The 5 Most Common First Time Home Buyer Mistakes

If home buying was as easy as ordering a carryout pizza, then I wouldn’t be writing this article. BUT buying a home is nothing like ordering pizza!  In fact the  is lengthy and can be confusing to anyone who has minimal experience.  So far the year 2015 has been the year of the first time home buyer, which has helped recover many local markets.  Unfortunately,… Read More

Top 20 Hottest Real Estate Markets in May 2015

Great news, if you are looking to buy or sell in these markets! Even Columbus, Ohio jumped 3 spots in May from last month to reach the top 20.  The biggest dancers in May were Colorado, California, Texas, and surprisingly Michigan.  When looking at economical data, it appears parts of Michigan are seeing a strong recovery.  This recovery is being led by recents grads or… Read More

Mortgage Points and Should You Pay Them?

When people want to find out how much their mortgages cost, lenders often give them quotes that include loan rates and points. But the goal of this article is not to persuade you one way or another about a particular loan, The goal is to inform you about what mortgage points are and if you should consider paying them. What exactly is a point? A… Read More

House Price Index Report for Quarter One 2015

The last House Price Index or HPI has been released from the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the numbers continue to show improvement in the country’s housing market. Here is what we found in the report. U.S. house prices rose 1.3 percent in the first quarter of 2015 according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI). This marks is the 5th… Read More

5 Important Tips to Sell Your Home This Spring

If you have ever tried to sell your house in the spring or summer than you may be all too familiar with high buyer-demand.  There is also usually a significant  increase in sellers during this time of year; and depending on the local market, there is a lot of competition from all sellers who are looking to sell. Glen Gill, broker and owner at Landmark Properties in… Read More

Four Reasons Why Empty Houses No Longer Sell

Every morning on my Lima area social media feed, I see picture after picture of empty rooms posted by real estate professionals. So many empty dining rooms, breakfast rooms, kitchens, living and bedrooms. Do I stop and click on the photo, intrigued to have a look at the room, the house, the property? No, I just scroll on by … Do I read the eloquently… Read More

Local Housing Report: March 2015

The spring housing market got off to a fast start this year with a nice increase in home prices and number of homes sold. Home prices soared, up $13,000, on average compared to March of 2014. We also saw a nice rise in the number of homes sold, up nearly 20 percent in the local housing report of March 2015. Market activity has also been… Read More

3 Questions to Ask Your Agent Before You List Your Home

You are planning on selling your home soon, and you’ve picked the right agent. As the listing date approaches quickly, you are prepping, cleaning, and painting. There are so many things going on, but now is the time to dig deeper into the listing price of your home.  Depending on inventory, competition, and demand there are a lot of things that can effect that price…. Read More

How to Make The Down Payment on Your First Mortgage

If you have a plan to buy a home in the next three to five years, then you need to start saving for the down payment now. why you ask? Because it could take awhile.  What is taking so long? Americans are only saving around 5.6% a year according to The National Association of Realtors as they quote research by RealtyTrac. “It’ll take 12.5 years, on average, for first-time… Read More

How to Move With Children

It is not uncommon for kids or children to feel powerless when their parents inform them that they are moving. On top of that most parents give their children no input decisions about the move or things to come at the new location.  There are things you should do before, during, and after the move to make is easier for everyone. 1. Have a Family… Read More