Bridget Fredericks

Baton Rouge has a hot new real estate company in town called Home After Home. Founded by two REALTORS with a lot of experience in the Baton Rouge real estate market, we expect Home After Home to be a great success. The principle is simple. The way of the Internet is now and far too many real estate companies are falling behind the game when it comes to properly marketing their listings and allowing an interface on the web that empowers home buyers and home sellers. Home After Home is a progressive technology real estate company that will fix that problem in the real estate marketplace.

We'll write another post when the website is launched, but for now, know that something great is about to happen. Phase 1 will be powerful web search allowing home buyers to search for homes available in the market and for home sellers to see what their competition looks like. Phase 2 which we plan to launch towards the end of 2010 will be the most innovative and powerful real estate website available. For that, you'll just have to wait and see!

In the meantime, it's business as usual. As we work to build the web platform we are continuing to help buyers and sellers using a combination of both traditional and innovative methods to achieve their real estate goals.

For the real estate agents who are looking for a better way to serve their clients, our office space is designed differently from most. We have mobile workstations in "The Lounge" and conference space where you may work on the go or meet with clients.

We're ready to help you achieve YOUR real estate goals! Are you ready? Call or text us today at 225-341-2752.

If you are in the market to purchase a home, this blog post will help you as you prepare on your journey to make that move. This is a step by step checklist to help you.

1. Start looking online. Ah, but what are you looking for? Well, you want to look at houses in the areas that you think would be of interst to you. Pick out a few different neighborhoods that you might want to drive through. And start to get a feel for what a dollar will buy you in certain neighborhoods. If you are moving in the Baton Rouge market, it may be helpful for you to know, that even in "this" economy, homes sell very near the asking price. In fact, on average, Baton Rouge area homes are selling just under 97% of the list price. What exactly does that mean for you? Well, if you are looking to spend no more than $200,000, you should be looking up to $206,000 but not looking at $225,000 or $250,000. Sellers just aren't coming off their prices by large margins. So, look at homes that are priced very close to your price range.

The second thing you are looking for online is the realtor. What realtor might you want to work with? Who's sites do you like? You might even want to read up on the realtor, their designations, qualifications, experience, and work practices. This will give you a jump start on who you want to interview to be your agent. Yes, I said "interview". We're going to talk a little more about this later, but for now, remember that "who" you choose to represent you is one of your most important first steps.

Here's a website to use to start looking for homes: www.HomeAfterHome.com.

2. Start talking to lenders. This is where we start to part from your online research. It's always best to deal with a local lender. So, start with the bank where you have your checking/savings accounts. Ask to speak with a loan officer and let them know that you intend to purchase a home. Tell them that you would like them to pull a credit report, qualify you, and provide you with a good faith estimate. The credit report now, will give you a chance to catch any errors that may be on your report that would inhibit you from buying a home. Having them qualify you will put you at ease and give you some comfort with the price range. And having the costs (the good faith estimate) will help you to prepare for the normal buyer costs (in addition to the downpayment) that you will have associated with your loan and closing. This step is all about preventing you from having unwanted surprises when your time might be more critical. During the home buying process there are many deadlines to meet to stay in compliance with your contract, so having those unwanted surprises can throw everything off for you and make it much more stressful. You probably want to talk with and compare 1-3 lenders.

Note: If you are paying cash for your home, prepare by obtaining a letter from your bank stating that you the appropriate sum of money as available cash on hand. This will serve as proof to the seller that you are "for real". You might think that it's everybody's dream to have a cash buyer, but I have seen both agents and sellers become uncertain or doubtful when they have a cash buyer. So have that letter on bank letterhead or letterhead from your financial planner. If you are paying cash, we want to make sure that the other side of the table understands that you really do have the cash, have access to the cash, and are much better for them than a financed buyer.

3. Drive around. Now it's time to go ahead and drive through the areas. Check out which areas you might like to live in. Make the drive from work to a potential neighborhood at "quitting time" to see what kind of traffic you can expect to endure in different areas. Visit neighborhoods you've never been in. See what you like/don't like and make a list of any for sale by owner properties that you find in the areas that you like.

4. Interview REALTORS. I mentioned that we would come back to this. At this point it's time to get started with an agent. You've figured out what areas you like. You have begun the financing process. And you may even have found a few houses that you would like to see. Now is a great time to check out which realtor is best suited to meet your needs. In selecting a realtor, many people pick one that they like or a friend or family member. That's fine, but check their credentials. This is a big purchase, and selecting the right REALTOR now can go a long way to you in the future. You need someone who see's hundreds of homes, knows the real estate market, understands the data, and has great negotiation skills. It's not just about finding a home. A good agent will help you save thousands. These thousands are saved by helping you select the right home, negotiating the right price, negotiating repairs with the seller, and helping you get to a sucessful closing.

Once you select a REALTOR, they'll help you select homes to view and you'll move on to the next step.

5. Viewing Homes. Now you'll get to go out with your agent and see your top picks.

6. Everything Else. The rest of the process of buying a home will be managed by your agent. In a nutshell, once you select a home, your agent will help you negotiate a purchase agreement. Next up, is to secure your financing and conduct inspections. Next, you may need to get insurance in place and coordinate a closing appointment.

