BAP site syndication http://www.jackthomas.busyagentpro.com Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:37:49 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.jackthomas.busyagentpro.com/images/M_images/ http://www.jackthomas.busyagentpro.com BAP site syndication http://www.jackthomas.busyagentpro.com/preparing-to-buying-a-home-in-profile.market2.html Preparing to Buy A Home in Helena, Montana There's more to buying a home than you might first think. When purchasing a real estate, surely a major part of the process is finding a home in that meets your needs and offering a fair price on it. But, it is important to prepare for the purchase prior to taking any of these steps. If you have bought a home before, you may still not know as much about buying a home as you think you do. Even if you have previously purchased a home, your knowledge might use a little brushing up. Being prepared for buying a home is the best thing you can do to ensure a smooth real estate transaction.You don't have to spend weeks or months learning the process of buying a home in Helena, Montan. You won't have to buy manuals or books or go to expensive seminars. Much of what you need to learn about buying a home you can learn from the comfort of your own home using the Internet. Two of the best web sites available are: www.JackThomasRealEstate.com (http://www.jackthomasrealestate.com/) and www.HelenaAreaHomeBuyers.com (http://www.helenaareahomebuyers.com/) The most important thing is that you do some work to become familiar with buying a home before you attempt to complete a transaction.Before you even think about contacting a real estate agent, you need to first define your reason for buying a home. It's easy to come up with the cliché reasons for buying a home, but the "American Dream" simply isn't reason enough to spend the money you are about to spend on a home. You'll have much better luck finding a place that you love if you really look at why you are buying a home. Develop a list of needs and wants for your home in Helena. Before you come to a decision it is better to recognize that the two are not one and the same. You have ensure that if something is a requirement it is a need. It is important to you to have it. A want is something you desire in your home. Making this distinction is essential in the final home you purchase and the amount of money you spend on it.Take a hard look at your finances. You should not neglect this part of the preparation. Because buying a home is such a large financial undertaking, it is imperative that you understand what your budget looks like. To pay for a mortgage, you should first know how much you can afford. One can determine how much he or she can pay for a mortgage by examining their monthly expenditures and using the amount left over. You need to make sure that you can afford your monthly payment on your mortgage. Before that you need to qualify for a mortgage. Become educated on the entire home purchasing and mortgage process. There are many different kinds of mortgages available. Look into where they are from and you will know where you can get them. A mortgage that meets your needs is just as important as the house that you are using it for. One important thing in the real estate market, and buying a home, don't be talked into something you can not afford. It's also very important to always have some extra money on hand when you buy a new home for any unanticipated expenses.What buying a home is like for you depends largely on how well you have done your homework. You will need to take the necessary steps to make sure that I, can help you find the perfect home for your needs and wants. You can find a lot of free information for real estate deals. Whether its buying, selling or investing, the help is available to you. If you need great online resource for all of your real estate buying questions these two sites are fantastic assets: www.JackThomasRealEstate.com (http://www.jackthomasrealestate.com/) and www.HelenaAreaHomeBuyers.com (http://www.helenaareahomebuyers.com/) For complete information about the Helena real estate market including current homes for sale, the property values in certain areas, and more, please visit my websites for the most complete information dedicated to everything Helena, Montana. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have about buying a home. You can call my cell phone at 406-431-0599 or email me at hydro@bresnan.net (mailto:hydro@bresnan.net) Blog - Buyer Info Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:37:21 +0100 http://www.jackthomas.busyagentpro.com/preparing-to-buying-a-home-in-profile.market2.html http://www.jackthomas.busyagentpro.com/how-to-get-every-dollar-you-deserve-.-by-getting-the-full-value-of-your-h-9.html April 30, 2009, by Jack Thomas in Tips for Sellers The ability to reap additional profits on the sale of your home in Helena, Montana can be accomplished easily enough if you make the right improvements. Many changes can provide the prospective buyer with enhanced feelings about your home, feelings of more space, more light, more rooms, more closet space, greater privacy, warmth and security. Basic, simple and inexpensive improvements can provide an improved emotional response in a potential Helena, Montana buyer.An example could be something as small as a crack in the paint on a wall. Simply by applying some plaster and touch up paint, you eliminated what may be an unstated concern that your home in was poorly maintained. Though the feeling may be unconscious, it’s just as important that the potential buyer feel an overall desire for your home. If you are working with a small budget these simple techniques will work absolute wonders:The Magic of Mirrors! Mirrors