MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Have a joyous Christmas!  Peace be with you.

And a Happy Prosperous New Year to you and yours!

Text me! 813-714-9737
Dee Smith
RE/MAX Premier Group

Do you have a Realtor you would recommend?

If you were going to buy or sell real estate, or had a friend or family member who was, do you have a competent, caring Realtor you would recommend? 

Do you have someone you can call on just to find the value of your home with no pressure to sell?

Do you have a Realtor who can guide you through the home buying process with no pressure to buy right away?  That will show you lots of houses?  Or would just answer your questions?

Do you have a trusted friend you can just call to answer your questions about the way the market is going?  Sales in your neighborhood?  How much is the house down the street?  What are the interest rates like this week?

My past and present clients do have someone like that.
I love answering real estate questions and discussing the market. Feel free to call, text or email me anytime. And Have a Merry Christmas!



If you would like more information about  selling homes in Land o Lakes and Wesley Chapel please Text, Call 813-714-9737 or Email Dee@DeeSmith.com
 For Testimonials visit www.DeeSmithSellsHomes.com

COMPARING NEW HOMES TO OLDER HOMES IN WESLEY CHAPEL AND LAND O LAKES

So you are thinking of buying a new home in Land o Lakes and Wesley Chapel, Florida.  Here are a few things to consider:

1 EVERYTHING IS NEW in a new home – You can pick out your colors  and upgrades of your carpet, flooring, kitchen and baths. With older homes you could renovate to get your newer features.

2 New homes are priced 10% to 20% higher – August 2017 figures show the same size older home could cost 10-20% less, leaving you plenty of money for renovation.

3 FINANCING is usually easier on new homes because they have lenders they work hand in hand with.  With older homes there may be appraisal issues which could cause the price to be lowered or add to your out of pocket expenses.

4 HURRICANE & ENERGY EFFICIENCY – all the new features - windows, Energy Star appliances, new HVAC Systems, Insulation. Hurricane features are included with the new homes. Once again you could renovate to get these features over time.

5 LOT SIZE – We all know the lots keep getting smaller with the newer homes.  Many older homes have large lots.

6 COMMUTE TIME – the newer homes are being built farther out.  Older homes are usually closer in.

7 AMENITIES – newer neighborhoods have all the amenities, but they come with higher fees. Older homes sometimes have county parks nearby, and usually have lower or no fees.

8 INSURANCE ISSUES – New homes come with features that lower your insurance rates.  You can still get some discounts on your insurance on older homes.

9 CHARM – Many older homes have the charm that is not built into the newer homes.

10 WAITING FOR NEW BUILD – Waiting for a new home to be built can be frustrating but also the anticipation can be fun.

There are pros and cons for new homes and older homes. If you have more questions please contact me. I am happy to help you with these questions

If you would like more information, Text, Call or Email me directly at 813-714-9737 or DeeSmith@DeeSmith.com 
for Testimonials  visit www.DeeSmithSellsHomes.com

SHOULD I BUY A HOME FIRST? OR SELL MY HOME FIRST?

Buying and Selling in Land o Lakes or Wesley Chapel or surounding areas?


With inventory so low this is a very good question and should be considered way before you enter the real estate market.  As an experienced Real Estate Agent, I can tell you this is the first question I usually hear from my local move-up or downsizing clients.  And it is not an easy question to answer, but I have a few very good strategies for this problem depending on your specific situation.  But no matter your situation, I can help you find your success.

In the best scenario, you should buy a home and then sell yours to avoid being homeless. In the very best case you can buy with cash, but most times this is not the case.  This means 2 mortgages until you sell, this can be stressful, but with the proper preparation, marketing, and pricing this should not take long.  And in some cases a mortgage on a second home is not an option.

If, as in most cases, your finances don’t allow you to hold two mortgages, there are other strategies. One is to sell your home and live in temporary housing until you find a home.  This is not the best because you may tend to buy something you are not exactly in love with to get out of the temporary housing.  Or you may find yourself in temporary housing for a very long time.

A better way, and my favorite is to work toward a simultaneous closing which means you buy a house and sell your own house on the very same day. How in the world can you do that? 

Very carefully with great planning and experience.  My clients have been able to take advantage of this method successfully many times.  First, we must plan it.  Work the plan. And finally execute.  Keep our eyes on the goal and don’t give up.  We prepare the home, stage it, have beautiful High Def pictures taken, then actively search with high priority until the home is identified that the buyer wants.  It doesn’t matter how long it takes to find the home to buy. Then, when we do, I negotiate terms that will allow us to sell the buyer’s home and close on the new home on the same day. 

Immediately put the home that is prepared, staged, and photographed on the market at the right price, my marketing system goes into action, and voila! It is sold within a few days, because the market is working in our favor in this stage, and the date for closing is scheduled with the buyers and their sellers.  

Now this is only an outline of how it should go in order to let you know there is a way, and of course there is a lot more to it, that I cannot put into this short article. The key to this success is experience.  I have successfully done this multiple times, learned what to do, and how to do it, and I can do the same for you.  But don’t take my word for it, please check out my testimonials at www.DeeSmith.com and if you are interested in more, contact me.   DeeSmith@DeeSmith.com 813-714-9737
RE/MAX Premier Group  Wesley Chapel, FL 33544  

4 TRICKS TO IMPROVE YOUR CREDIT SCORE BEFORE APPLYING FOR A MORTGAGE TO TREAT YOURSELF TO A LOW MORTGAGE INTEREST RATE

Buying a home in Land o Lakes or Wesley Chapel or surrounding areas?