The Everything Else section is where most deals fall apart. The home buying process gets more complicated throughout the "under contract" time period and having an expert help you will make things go more smoothly. Understand that step 6 doesn't have to be stressful. It can be, but having professional help will minimize that stress.

Contact me if you would like help getting started. I can help point you in the right direction and, when you are ready, I would like to interview to be your agent. Put me to the test! Just call 225-341-BRLA and we'll help you get started.

Here we are in September and the school year has caused a little slow down in the real estate market. The thing this year is that there are still first time home buyer's out there in the market place looking for homes they may purchase by November 30. The problem that I'm running into is that there aren't as many homes coming on the market right now.

So what's the solution? Well, if you have a home you want to sell, don't wait. Now is as good of a time as any to sell. There are buyers looking for homes, why not yours? Many of the serious buyers in the real estate market today have a limited time left to take advantage of the first time home buyer's tax credit.

Additional help has been provided to these buyers. The Louisiana bond authority has issued a part of the bond program that let's buyer's use a portion of the tax credit as a downpayment today. Wow! I sure wish they had done this 3 months ago! Well, they've done it now, and it is more reason why sellers don't need to "wait" for a better time to sell. Now is a great time to move.

Interest rates remain low. Buyers are looking for homes to buy. And inventory seems to have slowed down with the commencement of the school year. So, if you were considering the possibility of selling your home, give us a call and we'll help you plan for today's real estate market! 225-341-BRLA (225-341-2752)

Well, I wrote a post earlier about this great loan program for anyone making a purchase under $200,000. Today, I'm writing to say that maybe it's not for "anyone". It is a loan program that has it's merits, but if you are a buyer who is qualified to do an FHA loan, NACA may not be the best route for you.

I was considering using NACA to purchase a new home for myself. I sent a friend of mine (with whom I'll be purchasing) to the NACA workshop. What I found out was a little disturbing. First of all, if you are responsible with your money, I doubt you will want to sit with one of their "mortgage consultants" who will go through your budget with you and coach you on fine tuning that budget. Secondly, I heard that they got into about FHA. At the workshop they talked about FHA being "loan sharks" and talking badly about the FHA program.

By what logic can anyone call FHA a loan shark? I mean it's a government backed program that offers a minimal down payment and lower mortgage insurance than a conventional loan. Plus FHA is more forgiving on credit scores than conventional financing. Sure, if you compare it to a $0 down, $0 closing cost loan, the no money down loan may be more appealing.

But let's all keep in mind that even if you have no money up front when you purchase the home, you're still paying for it in the long run - every penny of it.

There are those critics out there who diss the NACA program as well. They complain that if people have no money to put down then they shouldn't buy a home. And, while there may be some truth to this statement, it is my belief that everyone deserves a chance. And that's why I still think NACA is a good program. Because at it's heart, it is there to help people who really wouldn't have had any other method by which to purchase a home. That's a good goal. The credit counseling is a good part of this program, because the typical buyer who can't qualify for FHA probably needs the credit counseling.

So, if you are a buyer with poor credit, no downpayment, and you're willing to put some effort into making the dream of home ownership a reality - the NACA is the program for you. Agents: if you have a buyer who is qualified for an FHA loan already, they probably do not need NACA, and they may not want to spend the time to go through the program as it's a longer process than normal.

Summary: NACA is a good program for people who need it. And, quite frankly, I don't think NACA wants the people who have other loan options to come through their program.

Well, as school is getting underway around town, I'm starting to notice fewer phone calls coming through the office. This, of course, is the typical start to the school year. As parents' attention is focused on buying school supplies, uniforms, and books their atttention on a potential move get's pushed to the back of their minds. So if you have a home on the market, what are you to do?

Well, first of all, let's remember that this school rush is temporary. As all the kiddies get settled into the school year, the parents will turn back their attention to other details. If a move was in their minds before, they'll remember that when September rolls around and start looking again. Patience truly will get you through the school year.

It's also good to note that while fewer buyers may be viewing your home for sale now that school has kicked off, those that do view your home must be serious buyers. (Or buyers without children!) Seriously though, the people who are devoting precious time to looking at homes during this time of the year, have certainly put their homesearch as a top priority. It's important to keep your home ready for showings and be ready to leave for people to see it. This is a time when you'll want to be sure that any serious buyers that come out get a chance to see your home and consider it as one of their top choices.

If you are a buyer in this market, remember that there are many people who are working around school schedules now. It may be helpful if you schedule your viewings during the day while the kids are in school. This can make life easier for you (if you have children) and for the sellers living in the homes that you intend to view. Making life easier for everyone is a good way to lay the groundwork for a sucessful transaction.

And most of all, remember that we're here to help you! Linda and I (Bridget) focus on helping to make your move less stressful. For buyers we help to make the searching process a little easier and less time consuming. For both buyers and sellers we strive to take the emotions out of the negotiations so that your transaction may be smoother and more pleasant. Give us a call to get started today: 225-341-BRLA