What Can Ruffle a Veteran Realtor Just Before Closing Thankfully, the list of things that can rattle a seasoned agent (OK, me) just before closing is mercifully short. Assuming the Buyer can perform financially, and any final walk-thru inspection issues have been addressed . . . there’s not much left. Don’t Panic . . . Yet...Read More
Included By Whom?? “A Home Protection/Warranty Plan will be obtained by __ Buyer __ Seller.” –Standard Minnesota Purchase Agreement, line 238. One of my favorite 1960’s-era cartoons shows a gas station with a big sign in front promising “Free Mug with Fill.” Down the street, the attendant (another anachronism) is chasing after a car that...Read More
The Opposite of Buying Down Rates Wait a second! Isn’t borrowers’ goal to pay the lowest interest rate they can on their mortgage? Yes, but — especially for first-time home Buyers — there’s the added consideration of closing costs. On a $200,000 home, a typical amount would be 3%, or $6,000. Conserving Cash A popular...Read More
“Why Should I Help Pay the Buyer’s Closing Costs??” To the “Greatest Generation,” Millennials (roughly ages 18 to 30) can seem spoiled and irresponsible. To Millennials, the “Greatest Generation” — those who were alive during World War II — can appear stubborn and unreasonable. How does that generation gap play out in residential real estate deals?...Read More
But, $320k – $25k ≠$295k I can’t prove it, but at least when it comes to residential real estate deals, an offer for $300k less $5k in seller-paid points can seem more attractive to Sellers (if not their agents) than a $295k offer with no points subtracted. The explanation has to do with Seller psychology....Read More
Omitting Seller-Paid Points Want to know why many real estate Web sites — never good at estimating home prices — are off by at least another 3% now? Because Seller-paid points are a fixture of many house deals these days, yet the government data that many real estate sites rely on don’t report that. Instead, Hennepin County and...Read More
