Sacramento Home Buyer Must or Bust

Sacramento Home BuyersDo you want to buy a house or a condo? Are you a  1st time home buyer?

Are you thinking this is a good time to buy a foreclosed bank owned home for sale or a short sale?

There are some essential things you MUST do in order to buy a house or condo whether it is a bank owned foreclosed home, short sale or a resell home for sale (which many of us call a traditional sale).

You MUST be pre-approved for a loan by a Lender.

If you aren’t, your offer will be rejected by a seller and or a bank.  Frankly, no legitmate REALTOR® will even submit an offer on your behalf unless you have a PreApproval letter.  It’s just that simple.

Many times I receive phone calls from home buyers saying they “just want to see the house.” When I ask if they have been to a Lender, I get the same answer, “I just want to see the house, ” or “it’s no problem, I have good credit and I can get a loan.”

2 Major reasons Home Buyers MUST Get PreApproved

  1. Lending has gotten very tight and there are many who do not qualify.  But more importantly, by getting PreApproved, first of all you, the home buyer finds out just how much they can spend, and what the payment per month will be. Yes, there are calculators all over the Internet but until you speak with a local Lender you really don’t know what that amount per month will be…there may be flood insurance required, assessments such as Mello Roos etc .
  2. Based on the type of loan your Lender will be getting for you, there will be houses you can buy and houses you CANNOT buy.  No point in wasting your time or the REALTOR’s time looking at homes you will NOT be able to buy.

Home Buyers, I’m an experienced Realtor in Sacramento

I don’t show houses to anyone who has not taken the time to get pre-approved for a loan. It is not in your best interest nor mine. You must be pre approved for a loan.  You shouldn’t look at homes in the dark anymore than I want to work in the dark.  I expect to do the best job for you and that means I must know you are PreApproved, for how much and what the terms of the loan are. Your loan determines what type of house you can buy.

Don’t get pre approved by an out of area lender or just anyone on the Internet.

That’s a deal killer. If you want to have your offer accepted and have a lender who knows the local costs involved with your loan, get pre approved by a local lender.

Your pre-approval letter from your lender indicates that your credit report has been run and approved, a loan application has been taken and sometimes desktop underwriting approval has been generated. This shows the seller that you are worthy of a loan… enough for them to take their house off the market and wait for you to get your loan to buy the house.

This past month I have had home buyers who came to me with their own Lender. There have been times when in order to save the deal I needed to call in a lender who is local and trustworthy in order for the home buyer to close on their new home.  Ask your REALTOR® for a lender referral.  We know the ones that do a good job. And no, we don’t receive anything for a referral except a happy client who actually understands their loan and will be able to buy a house.

A lender can make or break the buying of a house or condo that you want. Choose your lender wisely. Remember, interest rate is NOT the only key factor in a loan. Read and make sure you understand the terms of the loan.

My home buyers work with a lender who has over a decade of experience and  gets the job done for the home buyer with a loan they can live with.  Give me a call or send me an email and let’s get you PreApproved while interest rates are historically low. Want to know more about me?  Click on Gena Riede, REALTOR.

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If you have a real estate question that you would like an answer to, be sure to check out Ask Real Estate Question and read what other home buyers and home sellers have asked and feel free to ask your Real Estate question by email. Perhaps, your question will be part of the next article featured on Sacramento REAL Estate Voice.  Just ask the Gena Riede, REALTOR®.

Click Sacramento MLS where you can pick any community or city around Sacramento and see homes for sale.or simply click on the search icon and pick the area you are interested in finding a home or condo for sale in Sacramento and the surrounding areas  .

 

Other Home Buyer Articles:

What Every Home Buyer Must Know

New Home Buyer Information You Need to Read

When Should A First Time Home Buyer Buy a House?

Sacramento First Time Home Buyers Get the WOW Back

First Time Home buyer’s Check-Off List-Part I

First Time Home buyers Check-Off List-Part II-Write An Offer

Shall I Buy a House or Rent?

Important Buyer Information

Home Buyers, Do You Remember Being in School?

First Time Home Buyers in Sacramento and Granite Bay

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Does It Matter Who The Short Sale Agent Is?

