Owning and renting a property sounds easy enough on paper.  You provide the space, the renter pays you, and everything is happily ever.  Basically free money, right?   

Anyone who has rented properties for an extended period of time knows that’s not the case.  Murphy’s Law is in full effect when you become a property owner, and before you know it, property management becomes a full-time job for you. 

That’s why many busy property owners turn bring on a property manager.  It might not quite result in free money, but it brings you quite a bit closer.  Here are some of the biggest time-consuming responsibilities that a property manager helps with.  

Getting Your Property Rented Properly 

One of the worst things that can…

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There are a lot of real estate agents out there in the world, and unfortunately, some of them don’t have your best interests at heart. If you’re looking to buy or sell a home, you shouldn’t settle for just any real estate agent. 

But how can you tell the good from the bad? 

It isn’t always easy, but here are a few telltale signs that you should move on to another agent. 

Poor Responsiveness 

Though buying or selling a home can be a drawn out process, the market itself moves fast. When an opportunity arises, you need to act quickly. If your real estate agent isn’t responding to your calls, text messages, or emails, that’s a serious problem. 

Now, of course, a real estate agent has a life, and probably other…

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As a home buyer, your real estate agent is there to help you find the house that you’ll call home. But even the best realtors are limited by the direction you give them.

To paraphrase Jerry McGuire, you need to help them help you.

How can you be more helpful to your real estate agent?

Establish Timelines and Expectations

It’s good for your real estate agent to know what you’re thinking, especially regarding the future. Would you be ready to buy a home right now if you found the right one? Or are you just wanting to better understand the market and your options first?

What’s your timeline?

And what expectations do you have for your agent? Are you wanting to see a steady stream of new leads? What is your preferred form of communication?

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So you got yourself a realtor, put your house on the market, and even held some open houses. Now, the big moment has finally arrived. You’ve received your very first offer. You’re ecstatic, heart beat rising, blood pumping to your head as you think of life beyond your current home. 

Then you see the dollar amount, and you don’t know whether to laugh or cry. 

You’ve Just Been Lowballed 

Receiving an offer that’s considerably lower than the amount you’re asking for can feel like a slap in the face. And that’s because it’s someone literally telling you your house isn’t worth that much. They don’t know the time and effort you put into maintaining that home. They could never appreciate the memories you made there. 

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The first time you purchase a home, someone will hopefully warn you about closing costs. You know, those final fees you have to pay before your house officially becomes yours. 

Closing costs can certainly be a pain point for some, especially when you’ve put as much of your savings as possible towards the down-payment.  Many homebuyers are left wonder: 

What exactly is the closing cost? And why does it exist? 

Closing Cost Definition 

Closings costs are fees paid when you officially seal the deal on a real estate purchase. That is, when the title is officially transferred from the seller to the buyer. 

Who Pays for the Closing Costs? 

Both the buyer and the seller pay their own sets of closing…

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If you’re looking to get the most house for your dollar, a foreclosure can be a potential option for you. But some wonder if those prices are too good to be true when it comes to a foreclosed home. Others might fear they’re benefitting from someone else’s misfortune.

It’s good to know what you’re buying beforehand. Here’s what you should know about foreclosures:

What a Foreclosure Is

A home is foreclosed when the previous owner fails to pay their mortgage for a certain length of time. This can vary from state to state, but it’s a process that takes months to happen, and the residents are given notice long before their hour is taken.

Technically speaking, the previous tenants aren’t actually the owners, but rather, borrowers who have control…

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If you’ve done any amount of home or condo searching, you probably see the letters MLS thrown around a lot. Realtor websites use phrases like “officially registered with the MLS” and “The latest MLS listings”.

But what does that all mean?

It’s a little complicated

The MLS is a singular concept, but there’s actually hundreds of MLSs around the world that oversee different cities, states, countries, etc. They often have different rules and regulations, but the idea remains the same.

An MLS (or Multiple Listing Service) is a network of information and services that allows brokers to offer contracts, compensation, and cooperation to other real estate professionals. It is the place where houses and other properties are listing with their full…

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Some people get worried about the down payment on a home.  They imagine it’s some huge, impossible dollar amount that will take them years to save up for.  It might even prevent them from purchasing a home altogether.

Truth is, a home’s down payment isn’t as frightening as people often make it out to be.  In special circumstances, you might not have to make a down payment at all, though generally, you should expect to put something down.  There’s a good chance that amount isn’t as much as you think it will be.

Like so many things with home buying, there are a lot of different options available out there. 

Defining the Down Payment

Just so we’re on the same page, the down payment is a cash amount you pay out of pocket when purchasing a home. …

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Do you enjoy apartment living, but you don’t want to rent?  Or maybe you like the idea of owning a house, but you want something that requires less chores and maintenance.

Either way, a condo might be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

A condo is a property where you own the inside, but no part of the outside.  Often a condo is near-indistinguishable from an apartment.  Other times, they look more like a townhouse.  But regardless of how they’re attached to the other condos around them, the inside is yours to do with as you see fit.

Unless you’re renting.

You Can Still Rent Condos

In the same way you can rent a townhome or a house, you can rent a condo.  This means you’ll most likely be dealing with an individual owner, while you might…

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Buying a home is a big investment, which means everyone wants the best deal available.  But they also want a lot of options.  After all, you don’t want to feel like you’re settling when you purchase your house.  

And so, arguably the most popular question in real estate has become “when is the best time to buy?” 

The truth is, any time can be a great time if you find a home you love for a price you can afford.  But you probably want a better answer than that, so let’s look at some different situations. 

Best Time for Variety 

Want the biggest and best selection?  Springtime and summer consistently offers a large volume of houses on the market.  Schedules tend to be more open, everyone is wanting to be outside and…

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