The different functions of an appraisal and a home inspection. When you buy a home, we always recommend an appraisal and a home inspection. Many people think they’re the same, but they’re not. We’ll explain the differences. Also, did you know the Skirvin Hotel has ghosts? Many believe a ghost named Effie resides here. We’ll talk about more ghost details later. First, let’s discuss appraisals. An appraisal’s primary purpose is to tell the bank the value of the property you are buying so they can decide how much money they’ll loan for the home. The appraiser will check the general condition of ..read more

A home buyer’s meeting covers 10 critical steps in the buying process. Congratulations! You’ve made it to the next step of the home-buying process: your guide to homeownership meeting. Buying a home is a big investment, and we have broken down the process into 10 critical steps that will be included in your home buyer meeting.  We will work together on your list of wants, needs, and even what you don’t want in your new home. Our goal is for you to have a deeper understanding of the process and the type of home you want. We’ll also learn what you’ve done so far in your home search so we c ..read more

If you need to both buy and sell a home, here are three tips that can help. Typically, when you want to both buy and sell a house, you try to buy the new one first. However, buying and selling homes has been challenging for the past year. Competition was so fierce that purchasing a new home first has been tougher than usual. To improve your chances of successfully doing both, here are three tips to help you buy before you sell in our current real estate market: 1. A home-sale contingency. Making an offer on a new home with the contingency that your current house sells first is easier now than ..read more

Here’s how buyers can get a handle on rising mortgage rates. Interest rates are fluctuating like crazy, and it’s having a big impact on our market. What does this mean for you? If you’re looking to buy, what options do you have?  Before we answer those questions, it’s time for our fun fact of the day. Did you know that in 1997, Pepsi and Fox ran a contest where the winner would receive an extremely accurate life-sized replica of the Simpsons’ house? It even had the correct furniture! Tons of experts poured countless hours into getting the home right, but the winner decided to take a cash ..read more

Here’s the impact that rising interest rates will have on home prices. “Are home values going to drop?” We receive this question almost every day from clients. Rising interest rates have a lot of people worried, but we don’t believe prices will drop. Today we want to share a few reasons why.  First, let’s share our fun fact for the day! In Northeast Oklahoma City, there’s a dirt road that leads to a 5,000-square-foot home from 1930. This was best known as the haunted house restaurant until it closed in 2015. This restaurant is special to us because one of our favorite dates was at this p ..read more

When interviewing an agent, remember to ask these four questions. Selling the biggest investment you have is a big deal, and finding the right Realtor to help you do it should be a top priority for you. When interviewing your real estate professional for the job, there are several questions you should ask in order to determine if they’re the right fit. Here are our top four must-ask questions: 1. “How long have you been in real estate?” The industry has seen an influx of new agents, and you don’t want to leave your biggest investment up to a new agent or one who’s not focusing full-time on se ..read more

The market is starting to shift, but what does that mean for you? Now that interest rates have increased, people are asking, “How will higher interest rates impact homebuyers?” Even though the market is starting to get easier for buyers, remember that we are still in a strong seller’s market.  Before interest rates rose, the extreme competitiveness of the market impacted almost all price ranges. Many homes were selling for more than list price and with multiple offers. Now, fewer homes receive multiple offers, and homes linger on the market for longer periods. This makes it easier for bu ..read more

Five ways to help make selling your home simpler and more efficient. How can you continue to live in your house once you put it on the market? Your home has always been your sanctuary, your one true personal space, but now it’s listed for sale and will soon get a ton of foot traffic. This can get very stressful and make it difficult to continue living your normal life in your house, especially if you have young children. So here are five tips to help you continue living your life in your for-sale home and keep things a bit less hectic: 1. Start packing now. Packing and storing boxes in the b ..read more

The right option for you depends on your particular situation. In today’s real estate market, low inventory and high demand are dominating the conversation. It’s easy to sell, but it’s much harder to buy. Many homeowners are in a position where they need to complete both transactions in a short period. Deciding which one to do first comes down to several factors. Each route comes with pros and cons, but the right option for you depends on your particular situation. If you need to sell your home and buy a new one, here are three key questions that you should consider before starting the proce ..read more

Inflation can actually make your real estate investment grow in value. Today we’ll talk about how inflation can benefit you. Did you know that mortgage interest rates used to be pretty high, sometimes up to 15% or 20%? The loans would also often culminate with a balloon payment similar in size to a modern down payment. This made paying off a mortgage an even more momentous occasion, and homeowners would celebrate by throwing a big party and burning their mortgage documents. Guests would even bring gifts to help commemorate the occasion. This tradition has evolved into what we now know as a h ..read more