There are some people who are not comfortable traveling at this time or simply cannot. If you are one of those people, you can still have a vacation at home. Or like the cool kids like to call it, a “staycation.” If you have kids and want to make it special and fun for them, we have some ideas for you! And if you have any other ideas, we would love to hear them!

As a kid, I remember loving to camp in the backyard! I know it might sound a silly, but it can be so much fun! Build a tent and campfire in your backyard yard. Be sure to get graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows…s’mores! If you do not want to sleep outside, that’s okay. I bet that kids would love to! You could also camp out in your living room. This might be a little more messy but the kids would have a lot of fun. You could turn some furniture and blankets into a tent! Eat your meals on a picnic blanket on the ground. It can be fun!

Another thing you could do, which may be fun either way, is to rearrange your furniture in the living room or your kids rooms. It would make you both feel like you are somewhere else!

You could also have a “theme” night with your kids. There are so many options! Each family member could pick the theme they want and plan that day/night to what would make them the most happy.

Another idea is to go somewhere new outside in nature! Simply type in “nature place” in your google maps to figure out somewhere that might be new and fun for you all.

As you can see, there are many options to make a staycation exciting and fun!

This is such a strange time to do anything in, we understand that and agree with you completely. But we are unable to put our life on hold and not have contact with anyone during this time. With that being said, a lot of people are moving during this strange time. While we are all trying to limit the amount of contact we have with other people, we cannot cut that off completely either. We have some ideas for you in order for you to feel safe and secure from other people’s germs.

When it comes to deciding how to make your move happen, you have a few options. The first is to do it all yourself. This is somewhat unlikely unless you have a minimal amount of items to move or have time on your side. It is, however, the safest option. While most people will not be able to opt for this, you then have the option of having some family and friends help you move or hire a moving company. If you decide to hire a moving company, you can ask what their new procedures are when it comes to safety precautions and spreading germs.

This might sound a little counterintuitive in a way, but we would recommend you deep clean your home before moving day. If you deep clean, you will then be preventing the amount of germs that will be moved into your new home. If you decide to hire a cleaning company for this, ask them what their procedures are when it pertains to limiting the spread. Deep cleaning and disinfecting also holds true when it comes to unpacking. It might actually be a good idea to disinfect again after your moving company or helping hands leave as well.

As long as you play things smart and are conscientious about who is helping you, all will be okay!

Rental properties can be excellent investments – especially at a time when having different sources of income is a good idea.

If you are new to rental properties, whether it is long term or short term, we will give you some ideas how to get the house ready!

To start, it might be common sense, but we want to remind you of the importance of a deep cleaning! This is above and beyond regular cleaning. Some ideas are: cleaning carpets, changing air filters, scrubbing doors and baseboards, cleaning behind and under furniture, cleaning air vents, etc. There are a lot of areas you might not think of to clean. A professional cleaning company will be very helpful in making sure everything is cleaning and sanitized.

Another tip is to inspect everything and anything! If you do not feel comfortable doing this, you can hire a professional who would be happy to do it. Everything in the home needs to be inspected and made sure it all works properly and in good shape. For example, does both the heating and cooling on the HVAC unit work? Does the hot water get hot? Does the refrigerator make ice and keep food cool and frozen? Is there mold anywhere that needs to be taken care of? Are all of the windows sealed properly? These are just a handful of items that need to be looked at.

It would be nice to spruce things up a bit! This can include: a fresh coat of paint, plant some flowers outside, update fixtures, etc. You do not have to spend a lot of money on this but any little bit would help.

One final tip is to make sure things in the home are safe! A fire extinguisher should be available somewhere, for example. Check to make sure the smoke detectors all work properly. Another thought is so change the locks.

Can you think of any other tips to make a home ready for renters?

With where the world is at right now, things in all areas of life are different, as we are sure you experience on a daily basis. Real estate is an area that has been affected big time! The demand for homes continues to skyrocket – especially with mortgages being at one of the lowest we have seen in quite some time.

