McAllen Real Estate Podcast with Deldi Ortegon Deldi Ortegon

It’s important to talk to a lender before even considering a home purchase. Buying a home? Search all Greater McAllen Area homes for sale Selling your Greater McAllen Area home? Get a free home value report One of the first things we ask homebuyers is where they’re looking to buy a home. Next, we ask what their price point is. The best way to figure out your price point is to talk to a lender first; they’ll figure out if you’ll be paying cash or financing. Most people choose the financing route. Even if you’ve already spoken with your lender, you should always get a second opinion. I’ve brought in Ricardo Torres of Willow Bend Mortgage to explain more about why it’s important to talk to lenders. You won’t know if you can buy your dream home until you get pre-qualified. A lender makes sure you’re pre-qualified so when you’re ready to buy your home, it’ll happen without a hitch. Willow Bend Mortgage has an app where buyers can check price points, get ideas on pricing, and apply for a mortgage loan. This application takes around five to 10 minutes and allows you to upload paycheck stubs, W-2s, and bank statements: the meat and potatoes of applying for a loan. It also integrates your real estate agent’s information throughout the process. Even if you’ve already spoken with your lender, you should always get a second opinion. If you’d like to contact Ricardo, you can reach him at 956-739-5440. If you’re looking to buy or sell a home, have any questions, or are looking for more information, feel free to reach out to me. I look forward to hearing from you.

When looking for your next home, it's important to be able to separate your wants from your needs.  Buying a home? Search all Greater McAllen Area homes for sale Selling your Greater McAllen Area home? Get a free home value report When you're looking for a home to buy, it's important to determine both what you need and what you want. Oftentimes, we see homebuyers confuse the two. One of the first things you need to do is get pre-qualified for a mortgage because most sellers won't even entertain an offer if you don't have a letter of pre-qualification. It also helps narrow your search by keeping you from wasting time looking at homes you can't afford.  Once you've been pre-qualified, you want to sit down and write out your wants and needs. Your needs list might include a two-car garage, a large yard, a nice school district, and three bedrooms. These items should be non-negotiable, meaning you won't even look at homes that don't fulfill your needs. Most of your wants will be cosmetic things that can be added later. Most of your wants are cosmetic. You might want granite or quartz countertops, but a home not having them shouldn't be a deal-breaker. They can always be added later. That's why you need to determine which items you can and can't live without. Examine homes that fill all your needs before you start considering your wants. If you have any questions about this step or you're thinking about selling or investing in real estate, give us a call or send us an email. We'd love to hear from you!

If you’re looking to buy a home this year, you need to start these five habits right now.  Buying a home? Search all Greater McAllen Area homes for sale Selling your Greater McAllen Area home? Get a free home value report If you vowed to buy a home this year, it’s time to get moving. Even if you’re months away from hiring an agent and looking at houses, there are things you need to do right now to make your dream of homeownership come true. In fact, there are five habits you need to start now to ensure a smooth transition from renting to owning a home. Always be ready when you have the opportunity to lock down that perfect home.      1. Automate your down payment savings.      2. Build your credit and keep it clear.      3. Practice living on a budget.      4. Get your tools and make repairs.      5. Prepare to pounce on a great deal. As always, if you’re looking to buy, sell, or invest in real estate, please feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you! 

Today I want to share three tips that will help your home sell as quickly as possible. Buying a home? Search all Greater McAllen Area homes for sale Selling your Greater McAllen Area home? Get a free home value report How can you sell your home as fast as possible in 2017? While many factors that affect how long it takes to sell a home are beyond your control, there are some things you can do to speed up the sale. One of the best things you can do in order to sell faster is price your home competitively. Your home is going to sell much faster if you price on the lower end of the average prices in your area. Additionally, pricing your home competitively could spark a bidding war, ultimately driving up your sales price. Complete any repairs that need to be done prior to listing. Completing any repairs that need to be done is also going to help keep your home from sitting on the market too long. Sprucing up your home prior to putting it on the market is just as important as actually listing it. Buyers are going to be able to tell if you let a few projects go unfinished. Lastly, make sure the home is staged and decluttered. This last tip is incredibly important because staged homes sell 88% faster and for more money than non-staged homes. If you're looking to buy, sell, or invest in real estate, feel free to give us a call. We'd be glad to help!

Professional photography is the most critical piece of your home’s marketing because professional photos sell homes. How? We’ll go over that today. Buying a home? Search all Greater McAllen Area homes for sale Selling your Greater McAllen Area home? Get a free home value report Professional photography is one of the most critical pieces of your home’s marketing and, ultimately, its sale. Why?  In today’s market, 90% to 95% of buyers start their home search online. If they don’t like what they see, then you won’t get them in the door. In fact, a few bad pictures of your home might take your property totally off of a buyer’s radar.  Today’s buyer wants to see your home in perfect condition online, which means that professional photographs will help you get the right buyer in the door and help you sell your home.  Over 90% of today’s buyers start their home search online. That is why we have a professional photographer and videographer on our team. We know that buyers love photos and videos and that professional photos and videos sell homes.  If you have any questions about professional photography or about preparing your home for the market, just give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

We know this time of year can get very busy, so we just wanted to take a moment to wish you happy holidays!   Buying a home? Search all Greater McAllen Area homes for sale Selling your Greater McAllen Area home? Get a free home value report Friends,  We know this time of year can get very busy, so we just wanted to take a moment to wish you happy holidays!  We’d like to take a minute to thank you for your continued support this year. We wouldn’t be where we are today without you. It has been our pleasure to help make your real estate dreams come true.  We hope you enjoy this holiday season and make some wonderful memories with your friends and family. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.  Remember, we are always here to help you in any way we can. Just give us a call.  Happy Holidays!