Gale Culver

Each state has specific first time buyer programs that they offer, some are region or county specific in availability. Connecting with a local lender is a great first step. You can also connect with a local real estate agent, who will have a group of preferred lenders and will be able to guide you to the best option for a lender knowledgable in first time buyer programs.

I always advise my clients to treat the appraisal like any other showing. You want your home to show it's very best to the appraiser. Though the appraiser isn't there looking at your overall cleanliness, they are there to evaluate the home, location, condition and upgrades. A clean home always shows best.

Depending on how your contract, loan and settlement statement read, your earnest money could be applied to your down payment, your closing costs or be refunded at closing.

Each state has specific rules regarding what constitutes a bedroom. A standard requirement is that it have ingress and egress, more commonly known as a window and a bedroom door. Some states also require a closet to consider it a bedroom.

As a Realtor, I take a an active role in locating homes that fit the specific needs of my clients. That includes searching through the available listings and narrowing down search results to what the buyer is looking for. Anyone you deem important to your decision making should be part of your process, that being said you should continue to take your daughter along and ensure the home is a good fit for you both. I would recommend communicating what you are needing from your realtor to her and ask if she is able to meet those needs. If she is not you might want to interview other agents to find someone who is better suited to you. Best of luck with your home search!

A strategic open house will absolutely get eyes on your property. Most homes however do not sell through open houses. It does not mean that having an open house is a wast of time. The agent does need to be prepared and generate some excitement about it before it happens or it very well could be a waste of time. The results will be a reflection of the effort put in.

Based on current interest rates you would likely have a higher interest rate if you were to refinance. You could essentially start your 30 year loan over which could lower your payments, but you would likely end up paying significantly more in interest by going that route.

Buying a home is a personal and sometimes very long process. You need to not only feel confident in the person you are working with but also comfortable. If you are comfortable having a professional conversation either by phone or email about how this is affecting the experience for you then I would recommend starting there. If you do not, that's ok too. You could ask him to refer you to another agent in his office or simply tell him you don't think that you're a good fit for working together. Just make sure that you keep it polite and do not shame him for it. The experience should be a fun and exciting one for you and this doesn't sound like it is, so you should make the necessary adjustment.

County records should have information in the past title of who the original builder was. If the home was previously listed in the MLS that information may also be discoverable in the old listing depending on your area.

It depends on the terms of you contract. You should meet with your agent or broker to discuss your options and potentially seek legal council. Typically you would need agreement for mutual cancellation to terminate a purchase contract unless there is a clause in your contract that allows you to cancel unilaterally.

I always recommend a home inspection to my buyers, even on new construction. It is your opportunity to have a third party give you a true assessment of the condition of the property before you finalize your purchase.

To maximize your net proceeds when selling, especially in this market, you will want to ensure that your home is in the most desirable condition prior to going on the market. You also don't want to price too high as that will deter people from looking at your home. If you have small maintenance items that have been lingering, take care of them before you list. Staging goes a long way too. Your home should feel like a builders model hoe, clean lines, minimal decor and decorated so every buyer sees themselves living there.

Appraisal prices range based on property size, location and type. A typical residential appraisal runs about $450-$800 here in AZ.

If the owner has agreed to accept back up offers you can always move into a backup position on the house should the current offer fall through. You can absolutely make an offer on a pending house, but that doesn't mean that your offer will move the current offer out of its accepted place.

You can absolutely switch. You should be comparing lenders. Make sure when you compare the lenders that you don't just look at the interest rate but also at the fees. The lender offering the lower rate may be doing so by charging you points, which could increase your cash due at closing.

You sure can! Buying a home has no age limit. If it is a good investment for you, then I think it's a wonderful idea. You have options for purchasing, buying all cash or financing. For financing the lender will have requirements you need to meet, but age is not one of them. They include income, assets, credit score and debts that will be reviewed.

It depends on the contract. Before you cancel, it might be beneficial have a conversation with your agent about what you feel is lacking and ask for an outline showing what they are doing, as agreed upon, to get the home sold. I like to update my sellers weekly so they know what is going on as well as what is normal for their market. I share if for their type of home and price point having X number of showings is good, bad, or normal. And what we can do moving forward to better position the home. Best of luck with your home sale!

Most lenders will be able to work with your scenario. I would connect with a real estate agent in your area and ask them for their recommended lender that has experience with your situation. They should be able to guide you to the best program and help you get into a home. Keep doing the work and you'll be in your new home sooner than you know.

Buyers are likely not looking at the house and thinking that you're moving because something is wrong with it, they're most likely looking at what you paid for it, what you have and have not done to update it and what the sales price is. In this market buyers have a lot of available options. With that being said they aren't willing to pay a premium for a house when they can keep looking or find a better deal. If you have the home listed for more than what you paid for it five months ago, buyers are going to struggle to understand the price unless you've made some noticeable improvements.

You have to determine what is best for you and your family. Is there another home available, that fits your needs, and your budget? If so does it make sense for you to make the move? If the answer is yes, then you make the move. If the answer is no, then you wait. Either way, you should start working on the needed repairs and improvements. It will benefit you to make them and have them done while you live there, rather than rush them when it's time to move.