If you are on the market to sell your home during this interesting time, we have some tips for you.

To start with, take tours virtual! Just like virtual learning and virtual meetings, tours can be made virtual very easily. You can have your walkthrough be a live 3-d recorded tour and the potential buyer does not even have to step inside! Have you seen one of these types of tours before? They are very neat!

Whether you are doing the tour in personal or virtual, staging your home is a very important part of the process. If you are opting for virtual tours, you can actually hire a company to virtual stage your home as well. Yes, you heard that right! There are professionals who can add decorations, pillows, art pieces, plants, etc. right into your virtual tour video.

With the extra time at home, you can also transform unused spaces or upgrade used areas. This might give potential buyers more ideas and ways they can utilize your beautiful home.

If you do decide to have potential buyers in your home, you can encourage people entering to take their shoes off and put on a pair of booties you provide for them. You can also offer sanitizer around the home. You can also mention to please try not to touch surfaces in the home. Before and after someone enters your home, you can be sure to clean and sanitize everything appropriately.

Although this is an uncertain time, it is also an exciting time for potential buyers and sellers!

Last week we went over the importance of working with a realtor and other professionals when purchasing a home. We also went over the first couple of steps in the process. Today, we will finish explaining the home buying process in an effort to help you realize it does not need to be a daunting or stressful time.

After you become pre-qualified for a mortgage, apply for one, and put an offer on a home, things are finally in motion! Someone will process your application and verify all documents for not only completion but accuracy as well. If any additional documentations are necessary, you will be made aware. Your loan officer will be intimate with you and the process. If you have any questions throughout it, they will be there to answer!

Once your application is completed, an underwriter will review all aspects in their entirety. They will also communicate with you throughout the process – as far as disclosures, employment, appraisal, etc. Once everything is completed and final, the loan will be sent to closing. Once you get there, you are almost to the end of the whole process! Exciting times ahead.

At this point, you are at your closing! This means some documents need to be signed by both parties and you are on your way to owning the new home! With the current climate of the world, things may be a little different when it comes to how many people can be in the closing room, masks, etc. You will be made aware of this before your appointment though.

As you can see, the process is not as scary as you may have originally anticipated. The best part of the whole process is that you are working with professionals who are there to give you advice, answer questions, and help you through the process.

With the increasing amount of new homeowners and others looking into the process, we wanted to remind you of the processes you have in store. If you are a first time buyer, the processes may seem a little intimidating, but we assure you that it is not. If you know what to expect, you might be less intimidated and stressed about the process.

First off, you will want to start off with getting pre-qualified for a mortgage. By getting pre-qualified, you will know what price range you can look into – including what your maximum monthly mortgage payment would be. This process is not only of no-cost, but also of no-commitment to any party. It is important to take this step so you can be realistic when looking into homes with your realtor. There are some people who do not want to go through the process with a realtor, but we highly suggest it. Your realtor will help you with the whole entire process and be there to answer any questions you might have.

Once you have looked through multiple homes and you have come to a decision, it is time to make an offer! One of the positives with having a realtor on your side is that you do not have to conduct any negotiations or deal with any contracts. Your realtor will handle that for you. Once the seller accepts the offer, you will know right away! You will receive not only the disclosure package, but also have the ability to start the application process. There are many financial documents and other documentation that is needed. Luckily with a professional on your side, they will help you with every step of the way. It might seem daunting at first, but if you break it up into little tasks, you will feel the anxiety wash away.

In an effort to not overwhelm you, we will finish with this process next week!

Forbearance mortgage options are available for mortgages during this strange time when many people are not currently working. This is something that is not automatic and you have to call your lender to not only find out the specific details of what is expect from you, but also to set it up. Because of the CARES Act, it is fairly easy to qualify for. It is very important to know what the terms are from your lender – how long it lasts, what is expected of you, etc.

There has been a significant increase of people not paying their mortgage. April 2020 has been the “largest single-month increase every recorded, and nearly three times the previous single-month record set back in late 2008” according to Black Knight. This is baffling some experts since qualifying for forbearance is not very difficult.

