Category: Uncategorized
How much do you really need for a down payment to purchase a home?
There is a common misconception among first-time homebuyers that they need a 20% down payment to purchase a home. This is not true, and a home buyer can purchase a home with as little as 3% down (0% for VA loans). There are also down payment assistance programs that can completely cover a buyer’s... Read More
Good, clean jokes.
Ready for the holiday parties? Need to break the ice? Try these out… I wanted to grow my own food, but I couldn’t find any bacon seeds. I can’t believe I forgot to go to the gym today. That’s 7 years in a row now. I’ve got no home, no control, and I can’t see... Read More
Mini-Procrastination Hacks
There is evidence for something called the Zeigarnik Effect, which is an intrusive cognitive “need” to complete a task once it has been started. The uncomfortable cognitive struggle is only terminated once a person returns to the task. Now you know why you feel distracted when you procrastinate; it literally causes a physiological drag on... Read More
“Thank you for__________”
Reminders are nothing new. We’ve been tying strings to our fingers, wearing bands on our wrists, carrying worry stones, and counting Rosary beads for centuries. The purpose of these tools is to tie a physical sensation to a thought in order to induce the thought whenever you feel the sensation. Here’s a special use of... Read More
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Real Estate Agent to Help Us Buy?
If you’re a home buyer, the services of most real estate agents are free to you. Why is that? It’s because the seller’s real estate brokerage pays the fees of the buyer’s agent. In other words, the seller pays for the services of their own real estate broker, and then that broker compensates the buyer’s... Read More
Order Early! Gifts under $10 they’ll actually use!
A hobby-themed or jewelry thumb drive/USB drive. USB drives come in themes! Fill it with photos, reports, or other electronic data of interest to your receiver. A subscription to a paper magazine. There’s still something satisfying about flipping through pages. Google ‘magazine subscriptions.’ Buy a copy from the store, then put their subscription notice inside.... Read More
Print Your Own Home!
We’re all familiar with the typical “wood studs and plywood” construction of homes. But homes of the future will take advantage of innovations in materials and construction approaches to provide greener, faster, cheaper, and more flexible options. Concrete, long considered a gray, inflexible substance is being used in exciting ways. For instance, the company Sollars... Read More
5 Tips for Maximizing Small Kitchen Space
If you have a small kitchen, here are 5 ideas for maximizing space: 1. Use your oven for storage. You can store your baking dishes, cookie sheets, cooling racks, and muffins tins in the oven. Remember take them out before you turn the oven on! 2. Install hooks wherever you can. Use a hanging pot... Read More
A Special Halloween Message from your Phoenix Realtor, Scot Sidener
**equal housing opportunity** To Start your home search, just use the box above! Read More
Am I Approved or only Pre-Approved?
In the past (before 2006), borrowers could make offers on houses with nothing more than a note from their lender stating they’ve been pre-qualified. That meant the lender spoke to them and thought they were a pretty good bet. Later, lenders began to pre-approve borrowers. That meant they’d gone beyond a friendly chat and actually... Read More