Seller Intelligence

Oct. 5, 2016

The Home Equity Playbook

What is Home Equity?

Home equity seems to be a very simple calculation — the total amount of mortgages owed subtracted from the current market value of a home. Here is a simple example:

Current Home Market Value $325,000

Existing Mortgage $225,000

Homeowner Equity $100,000

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Sept. 10, 2016

8 Smart Home Technology Trends that Can Save You Money

The ‘smart home’ is the new ‘internet of things’, or objects that can serve you better by communicating with each other or directly with you through apps on your smart phone. In the ideal version of the wired future, all of our appliances and gadgets talk to each other …

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Sept. 8, 2016

Closing Costs Explained

Just like other fields, real estate has its own jargon. People in the industry throw around abbreviations and nicknames all the time:

FIZZBO (for sale by owner)

Transaction (when a home is under contract)

FHA or RD (Government backed loan programs)

Seller carry (when the …

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July 18, 2016

Should You Buy a New or Existing Home?

Maybe your dream home has the intricate details that you usually find only in older construction - wainscoting and crown molding in the interior, the front porch with a swing, an older tree shading the back yard, and the white picket fence.

 

Or maybe your dream …

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April 8, 2016

How to Amp Up The Resale Value of Your Home

Whether you're definitely putting your home on the market this year or in the next five years, it is a smart decision to start building your home's resale value now. Here are some ways to create a comfortable home while making it easier to put more money into your …

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Feb. 4, 2016

Top Montana Homeowner Tax Deductions That Decrease Your Tax Burden

You can't avoid paying taxes, and we all need to pay our fair share. However, paying your fair share shouldn't place an unjust burden on you. As a Montana homeowner, your tax burden is doubled because you pay both income and property taxes. To decrease that burden and …

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Dec. 15, 2015

What a Fed Rate Increase Actually Means...In Layman's Terms

December Fed Rate HikeThe greatly anticipated rate hike is coming....likely tomorrow, December 16, 2015. Putting aside the buzz and confusion, here's an explanation to some of the terms being thrown around as well as what's due to happen in layman's terms:

What does "Fed funds" rate even mean?

According to Lou …

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Jan. 14, 2015

Part 1: Selling? What to Keep and What to Toss

This is part one in a multi-part series. Number of parts to be determined by my desire to write more parts.

Now, on to the disclaimer: This post assumes you have already decided to yes, definitely sell your house. This post also assumes you don't have gobs of money …

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Dec. 30, 2014

Sell Faster With A Staged Home

 

Buyers shop for homes using logic and buy a home using emotion.

If you've ever purchased a home before, heck if you've even gone house shopping and not bought one, you know the drill:

Funny smells, strange 70's furniture, knick-knacks everywhere. Walking into a …

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Nov. 12, 2014

Where's Your Agent?

Where's your agent?Does this sound familiar?
"I've had my house listed for almost three (or six or nine) months and absolutely nothing has happened. I haven't even heard from my real estate agent in weeks."
Sometimes, for some agents, its all about the listing. Once it's …
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