The Robin Group Real Estate Podcast

How does your credit impact your ability to buy a home? Today we’ll talk about how you can improve your score if you want to buy a home. Selling your Louisiana Home? Click here for a free home value report Buying a Louisiana Home? Click here to search homes for sale Today, I wanted to talk about credit scores and how they affect the home buying process. You may want to improve your credit in order to buy, but that’s not the only thing you should focus on. Every part of the situation should be looked at differently. We always coach our buyers to speak with their lender about a home loan, even if they don’t plan on buying for another six months or longer. They can help you understand how worthy your credit is of buying a house. For example, you might be better off paying any credit you have in collections, focusing money on paying down outstanding credit card balances, or getting that AT&T bill from college that you forgot about taken care of.So how does credit impact your home buying ability? “ There is good, average, an excellent credit if you want to buy a home. ” Our friends at GMFS Lending tell us that there is good, average, and excellent credit if you want to buy a home; the difference between them determines how good your interest rate will be. If you can raise your score from 680 to 720, for example, we can save you lots of money in the long run through a better interest rate. No matter your circumstances, it’s important to know that every person’s situation is different and that your credit score isn’t the only thing that impacts your ability to buy a home. If you’d like some more information about how to get into a home this year, we’d be happy to help you out. Just give us a call or send us an email today. 

Buying a new construction home is a whole different ballgame than buying a resale home. Today I have five tips that will help new construction buyers start on the right foot. Selling your Louisiana Home? Click here for a free home value report Buying a Louisiana Home? Click here to search homes for sale Purchasing a resale home is a vastly different process than purchasing a new construction home. Today, I wanted to provide some tips for understanding the difference between the two and how to successfully purchase a new construction home.1. Hire a professional real estate agent. When you walk through model homes and speak with a customer service rep, that person represents the builder. They have the builder's best interests in mind, not yours. Make sure you have your own representation when buying new construction.2. Research the builder. Just because a builder can set up a pretty house doesn't mean they have a great reputation. When you buy new construction, customer service is your number one concern. When you purchase a new build in Louisiana, the New Construction Act is tied to it, meaning the builder is responsible for repairs to the home for a certain number of years after purchase. Having a good rapport with the builder and knowing how to work with them is very important. When choosing a builder, read their online reviews, ask for testimonials, and see if you can view homes they've built in the past. “ Work with an agent that has experience negotiating new construction. ” 3. Don't rely on the model home. When you view a model home, you'll see a gorgeous home with a beautiful furniture setup that's staged to perfection and has a lot of upgrades. Ask questions to make sure you know which features are standard and which are upgrades. If you have an agent representing you, they will have all this information for you. 4. Negotiate wisely. When purchasing a new build, wiggle room may not be to your advantage. Builders want to be sure they keep their sales price because the price they settle on will not only affect your sale, it will affect all future sales in that area. This doesn't mean that you can't negotiate certain things on the back end, however. You can negotiate things like a fence, certain upgrades, appliances, or paint, for example. That's why it's so important to be represented by an agent who has experience negotiating new construction homes. 5. Document everything. Say you're having a home built and you have a certain floor plan in mind—you need to document everything you want to be done on that property. At that stage, you only have a blueprint or floor plan to go off of, which doesn't have every spec or feature written out. Do you want brick or vinyl siding? Is there a driveway? What kind of hardware will the home have? What kind of countertops will it have? Make sure you document all your preferences that aren't represented in the floor plan or blueprint. If you have any other questions about buying new construction homes, we're here to help. Just give us a call and we'll help you out in any way we can.

