Tinastown: Happenings From the Edge of Atlanta

Writing an offer and negotiating can be stressful and perhaps daunting.  This is where your agent will be of most value (if you have the right agent!).  A savvy agent will be able to work up an offer an use negotiating tactics that will reduce the stress and make things alot easier. Below are som...

Now that you've determined how much of a house you can afford and have the pre-qualification letter in-hand, you can start looking at homes. Have a conversation with your Realtor first! A good agent will have a better handle on the market. So be sure to tell your agent not only what you’re lookin...

You found the perfect house!  It has all the bedrooms and all the bathrooms that you could ever want, a full basement, huge yard, terrific screened porch and numerous features and upgrades.....BUT...it may just be a little...ok...ALOT...out of your price range.  How do you know this?  Well....you...

Also called a FICO score, your credit score is a simplified calculation of your history of paying back debts and making regular payments on loans. If you’re borrowing money to buy a home (as most do), lenders want to know you’ll pay them back in a timely manner, and a credit score is an easy esti...

 Guide to Closing Terms and Processes Once everything is finalized, the contingency dates met, the repairs done, etc, the buyer will probably request a final walk-thru on the day of closing or a day before. Unless there are last minute issues, you will then sign a few documents with an attorney (...

Hooray! You’ve found a buyer for your home. You’re done, right? Right?Not quite. All you have to do now is get yourself—and your house—ready to close. And you have to get through the contingency periods.  What are typical contingencies on a contract?Inspection or Due Diligence:  Unless you’ve sol...

Every offer has five important components:Price - Most important!Closing costs - Often first-time buyers don’t have enough money to cover the down payment and the closing costs, so they’ll ask the seller to foot some of the bill—about 2% to 3% of the total closing costs is a common request. If yo...

  So let's start with the basics:De-Personalize.  Take down the family photos.  Remove the sports trophies.  Store away the vacation memorabilia.  Buyers need  to picture themselves in the home, without the distraction of your stuff.  Un-Clutter.  All the disorder in the home that we accumulate o...

  In my neighborhood alone, there are about 5 and we only have 100 homes.  The ratio of realtors to homes is very high so you have a large pool to choose from.   But let me be clear, agents are NOT all the same.  Just like in every profession, and in all aspects of life, there are good ones and t...

If it's time to sell your home, then it's time to GET READY!There are 4 things you need to do to prepare your home for sale.  The 4th step, and it's a big one, is to decide where to invest money in renovations.  The kitchen and master bath are projects that will get you the most return on your in...