Depending your lender, the forbearance options may vary. One forbearance option is that the lender accepts decreased payments for a number of months. Another option is skipping payments all together for a number of months and adding on those missed months to the end of your loan. No matter which option you choose, please remember that you will be responsible for paying the skipped or reduced payments. What you owe will not be erased.

You should also familiarize yourself with the CARES Act and how it pertains to you and your immediate situation. There are certain lenders (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and a few others) where foreclosure cannot occur on your home for up to 12 months. The CARES Act does not apply to all lenders, though. Since this protection is temporary, not permanent, it is important to know where you stand with your lender.

It is recommended that you reach out to your lender as soon as possible if you are unable to pay your mortgage due to financial hardship from the virus. It is not a complicated task. Simply call your lender and they will be able to assist you!

Have you ever thought about trying to negotiate your mortgage rate? Most people think that the rate is set in stone. And for the most part, it is. But on average, buyers save $1,500 by obtaining one more quote. When obtaining five quotes, buyers are saving an average of $3,000! It is worth it to take the time to get rates from a handful of different companies. You not only will have some negotiation leverage, but you will also see if you are getting a fair deal or not.

It is important to make sure that you have a good credit score if you are going to try to negotiate. The lender will not want to think they are risking anything with loaning you money. It will also be helpful if you have at least one less expensive quote when negotiating. If you have a less expensive rate, you can ask the lender you want to work with if they can match the less expensive rate. You also have the opportunity to negotiate with discount points. This means you will pay more initially but you will have a lower mortgage rate over time. Discount points do have to be purchased but in the long run, you will likely save thousands of dollars.

If you are in the beginning of your search, a strong mortgage application will give you more power to negotiate. As already mentioned, a higher credit score and a bigger down payment will help. Having lower monthly debts will also help greatly as well.

There are a lot of regulations with mortgages but there is some flexibility that is available. There are some lenders that have more wiggle room than others. For instance, a lender that operates at a lower operating cost will have more wiggle room to play with than someone who has a brick and mortar location and many expenses.

Know what you are bringing to the table and be confident with that when you are in the negotiation stage!

It may sound silly and redundant to say but we all know that homes can be expensive. If you are a first time homeowner or in the process of selling your current home and upgrading to a different one, it is important to know how much of a budget you are working with.

There are a number of financial aspects to keep in mind. Two of the main factors are your down payment and the total monthly cost of your new mortgage. Although this may be common sense, remember that if you put down a bigger down payment, the amount of your loan in its entirety will be lower. (If a down payment is not something you can afford, there are some options available for either very low or no down payment.)

A very popular opinion as to how much you should spend on your home is that the total monthly cost of your mortgage should not be more than 28% of your monthly income, before tax. There are some experts out there who recommend lower or even higher – but this is a great goal to start at. There are many factors that equal out to the total monthly cost of your home. If you are not completely sure what your cost will be, ask your real estate agent or mortgage broker for help!

We are always here to help. We can help you figure out what you can afford, along with making you aware of all the different programs out there that are available to you.

With everything that is going on, we realize that you may be stuck in a weird place if you are in the market for a new home. With the vast majority of people wanting to keep things contactless, real estate agents have had to adapt. The majority of them have done a great job – with more and more live-stream house tours being readily available. There are some agents who are still offering in-person showings but precautions are amplified with increased time between clients and a limited amount of people in the home at one time.

On a similar train of thought, home inspections still have to take place as well! In most situations, it is now procedure for the home inspector to be the only one allowed in the home. Because of this, home inspectors should be taking photographs and/or video of what they are doing and sending it to the clients. If this is something that you are dealing with, it is okay for you to request it be done.

Once it is time to close on the house and proceed in that manner, the majority of realtors are not being allowed to be in this meeting like they were accustomed to in the past. All parties who are part of the process are signing documents at different times since they cannot all be in the same room together.

You can ease your mind with knowing that due to the technology we have today, you will still be able to purchase your dream home! The process may look a little different but it is still possible!