
You've found THE right home and you're ready to make an offer. Can your agent get it accepted? If yours is the only offer on the table, that shouldn't be hard. But in this market, you're more than likely to face competition from other buyers, and sellers know it. In order to make your offer more appealing, you should know that sellers take into account more than just price when choosing an offer. Speed of closing, number of inspections, and contingencies are also big factors.
Having your financing already lined up is prerequisite for making an offer, but not all preapprovals hold the same weight. Conventional loans are usually favored over government loans because they can close quicker and with less hassle. Likewise, the lender you choose can have a big impact on the whole sales process. A smart seller's agent...

Imagining your dream home is one thing; actually finding it is something else. Compromise is a part of the buying process, so knowing what your top priorities are ahead of time will help you stay on track when purchasing a home.
Since most home shoppers now search for properties online, discovering the true value of a REALTOR® begins when you spot that "perfect one" and want to take a closer look. Your agent will help you with everything from connecting you with a lender for pre-approval to researching property history to negotiating the deal. But before you even tour a single house, your REALTOR® can save you time and hassle by learning more about you, your needs, and what constitutes your perfect home.
With some astute questioning, your real estate agent can drill down to the essential elements, sorting out the "would likes" from t...
You can change most anything about your home. With enough time and money, you can transform it from a neglected basket case to a show stopper. You can give it a new look and feel, inside and out. But one thing you can't change is the location. And since location is such a vital part of home ownership (think: neighbors, taxes and traffic), choosing the right location is supremely important.
But have you considered the view? What you see outside your window every day can impact not only your mood but also how you feel about living in your home. Here in Southwest Michigan, many of us look out at orchards, fields, woods or water. With this abundance of natural beauty, we can co...

WAIT! You don't want to ruin this, do you? You may have been pre-approved for the loan, but that doesn't mean it's guaranteed. These common mistakes can cost you. The lender will pull your credit again shortly before closing. If you've done anything that gives them cause for concern they can raise your interest rate or worse, deny your loan. Here are some things your lender and your real estate agent should warn you about.
DON'T:

You wouldn't shop at the grocery store and assume you can afford everything in your cart just because you had some money last week and expect more income soon. You'd check your bank balance before you got there so you'd know how much you could spend that day.
Shopping for houses is no different. Before you tour a single home, you need to know how much you can afford to pay. Not guess, not assume. Know. Unless you're going to pay cash, the only way to do this is to sit down ahead of time with a mortgage lender.
Why is this important? If you find a house...