can provide a greater sense of space and elegance when properly placed. Be careful not to overdo it, but when placed properly throughout your home, each area will seem larger to the potential home buyer. Try looking in your attic or basement for any old mirrors, but be sure they have a nice frame or at least give the frame a new coat of paint. You may also want to visit a local flea market or garage sale; you can almost always get a great deal on an old mirror or two. Putting one foot square mirrors on a closet door in the master bedroom is always an attractive touch.Adding Additional Closet Space - One of the biggest complaints heard from potential buyers in Helena, Montana is that there just isn’t enough closet space! Simply purchasing an inexpensive closet organizer and installing it in any or all of your closets can make all the difference. You can also try putting a rod across one corner of a bedroom for hanging clothes. Also you could try hanging a screen made from a variety of materials. The screen could match the material of the bedspread, drapes etc. The idea here is to be creative so that the "fake closet" looks as though it was a part of the room.Make a Bare Wall Beautiful. Wallpaper is inexpensive, quick and easy to do! The right wallpaper can brighten the room or hallway and bring it back to life. Be careful to choose something with a neutral design or pattern. Remember, you’re trying to move out.Bring Old Floors Back to Life! Nothing turns off a potential buyer quicker than dull, dingy, disgusting looking floors. Whether you have wax, wooden or tiled floors, do whatever you can to make them shine again! For wax floors, either rent a floor machine and do it yourself, or if it’s in your budget, hire a professional. Have a professional give you an estimate and explain exactly what they would do to bring your floors back to life. If you have them explain what they would do, it may be just as easy to do it yourself. If you have carpeted floors, you should either have the carpet steam cleaned or install new carpeting. This may sound expensive but new carpeting can add thousands of dollars to the value of your home.Add Attractive Plants Having plants in the house is not only healthy for you but you create a warm feeling with them. Many indoor plants are far less expensive than you might imagine. Attractive pots such as ceramic, brass or even designer plastic will add a designer flair to your home. Hanging plants such as Boston ferns are inexpensive, easy to care for and would go great in your new home whenever you move.Adding a Room Without Calling in the Contractor! This simple but seldom used technique, can give a buyer the feeling there are more actual rooms in your house. Floor to ceiling room dividers are inexpensive and simple to install. When a buyer walks through your home in Helena, Montana, they will generally count the rooms in a subconscious manner. Each room will present an emotional response as they walk through your home. By dividing and designing each side of your room, you create a "separate room" feeling in the potential buyer. It may sound crazy, but it works!Clean Up the Bathroom! We’ve probably all heard that phrase a hundred times growing up. Well, guess what? It’s still valid. Give your bathroom a face-lift if needed; fresh paint, decorative moldings, tile grout, new designer faucets are all attractive eye catchers.What is That Smell? Though people don’t like to admit it, everyone's home has a certain smell to it. We just never notice it because we live with it day in, day out. Strategically placing fresh scent devices throughout the home will be pleasant to the nose of any potential buyer. As a matter of fact, an old Realtor trick is to pop some cinnamon rolls in an oven 5 minutes before a showing. I bet you thought all Realtors just had a sweet-tooth!There is a lot of free information available to you about buying, selling or investing in Helena, Montana real estate. For complete information about the Helena Montana Real Estate market including current homes for sale, property values and more, please visit the most complete website online dedicated to everything Helena, Montana real estate at: www.jackthomasrealestate.com. Also please feel free to contact me with any of your real estate questions and I will me more than glad to answer your questions. Call me on my cell at 406-431-0599 or email me at jack@waldenproperties.net. Blog - Seller Info Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:34:23 +0100 http://www.jackthomas.busyagentpro.com/how-to-get-every-dollar-you-deserve-.-by-getting-the-full-value-of-your-h-9.html http://www.jackthomas.busyagentpro.com/a-timeline-for-buying-a-home-in-helena-montana-what-should-be-done-and.html March 11, 2009, by Jack Thomas in Tips for Home Buyers One of the most confusing things about a home buying is what you are supposed to do and when. It can be difficult to pinpoint an exact time-frame for home buying since it can vary depending on the Helena, Montana market. Generally, you can expect it to take about 2 to 3 months to find your dream home in Helena. This timeline is based on that time frame. Two to Three Months Come up with a checklist of things tasks to be completed in the home buying process. This checklist should include all the steps you need to take from educating yourself about the real estate transaction to shopping for the home to the closing. The checklist will serve as your guide throughout the home buying process. Get pre-approved for a mortgage. This will give you a price range to work with throughout the home buying process. Make sure that you are getting pre-approved and not pre-qualified. Start shopping for a real estate agent to assist your home buying. Real estate