In decorating your home to sell during the holiday season, you must remember to keep your aesthetic tasteful, elegant, and easy.  Selling your Louisiana Home? Click here for a free home value report Buying a Louisiana Home? Click here to search homes for sale For those of you who have your home on the market this holiday season, we have 10 tips for how you can decorate it so you strike the right balance between celebrating Christmas and appealing to all potential buyers:1. Maintain curb appeal. We’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but that’s exactly what buyers do when they pull up to your home. Don’t turn into the Griswolds! Be modest about your lights and outdoor accessories.   2. Don’t overdo the little things. This includes both the exterior and the interior. You don’t want a bajillion little reindeer trinkets sitting around. Too much tableaux can distract from the spatial flow of the home.   3. Declutter. We tell all of our home sellers this, no matter what the season. During the holidays, though, you need to kick the process into overdrive before decorating. Clear off any kind of flat surfaces in your home, like the mantle places, countertops, and foyer tables.   4. Make your fireplace shine. If you have a fireplace, now’s the time to showcase it. It’s Christmas, after all, and who doesn’t love a good fireplace? As always, keep it elegant and simple.   5. Be sensitive to different cultures. Above all else, you’re trying to get your house sold. Not all of your potential buyers may celebrate Christmas, so keep that in mind when you’re decorating.  “ One man’s taste is another man’s tacky. ” 6. Mind your colors. Keep your color schemes tasteful, elegant, and easy. Anything else can be distracting to a buyer.   7. Make your decorations fit the style of your home. If taupe is the dominant interior color of your home, for example, your decorations should have the same accent to it.   8. Smell your way to the sale. Christmas definitely has a certain smell to it, and that involves cinnamon, pine, and candy. Set out a nice bowl of potpourri to generate this scent.   9. Pay attention to scale. If your tree is big enough that you have to rearrange how you walk through the room it’s in, that’s a bad sign.   10. Skip the holiday card display. Cards and letters of your extended family can be distracting to buyers. From our perspective, this only counts as more clutter.   If you’re looking to make a move in the market in the near future, please don’t hesitate to give us a call so we can get started on finding your next dream home. We look forward to hearing from you!

We've been getting questions lately about home inspections that we wanted to answer for you today. Which ones should you get and which ones shouldn't you bother with?   Selling your Louisiana Home? Click here for a free home value report Buying a Louisiana Home? Click here to search homes for sale Of all the available inspections, you need to figure out which ones are important to your transaction because every home is different. For example, a new construction home probably wouldn't get the same inspections that a 40-year-old home gets, but there are some general rules to follow.   The number one home inspection we always recommend is the general home inspection. This is where an inspector will look at everything in the house, like whether the windows are working properly, whether the roof looks like it needs to be replaced, and the condition of the hot water heater. They check every piece of the property, down to the foundation itself.  The second major inspection we recommend is a termite inspection; these are usually needed for most loans out there, anyway. Most loans with a mortgage will require a WDIR (wood destroying insect report) to make sure it's free and clear of termites.   Since we're in South Louisiana, we always recommend a video plumbing inspection to our buyers. We recommend this because much of the older plumbing here is made of terracotta, and tree roots can crack it or even grow through it. The video plumbing inspection will tell you if there's corrosion or tree damage in the piping. The soil here is very soft, so settling can be an issue with these pipes, too. “ Termite inspections are usually required to get a mortgage. ” The fourth inspection we recommend is actually one from professional vendors. This could include people like an air conditioner serviceman, a plumber, or an electrician. If the general inspection you get reveals an issue like something that's not up to code or the roof looks too old, we recommend you bring out a licensed professional in the appropriate field to check on them. We also recommend you get any inspections for items specific to the property, like a pool or a well.   These are the most common inspections for homes in our area, but each home is different. If you have any questions about home inspections or you're looking to buy or sell a home, give me a call or send me an email. I'd be happy to help!

