Archive for Buyers
When should I start searching for my new home?
Today, tomorrow, next month? You know you want to buy a house. You think you’re ready, have enough saved, have your credit and debt in line, and have calculated that now is the time for you to make the leap to home ownership. You’ve started looking around online and thinking about what you like and [...]
Discrimination and Fair Housing Laws
Equal Opportunity Housing Karen Fiddler, a Mission Veijo real estate agent, recently wrote on her ActiveRain blog about an experience with a client that wound up forcing her to make a decision to drop the client based on discrimination and fair housing laws. Typically, when you hear the words discrimination or fair housing laws it [...]
Showing Feedback: What did your client think of my listing?
Useful Feedback or outdated ideas? After a long day of showings this weekend, my phone was exploding with voicemails and emails from listing agents. They all had the same question on their minds – what did the buyer think of the home? From day one, I was always taught to provide feedback as a courtesy [...]
Fidelity National Title to Require Warranties on REO Sales
Title company gets tough with banks. In light of the recent halts on foreclosures as states figure out whether banks complied with local laws during their foreclosure process, Fidelity National Financial will require lenders to sign off on warranties in order to avoid so called “robo-signing” disputes on REO (real estate owned, aka foreclosures) properties. [...]
Building a new home in San Antonio?
I have an offer for you. Considering building a new home in San Antonio? In the effort to educate San Antonio buyers about new home construction and representation by the builder versus a Realtor®, I have written a lot about the dangers of going it alone when building a new home. Although many people use [...]
Scott Cummins of Cornerstone Mortgage
A good lender is easy to find… …but finding a great lender isn’t always as easy. During a recent transaction, I had the pleasure of working with Scott Cummins of Cornerstone Mortgage (I had worked with him before), a local San Antonio lender who is not just great, he’s excellent. Throughout the transaction, Scott and [...]
MacArthur Park in Converse – Huge Sale This Weekend
MacArthur Park Offers Big Discounts This Weekend. Mainstreet Homes in MacArthur Park (located in Converse – map) is having a huge sale this weekend (September 18-19). Ray Mata of Mainstreet Homes (pictured to the left) is the man to talk to. MacArthur Park currently has nine inventory homes available for immediate move-in, plus you can [...]
I’m A Real Estate Expert – What’s Wrong With This Statement?
Being an expert. I read a comment on someone’s blog today (and won’t link to it as the comment doesn’t really apply to what I’m writing, it just sent me down this path) that made me think about the word expert and how we use it consistently in real estate. Everyone wants to hire someone [...]
Why Many Agents Won’t Show You A Home “Right Now!”
It’s a common thing. Back in September 2009, SarahGray Lamm wrote a post titled, “ADVICE NEEDED: Blogging Works. Now What…” The basic premise of the post was how to handle the buyer who calls and says “I need to see this house right now.” Not a client, but someone you’ve never met before. Every Realtor® [...]
Choose Your New Home Upgrades Wisely
Upgrades, upgrades, upgrades. If you’re building a new home in San Antonio, you’ll eventually get to the point where the builder sends you to their showroom and you will be dazzled, delighted, and amazed at all the choices for upgrades. Everything from carpet to tile, trees to shrubbery, architectural details to number of bedrooms, faucets [...]