It depends on how the offer is structured. The agreement between the buyer and the buyer's agent determine what they have decided on for compensation. The offer from the buyer to the seller determines if the buyer is requesting the seller contribute to the buyers compensation as part of the purchase price. Theer is no rule on how it is structured. The agreement and the offer to purchase outline all of the terms.

Real estate is historically a solid investment. If the payment is something that you and your husband are comfortable taking on in the future then it would absolutely make sense. I would also recommend that you talk to an attorney that specializes in wills and trusts to protect your interest if you're contributing to the payments.

The agent should have clearly explained all terms. Twelve months for a first meeting is a little aggressive in my opinion, but that's not my market, so I can't say if it's not the norm there. Yes, there are agreements to show for one day or one property. Yes, an agreement is required before an agent can show you a property. Clear explanation and a shorter time frame should have been communicated. Maybe he isn't the agent for you. Not everyone is the right fit and that's ok. I have a few agent connections in your area of FL, feel free to reach out if you need another option.

Marry the house date the rate means that if you love the house, buy it now and refinance it when rates go down. The most important thing to consider is are you comfortable paying the current payment (the one you would be "dating") long term. If the answer is yes, then the house would likely be a solid investment for you. If the answer is no and you would need interest rates to come down for you to be comfortable long term, then that is not a good investment for you. You have other options besides just looking at homes in a lower price point. The best would be a rate buy down. Those can be permanent or temporary where you buy down your rate for one or two years. You can pay for these rate buy downs as part of your closing costs or you can request a seller credit to offset the costs. Each loan type has a maximum amount of credits and your lender will be able to advise you on which option might be the best fit for your specific scenario. Happy house hunting!

FSBO can absolutely work. It will also come with challenges. Statistics show that the average FSBO actually nets less by going FSBO than by using an agent. You will need a contract, a plan for showings and access, a marketing plan, and more. There are options for flat fee listings, limited service listings, mls entry only services and more available. I would recommend you explore all of your options and find what suits you best. If you're comfortable tackling some of the work but want minimal guidance on other parts one of the limited listing services may be just what you need. Best of luck with your sale!

It is typically is a setting in the showing service. Though it's not something that is not allowed it is always appreciated when as agents we get the heads up that we are double booked. It allows us to prepare our clients for what to expect, a non-exclusive showing, lack of privacy, feeling rushed, etc. Personally my clients and I prefer to have time by ourselves to explore the home and will gladly reschedule if we know we are double booked. Your goal is to have a potential buyer stay in your home as long as possible so they can envision themselves living there and ideally send you an offer. If you have agents showing in the same 30 min window when the whole day is open you may lose the ideal buyer because they feel rushed. Not that it isn't something that we as agents don't know how to navigate and work around, just wanting you to know what would make this ideal for the potential buyer. Good luck with your sale!

You can absolutely list and sell your home with an unpermitted room. You will want to be sure to disclose this thoroughly to your potential buyers. You can also do some research with your city / county to see if it makes sense to have it permitted retroactively. Having it permitted may open you up to a larger buyer pool. Good luck with your sale.

It is hard to place a specific dollar amount on those items without knowing the area and the size difference of the lots. I know here in AZ that lots with premium views can get anywhere from $5,000 to $40,000 in added value just from the view, depending on what your view is. A recent home just sold, it was also hard to find comparable because of its uniqueness, for nearly $200,000 more than similar properties of its size and condition because it was on a 3/4 acre lot. Buyers seek different things and sometimes privacy is at the top of the list and will demand a premium.

I personally prefer a credit when its an option, and it sounds like it is for you. The reason I prefer a credit, even though it adds some work for you once you own the home, is that you get to select the service providers and ensure the repairs are done the way you would like them. It isn't left to the seller who sometimes selects the cheapest and fastest route to getting things complete. I'm sure your real estate agent has a list of trusted professionals they can recommend to help facilitate the repairs and you could probably even get them all taken care of before you moved in if you timed it right. The decision is ultimately up to you and you should get estimates before agreeing to a credit so you aren't ending up with a large bill right at move in.

You will need to review the terms of the lease. I would highly recommend consulting with someone in your area who specializes in landlord tenant law to keep yourself protected. Tenants have rights under their lease and there is a process you must follow for eviction. Evictions can become costly and if your tenants feel they were wrongly evicted could potentially damage the property out of spite causing you more financial distress. If their lease has a specific end date and you can wait until then, it may be your best bet. Or if you can speak to them and mutually agree to an early termination you may be able to find an amicable solution for both you and the tenants. You definitely need to look at the lease as your first step.

A great credit score is considered anything over 770, however a good score and a score that you can qualify with can be anything typically above 560. This all depends on the lender and the loan program. For down payment it will depend on your loan type. There are programs like VA and USDA that have 0% down. Conventional minimum down is 3% and FHA minimum down is 3.5%. There are also programs for down payment assistance if you don't have your down payment saved. Your best place to start is by talking to a local lender that can assess your specific situation and help guide you to a program that is a good fit for you to help you purchase a home.

Hi Valerie, those are some excellent upgrades to the home. Without knowing if you are on owned land or leased land it is hard to say what price you should start at. One thing you will need to be aware of is that with your manufactured home being built before 1976 it will not qualify for traditional financing and you will have only cash or conventional financing through about two main lenders. They have very specific terms for these programs. I work with several sellers and buyers in your area and am very familiar with the manufactured home regulations. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.