Tight Seller’s Market? Consider New Construction

Most of the country is experiencing a very tight real estate market. Inventory levels are historically low, perhaps owing to the concern of strangers traipsing through the home during this time. Additionally, because most people are staying home, they have been able to focus on their property and how it fits into their lifestyle, emphasizing the need to right-size their environment.

With properly-priced homes moving quickly off the market, homebuyers are frustrated. For those who can be flexible with their timing, new construction offers an appealing alternative to the resale market.

New construction offers the buyer a fresh, blank canvas on which to create their perfect home. In any market,

Looking for a home so cozy you almost want to cuddle with it? The following design elements can create a comforting, warm space that you will never want to leave.

Warm colors. Add warm colors to your walls, accents, linens window hangings and more to create a cozy vibe inside. Deep orange, rusty reds, buttery yellows and soft off-white colors can all add a “stay at home” vibe to your space.

Plush textures. From fleecy blankets thrown over every chair, to faux-fur pillows and rugs, having textures you want to lounge on will seriously up the cozy factor in your living space.

Soft lighting. Nothing derails a cozy home faster than harsh lighting. Add dimmers to your overheads and add ample accent lights on the walls and tables for a

Modern White Kitchens? Tips to Clean and Maintain Your White Cabinets

Sleek, white kitchens are one of the most popular trends in interior design. Bright and cheery white tiles, sinks, cabinets and even appliances are replacing the dark and heavy wood and granite of the past couple decades. White or off-white makes kitchen spaces seem large and airy, creating a sense of tranquility and freshness.

However, white cabinets and surfaces are less forgiving than their dark counterparts and need to be carefully maintained and cleaned to retain their sparkling appearance. These high-traffic areas can retain their beauty with some simple maintenance tips.

Tips to Clean and Maintain White Cabinets and Surfaces

• Avoid Direct Sunlight – Design your

November is time for Gutters, Leaves, Lawns & HVACs [[+]] Central Texas Housing Market Continues Strong Sales Growth Headed Into 2021: Chuck Farr’s November 2020 “Talking Real Estate” ENewsletter

Hello again, sports fans, homeowners, tenants, prospective buyers, and real-estate investors. The Austin area housing market continues strong sales growth headed into 2021 (check the [[“Talking Real Estate” Monthly Enewsletter]] for details!). This month’s homeowner task list is the same as October. Fall is here and has its own home maintenance checklist in Central Texas. Here are a few items to consider during November:

•       Outdoor Tasks:

o   Plant and fertilize. Fall is a great time to lay down some good fertilizer on the lawn, plant

Finding the right home can sometimes feel like hunting for a needle in a haystack. Unless you’re buying brand-new construction, every home has some drawbacks, whether it’s style or real maintenance issues. If you’re looking for your next home, understanding the difference between minor issues and true deal-breakers can help you evaluate your options and make the best possible choice.

Manageable Annoyances

• Cosmetic – All aesthetic concerns can be fixed – for a cost. The key is to understand the difficulty and level of effort or money involved. A dying lawn can be addressed with new sod. Is the kitchen dated? A new backsplash is relatively inexpensive. With some fresh paint and new lighting fixtures, you can easily brighten a room and make a

Millennials are applying for credit cards more than most age groups, but they’re not qualifying for them, according to consumer behavior data by ID Analytics, a consumer risk management firm.

One in five people ages 23-27 have been declined for credit multiple times in a year, and it’s not because they don’t have a high enough income. A lack of credit history or low credit scores are leading to the denials, despite the applicants often having an ability to repay.

Being declined for credit makes millennials less likely to apply again for credit cards, with more than six out of 10 who are declined not applying again for at least 12 months, researchers found. Only 10 percent re-apply to the same lender once they’ve been declined.

ID

Looking for a Mortgage? How to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft

Nothing is more stressful than shopping for a mortgage and realizing your credit score isn’t what you expected. Worse still is finding that your identity has been stolen and there are fraudulent accounts or activity on your report. Recovering from identity theft can be time-consuming – you might lose your dream home if the seller cannot wait for you to resolve the issue.

Before this happens to you, there are steps you can take to protect your Social Security number and your credit.

• Guard Your Social Security Number – First, you should memorize your Social Security number – never keep the card in your wallet. Second, consider whether giving your SSN to someone is really

The comparison market analysis, otherwise known as a CMA, is an analytics tool real estate professionals use to help sellers learn what homes similar to theirs in size, age, and features have sold for, and buyers learn how close to asking price homes have sold for so they have a better idea how much to offer.

A CMA can provide quantifiable commodity details – such as age, square footage, lot size, and location, and number of bedrooms, living areas, and baths. But it can’t tell you the subjective details that make one house more attractive than another similar home, such as how well it’s been updated, landscaped, or maintained.

And that’s where your Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network professional can be invaluable. With their market

Some mortgage terms can be confusing, none more so than the similarities and differences between prequalification and preapproval. The two terms are often used interchangeably, but they mean very different things to lenders, real estate professionals and home sellers.

Prequalifying is a rough-idea process that tells you how much money you’ll likely be able to borrow to buy a home. You can prequalify yourself on any banking or real estate-related website simply by putting your salary, type of loan you want, down payment amount and a ballpark home price into a mortgage calculator. You can talk with a lender, who will also give you a ballpark amount without a credit check.

When you apply for a mortgage loan, you’ll share your income records,

Should You Accept the Previous Buyer’s Inspection Report?

Sometimes a home falls out of contract. Most buyers assume that it is related to a bad home inspection, but there are many reasons for a home to come back on the market that are unrelated to the condition of the home. During the contingency period, most buyers can cancel for almost any reason – or even no reason.

Of course, the listing agent and seller are motivated to get the home back under contract as quickly as possible and may offer the previous buyer’s home inspection report to the new buyer. Some may even ask that the new buyer remove their right to a home inspection, based on the one they offer.

If you have been offered the previous buyer’s inspection report, you’re probably