Santa Cruz Real Estate Agent

You’ve decided it’s time to buy a new home, and you’re ready to hire a Santa Cruz real estate agent to help you through the process. Wise decision!

The agent you hire wants to provide the very best service for you.  Here are several things you can do to help your Santa Cruz real estate agent do the best work for you:

1. Share your expectations. Exactly what do you want your real estate agent to do for you? Do you want him or her to provide an update to you weekly? What’s your preferred method of communicating – phone, email or text?

2. Get pre-approved for a loan. When you’re pre-approved, you have a better chance of getting that perfect home you find because sellers prefer to work with buyers who have been pre-approved for a…

In this economy, every leg up on other sellers will help your home sell faster and at the price you want.  If you’re not getting the offers you want on your Santa Cruz home, here are nine ideas to get things moving in the right direction:

1. Get an appraisal.  Knowing what a professional appraiser thinks your home is worth gives owners a reality check. It also helps you determine the best price for your home.

2. Get a home inspection before listing your home.  Find out the hidden problems with your Santa Cruz home and correct them in advance. If you get your home inspected and find problems but elect not to repair them, be sure to include the problems on the property condition disclosure form.

3. Consider offering a home warranty. …

Mortgage lenders are primarily concerned with your ability to repay your Santa Cruz real estate mortgage.  They will consider your credit score, debt-to-income ratio and how much you have for a down payment before telling you what you can afford to spend on Santa Cruz real estate.

Credit Score

One of the first things your lender will review is your credit score.  Credit scores range from a low of 350 to a high of 850.  In this case, the higher, the better.  The lower your credit score, the higher your interest rate and points will be, and the lower the amount of home you’ll be able to afford. If your score is too low, you may not qualify for a mortgage. If your score is low, you may need to take some time to improve your credit score before…

When it comes time to sell your home, the person who can ensure a quick sale at top dollar is your Santa Cruz real estate agent. He or she will be the primary person marketing your home, and if your professional doesn’t work hard to sell your home, it can cost you precious time and money.

Choosing the right Santa Cruz real estate agent can be tricky. To help you make a wise choice, below are five simple questions you should ask agents before making your decision:

1. How many other homeowners are you currently working with? An agent with too many properties on their plate might not give your home the individual attention it needs to attract potential buyers. However, if the agent has no listings, that might also be a bad sign.

2. Are you going…

You’ve probably heard the terms real estate agent, broker, REALTOR®, listing agent and buyer’s agent. But do you know what they mean and the differences between them? 

Here are the definitions of terms you may encounter on your Santa Cruz real estate agent search:

1. Real estate agent: Agents are licensed sales people. They are not real estate brokers. In fact, they must work for an employing broker and cannot work independently. An agent works under the broker's guidance and legal protection. Real estate agents are required to undergo education pertaining to real estate law and ethics.

2. Real estate broker: A real estate broker has more education than an agent, they can work independently, and they can hire other real estate agents.…

Consider buying foreclosed properties if you are looking for real estate bargains. Foreclosure is a legal process in which the insurer or lender repossesses the property from the borrower who defaulted on their loan.  Santa Cruz foreclosures are easy to find with just a little work.

Here are nine tips to help you find the best Santa Cruz foreclosures:

1. Find a real estate agent: The first step is to get a reliable and trusted real estate agent.  Never try to purchase a foreclosed property by yourself.

2. Get pre-approved for a loan: If you’re not paying cash, pre-approval is a must. It means you have met with a loan officer and he or she has “pre-approved” you for a certain amount you can afford.

3. Locate foreclosed properties:…

Whether you’ve decided to purchase a new home or list yours for sale, you’ll need to hire an experienced Santa Cruz real estate agent. Selling and buying homes can be stressful, so you need to be able to trust and rely on your Santa Cruz real estate agent to do what’s in your best interest, even if they’re acting as a dual agent.

While ‘dual agent’ might be a confusing term, it’s quite simple — the real estate agent is working for both the buyer and the seller of the home. As both parties will have a lot at stake, this could be perceived as a conflict of interest. Below are some of a dual agent’s obligations which are put in place to prevent a conflict of interest:

• An agent should disclose dual agency – As soon as a real…

You’ve decided it’s time to sell your home. Now you’re dreading the process of finding a Santa Cruz real estate agent. Don’t worry! There are many outstanding agents available. Just be sure to interview at least three agents and call a few of their clients to check their references before making your choice.

To help you through this process, here are six key questions to ask when interviewing Santa Cruz real estate agents:

1. How many homes have you sold in this area in the last year and how long did it take you to sell them? Obviously, the more homes sold the better and the quicker the homes sold the better. Don’t go with a real estate agent who has sold nothing in the last six months. That most likely means they don’t know how to sell…

Whether you’re looking to buy or sell a home, finding the perfect Santa Cruz real estate agent can be tough. The process is often overwhelming and you want to ensure that you have the right person by your side — someone who’s trustworthy, hard-working and knows what they’re doing!

That is why it’s extremely important to do your research thoroughly when it comes to Santa Cruz real estate agents. You need to interview several agents, follow through on referrals and ensure they have the proper credentials.

All the acronyms after agents’ names can be confusing, so here are a few that describe specializations you might need:

• SRES – This stands for Senior Real Estate Specialist. The SRES designation is for agents who work with buyers…

As the new year starts, pursuing your dream of buying a Santa Cruz home may be on your list of resolutions. Prices and interest rates are extremely low, which means 2012 could be the perfect year to buy a home. As exciting as that is, I bet it can also feel a little overwhelming.

One of the best ways to attack a big goal is to break it down into smaller goals. So here are four smaller goals you can tackle to accomplish your larger goal of buying a home:

1) Prepare for battle: Before you begin looking for a house, look at your financial situation. Do what you can to clean up any credit blemishes, pay off debt and save toward a down payment.

2) Check your qualifications: There's no sense looking at million dollar mansions if that's not in your…