Amber Black, Real Estate Agent, Arizona Realtor

5 Tips To Help Your Arizona Realtor Help You

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In the often confusing and overwhelming process of buying or selling a home, your real estate agent serve as a guide, helping you to determine the best price to list your home at as well as navigating complex documents and regulations. While most Arizona realtors are committed to serving you to the best of their ability, they are frequently busy juggling multiple clients and responsibilities. You can maximize your experience of working with a realtor by following some simple tips:

Be Realistic About the Listing Price for Your Home

If you are a seller, be realistic about the listing price for your home. Any home that you have lived in for a significant amount of time is likely to hold sentimental value. Therefore, you may be prone to perceiving it as more unique than it is and overestimating its worth.

Before agreeing on a sale price with your realtor, try to emotionally detach yourself from your property and view it objectively, as a buyer would. Since properties that are priced too high at the outset are likely to linger on the market and ultimately sell for less than properties that were priced appropriately, you will help your realtor make the sales process go as smoothly as possible if you are willing to accept a realistic listing price.

If you are a buyer, avoid making lowball offers without justification.

Keep Your Home Tidy and Free of Clutter While It’s On the Market

While your home is on the market, keep it tidy and free of clutter. Consider hiring a professional stager or stowing excess belongings in storage until your home sells. Ensure that all necessary repairs are made and the yard is free of dead or overgrown shrubbery. By enhancing curb appeal, your realtor will be able to demonstrate your home’s full potential when showing it to buyers.

Extend Common Courtesy With Your Agent and Real Estate Professionals

Most agents work with more than one client simultaneously, and will be deeply appreciative if you demonstrate respect for their time. By exercising simple courtesies like communicating when you are running late or cannot make an appointment, you will help lay the groundwork for a mutually respectful relationship.

If you are a buyer, do not contact an agent until you are serious about making a purchase. If you have not quite reached the buying phase, consider going to open houses, conducting research about different neighborhoods, and making sure that you understand the limitations of your budget before you contact a realtor.

Buyers, Be Clear About Your Expectations and Desires

If you are a buyer, be clear about your expectations and desires, while being realistic about what you can afford. If you have a well-defined wish list that you share with your agent, he or she will be better able to help you find a property that meets your needs.

Realtors understand that buying a home is a major decision and expect that you may change your mind about specifics during the course of your house hunt, but you will help your agent deliver the best possible results if you have a general idea of what you want and need before beginning the process.

Keep It Legal and Ethical

Do not ask your agent to do anything illegal or unethical. Realtors are bound by laws and strict ethical guidelines that may not always be obvious to laypeople. For example, the Fair Housing Act prohibits agents from disclosing information about the ethnic make-up of a neighborhood or using certain words in advertising a property.

You Need a Realtor Who Is Passionate About Making Real Estate Work for You

As a third generation real estate agent and native of Arizona, I am passionate about helping you and your loved ones achieve your real estate goals. If you are buying or selling in Gilbert or any of the East Valley cities, trust that I will go the extra mile to ensure a smooth and successful transaction.

Real Estate Agents Near Me, Gilbert Real Estate Agent, Amber Black

5 DIY Projects That Pack The Most Punch

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Home improvement projects don’t have to be large-scale to return a big value. In fact, the 2015 Cost vs. Value report points out that even something as simple and cheap as replacing a steel door returns on average 101.8 percent nationally.Read more: Tips for Increasing a Home’s Property ValueIf home owners want to save even more money and get a great return on their home improvement investment, these five easy DIY projects pack the most punch.

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As a third generation real estate agent and native of Arizona, I am passionate about helping you and your loved ones achieve your real estate goals. If you are buying or selling in Gilbert or any of the East Valley cities, trust that I will go the extra mile to ensure a smooth and successful transaction.

The Difference Between Your Down Payment And Your Closing Costs

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The difference between closing costs and down payment doesn’t really affect the bottom-line dollar amount that’s needed at the closing table. After the escrow officer tallies up the buyer’s debits and credits on the HUD-1 Settlement Sheet, there will only be one check to bring in when it’s time to sign escrow papers. Understanding the escrow settlement process and the difference between the two amounts can help you look for inaccuracies and ensure that funds are directed to the right place.

Closing Costs

Closing costs are the fees associated with the cost of obtaining a home loan and escrow services when closing on a home mortgage. These fees include items such as the appraisal, lender origination fees, escrow handling charges, wire transfer fees, discount points, lender’s title insurance and prepaid taxes and insurance premiums. The amount of closing costs may come as a shock to inexperienced borrowers, and many times may total up to 3 percent of the purchase price. The fees are significantly lower when you are paying cash for a home as there are no lender fees.

Down Payment

The down payment for a home is applied directly toward lowering your total loan amount and is not to be confused with settlement or closing costs. Normally based on a percentage of the total sales price, the amount is typically established early in the loan application process with your lender. While down payment amounts can vary from 3.5 percent for an FHA loan to upward of 20 percent for certain conventional loans, normally the source of the money must be verified and approved by the lender.

HUD-1 Settlement Sheet

Your escrow agent will prepare what is called a HUD-1 Settlement Sheet, a required form created by the Department of Urban and Housing Development. This form lists all the debits and credits for both the buyer and seller of the real estate settlement. Your down payment and an itemized list of closing costs and related settlement charges are clearly detailed on the form so that each charge or required fee is easy to understand. Check your HUD-1 Settlement Sheet carefully to ensure its accuracy.

So now the moment of truth!

Both the down payment amount and closing costs are required at the same time, at the closing table and lumped together into one large payment. The settlement sheet, after any credits such as the earnest money deposit or seller contributions are tallied, has a final amount owed by you, the buyer. This amount also includes all settlement charges, the required down payment and any miscellaneous and prorated fees.

 

 

As a third generation real estate agent and native of Arizona, I am passionate about helping you and your loved ones achieve your real estate goals. If you are buying or selling in Gilbert or any of the East Valley cities, trust that I will go the extra mile to ensure a smooth and successful transaction.

Home Buying Tips

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If you are in the market to purchase a home, here some things to keep in mind to make sure you are getting the home you really want.

Connect with a reliable and reputable mortgage lender

This will make all the difference in the world. Communication is key when purchasing a home so you’ll want to make sure you choose someone who you have access to when you have questions. Banks and Credit Unions are great, but they also have an 8 to 5 schedule so it might be difficult to reach someone when you have a question regarding your loan in the evening or on the weekends.

Market Trends – Stay in the loop!

Keeping a 24 hour watch on the housing market is not an easy task so leave that up to your agent. However, you want to know what’s going on in the area you are looking to purchase in. Things like new construction taking place, commercial development within a 5 mile radius and probably the public school ratings are important things to watch. Checking out the cities/towns public website is a great way to keep informed. Of course, you should always feel comfortable asking your real estate agent who should known the local market pretty well.

Know your “Want’s & Needs” before you get out there

When you go shopping for groceries, you usually have a list (or if you’re like me, you go in on an empty stomach and walk out with 2 shopping carts of junk!) Nailing down a couple of the MUST HAVES is essential to ensure you are not wasting valuable time. There is no need to walk into a dozen homes with no pool if having a pool already built is in your Top 5 of “must haves.”

With that being said, make sure you keep an open mind when going into homes that may not have the paint choice of your liking or counter tops that may be outdated. These are purely cosmetic and can be changed out. If you love the floor plan, go with it!

 

 

As a third generation real estate agent and native of Arizona, I am passionate about helping you and your loved ones achieve your real estate goals. If you are buying or selling in Gilbert or any of the East Valley cities, trust that I will go the extra mile to ensure a smooth and successful transaction.