The Lender Says You Can – But Should You?

With interest rates at all-time lows, your choice of Tamaqua homes has expanded. Even if your income hasn't changed, you can now afford a much larger or nicer home than you could have afforded a few years ago – but should you?

 

Your lender is looking at the monthly payment and saying yes or no, but there are two reasons to look beyond that approval:

 

First, the lender doesn't know what else is important in your life. He or she doesn’t know if you look forward to an exotic vacation every year, or if you want to send your kids to expensive summer camps, or even if you love to indulge in four-star dining every Saturday night.

 

Before you agree that you can afford a specific monthly payment, look at it in the context of the ways in which you enjoy spending your money. Then decide what you want to afford.

 

Second, there's much more to the cost of home ownership than the payment, the taxes, and the insurance. There's upkeep to consider, and the larger the home, the more upkeep it will require.

 

You need to keep money on hand for emergencies like the furnace or air conditioning going out, and also for routine maintenance such as carpet cleaning and repainting now and then.

Think about this: If your new home has a large yard, will you have time to maintain the landscaping, or will you need to hire someone? If it has a 2-story entryway, will you be able to change the light bulbs in that beautiful chandelier, or will you need to hire someone? If it has four bathrooms will you have time to keep them all clean, or will you need to hire someone?

 

When you're ready for a new home in Tamaqua, or if you'd just like to know how our market is doing, get in touch.

 

I'll be glad to show you the market trends and show you what's available in Tamaqua today. And when you're ready for that new home, I promise to respect what YOU want to pay. I'll never urge you to spend more. 

Design flaws that can make you hate your kitchen…

Unless you eat out and only use your kitchen to store snacks, it's probably one of the most important rooms in your house. It's a well-known fact that a beautiful kitchen really catches a buyer's interest.

 

That's why sellers often do a little remodeling or upgrading before offering their Tamaqua homes for sale.

 

Sometimes, in their efforts to make the room visually appealing, they make mistakes that ruin the kitchen's functionality.

 

Here are a few of the problems that can make you hate your kitchen:

 

Too few drawers, or misplaced drawers. A whole lot of things that belong in the kitchen do best in drawers.

 

Flatware and cooking utensils come to mind, along with items like storage bags, plastic wrap, and kitchen towels. Further, these drawers need to be handy to the areas where their contents will be used. A utensil drawer on the other side of the room from the range or primary work surface will be an annoyance.

 

Cabinets over the sink. Most kitchen sinks are positioned beneath a window, but sometimes that's not possible. Cabinets of standard height will be "in your face" and obstruct your view of the sink.

 

Upper cabinets too shallow. Those upper cabinets should be deep enough to house a good sized dinner plate, so if in doubt, measure. Uppers should be at least 12" deep.

 

Poorly placed dishwasher. The dishwasher should be right next to the sink – not 2 or 3 feet (or more) away. In addition, the dishwasher door should NOT block your access to the sink when open. That sounds like a no-brainer, but some people really do place them at a right angle.

 

Poor ventilation. Check to see that the stove, oven, and microwave are vented outside – not into the attic and not back into the kitchen.

 

Too few electrical outlets. Your home inspector will check to see that the circuits are proper for the appliances in the kitchen, and will check to see that the outlets are GFCI's - but might not pay attention to how many outlets are located above the work areas.

 

Are there outlets where you might want to plug in a crock pot, a fryer, a mixer, a toaster, or a coffee pot?

 

Backsplashes that are impossible to clean. Some surfaces look beautiful when new, but once they've been spattered with grease or splashed with cake batter from a raised mixer, they're terrible. Check for non-porous, smooth surfaces that will stand up under vigorous scrubbing.

 

Counter tops that burn or stain easily. Counter tops in well-used kitchens take a lot of abuse, so check to see that the materials used can stand the pressure.

 

When you're ready to find that new home in Tamaqua, get in touch. I'll be happy to show you what's available in your price range. And as we're searching for your perfect home, if I notice any design flaws that you miss, I'll point them out.

 

My goal is to help you find a home that you'll love for many years to come.

The game has changed for Tamaqua home buyers and home sellers…

If you've purchased and/or sold a home in the past, you may think you understand the whole process, but chances are, you don't. 

