Is Pre-Approval a Must for Buying a Home?

Whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or a veteran of the process, you’re aware that making a home purchase takes time and legalease. Anything you can do to speed up the process is a huge help, and one of the biggest first steps that you can take is seeking pre-approval for your home mortgage. Pre-approval is a guarantee from a lender that you can finance an offer on a home (up to a certain value and with a specified interest rate). This makes you a serious buyer and moves you to the front of the list when making an offer on the home you want. Pre-approval is a must for getting the home you’re after. (more…)

Stage Your Home, Inside and Out

You may fashion yourself an amateur Joanna Gaines, or you may not know the first thing about interior design. Either way, you probably know that staging is a crucial part of selling your home. Even if it’s not a skill that you feel like you have personally, you can still rely on the help of a professional to stage your home. The proper staging during an open house can make a huge difference when it comes to drumming up interest in your home, and the asking price that you can set. Here are some home staging basics to help you get ready to sell. (more…)

Why You Should Call Omaha Home

As metropolitan populations continue to grow around the country, the cost of living has risen steadily. Large markets are more expensive than ever, while the job opportunities in these places no longer outpace those in other areas. Value is important when you’re searching for a house, and more importantly, a place to call home. There are many factors to consider when choosing a place where you’ll raise a family, build a career, and establish a life. Cost, opportunity, safety, and culture are all important. It’s time to learn how Omaha checks all of those boxes. (more…)

Are You the “Perfect” Homebuyer?

If you’ve never purchased a home before, you probably have a lot of questions and expectations. You may have heard numbers thrown around in regards to the credit score and need and the percentage of a down payment that you need to get started. While your credit score and down payment do play a role in the terms of the loan you receive, the criteria for buying a home may not be as strict as you’d think. You actually don’t need to be the “perfect” homebuyer to purchase a property. You may already be ready. (more…)

Never Bought a House Before? That’s Okay

Many people who actually want to begin the homebuying process don’t do so because they’re intimidated by the whole thing. It’s understandable. The homebuying process for first-time buyers can feel complex, exhausting, and frustrating. (It can feel that way for veteran buyers too.) If you need a roadmap to help you get started, that’s perfectly okay. In this week’s blog, you can find a rough outline of steps that you should take as you prepare to begin the homebuying process. You’re in the right place! (more…)

Determining Your Homeowner Wants vs. Needs

One of life’s great struggles is accurately differentiating between your wants and needs. In any given situation, you probably have a list of things you absolutely need, and a much longer list of things that you want. Being able to distinguish between the two is vital during the home search. Any feature that your prospective home has is a feature that you’ll be paying for. That’s why it’s important to know exactly what you’re looking for in your new home. When you start with a list of needs, you’ll be less likely to overpay for your new home. (more…)

Attract More Potential Buyers to Your Open House

An open house is an incredibly useful tool at your disposal when you want to sell your home. An open house allows you to show off the best features of your home and get people excited about the property. When you have multiple interested parties, you’re more likely to get an offer at or above asking price. (An open house also forces you to clean and organize your house before you get ready to move!) You may have your home staged and your cheese tray purchased, but how can you be sure that people will actually come? Are are some tips to help you attract more potential buyers to your open house. (more…)

How to Build Credit Before Buying a Home

If you’re not a personal finance nerd, making a foray into the world of personal credit and home financing can feel a little overwhelming. You probably just want to buy a home. Having a good credit score will be a huge ally in the process! You can begin building, repairing, or improving your credit score by taking some simple steps. If you’re not trying to buy a home in the immediate future, this is actually the perfect time to start focusing on your credit! It takes time to build a strong credit score, and the steps you take don’t have to be complicated. (more…)

What Features Will You Actually Use in a Home?

The homebuying process is at both times a wonderful, open-ended experience, and a tedious search for a needle in a haystack. In theory, you’ll get to choose the perfect home of your dreams that comes in under budget. In practice, you’ll likely have to compromise, and the process can be long. It’s important that as you make your home wishlist, you think about the features that will actually use in your new home. Make sure you don’t miss out on an ideal home for you and your family because you’re being stubborn about a particular feature that you might not even use! Here are a list of features to consider as you search for your new home. (more…)

Can Buyers Picture Themselves Living in Your Home?

Everyone likes feeling “at home.” Your home is where you’re comfortable. It’s where you make memories with your family. Evoking those sensations is a huge asset when it comes to selling your home. You have to make sure that prospective buyers can actually picture themselves living in your home. A buyers that you don’t know won’t have the same emotional attachment to your home as you do. When you stage your home for showings, you need to make sure that your home feels comfortable, but not too lived in. Here are some tips to help prospective buyers feel at home. (more…)