BROADNAX: ONE YEAR FOLLOW – UP

#CROWNEDAHOMEOWNER

Yesterday marked the one-year home anniversary for my fellow LSU alum and North Louisiana girl, Ashley! Ashley talked about homeownership long before I was a Realtor. We discussed her options when I was doing Housing Counseling in South Dallas so to help her achieve her goal was awesome in its self. She had a goal and knew how she wanted to achieve it. The time had finally come and we were set with a limited schedule. She knew exactly what she wanted price and all.

Here’s a recap of her one year as a homeowner.

1. What type of home were you considering?

a. I was just looking for somewhere to live and the condo/townhouse was the most feasible option at that time.

2. What city did you purchase your home in?

a. Arlington, TX

3. Was it your first choice location? If not, what areas did you consider?

a. This was my only choice due to work not being far.

4. Now that you have lived in your city for a year, what is it that you like about your city?

a. I like that I’m able to get to my job in under an hour and that everything that I need is close by or within driving distance.

5. What attracted you to your neighborhood?

a. Work

6. What is something that you like about your neighborhood now that you have lived there for a year?

a. Location, Location, Location

 

a. Don’t wait till the last minute to purchase and ensure that you have all your ducks in a row financially. Get exactly what you want.

Serene Community at the Wildridge (Oak Point, TX)

This past week I was invited to a VIP Realtors’ Grand Opening for the Wildridge Community in Oak Point, Texas. Where’s Oak Point, you ask? Well it is just Little Elm’s quiet cousin to the northwest. This community is so serene in nature and environment. As the community’s website claims, “Tucked away in a pristine oasis created on the quiet peninsula of Lake Lewisville in one of the best school districts in Texas. Wildridge is a place where real friendships are born and grown, where walks and talks are part of every day living, and where life is surrounded by wide open spaces and natural rolling hills, blanketed with wildflowers and shady trees. It’s a spontaneous world of natural beauty, perfect for outdoor and waterfront lifestyle. With peaceful parks that inspire you to slow down and enjoy an authentic way of life. Wildridge, a place where you can enjoy the simple pleasures of life, naturally.”

How peaceful does that sound? The best part of this community that I love is that you are so close to everything but yet so far when it comes to the quiet peace of mind that your home gives. Check out the videos below as I talk about the grand opening and walk through one of the models.

 

Are you interested in this community? Let’s schedule a time to have a tour of the model homes of Plantation Homes, Highland Homes, or K. Hovnanian by contacting me at 972.813.9788 or [email protected]. I specialize in new home communities in Little Elm, Aubrey, and the surrounding areas.

FINISTER – One Year Review

Today marks the one year home anniversary of my clients, Jeremy and Chrishawn Finister. I checked in with the Finisters to get an update about their new city, new home, and life as a homeowner. Find out what advice they have for first time homebuyers below:

 

Finister Blog 2

 

Finister Blog

 

1. What type of home were you considering?
Honestly, we weren’t considering any home because we didn’t think we were able to buy because we didn’t have a large down payment.

2. What city did you purchase your home in?
Arlington, Texas

3. Was it your first choice location? If not, what areas did you consider?
Arlington was not our first choice. Prior to beginning the home buying process, we lived in The Lewisville area. All I had known since moving to Texas was Southern Denton county.

We also considered Grand Prairie and Cedar Hill for a quick second.

4. Now that you have lived in your city for a year, what is it that you like about your city?

Arlington is right in the middle of the metroplex. We are able to get to downtown Dallas for shows and concerts quickly. The location has been great for attending various activities. We also live close to the DFW airport.

5. What attracted you to your neighborhood?
Honestly, our realtor found the home for us. In the end, location was a priority as my husband works in Carrollton and I in Fort Worth. We needed a central location so we both could get to work with minimal commute time. Also, one of my co-workers had lived in the neighborhood for years and spoke highly of it. We went with faith!

6. What is something that you like about your neighborhood now that you have lived there for a year?

Our neighborhood is family oriented, quiet, and diverse. It’s a great place to raise our son. We also love being close to AT & T stadium, six flags, and the ball park.

7. What advice would you give a first time homebuyer?

Just be patient and open to new possibilities. The home buying process is an adventure…..lean in 🙂 I would have never imagined living in Arlington. However, it has been a greater blessing than we could have ever imagined.

What is a Pre-Approval and Why Do I Need One?

Approved

 

On a daily basis, I get emails, calls, and maybe texts from people wanting to go see homes or inquire about them. As an agent I give the basic information about a home but I know that person may have more questions about a specific home. When you are calling and inquiring about something, you are highly interested in it.

One question that leaves a lot of people baffled is the “Have you talked to a mortgage professional to see how much you could afford?” At times, the answer is no and when they find the right house they will speak to one.

That isn’t how it works especially in the Dallas – Fort Worth market. Homes sell in a day or two and the the buyer that was accepted usually has a pre-approval.

What is a pre-approval?

A pre-approval is a letter or serious content from a buyer and their lender. It shows the seller that you are a serious buyer and can afford to make an offer on their home at the agreed upon price.  With a pre-approval, the lender verifies the your information and documentation to determine exactly how much it would be willing to lend to that borrower. The documentation includes your credit report, last two federal tax returns, paycheck stubs, two months of bank statements on all accounts (checking/savings, 401K, IRA, other stocks and bonds), last two years of W-2s.

This isn’t a loan commitment but it does speed you up with the underwriting and mortgage loan process. This is in place to have your i’s dotted and your t’s crossed. You don’t want to look at homes that you love only to find out you cannot afford it.

Difference between pre-qualification and pre-approval.

A mortgage pre-qualification can be useful as an estimate of how much you can afford to spend on your home, but a pre-approval is much more valuable because this means the lender has actually checked your credit and verified your documentation to approve a specific loan amount (usually for a particular time period such as 90 days). Final loan approval occurs when you have an appraisal done and the loan is applied to a particular property. (Investopedia)

Gives you a chance to form a timeline and fix errors or issues on credit. 

Getting pre-approved before you shop for a loan also allows buyers time to fix unexpected errors on their credit reports. Don’t wait until your lease is up or when the landlord decides to sell the home before you start looking into getting pre-approved. Give yourself at least a few month’s advantage. The lender will be able to tell you what you need to do to qualify and what to work on.

 

Overall a pre-approval helps you stay in your lane on your affordability. Lenders will give you a pre-approval based on your income and debts. However, other things that are not reported on your credit report such as child care, tithing, money borrowed from your uncle, cable, car/life insurance, etc, are not being calculated into your pre-approval. This is where you do a sit down and work out how much you can afford to pay each month. If you know realistically, you can only afford $1200/month in mortgage, ask your lender to give you a pre-approval based on that amount (if your pre-approval is estimating a higher mortgage payment).

Pre-approvals show that you are a serious buyer looking to purchase a home in the near future. It’s okay to look at homes but make sure you have your finances in order to be able to be considered to purchase the property that you love. In this Dallas market, it may only be available today. That may be your one time only.

 

 

For more information about the Dallas – Fort Worth real estate market, contact me at [email protected] or 972.813.9788.