When applying for a mortgage, you want your credit score to be as high as you can get it.  Here are a few tricks that work.  But, don’t get excited.  This isn’t going to happen overnight.  However, within 3 to 6 months you can raise your credit score significantly with just these 4 simple techniques.

1) Know your credit score.  Check on CreditSesame.com.

Your credit score determines the interest rate you will get on your mortgage.  A higher credit score can save you monthly on your mortgage payment.  This will show you what is keeping your score low so you can fix it.

2) The largest part of your credit score is your credit history.  If you have negative marks, like late payments on any of your credit, write letters to your creditors asking them to remove those please, and send them in the mail. Be very polite and give them a good reason why you made a late payment or whatever it is.  If you can convince them to do that it will raise your score right away… meaning in about 3 months.

3) Contact all your credit cards and ask them to raise your credit limit. This will lower your “utilization ratio” pretty quickly raising your score.  Paying off credit cards will do the same.  Do not close out the account.  It is good to have accounts that have zero balances.  It shows you can manage your money. 

4) Do not apply for any new credit cards, car loans or store credit for 6 months.  Even “No interest paid until next year” loans will drag your credit down.

If you are going to be buying a home soon, contact me.  I can help you save even more money during the process.  There are a lot of costs during the house buying process, knowing where you can save money will help.

Dee Smith  813-714-9737   deesmith@deesmit.com  www.DeeSmith.com

RE/MAX Premier Group  Wesley Chapel, FL 33544  

#LAND O LAKES   #WESLEY CHAPEL  #REAL ESTATE

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I am thankful for you.
Dee Smith
RE/MAX Premier Group
813-714-9737 Text me.

I WANT TO BUY A HOME - I AM A FIRST TIME HOME BUYER - I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START.

Buying Real Estate in Land o Lakes & Wesley Chapel and surrounding areas.

Like any new experience there is a degree of mystery and a little fear mixed in, plus this IS your most expensive purchase you have ever made.  You don’t want to mess up. The KEY is an experienced team to be successful. Yes, TEAM… your Realtor, your Lender and you, the buyer. Information is power so I’m going to impower you with how the process goes.  And I must tell you I have been helping first time homeowners for many years.  I really enjoy it.

First find a Realtor who works with first time home buyers.  This is a specialty for the very reason you pointed out… you don’t know where to start.  This must be an experienced realtor, remember, new agents are learning and will learn from the mistakes they make with their clients.  You don’t want to be one of the mistakes.  Also, the Realtor must be willing to spend more time helping you and teaching you about the process.  Guiding you and protecting you.  Saving you money whenever we can throughout the process.

Second, your Realtor will help you find a great lender that has low interest rates and closing costs to save you money and one who works with first time homebuyers.  There are programs for the first timer.  Usually you must take a class to qualify and you must be qualified by income as well. There are other programs you may also qualify for.  Your lender can help you with that.

Third, your lender will help you to get a pre-approval letter, which you will need to send with your offer when you identify a home you want to buy.  There is paperwork involved with this step, so it may take a couple of days.  Also, some lenders do not work on weekends.  If you wait, you may miss out on a great home that sells before you can get your pre-approval letter.  Once you have it, it is easy to update after that.  The letter is usually good for 90 days.

Fourth, your Realtor will guide you through the process.  She will send you homes in your price range and locations you have chosen using the auto-email system from our MLS. You will get them right away when they are listed.  You will work as a team.  Your part is to drive by the homes that interest you, and check out the neighborhoods, amenities, school info on line, whatever is important to you, etc.  Identify homes you would buy, if you are not disappointed by the inside condition when you visit.  And then tell your Realtor which homes you want to see. The first time you will want to see a few or several, then after that you will be watching for the auto-emails. Buying a home is a process of elimination. Eliminate certain neighborhoods, size floor plans, etc.

Fifth, your Realtor will quickly make the appointment, when you find one that is interesting, and meet you at the home to inspect the interior.  If it is the one you want, your Realtor will quickly write up the offer, email it to you to read over, and for electronic signature.  Within minutes it can be sent to the listing agent along with your preapproval letter to be considered by the sellers. This market (2018) is very competitive, and you must be ready and willing to act quickly to be successful.  If you are not, you are not ready to buy.  Interest rates are going up.  There are multiple offers on most listings within the first week unless they are priced too high.  This sounds a little fast, and it is, but with your team in place, you are not alone.

Next, possibly after some negotiations between you with your Realtor, and the listing Realtor with the sellers, you should have a signed contract.  Then you must make a deposit, apply for your loan, submit more paperwork to the lender, schedule inspections, go to inspections, appraisal, possibly make some more decisions, find an insurance company, moving company, call utilities, etc. all with the help and guidance of your Realtor.  There are a lot of things that must happen between the contract and closing.  Your Realtor makes sure everything is done in a timely manner.  Your lender makes sure everything on his end is done in a timely manner. 

Finally, Your Realtor takes you to your final walk through inspection and closing.  Another successful homeowner emerges from closing with keys in hand.  You did it! 

I hope by describing the process this makes you more confident in your decision to buy a home, and gives you a place to start.  Information is power.  The key to everything is finding the right Realtor.  Of course every transaction is different, and this is only an outline.  An experienced Realtor can navigate any snags for you.  Good luck and have fun!

Your Realtor,

Dee Smith   

DeeSmith@DeeSmith.com   813-714-9737  www.DeeSmith.com  click on Testimonials

RE/MAX PREMIER GROUP - Wesley Chapel, FL