Posts in category 'Buyers'

I love my job because it's different every day. One day, I might be working with a family who is relocating to Roanoke, and I get the opportunity to show them my hometown. The next day, it might be empty-nesters who are looking to downsize into their next dream home.

I also work a lot with real estate investors. These folks buy homes that are in poor condition, often have been foreclosed on, and are in the hands of the bank or a foreclosure company. After the purchase, the investors rehab the house -- doing repairs and adding upgrades that get the home back in liveable condition -- and resell it, hopefully at a profit. This is also called "flipping."

What I love about rehabbed homes is that they often present super opportunities to buyers who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford a home with all the upgrades found in a rehab: A...

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If you live in or around the Roanoke region, you know what a great place this is to live. And now, the latest edition of Southern Business & Developmentmagazine has something to add.

The Roanoke region and its close neighbors were named several times on the magazine's list, The Best of Economic Development in the American South(PDF). It sure is nice to get some help spreading the word about all the things we have to offer here.

The Southern Economic Development Roundtable, a group of economic developers, educators, economists, site consultants and CEOs from across the South, voted on 60 categories. The magazine reported the top three vote-getters in each category (listed alphabetically; more than three means there was a tie), followed by a...

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I'm not a big fan of surprises on closing day. Usually, when someone at the closing table is surprised, it's not about something good.

Whether you're a buyer or a seller, knowing what you're on the hook for when we get to your closing helps keep surprises to a minimum. Federal regulations require lenders to issue a Closing Disclosure three business days before you're scheduled to close. The document spells out in detail what each party has to pay at closing. If you see things that don't make sense or that you didn't expect, the three days gives us time to get it resolved.

The specific terms of an individual real estate transaction vary based on our negotiations with the other party, but in general you can expect to see these items in your disclosure:

Paid by the seller

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When you're deciding how much home you can afford, don't forget to take real estate taxes into account. Often, your taxes will be rolled into your monthly payment along with your mortgage principal and interest, and your homeowners insurance premiums.

Real estate tax rates vary widely across the greater Roanoke Valley, but that's not unusual in a region of our size. Taxes are typically based on the value of your property -- including your home and the land it sits on -- and are assessed by the municipality where you live.

It's important to remember that your assessed value is not the same as an appraisal. The assessed value of your home is calculated solely for the purpose of taxes, while appraisals are used to determine the market value of a property. So if you're considering selling your home and want a ballpark of what your home is worth, an asse...

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Outdoor projects go a long way to adding protection from the elements and value to your home. Done right, they also add a lot in the way of curb appeal. Americans spent more than $326 billion on remodeling projects in 2015, but still, it's hard to know which improvements will appeal the most to buyers and add the most value when it's time to sell.

To get some guidance, the National Association of Realtors asked Realtors to rank home remodeling projects by appeal to buyers for the 2015 Remodeling Impact Report. I'm sharing the exterior projects that will get your home the most attention. And in every case, the exterior projects that Realtors say are most appealing to buyers are the ones that add the most value to your home.

Give these projects some consideration when deciding how to spend your home-improvement dollars, and 

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