The Pros and Cons of Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)

Many of our clients want to know what is mortgage insurance or private mortgage insurance (PMI) and do I need it? What are the differences between mortgage insurance and private mortgage insurance? What are the pros and cons to mortgage insurance? This article will help answer your questions as they relate to mortgage insurance and private mortgage insurance as well as shed light on the pros and cons of both.

Traditionally, the target for a down payment on a home has been 20% of the purchase price. But that's a hefty chunk of change for most Americans, especially first-time home buyers. Thankfully, there are options in place that allow buyers to offer a smaller down payment but still qualify

When buying a home one of the most common questions we are asked is 'how do good or bad schools affect home values and what type of impact do they have?'

In fact, schools are so important to some of our buyers that we have given each school district it's own page on our website allowing buyers to search for homes by school district. Fortunately, the Raleigh area has some of the best schools in the state and that is why so many folks moving to North Carolina end up in Raleigh

There are countless factors that influence the decision to buy a home. The neighborhood, size of the home, outdoor space, upgrades, and location play a significant role in impacting ones’ decision making. Among those important factors, school districts have played an

Pros and Cons of Using Opendoor to Sell Your Home

Selling your home to Opendoor is worth it for people who are looking for a more convenient sale rather than higher profits. The following pros and cons of using Opendoor will give you a great indication if working with Opendoor is the right decision for you.

iBuyer companies are popping up everywhere around the country with several here in the Raleigh area including Opendoor, Offerpad, Zillow and more. Fast-growing, affordable areas are targeted by companies like Opendoor because they can capitalize on all the folks who are moving to the area.

You may have heard of Opendoor and learned about their process on how they help homeowners sell their homes. As with any online transaction service,

Negotiating Repairs After a Home Inspection

Negotiating repairs after a home inspection doesn't have to be difficult, especially when you follow these 7 tips! When an offer is accepted on a home, it can be easy for both buyers and sellers to feel that they’re at the end of the finish line. Accepting an offer brings the deal much closer to the closing table, but there are several other important steps the transaction must go through before closing day. One of those steps is the home inspection and with the home inspection, major issues can arise.

A home inspection provides the buyer with a detailed report of the home’s structure, plumbing, electrical, foundation, roof etc. It helps the buyer know if certain repairs are needed so that they do not

What is Dual Agency in Real Estate and Should you Avoid it

Most buyers and sellers are familiar with how listing agents and buyer’s agents work which leads us to the question of what is dual agency in real estate? Dual agency isn’t particularly common, but it does tend to happen from time to time, so it is always best to be informed on the intricacies of this transaction type. My first transaction as a Real Estate Agent was as a dual agent representing both the buyer and the seller. Initially, the seller tried to sell his home by himself before soliciting my help and I was able to get it sold for him to one of my clients.

What is Dual Agency in Real Estate?

Dual agency is when a real estate agent works with the buyer and the seller on the

Before selling your home for sale by owner, it's important to understand the pros and cons, what's involved, and what to expect throughout the process. The question should I sell my home for sale by owner or without a Realtor® is likely one asked by every home seller with the thought of trying to save money. Do you really save money though?

We have over one hundred thousand people visiting our website each month looking at homes for sale in Raleigh and almost all of them want to work with a top local Realtor®. We would imagine it's the same in most real estate markets around the country as we have found the same to be true of homes for sale in Charlotte as well. Buyers want to work with the best local Realtors® to help them when buying a home

 7 Things to Consider Before You Overprice Your Home

Overpricing your home is a bad idea. It's one of the biggest mistakes sellers make and fail to realize it until it’s too late. The reason overpricing your home is such a big mistake is because when people overprice their home it loses value and there are a number of reasons why this happens which we will discuss in this article.

In our local market of Raleigh, NC the market is HOT. Homes sell fast. The ones that don't sell fast are in trouble. Chances are they overpriced their home and they will have to sell for less than it's true value. There are strategies to help overcome overpricing your home which we will discuss later in this article.

Naturally, a seller wants to make the most money

7 Things to Know BEFORE Holding an Open House in Real Estate

1. What is an Open House in Real Estate?

In real estate, an open house is an event where prospective buyers can tour a home that is listed for sale. Open houses are typically held on weekends (as that is when many buyers do not work and have time to tour homes), although they can be held during the week as well. Open houses are usually held by the seller’s listing agent, though successful Real Estate Agents typically have a team of folks and a member of the team usually will offer to hold the home open. The reason for this is it's a great way for the team member to build their book of business by interacting with prospective buyers. They are theoretically using your home as a

Mortgage Pre-Approval vs. Pre-Qualification

What are the main differences between mortgage pre-approval and mortgage pre-qualification? Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, it can be all too easy to confuse the terms “pre-approval” and “pre-qualification.” Although pre-qualification and pre-approval share some similarities, they are quite different. As a home buyer, it is important to understand the differences and how they may impact your chances to buy a home, especially in a competitive real estate market as we have here in Raleigh. In this article, we will define pre-approval and pre-qualification, explore how they differ, when they should be used, and the steps that should be taken to complete both processes.

What are the main differences

7 Major Home Inspection Issues and Common Questions Answered

If your home inspection turns up any of these 7 major issues it could be time to negotiate some mandatory fixes with the seller before you proceed with purchasing the home. After a home inspection, issues are going to arise. If you are a first time home buyer try not to freak out because this is why you hired a home inspector, to find the issues with the home! This gives the buyers an opportunity to negotiate some reasonable requests before purchasing the home. Some requests will be mandatory fixes or the buyer will choose to find another home.

If any of these major home inspection issues come back on your home inspection report you'll really want to hire experts to come in and