How do you know if now is the time to move? Some reasons are obvious, but some reasons might not have occurred to you yet. Here are 10 items that might tell you it's time to get a new home. Selling your Louisiana Home? Click here for a free home value report Buying a Louisiana Home? Click here to search homes for sale There are 10 signs we look at that indicate whether it may be time for you to move into a bigger home.1. You just need more space. This could be either storage for the things you've collected or more space for visitors to stay in.  2. Your family is growing. If you're adding kids (or pets) to the family, that 1,000 square foot place isn't going to cut it anymore.   3. You've got more to spend. You might have been like most people and bought what you needed rather than what you wanted because you didn't have much to spend on your current home.   4. Work has changed. If you're commuting 10 hours a week, it might be time to look for a place closer to work. We're very good at helping clients relocate in this situation.  5. The market might be right. In fact, the market is right at this time! Interest rates are still low and the market is still hot, making it a perfect storm for both buyers and sellers. “ The market is in prime position for move-up buyers right now. ” 6. Home is where the heart is. If you bought a house in a neighborhood with amenities like a community pool, you might have reached a point in your life when those amenities no longer interest you.   7. It's time to get out of your current home. Just like old cars, old homes have maintenance issues that come up over time that you have to keep up with. When your equity starts getting eaten up by needs like a new roof or kitchen upgrades, it might be time to leave.  8. You have different needs. Maybe when you first moved in you were excited to be close to the bars, but now you're thinking about being closer to schools.   9. It's all about the garage. Over time, you may get an extra vehicle or more and more lawn equipment and tools, so you will need space for them.   10. Your green thumb is itching. If you're in a condo with no yard, for example, you may find yourself wanting a lawn for things like gardening, a swing set, or a pool. If you have any questions about reasons to move into a new home or you're curious about anything in the real estate market, give us a call. We'd love to help you out!

Selling your Louisiana Home? Click here for a free home value report Buying a Louisiana Home? Click here to search homes for sale I was having a conversation recently with a client about saving money so that our kids could someday attend college. I have a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, so I know that for those of you out there starting families, future college tuition is something that’s always on your mind. Not only do I have my daughter, but I also have a 19-year old son who’s actually there right now. I’m paying some hefty bills covering things like rent, food, books, insurance, and a lot of other unexpected fees I never imagined I would have to pay. These things got me thinking about how others like me can proactively save money for their children’s future. One important way I want to talk about today is buying an investment property. With barely any upfront costs, you can let it sit there and make money for you. Let me outline a scenario to explain. “ You can let it sit there and make money for you. ” Right now we have a great property in the middle of Mandeville that’s going to be listed at about $130,000. Imagine you bought this as your investment property. Mandeville is very attractive for rental properties because you can make up to $1,200 a month. For a 15-year note (for which rates are at 2.8%) on $130,000 price tag, you would be looking at a note of $900 a month. The good news is you don’t have to pay that note - your renter will have to pay it for you. If the rent is $1,200, that means you would stand to make $300 a month for doing absolutely nothing. $300 a month then equates to $3,600 a year. If you let that sum sit there and ride for 15 years, you’ll end up earning a savings of $54,000.After 15 years, you’ll have a paid-off investment property that’s still bringing in money. In fact, 15 years from now, it will probably have increased to $1,500 or $1,600 a month. Wouldn’t it be great to wake up 15 years from now and have the funds on the side for your kids’ college education? Did that just blow your mind? Well it should, because all you had to do was put up that initial down payment and all the other funds were paid by someone else. How’s that for building wealth?I have plenty more information regarding wealth-building strategies I would love to share with you guys. Feel free to call or email me anytime.

 Selling your Louisiana Home? Click here for a free home value report Buying a Louisiana Home? Click here to search homes for sale When selling your home, you have to be very careful about what you disclose to the buyer. I have seen a lot of FSBO sellers encounter legal problems because they did not disclose to the buyers properly. Let’s say you have a home for sale. You’ll have to fill out a disclosure form that asks if your home has been damaged by fire or water. If you aren’t honest about these things, it can cost you a lot of money in legal fees.  “ IT'S BEST TO CONSULT YOUR LOCAL REAL ESTATE AGENT WHEN GOING OVER DISCLOSURES. ” Another problem with disclosures we see around here has to do with contaminated drywall. Sometimes people will fib about their pools as well, saying they are in proper working order although a pump or a drain is broken. Even though you can still swim in the pool, that does not also mean it’s in proper working order. It’s best to consult your local real estate agent when going over disclosures. My team and I can help decide what you should and should not disclose in order to sell your home quickly and for a fair price. We look forward to speaking with you!

