buying process

What Does an Insurance Agent Do When You’re Buying a Home?

Single-family home buyers need to purchase homeownerโ€™s insurance shortly before they close. Some have never bought any insurance before. If that is your situation, what do you need to know? What to be ready to pay before closing Short answer: You will pay 15 months of homeownerโ€™s insurance by closing day. For houses, lenders will

Making Two Offers on the Same Weekend: Bad Ideas in Real Estate

I am starting a new series: Bad Ideas in Real Estate These are ideas that I hear, either socially or from prospects or clients, that do not work. They are usually โ€œtricksโ€ that someone picked up online, or heard from someone they know. I start this series with a tactic that crossed my path this

Real Estate Karma: 2021

I believe in real estate karma. Even in 2021, I am seeing good things happen for our clients. This year, sellers have the upper hand in negotiations, big time. This is the worst seller-favoring market I have ever seen. Even so, our clients are getting the right house for them. Many sellerโ€™s agents are acting

By |2021-06-23T12:03:12-04:00June 30th, 2021|Categories: buying process|Tags: , , , , |

FAQ for Spring Market 2021

How much over asking price should I offer, on average? This seems to be the number-one question. It is a terrible question based on terrible assumptions. Donโ€™t assume that asking prices are based on Fair Market Value. In reality, asking prices are a made-up number intended to get the highest number of offers, so that

By |2021-05-16T15:09:11-04:00May 19th, 2021|Categories: buying process|

Follow the Money: Fees, Deposits, and Escrows When You Buy Real Estate

There are times during a real estate transaction when you will be required to spend money. Some are deposits, some are fees, and some are refundable. At offer: When you make an offer, you will provide a deposit check for $1000 or $5000, depending on your price range. That check is not cashed unless your

By |2021-05-09T11:54:24-04:00May 12th, 2021|Categories: buying process|Tags: , , , , , |

What is the Best Offer?

Whose interests are being served by rushing offers and accepting offers that close the fastest? Some of the time, the seller wants and needs a quick closing. Some of the time, the sellerโ€™s agent is advising their client to take the easy deal, and not necessarily the best deal. Cash offers As the market heated

By |2021-05-09T10:08:01-04:00May 5th, 2021|Categories: buying process|Tags: , , |

Two Households, One Two-Family House

House hunting idea: two households band together and buy a two-family house together. Massachusetts allows owners of two-family and three-family houses to convert them into two or more condos. This is not typical in other parts of the country. There are lots of advantages to buying a two-family house, especially in our high-price condo market.

By |2020-07-27T12:24:26-04:00August 5th, 2020|Categories: Happy Home Ownership, buying process, Pearl|

Covid Update: Mortgage Lending

4 Buyers Real Estate gives our clients a list of mortgage lenders who have been tried and true for us and our past clients. What do we expect from lenders on our list? Good communication throughout the process. No last-minute drama. Close on time. Can I get a mortgage now? ย If you have a 20