There is nothing as miserable as purchasing a home and not being able to pay or maintain it the way you want too. This is why it is so important to make sure, to the best of your ability with your loan officer, that you can afford the property you are looking to buy. A lot of what you are hearing about on the news these days is a result of not knowing what you can comfortably afford and getting over your head.
That is not to excuse the loan officers that took advantage of some of their borrowers but it is up to you to get some knowledge about home ownership. One of the best places I know to take a home owners education class is through the Tennessee Housing Development Agency, also known as THDA. This wonderful organization is dedicated to helping first time home buyers but you do not have to be a first time home buyer to take the homeowners education class. After all, no one really wants to be haunted by their house!
The way you do business says more about you than you might think. Even when you are conducting personal business as simple as dealing with local vendors like your cleaners or your lawn care company your conduct is telling. These businesses also have the potential to refer clients to you just like your business professional contacts.
Though most of us are always careful to conduct ourselves in the most professional manner when among our peers, we sometimes forget that the person we deal with at the PTA meeting, the grocery store or the mechanic down the road have as much or more influence than those in what is deemed more professional circles. However, as a Realtor that with many different professions and types of people, I can attest to the power of referrals from all walks and circles of life. I can trace my success back to the way I do business with everyone I meet and just want to pass along this tip for your success.
I have recently listed a property in Thompson’s Station that has a very unique amenity; a Royal Spa Swim Spa by Royal Spa. Because of this listing I have had to do some research and have found out that this is truly a great way to exercise and swim without taking up a lot of space in a home. It’s only 15” long and 5” deep and is ideal for the swimming enthusiast.
It can also be great fun for a family that enjoys swimming and water fun and you can have it all on a year round basis. I was surprised to see that these spas are as low maintenance and versatile as they are since you can enjoy both a good refreshing swim and a spa with the same equipment. My client is heartbroken to leave this wonderful exercise system behind but since an entire room has been built around the spa it just makes sense to leave it.
Contact the website above if you are interested in getting one of these fabulous swim spa’s for your home and contact me if you are interested in looking at this listing in Thompson’s Station that already has this Royal Swim Spa installed and ready to go.
If you haven’t heard, you can get some valuable information from the website of the Nashville Electric Service Company in regard to how to save energy at your home. You will be asked to take an audit either online or by mail, and in return, NES will send you an Energy Conservation Kit. This kit is totally free and will be delivered directly to you at the address on record.
This kit has several things that include a couple of florescent bulbs and information that will help you around your home to save energy, which means you will save money. It’s a great time to learn how to save a little money and help the environment as well. The more we can all get together and save energy the better and if you can heat and cool your home for less, then it truly is a win-win situation.
There are a couple of great features associated with the new listing in Thompson’s Station that I want to share with you. One is a swim spa by Royal Swim Spas that is just fantastic. I have done some research and it is both low maintenance and energy efficient compared to most other types of similar equipment and doesn’t take up much space at all.
In fact the owner of the home has made the spa a central element in the Champion Sunroom that has been built on the back of the house. The sunroom alone is quiet wonderful and lends to the overall atmosphere of the house. When you add the sporty swim spa to the room it creates an oasis of water fun right in the middle of the neighborhood. While you may want to investigate both of these great amenities for your home, if you are looking to buy a home that already has them, just let me know.
I recently attended a weekly BNI (Business Networking International) meeting and heard one of my favorite members talk about a home he represents and the battle against mold. Apparently, it is easier to prevent than I had ever thought. It has to do with the vents that you find going to your crawl space. Here are the rules you need to follow religiously:
Keep the vents closed in winter as this keeps the cold air out during this time of year. However, make sure they are open from spring through fall so the air can circulate throughout the underside of the house. This helps more than anything else to prevent mold from forming in your home.
This simple rule, if followed, should keep the mold at bay. What an easy thing that we can do to help our homes stay safe.
Have you ever used masking or painters tape to tape off a section only to discover the paint has bled behind the tape? It is a royal mess! Well there is a tape that is now out called Frog Tape that has a special edge, called Paintblock. This “Paintblock” creates a micro barrier when it contacts latex paint and this barrier keeps paint from running behind the tape.
Frog Tape is a perfect pick if you are trying to create crisp paint lines or for those decorative paint jobs that Realtors run into from time to time. Though Frog Tape works great for those lines, it still has to be taken off quickly after painting as it will pull off fresh paint. You should be able to find Frog Tape at your local hardware store. Call ahead and make sure they carry it. If they don’t, you may want to ask them why not?
One of the things that seller’s seldom do is take a good look at their house as a buyer. The seller tends to go on and on about all the great things about the house and why they believe it should bring in a certain price. A Realtor’s job is to look at the house like a buyer would look at the house and make recommendations to the seller to make some changes so the house will appeal to a buyer right out of the gate.
Here are some of the things the seller should look at like a buyer.
- Grease stains on your driveway.
- Keeping the lawn cut and free of clutter
- Putting personal items like family pictures or your children’s drawing’s away
- Keep your closets neat and tidy
- Organize your garage
These are just a small list of things that makes buyers think the house will stay just as they see it after they purchase the house. It may not be true in practice but perception is often mistaken as truth.
For those individuals and families who have worked hard to save or are getting a gift for a down payment and/or closing costs and prepaid items, the Great Rate Program is right for you. You are rewarded with the best interest rate that THDA can give to you.
Even though you do have to meet the requirements of income and purchase price in the county you want to live in, you don’t have to attend a First Time Homebuyer Education class. However, it is never a bad thing to get as much education as possible before you buy your first home so you are welcome and encouraged to attend this class even though it is not required.
You will need to be approved by a lender that is certified by THDA to move forward with any one of the three THDA loan programs. Make sure you check with that lender for the most current rate available for this wonderful first time homebuyer loan.
THDA Great Advantage Program is a program to help those folks that have some money but not enough to cover all the down payment and prepaid items. It is very similar to the Great Start program, but instead of being able to get a grant up to 4%, the grant is for 2% of the purchase price.
Because you are actually putting some of your own money down, you get a little bit better interest rate. What I have noticed in the past is a .500% difference (for the better) from the Great Start Program. Of course, as with all THDA loans, you have to meet the guidelines for income that is based on how many people you will have living in the house with you as well as the purchase price for the home. This cost is per county and your lender can look that up for you as well as give you a current interest rate for this program.
You will also be required to go to and complete a Home Buyer Education class. This class will help you prepare for and maintain owning a home and I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to purchase a home for the first time. If you have any questions or concerns, give me a call or email and I will answer any questions you may have or get you in touch with someone who can help you.
