I can't emphasize enough the importance of hiring a professional home inspector whe...

You have found a house you really want. Now it's time to make an offer. Good for you! But heed this warning: Be sure you're serious - it will cost you plenty!  Here are 7 things you should consider before submitting an offer to a Seller. Ask your Realtor to make an analysis of what "like" houses ...

Most of my clients can't afford to pay cash and so it's imperative to learn their spending limit and how the house payment will impact their budget.  The first thing I tell my Buyers is to visit with a mortgage loan officer (or 2) to determine how much they can spend on a property.  I encourage m...

"Where can I get foreclosure help?"  If you find yourself asking this question, below is a list of programs that have the U.S Government approval or are programs operated by the U.S. government.  Remember to contact your mortgage lender as well.  Your lender would much rather help you keep your h...

Risk?  Simply put, banks and creditors need to know how likely you are to pay back the money you owe.  The more likely you are to meet your obligations the lower percentage rate you will pay.  If you have a low credit score instead of denying you a loan or a credit card banks will charge you a hi...

Most Buyers ask me how to get the best rate when shopping for a mortgage. My advice seems to differ from most of the Internet gurus I read on-line. I have assisted so many people buy homes and have leaned some really important realities when looking for a mortgage.      1. Most Internet sites adv...