Tag: #HomeOwnership

The importance of a home inspection

Without a doubt, purchasing a house is one of the most important investments we do in our lives, therefore we need to make our due diligence in order to know the condition of the house we are buying.

As a Realtor, my job is to protect my client’s interest and I strongly suggest a home inspection, even on cash deals, so the buyer can know exactly the condition of the house they are looking to buy. The inspection is performed by a licensed inspector; it can take 2 to 3 hours and have an average cost of $400. The inspector will check the main systems of the house, such as AC / Heater, plumbing, electricity, plus the roof and attic and crawl space (if there are available) and write a report on the condition of the house so the buyer and this document can be used to require any repairs to the seller, request for concessions toward repairs or simply for the peace of mind of the buyer that the house has no major problem.

Note: If the house will be financed, a wind mitigation report and 4 point inspection report are suggested as well, that will provide the lender more information about the condition of the house and can also provide you a discount on the home insurance. If the house was built before 1978, there is a lead based paint test that some home inspectors offer as well in the package

Are you looking to buy a house and need assistance? Give me a call, will be happy to guide you.

Clarisa Moody

813 446 2003

If you like this blog entry, make sure to subscribe to my Newsletter and you will receive interesting information about Real Estate, finances and home management.

www.ClarisaMoodyRealtor.com

A dream with a plan becomes a goal

I am glad you are here and ready to tackle the planning part of the house buying process and I am here to help you. Remember, success is when preparation and opportunity meets, no one wakes up one day, decides to buy a house and has it all figured it out by the weekend, this is not how the house buying process works, that is why it is hard to become a home owner but here are my 5 most important tips for you on the road of home ownership.

  1. Know where you stand financially, have a budget set-up, an emergency fund and savings for the down payment. If you have credit score, it needs to be preferably over 600 to qualify for a mortgage
  2. Make your research; find a good knowledgeable and trustworthy Realtor who can assist you. I will love to help you find your dream home and I can also refer you very good licensed Mortgage Loan officers in the area
  3. Have all your paperwork ready, digitalized and ready to be sent as requested (by the MLO / lender / Bank). Having a pre-approval letter is half of the battle.
  4. Define your priorities with your family or significant other regarding the budget you feel comfortable with, as well as the area of search and the must haves on the new house
  5. Make questions to your Realtor and MLO, this will clear any doubt you might have and make you feel more comfortable during the process. DO NOT give money to any Realtor or Agent with the promise that they will find you a house, our services for home buyers is FREE (the seller pays our commission), so be aware.

Contact me if you have any question related to the house buying process or any other real estate question, 813 446 2003

Clarisa Moody

If you like this blog entry, make sure to subscribe to my Newsletter and you will receive interesting information about Real Estate, finances and home management.

www.ClarisaMoodyRealtor.com

Expenses to consider when buying a house

Buying a house is probably the biggest investment of our lives and it is important to know in advance all the expenses to consider when buying a house besides the down payment and closing costs.

  • Inspection- The inspection of the house done by a licensed home inspector will give you a better understanding of the condition of the house and most likely will be a contingency on your contract, make sure to review the report and make questions to the inspector, your Realtor or a GC about any doubt you have. TIP: Include a 4 point inspection and wind mitigation report in your home inspection, it could provide you some discount on your home owners insurance.
  • Home owners insurance.- You can get the service scheduled to run starting at closing day, it is important to protect your investment.
  • Survey.- The survey is the process of locating and measuring the property’s boundary lines to get the exact amount of land conveying with the sale.
  • Appraisal.- If you are buying a property through a mortgage loan, the lender will request an appraisal, basically the valuation of the property (the lender will not lend more than the value of the property estimated on the appraisal)
  • Other expenses.
    • Inspection of a well or sept
    • Water assessment
    • Structural inspection (if lender requires)
    • HOA application (when buying on condominium or gated / restricted community)
    • Moving expenses

Make sure you have an estimate of the cost of all these items when engaging into the house buying process, a knowledgeable Realtor can provide some numbers and also recommend licensed professionals to assist you.

If you are looking to buy or sell, give me a call 813 446 2003

Clarisa Moody

If you like this blog entry, make sure to subscribe to my Newsletter and you will receive interesting information about Real Estate, finances and home management.

www.ClarisaMoodyRealtor.com

Homesnap, the app for serious homebuyers

I am sure you have visited many sites with the hope to find accurate, reliable and most importantly up-to-date listings in your search area. We bought our home almost 3 years ago and we used Homesnap to find the one, here are some reasons why you should also use Homesnap to find your new home.

  • It is FREE and easy to use, download it on your app store and start the search
  • It has GPS capabilities which allow to search for houses in specific areas you are driving by
  • The information updates directly from the MLS, it is integrated with the source of the info
  • The filters an maps allow a better experience for the house buyer
  • You can interact directly with me through the app which expedite the communication and information exchange

If you want to step-up your home buyers game, here is an invitation to download the app and start interact with me from day 1, let’s find your NEW HOME!  www.homesnap.com/Clarisa-Moody

Clarisa Moody

If you like this blog entry, make sure to subscribe to my Newsletter and you will receive interesting information about Real Estate, finances and home management.

www.ClarisaMoodyRealtor.com

Relación deuda – ingresos (DTI)

El ratio de deuda vs ingreso (DTI), es utilizado por el banco o la compañía de hipoteca (mortgage) para establecer su habilidad de repago. Recuerde, su solvencia crediticia es establecida por su puntaje de credito, y va de la mano con el DTI al momento de establecer si calificaría para una hipoteca.

Sus ingresos son confirmados con sus boletas o nóminas de pago (paystubs), mientas que su deuda es confirmada a través de su reporte de credito.  El DTI ideal para calificar a una hipoteca es de 50% o menos (Pueden haber excepciones, pero mantengámoslo en un porcentaje seguro).

Ejemplo de 2 aplicantes / compradores; ambos tienen un ingreso mensual de $4,000 pero manejan sus finanzas de manera diferente. El primero posiblemente no califique a una hipoteca de $1,200 mientras que el segundo podría calificar a una hipoteca de $1,500 o quizás un poco más (Casa con un valor de $250,000 a $280,000).

www.ClarisaMoodyRealtor.com

Asegúrese de mantener sus deudas bajo control y hacer su meta de comprar una casa su prioridad y recuerde que a veces “Compramos cosas que no necesitamos con dinero que no tenemos para impresionar a gente que no nos cae bien” – Dave Ramsey

 Esta listo para comprar su casa? Llámeme, con gusto le ayudare.

Clarisa Moody

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www.ClarisaMoodyRealtor.com