Everything has changed, here in Tamaqua and across the country.

After the mortgage crisis, both lenders and lawmakers got busy trying to take steps to prevent the same thing from happening again. As you no doubt know, fingers were pointing in every direction, trying to lay the blame somewhere.

That's when lenders stopped being able to call in trusted appraisers who knew their neighborhoods – and instead had to settle for whoever a 3^rdparty decided to assign. The resulting appraisals have often been a nightmare for buyers, sellers, and their agents.

Good faith estimates changed, got new names, and became incomprehensible to many. Some lenders used the new forms, plus their old forms, so borrowers could understand the numbers. Then they changed again, and more regulations were added.

Lending standards tightened up so severely for a little while that some feared only the very wealthy would ever be able to purchase a home again. Fortunately, the standards have eased up a bit and mortgages with low down payments are once again available.

Since those first changes, things have changed again and again, so lenders have to stay on their toes to keep up with regulations and lending guidelines.

In addition, the way homes are marketed and the way buyers find homes has been influenced more and more by the Internet.

It's become ever more important for a home to be represented on the Internet with quality photographs, and plenty of them. And in spite of that, it's more difficult for buyers to find the home they want on line, simply because so much of the information is inaccurate.

Both homes listed with agents and For Sale by Owner homes are syndicated to dozens of websites where buyers go to search – and that information isn't always kept up-to-date. 

A searcher might find the same house listed by 2 agents at different prices – because old listings are still there from years ago. They might also find a home that seems to suit them perfectly, only to learn that it was sold a year ago.

The result: It's more important than ever to have a reliable lender and a real estate agent who not only works hard on your behalf, but stays current with the pricing and inventory in your area.

When you're ready to buy or sell here in Tamaqua, call me. In addition to putting all my resources and knowledge to work in helping you find a home or sell your home, I can refer you to the best lenders in our area.

Remove the stress from your move to a new Tamaqua home

Most people dread moving, even while excited over living in a new home. The packing and the confusion that comes with finding things at your destination and putting them in their proper places can be stressful.

You can make it easier on yourself, and turn moving into an exciting adventure by doing some advance planning, and some careful packing.

Give yourself an advantage by:

• Preparing well in advance, by stocking up on sturdy boxes, packaging materials to protect fragile items, packaging tape, and marking pens
• Visiting the post office for forms to forward your mail and change of address notices to send for subscriptions, etc.
• Making a complete list of people and places you need to call to discontinue service in your old home and connect service in your new home
• Packing what you can in advance - for instance, seasonal items and other things you don't use every day, like your photo albums, books, and collectibles
• Clearly labeling each box as it is packed – in addition to the contents, note the room where each box should be placed upon arrival
• Using a bold marking pen, so you can easily read the destination for each box

If you're moving out the area:

• Visit your doctors, dentists, veterinarians, etc. to get records that will need to go to medical providers in your new city.
• Call your credit card companies to alert them to the move – you don't want them to shut down your cards because charges are suddenly coming from a new area!

Remember to pack a "Survival kit" – these are the items you'll want on hand the day you arrive in your new home. They should go with you, not with the movers, so you won't have any trouble locating them. They're also the things you'll need if you happen to arrive ahead of the moving van!

Food and drink: Make a list of perishables and cold drinks that you'll want to put in a cooler at the last minute.

Then box up the rest of the survival kit. You might want a pan to heat a can of soup, plus plates, bowls, and utensils. What about your coffee pot and coffee mugs? If you have pets, pack feeding dishes and enough food to last a day or two until everything is unpacked.

Next, pack a roll or two of paper towels and toilet paper, dish soap, hand soap, lotion, a bucket, cleaning supplies, and some light bulbs. Just because the new home looks clean doesn't mean you won't want to wipe out the cabinets and refrigerator before unpacking your dishes and food.

Pack your suitcases with a couple of clothing changes for each family member, plus towels, bedding, bath soap, shampoo, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and "extras" of your essential toiletries.

You can pack those items ahead of time and put them by the door or in the trunk of your car, so you don't have to think about them again. 

When you're ready to find that new home, get in touch. I'll be happy to help you find just the right home here in Tamaqua, or to help you find just the right buyer so you can be off on your next adventure.