Betty Schnoor

Preapproval Is The Key to Stress Free Buying

Obtaining mortgage pre-approval prior to shopping for your next home allows you to enter the market with certainty.

You will also pack some power when putting an offer on a home by letting the seller know you are already pre-approved which gives you a clear advantage if you are competing against other offers.

The  process is much like a mortgage application just not on a specific property and will take your financial institution a week or so to have your pre-approval in place.

Talk to your mortgage specialist before calling your agent to view homes as this will make your home buying experience much less stressful.

Curb Appeal is Everything

Few Curb Appeal Tips:

- if you can budget it, a fresh paint job does wonders for a dingy house.  Drive around your town to find color schemes that are appealing.

- Install a more attractive front door, maybe something with leaded glass inserts.

- If you can't justify the cost of a new door, consider replacing plain doorknob hardware with something more attractive.

- If new hardware is beyond your budget, repaint or stain the door and polish the hardware.

- Get rid of all pet odors and remove clutter from the home.  Box anything up that isn't necessary and place it in storage.

- Remove all personal photo's - it's essential to depersonalize your home and make it a house that they potential buyers can see themselves living in.

- Clean gutters outdoors, trim all lawns and keep flower beds weeded.  Pressure was driveways, walkways and patios.

The first impression of your home is the most important to a potential buyer.