How you can lower your monthly mortgage payment by getting rid of your PMI. How can you save money on your monthly payment? By removing private mortgage insurance (PMI) from your mortgage payment. Today, we’re here to discuss what this is, what it costs, and how you can remove it.  First, what is PMI? In short, PMI is a type of insurance that protects the lender if a borrower defaults on their loan payments. Typically, a lender will require this on a conventional loan when a buyer puts less than 20% down on their home purchase.  To pay for the insurance, you pay a premium that is ad ..read more

As rates increase, buyers will have less competition. What’s happening with interest rates? You may have heard recently that the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates, but what does that mean for the real estate market? Today we’ll explain how rates impact the market and what this all means for you.  First, it’s important to remember that the Fed’s interest rate does not directly affect mortgage rates. In fact, mortgage rates have actually dropped in the last few weeks. No one knows where rates will head in the future, but for now, things are staying steady. “Here’s what buyers need ..read more

File for a homestead exemption if you bought a primary residence. We want to give you a quick reminder that if you bought a primary residence home in 2022, now’s the time to file for your homestead exemption. A homestead exemption will reduce your current tax liability and also limit future increases to your property tax bill. It’s simple to file. Just go to the property appraiser’s website for your county and apply online. If you had prior homestead exemption in Florida, you’ll want to apply for portability to transfer over any additional savings you may be entitled to. The deadline for fili ..read more

Make sure that you inform your agent how you like to communicate. We want to share a little tip with you this week to help your next real estate transaction go more smoothly. As you know, communication is essential to any business transaction. Most of our clients have a method of communication they prefer, but in today’s world, there are so many ways to communicate. Some of our clients want just the facts in a quick text, while some want to see every detail in a long email, and others would prefer us to just pick up the phone and give them a quick call. If you’re thinking of selling or buying ..read more

This year and every year, we’re thankful for you in our lives. The 2022 holiday season has officially begun! We hope you are as excited as we are. We’d like to take a moment to express our gratitude to all of you this Thanksgiving. We have met some truly wonderful people, and we’re proud to have helped so many reach their real estate goals over the years. We wouldn’t be where we are today without all of your support. Enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner—that’s what we plan to do! In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any real estate questions. We would be happy to he ..read more

How to discern if rising rates should affect your next home purchase. Many people have asked us this question recently: “When will rates be going down?” The answer is simple. We have no idea.  There’s no way to definitively predict if rates will go up or down. From what we’re hearing from our lending partners, there may be some small fluctuations in rates in the coming months, but everyone generally expects rates to remain the same or possibly inch even higher. This means that if you’ve been waiting for rates to come down to purchase a home, you may be waiting a very long time. Even wors ..read more

How you can prep your home for the market and sell for top dollar. What can you do to sell your home for top dollar? Our best advice to clients who want to sell their homes is to think like a buyer. You have to put yourself in your buyers’ shoes to really understand what it is they’re looking for. Most buyers want a home that’s move-in ready. For sellers, this means you have to find creative ways to prepare your home without spending too much money. Here are a few simple improvements that you can do to your home to make it move-in ready: 1. Paint your home. Most buyers don’t want additio ..read more

What is property fraud and how do you protect yourself from it? According to the news, property fraud cases are rising. It’s a growing problem that property owners need to be aware of. If you haven’t heard about it yet, we’ll be covering some helpful information on property fraud so you can take the necessary measures to protect yourself from damages. “Orange County Comptroller’s Office has a free notification service to combat property fraud.” What is property fraud? Property fraud is when someone illegally uses your property for financial gain. It happens when someone fraudulently records a ..read more

Here’s how to get a complimentary CMA on your home from yours truly. You may not know this about me, but I really love getting into the details of evaluating home values. It’s the math nerd side of me, and I like working with numbers, comparing and contrasting homes, and seeing what those homes would sell for on the open market. I know many of you have been working on home improvement projects over the last few years. Home prices are still on the rise, so some of you may also be wondering what your home is worth in today’s market. Automated instant value websites are convenient, but they’re o ..read more

Two programs that can help struggling buyers compete in our market. Lately, we’ve been getting a lot of calls about the current market and all the challenges it poses to homebuyers. We want to quickly address two innovative programs designed to help buyers to secure a home. Our market has a lot of cash buyers, but not everyone can buy a home with cash. Luckily, two new options will help you compete: 1. Ribbon. This company will allow you to put forth a cash offer against other buyers while still pursuing a financing option. “These two innovative programs help buyers struggling to secure ..read more