Kansas City Real Estate Update
One of the questions I get asked most as a Realtor is “What’s the housing market doing these days?” Many who ask me this do so thinking they already know the answer—it’s a hot seller’s market. While that has certainly been the case for the past several years—even up...
The Seven Greatest Home Buyer Fears
You want to buy your first home, but you’re not sure what to do. I’ll introduce the seven most common fears home buyers have, and give you information you need to base your decision on facts and not fears. 1 – I can’t afford to buy a home. If you are paying rent, you...
The American Dream: Owning a Home
If you are considering buying, you can’t help but be influenced by what was called the 2001-2006 housing bubble and its 2007-2010 collapse. Wikipedia says, “Observers and analysts have attributed the crisis to everyone from home buyers to Wall Street, mortgage brokers...
Closing Date Miscalculations Can Be Disastrous
I received a frantic call from an inexperienced agent that I mentor on Thursday evening, June 29th. I will call her Nancy. Nancy’s client was an inexperienced buyer, Joe, who had dreams of becoming a real estate investor and was trying to buy his first property....
Relevant Statistics for Home Buyers
Many different types of individuals and families buy homes every year from college graduates acting on a dream, growing families needing to find more living space, to those who have owned multiple homes over the years and are now considering a maintenance-free senior...
A Real Estate Life
A Real Estate Life People are fascinated by real estate. Look around the cable channels on any given evening and you will find people hunting for houses, building small houses, or renovating old houses. Websites abound with housing values, home searches, and...
Why I Became a Senior Real Estate Specialist
Baby Boomers and their Parents – Why I chose Real Estate’s Senior Real Estate Specialist Designation. How many people do you know who are in the 50+ age group? You, your parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, or a combination of the above? Various statistics show...
Real Estate Inspector Myths
General Question – Real Estate Inspector Myths “So, Phyllis, when is the real estate industry going to do something about these unqualified home inspectors that won’t reject homes that are about to collapse?” This question came from a networking friend and another...
How Much Is My House Worth?
Seller Question – How much is my house worth? Please, sellers, don’t take offense, but this is not a valid equation to figure the value of your house. What you and your neighbors paid for their houses, if it was more than three to six months ago, has no bearing on...
What’s the difference between prequalification and preapproval?
Buyer Question – What’s the difference between prequalification and preapproval with a lender? Why do I need to be pre-approved before I’ve found a house? Should I trust a lender that’s advertising on TV? Years ago, the buying process started with a Realtor® showing...