Answers by Gregory Hanner

I agree with Phong's answer, and that is spot on. Speaking directly to the source, which would be your school district administration, would be your best bet to ID what is on the table even if it's preliminary information. That will give you an idea of the possibilities. I'll also toss out that Homes.com has great information about schools and neighborhoods.

That is a great question, and as a Certified Probate Specialist, I can give you accurate information. The time frame of six months that you might be thinking about is more related to "Short Sales", which I have always said should become or should be called "Long Sales"! Those are situations where a seller will need to negotiate with their current mortgage lender to sell the property for less than what they owe on the mortgage. That can take considerable time if it even happens at all. A probate sale is different; it simply means that the property is being sold by the property owner's survivors and the contract needs to be approved prior to the closing. Here in Connecticut, occasionally closings will happen with the funds from the closing being held in escrow until the estate is settled. I hope that information helps!

That's a great question, Milly, and my answer is a little bit different from the standpoint of the familiarity between your buyer's agent and the seller's listing agent. Actually, it may help if you are in a multiple-offer situation, only because the listing agent may be able to advocate for your deal if your price and terms are the same as another buyer's, and if your agent has a reputation for getting things done and being a great communicator. As opposed to someone who's got a similar offer but has the opposite reputation, I would say that could help your offer be accepted. Now extend the idea to being your advocate. A buyer's agent is your fiduciary, and they have an obligation to dig into the property history and try to present any material facts that they can find for you. I often go into the old listings if there have been recent prior sales and look at old seller disclosures; we can sometimes find information there. Also, if the property has gone under deposit multiple times, your buyer's agent should be able to ask the seller if there are any material facts that came out of prior buyer contracts, testing, or inspections. I hope this information helps!

I like the framework of your question because focusing on the top three things should help you with success in the buying process. 1. The first thing that I'll spotlight would be the importance of buying money before you buy the house. What I mean by that is having a conversation with a competent lender who has access to all programs. That is super important because you don't just want to know what you qualify for in terms of a maximum price point; you also want to know what will be manageable on a monthly basis. Often, the maximum that you qualify for is not where you should be looking. You should actually cut down the budget to something that's more affordable for you. Keep in mind, here in Connecticut, we have great first-time homebuyer programs from CHFA. Specifically, the Time to Own program can give qualified borrowers access up to $25,000 for down payment and closing costs. Many of the lenders do not have access to that program. I'll toss out my favorite lender for that and that would be Keith Turner from Homestead Funding. His direct line is 860-444-0650. 2. The second thing that you should do is do homework on the agents that you are considering working with. What I mean by that is, if you just click on a home on Realtor.com or Zillow, you are being connected to an agent who is paying for that lead. Your contact information is actually being sold to multiple agents and lenders that serve that area. I would use a site like Homes.com and type in the agent's name to see what their reputation is, not reputation so much as a personality, but their performance level has been. You can view a 5-year book of business on a desktop. You can narrow it down to 3 years or 1 year. Keep in mind, in Connecticut, about 52% of the 18,000-plus agents have done 1 or fewer transactions in a year. You have to decide: do you want to work with someone who is full-time, doing a large amount of business, or do you want to work with somebody who just does real estate on the side and dabbles and does 1, 2, or 0 transactions in a year? 3. The third thing is to do your due diligence on the property before you buy it. Make sure that you're comfortable with the home's condition, which is often uncovered through doing proper inspections. As far as I'm concerned, the strategy that many buyers are using, which is waiving inspections, is a high-risk proposition, especially if you're on a septic system. It could be a $25,000 bill to replace a septic system, so you should resist making offers without a home inspection. When inspection issues come up, that's where your experienced agent can really help you work through either getting repairs done by the seller or negotiating credits so you can deal with the items after closing. Keep in mind that some mortgage types require health and safety issues to be taken care of before closing.