agents can be invaluable when looking for your home, we will help in letting you know what the next step in the buying process is, and what you need to do so that you can be in your dream home as soon as possible. Feel free to visit me at my website to learn what you need to do to start finding you perfect home in Helena, and sign up for Realty Alert on my site to automatically have listings that meet your criteria emailed to you. The web site address is: www.jackthomasrealestate.com. Come up with a list of things you need and want from a home. Your real estate agent will be able to help you find homes that fall within your criteria. This is a very important step because with a solid idea of what you want in a home I will be able to show you only houses that you are truly interested in instead of having to wade through the thousands of homes in Helena, Montana that don't quite fit your criteria. One to Two Months Evaluate the houses in Helena, Montana that you are considering. Work with your real estate agent to come up with a method to scorecard or analyze the houses that you are strongly thinking about purchasing. Decide which home you would like to purchase. Make an offer to the seller on the home. Once you make an offer it is wise to stop shopping around for homes. The worst thing that can happen is that you find a home you think you like better than the one you've made an offer on. Once the seller has accepted your offer and you have signed the sales contract, have the home inspection completed. Make arrangements for the closing. Four Weeks Purchase homeowners insurance and provide proof of the policy to your lender. This must be done prior to closing. Make your moving arrangements. This can be an exiting experience especially since you are moving to Helena, Montana don't forget to enjoy it. If necessary, begin the process for school transfers or registration. Three Weeks Alert necessary parties of your change in address. You can also have your mail forwarded through the postal service by putting in a request at your local post office. Make arrangements for utilities at your new home. If you will be working with the same providers you can simply put in a request to have your services transferred at a certain date. Two Weeks If you are having your items professionally moved, verify the arrangements with your mover. Check with your lender to finalize the mortgage for the home buying process. Pack your belongings unless you have arranged a full pack and move with the mover. Closing Date Bring your driver's license for identification purposes. Your down payment is due at this time. Also bring any home buying closing costs that you are responsible for paying. Keep in mind that this is a general home buying timeline. You can adjust the time depending on how long it takes you to find a home you like.At Walden Properties we take great care to make sure you are aware of the steps it takes to get you into your dream Helena, Montana home, and work to make these steps as easy on you as possible. There is a lot of free information available to you about buying, selling or investing in Helena, Montana real estate. For complete information about the Helena Montana Real Estate market including current homes for sale, property values and more please visit the most complete website online dedicated to everything about Helena real estate at: www.jackthomasrealestate.com. Please feel free to call me with any real estate questions at 406-431-0599 or email me at: jack@waldenproperties.net. Blog - Buyer Info Wed, 11 Mar 2009 13:49:20 +0100 http://www.jackthomas.busyagentpro.com/a-timeline-for-buying-a-home-in-helena-montana-what-should-be-done-and.html http://www.jackthomas.busyagentpro.com/short-sales-10.html So You're Looking for Helena Short Sales You will likely come across dozens of Helena properties in foreclosure with little or no equity, that is, the seller owes at close to or more than the property is worth. In these situations, lenders are sometimes willing to accept less than the full amount due, commonly referred to a “short pay” or “short sale.” Blog - Investor Info Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:45:15 +0100 http://www.jackthomas.busyagentpro.com/short-sales-10.html http://www.jackthomas.busyagentpro.com/pre-screened-deals.html Get Access to the Absolute Best Buys in Helena When you are buying a home, having current and accurate knowledge of homes are listed for is important. Our best buy service enables you to get priority access to the hottest new listings so you can beat out other buyers and negotiate to get the most home for the least amount of money. Here is how it works. Every week we research all new Listings from every real estate company, all For Sale By Owners, Foreclosures, Builder closeouts and Bank Owned Properties and find the 3 absolute best buys for the dollar in the areas mentioned above in 3 different price ranges. We thouroughly review each and every one of these homes and print out a hotlist which we provide as a public service, free of charge, and without obligation. If you are considering buying a home within the next 90 days in one of these areas your should definitely register to receive your free list of the www.jackthomasrealestate.com Best Buys in your specific price range and desired location. The Best Buys hotlist service will help you identify the three-best-buys on the market right now that match YOUR requirements. Remember, this is a FREE service that will save you time and the hassle of running around looking for properties like these. Simply fill out the form below and click on the Submit button. Blog - Investor Info Wed, 30 Jul 2008 12:40:10 +0100 http://www.jackthomas.busyagentpro.com/pre-screened-deals.html