John Watts's (zwatts1) Blog

When home sellers receive an offer to purchase their home, one of the first questions they should ask, has the potential buyer been pre-qualified or pre-approved for a loan.  A letter of pre-qualification or pre-approval should accompany an offer to purchase a home.  If there is no letter, this i...

A homeowner who is going to sell his home and vacate the house at the same time the property is put on the market, may want to think about staging the house.  Following are a few things you may want to consider before making the final decision to or not to stage your house:Having plants in house ...

As a home buyer, you need to keep your credit score high (above 700) in order to qualify for the best mortgage loan terms.  People who use good financial practices in their daily lives will save thousands of dollars in interest fees during their lifetime.  Following are some ways to manage your c...

Home buyers need to prepare themselves prior to starting a serious home search.  There are few helpful tips that may reduce stress to home buyers: No guaranteed right time to buy – If a buyer finds the right home for themselves, do not risk the possibility you will find something better later.  T...

Living in a popular neighborhood where houses are selling at a fast space can give a seller the big head that their home can sell above market price.  This may or may not be true.  Remember, buyers may not have the same high opinion of your home as the homeowner does.  Seller’s home probably has ...

Homeowners need to understand what home insurance covers and does not cover.  Important to understand what is covered, and how to read your insurance policy. There are four parts to an insurance policy.  Two of the parts are the most important sections: inclusion and exclusion sections.  The incl...

At least once a year, or if you are planning on buying a home in next several months, you need to check your credit report.  This allows you to verify existence of any errors, and/or gives you time to improve your credit score if necessary prior to starting the buying process.  Making corrections...

The last few years there has been approximately 2% economic growth which has created economic environment that is favorable for housing and mortgage markets.  This environment is expected to continue into 2018.  Prior year’s home sales growth has been the highest since 2007, and going forward exp...

Anytime a person purchases a home it may be a stressful experience.  Homebuyers, usually are emotional, and are trying to buy the perfect home before another buyer beats them to the purchase.  Becoming knowledgeable about the home buying process, surrounding your good professional realtor and len...

Thinking about moving to a larger home, a more desirable location, or downsizing to a smaller home.  You may want to ask yourself a number of questions to determine if this is a smart thing to do.  Such questions may include:Equity in current home -  First, determine the amount of equity in your ...