As a REALTOR® in Sacramento I can honestly say, the answer is “yes.”  In my travels around Sacramento neighborhoods showing short sale homes for sale as well as the emails and phone calls I receive from sellers and agents, their is no question that your choice of short sale agent is important.

Let me give you a few examples and stress that agents taking short sale classes and having experience doing short sales with several banks makes for a win, win not only for the seller but also the potential home buyer.  Let me explain…

Elk Grove Short Sale

Just in the past week alone, I showed an Elk Grove short sale home for sale only to find that the house was listed by a Bay Area agent who under priced the home.  Now, some may say “wow, how nice to get a house for such a low price.”  It doesn’t work that way.  The bank will have the property appraised to make sure the agent that listed it knew what they were doing.  What a shock that will be for the buyer!!  The story doesn’t end there.  After questioning the short sale agent it was obvious she had never done a short sale.  For a home buyer to wait endlessly for a short sale approval is one thing, but to wait even longer with someone who has no idea what they are doing is quite another.  This Bay Area agent should have referred the short sale process to a REALTOR® who is equipped to handle the short sale and frankly the seller should have hired an agent in the Sacramento area to list the house with.

My home buyer decided to pass on this one and submit an offer on a short sale that had an experienced short sale seller’s agent  who listed the house.

Short Sale Seller

I received a phone call from a short sale seller asking me if I could tell her if she had to be out of the house in 2-3 days.  After explaining that she needed to speak with the agent she listed the house with, it was obvious she did not have trust or return phone calls from him.  I then suggested she look at the purchase contract but she didn’t have a copy.  So, I told her what typically occurs and that by the time the house records at the County, is would need to have vacated. According to the short sale seller, she was never told that the bank accepted the short sale offer and merely received a cursory phone call from the listing agent telling her to be out of the house within 2-3 days.

Just another indication that the REALTOR® a seller has list their home needs to have the experience and communication skills to keep the seller informed throughout the short sale process and give copies of all documentation to the the seller.  There is no excuse to give a seller 2-3 days notice to move out!

Experience and Communication count!

Short Sale Agent

Last night I received an email from an agent asking if I would share how to do a Bank of America short sale.  This agent further explained he had been out of the business for several years but kept his license and since he had been a newer agent, he had never done a short sale.  This is not the way to learn…on the back of your seller and potential home buyer.

I suggested he take some classes and in the meantime refer his seller to a short sale agent who knows how to do a short sale or partner with an short sale agent.  We are trusted professionals who the public assumes they are receiving an agent who is educated and has experience. Please don’t learn on a client and put their transaction at risk.

Keep your day job and get educated.  Sorry to be blunt but this irks me no end!

Your Short Sale Agent Matters

I just scratched the surface and these are examples of just this past week…plenty more I could share.  So, in conclusion YES, it does matter who a distressed home seller chooses to sell their short sale home.  If you are having trouble paying your house payment, give me a call and let’s talk. Our conversations are kept strictly confidential.  Yes, I have taken classes, have the experience and I am a short sale REALTOR®.

Other Short Sale Info:

Sacramento Short Sale Sellers This Is For YOU

Get Your Short Sale Now BEFORE Law Leaves You At Risk

No Short Sale Sellers Do NOT Pay Commissions

 

 

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What 3 Things You Should Do For Your New Home

With so many Sacramento home buyers buying their 1st home, it’s important to know how to maintain your new house.  There are things you need to do in the Winter, Summer and Spring so you keep your home from costing you money in repairs.  Check out my 3 most important home tips for Winter.

3 Top Items to Winterize Your Home

  1. Gutters need to be cleaned, free of any leaves and debris so the water flows freely
  2. Repair roof if any shingles or tiles have shifted or blown off
  3. Change the air filter to make sure your HVAC system works properly and your home heating system doesn’t work overtime and cost you more in your utility bill.

Don’t forget to check back here on Sacramento Real Estate Voice for more real estate tips to help you maintain your home during the year.  As your REALTOR® I love helping you save money in repairs and keep your new home shining bright!

Check out Gena’s Other Helpful Tips:

Real Estate Tip To Avoid Home Fire

Big Time Sacramento Real Estate Saving Money Tip

Sacramento Videos For Homeowners

 

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