Homes by Lara Fast

Vacation at the beach or in the mountains?

Peace is the most expensive thing in the world and that peace is only in the mountains...

I love mountains. I'm a mountain girl.

Reason: Trees🌲+Sun☀️+Mountains🏔️+Snowfall☃️ is the best Combination... It's an antidote to me and I think I won't find this combination on the beach.

After all, the best view comes after the hardest climb 🏔️

Peace ☮️

WHO PAYS FOR HOME INSPECTION AND APPRAISAL?

The buyer wants the home inspector to work for them. They do not want them to work for anyone else. So the buyer usually wants to select and pay for that home inspection. No one requires the buyer to get a home inspection but any smart buyer will make the contract somehow subject to what they think about the house based on that inspection.

The appraisal is almost always required by the buyers lender. Technically it is not there to protect the buyer but to protect the lender and their investor who is lending the money. Many buyers also think it is there to protect the buyer. It certainly does not protect the seller (if it did then the seller would refuse to close on a sale that was lower than appraised value).

So since the buyer selected who would loan them the money and what type of loan they are getting and so caused the need for the appraisal -it is considered a buyer’s cost that sometimes a seller pays to help the buyer out- but a seller often refuses to agree to do this.

Why are cookies called biscuits in some Commonwealth countries?

It's due to the languages of immigrants.

'Biscuit' comes from the French bis-cuit, "twice-cooked", like the Italian biscotti. It was used for many types of bread that were baked, then returned to the oven to completely dry out. "Ship's biscuit", also known as "hard-tack" is an example. By extension, the term was applied to any crisp, baked item made of flour.

"Cookie" is the USian term applied to a similar item, but the word comes from the Dutch koekje - "little cake" from koke, "cake". The word "cookie" spread in N. America to apply to sweet, crisp, baked things while the word "biscuit" took another turn and was applied to another type of raised, not-necessarily-sweet baked good. Some forms of American biscuit in fact approach what the English or Scots would call a "scone", particularly American "shortcake".

When is the best time (season) to sell a home and/or buy a home?

What’s the best season to fall in love?

Because it’s kind of the same thing. There is no best season. If you sell in the winter, you’ll have far less competition. And the buyers may be more motivate to move quickly, too. Sometimes people have to move.

🦃 As we prepare to gather with loved ones this Thanksgiving, let's prioritize safety! Whether you're traveling or hosting, remember to follow local guidelines, practice good hygiene, and consider the comfort level of your guests. Let's ensure this holiday is filled with gratitude, love, and most importantly, safety for all. 🍂🍁

So you think that you are ready to purchase a home? You have the colors picked out, the window treatment selected and the layout of how you would like your furniture to look in your future place of solitude. But that was the easy part! Getting the loan can be the hard part. However, the better prepared you are, the smoother the journey will be.

Getting pre-approved is essential to a borrower getting a mortgage. It is the first and most important step in the process owning your future home. Getting pre-approved determines just how much of a home you can buy.

This process starts with you choosing a mortgage loan originator. For this mini article, I will address this part last. A mortgage loan originator will ask you the buyer a bunch of personal questions, delving deep into your finances in order to determine what loan program you are best suited for according to your financial situation.

Some of these items include and not limited to;

2 years of tax returns
2–3 most current paystubs
2 months recent bank statement
most recent 401k statement-if using in the purchase and of course

Permission to pull your credit to see how it is. The higher your credit score the more favorable your rate will be, so the opposite is true with the rate being less favorable if the credit score is bad.

All this information will allow the mortgage loan originator to work out your debt to income ratios and select the program that’s best suited for you. Once you have your pre-approval letter then its off to the races, literally. The race now begins in finding you a home that you like, then having your realtor putting in a contract on the house, and waiting to hear back from the selling agent whether the offer placed has been accepted.

I would strongly advise any buyer to get pre-approved first. For the following reasons,

It will save time for both you and your realtor.

It will show the selling agent just how serious you are about purchasing.

It will allow you the buyer to have a position of power to negotiate on the transaction.

Questions? Call me: 951.373.9405