If you have made it through steps 1 and 2 of the home-selling process (hiring a real estate agent and deep cleaning/de-cluttering/de-personalizing your home), it is now time to get ready to showcase your home and get pictures of it!
Pictures are very crucial to the home-selling process as 97% of people begin their home-buying journey online.* Thus, the photos of your home are most often the very first impression someone has of it. As you have probably heard before, first impressions are so important, and there is no exception to the rule when selling your home.
That is why it is imperative to have gotten through steps 1 and 2 so that you may have a clean and de-cluttered home that is photo-ready. Hiring a real estate photographer will ensure your photos are level and not lopsided or uneven, thoughtfully-shot (no bad angles), edited to pull the best light and clearest picture and much more. 
The pictures are supposed to be an invitation to any potential buyer to come and see the. ...

If you’ve made it through the first 3 steps of the home buying process (financial inventory, choosing your real estate representation, getting pre-qualified/pre-approved for a mortgage) you know that it takes patience and diligence to purchase a home.
Once you have gotten ready to submit an offer (fourth step of the home buying process), you wish that you and your Realtor could read the seller’s mind to know exactly what type of offer they would accept. It would certainly give you an edge to know what the other offers, if any, looked like so you could beat the competing offers and get the home you want. Unfortunately that’s not the way it works, and sometimes your best offer may not stack up against the other(s), or perhaps you and the seller simply could not reach an agreement during negotiation.
So, what do you do if your offer isn’t accepted?
One thing your Realtor may do is to ask the seller’s agent or builder’s representative what it was th; ...

All of your hard work and preparation is now ready to be used. It’s time to upgrade your home buying experience from one of just window shopping houses online to actually seeing them in person. You and your Realtor can work together to find homes that fit your preferred criteria in your specified price range, and they will set up showings for you.
You could end up finding “the one” on the first day, or it may take a multitude of showings to find the house that speaks to you and you could see yourself making home. When it comes to attending open houses or going to builder opens or new construction home sites, it is imperative that you let your Realtor know before attending.
Once you have found a home you love that suits your needs, it is time to make an offer! This can be a scary step for some, but not to worry as your Realtor will walk you through each step of crafting the offer. 
As you may recall, the first 3 steps of the home buying process include taking f; ...

There are a lot of misconceptions about how real estate agents help you when it comes time to make an offer on a property. There are so many things that go into the offer - sales price, if the seller should include a home warranty and should the seller offer concessions or closing cost assistance to you, the buyer. 
There are many different factors and numbers you have to consider to ensure that a property is the right one for you and if the price is right. Depending on market conditions and competitiveness of offers on the property, your Realtor can help you determine what to include - or not include - in your offer to help it stand out to the seller. While competitiveness is key, your Realtor also wants to score you the best deal possible, so it is important to be open and honest with them about your needs as a buyer.
Your Realtor can conduct a CMA (comparative market analysis) on the property or area of interest to help ensure you do not offer over what the house would likely; ...

If you have long thought that 20% down was the only way to go when buying a home, you are not alone. Before I began my career in real estate, I too thought that the only way to get into a home was to put 20% down. This can be quite a chunk of change, especially when you factor in other additional closing costs and fees that go along with closing on a home.
20% down is far from the minimum down payment that is required to purchase a home. It all comes down to your loan type, what you qualify for and how much you have as assets in the bank to make the down payment and cover closing costs. This is why getting prequalified or at least speaking with a lender can be so helpful to let you know approximately what you should be looking to spend.
The minimum down payment with an FHA loan is 3.5%, and on a conventional loan, the lowest percent down is 3%, though there’s also commonly 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. You can also put more money down to lower your loan amount if you wanted to as long ! ...