Selling your Louisiana Home? Click here for a free home value report Buying a Louisiana Home? Click here to search homes for sale Why are contingencies so common in real estate? When you buy or sell a home, there are issues related to the Louisiana Purchase Agreement. When a buyer purchases a home, we experience three common contingencies related to inspection, appraisal, and financing. There is a fourth contingency, too. It accounts for when a seller can only sell a home if they have already found another one to purchase. Sometimes buyers will come in with contingent offers explaining they need to sell their own home before purchasing another. It goes both ways.  Sellers dislike contingencies unless the buyer’s home is already under contract with another buyer. Contingencies create hurdles in transactions, which sellers prefer to avoid. We frequently work with people who need to buy and sell at the same time, and we make sure that everything lines up together. The other contingencies that we see have to do with inspections, appraisals, and financing. If a buyer sees a bad inspection report or a bad appraisal, they may back out of the deal. Sellers may back out of a deal if they find out that a buyer cannot actually afford to buy their home. There are many reasons why deals fall apart during the contingency period. Inspections go poorly, finances get disrupted, and appraisals raise questions.As a buyer, it’s best to remove any contingencies from your offer. Much the same is true for sellers. Nobody likes dealing with these issues! Give us a call or send us an email if you have any questions. We would be happy to help you!

Selling your Louisiana Home? Click here for a free home value report Buying a Louisiana Home? Click here to search homes for sale There are a lot of multiple offer situations in our market right now, and buyers are getting discouraged because their offers are getting rejected. Today Scott, our buyer specialist extraordinaire, joins us to share some tips for buyers in this seller’s market.Before you start looking at houses, sit down with your agent for a buyer’s consultation. We’ll go over what you should expect during your home search. You will also discuss your interests in particular homes. Inventory now is low, so you can’t play games any more. You can’t try to get $5,000 off the list price of a home because someone else out there is going to offer the full list price. In this competitive market, if you don’t come in with a strong offer, sellers will ignore it. You may be able to negotiate with the seller on terms, but you have to go in strong on price in order to get the seller’s attention.  You should also build a good rapport with your agent. Your agent will connect you with listing agents, and listing agents will tell the seller whether or not to work with you. Working with an agent who has strong relationships with other agents in the local market gives you a great advantage. When you do submit your offer, there are a couple of other things you can do. For example, send the deposit check with the offer. Sending the check shows that you are ready to go ahead with the home purchase. You should also submit your pre-approval letter. It’s important to get pre-approved before you even look at homes because sellers are not going to waste their time working with an unqualified buyer in this market. If you really fall in love with a house, you can write a letter to the seller explaining how excited you and your family are to live there. Remember, for the seller, it’s not just a house - it’s their home. Expressing how you feel about the property in your own words to the seller is a great way to stand out from the other buyers. Finally, keep in mind that you can always call the listing agent and ask what it will take to get the deal done. It doesn’t hurt to ask, and the answer can save a lot of time during the transaction. Time is money, so make sure you get those things addressed if you are in the market to buy a home. If you have any questions about buying a home in this competitive market, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Selling your Louisiana Home? Click here for a free home value report Buying a Louisiana Home? Click here to search homes for sale Today, we’re going to talk about how to prepare your home for the market. I always tell sellers to call me first. I will take a look at your property to see what needs to be taken care of before you sell your home. Ultimately, I want to work with you and see what works the best for your home.I went on a listing appointment last week and the seller wanted to wait until the property was in perfect shape. However, that wasn’t at all necessary. That’s why you should let us determine what needs to be done before listing your home. What a real estate agent sees is entirely different compared what the seller thinks needs to be done. Some sellers wind up doing way too much to get their home prepared for the market. The market is hot, and you need to list now.    This seller wanted to repaint and replace the flooring. When I visited her property, she only needed to clean the carpet and touch up some spots on her wall. Some of the smudges were from the kids touching the light switches, so those walls just needed to be wiped clean! We sold her house in less than 24 hours.We like to come in, meet with sellers, and suggest what items they should update. Oftentimes, it takes a listing two or three weeks before it’s ready to hit the market. My team and I market the property in the meantime, letting neighbors and interested buyers know that it’s coming on the market soon. We are in a hot seller’s market with only 3 months of inventory available. If you’re thinking of selling, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!

