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10 Mortgage Tips For 2013
If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines, waiting for the best time to refinance or get a mortgage to buy a home, THE Gail Spada TEAM thinks 2013 might be your last chance to act. With good credit, persistence and some shopping skills, you can still snag phenomenal deals this year… even if you are underwater on your loan. Here are 10 mortgage tips to help you with your mortgage decisions in 2013. Tip 1: Stop Procrastinating and Refinance Now If you haven’t refinanced recently, you’re probably paying a higher interest rate on your mortgage than you should. Take advantage of today’s record-low mortgage rates while they last. Rates are expected to remain low during the first few months of the year, but they should gradually increase. When they do, many borrowers will regret having missed the opportunity to grab the lowest mortgage rate in history. Tip 2: Buyers…Get Moving … Continue reading
Home Owners Tax Benefits In The Fiscal Cliff Deal
Home owners win two important tax benefits in the fiscal cliff deal. They keep PMI deduction and short sale tax benefit. The fiscal cliff deal Congress passed this week lets home owners keep the tax deduction for private mortgage insurance payments. It also says troubled home owners won’t owe income tax on amounts forgiven during a mortgage workout or foreclosure. PMI is what you pay your lender each month if you put down less than 20% on a home, which protects the lender if you default on the home loan. Without mortgage cancellation relief, home owners who have a portion of their mortgage forgiven as part of a workout plan, short sale, or foreclosure would have to pay income tax on the forgiven amount. In addition, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 lets home owners continue to keep up to $500,000 ($250,000 for individuals) in home sale profits tax-free. … Continue reading
How To Sell Your House
With the Florida real estate marketing on the upswing, buyers are coming back. If you’re considering selling your investment home or looking to upgrade, now is the time. THE Gail Spada Team is putting together a series of articles focused on help you sell your home. Start Getting Started Don’t make the mistake of thinking that listing your house is the first step. Knowledge is power so before you get ahead of yourself, get ahead of the game by doing your homework. Access Your Market Competition is all around you, from new home developments to foreclosures. You must investigate all challengers to your house. Assess Your House Even in a sellers’ market it’s important to have your home in top shape to get the best price. In a buyers’ market, it’s imperative. Selling by the Season As the seasons change, so do the tactics necessary to get your property sold. … Continue reading
Unqualified home buyers waste everyone’s time
There. I said it. And I did not sugarcoat it. We are seeing more and more buyers in Brooksville, Spring Hill and Weeki Wachee who are being misled by real estate agents who have forgotten two basic rules of their real estate training: Don’t show properties to buyers who have not at least begun the pre-approval process for financing a purchase. Never bring a buyer to a home he or she cannot afford. These rules are even more important in today’s economy, where lenders, despite offering low interest rates, are being very picky about to whom they will lend. This due diligence is good news when you consider that the inflated mortgages that were routinely approved a few years ago brought our nation to the brink of financial Armageddon. However, it puts added responsibility on borrowers, who need more cash for down payments, a solid credit score, and a favorable … Continue reading
Must-have apps for home buyers & sellers
If everyone who said they understand today’s smart phone technology actually did, we’d have to rename it because it would no longer be smart — it would be average. The reality is that a few understand it completely, and a few don’t understand it at all. And then there is the majority, including me, who know just enough to seek out what we need and apply it to our everyday lives. My everyday life is real estate, so I thought it might be useful to put together a list of smart phone apps for our customers. Most of these suggestions are apps are for iPhones, but most also have comparable versions for other smart phones, including the Droid I use. Some are free and some carry a nominal fee, but they all are worth your investment. This list barely scratches the surface of what is available, but it is a … Continue reading
5 reasons to choose a REALTOR® who knows REALTORs®
In a recent post we explained how vital it is for your REALTOR® to be a good listener and an effective communicator. Clear, prompt communication between a home seller and REALTOR® greatly increases the odds that your home will sell sooner and close to your asking price. But there is another advantage to listing with an agent who communicates well with you; she almost certainly is communicating well with other REALTOR®s. And having an established, reputable real estate agent who has earned the trust and respect of a network of peers gives you a decided edge as your property competes in the local housing market. This aspect of skilled communication takes a REALTOR® from good to great, and is essential to identifying serious home shoppers and closing a sale. Consider these five reasons for choosing a well-connected and communicative real estate agent who can enhance the experience of both buyers … Continue reading
Communication is key to selling your home
Success is tied directly to one’s ability to communicate effectively. Think about it: On every level, in both our personal and professional lives, our most satisfying and fulfilling achievements begin and end with clear communication. I have found that correlation especially true in the real estate business. Plain-spoken communication is the foundation upon which we build relationships with our customers. Once we understand each other — our goals, our roles and how we can target our resources and talents — we are on our way to a successful real estate transaction. Contrary to what some people may think, the most essential skill to be an effective communicator is not to be a good talker; it is to be a good listener. That’s why I listen very closely to our customers. I ask a lot of questions because hearing the answers helps me interpret the motivations and expectations of home sellers, … Continue reading
Good Luck and Warm Wishes!
After several years of helping THE Gail Spada TEAM become one of Hernando County’s top real estate TEAMS, our colleague Gina Stulec has accepted an opportunity to assist Century 21 Alliance Realty Commercial Broker/Owner Gary Schraut. We respect her decision and wish Gina well in her new venture. We’re looking forward to welcoming a new member to our TEAM in the near future. In the meantime, our customers can count on the depth of our TEAM — veteran Buyer Specialist Tina Schneegas and long-time Personal Assistant Amanda Bestmann — to fill that temporary void. Rest assured, when it comes to buying or selling real estate in Spring Hill and Brooksville, we’re still … all about you! Share and Enjoy:
Getting Ready for Hurricane Season
It’s a pain in the neck that Floridians know is coming every year about this time. And it is no wonder, considering we will spend the next 6 months looking over our shoulders. Our sense of dread does not stem from 90-degree temperatures, or cheapskate second cousins vacationing from Up North. No, the visitor that is about to make its annual appearance is hurricane season. This uninvited guest will stay too long and we will be glad to see him go. In the meantime, we will utter a guilty prayer that when he decides to act up — and he almost certainly will — he will leave our back yard and pay a call to one of our other coastal neighbors. Starting June 1 and continuing until Nov. 30, we will be bombarded with weather reports that include tracking every storm that begins off the continent of Africa and zig-zags … Continue reading
Home sellers use the 3 Rs to play the price is right
Setting a sale price is one of the most difficult — but potentially the most rewarding — tasks for a homeowner. That’s why it is essential to remember the 3 Rs before listing your property: • Reliable market data • Realistic expectations • REALTOR® you trust This is the best advice I can give a seller on this topic: Price your home well from the first day you put it on the market. If you overprice it you will get fewer looks from potential buyers and you will become frustrated as you watch it linger on the market. Then, when you are forced to lower the price, you will regret that you didn’t price it right from the get-go. Let’s take a look at each tenets of the 3 Rs. Reliable market data: The first step is to look at comparable sales in your neighborhood. THE Gail Spada TEAM … Continue reading
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