by Sistar Mortgage Team | Jan 21, 2020 | First-time Homebuyer, Real Estate and Home Tips
When you think about it, those in the industry often don’t do a great job in explaining aspects of homeownership not in their purview For some it seems like a no-brainer. Renting a home feels like throwing money away, offering no sense of ownership whatsoever....
by Sistar Mortgage Team | Aug 21, 2019 | FHA/VA, First-time Homebuyer, Purchase Process
Does it make sense to waive a home inspection to strengthen an offer? Okay. It may sound bureaucratic and boring. But there are a number of precautionary contractual conditions for any purchase agreement recommended by the Realtor community that protects homebuyers...
by Sistar Mortgage Team | Aug 21, 2019 | Credit
You’re ready to buy a home and just met with your lender. You already know there may be some issues you have to deal with before making offers, including documenting income, showing cash reserves, etc. You also know you behaved less than perfectly with credit cards...
by Sistar Mortgage Team | Jun 17, 2019 | Credit, Investment Property, Real Estate and Home Tips
Using Instagram to draw homebuyer interest Published Date 6/14/2019 You’re seeing it all over Facebook. Your Realtor friends are posting friendly little glimpses of a home they are trying to sell, inviting you to their next open house. But what if you are...
by Sistar Mortgage Team | Jun 17, 2019 | Real Estate and Home Tips
When you bought the place, it was a blissful move up to a larger home, where all your kids had their own rooms, and there was no fighting over who got the bathroom. But what about the newly vacant nest? Just when you got the house paid off you discovered missing your...
by Sistar Mortgage Team | May 23, 2019 | Real Estate and Home Tips
Solid surface countertops. They no doubt started long ago, when cavemen laid large flat stones on a raised surface to make tools. Of course, back then, maintenance and cleanliness were not big concerns. For some time now, the most popular solid surface countertops...
by Sistar Mortgage Team | May 23, 2019 | Credit, First-time Homebuyer, Investment Property, Purchase Process, Real Estate and Home Tips
The 10-year is back to 2.39%, mortgages essentially unchanged for the last three weeks. Today’s rate “drop” — down by 0.035% — began first thing this morning, entirely in place by the release of the Fed’s meeting minutes. The minutes themselves caused a...
by Sistar Mortgage Team | May 9, 2019 | Credit, First-time Homebuyer, Real Estate and Home Tips
In the news is the announcement of Modus, a Seattle-based real estate technology start-up that applies the latest in software to title and escrow operations announces the launch of its unique Digital Earnest Money Deposit feature. This is especially important to...
by Sistar Mortgage Team | May 9, 2019 | Purchase Process, Real Estate and Home Tips
If you are selling your home and getting it appraised either for your own knowledge or for the next buyer’s lender, there are things about a house that are easy to place a value on: bedroom and bath count, property size, distance to public transportation, and square...
by Sistar Mortgage Team | Apr 8, 2019 | Credit, First-time Homebuyer, Purchase Process
Look at this as a business proposition first and foremost by scrutinizing the proximity and access to basic services regarding health, supply, security, and transport. There is a good deal of emotion wrapped up in buying a home. Determining where we will spend the...
