Owning vs. Renting
by Lara Fernandez
Making the decision to own a home versus renting one is no small decision. Not only does it affect your expendable cash, but it also has a huge impact on your lifestyle and how much money you’re able to save over time. Sometimes, the goal to achieve the “American Dream” of owning a home clouds some people’s vision for the future and they buy a home when they should really be renting one. Similarly, there are people who continue to...
Read MoreWhat is your debt to income ratio...why should you care?
by Lara Fernandez
Any time you have more income and less debt, you’re in good shape in life. That said, there is an ideal ratio between your debt and income in order to qualify for a good mortgage. When your debt to income ratio is on the high side, you run the risk of not getting a good loan (or not getting a loan at all) if your income were to take a hit during right before or during the loan funding process. Conversely, having no debt can work against you, too,...
Read MoreIf your home inspection report comes back bad, now what?
by Lara Fernandez
One of the biggest deal killers for any real estate transaction is the home inspection. It strikes fear into the hearts of sellers and buyers...even though virtually everything about a home can be repaired or replaced. The good news is that if you have a great real estate agent and a competent home inspector, you can usually handle a failed inspection report properly without having to panic in the process. The key thing to remember is that when the home inspection report comes back...
Read MoreHow to get the home with the furniture included
by Lara Fernandez
So you like the dining room table in the house you want to buy, but your agent tells you it’s not included with the sale. What do you do? In short, you ask for it. Well, you negotiate it as part of your offer to purchase the home from the seller. To effectively get the home you want with the furniture included, you should identify in advance any furniture that you are interested in buying and let the seller (or your agent) know that...
Read MoreWhen is the Best Season of the Year to Buy to get the Best Deal
by Lara Fernandez
Since the market meltdown in 2008, the US housing market has rebounded dramatically. In fact, even if you purchased a property at the lowest point of the market crash and held onto it until today, your home would have appreciated by roughly 25 percent. What’s even better news is that It’s expected that the housing market will continue to climb in the future due to the changes that were made in the lending market coming out of the mortgage debacle. Plus, the economy...
Read MoreHow to get qualified to purchase a home for no money down
by Lara Fernandez
Even with all the insanity that happened during the mortgage meltdown and all the changes that resulted in how money would now be lent to buyers, there are still some amazingly affordable loan programs out there. Included among them, believe it or not, are no-money-down options for buying a home. Here are some of the best programs that are out there today and how you need to get qualified to purchase a home using them to buy a home for no money down. USDA Loans In...
Read MoreWhy Get Pre-approved? Structuring Your Offer to Get the Best Deal
by Lara Fernandez
Buying a home is a dream come true, but the process of getting an offer prepared and accepted can be a nightmare if you don’t know what you’re doing. There are over 80 variables that need to be managed properly when buying a home and mishandling just one of them could cost you tens of thousands of dollars in unnecessary expenses. Making a home purchase is expensive enough that you don’t need to part ways with any more of your hard-earned...
Read MoreHow to Find Bank Foreclosures and Distressed Sales
by Lara Fernandez
Everyone wants a hot deal. For those who have the ability/desire to work with a home that is, in most cases, less than perfect, foreclosures and distressed sales represent some of the hottest deals out there If you want to locate distressed properties, the first thing you have to understand is that no one will usually advertise their home as a “distressed property” unless they are absolutely desperate to unload their home. Homeowners,...
Read More5 Ways to Effectively Segment Your Customer Database
by Lara Fernandez
As a small business owner, it’s crucial that you use a database to keep track of information about your customers. The information you store in your database can help you make marketing decisions and strategically target customers based on demographic, geographic, and psychographic data.You can use the information you gather to plan email marketing campaigns, make new offers, improve lead conversion and even determine where you should focus most of your sales efforts. Your database is...
Read More5 Ways to Build Authority With Your Database
by Lara Fernandez
Trust, as you know, is a core ingredient to building a strong working relationship. However, if you want to earn someone’s business and keep it, you must establish authority as well. The first time you call a prospect for the first time, you likely haven’t given them a good reason to care about you and what you’re saying. They’re likely asking themselves: “Who is this person?” “Why should I believe anything they say?” Do they...
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