Homes With Lauren

Good News? WOW that would be nice!

laurenckw — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 22:36:49 +0000

Check out this recent post and video from the National Association of Realtors. Good stats and info

2012 Home Sales: Positives on Many Fronts.

Better Questions Will Get You a Better Agent

laurenckw — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:30:24 +0000

When interviewing agents to sell their home, most homesellers really only care about the answer to two questions: Who is going to sell it for the most money? Who is going to charge me the least? The result of these

via Better Questions Will Get You a Better Agent.

laurenckw — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:27:58 +0000

So I always thought I was an understanding realtor. That I was able to understand how people were feeling during the process and could help ease their stress and worry.

Phew! I have got such an eye opener as I prepare to move in 5 days.

Moving is really crazy.

You have to display your home to whomever decides to stop in and take a look. You run around staging and cleaning constantly. Screaming at the kids “Clean that up!!!!” Then you wait to hear what the buyers thought of your house. The critique hurts even if you agree 100%. You want them to think your house is perfect! So, then someone does like your house and makes an offer. Even if it is a good one you think…. did I ask enough? Is this fair? Then the inspection, the mortgage process, the packing, the last second paperwork and juggling.. the list goes on.

But what I really found to be the truth in this process was summed up in a conversation my husband and daughter had recently.

“Dad, will Maddie (our Dog) be sad at the new house? Will she miss her old house? It will be so different.”

“Well, I don’t know. We will bring her bed and her food”

“Yeah…..(a long 9-year-old pause for contemplation)”

” You know what Dad, I think what really counts is that we will be with her – that is what makes it our home”

So, to all you past and future movers out there. I get it. I feel your pain.

And in the end it really is the people you love that make it a home.

Happy Holidays!

Keller Williams was voted #3 Place to Work in Boston!

laurenckw — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 16:57:26 +0000

Selling your house? Do your homework first – The Boston Globe

laurenckw — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 21:11:17 +0000

This article in the Sunday Globe was so refreshing. The little things (like 5,000 knicknacks and cluttered basements) make a difference! The key to getting top dollar for your house is preparation and pricing. Check out this family and their home sale story.

Selling your house? Do your homework first – The Boston Globe.

Some Good News for Veterans!

laurenckw — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:43:11 +0000

There have been some changes to the VA Loans. Fees actually went down? Find out more here – Some Good News for Veterans!.

Homeownership: Why Wait?

laurenckw — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:45:24 +0000

Rates at 4%?? Home Loan Refinancing Options

laurenckw — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:37:53 +0000

Yes – last week for one day rates were at 4%!

If you are thinking of refinancing you may want to get your paperwork in order, speak to a mortgage broker (check out my service partners for recommended brokers) and be ready to pounce if they drop again. And if they don’t – rates are low now anyway! Here is a bit more info on refinancing….

With a refinancing, you pay off an old loan on your home and take out a new one, typically at a lower mortgage interest rate. To refinance, you will generally need to have equity in your home, a good credit rating, and steady income. You can borrow a percentage of the equity to cover remodeling costs, debt consolidate, and college tuition.
You will incur all the closing costs that go along with getting a new mortgage when you refinance. So, unless you are doing extensive renovations and can get a mortgage interest rate at least two points below your current loan rate, you may want to select another financing option.

Many people flock to refinance while mortgage interest rates are low, particularly when rates are about two percentage points below their existing home loans. Other factors, like when to finance, will depend on how long you plan to hold on to your home and whether you have to pay considerable fees to refinance. How far along you are in paying off your current mortgage will also be a factor.

If you expect to sell your home relatively soon, you are not likely to recoup the costs you incurred to refinance. If you are more than halfway through paying your current mortgage, you probably will gain little by refinancing. However, if you are going to own your home for at least another five years, that is probably long enough to regain any refinancing costs and realize real savings as a result of lowering your monthly payment.

Stats on sales year over year

laurenckw — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:45:34 +0000

For all of you out there that love numbers (you know who you are!) I thought you might like a little info on how sales were in my Keller Williams office this spring compared to last.

Ok, so remember we had the end of the first time home buyer credit last spring driving buyers out to get their $8,000.

Well, this spring sales were only down 6% compared to last spring. To me that means a strong spring market.

Now that the summer has set in things are certainly quieter but homes are getting sold. The numbers below includes ALL offices.

Total Homes on the market in Beverly, Danvers, Hamilton, Wenham, Salem and Topsfield = 513

The bulk of the listings are between $250,000 and $399,000 = 184

Total Homes that have gone UNDER AGREEMENT in those towns in the last month = 69

Total Homes that have SOLD in those towns in the last month = 65

Things keep moving along…

House Prices Through 2015

laurenckw — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 10:51:12 +0000

I get this great Blog, Keeping Current Matters, it does a great job summarizing all the data out there. It feels good when your intuition matches what the “experts” are saying too.

Check out today’s piece on where prices are heading here – House Prices Through 2015.