The part that you have been waiting for!

 We are finally at the fun part! It is time to actually get out there and start viewing some of your potentially new homes. The article from REALTOR.com Step 4: Look at Homes explains the importance in understanding the qualities and features of a home that are important you to and the features that you are willing to sacrifice based on availability, price range or one of the many other factors that contribute to becoming a home owner. The article gives you a starting place for your home search, the internet! The majority of buyers begin their home searches online using many websites to compile lists of prospective houses that they would like to look at. From here you should contact your REALTOR® to go see the properties that you are most interested in. While the internet is able to give you a feeling of what the property looks like, it does not have the same impact as actually seeing the property first hand, so it is important to go and see in person the properties that you are most interested in. When you feel that you are ready to go and take a look at some homes or if you have any questions about anything relating to real estate give us a call 802-846-8800 or email us at carol@carolaudette.com. We are here to help make this process as simple as possible, let us help you find your dream home!

Make your home the “Best Dressed” on the Street!

With all of this snow that we have gotten lately it makes me long for summer, sunny blue skies, warm temperature and longer days. It also has me thinking ahead at some things that sellers or potential sellers can do to give their home a quick sprucing up and to add some curb appeal for some relatively low costs. In the article 8 Tips for Adding Curb Appeal and Value to Your Home by Pat Curry there are 8 fairly easy steps that you can take to ensure that your home is looking its best. You want to make sure that potential buyers are very impressed when they drive up the street and see the home for the first time. This is your chance to make a great first impression and it all starts with a few drops of paint, an afternoon of gardening or landscaping. Please give us a call if you are looking to put your home on the market and we would be glad to help share some more tips to help make your home look its best, 802-846-8800 or email us at carol@carolaudette.com.

 

Step 3: Get Loan Preapproval

Getting preapproved for a mortgage loan has many pros versus going in blind. A pre-approval is your way to show the sellers as well as the REALTOR® that you are a serious committed buyer.

Check out the article for Step 3: Get Loan Pre-approval

Getting a pre-approval is exactly as it sounds, your finances have been checked, a credit report has been run and the bank has given you the go ahead to start looking for a property that you can afford. This shows sellers that you are a qualified buyer who is a great candidate to purchase their home and it eliminates some (not all) of the panic that they feel accepting a contract with a financing contingency (which is about 90% of the contracts according to the article). Getting a pre-approval will also give you a piece of mind and a starting point for where to start your home search. It can narrow down your options and give you a clearer picture of the home that you will be able to afford. It is important to understand what you are able to afford so that when you are ready to purchase you can find something that fits your budget and price range. Here is a helpful video from one of the loan officers that some of our buyers use, Heather Myott from Coldwell Banker Mortgage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=2taara5Hhjo

Heather explains the importance of a pre-approval and how simple it is to get one. As always if you have any questions or would like a list of local lenders please give us a call at 802-846-8800 or email us at carol@carolaudette.com.

 

Burlington has done it again!

Need another reason to love the glorious city of Burlington? Featured in this Burlington Free Press article as one of America’s best “foodie” cities, Burlington is among the top 10 cities for delicious local food. The article mentions restaurants such as Penny Cluse Café, American Flatbread and the Bluebird Tavern as some of the favorites in the area. It also touches on the ratio of local restaurants to chain restaurants and gives us another reason to love the wonderful small city feeling that Burlington gives us. Whether you are a lifetime local or a prospective buyer of the Burlington area, here is one more reason to call Burlington home.

 

Why do you need a REALTOR®?

Step 2: Get a REALTOR® is the second of ten steps to home ownership as outlined by the National Association of REALTORS® is to get a REALTOR®. A REALTOR® is able to give you expertise and a better understanding of the market and to help you simplify the complicated process. A REALTOR® will be able to tell you all of the things to look for when previewing homes and what specifics you need to know. When you have found your dream home a REALTOR® is able to help walk you through the process which includes the contract, negotiating price, inspections, financing, appraisals and all of the other steps to becoming a homeowner. There are many REALTORS® to choose from whom all have different qualities and levels of expertise. The best advice that the article outlined was to ask friends and family members for their advice and see if they have any recommendations. Also look for testimonials and other buyer’s experiences to see if you can find a few to interview. Most buyers will interview or meet with several REALTORS® until they find the right match. Prepare questions in advance for a REALTOR® to answer and have an idea of what type of property you are interested in. Most buyers’ start their home search on the internet or by looking in print magazines however 75% of buyers found the home that they purchased with a REALTOR® or online.* It is important to understand your relationship with the REALTOR®. Our office is always happy to help you with any of the questions that you may have regarding purchasing your new home or just to see what is available at this time in the market. Give us a call today to learn more!

802-846-8800 or email us at carol@carolaudette.com

 

*National Association of REALTORS® 2010 Survey of Homebuyers and Sellers

Are you ready to purchase a new home?

Over the next few weeks we will be giving you the insider preparation tips for purchasing your new home. Realtor.com, the national association of Realtors website, has a 10-step guide that paired with our helpful tips will help you realize that this home buying process is not as scary or as difficult as it seems.

We will start of course with step 1 – http://www.realtor.com/home-finance/buyers-basics/guide-how-to-buy-a-home.aspx?source=web

This step is where you will decide why and what you want to buy. Are you moving because you want a larger home with a bigger backyard? Are you buying because this is the right time when you can afford to buy because of the interest rates? You need to sit down and think of the reasons that you are looking to purchase a new home and decide if now is the time where it makes sense to buy a home.

The article also addresses the topic of that M word that encompasses a big purchase – MONEY. Is now the right time financially for you to invest in a large purchase such as a home? This is where you should contact a lender and discuss with them what you can afford and if now is the right time for you to purchase. This can be a big step and we encourage you to talk to multiple lenders. With so many lending programs out there, see if you can find the right fit for what you are looking for. This also doesn’t need to be a definite thing, you can simply ask questions and see what you can afford, nothing is set in stone when you talk to a lender so go and see what your options may be. We are happy to provide you with the names of local lenders who can assist you.

Check back in soon for Step 2!

New to blogging

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that we are moving in the direction of the 21st century to finally start blogging about our current real estate market and what is going with the housing industry. We are also glad that we can post some articles on some money saving tips and improvements for you to make to help keep you as in love with your house as the first day that you walked in the door and started calling it home. To start off we figured that this article written by Michele Lerner, author of Homebuying: Tough Times, First Time, Any Time, would be a great lead in to our first blog post as well as give you a few reasons why 2011 may finally be the right reason for you to buy a home. Here is the article by Lerner with the 5 reasons to consider buying in 2011

http://www.realtor.org/rmodaily.nsf/pages/News2010122701

Let me know your thoughts on what will happen in 2011 and please give us a call if you are thinking of finding your new home.