Selling your Louisiana Home? Click here for a free home value report Buying an Louisiana Home? Click here to search homes for sale Many people ask us how much money it costs to buy a home in today's market. We look at it another way, asking instead, how much does it cost not to buy? Right now interest rates are near historic lows, which means it costs a lot less to borrow money now. With rates expected to rise, it will cost you more money to buy later than to buy now. If interest rates increase by only 1%, the cost of the house you want to purchase rises 10%! If you are able to purchase a $200,000 house in today’s market, a rise in rates as small as 1% would make it so that you could only afford a home worth $180,000! That is a $20,000 difference in the type of home you can afford! There is a significant difference between homes priced at $200,000 and those priced at $180,000. For instance, that difference in price often accounts for the location of a home, which is often a huge factor for buyers. The cheaper home also won’t have the same amenities, such as granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Condition of the home may be affected by that price difference as well -- that 1% rise in rates could be the difference between purchasing a 20-year-old home and a five-year-old home. If you’re a first-time home buyer, there are a lot of really great options out there. If you want to get out of your rental situation in order to become a homeowner, there is a 100% financing option available. The best news is that you don’t need to be a first-time buyer to take advantage of it!If you’re interested in your home buying options, or if you have real estate questions of any kind, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at any time. We would love to hear from you!

Selling your Louisiana Home? Click here for a free home value report Buying an Louisiana Home? Click here to search homes for sale The Robin Group has experienced an incredible amount of growth in the last year or so. In fact, just last year, we were privileged to help 207 families with their real estate needs! We couldn’t do this without you, so thank you so much for the referrals you’ve sent our way!Because we’ve been so busy, we have a few positions open right now! First, we’re looking for a transaction coordinator. Applicants for this position should be a team player who is detail-oriented and someone who is looking to grow within the organization. This person needs to be able to put out fires and deliver a very high level of customer service. This position is important because they will be assisting our clients with the biggest financial decision of their lives!  We are also looking for talent in our sales department. If you or anyone you know is driven to achieve a higher level of success than what you’re currently doing, please reach out to us! We would love to hear from you and maybe even work together down the road!

Selling your Louisiana Home? Click here for a free home value report Buying an Louisiana Home? Click here to search homes for sale Our team just returned from the Keller Williams National Convention that was held right here in New Orleans. We were privileged to have around 30,000 other Keller Williams agents right in our backyard! In his Vision Speech, Gary Keller shared some wonderful news about the market that I think you should be aware of: The national price average is at $222,400. Home sales are at a historic high. We’re at the end of a 7-10 year cycle. Now is the time to sell before the market declines. This is probably the last spring prices will be this high. Interest rates are still at historic lows (around 3.5%!) This is just a brief overview of the national marketplace, but one thing is abundantly clear: conditions don’t get much better for buying and selling real estate. If you’ve been on the fence about making a move, there’s no reason to wait. Now is the time to take advantage of the market while it’s at a high point!If you have any questions about the market in your area, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me!

Selling your Louisiana Home? Click here for a free home value report Buying a Louisiana Home? Click here to search homes for sale I am extremely excited about my new blog! Each month, I will send out two emails addressing trends in our local real estate market. I'll also be touching on changes to the lending and title world and tips for navigating the real estate industry. All of these industries are intertwined. In order to take advantage of the real estate market, you need to know about all of them. Rather than simply guess what's on your mind, I want to reach out and ask you what questions you have about real estate. Are there any concepts that confuse you? Are you curious about the market in your particular area or neighborhood? I would love to answer your specific questions in my videos so other people with similar questions can benefit from them too! Please reach out by phone or email today!