4 Questions to Ask Before You Close on Your Mortgage

Two important things happen when you sign a mortgage. The first is a long term commitment to your new property, the second is the massive amount of paper work you are about to sign.  But lets be honest, even if you read every document, the chances that you understand everything is slim.  So whether you understand everything or perhaps still feel unclear, here are four… Read More

Big Changes to the Integrated Mortgage Disclosures Rule

Things you need to know about the new rules within the Mortgage Disclosures Rule Back in 2010 The Dodd-Frank Act mandated the combination of the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) loan disclosures with Real Estate Estimate and HUD-1 settlement statement disclosures. How Will This Happen: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau an entity created by the Dodd-Frank Act, issued a new TILA final regulation that, among other… Read More

The Bottom Line is You Need a Home Inspection

If you are a smart consumer, which we are guessing you are. Then you have probably heard of getting a home inspection.  Its like going the extra mile in the research phase before making any major home purchase. So why do home inspections matter and are they worth the cost? Reason #1  Home inspections matter because they have the ability to uncover any secrets of… Read More

Cashing In: The Millennials Control the Housing Market

Depending where you live the market has done two things: It has either recovered from pre-bubble numbers or it hasn’t fully recovered.  Unfortunately, if your market hasn’t recovered, its hard to predict if it ever will. However the fallout from the recession is not the reason prices in your area are possibly still down.  Real Estate is an extremely hard trend to predict, and even… Read More

Does Central Air Conditioning Add Value To My Home?

As we enter the dog days of August in Ohio. The real estate market is in full swing and not having central air in your home can have a couple of effects on your selling price. While it is matter of opinion if central air is a luxury or not, it won’t be your opinion that counts when trying to sell your home. Some might even… Read More

Why You Should Care About Appreciation

Appreciation plays a pretty significant roll in buying a home.  But instead of just telling that you why you should care, lets understand what appreciation is in the first place. Appreciation –  An increase in the value of an asset over time. The increase can occur for a number of reasons including increased demand or weakening supply, or as a result of changes in inflation or… Read More

Don’t Make These 3 Mistakes When Buying Your First Home

If you are reading this blog, then you have either bought a home or are thinking about buying one.  It is no secret that buying a home is a BIG deal especially finanacially.  As a first time home buyer there are 3 mistakes you want to avoid when purchasing your first home. 1.  Not Getting The Right Real Estate Agent When you set out to… Read More

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