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 We’ve seen showings and even open houses take place virtually. Open houses are done by agents in the form of live Facebook or Instagram streams and saved and posted for anyone who can’t make the time. When it comes to working with clients, we have had no trouble communicating almost exclusively over zoom or over the phone. Although we miss engaging with our clients in person, a face to face zoom call still allows us to connect and really absorb all our customers wants and needs. Inspections or in-person showings are conducted with minimal persons present and always with the necessary gear to keep to protect and our bodies and disinfect all surfaces we encounter. Down the road, all contracts involved with offers, disclosures and right through to the final closing can be viewed and signed online. The most important thing right now is to stay home, and that’s we we’re here, to help clients find that home. 

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  Building equity in your home world much the same as a savings account. The market value of your home less the money you owe on it is the equity you've have in your home. As the months and years go by and you continue to make payments on your home, your equity in your home goes up, because the difference between the market value and what you owe becomes incrementally bigger. That is the money you will be able to retrieve from your home investment once you go to sell it. You will also be able to access home the savings built in your home through a home equity loan or line of credit. For more on building equity in your home see Building Equity in Your Home on our blog page. 

 

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  It's a great idea to get pre-approved before you start looking at homes. That way you know right off the bat what you can and can't afford. When you right an offer, a seller will be much more likely to consider your offer over other offers if you already have a letter of pre-approval. If you are planing on making a cash purchase, a letter from the bank would do the trick. 

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  It's up to you and how you feel most comfortable proceeding. We can write into the purchase agreement a contingency stating your need to sell your current before close, however a seller might not be willing to work with those terms, and might accept another offer. If you decide to sell your house first, just keep in mind that even once you find your new home and get an offer accepted, the closing will likely take at least 30 days to complete. Just make sure you have temporary housing for as long as you might need it until you can occupy your new home.

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  It is not illegal to sell your home without working with a real estate agent. It just follows a similar mindset of "would you want to go to court without an attorney?". Your real estate agent will be able to search the MLS, know what questions to ask the seller, know all necessary disclosures that must be made, be able to negotiate on your behalf, file all the needed paperwork, and get this all done in a reasonable time frame. 

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  Good questions. The seller pays their agent's commission, then that agent's brokerage makes a equal cut to your agent. 

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Any further questions from putting in offers to home inspections, I will be happy to answer and walk you through.   

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