We'd love to tell you that nothing will go wrong in your real estate transaction, but there are so many things out of our control. However, we will tell you that we can deal successfully with 99.9% of the problems that could arise. (Success being defined as completing the closing on your house.)

There are events that commonly "go wrong" that aren't really "wrong", but they add a bit more stress to the process. In recent years the most stressful step has become awaiting the appraisal from the lender. Back in the boom years this was a slam dunk. Appraisers would appraise homes for at or above what the buyer had offered to pay for it. However, now that we've gotten ourselves in a bit of a pickle with home values, this process has become a bit more regulated.

Appraisers are now kept at an arms length from the lenders and lenders no longer get to pick and choose which appraiser will appraise each house. (Lenders can pick which appraisers are on their rotating list, but not which person appraises each house.) How does this impact you? Well, the appraiser looks at location, square footage, amenities, and condition.  If the person who appraises your home in a city neighborhood has only previously appraised suburban homes, they may not understand that homes on the east side of Point A are more desirable and therefore shouldn't be compared to homes on the west side of Point A. This would dramatically drop the homes value.

So, how do we help with this process? We work with lenders who have carefully selected their appraisers so that they have experience and knowledge of the entire the metro area. And we offer documentation of comparable properties sold to the appraiser for their records.

You will also have the opportunity to see for yourself what the comparable properties are. When you are determining the price you are going to offer for your new home, you will look at what has sold in the area and in comparable neighborhoods. You will know if your offer may be bumping up against upper end of what the market is currently holding.

Our promise to you is always to minimize surprises along the way...
 

Buying and selling real estate is always a bit of a roller coaster. However, it is my job to make sure that you don't experience anything too rough along the way.

Let's say everything goes perfectly when you buy your home. You find the house of your dreams in your price range and in the neighborhood you love. The inspection comes back with a simple reminder to change the furnace filter and change the locks when you move in. You even have stellar water pressure on the 3rd floor of your 100 year old house! Your appraisal comes in just a bit higher than the price you are paying, confirming that you got a good deal on a great house. The title to the home is free and clear - no unpaid roofer to throw a wrench in the works. You close without a hitch...

Everything goes as smoothly as possible...

You still have to MOVE. Packing, finding movers/friends, praying for partly cloudy day with 0% humidity, leaving a home or apartment that surely has at least a few good memories... 

There are bound to be a few anxious moments along with excitement and joy. 

It's the ride that makes being in the real estate business so much fun!

It's a great time to buy.

It's not a great time to sell.

The interest rates are at never to be repeated lows.

Sure, but is it time for YOU to buy a new house? Maybe. Maybe not.

Deciding when to take the leap into home ownership is always difficult. Are you sure you're ready to stay in the same town for the next 5 years? Do you go to open houses for fun every weekend? Are you ready to mow the lawn every week - or pay to have it done fore you? Are you itching to dig your own garden?Are you ready to deal with squirrels in the attic? Does the thought of painting the walls of your home the colors YOU love make everything worth it? 

The decision is always a bit of financial wisdom mixed with a bit of dreaming. And you don't need to have come to a clear answer before consulting a real estate agent. Their job is to help you make the best decision for you and your family.

I often don't get to meet buyers until they've found the house they'll be buying, so I miss out on the deciding. But I hear Beth helping our clients come to all sorts of conclusions. 

My ride with clients doesn't begin until the roller coaster half way through the ride.....

To refresh... what you learned in a past post - I worked in education and real estate has a LOT of paperwork.

As a real estate assistant for Beth, my role is a bit different than that of the average assistant. Beyond the managing of the paperwork, I help guide all of our buyers through the process of buying a new home, I'm charged with our website design and updating, and try to be Beth's right hand. It's a lot more details than that, but that gets boring to talk about. Basically the above 3 things are my favorite pieces of the work.

Of course, I'm more than my job. I actually took this job because I wanted to be more than my job. Teaching and running a school had become all consuming and I wanted to make sure that I kept some of me to go home to.

The details of the job do tend to follow me home. Cannot tell you how many mornings I wake up with a partial list running through my head - call Mary about her appraisal, make sure Grace heard from the listing agent with the code to get in for the inspection, update the website, edit photos of new home for Jim, check in with Village Title about the closing for Friday...

But a quick scribble of the list and I can enjoy my coffee and know that I can handle the day ahead without worry...

I've been here at Moving to Minnesota, or "GoodMorningBethRichardson'sOfficeHowCanIHelpYou?", for just over 2 years. It's been quite a ride.

I came from years in education as a middle school  teacher, charter school administrator, and trainer of service-learning for college and university professors. I'd hit a burnout patch and was looking for a change. My only experience with real estate was from our home purchase in 2005. But, I knew I wanted to work for Beth. Our experience working with her was smooth and really kind of fun and I've always loved poking around online looking at houses. And so I leapt...

My first thought when I began - paperwork.

My thoughts for the first few months - seriously - paperwork.

My thoughts to this day - Really? more paperwork!

Yes, buying a home involves lots and lots of paperwork. Managing the purchase and sale of 75+  homes a year involves a ridiculous amount of paperwork. However, no more paperwork than needed to run a school. 

I'm on it!

Hello again!

I've returned to the land of blogging for Moving to Minnesota. My hope is that this becomes a source of fun and information for you in your search for a new home...